by Jillian Neal
“We’ll be there,” Rainer huffed.
“So, Marcus Quentin knocked up Sydney Shelton, and now we have to go to their wedding?” Emily huffed as she fell into the booth at Lesco’s, across from Logan and Adeline.
“Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, you win a prize, Em. For being so smart, Rainer will buy you a milkshake and then let you lick his straw,” Logan goaded.
“She figured it out before you did, smart ass.”
Emily began laughing as she leaned and kissed Rainer’s cheek.
“Be nice,” Adeline ordered as she shook her head at Logan.
“You know, Samantha is going to be her stupid maid-of-honor,” Emily spat as she began glancing over the menu that they all knew by heart.
“And…?” Rainer wrapped his arm around her. He still didn’t understand why Samantha Peterson irked her so badly.
He couldn’t stand Samantha. As far as he was concerned, she was a conceited bitch with something to prove.
“She never even talked to you in school, and now she’s all telling the press that you two had something going on,” Emily reminded him. “I mean, she acted like she couldn’t care less about you, but now she’s all over the papers and tabloids, screaming that you cheated on me with her.”
Rainer felt violently ill from the thought alone.
“Em,” Logan softened instantly. He couldn’t stand for her to be upset either, and it was very apparent that Samantha Peterson’s antics had shaken Emily badly. “Think about it. It seems pretty obvious why Samantha Peterson is trying to get Rainer’s attention.”
“Why?” Emily begged.
“Has a whole lot to do with my twenty-first birthday, baby,” Rainer supplied.
Les approached with his kind, beaming grin. “Well if it isn’t the Haydenshire foursome. You still letting him hang around, Miss Emily Anne?”
Emily giggled and planted another kiss on Rainer’s jawline. “Yes,” she declared.
“Kiss from a redhead’s something else, ain’t it, Lawson?”
“You know it,” Rainer agreed with a wry grin.
They arrived home a half hour later. Rainer handed Emily the mail that he’d retrieved from the box. She was always so disappointed that their mail usually still came to her parents’ house, so if anything arrived addressed to both her and Rainer, it delighted her. The letter on top was addressed to Mr. and the future Mrs. Rainer Lawson.
“Who’s it from?” He chuckled as her eyes lit when she read the envelope. She danced around the living room for a moment before she fell in his lap to read the letter.
“It’s from the Academy.” She carefully opened the envelope. Clearly, tearing it was not an option. Rainer waited patiently.
He began wondering why on earth the Academy was sending the two of them mail. He cringed and shared a concerned glance with Logan. It seemed far-fetched that someone might’ve finally figured out that he and Logan had frequently summoned and sped up the clocks in classes they hated. Or that they would often use the school stationary that Connor lifted from the Admin building to inform a few Mentors that their classes had been cancelled for the day.
Emily’s face fell, and Rainer began to panic.
“They want money.” She rolled her eyes.
“Ah,” Rainer’s heart rate slowed dramatically as he allowed himself to relax. He certainly wasn’t surprised. His wealth was known throughout the Realm, and Emily had just signed a very lucrative contract with the Angels, so they would obviously have been right at the top of the Alumni donor hopeful list.
“Why is money the only thing anyone cares about anymore?” Emily sighed as she laid the letter on the coffee table and curled herself up into a ball in Rainer’s lap.
Nerves
The bed was empty as Rainer’s cheek warmed slightly from the rising sun. He blinked, and tried to determine why he’d awoken two hours before he had to get up.
He sat up, and scrubbed his hands over his face. He crawled out of bed and stumbled to the bathroom. With a slight headshake, he smiled as he exited their bedroom to find his baby pacing in the living room. Emily was gnawing on her lip and staring at a mug of tea on the coffee table.
“Hey there,” Rainer went ahead with his customary morning greeting.
“I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Nervous?” He wrapped her up in his protective embrace. She nodded against him. Rainer cradled her head in his hand as he tucked her tightly to him. “You’re gonna be great, baby.”
