by M. R. Anglin
“A fanny pack?” Stephanie smirked. “She’s wearing a fanny pack.”
Nicole buried her face in her hands. “This is more humiliating than when my dad had to buy socks to wear with his sandals after we got hit with a freak cold snap when we went to Ocean World.”
“You’re as embarrassed by her as if she were your real mom.” Stephanie nudged Nicole with her elbow. “Good sign.”
Nicole picked up her head. She was right; she was embarrassed by Margaret as much as she would be if her father had done something similar. Maybe Nicole was getting used to her.
“Ready, everyone?” John got into the driver’s seat.
“Ready.” Margaret resumed her seat.
John started the car and smiled at Nicole. “On your marks . . .”
“Get set . . .” Nicole balled her fists.
John extended a fist of triumph. “We’re getting this vacation started in . . .”
“Three . . . two . . . one . . . blast off!” They yelled together, and John reversed the car onto the road. The two of them laughed together.
Both Stephanie and Margaret stared at them in silence.
“That was the cringiest thing I have ever seen,” Stephanie said.
Margaret hissed in a breath. “I have to admit, it was pretty cheesy, John.”
Nicole felt embarrassment creep over her, but John remained unperturbed.
“Maybe.” John shrugged. “But if you’re in this car, you’re considered family. If you’re family you will join in on our family traditions.”
“Fair enough,” Stephanie said, and Nicole felt her squirms settle.
“Easy for you to say, Stephanie. You’ll get out of it in two weeks.” Margaret shook her head. “I’m going to be stuck with the cringe for the rest of my life.”
John smirked at her. “Do you mind?”
Margaret regarded him and then Nicole. “Not at all.”
CHAPTER 19
NICOLE AND STEPHANIE didn’t say much after they left the house. Occasionally, Margaret engaged Stephanie in brief conversation, but on the whole they remained quiet for the first hour or so. The silence was awkward, but Nicole didn’t know what to say to Stephanie, and Stephanie seemed content to look out of the window and yawn. Plus, Nicole was plagued with a strange sensation which kept rolling over her. Only after John’s repeated and insistent attempts at engagement did the two finally let the ice break over a game of I Spy.
“I’ve never done anything like this,” Stephanie had said laughing from her gut. “It’s so hokey and cheesy and fun!”
“Like I said when you’re in this car, you’re family,” John had responded, “and I’ll treat you like family.”
By the time they had reached the hotel, Stephanie had been integrated into the group. Nicole even felt more comfortable around Margaret.
They pulled up to the Starview Hotel around sunset. The sun tinted the sky a vibrant orange, leaving the buttes in the distance a dusty purple color. After parking the car, they piled out and wheeled their bags into the lobby. John went to the front desk to check in.
“Nice place.” Stephanie turned in a circle to survey the lobby. It was a mid-level hotel—nice enough to serve room service but economical enough to offer a continental breakfast in the morning.
“It really is.” Margaret pulled her prescription sunglasses off of her face to replace them with her normal ones.
“We come here every year.” Nicole flung her duffel bag over her shoulder. “My mom found this place while out in the field. She was an amateur geologist, you know.” As soon as the words came out of her mouth she hissed in a breath. So much for keeping talk of her mother to a minimum.
“She was? Really?” Margaret said without missing a beat. “Is she where you got your love of minerals from?”
“I guess . . .” Nicole studied Margaret. She didn’t look at all bothered or perturbed by Nicole’s topic of conversation. “You don’t mind if I talk about my mom?”
“Why would I?” Margaret crinkled her nose a bit as if she had a tickle. “She was your mom. I’m not trying to take her place.”
“I know, but . . . I thought it would be awkward.” Nicole chased some wayward dirt around with her toe.
“Maybe it is a little.” Margaret gazed off to the elevators. “Your mother is a part of who you are—she was a part of your life, and I’m trying to become a part of your life. I can’t rewrite your history, but I want to become part of your future.”
“Oh.” Nicole gave her a smile. “Thanks.”
