"So what are we going to do now?" Cariba asked as we all stood in a line, facing Sumer's huge mansion. After no immediate answer, we all looked down the row at Jane. She stared back at just as if she hadn't been micro-managing this entire "vacation".
"I don't know?"
When has Jane ever not known?
Things were tense between most of us, like that heart-to-heart at the beach house meant nothing.
"Let's just get situated first," Warren sighed. "Same rooms assignments, I'm guessing—"
"Um no."
"Can we switch?"
"How about—"
"There are six rooms, a den, and a living room," Sumer announced.
"Well you have to keep your room," Cheshire said to her. "I'll room with Anthony."
"As long as we're away from Andres and Skye," Anthony teased, but Andres tightened his grip on Skye's waist and kissed her head.
"Then who will I room with?!" Indica asked, since Skye was her best friend.
"Me," a small voice said and then we looked down the line to Jane.
"There is no way in—"
"Just do it," Isaac scoffed. Indica glared at him and then looked over to Warren. She smirked, briefly glanced at me and Cariba, and then back to Isaac.
"What about I room with Warren and you can room with Jane," she suggested.
"How about no?" Warren declined, causing reactions to different people for obvious reasons.
"And I'll stick to rooming with Wilbur," Isaac said and I'm sure Jane was offended.
"Actually," I said. "I want to room with my brother."
"Then who do I room with?" Isaac asked.
"I'll room with Aspen and Wilbur if they take the living room and then you can have the den," Cariba offered and I nodded.
"Warren and I can just have our own rooms, then," Zaine assumed and then we all broke out to our own sectors of the gigantic house.
"How are your ears?" I asked Wib.
"Better," he replied with a strong voice as he stood up. "I'm going to go thank Zaine and see what's wrong with Jane."
I watched him leave, and looked down with a huge sigh.
"Thank Zaine?" Cariba asked as she was putting blankets on her own thousand-dollar couch. "Gee, sound familiar?"
"I'll thank Zaine for helping Wib when you thank Warren for helping your plane problem," I retorted with a roll of my eyes.
"So that's what this rooming-downstairs-with-Wilbur business is," she pinned.
"No...I just miss my brother and if Zaine won't make any immediate decisions about me, then so be it," I explained. She narrowed her eyes at me.
"Right..." she said, unconvinced and then Sumer walked into the living room.
"I don't know if you're hungry, but there's plenty of food in the refrigerator and there's also a pool outside and a game room upstairs, if you—"
"Sumer, I don't think we'll—"
"A pool? I'm there!" Cariba said, enthused. "I'll see you later, Aspen."
She left in a hurry as the water called to her, but then of course, Sumer looked around before she hesitantly took a seat on the couch across from me. Something puzzled her and I could read it on her face.
"What's wrong?" I asked her.
"I don't think I got the hang of this psychic thing," she said. I gave her a light smile.
"Trust me, if all of them have been at the Academy for years and still don't know all of their abilities, then there's no way you could by discovery," I assured her.
"I mean, I know I get visions and dreams and I can't control when it happens, but coming here made them be wrong for the first time ever," she said.
"Wrong?" I asked. She looked down.
"Everyone, in my visions, are different than they are now," she said.
"Meaning what?" I asked.
"I can't tell you," she shook her head. "Jane and Isaac told me that if I say what happens in the future, it can change it."
"Dammit," I whispered. She nodded and then stood up, still looking at me.
"Let's just say...more people than just Isaac were disappointed that you wanted to room with Wib," she said and it made me wince. Mostly because she used Wilbur's nickname that I don't think anyone but Cariba realized that I used. And then, it made me think about the other options I had, coming here.
=XXX=
"I swear, it's like we're back at the Academy," Cheshire commented after minutes of continuative clinks of silverware while no one talked, and everyone just ate breakfast the next day. Suddenly, he grabbed his plate of food and stood up. He looked over to Sumer. "Can I eat upstairs?"
"Yeah, sure," she mumbled. His blue eyes connected with mine, making my body go cold before he walked away.
"Yeah, I think I'm going to go too—" Cariba started to stand up beside me.
"Wait," Zaine said right before Cheshire exited through the French doors. Cheshire spun back on his heels and Cariba took a seat back down.
"What?" Cheshire huffed, impatiently.
"We need to talk about the journals Sentara and Maxwell left us," he answered. "We all need to work on—"
"Well you all can, and I can go look for Chance," Cheshire interrupted.
"By yourself, yeah right," Isaac scoffed. Cheshire rolled his eyes.
"Fine, I'll take Aquabrat with me," he sneered, nodding in Cariba's direction.
"Why can't you just listen to orders for once?" Zaine asked him, getting frustrated.
"When you give me a damn good reason to follow them," Cheshire answered and then walked off for good. Zaine sighed and I wanted to comfort him, but held my distance. He reached into the bag that I or Jane normally carried and handed her a Tablet. She took it and started using it without word as she stood up and walked out of the room through the kitchen. Um?
"So what are we going to do?" Skye asked.
"We're going to use what we're given," Zaine started.
"What about Jane?" Wib asked.
"She's...going to be taking a break for now," Zaine said.
