When she had touched me, I had felt a surge of some sort – an unexpected flux of energy. A force. A power.
Cat was a super.
Chapter 13
It was easy to be around people and not know that they had any special powers or abilities. There are many kinds of talents that simply don’t manifest themselves in ways that can be seen. (Telepathy, for instance.)
That said, there are certain individuals with a unique gift for sniffing out supers. I certainly don’t claim to be one of them, but my empathic abilities did give me a leg up in that department. Basically, there’s a certain quality to their emotions that many supers have, an aspect of their character which hints in an I-have-a-secret sort of way that they have a gift.
I had gotten nothing like that from Cat. I had picked up no hint that she was anything other than a normal person. More to the point, I had never before sensed another person’s power in quite the same way that I had picked up on hers.
Of course, it was entirely possible that I had developed a new ability. According to Mouse, my power set wouldn’t be completely defined for some time to come – if ever. That said, I have a specific tell that surfaces whenever I manifest a new power: an odd buzzing in my head. Needless to say, that hadn’t happened this time, which implied that Cat was the source of the power I’d felt. Surprisingly, she didn’t even seem to be aware that she had let the cat out of the bag, so to speak.
It was an unusual development, to say the least, and put me on my guard to a certain extent. Unable to stop thinking about what had happened, I spent the rest of brunch being somewhat withdrawn – a fact that was noticed by the others. It put something of a damper on what had, up until then, been a lively and enjoyable day.
Eventually, we had to start getting ready for the yacht party. Cat told me I could use the pool house to shower and get ready, then showed Smokey to a guest room in the mansion where he could do the same. Fifteen minutes later, we all met up at the table where brunch had been served. Thankfully, by that time, Capri’s Cougar Club had adjourned their meeting, and Capri herself had disappeared somewhere inside the house.
Absentmindedly, I noted that – like me and Smokey – the girls had put on the clothes they were wearing earlier. It suggested that they were just looking forward to a fun outing (as opposed to trying to impress anybody), and reinforced the notion that they really were down-to-earth.
After confirming that Smokey and I had everything we’d come with, we headed towards the car. We were just getting in when I picked up on a familiar – but completely unexpected – emotional vibe. I recognized it immediately, but felt I had to be wrong.
Wanting to investigate, I looked at Cat and said, “I think I need to run to the restroom before we go.”
“Oh, um, okay,” she murmured. “If you go back inside, it’ll be on–”
“It’s okay – I’ll find it,” I interjected, already halfway up the steps. A second later, I slipped inside and closed the door behind me, then immediately phased and became invisible. Floating up into the air, I began empathically following the trail of the emotions I’d detected.
Being phased, I was able to travel in a direct line, without regard for walls, furniture, or anything else. A few moments later, I found myself in a back hallway of the mansion, where two people were currently walking towards me.
One of them was Capri. She had changed out of the seashell-top bikini, but was currently dressed no less provocatively. Looking like she’d just come off the runway, she sported a form-fitting black minidress with a plunging V-neck that practically went to her navel.
Behind her was the person whose emotions I had detected: my father, Alpha Prime.
Although I’d picked up on him empathically, actually laying eyes on him was a bit of a shock. He must have flown at Mach speed to get here so fast. Of course, when I’d spoken with him earlier, he hadn’t said exactly where he was. For all I knew, he could already have been on the West Coast (or somewhere nearby), but I hadn’t gotten that impression.
Rather than the trademark black-and-gold uniform of the Alpha League, he was dressed in civilian attire at the moment: a pair of khakis, a T-shirt, and a dark blazer. It wasn’t a look that everyone could pull off, but at six-seven, with a chiseled physique and movie-star looks, one would be hard-pressed to find clothes that looked bad on him.
Suddenly, Capri veered into a side room, with my father right on her heels. Curious as to what was going on, I followed them, phasing through the wall and then floating up into a corner.
“Okay,” Capri said as my father closed the door. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”
“I’m sure you know why I’m here,” Alpha Prime stated.
“Well, I know why most men come through my door,” Capri said with an inviting smile. “But you used up all your vouchers in that regard a long time ago, so I assume it’s about the boy.”
“The boy is my son.”
“Oh, trust me – I know. The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Alpha Prime shook his head. “No, he’s not like me. Not in that way.”
Capri cocked her head to the side. “Oh, really? That’s not the way I heard it. Word on the street is that he’s juggling a fiancée, a girlfriend, supermodel groupies… If he’s not you all over again, it’s only because he’s raised the bar.”
“That’s not fair. Whatever you’ve heard, there’s no way you got the real story, but believe me when I say that he’s not the kind of guy I was when it comes to women.”
“Oh? And
