Chapter One Hundred and Fifty Nine
...
Bader's phone dinged with yet another text message for the eighth time in three minutes. By this point, even Oberon was goddamn sick of the noise. This was so not how he planned on spending his student free day, but each of his siblings in his clutch were being babysat by their older siblings while Decima and Barney went to the hospital for a checkup on her newest babies. Obe was with Bader, even though he didn't need a babysitter. Pan, the lucky brat, was out shopping with Candra, and Quinn was with Eos at her new job. Even Rain and Storm were on babysitting duty instead of staying in the aquarium. His youngest siblings were visiting Diablo and Damien, and Obe snickered internally at the thought of Aleph using babysitting duties just to get a date with Thana.
Oberon glanced over to the doorway and wondered if Bader would even notice if he shifted and slipped into the kitchen. He knew Pepe had baked a new batch of choc cricket cookies that morning, and Obe just needed ten minutes, maybe fifteen, to find the hidden box.
"Fuck it. I can't take another text. C'mon, we're going out," Bader said, standing abruptly.
Oberon perked up and grinned. "Who's been texting you, anyway? Where are we going? Do I have to put on gloves?"
Bader raised an eyebrow at his brother. "We're going outside, so yes, suit up. Key to Naj have all been texting. Their boyfriend's car was damaged, and they all want an update. We're going to the mechanic since they can't wait and have threatened to message me every three minutes until they get an update about the car."
As if on cue, Bader's phone dinged cheerfully with four messages in a row. In response, his eye twitched.
Bader was one of the few without a job and with a car, so he often got called to do odd things by the rest of their family. Honestly, going to a mechanic's was probably one of the nicer tasks he'd done in the last year, especially with their hectic move between countries.
Oberon snickered. "Why're they so worried about a car? That's stupid."
"It's a talking car, and Mal's worried it's in pain or something. You've got two minutes before the next lot of messages come through. If you're not gloved and ready, I'll leave you in the aquarium."
"Aww, Bade, no, that's mean!" Oberon called over his shoulder, running to his room to get ready.
Bade went to his room to get his car keys from his safe - there had been far too many incidents with his siblings wanting to learn how to drive and his poor car becoming the hapless victim - and his own gloves. Texting his siblings to let them know he was going to the mechanic and to kindly, please, shut the fuck up now, he then text their parents to check how Dess' hospital appointment was going, inform them that he was going out with Obe, and a reminder that Pan and Candra were doing that week's grocery shopping so he wouldn't be asked to do that task as well.
Barney: we are still waiting for the doctor
Bader frowned and looked at his watch and realised that his mother's appointment had been scheduled for an hour ago. He replied saying something in a similar vein, albeit with more question marks.
Heading to the kitchen, Bader hunted through a few of Pepe's usual hiding spots to find the cookies he knew were there. His phone dinged with a new text as he found the box, and he stuffed one of the cookies in his mouth as he looked over Barney's responses.
Barney: yes, we know
Barney: your mami is entertained by the other women who are demanding to be seen
Barney: there were three emergency calls for women going into labour, they will be waiting a while
Barney: it is more dramatic than a telenovela
Bader snorted. Pepe was probably more interested in the drama than Mami, he mused, eating another cookie before replacing the box and left the kitchen.
"I'm ready! Can we go now?" Oberon asked eagerly, wearing a new shirt and his gloves.
"Sure. You brought your phone? Then you get to be the navigator," Bader said, snickering when Obe groaned at the task. "Oh, here you go," he said, throwing one of the cookies to him.
Obe looked like he'd won the lottery, and followed him outside quickly, inputting the address on his phone.
Bader was glad the drive to the mechanic's place was easy, especially since it was after the morning school rush and before the lunch peak hour. It wasn't something he'd admit to his siblings or parents, though; he wasn't an idiot.
"You have arrived at your destination," Obe chimed with the navigator app, giggling.
