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 Unable to stop thinking about what had happened, I spent the rest of brunch being somewhat withdrawn – a fact that was noticed by the others.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 what kind of guy was that? I’ve never really heard you say it out loud.”
“Did I ever mistreat you?” Alpha Prime angrily blurted out. “Misuse you in some way? Put pressure on you to do anything you didn’t want to do?”
Capri crossed her arms and gave him a smoldering look. Rather than answer, she said, “We were talking about the boy. Go on.”
My father let out a deep breath. “The way I understand it, he’s been spending a bit of time with your daughter.”
He didn’t explain anything further, but he seemed to be implying something that Capri took offense to.
“And?” she asked.
“Well, isn’t she…?” He looked down, unable to go on.
I wasn’t sure what he was suggesting, but several things came to mind that left a bad taste in my mouth.
“Isn’t she what? Yours?” Capri barked, then laughed in a way that was almost a cackle. “Can you even count? My daughter came along way after you and I were done.”
“I realize that,” my father said in annoyance. “I can do the math. What I was trying to ask is if she’s like you.”
Capri gave him a knowing smile and declared, “One hundred percent.” She then placed a hand on her hip and thrust it out to the side tantalizingly. “With genes like these, the arrow don’t miss the mark.”
Alpha Prime frowned. “Don’t you think that’s a problem?”
“I don’t recall you voicing many complaints,” Capri retorted.
A little red-faced, my father said, “Again, Jim’s not me. He’s still a kid. He’s–”
“Do not tell me you’re about to play the he’s-too-young card!” Capri forcefully interjected. “To hell with being the world’s greatest superhero – that would make you the biggest hypocrite on the planet! How many parents, siblings, friends, etcetera made that argument to you about some girl you were dating, and how many times did you listen?”
“Can you stop making this about me for two seconds?” my father asked in irritation. “This is about our kids – my son and your daughter – and right now, he doesn’t know what she is.”
“Oh, yeah,” she said sarcastically, “because it made all the difference in the world when you found out about me. I mean, you stepped off – stopped calling, stopped asking me out, stopped sending me flowers. Oh, wait” – she put a finger to her chin and stared off into space, as if reflecting on something of deep import – “you didn’t stop doing any of that.”
Alpha Prime didn’t say anything, just stared at her expectantly.
After a moment, she sighed and said, “Look, let’s not blow this out of proportion. They’re just friends. Maybe that’s news to you, but people of the opposite sex can have platonic relationships. If it starts looking like it’s more than that, somebody may have to say something, but until then let’s not make things awkward with a conversation that may never need to happen.”
My father seemed to contemplate for a second, then nodded. “All right, that seems fair.”
“Great,” Capri said. “Now that that’s out of the way, tell me the truth. Did you really only come here to talk about your son, or is there something else you wanted to do?”
She asked her question in a husky, alluring tone and raised an eyebrow teasingly. A knowing glance passed between them and they both smiled. Sensing an unexpected, but similar, flurry of emotions arising simultaneously in the two of them, I practically fled the room, going through walls and hallways as fast as I could without making my presence known.
Once at the front door, I became visible and solid again before stepping outside. Ignoring the comments and questions as to whether I had “fallen in,” I slipped into the front passenger seat. A moment later, we were on our way.
Chapter 14
The yacht party took place on a one-hundred-foot vessel that was docked at a local marina. We had to get past security to get on board (fortunately, we were on the list), but after that, it was pretty much what you’d expect on a floating mansion: lots of opulence in terms of layout, design, and so forth.
We weren’t the first to arrive and were far from the last, so in that regard we had good timing. I didn’t have a lot of experience with boats, but it didn’t take much expertise to recognize that this was a craft built for leisure and pleasure, and therefore perfectly suited for the day’s activities.
At some point, we pulled away from the dock and headed out to the ocean. At that juncture, there were at least a hundred people on board – probably more. At a glance, I would have pegged most of the guests as being in their early twenties. Dressed mostly in bikinis and swimming trunks, they all seemed to be in full party mode. Helping add to that mood was the fact that there was a healthy spread in terms of food, a live DJ, and an open bar. (That last had a bartender who seemed less than thorough in carding those who might be underage.) All in all, the scene on the yacht was reminiscent of images I’d seen in a hundred music videos.
Unfortunately, the change in venue did nothing to alter my disposition. I still couldn’t stop thinking about what had happened with Cat and trying to figure out what it meant. (Not helping matters was the conversation I’d eavesdropped on between my father and Capri, which only seemed to highlight the fact that whatever I’d sensed when Cat touched me was important in some way.)
Recognizing that I was raining on their parade to a certain extent, I pretended to take a call and told Smokey and the girls I’d find them when I was done. Instead, I simply meandered until I came across a quiet spot near the railing at the back of the boat and sort of camped out there, alone with my thoughts. I was still there when Vestibule found me around an hour later.
She didn’t say anything initially, just stood next to me and stared out at the ocean for a minute or two.
Finally, she turned to me and asked, “You want to talk about it?”
“About what?” I asked.
“Whatever’s fouled your mood. We were all having a great time, and then it was like some part of you shut down. Actually, you didn’t just shut down – you started draining energy from the rest of us.”
“I know,” I said with a soft chuckle. “That’s why I let you guys go off on your own. There’s no way you’d enjoy the party with me hanging around in my current state of mind.”
