“He’s in the hospital,” he said, as the tears started in force. “She tried to kill him. Nightmare tried to kill him.”
Hospital.
Tried.
“Is he…”
“I don’t know. I don’t know. But he has to live. He has to be okay. If anything happens to him…” His words dissolved. Nova held him, feeling the damp tears through her shirt, the trembling of his shoulders under her fingers.
“He’ll be all right,” she said, willing herself to believe it too. “It’ll be okay.”
“I’m going to destroy her. I’m going to find Nightmare, and I’m going to destroy her.” He curled his fingers into the back of Nova’s shirt, gathering the material into his fists. “Nova … will you help me?”
Grimacing, Nova turned her head toward the front room. Through the doorway, she saw the edge of the coat closet. The dingy wood trim around the doorjamb. The carpet worn nearly to the floorboards beneath.
“Yes, of course I will,” she heard herself say as she stared into the empty eyes of Ace Anarchy’s helmet, glinting at her from the shadows.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
ONE OF THE THEMES that really started to emerge in this book as I was revising it through multiple drafts is that most things in life are made better when you can enjoy them in the company of people you love. Writing a book is no different. Just like there is no I in hero, there is no I in book! I am eternally grateful to have so many people in my life who have helped guide and support me during this journey.
The first person I must thank is my editor, Liz Szabla, who saw the possibilities in Nova and Adrian’s story even before I did, and pushed me to delve deeper into this world and its characters. This book and trilogy are so much more now thanks to your encouragement and vision. （Literally … it is, like, hundreds of pages more!） And of course, I appreciate all the hard work of everyone on Team Meyer at Macmillan Children’s: Jean, Mary, Jo, Mariel, Allison, Rich, Caitlin, as well as my wonderful copyeditor, Anne Heausler, and so many others who work behind the scenes to help bring this and countless other books into the world. I am so lucky to have you all in my court.
To my fabulous agency team—Jill, Cheryl, Katelyn, and Denise—who are not only advocates, counselors, and cheerleaders, but also really great friends. I can’t begin to express how happy I am to know and work with you.
Thank you to my intrepid beta reader, Tamara Moss, whose thoughtful critiques are appreciated almost as much as nearly twenty years of friendship and camaraderie. You make me a better writer, and for that, I cannot say thank you enough.
Thank you to Joanne Levy, my professional assistant, for a million different things. I don’t know how I ever made my deadlines without you!
I owe a very special thank-you to Laurel Harnish, whose character design during a Renegades contest served as the inspiration for Callum Treadwell （Wonder）。 I completely fell in love with Callum and his awe-inspiring power, and I hope you did too!
A humongous thank-you goes to Dr. Tyler DeWitt for being gracious enough to review Chapter 23 and offer insight into the process of electrolysis and metal plating. （Nova would have been mortified if I’d gotten it wrong!） Tyler’s science-based videos are as entertaining as they are informative and I highly recommend checking them out on YouTube or at https://www.tdwscience.com/.
And, of course, to my husband, Jesse, our two vivacious daughters, Sloane and Delaney, and to all my family and friends for their tireless support, encouragement, and love.