Bader glanced over to his sibling and wondered if it was a bad idea to give him the cookie. Parking his car, he looked over at the mechanic's garage. It was behind a fence with a sign on the front: AAA Contractors, MH.
"Sure this is the right place, Obe?"
"Yeah! It's the address you gave me!" he said, looking from his phone to the sign, frowning.
"Hey, I'm just checking, it's all good. C'mon, let's go check," Bader said, sending a quick text to Key, Lore, Mal, and Naj to make sure he was at the right place.
Lore: Pat's dad owns AAA Contractors, you're in the right spot
Mal: say hi to Nigel for me!
"Who's Nigel?" Bader muttered, Obe shrugging beside him.
Bader figured Mal had met the mechanic when they'd come to pick up Pat's car, and headed over to the garage's open roller door.
Tchaikovsky was playing from a stereo in the corner and Bader looked over automatically, tripping over his own feet as he saw someone bent over the hood of an obscene stretch limo. That someone was wearing jeans that fit extremely well and Bader had always been an ass guy: he just appreciated the peach curve of a well rounded ass, okay? He would have happily kept appreciating said ass from his position on the floor if not for a sudden peal of laughter from Oberon, who had taken a photo and was probably sending it to Pan and Quinn.
The owner of the fine ass turned around and Bader found he could appreciate thick muscles and a stubbled jaw, too. He forced himself not to look down and completely objectify the man, and hurried to stand up off the concrete floor. Oberon was still giggling and so didn't deserve the cookie he'd been given earlier, the brat.
"Did you slip on oil or grease?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so."
"He fell over his own feet," Oberon supplied helpfully.
"Oh," the man said, glancing down at Bader's feet in confusion. There was a moment of silence, punctuated by Tchaikovsky, and he blinked and looked at Bader with far too green and mesmerising eyes. "Are you hurt?"
Bader hurried to shake his head and reassure the man - now that he was closer, he could see his shirt was embroidered with the name Quentin - and tried not to think of how Aleph probably would've had the cute guy's number already. "I'm fine. Is Nigel here?" he asked, far too brusque in his disappointment that he wouldn't be able to talk to Quentin more.
"Yes. Did Ms. Martin send you?"
"Key, Lore, Mal, and Naj did. They're all dating Patrick Morton the Third but refuse to give me dating tips," Obe muttered.
Bader raised an eyebrow at that; since when did Obe want dating advice?
"Patrick Morton sent you?" Quentin clarified.
"Yes. In a sense," Bader added; he was sure Pat would've text him if he'd had his number, too.
Quentin looked between them, then seemed to come to a decision. "I need to make a call," he said, tugging a phone out of his pocket and heading over to the reception behind sound- and bullet-proof glass. "Hello, Mr. McKinnon? I've got two people here asking about Nigel. They said Patrick Morton sent them."
Paddy tucked his phone between his ear and shoulder. "Give me a sec to open the security feed. Are they suspicious?"
Quentin glanced over at the two obvious supers, their skin mottled with the same bright colouring as their hair. "I don't think so, sir. Unless the pre-teen is a distraction?"
Paddy snorted. "O'course you'd think that, Quentin. Ah, I know them. Well, Pat knows their siblings. Intimately, if the rumours are anything to go by," he added with a laugh. "They're fine, Quentin; they can see Nigel. Thank you for checking."
"Of course, Mr. McKinnon," Quentin replied, ending the call with a sigh of relief.
He didn't want to be the one that fucked up and let advanced tech like the one in Nigel, Brie, and Erin to be stolen by the competition and sold for the billions it was worth. Not to mention putting the Mortons' safety at risk by letting complete strangers near their cars. No, that certainly wouldn't be his fuckup to make, nor would he let anyone else in his garage make such a fatal mistake, either.
Quentin tucked his phone into his pocket and went back out to the garage. "Nigel's this way."
"Is Nigel another mechanic?" Bader asked curiously.
"I should hope not. I would put Mr. Quentin out of work if I could self-repair, and no one can work on my frame like he can."
