Legacies Reborn Read Free Page B

to get away from them. They’ll shoot me if I run.
    â€œSurrender or die,” the Mogadorian says.
    I look around, but there’s no one nearby to help. I can barely even see the people from my block anymore from where I am. I guess everyone’s been rounded up, or is hiding, or . . .
    My eyes fall on the unmoving body by the hydrant.
    These aliens are going to kill me on my own damn block.
    The one closest to me bares his gray, jagged teeth in what might be considered a smile on Mars or wherever the hell he came from. His finger on the trigger twitches.
    There’s a sharp buzzing in my chest. I can hardly stand it. I feel like someone’s blown up a balloon insideme, the pain so bad that I’m sure I’m about to be ripped apart.
    My heart thumps.
    This is the end.
    Mom. I’m sorry.
    I throw my hands up in front of my face to shield myself. As if that will do anything to protect me.
    And then the impossible happens.

CHAPTER THREE
    THE ALIENS’ GUNS FLY OUT OF THEIR HANDS AND through the air, clattering onto the street halfway down the block.
    What the . . . ?
    Something is different. Something inside me has changed. The buzzing has changed. Now I can sense it coursing through my veins. I feel powerful. I feel electric , and for a second I wonder if I was actually shot with one of those laser guns. But that can’t be true. I feel too alive.
    What the hell is going on?
    I don’t know how to even begin to answer that question. The alien douche bags look just as confused as I am—and really pissed off. The one with the tattoos sneers and lunges for me. I push my hand out in front of me, hoping to stop him.
    His body shoots through the air, crashing throughthe windshield of an abandoned taxi that’s on fire a few buildings away from us.
    I look at my hands, and then to the two remaining Mogadorians. They take a few steps back.
    They’re afraid of me.
    In spite of everything that’s happened, I can’t help but smirk at this.
    â€œWho’s laughing now?” I ask as I get to my feet.
    â€œGarde,” one of the aliens says. I don’t know what he means, and I don’t really care.
    I feel like a puppeteer, like everything has invisible strings I can push and pull. I raise my hand above my head, and the alien on my left is thrust into the air. He lets out a deep growl.
    I don’t have any damn clue what’s happening to me. All I know is that these monsters attacked my city. My neighborhood. My family.
    I narrow my eyes and bring my hand down. The floating Mogadorian slams into his friend. And then I take him up in the air and hammer him down again, over and over, until the two of them fall apart, bursting into little clouds of ash.
    My hands shake. I stare down at them in disbelief, but I don’t have time to try to make sense of this. More Mogadorians spill onto the street a few blocks away, shooting into a crowd of people who run after them. The humans have weapons of their own. They’re comingat the invaders with guns, knives, hockey sticks and bats—a few police officers head the charge in riot gear. Someone throws something that’s smoking; there’s the sound of glass breaking, and then one of the aliens goes up in flames.
    People are fighting back.
    I wonder if I should stay and try to protect my neighborhood, but the only thing I care about in the world right now is getting downtown to Mom. And so I break into a run, this time slightly less afraid, fueled by this new energy that’s flowing through me. My brain feels like it’s sparking, and all I can think is that if this is real—if I’ve got superpowers now—then I can still hope that she is okay. That we’ll be reunited soon. It’s not impossible. Nothing is impossible.
    Morningside Park is dark. Normally it’s not the kind of place I’d want to hang around at night, but I don’t hesitate to sprint into it. All I have to do is climb a