"Yes!" Indica cheered.
"So what now?" Cariba asked. "Does this mean I can spend all day in the pool?"
"No. You're going to spend all day with Warren," he said and everyone paused. What?
"You're crazy if—"
"You can reasonably tell him what to do and he has to do it for you," Zaine added.
"I'm in!"
"No way!" Warren yelled and then glared over at Zaine, and then me as if I had something to do with it, and then back at Zaine. "Dude!"
"Just..." Zaine started. "You haven't been at the Academy for five years. She has. So just...listen to her for the week—to learn."
"It better be just a week," Warren grumbled.
"Speaking of unacquainted lovers..." Anthony said, looking over at his brother and Skye.
"Well you and Anthony are going to spend time with Wilbur and Aspen," Zaine said. WHAT!
"Cool," the twins chimed.
"Why?" I asked Zaine. Aside from who I really wanted to be spending time with, why the twins? We could benefit nothing from each other, so what was the point in pairing us?
"Just for a day," Zaine said. "Maybe even less, but just see how it goes."
"Cool," the twins said again and I was slightly disappointed in that plan.
"What about me?" Skye asked.
"You're just going to...stay inside."
"Stay inside? Are you kidding!?" Skye yelled.
"She can't stay inside. That's completely the opposite of how to develop her powers!" Indica yelled, but Zaine never looked in her direction.
"You're going to stay inside with Jane and Isaac," Zaine ordered.
"Why do I have to stay with Jane?" Isaac asked. Wait, weren't they best friends? "Can't I partner with Wilbur?"
"Wilbur has his own agenda that I need to discuss with him and Aspen, later, so no," Zaine said.
"And I suppose I'm supposed to just confine myself to the likes of the luxuries here?" Indica asked, but still received no look from Zaine.
"Since Sumer isn't exactly enrolled, she'll just be around for training with the rest of us," Zaine continued like Indica really was invisible.
"What about Cheshire?" I asked suddenly.
"Like he cares," Cariba scoffed.
"Just let him believe he's advanced enough," Andres suggested.
"That would get us nowhere," Warren commented.
"Well there's no way he's going to obey to this little training camp business," Anthony said.
"Unless Aspen convinces him otherwise," Zaine muttered, connecting his brown eyes with mine. He was hinting something. That's it. I stood up and walked away from the table.
What could I have possibly done to deserve these bipolar emotions he emitted? From one moment he's protecting me and not wanting to be without me, and then he's pissing me off, and then he's being adorable as if he was prepping to ask me out or something. But now? Now he's acting like an arrogant leader jealousy he was at the Academy plagued with jealousy, and I didn't like it one bit.
=XXX=
"Ugh," I said with the wind knocked out of me. I looked up to see Cheshire's shaggy hair, blowing in the wind above me, blocking the sun. He extended a hand and with a deep breath, I took it and he pulled me up. He stepped away from me and then widened his stance.
"Again." He said. I didn't know if it was a question or a command, but as I stood staring at him, I felt my tender body parts healing from being knocked to the ground once more. But I was still out of breath. And I think Cheshire knew it because he then stood up straighter and neared me. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing. I like getting thrown on my ass," I said sarcastically. He gave me a serious look.
"You're mad about something," he pinned and then put his hands up. I rolled my eyes and started punching them without any tape or him without pads. "We've been at this since nine."
"So?" I asked, my hits getting harder and harder without him seeming to care.
"It's twelve," he reminded and I put all my weight into a right hook that made him stagger back and shake his hand in pain. But he still looked down at me. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing!" I lied again.
"Are you sure?" he asked in a teasing manner. I saw green color playing at his irises.
"Yes I'm sure."
"No...problems with missing your parents?" he guessed. I shook my head. No, but thanks for reminding me. Even though that feeling was numb. He took a step near me. "Or maybe some hotshot, Superman that's inside right now when we both know he wants to be out here with you?"
I pressed my lips together. Way to hit the nail on the head.
"No," I lied in a whisper. I saw him smirk for a second before he ventured:
"Let's test that."
He reached for my waist and I had learned earlier to grab his hand and twist it to make it strain across his back, but then he kneeled down to throw me over his shoulder with the strength of one arm and then before I struggled out of his grip, he tossed me lightly onto the ground and straddled me. Before I could do a move that he failed to teach me, he pinned my arms down above my head and then his face levitated inches from mine.
"Okay, maybe I lied," he whispered. "Union doesn't want to just be outside. He wants to be in this position."
I breathed heavily and didn't know what to do while his face was so close. I didn't even want to breathe, but his minty breath touched my face anyways.
"Union doesn't want anything to do with me," I mumbled.
"Why wouldn't he?" Cheshire asked. "You're gorgeous and smart and your power is incredible and you're caring and...wonderful. You're amazing, Aspen. But if you really believe he doesn't want you, or want to be right here, then I guess I was mistaken this whole time."
"I guess so."
"I'm an illusionist. It's in my DNA. So I know when people are lying," he hissed, quickly kissed my cheek, and then rolled off of me. He sat with his hands behind him and I relaxed as I still laid flat out on the ground. "And plus, what other reason does he have for glaring through the window upstairs?"