by Wesley King
“That’s the one,” he said, and the cab pulled into the driveway.
“Lovely,” Ally replied. “I think calling him a drug dealer might have been too kind.”
James turned to her. “How about no more sarcastic comments for the rest of the trip?”
“Coming from you,” she scoffed.
“Okay, I won’t make any back to you. Deal?”
“Fine,” she said. “Now let’s go meet Hayden. How do I look?”
James scowled as he paid the driver. “Just try and be normal—”
“Jamesy!”
They all looked up at the loud voice and James saw Hayden scurrying across the front lawn. He reached the car, whipped open the door, and looked James up and down.
“I forgot just how big your arms are—” he stopped. “Where are my manners? Ally, it is so nice to meet you! James has been singing your praises. Wait! Let me come open your door!”
Hayden scrambled around to the other side, and James groaned as he swung open the door and extended his hand with a twirling flourish.
“Allow me,” he said graciously.
“Thanks,” she replied, smiling and blushing as she stepped out of the car. “I love your house, by the way.”
James rubbed his forehead in exasperation.
“So what has James told you about me?” Hayden asked, putting his arm around her shoulders. “That I was handsome, witty, and intelligent?”
James started pulling Ally’s numerous bags out of the trunk. “Try cocky, annoying, and vain,” he said.
“He says a lot of things,” Ally said dismissively. “You’re taller than I thought—”
“James!”
James spun around and saw Lana bounding down the porch. Grinning, he stepped forward to wrap her in a hug. “Hey, Lana.”
“We were starting to think you weren’t going to make it!” she said. She pulled back but kept her hands on his arms. “It seemed like a long four months.”
“You’re telling me. Where are the other two?”
“They both passed out on the couch, but they’re probably waking up right now with all the—”
“Hi,” Ally said knowingly. “You must be Lana. I’ve heard a lot about you.” She looked at James and winked. He felt his cheeks burning.
Lana shook her hand. “I am. And you must be Ally.”
Ally smiled. “I’ve heard a lot about all of you, obviously. The famous five. It’s exciting to finally meet you.”
“We are a pretty big deal,” Hayden said.
Lana rolled her eyes. “Ignore him.”
“My friends were pretty jealous when I told them I was coming to Hayden’s house,” she said.
“Don’t tell him that,” Lana groaned.
“I knew it,” Hayden said, “I’m a national sex symbol.” He took Ally’s arm and led her toward the house. “We’re going to get along great. Let me give you the grand tour. This is the yard. We don’t have a lawn mower, so we usually just wait for the winter to kill the grass. Over here we have—”
“So he hasn’t changed, huh?” James said.
“Not at all,” Lana agreed, grabbing the remaining bags.
He glanced at her. “How are things with you two?”
“Good,” she said. “How about you? Seeing anyone?”
James forced a smile. He’d gotten a lot of attention when he went back to school, of course. But he still had his heart set on someone else.
“Nope. I figured I’d be leaving in six months anyway. Wouldn’t have been fair to start dating.”
“True,” she said as they started inside. “Luckily, I’m bringing my boyfriend with me.”
James could hear Hayden describing a hole in the wall from inside.
“Yes, and we’re all thrilled,” he muttered. Lana laughed.
James looked at her and smiled. It was definitely good to see her again.
* * *
“I think she’s my favorite Renwick,” Hayden said as they sat in the living room later that night watching TV. They’d been sitting there for hours catching up.
James glared at him. Hayden and Lana were sprawled across a stained brown couch, while Emily and Sam sat on a beige one across from them. James was leaning back on a tattered recliner, sleep pulling at his eyelids. He’d hoped it would be easier to see Hayden and Lana together after a few months apart, but no such luck. Hayden had his arm casually slung around her shoulders, while Lana traced a finger along the back of his hand. They looked happy. And that just made James feel guilty for still liking her, which went along with the hurt of losing out in the first place.