She stepped back. Nervous tension and fretful disbelief pulsed in her rhythms. “What if they made a mistake? What if I’m not good enough to be an Angel, and somehow I just got really lucky at the try-outs, but now I’m just gonna screw everything up?”
Rainer chuckled. “So, we’ve blown right through first day of school nervous, gone on past ‘what if I hurt someone’s feelings’ level of worry, and landed squarely on completely irrational, then?”
“No,” she huffed.
Rainer drew her back into his embrace.
“You are going to be amazing, Em. You always are. No one made a mistake, baby. You are an incredibly talented Summation player. You played all through the Academy, and you’ve been an Angel for several weeks now. They all told me how great you are.”
“No one said that. All everyone talks about is the Sirens, and how they’re gonna suck, and what if they cheat or something?” Emily argued.
Rainer had been trying to put his fears about Emily being on a Summation field with Marlisa Wretchkinsides out of his mind. He didn’t want her to pick up on his terror.
“They did tell me how great you’re doing, Em, I swear. We’re all worried about the Sirens, sweetheart, but I’ll be there. Logan will be there, even Vindico is coming to make certain nothing happens. Your dad will be there, along with most of the Governors, so I don’t think Marlisa or her idiotic friends would try anything in front of so many witnesses. They could lose their license to play.” He allowed his own words to soothe his worries as well as hers.
“That’s what Chloe said.”
Rainer kissed the top of her head.
“Hey, are you gonna wear my shirt?” Her head shot up in question.
“Uh…” Rainer had no idea what she was talking about.
“You know, the Angels boyfriend shirt with my number on it?”
As Rainer had never been seated in the Angels box before, he assumed that’s why he hadn’t seen the shirts at any of the Angels challenges that they’d attended growing up.
“Of course,” he scoffed, “I want everyone to know that you’re my Angel.”
She giggled, and appeared delighted with his play on words. Her nose wrinkled a second later. “Chloe designs them every season, and they’re a little… dirty, kind of.”
“Dirty how?”
Emily took his hand and led him back into their bedroom. He decided to go ahead and climb back into bed. He planned to see if he could coax her into sleeping a little more.
Emily hoisted her large Angels duffle bag up onto the bed beside him. She pulled out three t-shirts, all much too big for her, and laid them on the bed.
Rainer laughed as he studied them. “Very nice. Your dad’s gonna love that.” He pointed to a black, men’s t-shirt that had the Angels logo, a halo that hung off of a large double letter ‘A’s’ with wings and a lightning bolt through it, along with Emily’s number 4, on the pocket. Written on the back was: “I keep my Angel’s tank full.” Another number 4 was under the phrasing.
Emily handed him the next option.
“I told you they were dirty, but it’s kind of cool because only we can get these. So, only our guys can wear them.”
Rainer winked at her. “Well, there sure as hell better not be another guy there with one of these on.”
The shirt in Rainer’s hand was white with black lettering. It had the same Angels logo on it only it declared, “My Angel gets it done on the field and off.” The printing formed the number four.
As he tried to en
vision Governor Haydenshire’s reaction to seeing his future son-in-law in one of the shirts, Rainer flipped over the last option.
This one was also white, but the lettering was red and a flame had been added under the traditional Angel logo. “My Angel makes my energy run red hot!”
Erotic energy that spilled from Gifted people’s bodies when they were in the process of having sex, or even aroused, could come in many colors. The heat that flowed through them when they were in the act of making love, and usually just before orgasm, tended to make their rhythms fiery red.
Rainer was certain that the “red hot” t-shirt would send the Governor right over the edge, so he chose the “My Angel gets it done” t-shirt.
“Ok, now, my little red-hot Angel, why don’t you crawl back under these covers with me, and let’s get a little more sleep.”
Emily cleared the bag off of the bed before she crawled back into Rainer’s arms.
“Maybe when we get back from the Exhibition I could, in fact, fill your tank for you,” he teased just before he was overtaken by a yawn.
“If you’re good,” she sassed.
“I’m always good, baby. Trust me.” He kissed her cheek and cuddled her back to sleep.
