I knew California was sunny, but I was not expecting the have my skin baked, cooked, and burned. Of course my uncle lived up where he could have another private runaway, and the new school place looked pretty good. We had spent the last three hours unloading children and their personal belongings into the mansion my uncle owned. Everyone had brought pillows, their bedsheets, and a small bag of personal belongings, which wasn't much because most of the children had next to nothing anyway.
I was directing traffic. With nearly one hundred and fifty students, I had a lot on my hands. Even then it was hard enough Tyler had come over to pester me.
"What are you doing?" He asked, sugarcoating his words.
I gritted my teeth. "Go bother Will, he needs to lighten up."
Will had literally sulked inside and found a rafter to mope on.
Tyler shrugged. "He won't even talk to me and I'm bored out of mind."
I gently pushed a younger girl back into the line of children. "Well I'm sure you can find some way to occupy your time."
"Nah, so how do you turn invisible? Can you teach me?" He pestered.
My face was growing hot and my back stung from standing in the sun for so long. "No! Go away."
He sighed. "Fine I see how it is, you don't want to talk to me."
He stalked off to find some other unsuspecting victim. I don't what he was trying to do, one minute he's being anti-social, the other I can't seem to get away from him.
I sighed and continued herding kids into the building.
Later after most people were settled and I was tired, I found my way to a living room and crashed onto a couch. My back stung and I yelped, sitting back up again.
My uncle, who happened to be in the room at the time, glanced up from his newspaper.
"Are you okay?"
I reach behind me a tentatively felt along the irritated skin along my shoulders. "I think I have a sun burn."
"Yeah, that's what happens when you stand in the sun for three hours straight." Mumbled Will from above, still moping.
My uncle face palmed. "Sun screen! I forgot sun screen! I wonder if I could get enough for everyone without seeming to obvious..."
"The Internet." Suggested Will.
"Great Scott! Have you been up there all day?" He gasped.
Will groaned in reply shuffling himself on the rafter in to a more comfortable position.
"All this over a girl, it's amazing the human mind." He continued to marvel.
Will growled at him, and I gave my uncle a look that said, be quiet before you make it worse. Will was no fun since Genny had been kidnapped, we didn't even know if she was still alive, or if she were alive but turned cyborg. The thought made my stomach twist and I remembered yesterday, finding Will unconscious on the ground, after he woke up he had been a mess of tears, and yells, not to mention whatever Casey had done to him was messing with his powers and he had a headache on the way here. Will must really care about her, I thought to myself, feeling bad for teasing him so much about it. That was before things got serious, he had never been to the Lab like Will and Tyler had, but he had heard enough stories from incoming students to grasp the true horrors.
I hope she's all right. Who am I kidding, she's Genny. If anyone gets in her way she'll just beat 'em up. I snorted at the thought.
"Right, so I need to run and get a ton of sun screen, anyone feel up for a trip?"
Tyler instantly dropped from the stair-well adjacent to the room, and falling on his knees in mock begging. "Please, I need to get out of this nut house."
My uncle was not even startled. "Great, Justin why don't you come as well, and Will I'm forcing you to come along because this behavior simply isn't healthy for you."
Will sighed and rolled off the bannister, and landed softly with a few flaps of his huge white wings.
Tyler tossed him a jacket. "That means sweat-shirts for Will and I, and in summer summer too! This is gonna be fun."
Pretty soon we were off in my uncle's car. Tyler had started panting in his heavy jacket and was being annoying, Will didn't even say anything, he just stared dejectedly out a window.
Within a few minutes we had arrived. I couldn't believe how many houses and building they could fit on a small land space. I was probably the only one marveling over this. And there were light and cars everywhere!
My uncle parked and ushered us out. Then to my surprise he handed me twenty dollars.
"Will you used to live here right? Why don't you three have some fun, but if this get's back to other kids, I will deny everything." He winked.
I grinned, pocketing the cash.
"Dude, you have the best uncle ever." Tyler mused.
"Yes I do, so Will, what do you suggest?" I waved a hand in front of his face.
"We could probably go get milkshakes, or go down to the ocean." He said, lifting out of his sour mood slightly.
"I'm for milkshakes." I voted.
Tyler nodded, a quizical look on his face. Will started pointing out landmarks and cool stuff. Then showed us into what looked like one of those old candy shops with original posters for Star Wars, Ghostbusters, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. Also a soda pop bar, and a whole wall dedicated to saltwater taffy.
A waitress came a few minutes after we ordered with tall glasses filled with chocolate milkshakes. Will sipped his quietly, staring out the window. I savored the sweet taste, trying not to drink it fast or suffer from brain freeze. I had plenty of uncomfortable experiences with cold stuff in the past.
Apparently, Tyler did not, a few seconds upon receiving the summer treat, he inhaled half of it and doubled over clutching his head.
"Gah!" He exclaimed.
"Hah, you got brain freeze!" I laughed, enjoying his suffering.
He glared at me. Even Will smiled a bit.
"You act like you've never had a cold beverage before." Will mused.
"I haven't." Tyler explained.
"You've never had a milkshake before!" I exclaimed.
He shrugged. My jaw dropped.
"Have you ever had soda pop, ice cream, or even candy for goodness sakes?" I gaped.
He smiled weakly. "I had a lollipop once."
I sat there open mouthed. "We have to do something about this, you my friend are ruining the definition of teenager."
Will snorted. "We ruin the definition of everything."
As I began to pick out one of everything for Tyler Will stiffened, staring out the window again. I paused in my quest to follow his gaze, a blonde haired man and a women with brown hair walked passed of the store front window. Both were dressed casually, the girl was laughing at whatever the man had just said.
Will suddenly, without any warning what so ever, ducked behind the corner of the bar and pulled his hood up. Effectively concealing his face.
"Here, pay for your stuff." I handed Tyler some of the money and followed Will as he tried to escape something.
I tapped his shoulder and he whirled around, looking ready to fight, when he realized it was me his cold blue eyes softened.
"Do you know them?" I asked, pulling him into a corner.
He gritted his teeth. "Her name is Lucy, she betrayed me to Worthington."
I glanced back at the register, Tyler had started chatting with the young girl behind it. Lucy had ordered a soda creme and was sipping it with the older man sitting vigil. His eyes fell on me. For a moment we just stared. He seemed familiar for some reason...
Then he tapped Lucy's shoulder and she turned, staring at the two of us.
Her eyes went wide and she spit out her soda.
"Time to go." Will announced, pulling Tyler away from the counter and heading for the back door.
He grabbed his bag and complained as the three of us tried to exit the building casually.
Lucy and the man got up, following us out the door. Will ran into the ally next it, and started dashing through the maze of tall concrete.
"Why are we running?" Tyler asked, clearly confused.
"William!" Lucy shouted, trying to catch up with us.
"Who is she?" Questioned Tyler as I tried to explain.
"Betrayed Will, maybe associated with the Lab." I said breathless as our pursuers kept coming.
"Ah, sounds like a legit reason to run then."
"William!" The man called out. My heart sank as I recognized his voice.
Will cried out in anguish as we ran straight into a dead end. He turned just in time to see the man take off his dark sunglasses.
"We need to talk." James Worthington said, with Lucy Green at his arm.