A Karma Girl Christmas Read Online Free PDF Page A

stood for. But overall, the Mintilator was pretty low on the threat level list when it came to ubervillains. So what was he doing here tonight?
    A movement across the aisle caught my eye, and I spotted Lulu waving at me. She must have heard the glass breaking because she’d hunkered down behind several female mannequins dressed in bright, colorful, shockingly skimpy negligees that I recognized as Fiona Fine originals.  
    The Mintilator was still busy staring up at the tree, so I took the opportunity to quickly cross the aisle and slide into the shadows next to Lulu.  
    “Is that the Mintilator?” Lulu whispered, peering around the mannequins. “I thought he was harmless, except for the whole forced hand-washing thing.”
    “Apparently not,” I whispered back.
    “I don’t even know what kind of power he has, do you?”
    I shook my head. “No, but there’s one way to find out.”
    I reached for my empathic ability and looked at the ubervillain, doing my best Clint Eastwood squint. Sure enough, pale green waves pulsed around his body. Everyone’s energy had a slightly different feel, but the sensation was always amplified when it came to heroes and villains. Usually, I could tell what kind of power someone had just from looking at their energy waves. The reddish ones around Fiona were always hot, given her fire-based power, while the ones around Sam were a cool, soothing, sapphire blue, given his regenerative abilities.
    To my surprise, the waves of energy pulsing around the Mintilator felt hot, rough, and caustic, like I’d suddenly scrubbed my skin raw with harsh lye soap.
    “I think he has some sort of acid-based power,” I told Lulu. “That’s what it feels like to me. What he can do with it exactly, I don’t know, but he’s not using it to destroy the toy tree. Not on my watch. I can probably take him out myself, but you stay here out of sight. Just in case the Mintilator has some tricks up his sleeves.”
    “Like what? Squirting you in the eye with some of that super-strength hand sanitizer he always carries on his utility belt?” Lulu asked.
    She snickered a little at her own bad joke, but she nodded her head. Despite how harmless he appeared to be, the Mintilator still dressed up in a costume and tried to make life miserable for other people, which meant that he had a few screws loose somewhere.
    Then again, here I was lurking in the shadows wearing silver spandex in a department store on Christmas Eve. Maybe the Mintilator wasn’t the only one with some loose screws.
    I scanned the area, but I didn’t see anyone else on either side of the tree, and I didn’t sense any more energy waves indicating there was another ubervillain on the premises. It looked like the Mintilator was alone, so I stood up and walked toward him. Maybe I could talk him out of whatever crazy plan he’d hatched. Heh. That would definitely be a Christmas miracle. Really, it would probably be a waste of breath, but I had to try. Superhero etiquette and all that.  
    Sometimes, I thought it would be so much simpler being a villain—they never, ever had to play fair or take stupid chances like this. Plus, they almost always got to blow something up. Yeah, villains totally had more fun.  
    The Mintilator stiffened at the sound of my boots clacking on the floor, and he slowly turned around. I stopped about ten feet away from him, still holding tight to my empathic ability. If he tried to use his power on me, I was ready to reach for it myself and turn it back against him. Ubervillains could dish it out, but they could rarely take it.  
    “Karma Girl.”
    “Mintilator.”
    We stood there facing each other, hands clenched into fists and our bodies tense, despite the cheerful holiday trappings around us. Up close, I could see that the Mintilator’s mask was a narrow strip that just covered his eyes. Deep lines creased into his forehead and around his mouth, as though he was always frowning. He looked to be about fifty or so,