Turning my attention back to Vestibule, I noted that someone – a girl in a nurse’s uniform – had finally gotten around to asking her the big question: “Where’d you send him?”
“Someplace he won’t cause any trouble,” Vestibule answered cryptically.
That was good enough for those present, and eventually they went back to enjoying the party. At that juncture, Vestibule took me by the hand and dragged me to a corner of the room.
“Okay,” she said, glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot. “Where’d you teleport him to?”
Chapter 2
Needless to say, I was the one who had teleported the Biolithic Colossus. Although teleportation is one of the well-known powers of Kid Sensation, no one present (other than Smokey and Vestibule) knew that’s who I was. Thus, it was only natural for everyone else to assume that Vestibule was the person who had gotten rid of the Colossus.
“I sent him to the tar pits,” I said in answer to Vestibule’s question. “One of the shallow pools, so he’ll be fine.”
Vestibule put a hand up to her mouth, stifling a laugh. The tar pits were a local tourist attraction, ancient pools of sludge where prehistoric animals got trapped millions of years ago.
“That’s great!” Vestibule finally gushed. “I was going to dump him in a nearby lake, but that’s even better.”
“Glad you think so,” I remarked, “although it may have been a bit harsh.”
Vestibule frowned. “How so?”
“Well, he’s going to have to go somewhere and wash the stink of the tar pits off – probably change clothes as well. By the time he’s done all that, he’ll have missed a good portion of the party.”
“I’d argue that’s a good thing, but knowing Bee-Cee, he’s likely to just come straight back here.”
I started to laugh, but then noticed that Vestibule seemed rather somber at the moment.
“What – are you serious?” I muttered.
She shrugged. “It wouldn’t surprise me. Making a spectacle of himself is kind of his thing.”
“And you dated that guy?” I asked, giving her a dubious look.
“Don’t judge me,” she growled in faux anger, playfully pinching my arm at the same time. “And if you must know, we were together for a little while, but it wasn’t that serious.”
“Apparently he thinks it was serious.”
Vestibule shook her head. “No, he just doesn’t like the fact that I broke up with him. He’s one of those guys.”
“Oh,” I murmured. “Well, if he shows up and starts creating a scene again, we’ll just send him right back to the tar pits.”
Vestibule sighed. “To tell the truth, I’d rather not be here when he comes back.”
“Um, okay,” I muttered. “I guess we can call it a night.”
I tried to sound sincere, but I was actually being a bit disingenuous. In truth, it was still rather early – Smokey and I had practically just arrived. That said, I wanted to be supportive of Vestibule, and sticking around when she felt compelled to leave would have felt disloyal. However, one look at Vestibule’s face let me know that I had misjudged the situation.
“Call it a night?” she repeated, looking at me askance. “Like hell we will.”
***
Fifteen minutes later, Vestibule, Smokey, Cat, and I were in the back of a chauffeur-driven limousine, which was the vehicle the girls had taken to the party. (I, on the other hand, had simply teleported me and Smokey to the event.) As we pulled away, Vestibule – who was sitting across from me – nudged my leg with her foot, then pointed out the window once she had my attention. Outside, I saw the Biolithic Colossus, smeared with tar from head to foot, racing back towards the party. Simultaneously, the two of us burst into laughter.
After we got over our case of the giggles (and explained to Smokey and Cat what we found to be so funny), Vestibule pulled out her cell phone and started making some calls. With her preoccupied, I turned to Cat, who was seated next to me.
“So, what’s next on the agenda?” I asked.
“That’s what Vestibule is scouting at the moment,” Cat answered. “She’s trying to find another party for us to crash.”
“We can always just hang out,” Smokey suggested. “An actual party isn’t mandatory, in my book.”
“Oh, yes it is,” Cat retorted. “I spent hours perfecting the look for this costume, so all that time is not going to waste. Someone has to see how glamorous I am as a big cat.”
There was a playful tone to her voice that let Smokey and I know that she was speaking tongue-in-cheek. He and I began snickering, and a moment later Cat joined us. The three of us then began discussing our costumes generally, as well as those we’d seen at the party. Of course, there was no doubt that Cat’s getup had been head and shoulders above almost anyone else, and she told a few humorous anecdotes about what it had taken to achieve the look – including the fact that the body paint wouldn’t wash off easily if left on too long.
“Basically, I’m the opposite of Cinderella,” Cat proclaimed. “Instead of turning back at midnight, I get to stay this way for a few days.”
At that point, Vestibule finally got off her phone.
“All right,” she intoned. “The rest of the night’s itinerary is all lined up. Let’s party!”
Chapter 3
I had to admit that Vestibule turned out to be an excellent event coordinator. After announcing that it was party time, she had the limo driver pull over and let us out. Then, after giving the chauffeur explicit instructions on where and when to pick us up, she teleported us. (In all honesty, however, I had to negate my own teleportation power, so to speak, in order for her to teleport me.)
We popped up at what I immediately recognized as a chic, exclusive event – mostly because the first
