The Forbidden Trilogy(89)

Darren raised his hand. "A peaceful outcome would be best for all parties. The terrorists presumably want something, so I'd find out what and try to negotiate. That way, no one gets hurt."

Lucy didn't disagree with Willy or Darren, but believed both had underestimated the enemy in this scenario.

Mr. Lancaster pointed to Mary. "What about you, how would you handle it?"

All the guys in the room zoomed in on the blond who played with her long hair and looked slightly confused. "Um... well, I would do something to, you know, get their attention. I mean, my powers work all the time. Why would they stop working? This doesn't make sense. Even if I lost my power... well, look at me." She gestured to her tight dress and curvy figure. "I'd just seduce them into surrendering."

Lucy rolled her eyes, as did every other female in the room. The men were too entranced to think clearly.

The question troubled Lucy, who didn't know how she would handle the situation even with her power. Detecting lies could come in handy with hostage negotiation. She'd be able to tell whether they lied about releasing the prisoners. As for a full-on attack, what would she do?

She had an idea. "Mr. Lancaster?"

"Yes, Lucy."

"I think everyone had good ideas." She shot a glance at Mary. "Well, almost everyone. But I don't think it would be that simple. We'd have to work as a team to succeed. Alone, we'd each just fail."

Mr. Lancaster clapped his hands and smiled. "Very good. You all are good lone rangers, but you also need to learn how to work together. Situations will come up where, even if you have access to your powers, you won't win on your own. There's power in numbers when each person's gifts are used well. Remember that."

Lucy made eye contact with the teacher and held his gaze. Did he know about the Freedom Fighters? Was he somehow endorsing what they were doing?

He turned away and addressed the class. "You're dismissed, but stay alert. I'll be doing surprise attacks at random. Be ready to defeat me without the use of powers... and preferably without serious bodily injury either. I'm just an old man, after all."

The hallway filled with teens hurrying to their next class. The squeak of sneakers on the linoleum floor, and the smell of the boy's locker room across the hall, brought back so many memories for Lucy. She missed Sam and wished they were together again. She thought Sam would have liked Mr. Lancaster's class today.

Gary approached as she made her way to the lockers. "I'm going to see if Darren will join us. Telekinesis could be very powerful. Have you and Luke decided if you're in. We really need you both." His hazel eyes begged her like a puppy dog looking for a treat.

She stood her ground, though, unwilling to sign on to this crazy plan that was doomed to failure. "We're talking about it, but it still looks like a suicide mission to me, and I kind of like being alive."

The headmaster's voice startled Lucy. "What are you doing out of class, young lady?"

She spun around, heart pounding. Neil stood behind her. "Hey, Lucy, what's up?"

"Were you doing Higgins's voice again? You freaked me out."

He laughed. "Sorry, I just can't help it. I love the look on everyone's face when they think they're about to get in trouble for something."

Lucy punched him in the arm. "You're terrible, you know that?"

Greg walked up and took Gary's hand.

"Oh, Neil, this is Gary and Greg, friends of mine. Guys, this is Neil. He can mimic any voice around. It's incredible."

Gary stared at her.

Right, Neil would be perfect, but I'm so not going there until I've decided where I stand on all this. She shook her head sharply.

Gary sighed and pulled Greg closer to him. "Hey, Neil, we're getting a club together. You know, something where we can practice our powers and talk about politics. You in?"

"I hear ya, Gary, but I don't know. Sounds risky, given... everything. I'll think about it, okay?" He turned to Lucy. "You and Luke are in?"

Lucy shuffled her feet. She didn't want to ruin Gary's efforts, but she wouldn't lie either. "Um, we're thinking about it."

"Got it. Well, like I said, I'll give it some thought but.... "

Gary's shoulders slumped. "Yeah, sure, I understand. See ya, Neil."

"Bye Gary. Lucy. Be careful."

Neil left the three of them with dejected looks on their faces.

Lucy stomped her foot, then blushed at how petulant she must look. "How do you expect to succeed if you can't even recruit people?"

Gary rolled his eyes. "That's why we need you and your brother. If people see you two involved, they'll be more likely to join."

"And then we'll be responsible for leading more kids to their death. I don't want that on my conscience."