Daddy's Girl: Cape High Book Five by R.J. Ross Read Free Book Online Page A

Mastermental.  "Thank you, Mastermental."
    "You're welcome," he says.
    "Time to go," Nico says, getting to his feet.  "If I'm going to get you suited up for the Cape Cells I need to get started."
    I nod, following him out the door and waiting until we're well away from Mastermental's office to ask, "We're going this way to avoid the room with the guy that looks like you, aren't we?"  Because I don't remember any of these hallways or doors, even if they do look a lot like the ones we passed earlier.
    "I have no idea what you're talking about.  This is just the fastest way to the garage," he says as we reach another elevator.  He presses the button, frowns, and presses his hand to the door.
    "It's broken," I tell him, pointing at the very obvious sign on the wall.  "Due to supers," I read.  "How does that happen in the Hall?"
    "Happens in the Hall a lot more often than it does in the rest of the world," Technico says, prying the doors open and looking inside.  The thick cords that are supposed to bring it up are broken completely and the elevator itself is on the ground far below us with a gigantic hole in the ceiling.  "Someone got tired of waiting," he mutters.  I stare at it, wondering what Hall member would blatantly do something like this.  "Well, might as well," Nico says, holding a hand out into the empty elevator shaft.
    "We could go back the way we came," I say as metal parts start floating in the elevator shaft, rearranging themselves.  The cords come up to start reconnecting and Nico steps into the air in the elevator shaft, crossing over as if on solid ground to touch the cords.  They meld together, much to my astonishment.  Below him the elevator is rebuilding itself.  I can't help but be torn between watching that and watching him.
    Nico is AMAZING.  It's only been a few minutes and the elevator is fixed.  He comes back, dropping down next to me on the ground and letting out a snort.  "You know, now that I think about it, it would have been faster to just fly down."
    He closes the elevator door and waits impatiently for it to come back up.
     
    ***
     
    I'm not surprised that we pull into the parking lot of the apartment building, but I am when he heads that way instead of toward the school.  He stops at the panel, looking at me.  "You coming?"
    "Shouldn't I get back to the campus?" I ask, still climbing out of his car.
    "No, I've got the tools I'll need for this here.  Come on."  He watches the sky as I cross the parking lot and only glances at me when I get to his side.  I think something's bothering him, but by the way he shut me down when talking about the white haired man, I know it's none of my business.  Instead I press my hand to the panel and head through the security field, stepping on the glowing footprints and waiting for him to catch up.
    This is where Aubrey lives.  Sure, several others live here as well, I mean, Zoe, Sunny, Emily, Trent--but Aubrey's my best friend.  The others are just guys in my class.  I wonder if she's home from the zoo yet.  I glance up as Nico walks past me and starts up the stairs, following him a bit belatedly.  "So what all are you going to put on me?" I ask.
    "I expect you to wear long sleeves and pants, as usual.  I'll make a power blocking collar as well.  When we go in we'll be led down several hallways to a large room divided by a thick see through wall.  Because your dad doesn't have vocal powers there will be a speaker in the ceiling that will let you talk," he says.  "The guards in his block are machines, save for the ones that will be leading us there--even if he does get hold of them, he won't be able to do anything with them."
    "Why do I need to know all this?" I ask.
    "So you know that you're perfectly safe," he says, looking at me with a serious expression.
    "From my father," I say, looking back to the stairs because I'd rather not look at him right now.
    We reach the top floor and he leads me into an apartment building that's