Ally had already gone to bed in one of Hayden’s extra rooms. The room that was supposed to be for James, conveniently enough. He would be sleeping on the couch tonight.
“Yes, she’s a peach,” James said.
Hayden nodded. “She appreciates me. And she thinks I’m cute. Which is obvious, but it’s still nice to hear.”
“Just give her another day,” Lana said. “She’ll be over it.”
“Can we not talk about my sister anymore?” James muttered.
“James is right,” Emily agreed. “We have other things to talk about. Sam, tell us about Deanna.”
Sam smiled uncomfortably. “She’s good. Still training.”
“And how about you and Deanna?” Hayden asked.
“We’re just friends. Not, like, dating or anything, yet.”
Hayden perked up. “Yet?”
“Well, I mean, we may not,” he said, stumbling over his words. “I just meant—”
“You meant you’ll be asking soon,” Emily finished. “Good. I like her. Maybe I’ll date Lyle to complete the supergroup.”
“That would be lovely,” Hayden said. “We’ll all be so happy.”
“Except me,” James grumbled.
“Who are you?” Hayden asked, looking alarmed.
James scowled at him.
“Speaking of a supergroup,” Emily said thoughtfully, “Hayden and I thought it might be good to have our own name.”
Sam frowned. “But we’ll be in the League.”
“Yeah,” Hayden said, “but we’re the coolest part. And Emily thought of a good one.”
Emily sat up a little straighter. “I was kind of inspired by the Vindico.”
“Thunderbolt will love that,” James muttered.
She smiled. “I was thinking: The Feros. It means the wild, the untamed. I thought it was fitting.”
“The Feros,” Sam repeated slowly. “Not bad.”
“Just don’t tell Thunderbolt,” Hayden added. “It sort of violates our sentence. So,” he continued before James could object, “are you all excited for the party?”
“Just how many people are you having here?” Lana asked.
“Not many. Fifty, maybe.”
Her eyes widened. “Fifty? Your house is going to be destroyed.”
“Pssh,” he scoffed. “I’m going to put James on the door. The world’s strongest bouncer.”
“No way I’m standing at the door,” James said.
“Wait, that reminds me,” Emily said. “I already told Hayden this, but you should all know. Someone was watching me in the woods yesterday. I tried to go after them, but they got away. And I think they know where we live.”
“Someone was watching me at the airport today too!” Sam said. “They were very curious about me, and not friendly.”
“Did you see them?” James asked, frowning.
Sam shook his head. “It was too crowded for me to tell where the thoughts were coming from.”
“Has anyone else seen anything suspicious?” Emily asked.
“No, and I change with the curtains open,” Hayden said. “So they’d clearly be watching me.”
“Could it be the League?” Lana speculated. “Watching over us?”
“I don’t know,” Sam said. “It didn’t feel like any of them. And why would they be so curious? They know who I am.”
The wind picked up outside, shakin
g the loose windowpane. James glanced at it but saw only darkness behind the faint reflection of the living room.
“Sam, you can keep track around here, right?” he said.
Sam nodded. “Already am.”
James stretched his arms over his head. “Well, we can worry about it tomorrow,” he said, climbing to his feet. “I’ve got to get some sleep.”
“Probably a good idea,” Hayden agreed. He switched off the television with a wave of his finger. “I’ll wake you all up when breakfast is ready.”
“You’re going to make us breakfast?” James asked skeptically.
Emily nodded. “He always does.”
“Just don’t worry your pretty little head about it,” Hayden said. “Good night.”
Emily, Hayden, and Lana went upstairs, while Sam shuffled to his room on the other side of the main floor. James lay down on the brown couch—the cleaner-looking of his two options—and covered himself with a spare blanket.
He might have accepted the fact that Lana and Hayden were a good couple, but James still had feelings for her, even after four months apart. He tried to think of something else. Lana and Hayden were happy together, and he couldn’t get in the way of that. But as much as he tried, Lana was the last thought in his mind before he went to sleep.