“So what – are you like bipolar or something?”
“Really?” I muttered incredulously. “Bipolar? That’s the first place you go?”
She shrugged. “Well, it’s not like you’re sharing.” When I didn’t immediately respond, she added, “Come on. You know you can tell me anything.”
I simply looked at her for a moment, weighing what she’d said. Maybe the way to deal with this issue was to tackle it head-on. I certainly wasn’t getting anywhere wrestling with it on my own.
“All right,” I said after a few seconds. “Your cousin Cat – what’s her power?”
A slightly shocked expression came over Vestibule’s face, although she quickly recovered.
“I, uh, I don’t know what you mean,” she answered. She did a good job of keeping her tone even, but emotionally I could sense that she was alarmed in some way.
“Sure you do,” I retorted. “Your cousin has some kind of talent or ability. What is it?”
Vestibule shook her head emphatically. “No, you’re wrong. Cat’s normal.”
Reading her emotions, I got the sense that she was being disingenuous. With nothing to lose, I decided to press forward.
“We both know that’s not true,” I countered. “So I’m asking you again, what’s her power?”
Vestibule initially looked as though she wanted to continue denying it. Suddenly, however, she just threw in the towel.
Taking a deep breath and looking down, she simply declared, “I can’t. She’s my cousin. It’s not my place to say.”
“Okay, I can understand that,” I declared. “So should I just ask Cat directly?”
Vestibule’s eyes went wide in concern. “Please don’t. She doesn’t want anyone to know.” Then she frowned, giving me an odd look. “So how did you find out? Did something happen?”
“You could say that.”
“And it’s bothering you,” she surmised.
“Honestly, I’m bothered by the fact that what happened was new to me,” I admitted. “Knowing what Cat’s power is might help me figure things out.”
“It won’t. It’ll just complicate things.”
“How?”
Rather than respond, she simply shook her head. “Can’t you just let this go?”
“That depends,” I replied. “Should I be worried?”
Vestibule gave me a confused look. “Worried?”
“Yeah,” I said with a nod. “I mean, is she likely to go nuclear or something?”
“What?!” Vestibule screeched. “No! It’s nothing like that.”
“Then what is it? The more cryptic you are about it, the more it seems like it’s something I need to know.”
Sighing, Vestibule raised a hand to her forehead and massaged her temples for a moment, then gave me a frank stare. “Okay, let me talk to her and see what she says. I’ll try to convince her to tell you, but I can’t make any promises in that department.”
I gave her a curt nod. “Fair enough.”
Chapter 15
I held my post at the railing for maybe another hour. The party was in full swing for most of that time, and I had to admit that it did look like fun. However, I just didn’t feel like participating. The thing with Cat had me fully preoccupied for some reason, and had kind of sapped my desire to do anything else.
Like a good friend, Smokey checked up on me, showing up shortly after Vestibule left to go speak to her cousin.
“Hey, man,” he droned as he approached. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I assured him. “Why do you ask?”
“Because we’re at a freakin’ yacht party being hosted by a celeb, with a fair number of famous people present – as well as a few starlets – and you’re moping around like somebody stole your bike.”
“Sorry,” I intoned with a momentary grin. “Guess I’ve just got some stuff on my mind.”
“Apparently you’re not the only one.”
“Huh?” I blurted out, giving him a confused look.
“The girls,” he stated in explanation. “They huddled up a little while ago and have been in deep conversation ever since – like they’re plotting to take over the world. I tried to engage with them, but it was pretty clear
that they intended it to be a one-on-one chat.”
“Guess it seems like everyone’s deserted you,” I surmised.
Smokey shrugged. “Don’t worry about it. I know you’re probably fretting over this dinner you have coming up.”
“Yes – a meal with my ex and her father,” I said, shaking my head in dismay. “Sounds like the title of a bad rom-com.”
Smiling, Smokey nodded in agreement. “Speaking of exes, I talked to Sarah.”
My eyes widened in surprise. “Really?”
“Yeah – a few days ago.”
I stayed silent for a moment, absorbing this. I had always liked Sarah, who was Smokey’s ex-girlfriend. More importantly, they had always seemed like a rock-solid couple, but there had been aspects of their relationship that even I, his best friend, hadn’t known. The facts were complicated, but ultimately they had broken up around the time I returned from Caeles, with Smokey refusing to even speak to Sarah. (In fact, it was her continually dropping by his house in an effort to talk to him that had made Smokey take up permanent residence at Alpha League HQ.)
“It was a good talk,” he continued, bringing me back to myself. “We cleared the air about a lot of things.”
“So does that mean…?”
“No,” he answered, shaking his head as I trailed off. “We’re not getting back together. I mean, I’m with Atalanta now, and I really care about her.”
I simply nodded, not saying anything.
“Anyway,” Smokey droned, changing the subject, “even with all my compadres deserting me, I’ve actually been having a blast on this yacht, just talking and getting to know people.”
“Does that include our hostess?” I asked, raising an eyebrow.
Smokey grinned. “Somewhat. I got to chat with Alita, but only for a few minutes. This is her event, so she’s got a lot of demands on her time – guests, the crew, servers, and so on. Still, it was nice of her to make a little time for me, and I really enjoyed talking to her.”
“A word of advice: I’d avoid sounding so chipper when Atalanta asks you how the party was.”
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