“You don’t have to thank me.” Margaret gave her a bright, sunny smile.
“Here we go.” John returned to them. He glanced at Margaret and Nicole. “Why do I feel like I missed a bonding moment?”
“Because you did.” Margaret slipped her sunglasses in her fanny pack.
“Are we going to fill me in?” John asked.
“Nope,” Margaret said.
Nicole gleamed with the glee of a kept secret. “It’s between us girls. Right, Stephanie?”
“Apparently.” Stephanie shrugged.
“I’m happy about this, but I’m a bit jealous too. Here.” John held up four cards. “Room cards. One for each of us. We’re on the third floor. Shall we?” After Margaret took his hand, he led them across the lobby to the elevators.
Nicole and Stephanie paced after them.
“Margaret’s pretty great,” Stephanie whispered as they went.
“Yeah.”
“She’s beautiful, successful, and she’s so considerate.”
Nicole ducked her head. “Yeah . . .”
“I can see why you don’t like her.”
Nicole turned to Stephanie to see if she was being sarcastic. Judging by her narrowed eyes and pressed lips, she was dead serious. “Why would you say that?”
“She’s too perfect.” Stephanie crossed her arms. “Someone like her is always hiding something.”
Nicole bit back a smile. It was no wonder she liked Stephanie so much. She just got Nicole.
CHAPTER 20
“I AM IN LOVE WITH THIS room.” Stephanie said as she stepped into the hotel room. She flopped on the bed. “The beds are so springy!”
“Too bad we didn’t get here before dark. We could have gone swimming.” Nicole plopped on the bed beside Stephanie.
“I can’t swim. All I ever do is lay out by the water.” Stephanie spread-eagled on the bed. “Looks like we’re sharing. You’re not a bad sleeper, are you?”
“I don’t know.” Nicole shrugged.
“Too bad for you. I tend to steal covers.” Stephanie splayed out all over the bed.
“Hey, are you having a good time?”
“Yeah, I am. At first I was nervous about what your dad and Margaret would think of me, but they’re great. All those games we played in the car were a blast.”
“Tomorrow we get to go spelunking.” Nicole bounced on the bed. “I can’t wait!”
“Right . . . you mentioned it before.” Stephanie sat up on the bed. “I guess I’ll stay in the car while you’re gone?”
“Why? Are you claustrophobic too?” Nicole let her hair fall to the side. “I guess you can stay with my dad when we go into the cave. Though, I was hoping you could come be a buffer between me and Margaret . . .”
“I’m not claustrophobic. It’s . . . I wouldn’t be able to pay for it.”
“My dad already got your tickets. You don’t have to pay.”
“He did? I don’t?”
“You’re our guest.” Nicole waved her hand. “So don’t worry about it.”
“Your dad is generous. I didn’t expect him to pay for me.”
“It would be rude to leave you on the sidelines.”
“I appreciate it, but . . .” Stephanie gazed out the window. “To be honest, I can’t wait to get to Quenton. If I win the Inventor’s contest, it will change my life. One of the prizes is a free patent filing—they’ll pay for the lawyers and everything.”
“Is that good?”
“Is it good? Don’t you know how much a patent costs? It can run you up to $16,000! But it will be worth it.” Stephanie stared at the ceiling. “My idea is revolutionary. Every government agency will want one. I’ll be a millionaire in a year; I guarantee. When I make it big, I’ll pay your dad back for this.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I want to.” Stephanie gazed at the ceiling. “This is the beginning for me.”
“Wow! Nice!” Margaret walked in and headed straight for the French doors leading to the balcony. “Look at the view. It’s beautiful here.”
“Sunrises are the best.” Nicole ignored the tingle which rolled across her skin as Margaret walked in.
“I’m glad we get to share a room.” Margaret stretched. “What do you say we three go down to the hot tub? It’ll be us girls. We can talk, share secrets . . .”
“Um . . .” Nicole glanced at Stephanie. Personally, she’d rather stay in the hotel room, but if everyone else wanted to go . . .
