Villainous Read Online Free PDF Page B

Eric had always been super-strong, but his strength had never had anything to do with his muscles. Now, however, with Eric’s shirt off, Daniel noticed that in the last year his friend had developed a powerful, lean physique, and long summer days spent outdoors had tanned him to a deep nut-brown.
    Daniel became suddenly quite self-conscious. The fluorescent lighting of Smiley’s basement dungeon hadn’t done anything to help his naturally pallid complexion, which, coupled with a seeming inability to put either fat or muscle onto his bony frame, left him with a thin, pale shape that might best be described as
wintery
.
    It was a good thing that Louisa wasn’t around after all.
    Daniel watched as Eric did slow rolls in the air, lazily dipping his fingertips in the water and flicking the drops at gnats that were gathering around the shady spots near the shore.
    Finally, Eric let out a long sigh. “Bored now,” he said, and with a mischievous wave at Daniel, he began to slowly stalk the circling snorkel. The long breathing tube was still bobbing up and down slightly as the swimmer kicked along beneath the water, oblivious to the world above. Every now and then a flipper would break the surface.
    With a wicked grin, Eric reached out and pinched shut the snorkel’s breathing hole. For a few seconds nothing happened, but then the snorkel quivered and shook, and the flippers began kicking furiously as the swimmer appeared, sputtering and gasping for air. Rohan swam for shore, shouting curses at Eric.
    Eric meanwhile had rolled onto his back, still floating in midair and laughing so hard that he had to hold his stomach. In that moment, he reminded Daniel of Peter Pan, who was content to spend forever playing and fighting in the sun. Daniel wished they all could be like the Pan and put off growing up indefinitely. No ear piercing, no summer school, no academy. Just
this
.
    Rohan hauled himself up onto the rocks, where Daniel was waiting.
    “He’s such a little kid sometimes,” said Rohan, spittingout greenish water. Then he called over to Eric, “I hope a bee flies up your shorts!”
    “He got bored,” said Daniel. “How long were you under there?”
    “I don’t know,” said Rohan. “A while. It’s quiet down there. It gives me a break from everything.”
    Daniel nodded, understanding. Rohan’s gift was that his senses were attuned to a superhuman scale. It was incredibly useful when one realized the full potential of what he could do, but it also meant that poor Rohan was constantly assaulted by noises and smells and other sensations that the rest of them weren’t even aware of. It must be nice to escape it, if just for a little while.
    Rohan poured out the water that had collected in his goggles. Then he pulled out his thick glasses, and Daniel watched his friend clean the lenses with his towel while squinting back at him. It was an ironic twist that the boy with super-vision needed glasses when his power wasn’t kicking in.
    “Where’s Mollie?” asked Rohan.
    “She flew off in a huff,” said Daniel.
    “What’s she mad at you for this time?” asked Rohan.
    “Oh, I don’t know,” lied Daniel. “Mollie things.”
    “Ah,” said Rohan. “Those are potentially hazardous. Whatever it is, you’d better make up with her.”
    “What are you two talking about?” asked Eric, having finished his fit of hysterical laughter.
    “Mollie’s mad at Daniel,” answered Rohan. “But it figures, with the two of them spending practically every minute together.”
    “Hey, it’s no picnic,” said Daniel. “Not Mollie, I mean, but the summer school part is about as much fun as you’d think.”
    “Yeah,” said Eric, “but you two
are
together, like, almost every day.”
    “What’s your point?” said Daniel.
    Eric shrugged as if there was no point, but of course there was. Or else why bring it up?
    “Eh, I’d get sick of Daniel too,” said Rohan. “I’m already sick of him and I haven’t been here more