Northeast Summation Exhibition
Rainer walked Emily to the Angels locker room. “You’re gonna be great, baby,” he assured her for what had to be the hundredth time.
They slipped into a small room off of the long hallway that held the Angels showers, gym, and the very well-appointed locker rooms.
“Here’s your ring.” He handed her the duplicated engagement ring. This only seemed to make her more nervous as she switched the rings and handed Rainer the original. He quickly slipped it onto a delicate gold chain that he’d borrowed from Emily that morning. He attached the necklace around his neck, and dropped the ring under the shirt he was wearing.
“And, I got you a present,” he smirked.
“I love presents!”
“I was aware.”
He reached into his pocket and pulled out a grape-flavored Ring pop. Emily gasped as her hands flew to her mouth.
“Oh, Rainer, that is so sweet! Thank you!”
As he still felt he had quite a bit to make up for, he was thrilled she was so taken with his present. Emily did love gifts, but they didn’t have to be expensive. Just a small token that reminded her that he cared would always light her eyes and make her smile his smile.
“I’m going to go get my seat, baby. I can’t wait to see you out there.”
“I love you so much!” she threw her arms around his neck and hugged him fiercely.
“She ok? Seriously I thought she was gonna chew a freakin’ hole in her lip,” Logan asked as he and Adeline followed Rainer up to the Angels box, where Emily had secured seats for the event for Rainer and her entire family.
The Angels were hosting this year’s opening Exhibition. Currently, the field was full of tables displaying all of the participating teams’ memorabilia that could be purchased by their fans.
“It is kind of a big deal.” Rainer gestured to the people clamoring for their seats and the excited buzz all around them.
“Yeah, I know. And by the way, Dad’s gonna shit a brick when he sees that shirt,” Logan informed him as they flashed their specialized tickets and were admitted into the box.
Garrett and Will had already arrived. Rainer was very pleased to see that Garrett was wearing the “Tank Full” t-shirt with Chloe’s number 1 scrawled across it.
He knew that Garrett and Chloe Sawyer, the Angels team captain, had been dating off and on for years. He also knew that it was never going anywhere, as Garrett would never settle down. He hoped that the Governor might not come completely unglued, since other Angels significant others were wearing the t-shirts.
The Haydenshires entered the Angels box. Someone stopped the Governor to shake his hand. Rainer slid further down in his seat. Mrs. Haydenshire leaned to hug Logan, Rainer, and Adeline before they took the seats directly behind them.
“Grandpa is coming over after the game, so I thought we’d have our family meal tonight instead of tomorrow,” Mrs. Haydenshire broached.
“No problem, Mom,” Logan agreed.
Rainer turned to offer his acceptance and the Governor scowled.
“We’ll be there, Mrs. Haydenshire,” he smiled hopefully.
Mrs. Haydenshire elbowed her husband as she winked at Rainer. “Stephen, don’t say anything. They’re all wearing them.”
“That is our daughter he’s talking about,” Governor Haydenshire grumped.
“I believe the phrasing you’re looking for, sweetheart, is ‘that is my baby girl he’s talking about.’ The one I just cannot let grow up. The one who is not only now an Arlington Angel, but got him that shirt and asked him to wear it.”
The Governor didn’t seem to have a comeback, although Rainer did hear an audible huff.
The United States was divided into six Summation leagues. Arlington was in the Northeastern league, and each league hosted its own exhibition the week before any actual games began. At the end of the season, right after Christmas, there would be another all-star match in Vegas, where every team in the country would compete.
Rainer watched as the New York Neutrons stalked into the Arena. They looked fierce as they headed into one of the locker rooms.
Vindico flashed his Iodex badge, and was waved into the box seats.
The Sirens had just entered the Arena, with Marlisa in the lead. They were all wearing matching, smug glowers to go with their black uniforms.
“Wonder if Daddy’s gonna show up to see her play?” Vindico growled.
“Man, it’s an exhibition game. You’re supposed to smile and shit,” Garrett harassed as he came to sit between Logan and Vindico.
