Chapter 38: Jet

I had not slept well that night. That was the only reason I fell asleep during the meeting. I was normally extremely attentive, but my mind just wasn't in it. I had been thinking about everything I knew about Liz, and what her secret could be. And why she would hide it.

The thought had been plaguing me since I first met her, but lately it had been bothering me even more than usual. Probably because Zephyr brought the topic up more than it ever had been. I mean, I liked the guy, but he got on my nerves very easily. Especially with the way that he would point out Liz's secret, and then give nothing away, just that he knew it.

So, yeah, that was why I had fallen asleep. I had never done that before. It was a one-time thing. I hope.

Going into Zephyr's mind was interesting, to say the least. He only allowed me to see what he wanted me to see, and had impenetrable walls around the rest. Only one other person had ever had that ability with me. I guess it came from years of practice, because Liz was able to do it, too.

I have to say, I was kind of depressed when I found out that Zephyr was a part of our circle. That was just another person who would read all of my thoughts, and yet share none of his. All of this secrecy between him and Liz was really aggravating, and having it go on in my mind was double the annoyance.

In contrast, going into Danny's mind was extremely routine. I saw everything, even things I really didn't want to see. I was actually relieved to know that Danny was in our circle, as he would be the one to make Liz open up. She had never been happier than she had the past few weeks, and I had known her for a few years.

Judging by the smiles on everyone's faces, they were as happy as I was that our circle was complete, maybe even happier. My mood was slightly darkened by Zephyr's presence in my head, but I refused to let it show.

Emma and Chloe joined minds with Zephyr and Danny within the next minute or so. Emma stayed a bit longer in Zephyr's mind than was required, but only I would notice that. Being an expert on the mind, and all.

"So, now what?" Chloe asked. It was just like her to get right down to the point, but only I really knew that. No one else knew Chloe like I did. She didn't talk much around the others, but we would stay up late talking about nothing and everything. She was my polar opposite, and that was what made her perfect for me.

And that's what I knew Danny and Liz were experiencing. Maybe not the polar opposite thing, but the perfect for each other one. That's why I wasn't surprised that Emma lingered in Zephyr's mind the way she did. She probably knew that she was made for him, just like I did. But I also saw the way that Zephyr acted around Liz. First, he would be all jerky, like he didn't care. And then, he would be kind and nice, trying to make up for what he did.

Well, anyway, I knew that the next few days would be interesting, getting used to the two extra people in our minds. And, for Danny and Zephyr, the five extra people. Truthfully, we only ever actually entered each other's minds in emergencies, but, still, the fact that your mind is connected to five others is pretty overwhelming.

"I have no idea, I hadn't really planned this far," Liz admitted. No one held it against her, as no one else could come up with anything, either.

"How about we go to the lake, and have some fun?" Danny suggested. When we all just stared at him, he added, "After this stressful morning, we all need to relax!" He really had a way of making any situation lighter. I never thought that I would admit it, but Danny was actually a pretty cool guy.

I watched as Zephyr and Emma exchanged guilty looks, but said nothing. I had no idea what they had done, and I didn't want to know. Since no one had a better idea, we went to the lake. I didn't have a clue where we were going, and neither did Chloe. So we followed behind the others, who were sharing found memories of the lake. Emma and Zephyr kept giving each other sideways glances, and then smiling and trying to hide their laughter.

We walked for about twenty minutes, and I memorized the entire path. It was just habit by now. When ever I went somewhere new, I memorized how I got there so that I could return or leave alone, if need be. It was a useful skill that I prided myself in, though only Chloe knew that.

"What happened!" I heard Liz exclaim from the front of the group. Emma and Zephyr caught each other's eyes, and then burst out laughing. Well, that solved why they had been looking at each other the entire walk here.

I walked up to Liz, and noticed a crater in the middle of a clearing. After a few moments of study, I noticed a few small puddles on the bottom. Since it hadn't rained recently, and it was pretty hot, I decided that this must have been the lake, and that somehow Emma and Zephyr had drained it.

Liz noticed Emma and Zephyr laughing and gave them an evil glare. "What did you two do?" She asked, her voice growing steadily louder. Besides me, Liz had the smallest temper in our circle.

"We, uh, kind of had a splashing contest, and we got carried away," Emma explained between giggles. This caused both her and Zephyr to break out in a fresh bout of laughs. Liz just glared at them angrily for a few minutes, and then stormed away.

"Now what are we going to do?" she asked, to no one in particular. Luckily for her, Chloe had an answer.

"I think I can fill the lake again, if you are willing to let me try," she said, in a small voice. It was worth a shot, so we gave her the okay.

Chloe quickly changed into her true form, and then flew up to the clouds. She turned the condensation into rain, and aimed it all at the newly drained lake. After a few minutes, it was half way full, enough for us to get in and start "relaxing," as Danny would put it. I didn't like it at first, as Chloe wasn't there with me. But once the lake was full and Chloe had come back down, it was a blast!

Bad ending, I know! But I couldn't think of a good one. Next chapter should be exciting, if it goes as planned! But don't hold me against it, as I'm not totally sure. Either the next one or the one after that! Review!