7
CRACKLING NOISES WOKE SAM THE NEXT MORNING AND HE BLINKED SLEEPILY.
The night had been a long one. The old house was constantly creaking and groaning, and the sound of the howling wind filled the entire bedroom. Once, he even thought he’d heard soft crying filtering down from upstairs. He’d spent half the night hiding under his blanket and had managed to sleep only when the morning light finally started to creep through the window.
Even then he’d been restless. The others were counting on him to keep watch over the house, and though his dreams were often mixed with half-formed images that might have been real, he knew he was leaving everyone vulnerable while he slept.
Sliding out of bed, he pulled on his jeans and shuffled down the hallway. A delicious scent was wafting through the air. He rounded the corner and saw bacon and eggs frying on two pans, which sat unmanned on the stove top. Two spatulas were whisking the contents around, and even as he watched, one of the pans floated off the stove, dumped a load of scrambled eggs onto a plate, and settled back again.
“You like scrambled, Sammy?”
Sam whirled around and saw Hayden lying on the beige couch, his right hand waving toward the kitchen. James was still sound asleep on the brown one.
“Uh, yeah,” Sam replied uneasily. “I didn’t know you’d gotten so good with that.”
Hayden smirked. “Practice makes perfect.”
Four more eggs jumped out of the carton, cracked themselves on the side of the pan, and started sizzling.
“I can’t lie, they’re not the best,” Hayden continued. “I always overcook them a little. Hard to tell from here. But to be fair, I’m not much of a cook, even with my hands. Do me a favor and wake up the others?”
Sam started toward the staircase.
“Just call them,” Hayden said casually.
Sam hesitated and then closed his eyes. He found the sleeping minds upstairs, their thoughts muted and confused. Wake up, he whispered, breakfast is on the stove.
Immediately, Lana and Emily shot awake, and he felt a touch of alarm from Lana.
Emily didn’t seem surprised.
Sorry, Sam said, it’s just me.
“It’s lucky I don’t have your powers, Sam,” Hayden mused. “I would mess with people all the time. You’re the only one who could have them without abusing them terribly.”
Sam looked at the floor, feeling guilty again. “Actually, I kind of got upgraded to first class for free on the way here.”
Hayden’s jaw dropped. “You did something immoral?”
“I don’t know if it was immoral,” Sam murmured, wringing his hands. “Well, I guess it—”
“Congratulations!” Hayden said, cutting him off. “I’m so proud!”
“You know, we’re not trying to be villains anymore,” Lana commented as she came down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen and sighed. “I knew it was too good to be true.”
“I never said how I was going to make breakfast,” Hayden pointed out.
She just shook her head. “How did you sleep, Sam?”
“Okay,” he replied. “It was noisier than I’m used to.”
“Did you hear Lana—” Hayden started, but stopped when Lana turned to glare at him. “Oh,” he said, “you don’t want to—”
“No,” she replied sharply.
Sam looked at the floor, feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Just a bad dream,” Lana muttered, and then sat down in the living room.
A steaming plate of bacon and eggs took off after her and settled in her lap. Sam joined them and another plate flew into his hands. James woke up, looking very groggy, and soon the five protégés were all gathered in the living room, eating hungrily.
“This actually isn’t bad, though it feels strangely dirty to eat things you made with your mind,” James remarked, and then took another piece of bacon.
Ally came down the stairs a few minutes later, stretching. She was Sam’s age, and he thought she was really pretty. She had nice green eyes that stood out from her auburn hair, a small, lightly freckled nose, and thin lips that always tugged into a smirk.
“Hey, Ally!” Hayden said cheerily. “Just in time for breakfast!”
A plate started floating off the counter, and James jumped up and ran into the kitchen to grab it. “I’ll get it for you,” he said, giving Hayden a dirty look.
“Oh yeah,” Hayden mumbled.
Ally plopped onto the recliner, giving Hayden a grateful smile as James brought over a plate. He hadn’t even sat down again before she was digging in.
