“You’ve got thirty seconds,” she replied, now sounding like her usual self. “And the clock’s ticking.”
Not wasting a moment, I teleported to my girlfriend’s house.
Chapter 58
As it turns out, I didn’t need the full thirty seconds to convince Electra of my sincerity. As soon as I got to her house, I reached out telepathically and showed her everything I’d learned about my clone – including how he’d deceived Vestibule – in just a few moments.
“Oh my…” she began after I severed the mental link between us. “Jim…that’s awful! I mean, Vestibule’s not my favorite person, but what he did to her was horrible.”
I nodded. “I know, but you can’t tell anyone. Vestibule’s embarrassed enough as it is.”
“Of course,” she uttered sympathetically. “I’d never say anything.”
“Good,” I stressed. “The only reason I showed you everything is so you’d understand what happened in the lounge.”
“Honestly, I wasn’t too concerned about that,” she confessed.
I raised an eyebrow in surprise. “No?”
“Not really,” she confirmed, shaking her head. “Unexpectedly kissing you is something Vestibule’s done before, and from what I heard, that’s essentially what happened.”
“Then why act like you were upset?” I asked. “I brought along extra kneepads thinking I was going to have to do some epic groveling to get back in your good graces.”
She laughed. “I was upset – but it was because you didn’t tell me what happened. Instead, I had to hear about it through the grapevine.”
“Well, in case you missed the other part,” I said defensively, “I was busy focusing on locating my evil twin and finding out what his game plan is.”
“Oh, quit pouting,” she cooed as she stepped close, slipped her arms around me, and gave me a quick peck on the lips. “Better?”
“Not really,” I replied, giving her a sly look. “Maybe you should give it another go, but act like you mean it this time.”
She giggled. “I’m not falling for that one again.” Playfully pushing me away, she added, “Besides, I have a project to finish for school.”
“So, should I leave?”
“Not necessarily,” Electra said. “You know where everything is here – the living room, the TV, the remote. Why don’t you make yourself at home while I finish, and when I’m done, I’ll order some pizza and we can watch a movie.”
“Sounds great,” I admitted.
A moment later I was heading towards the living room, hoping there was something good on television.
Chapter 59
I spent the next few hours with my girlfriend, who had the ordering of pizza down to a science; it arrived at almost the exact moment she finished her school project.
“Esper and I order from this place all the time,” she explained. “We pretty much know how long it’s going to take them to deliver, give or take a minute.”
Mention of Electra’s guardian, Esper, brought to mind the fact that I hadn’t sensed her when I’d arrived. Like my family, Esper was a telepath, so I usually had a pretty good idea when she was around. (Actually, I always got the impression that Esper wanted me to know when she was around, just in case I started getting any ideas.) It just so happened, however, that Esper was out on assignment, so Electra and I ended up without a chaperone on this particular occasion.
That said, we primarily used the opportunity to simply snuggle on the couch. Electra picked the movie, which turned out to be some schlock about space vampires, and we spent most of the film hilariously picking it apart in terms of the terrible plot, bad acting, and poor special effects.
However, as was typical when I was with Electra, the time just seemed to fly by. Before I knew it, the movie had finished and it was time for me to go. After getting a goodnight hug from my girlfriend (and stealing a kiss), I teleported home.
Popping up in my bedroom at the embassy, I gave a telepathic hello to my family (all of whom I could now sense were at home). I then stretched out on the bed for a moment, staring at the ceiling as I reflected on my day. It had been long and exhausting, to be honest, so saying I was tired was an understatement. I closed my eyes for a moment – just to think – and before I knew it, I was completely knocked out.
*****
I woke up the next morning feeling refreshed; there’s a lot to be said for a good night’s sleep. I glanced at my cell phone and noted that it was still early – not catch-a-school-bus early (like the previous day), but early enough that no one could brand me as having slept in. I also saw that I had a text from Mouse asking me to meet him in his lab a little later.
With nothing pressing at the moment, I went through my morning routine at a normal pace for the first time in days, including taking a long, relaxing shower. Afterwards, I got dressed and went downstairs.
I found my grandparents in the breakfast area again, huddled up against each other as before while looking through the paper.
Indigo greeted me with a smile, saying, “Good morning, Sxibbo.”
“Good morning,” I said in response, then pointed towards the newspaper with my chin. “Wow, you guys are really getting into the periodicals lately.”
“It’s your grandfather,” Indigo contended. “It’s been awhile since he’s seen his name in the paper, but after they ran that picture of us a few days ago, followed by articles about the party, he’s become obsessed with seeing his name in print.”
“Not true,” Gramps protested. “First of all, I generally read articles online, but when they printed our picture, the newspaper also gave us a free, one-year subscription. So the paper in my hand every morning is a sign of free delivery, not egotistical obsession.”
“Oh, just listen to him justify his actions,” Indigo joked, giggling.
Ignoring her, my grandfather went on. “Second, if you must know, rather than scouring for something about myself, I’m actually reading
