When I finished, no one said anything – either verbally or telepathically. In terms of emotions, however, I could sense my family’s concern and unease over the situation with my evil twin. I tried to reassure them, stressing that this thing would get sorted out soon, but they didn’t appear convinced – especially Mom, who had left her office and joined us.
“Look,” I finally said, “you guys are acting like I’ve been diagnosed with some deadly disease. This is serious, but it’s not fatal.”
“It doesn’t have to be fatal,” Gramps declared. “It just needs to be bad enough for them to justify kicking you off the planet.”
“Then I’ll travel the universe with you guys,” I stated. “Although you’re already dragging one bratty kid along.”
As I uttered that last sentence, I cut my eyes at Mom, whose mouth dropped open in feigned shock as my grandparents started chuckling.
“Who are you calling a brat?” my mother almost shouted, smiling. Then she turned to Indigo. “You want to hear about bratty behavior, Mom? Let me tell you about the time your grandson…”
My mother then proceeded to tell the story of a temper tantrum I threw once while we were out shopping (and when I was much younger) that was so outrageous that it resulted in us being asked to leave the store. Although slightly embarrassing, it actually was kind of funny, and by the time she finished, we were all laughing. And just like that, the mood of the room lightened considerably, with the specter of my evil twin banished – at least temporarily.
Chapter 47
I spent a little time hanging out with my family, just laughing and joking for the most part. Maybe it was the fact that we were all telepaths (and were therefore able to connect profoundly on several levels), but we really enjoyed being around one another and had an exceptionally strong bond. It would be weird for me once they left the planet – assuming I wasn’t forced to go with them – and made it all the more important that I cherish the time we had together.
We had been sitting around the table in the breakfast area for maybe thirty minutes when Myshtal entered the room. She was looking lovely, as always, wearing a charcoal-gray bell sleeve top and faux leather pants. She stopped short as all of our heads swiveled in her direction.
“I’m sorry,” she began sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to intrude.”
“Don’t be silly,” Indigo said. “Come sit down.”
“Are you sure?” Myshtal asked as she tentatively stepped over and took a seat next to me. “It looked like you were having a family moment.”
Mom pooh-poohed Myshtal’s concerns with a wave of her hand. “Assuming that were true, you’re part of this family now, so any family moments also include you.”
“Thanks,” Myshtal said in a sincere tone, at the same time blushing mildly.
Unexpectedly, I picked up on some quick telepathic chatter between my mother and grandparents. Not being part of the conversation, however, I didn’t know exactly what had been discussed.
“Anyway,” Mom said, interrupting my thoughts, “I should get back to writing.”
“And we’ve got some errands to run,” Gramps said, as he and Indigo rose to their feet almost simultaneously.
“Do you need any help?” Myshtal asked.
“No,” my grandmother stated, and then began to give a quick overview of what she and Gramps had on their agenda. I took advantage of the opportunity to have a quick mental chat with my grandfather.
<What was all that?> I asked telepathically.
<All what?> Gramps responded almost automatically.
<That jibber-jabber between you guys and Mom. The three of you have a quick mental chat, and the next thing I know, you’re all scrambling for the exits.>
Gramps let out a mental sigh. <Look, we like Myshtal and she likes us, but she doesn’t want to be around us all the time. She wants to spend time around people in her own age group.>
<What are you talking about? She’s like fifty! You guys are her age group.>
<You know what I mean. She’s a teen by Caelesian standards – like you are by our norms.>
My eyes narrowed as I considered his statement. <What are you saying?>
<What I’m saying is that I know you have a lot going on, but I hope you’ll remember that we have a guest, and that you’ll treat her the way you’d want to be treated if your positions were reversed.>
Chapter 48
With telepathy being a high-speed form of communication, my mental conversation with Gramps ended right around the time Indigo finished detailing for Myshtal the errands they had to run. Moments later, my mother and grandparents were gone, leaving me and Myshtal alone at the breakfast table.
Frankly speaking, my grandfather’s words had embarrassed me. Having been the only Earthling on Caeles, I knew exactly how Myshtal probably felt as a Caelesian on Earth – and also how important it was to have friends in that situation. And while I had never been anything less than congenial towards her, I had been rather preoccupied of late, first with Electra and then because of the fake Jim. (The latter situation was obviously rather serious, but didn’t give me carte blanche to ignore Myshtal entirely.)
“I hope this doesn’t sound too vain,” she abruptly said, interrupting my thoughts, “but how do I look?”
“Uh…you look, uh…you look good,” I mumbled. “Most people would probably say beautiful.”
I was a little surprised at the question. There was little doubt that Myshtal knew she was stunning, but she had never struck me as the type who solicited compliments on her appearance. In truth, I couldn’t quite figure out why she would even ask.
Myshtal laughed. “No, not my looks. The clothes.”
To emphasize her point, she stood up and spun in a circle, arms outstretched.
“Oh,” I muttered, now understanding. “They’re nice.”
“Thanks. I made them myself.”
I blinked in surprise. “You made this outfit?”
“Yes,” she replied. “This morning.”
“Is this what you were doing earlier?” I asked, suddenly recalling that I had sensed her being preoccupied when I had first teleported home.
She nodded. “I’m still trying