“So,” she said with her mouth full, “what are we going to do today?”
Sam sensed James’s displeasure and held back a smile.
“Well, people will come around eight,” Emily said, “so we’ll have to be ready by then. We only have one shower.”
“Let’s do something before that,” Sam suggested. “It’s only eleven. We still have lots of time before we need to start getting ready.”
“Speak for yourself,” Ally and Lana said at the same time, and then exchanged a smile.
Hayden stroked his chin. “Maybe you’re right, Sammy. A fun activity, perhaps?”
“Like what?” James asked suspiciously.
He clapped his hands together. “I know exactly what to do.”
* * *
Lana turned to Hayden. “Are you serious?”
They were standing in front of a run-down, wooden shack covered on all sides by brightly colored canoes, paddleboats, and kayaks. It sat on the banks of a wide, slow-moving river, lined with gnarled trees that leaned out over the murky water.
“We’re renting canoes?” Ally muttered. “Why?”
“Because it’s fun,” Hayden said, starting for the shack. “Hey, Jimmy! I need two canoes!”
A grizzled man with a straggly beard and bloodshot eyes poked his head out of the shack.
“Does he realize it’s March?” James asked, just as a cold breeze swept by. “If the canoe tips, we’re going to freeze.”
“It could be fun,” Sam said hesitantly.
Lana shrugged. “Well, we’re already here. Might as well go out for a bit.”
“Let’s move, people!” Hayden called. “These canoes aren’t going to paddle themselves.”
Sighing, Lana led them down to the riverbank, where Hayden was already dragging a canoe to the water. James grabbed another and easily carried it over his shoulder.
Ten minutes later, Lana was casually paddling from the head of a green canoe, watching the water swirl into little funnels after every stroke. The river was calm, and a light current helped pull them along.
“Okay, maybe this was a good idea,” she conceded.
>
“Told you,” Hayden replied from the back, and then whispered something to Emily in front of him.
Emily giggled and Lana turned around. “What?”
“Nothing,” she said innocently.
Lana frowned and returned to her paddling. She gazed over at the other yellow canoe, where James was sitting in the rear, doing most of the work. Ally was sitting in the middle, her paddle barely breaking the surface of the water, while Sam struggled at the front. He glanced at Lana and made a face. Sam had been less than thrilled to get stuck with those two. They had been bickering all morning.
Ally had tried to get in Hayden’s canoe, but Emily had jumped in before she’d had a chance. In fact, Ally had been doing her best to get close to Hayden all morning. Lana wasn’t too concerned about a twelve-year-old girl’s crush, except that it was swelling Hayden’s already-overlarge head. She might have let Ally have the last seat otherwise, but she’d climbed in instead and left Sam with the siblings.
Lana smiled and turned to the trees lining the bank, which grew thickly here.
“What if she jumps off?” Hayden mumbled.
“Catch her,” Emily whispered.
“Right.”
Lana spun around. “All right, what are you two talking about?”
“Nothing,” Hayden replied, though he was barely restraining a smile.
A shriek suddenly split across the water.
“You almost put me in!” Ally shouted. “Slow down!”
Out of the corner of her eye, Lana saw the other canoe rapidly picking up speed. The front end was skipping off the water as it gained momentum, sending cold splashes up at Sam, who looked absolutely terrified. James’s paddle wasn’t even in the water.
Emily burst out laughing. “After them!”
“Have you lost your—” Lana said, but she was cut off as their canoe leapt forward. The freezing water sprayed up over the bow, and she started laughing despite herself. A steady stream of Ally’s threats to James echoed along the river.
“Watch this!” Hayden shouted.
The other canoe lifted a foot in the air and for a moment they were completely airborne. Ally shrieked even louder, though it seemed to be mixed with laughter.
“Put them down!” Lana yelled.
Their canoe dropped back to the water, skipped once, and continued to speed along. Finally, Hayden slowed both canoes down and they coasted to a stop beside each other.