Read Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council Page 18

Chapter Eighteen: Rebuilding Cragglyville

  The cleanup crews were milling about on Main Street. They had soon realized that they weren’t needed because Mike was wearing his gray scarf, the one with the hammer on it, which basically meant he could handle all the rebuilding on his own using his powers. Each time he repaired one of the crumbling buildings, the crowd cheered and yelled, “Go, Mike Powerscarves, go!” Of course, Spencer had leaked the full names of the new power kids to a reporter and now the names Samantha Powerbelts, Freddy Powersocks, and Mike Powerscarves were becoming as commonplace as Nikki Powergloves around town.

  Nikki gazed at the sunset. The sky looked beautiful, full of reds and oranges and purples. It was like the sky was smiling upon Cragglyville, helping them rebuild. She was still wearing her braid over her eyes and the other members of the Power Council were wearing masks. After all, they still had secret identities to maintain. The sidekicks had changed out of their sidekick outfits so they could wander through town without being noticed.

  “Good thing we have Mike,” Samantha said.

  Nikki pulled her attention away from the sky to look at her friend.

  Samantha said, “Because of all the damage.”

  Nikki nodded. She scanned Main Street. Although Mike had repaired the damage to most of the buildings, the town was still a mess. The odd tentacle-covered plant that Naomi had created was wilted and lay slumped across the pavement. It had left a huge hole in the street where it had emerged from the ground. The massive tree that Samantha had controlled was covering half a block, its branches and leaves scattered along the sidewalk and road. There was mud everywhere. More than one of the police officers had stepped in the Sticky Situation Glue. Each time Nikki would have to use Spencer’s spray to unstick them. It was truly a big mess. But Mike was fixing it all. He was rebuilding Cragglyville, piece by piece.

  Rescuing the people stuck in stone was difficult, too, but Nikki had been able to help with it. Using her super-strength she was able to smash the stones away chip by chip, being careful not to injure any of the people. Most of the victims were either at home, at the Cragglyville Hospital, or watching the rest of the cleanup efforts. Nikki was glad she could help them.

  Nikki’s dad was nowhere to be found. Samantha said he had probably gone home, but Nikki didn’t think so. Something about the way he had looked at her when she told him to run away made her think he would be back.

  Excitement continued to bubble through her, as Nikki and her friends talked about what had happened. They had defeated the Power Outlaws fair and square. The only disappointment for Nikki was that the villains had escaped again. She knew they would be back. If not in Cragglyville then in some other poor, unsuspecting town. But Nikki and the rest of the Power Council would be there to fight them.

  Nikki smiled as she watched Spencer run from reporter to reporter, answering questions and giving them information. He was pretending to be an eye-witness to the events. But Nikki knew he was much more than just some witness. He had been heroic. He had saved her more than once during the fight. She couldn’t have done it without him. She desperately wanted to talk to him, to tell him how proud she was to have him as her sidekick. But she would have to wait.

  An hour later, the town of Cragglyville had been cleaned up and rebuilt, with the help of the Power Council. The mayor of Cragglyville had already started planning a celebration in the power kids’ honor.

  Nikki knew that she and Spencer would be expected home soon. She approached Samantha. “I have to get home,” she said.

  Samantha nodded. “I know, but we need to talk tonight. Can you and Spencer get away for a few hours?”

  Nikki thought about it. “Maybe,” she said. “We can tell our parents we are watching TV at each other’s houses. Where should we meet you?”

  “We’ll stick around Cragglyville until then. Meet us here at seven.”

  Nikki checked her watch. It was almost six already. “We’ll do our best,” she said. “Have Chilly or Dexter tell Spencer. I can’t be seen with him. Not while I’m Nikki Powergloves. My parents might get suspicious.”

  Samantha agreed to tell Spencer. With no time to spare, Nikki took off into the sky. As she exploded away from Cragglyville, she heard cheers and claps from the crowd. Someone yelled, “We love you, Nikki Powergloves!”

  Nikki laughed. For just a moment, her life was going perfectly. With the wind at her back, she turned and headed toward her house.