Pacing back and forth, Pinn plotted through plausible scenarios to present to Joanna Slattery. The story was that he wanted to get a job working for the Slattery Network. Easy enough, the news site was the most popular in Hammerton by far, it was unlikely he was the only one. But there was an explicit mention on the website that she wasn’t taking applications and that she would not make the time of day for any journalists trying to break in through her network. She kept to herself, private life never mixing into her public work.

  So, Pinn wasn’t supposed to know where she was. Which he did. Nor was he supposed to try and ask for a job. Which he would. And she was pretty cagey when it came to Awakened people. Which he was. Very Awakened.

  In fact, he used a baffling ability to read her recent post, know which IP address she had uploaded that article from, and used another power to track that IP to her phone, geolocating it at once. Even if he was the one using it, the ability astounded him, but came at the cost of his cell phone, which melted in his hand through a side-effect power. Nothing was ever truly free. Still, a new phone felt like a small price for figuring out what he thought was the “hard part” so easily.

  But now that he’d arrived on the scene, he needed a story for why he was there. Or at least, why he needed to speak with her. The massive foundation of the Hammerton Central Community Center stood with glass double doors in front of him. Inside, Joanna stood with a smart red blazer, brunette ponytail tied cleanly, and glasses adjusted to sit tight to her face. She was interviewing someone with a mic attached to her phone, shifting the device between herself and interviewee behind the front counter.

  He didn’t even know what she was investigating, and was worried that Enhancing his hearing to eavesdrop would draw attention to himself through an errant side-effect. Was the community center a spot where Awakened were recently fighting? Not that he had seen. Though, Joanna did have a conspiratory streak to her, so maybe she was following a flimsy lead to confirm a theory of hers. Or maybe make up a theory.

  Lost in his thoughts, Pinn startled when the automatic doors slid open and Joanna watched him with eyebrow raised and a hand clasping a gadget at her waist belt. Pepper spray. He was more concerned about having to explain why he wouldn’t be affected by pepper spray than actually having to deal with the effects of it.

  “Stop following me,” Joanna declared authoritatively.

  So immediate. And so angry.

  “Following you?” Pinn asked, sweat on the back of his neck.

  “You’ve been watching me since the moment you got here. Leave me alone now and I won’t have to make anything more of this. But if I see you again, I’ll call the cops. I have a few friends on the force, too.”

  Pinn swallowed, already feeling his plan shattering as he realized his first impression was that of a stalker. Was this salvageable? He at least wanted to overcome the stalker accusations.

  “Whoa, you’ve got me all wrong. I was just wondering if we were investigating the same thing.”

  Kept it vague, but also made it clear he knew who she was by her profession.

  “What are you investigating?” Joanna asked, hand never leaving her pepper spray.

  Not even a hint of what she was working on. But the moment she asked, Pinn suddenly had a plausible explanation. Something with some fake proof too.

  “Don’t know what to call them. Spacial tears? Weird pockets of power manifesting and destroying things in random areas. Seems related to the Awakened, but not their direct cause.”

  Joanna watched him, eyes narrowing, but posture slackening the slightest amount. “‘Spacial tears?’ Sounds like you’re just describing Awakened people’s powers. They have random powers.”

  “See, that’s the thing,” Pinn said, bringing out the notepad he brought along. He flipped to a blank page, tapping his finger on it as if reading. “From what I understand, a lot of these places had spacial tears without Awakened powers involved. This was one of those spots.”

  “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

  Stolen story; please report.

  On cue, Pinn threw out a flurry of invisible powers at once. One to listen to the audio recording she took, one to get a feel for how well his bluff was going, one to Enhance his speed in case he needed to rescue her, search the sky, and add a small quake beneath them, just in case. As he hoped, two of those powers came with side effects. One spun the square of sidewalk next to him into a tight roll, like a burrito folding itself, and another caused sparks to fly out a corner behind Joanna, like a small white firework set off above her shoulder.

  Eyes like two saucers, she stared at the rolled up piece of sidewalk while Pinn picked up his notepad to take notes. Then, he set his notebook on fire and dropped it as though shocked, allowing it to become nothing but ash. Easier to have his “notes” disappear than have to explain other findings.