Bader blinked at the English accent and looked around in confusion. "Who said that and why did it sound vaguely sexual?"
Oberon choked on his laughter and Quentin glared at Nigel.
"Nigel likes to embarrass people. It's a design flaw, but I can't fix it. I should've turned your voice off," Quentin muttered, though he didn't sound half as stern as he probably should have.
"Nigel... is the limo?" Bader asked, blinking as he looked between Quentin and, apparently, Nigel.
"Yes, in a sense. I am the AI within the limousine. I believe my AI capabilities can be transferred to another device or vehicle, but if I get put into an iPod, I will riot."
Oberon darted around Bader and Quentin to look into Nigel's open door. "What sort of things can you do? Do you have lasers? Or rocket launchers? Ooh, or a missile defense with evasive manoeuvres?"
There was a moment of silence and Bader wondered if he should just shift and crawl under something so the cute guy wouldn't judge him for his sibling's behaviour.
"I can fly. Though, I suppose that's the car's ability, rather than mine. Mr. Quentin, can you include lasers? I would like evasive manoeuvres, as well. Rocket launchers seem excessive and would ruin the sleek shape of my body, I'm sure of it."
Quentin sighed. "I also can't fix his ego."
Bader grinned. "Seems like it's a personality flaw, not a design one."
Quentin frowned and thought about it, then nodded. "I can accept that."
"I'm Bader, by the way. This is my younger brother Oberon."
"Nice to meet you."
Bader's phone dinged with four text messages and he sighed as he read through them. "Nigel, Mal wants to know if you're feeling okay."
"Miss Maleah's worried about me?" Nigel asked, sounding far happier than Bader thought possible for a computer.
"She thought you'd be in pain," Oberon quipped, apparently now inside the car because he didn't take their parents' lesson of 'look, don't touch, and certainly don't climb inside' to heart.
"Oberon, get out of... Nigel. Gods, that sounds weird. Quentin needs to finish his work. Are you replacing the whole door?" Bader asked curiously, seeing a new door sitting nearby.
"Yes, and fixing some wiring issues. I also need to test the capabilities of the structure and improve the window. It shouldn't have been broken, super-strength or not," Quentin said, frowning.
"That wretched human stepped on my door and broke the window. He didn't even try, which makes it so much worse," Nigel lamented.
Oberon frowned and poked his head out to look over at Bader. "What actually happened?"
Bader shrugged. "They didn't say, just that Nigel was hurt because of them playing and they all felt guilty."
"They shouldn't feel guilty. It was my fault and I understand that. Mr. Medulla can be scathing when he wants to be."
"Who's Mr. Medulla?" Bader asked.
"A teacher at Sky High. Super smart and has a large bulbous forehead. Can I get a camera so I may visually depict what I'm referring to, Mr. Quentin? That might be better than lasers. Evasive manoeuvres are still appreciated, of course."
"A camera isn't a bad idea. Though, knowing you, you'd probably use it to record Patrick Morton to embarrass him later."
There was a moment of damning silence.
"External camera with an internal screen? Y'know, so you can see the things flying at you?" Oberon suggested eagerly. "Oh, you need one of those target lock screen things, like in the movies!"
"Obe, stop giving Nigel ideas," Bader said, waving for his brother to get out of the limo.
"I should finish rewiring Nigel before he commits any of this to memory," Quentin muttered.
"I'm sending an emergency message to Brie, and you can't stop me," Nigel announced.
Quentin sighed. "You work in milliseconds, Nigel. You'd probably already finished sending an itemised list to Brie before you finished that sentence."
"Well, yes. But the point stands," Nigel said, all together far too smug.
"Hey, boss, we're back! Did you want the turkey sub or meatball... oh, sorry, didn't realise we had customers. Uh, I'll put it in your office, Quentin."
"Meatball, not turkey," Quentin called after his employee.
"It's Monday, I know!" was the abrupt response, cut off by the reception door closing behind them.
"C'mon, Obe. That's our cue to exit."
"Aww, but Bade!"