“Yeah, I’ll smile when I make damn sure that those wenches from hell aren’t going to make trouble,” Vindico gestured his head toward the Sirens.
The crowd quieted as Governor Sapman’s voice was magnified and projected throughout the arena.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming out to our Northeastern Summation Exhibition. This year, we have seven teams participating in five rounds of challenges, so you’ll get to see all of their skills today, ladies and gentlemen!”
The crowds roared. The stands vibrated with the excitement and anticipation rolling in rhythmic accord from the Gifted fans.
“So, let’s meet this year’s participating teams…” Governor Sapman drawled. “First, give a round of applause to last year’s American Cup winners, The New York Neutrons!”
Neutron fans lit up the stadium with raucous cheers and waved banners with the American Cup symbols over the Neutrons insignia.
“Next, give it up for the Bombers of Boston!” Boston fans joined in with the New York fans who hadn’t yet quieted.
“How about those Phenoms from Providence, Rhode Island?”
As each team was called, they raced onto the field and waved to their fans.
“Let’s welcome the newest team to our conference.” Governor Sapman’s enthusiasm waned slightly, “The Springfield Sirens!” The new team was well-represented and did receive polite applause from the crowds.
Rainer wondered if Wretchkinsides had paid people to come out and support Marlisa’s team.
“All right, let’s welcome the Annapolis Amps to the exhibition today.” Governor Sapman continued.
“And the Pittsburgh Salks will be showing us their skill today. Let’s give them a round of applause!”
Rainer saw Emily and Fionna line up behind Chloe just off of the field. A grin formed automatically on his face.
“The team bringing us this opening season exhibition today,” Governor Sapman roared. “The lovely ladies of Summation! Please give a hearty welcome to our very own, Arlington Angels!”
The crowd went wild.
As the Angels were hosting, and most of their fans were local, the arena exploded in thundering applause and cheers.
“Our Ang
els are captained for the eighth season in a row by the beautiful, Ms. Chloe Sawyer.” Chloe stepped forward to wave and blow kisses to her fans. Garrett joined in the wolf-whistles Chloe was receiving.
“Joining the team this year, we have two new players. Ms. Katie Bellows has stepped in as the Angels Junior Shield. She’ll be coached by Senior Shield, Sonia Cohen, for her rookie year.
And the American Realm’s own sweetheart, the Angels welcome a brand new Junior Receiver, Ms. Emily Haydenshire!” Rainer’s wolf-whistle echoed over all of the applause.
“Yes, folks, that is Rainer Lawson’s ring there on Ms. Haydenshire’s hand.” Governor Sapman continued to pump the crowds. Emily laughed and waved her left hand. She searched the box until she located Rainer. He blew her a kiss, which she returned. Then to Rainer’s delight, she stuck out her tongue and revealed the purple coating of the sucker he’d given her.
“Emily will be led by Angels Senior Receiver, none other than, Ms. Fionna Styler. She’s a beauty, isn’t she folks?”
Rainer and Logan shared a quizzical glance as Vindico gave a genuine chuckle. He appeared to agree heartily with Governor Sapman’s assessment of Fionna. She was drop-dead gorgeous, Rainer agreed, but he so rarely saw his boss smile that it struck him as odd.
Fionna was waving and blowing kisses. Her sweet, humble demeanor was evident in the way the crowd’s enthusiasm seemed to surprise her.
“All right, let’s get to the exhibition. We’ll begin today with the Duco Obstacle Challenge. Captains and Duco position players, please approach the puzzle tables on the field.”
“This is always the boring one,” Logan dragged Rainer up to the concession area of the box.
As Duco Predilects were puzzle-solvers by nature, Rainer disagreed with Logan’s assessment, but he went along. He wanted to see Emily compete, and that was all that really mattered to him.
At the end of the Duco Obstacle, the Neutrons and the Salks were on top, with the Angels falling into third place. The Sirens, however, had come in dead last. Marlisa looked ready to murder as she stepped up for the Captains’ challenge.