  Joanna’s lips were thin, her ponytail whipping as she snapped between each of the phenomena. Finally, she settled on Pinn.

  “You’re Awakened.” There was uncertainty in her voice, but still a strong suspicion.

  “Oh, yeah,” Pinn said, finally having the conversation go the way he practiced, “I can change the color of my thumbs.”

  Holding up both thumbs, he gave a quick demo, his thumbs flowing through colors as though in the midst of a disco party. The moment he stopped, another side-effect sparked inside him, cutting a long line into the forearm of his button down shirt. Frowning, he looked at another of his outfits victim to his powers. This one he might be able to ask Ma to sew.

  “Spacial tears?” Joanna spoke.

  Pinn nodded, looking around as though impressed to see them in person. Then, he meandered his eyes back to her.

  “You weren't investigating them? What case were you on?”

  Looking somewhat embarrassed, Joanna cleared her throat. “I heard the pizza-armed criminal came through here a day ago. I wanted to know his connection to HUE. But more importantly, a picture of him gets me significant traffic to the Slattery Network.”

  “That guy’s with HUE?”

  “Almost guaranteed, with the way they’ve been operating.”

  “I’ll believe it when I get some evidence,” Pinn said skeptically.

  “You’re one of them that thinks I’m a conspiracy-hocking liar?”

  Pinn tilted his head quizzically. “What kind of journalist would I be to take anyone at face value?”

  Joanna stared, face flat, but Pinn’s lingering power on her emotions found that his barb stung her a lot more than he expected. As though she was so in her head that she didn’t have a lot of people challenge her. At least, none that she took seriously. But she had respect for fellow journalists. And Pin did a good job pretending to be an amateur one in her eyes. Squinting at Pinn’s ashen notes, she narrowed her eyes on him.

  “Have we met before? I’m pretty good with faces, so I’m pretty sure we haven’t but I have a nagging feeling. Did we meet at some mixer? Maybe when I was back with Channel 34 Hammerton?”

  Of course they’d met before, Joanna was the first person to interview Lightcrown. And because his face was shrouded in white flame, she couldn’t put a name to the face.

  “I doubt it. I haven’t been in the field very long. Not since the General Awakening, like most amateurs in Hammerton.”

  “I was asking your name.” Joanna said flatly.

  “Right.” Pinn scratched the back of his head. He had debated whether being forthcoming with his name was worth it, but ultimately decided to share. “I’m Pinn.”

  “Pinn. I’m Joanna. You’re not doing the tabloid route. In fact, it doesn’t seem like you’re investigating Awakened people at all.” Joanna raised a finger to the roll of concrete.

  “I’m more interested in real work. Like you.” Pinn hoped he wasn’t laying it on too thick.

  Again, her face remained flat, but the last dregs of his power on her let him know she was quite flattered by the remark. Hopefully enough to ingratiate himself with her.

  Though, now there was nothing but silence between them. No contacts exchanged, not even a website exchange, not that Pinn had anything more than a hastily prepared social media presence. Joanna just analyzed, her eyes scanning the scene and adjusting her glasses as she absorbed everything.

  “What have you found so far? Any photos you can share?”

  An in. But Pinn had to play it realistic.

  “Sure, I have plenty. Unfortunately, most of it looks like it can be made by any decent visual effects artist.”

  “That’s fine.” Joanna flipped a business card out from her blazer. Inscribed on the card was her brand of a pair of smart glasses with a tiny question mark in the top right corner that faded on the back, with her contact info clear on the front. “Send me something. I can pay.”

  “That’d be great!” Pinn said with real enthusiasm. His first real paying gig as a journalist. “Maybe I’ll see you around on some other investigation?”

  “Maybe,” she replied flippantly, her eyes on her phone. “Let me know if you find anything interesting about these spacial tears. We might be able to run a joint investigation.”

  Pinn had to suppress a smile. “Sure, I’ll let you know.”

  Spinning away primly, ponytail bobbing with her gait, Joanna left without a goodbye, like every step counted. Pinn glanced down at her card and smiled before pocketing it. This went about as well as he hoped.

  But he needed to make sure Ma didn’t find out, else she would be hounding him about the girl that gave him her number.