Stephanie shrugged. “I’m game.”
“Let me find my swim suit . . .” Margaret dove into her luggage. “There we go. I’ll go change.” She disappeared into the bathroom.
Stephanie sat up in the bed and reached over to grab her bag. “You know, Nikki, Margaret’s nice, but she tries way too hard.”
“It’s what Justin says too,” Nicole said, searching in her bag for her suit.
CHAPTER 21
“I HAD NO IDEA SOAKING in a hot tub was so relaxing!” Stephanie stretched as she walked down the hall.
“It’s nothing compared to the hot springs in Japan.” Margaret closed her eyes and sighed in bliss.
Stephanie swung around to her. “You went to Japan?”
Margaret shrugged. “Work takes me all over the place. I’ve moved more times than I’d like to admit.”
Nicole trailed along after them, listening to their chatter. They all had on their bathing suits with towels over their shoulders. Stephanie and Margaret spent the entire time laughing and talking together. Perhaps the upbeat conversation settled Nicole because she stopped feeling the strange shudder coming off of Margaret. While Margaret and Stephanie talked and laughed, Nicole didn’t say much—which was how she liked it. She wasn’t much of a talker, and having them carry the conversation allowed her to listen in and laugh without feeling like she was in the spotlight. It also gave her the courage to interject with a comment every once in a while.
Like now.
“I want to go to Japan.” Nicole pulled her towel over her shoulders a bit. “Daddy went there once.”
“Maybe we can all go together one day,” Margaret said. “I’d love to revisit all my favorite places with you.”
Nicole smiled at her.
“When I become rich and famous, I’m going to travel the world.” Stephanie stretched her arms wide to emphasize. “First class all the way.”
“Ambitious.” Margaret smirked as she opened the door to the hotel room. “I like it.”
“I approve of your approval.” Stephanie walked inside.
“She sure is a fire-cracker.” Margaret whispered to Nicole as Nicole walked in the hotel room. “I can see why you wanted to talk to her.”
Nicole didn’t say anything but inside she warmed at Margaret’s approval.
As soon as she walked into the room, the strange sensation rolled over Nicole again—though fainter than it had been. Maybe Margaret had traveled with some sort of equipment . . . ?
“As fun as this all was, it’s time for bed.” Margaret tossed her wet towel on the bed. “We have to get up early tomorrow to make up the time we lost by leaving late this morning.”
“Whose fault was the delay this morning?” Stephanie said, making Nicole snicker.
“Funny, funny, Stephanie. You can be first. Go rinse the chlorine off and hang up your bathing suit to dry. Nikki, you next. I’ll go last.”
“Fine!” Stephanie rolled her eyes as she passed Nicole and snatched up her bag. “If all parents are this bossy, I’ll pass.”
“You get used to it . . . I hope,” Nicole said.
Stephanie gave her a grin before disappearing into the bathroom.
Leaving her alone with Margaret.
Nicole sat on the edge of her bed, not wanting to commit to a sit because of her wet suit. Margaret had no such reservations, though. She sprawled out on her bed, staring at the ceiling in silence.
The quiet which descended on them was both welcome and unnerving. Welcome because Nicole didn’t like a lot of noise. Noise tended to make her insides squirm. But unnerving because she had never seen Margaret so silent for so long. She was always trying to talk to Nicole. If she wasn’t talking . . . it didn’t bode well.
“Hey, Nikki.”
There she went.
“Yeah?” Nicole said.
Margaret turned her head to face Nicole. “I want you to know, I’m having a good time with you.”
“I am too,” Nicole said and found she meant it.
“I’m glad.” Margaret returned her gaze to the ceiling. “You’re a smart girl, Nicole. Very intuitive. You’re going to go far. I want to help you reach your potential.”
“Thanks . . . I think I’d like your help . . . sometimes.”
Margaret smiled. “Anytime you need it, feel free to ask.”
“I will.”
