Nikki Powergloves and the Power Council Read online

Chapter Eight: The super-secret Power City

  The girl beckoned to Nikki and Spencer to follow her through the giant doorway. Then she turned her back on them and began walking. Nikki jogged to catch up, and then fell into stride next to her. Spencer trailed behind

  Nikki said, “You’re Samantha, right? Samantha Powerbelts?”

  “What gave me away?” Samantha said, laughing. “Was it the crazy-looking belt?”

  Nikki smiled. “I guess so. What power does that belt give you, anyway?” Nikki motioned to the multi-colored belt that adorned Samantha’s waist.

  “Haven’t you guessed yet?” Samantha said.

  From behind them, Spencer said, “You can change the color of things and paint moving pictures of things.”

  Samantha grinned. “You are smart, sidekick. Just like we’ve been told.”

  “He’s a certified genius,” Nikki said. “So the purple clouds were made by you?”

  “Not the clouds themselves, but yes, I colored them purple. I could have colored all of them purple if I wanted to, but then you wouldn’t have known which way to go. I added the goofy moving paintings you saw while you were going down the slide, too. I wanted to make your first ride down the Pipe as awesome as possible.”

  Nikki said, “It most definitely was. It was probably the most fun I have ever had, and that includes flying.”

  “Yeah,” Spencer agreed. “It was crazy-awesome-cool, kerplunk! Wazaa!”

  “You are odd,” Samantha said, turning her head to look back at Spencer.

  “So I’ve been told,” Spencer said.

  “That’s why I like him,” Nikki said defensively.

  “Oh, don’t worry, Nikki. It wasn’t an insult. We are all odd, in our own ways. I think Spencer will fit in here very well.”

  “And where is here?” Nikki said.

  “A small mountain not too far from Cragglyville. It’s called Phantom’s Peak, because the clouds above it swirl around at night and look like ghosts.”

  Nikki nodded. “You welcomed us to the Power City. What exactly does that mean?”

  “Good question,” Samantha said. “Within this mountain we have managed to build a small city. Well, actually one of the other power kids managed to build it. You’ll meet him later, but one of his powers is the ability to build anything. Everything you will see today is his work.”

  Nikki was so focused on the many questions she had for Samantha that she had forgotten to look around her. They had entered a giant atrium. It looked like something out of Star Wars, with futuristic-looking machines moving throughout the area, carrying gleaming metal parts. Robots mounted on wheels rolled across the floor, buzzing and beeping and flashing. The ceiling rose high above them and was curved into a dome. Bright orange and yellow lights shone from above, casting a glow over the room that felt like candlelight. There were dozens of passages shooting off from the atrium.

  When Nikki saw the many tunnels, she asked, “How long will this tour take? We have to be back in time for dinner or our parents will worry. We might be able to buy an extra day by telling them we are staying over each other’s houses, but that’s probably the best we can do.”

  Samantha stopped walking and faced Nikki. Spencer caught up and stood on one side. Samantha said, “You don’t have to worry about time here. It moves differently than the rest of the world. A week here is only a day out there. There will be plenty of time for your tour.”

  “But how?” Nikki asked.

  “It’s another power that one of us has. You’ll meet him later, too.”

  “Wow,” Nikki marveled. “How many of you are there?”

  “Actually, only three of us right now, plus sidekicks, but we’re hoping you’ll be the fourth. But we can talk about all that later. You still have much to see!”

  Samantha led them across the wide open space. Nikki and Spencer watched in awe as dozens of robots and machines performed various tasks, like building new robots and machines. Nikki could tell that Spencer was in heaven. His eyes were wide and he couldn’t stop smiling. His head bobbed around, like a buoy on the waves, as he tried to take in the many sights. He loved anything to do with robots and one day wanted to become a robotics engineer.

  They passed out of the room and into a narrow tunnel. The tunnel was sheened in gold plating from floor to ceiling. “This is the gold tunnel,” Samantha noted. “Each tunnel is named based on how it looks. We also have the diamond tunnel, the chalk tunnel, the flannel tunnel, and many others.”

  “Wakka wakka!” Spencer exclaimed.

  “That means, ‘awesome!’” Nikki translated.

  Samantha laughed. “I like the enthusiasm. We think it’s pretty awesome too.”

  They turned right, down a tunnel lined with rosebushes. The roses were bright red and beautiful.

  Spencer said, “Let me guess, the rose tunnel?”

  “You got it,” Samantha said.

  As they passed through the flowery tube, Nikki’s thoughts turned to her grandpa. He had had a rose garden before he died. Suddenly, sadness welled up inside of her. She missed Grandpa Bernard so much. He had been her dear friend. If he was still alive, she would have told him everything. About her powers, the Weeble, Jimmy Powerboots, the Power City, everything. And he would have kept her secret. She could always trust him. A single tear slipped from her eye. She brushed it away quickly, hoping Samantha wouldn’t notice. Superheroes weren’t supposed to cry.

  They exited the rose tunnel, which spilled out into a large room. The room was carpeted and had bedroom furniture—like bunk beds, dressers, and nightstands—along the walls. Most of the beds were perfectly made and looked like they had never been slept in. Several of the bunks, however, looked as if they had been slept in recently; their covers were wrinkled and their pillows dented. They had been made quickly, like someone had just haphazardly thrown the covers over them.

  “Do you sleep here?” Nikki asked.

  “Yes,” Samantha said. “All the good power kids do. At least the ones we know about.” She glanced at Spencer. “Their sidekicks do, too.”

  “But don’t your parents get worried about you?” Nikki asked.

  “Remember what I told you about how time moves differently in the Power City?”

  Nikki nodded. “Yeah, time is much slower outside of here.”

  “Right. We can spend a few days in here and our parents won’t even notice. So we can spend a lot of our time here and only have to go home once every three or four days.”

  “Cool,” Nikki whispered.

  Samantha walked over to one of the perfectly made beds. She put a hand on it. “Who wants the top bunk?” she asked.

  “Yippee!” Spencer yelled. “I’ll take it!”

  Nikki didn’t argue. She knew Spencer had always wished for a younger brother so they could have bunk beds. She put her arm around him. Spencer grinned a toothy, braces-filled smile.

  Samantha said, “We’ll come back here later, when we’re all tired. But now it’s time for you to meet the Power Council.”

  “Wicked,” Spencer said.