“She went out with another guy, Jim.”
I blinked, almost sure that I’d misheard him. Sarah and Smokey had always been wild about each other. He’d even gone so far as to tell her that he was a super in order to maintain their relationship. And she had always seemed devoted to him. I’d spent a great deal of time around her, and never once picked up on the slightest indication that she was interested in anyone else. Ergo, Smokey’s statement came as something of a shock.
Nevertheless, from everything I could sense, what he was saying was true. Moreover, I suddenly understood that the anger he’d exuded earlier hadn’t been directed at me, but at Sarah.
Struggling for words of comfort, I blurted out, “I’m sorry, man. Why didn’t you say anything?”
Smokey shrugged his shoulders. “I guess we just really haven’t had a chance to talk since you’ve been back. Plus,” – he glanced back to where Electra and the others were standing – “as you pointed out a few minutes ago, you’ve got your own issues to deal with on that front.”
“It’s worse than it looks,” I stated, almost despondently. “There’s a chance Myshtal may have actual feelings for me.”
“Wait a minute,” Smokey said. “Wouldn’t you have picked up on that – sensed something?”
“Well, let’s keep in mind that despite how she looks, the princess is actually an alien. So, while I’ve become somewhat adept at reading their emotions, I’m not perfect.”
“In other words,” Smokey summed up, “you had no clue.”
I let out a weary sigh. “I picked up on affection, but I didn’t think anything of it. I categorized it to what you probably feel towards Electra. You like her and you care about her, but you don’t have romantic intentions where she’s concerned. In that same vein, I recognized that Myshtal was fond of me, but I would never have pegged it as full-blown amore.”
“You know,” Smokey chuckled as Kane and Li began heading back our way, “between Electra, Myshtal, and Vestibule, I honestly didn’t think your situation could get any more complicated, romantically. Somehow, though, you managed it.”
I shrugged. “It’s a gift, I guess.”
Chapter 23
After Li and Kane rejoined us, the four of us spent about half an hour engaging in guy talk – sports, action movies, etc. – before the girls returned. Apparently my grandmother had used them to ferry exclusive gifts, consisting of handcrafted Caelesian jewelry, to a select group of old friends. (On a related note, it seems Gossamer had called Kane over to ask if it was appropriate to use magic to deliver the gifts, but he had wisely told her that Indigo probably wanted a personal touch.)
All of the recipients appeared to be exceptionally delighted and honored by my grandmother’s largess – including Electra and the other girls, who also received Caelesian jewelry as a sign of Indigo’s gratitude for their help. Much to my surprise, the experience did seem to ease some of the tension that had been present earlier. For instance, as they came back to rejoin our group, I noticed Myshtal and Electra comparing the Caelesian brooch and ring they had each been given, respectively. I didn’t fool myself into thinking they were going to be BFFs from that point forward, but I did garner the impression that everyone would be civil enough to keep things from getting awkward. Oddly enough, it turned out to be a fairly accurate assessment for the most part; even Vestibule felt comfortable enough to continue hanging out with us.
With everyone ostensibly willing to put forth an effort to be cordial, the party quickly became a lot more enjoyable. Conversation and commentary were a little guarded at first, but before long we were actually having fun. We laughed, joked, danced – we even started a conga line that almost everyone in the ballroom joined.
After our efforts on the dance floor, someone made a comment about the room being stuffy. With the ability to control my body temperature, among other things, I was still comfortable, but the statement made me conscious of the fact that a couple of the girls were fanning themselves with their hands. At that juncture, our group made a joint decision to step out and get some air.
It took us a few minutes to press our way through the crowd, but we eventually made our way outside. It was a beautiful, starry night, and we spent a little time wandering aimlessly, with my friends admiring the architecture of my father’s manor and the meticulous landscaping of the surrounding grounds, much of which was illuminated by lamps. Although we had no particular destination in mind, we ultimately found ourselves near the pool at the rear of the mansion.
That’s when he entered the picture.
Chapter 24
He was the Pelagic Prince – a teen super who claimed to be the heir to an undersea kingdom. I didn’t know him personally, only by reputation, but he’d always struck me as being a bit pompous. That said, he wasn’t really a bad guy and didn’t intentionally do anything wrong, but his presence had an indirect effect on the rest of the evening.
We had only been at the pool for a few minutes when he sauntered over in our direction. He was dressed in tuxedo pants, but that’s pretty much where his attempt at formal attire came to an abrupt halt. Rather than a shirt and coat, he wore what appeared to be an open vest, displaying bare arms, washboard abs, and pecs so overdeveloped it looked like he had inflated balloons under his skin. Now that I thought about it, he always seemed to be bare chested to some extent. (Apparently the same thought occurred to Smokey, who leaned towards me and whispered, “Seems someone is allergic to shirts.”)
In truth, the Pelagic Prince had spent the bulk of
