King Of Bad [Super Villian Academy Book 1] Read Online Free

outburst. She
didn’t flinch or back away.
    “Wait a
minute,” Jeff glared at Pyro as intently, “why were you watching me? How did
you know my name? How did you know I have special abilities?”
    Jeff looked
around the utilitarian room. An uneasiness settled in
his stomach. Why was he here with this woman anyway? Pyro looked like a mother
waiting for her two-year-old to stop throwing a tantrum and that stoked his
anger again. He sucked in a deep breath and jammed his eyes closed. Replaying
the events by the dumpster in his head, he remembered the sensation of fire
erupting from his fingers. That is not normal. He needed help and Pyro knew how
to help him. With a slow deep breath, Jeff filled his lungs and expanded his
stomach. He held it for a few calming seconds before letting it out slowly.
    Control over
his anger was tenuous, but at least he felt he had some. “So, why were you
watching me?”
    Pyro grabbed
the gauze and wrapped Jeff’s hand while she explained that they’d learned about
Jeff when he’d set fire to the trash can at the high school.
    “Oh, the guy
chasing me was an S.V. too, huh? That’s why he was wicked fast and leapt over
fences in a single bound.” Jeff winced as she wrapped his tender fingers. He spoke
through gnashed teeth. “But how did you find me again? I lost him that day.”
    “We all have
special abilities. Some of us are trackers. S.V.’s have easy to detect energy
sources. Especially untrained S.V.’s. Once a tracker
located you, I took over and I’ve been trailing you since.” Pyro finished
wrapping and put everything away. “I have a question for you, kid.”
    “’Kay,” Jeff
answered with caution. He wasn’t sure he’d have any answers.
    “How long have
you known about your abilities?”
    “The only thing
I’ve known about, until today, was my speed.” Jeff shrugged. “I guess I’ve
always known about that. I don’t use it around other people ’cause they freaked
out in the first grade when I zipped across the playground.”
    “What do you
mean ‘freaked out’?”
    “The kids and
the teachers treated me like a circus act or an alien after that. I don’t even
think the kids remember why they’re afraid of me anymore.” Jeff hung his head
and stared at the floor. “I really am different though? After all these years,
I find out those kids are right? I am a freak of nature.”
    Pyro leaned
back against the counter with a far away look on her face. “I didn’t have it
that bad because my first ability didn’t show up until freshman year in high
school. It was the first signs of my fire and it came in handy. Tim Malone and
I were kissing and I heated up more than normal. I didn’t know it, being new at
the whole necking thing, but Tim did. He thought it was cool, until I burned
him of course. After that no guy would get near me.”
    “Um, why do you
consider that handy?” Jeff asked.
    Pyro looked at
him and smiled. “Because it was easy to say goodbye to the
place when the time came.”
    “What do you
mean?”
    “Follow me.”
    Pyro led Jeff
down another series of bright hallways with closed doors. The building seemed a
never-ending maze to Jeff and it unnerved him that he wouldn’t be able to find
his way to an exit. At last Pyro stopped with her hand on the knob of a door.
She turned back toward Jeff and said, “You aren’t alone, kid.”
    She swung the
door open with a flourish and indicated for Jeff to go inside. He stepped into
the doorway and stopped. They were in some sort of gymnasium. Kids ranging from
about 12 to 18 years old were hard at work testing their athleticism in a freak
show sort of way. A girl did chin-ups at twice the speed of a top Olympian. A
boy ran across a high wire. The most beautiful girl Jeff had ever laid eyes on
leaned against the wall across the room. Jeff tore his eyes from her when an
oddly shaped ball soared over the heads of the kids. Two boys enjoyed a game of
catch. At least Jeff thought the sneers on their