“Please do.” After a moment more of silence, Margaret’s eyes drifted closed. Before Stephanie made it out of the bathroom, Margaret had fallen fast asleep.
Stephanie emerged from the bathroom in her night clothes, and Nicole went in. She dutifully washed the chlorine off her body, hair, and suit and hung the suit on the curtain rod to dry. But the two girls didn’t go to sleep right away—neither did they bother to wake Margaret. Rather they talked and played games and gossiped well into the night.
Through it all, the niggling sensation crept on and on.
CHAPTER 22
A CLOAKED FIGURE DROPPED out of the darkness and landed on a light post overlooking the Starview Hotel. His coat billowed in the wind as he turned the dial on his goggles to zoom in on the building a few yards down the street.
“There? Really?” The TelePorter double checked the scanner he had been using. There it was, a slight reading, but there. The Tifuld Sapphire was somewhere in the hotel. “Why would they hold it there?”
His phone buzzed and vibrated in his pocket. Pulling it out, he held it up to his face. “Yeah?”
“Where are you?” Shadowman’s voice slid out of the speaker. “We’re getting into position.”
“I’m getting a reading from the Sapphire in a hotel a few miles away.” The TelePorter peered through his goggles again.
“What are you talking about?” Shadowman hissed. “We know where the Sapphire is. I see Captain Justice and Starlight patrolling the van as we speak.”
The TelePorter took the time to check his scanner again. “Either there’s two Sapphires or we’ve been tricked, because I’m definitely getting a signal here. My scanner—”
“Your scanner?” Shadowman gave a disgusted grunt. “Another example of your faulty tech.”
“My tech is not faulty.” The TelePorter stood to his full height on top of the lamp post. “They were made by the best inventor in the world.”
Shadowman paused a moment. “I thought they were your inventions.”
The TelePorter winced. “Never mind. I have the power of portals, remember? I’ll be there when you need me.”
After a moment of silence, Shadowman grunted. “Do what you want. But you had better not cost me this gem. If you fail, perhaps I shall make arrangements to work with your genius inventor instead.”
The TelePorter stiffened, clenching his teeth. “They’d never work with you.”
“We’ll see. I am rather convincing, aren’t I? You also said you’d never work for me, after all.”
The TelePorter hung up the phone before he said something else he’d regret. “I won’t let you get her.�
� He fixed his eyes on the ground before teleporting there and stalking off into the darkness.
CHAPTER 23
NICOLE PARTED HER EYES to a soft, modulated humming. This voice . . . this song . . . so familiar . . . what was it? She parted her eyes to see Bee hovering over her with a smile on her face. For a moment, Nicole saw Bee as she was before—an older girl with dark, curly hair who used to sing Nicole to sleep at night and tell her stories. The same hologram who held Nicole tightly and let her cry when her mother had died.
“Good morning, Nicole,” Bee whispered.
Nicole shoved the memory to the back of her mind and sat up. “What time is it, Bee?”
“3:47 AM local time.”
“It’s still night. We don’t have to get up for three hours.” Nicole rolled over in bed, pulling her pillow over her head. “Leave me alone.”
“I’m sorry to wake you, Nicole, but I need to speak with you.”
Nicole lifted the pillow a bit, too annoyed to realize Bee’s analysis of human speech must have loaded. “So talk.”
“It’s about . . .” Bee leaned in close and whispered, “Hero matters.”
Nicole sat up in bed, glancing at Stephanie beside her and Margaret in the next bed. Both were fast asleep. “Let’s go in the bathroom.” She slipped out of bed, crept into the bathroom, and eased the door shut behind her. “What is it?”
Bee appeared in front of her. “I’m detecting an unauthorized individual sneaking around the hotel complex.”
Nicole stifled a yawn. “Bee, it’s probably a hotel guest.”
“I checked the hotel’s computer. This individual is not on the guest list. Here’s a feed from the hotel’s security cameras.” Bee extended her hands. A holographic screen appeared showing a man stalking through the bushes while hunched over. It stepped out of the bushes and shadows for a moment before ducking into another bush.