was the shallow wheezing of my breaths.
I stepped into a room, darker and warmer. My eyes squinted into the blackness.
Jada, where are you? I asked silently. Are you here? Is anyone here?
A terrifying thought made me gasp: What if I’m too late?
I bumped into something hard. A table?
I heard a clattering sound. Scraping footsteps.
The ceiling light flashed on.
“Oh—!” I cried out as someone moved quickly toward me.
A figure in a bright red costume. A red mask over the face. A red cape, tight-fitting red tights and top.
I staggered back. “Who—who are you?” I cried.
“Shadow Girl, don’t you recognize me?” she sneered. “I’m Red Raven. I’m your archenemy!”
23
I backed into the wall. I stared in shock as the red-caped figure moved toward me. I recognized her voice at once.
“Jada—why are you in that costume?” I demanded angrily. “I don’t believe this! Is this another one of your mean tricks?”
She stopped and swung the cape behind her. “It’s not a joke,” she replied softly. Behind the red mask, her blue eyes lit up like jewels. “I’m not Jada when I wear this costume. I’m Red Raven. And you—”
“Stop it!” I shouted. “Give me a break. Why did you make me put on your other costume? Why did you make me come here?”
“It’s not my costume,” Jada replied sharply. “Can’t you figure it out, Selena? Look at the pendant.”
“Huh?” I lifted the oval pendant from my throat.
“Go ahead. Look at it carefully,” Jada urged.
Squinting through the eye holes of the mask, Istudied the oval pendant. I saw a face inside the glass. A photograph.
My face.
“It’s not my costume,” Jada said, hands on her waist. “It’s yours. Didn’t you wonder why it fit so well?”
I swallowed hard. “Well…”
“It’s your costume, Selena,” Jada said. “It has always been here, waiting for you.”
“But—” I started.
Jada’s blue eyes flashed again. “And I really am your archenemy.”
I leaped across the room. And grabbed my cousin by the shoulders. “But that’s crazy!” I screamed. “Archenemy? What are you saying ? We live in the real world. We don’t live in a comic book!”
She brushed my hands away. “There are all kinds of worlds in the real world,” she said softly. “Most people don’t know that.”
My head was throbbing. I stared at my cousin, trying to make sense of what she was saying.
“Don’t try to fight it, Selena,” Jada said. “This is your fate. This is what you were born to do.”
I saw sadness in Jada’s eyes. Or was it anger? “No! I—I don’t like this,” I stammered.
She sighed. “Now maybe you understand why I have always been so jealous of you.”
My mouth dropped open. “Jealous?”
Her voice broke. “Why do you think I’ve alwaysbeen so mean to you? Why do you think I played all those awful jokes to embarrass you?”
“You’re…jealous?” I repeated.
Jada sighed. “I wish that costume were mine. I’d give anything— anything —to be Shadow Girl. But that’s not my fate. Not my job.”
“Shadow Girl?” I repeated. “What are you talking about?”
“My job is to toughen you up,” Jada continued. “To harden you. To test you. To make you angry. To prepare you to be Shadow Girl. And then…to destroy you!”
“No!” I cried. “You’re crazy! You need help! You’re totally nuts!”
I pulled off the black mask and heaved it at her. “I won’t do this! I won’t! This is a joke! A stupid joke! I want to talk to my mother! I want to see her! I want to see her right away!”
Jada picked up the mask and began to fold it between her hands. “You can’t fight your fate,” she said softly.
“No! This doesn’t make any sense!” I screamed. “I’m twelve years old. I’m not a superhero!”
Jada sighed. She placed a hand on my trembling shoulder. “I wish I could help you,” she whispered. “But it is your destiny.”
“No—” I wailed. “I hate fighting! I hate
I stepped into a room, darker and warmer. My eyes squinted into the blackness.
Jada, where are you? I asked silently. Are you here? Is anyone here?
A terrifying thought made me gasp: What if I’m too late?
I bumped into something hard. A table?
I heard a clattering sound. Scraping footsteps.
The ceiling light flashed on.
“Oh—!” I cried out as someone moved quickly toward me.
A figure in a bright red costume. A red mask over the face. A red cape, tight-fitting red tights and top.
I staggered back. “Who—who are you?” I cried.
“Shadow Girl, don’t you recognize me?” she sneered. “I’m Red Raven. I’m your archenemy!”
23
I backed into the wall. I stared in shock as the red-caped figure moved toward me. I recognized her voice at once.
“Jada—why are you in that costume?” I demanded angrily. “I don’t believe this! Is this another one of your mean tricks?”
She stopped and swung the cape behind her. “It’s not a joke,” she replied softly. Behind the red mask, her blue eyes lit up like jewels. “I’m not Jada when I wear this costume. I’m Red Raven. And you—”
“Stop it!” I shouted. “Give me a break. Why did you make me put on your other costume? Why did you make me come here?”
“It’s not my costume,” Jada replied sharply. “Can’t you figure it out, Selena? Look at the pendant.”
“Huh?” I lifted the oval pendant from my throat.
“Go ahead. Look at it carefully,” Jada urged.
Squinting through the eye holes of the mask, Istudied the oval pendant. I saw a face inside the glass. A photograph.
My face.
“It’s not my costume,” Jada said, hands on her waist. “It’s yours. Didn’t you wonder why it fit so well?”
I swallowed hard. “Well…”
“It’s your costume, Selena,” Jada said. “It has always been here, waiting for you.”
“But—” I started.
Jada’s blue eyes flashed again. “And I really am your archenemy.”
I leaped across the room. And grabbed my cousin by the shoulders. “But that’s crazy!” I screamed. “Archenemy? What are you saying ? We live in the real world. We don’t live in a comic book!”
She brushed my hands away. “There are all kinds of worlds in the real world,” she said softly. “Most people don’t know that.”
My head was throbbing. I stared at my cousin, trying to make sense of what she was saying.
“Don’t try to fight it, Selena,” Jada said. “This is your fate. This is what you were born to do.”
I saw sadness in Jada’s eyes. Or was it anger? “No! I—I don’t like this,” I stammered.
She sighed. “Now maybe you understand why I have always been so jealous of you.”
My mouth dropped open. “Jealous?”
Her voice broke. “Why do you think I’ve alwaysbeen so mean to you? Why do you think I played all those awful jokes to embarrass you?”
“You’re…jealous?” I repeated.
Jada sighed. “I wish that costume were mine. I’d give anything— anything —to be Shadow Girl. But that’s not my fate. Not my job.”
“Shadow Girl?” I repeated. “What are you talking about?”
“My job is to toughen you up,” Jada continued. “To harden you. To test you. To make you angry. To prepare you to be Shadow Girl. And then…to destroy you!”
“No!” I cried. “You’re crazy! You need help! You’re totally nuts!”
I pulled off the black mask and heaved it at her. “I won’t do this! I won’t! This is a joke! A stupid joke! I want to talk to my mother! I want to see her! I want to see her right away!”
Jada picked up the mask and began to fold it between her hands. “You can’t fight your fate,” she said softly.
“No! This doesn’t make any sense!” I screamed. “I’m twelve years old. I’m not a superhero!”
Jada sighed. She placed a hand on my trembling shoulder. “I wish I could help you,” she whispered. “But it is your destiny.”
“No—” I wailed. “I hate fighting! I hate
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