"No buts, unless it's your butt getting in my car."
Oberon muttered under his breath as he got out of the limo and trudged over to Bader. "Nice to meet you, Mr. Quentin," he said politely. "Bye, Nige!"
"Nigel, not Nige."
"Bet you'd let Mal call you Nige," Oberon snickered, running off towards Bader's car.
"I retract my previous statement, Mr. Quentin. I would like lasers as well."
Bader raised an eyebrow at Nigel, which was weird enough that he couldn't bring himself to verbally threaten a car as well. He looked at Quentin and figured he could delay a little longer. Now that Obe wasn't there to tease him, he actually had a chance to ask the cute guy out. "So... How long will it take to fix Nigel? I'm sure Mal and the others will want an update as soon as possible," he added, not at all what he'd wanted to say.
"It depends on the structure and window testing. At least two days, but it will take longer if the window won't withstand the tests I have to run," Quentin replied.
"Do you mind if I come around tomorrow? I can bring a meatball sub," Bader offered, grinning his most winsome grin and hoping Quentin would agree.
Quentin frowned. "Tomorrow's chicken club sandwich day, though."
"All right... I can bring a chicken club sandwich, then."
Quentin's frown deepened in confusion, and Bader's smile slipped.
"Uh, never mind. I'll just... get going. Nice to meet you, Quentin," Bader said, turning on his heel and almost running to his car, hoping his face wasn't as bright as Aleph's hair.
Quentin watched as Bader practically ran to his car and left the parking lot a second later. "Nigel?"
"Yes, Mr. Quentin?"
"What just happened?"
"I believe that was a poor attempt at flirting, Mr. Quentin."
"Oh."
Quentin turned the music back to the rest of the garage's preferred radio station, then went to have lunch in his office and think about what had just happened.
...
Realistically, Layla knew it could be worse. A building had fallen on her and her superpower had saved her. She could have had more than bruises and scrapes, and she could have been hurt far, far worse. She could have been like the citizen in the news who'd been crushed by Earthstone and Airborne's ridiculous fight. The citizen's legs no longer worked and she needed to learn how to adjust to her new life as a paraplegic, complete with a wheelchair and bitterness towards super-strong supers, according to Ida.
"Hey, how are you feeling?" Craig asked, swinging around the doorway and into the room she and Warren were sharing.
"Sore," Layla said, then winced and nodded to the TV screen on the wall where the citizen was showing in the afternoon news. "But better than the poor citizen is doing."
Craig let out a cry of disappointment, running to stand in front of the screen. "No, don't look! Adam and Terrence have a surprise for you."
"About the news?" Layla asked, frowning.
"It's to cheer you up."
"I'm not sad."
"Okay, well, it's hilarious and laughter's the best medicine, so there."
"No. Whatever is in these drip bags is the best medicine," Warren snorted, returning from his walk, his IV bag on an anti-grav disc beside him.
He'd suffered more injuries than Layla thanks to the two wardens, and she hated seeing him in so much pain, though several of the larger bruises had already started to fade down from black to yellow. Ida had warned Warren that she would be lecturing him as soon as he was better and could walk without needing the anti-grav disc for assistance.
"Oh, wow. You look like shit, dude. Here, lemme help you," Craig said, stepping forward.
"I'm fine."
"No, you're being stubborn and not accepting help when you obviously need it. Just shut up and let me help you, okay?"
Warren was silent for a long moment, his jaw clenched, then he sighed. "Fine. Thanks."
"No problem. Wasn't so hard, was it? I mean, you need to work on the actual asking part of asking for help, but it's a start. Next time, you might even say please."
"Shut up and help me or I'll roast you."
Craig snorted, even as he helped Warren move over to his bed. "You can't light a tea candle right now, don't even try."
"You don't know that," Warren muttered, taking a moment to breathe and gather his energy to move his legs up onto the bed.
Craig helped him lift his ankles up onto the mattress, rearranging the blanket so Warren could get his legs comfortable before tucking it around him securely.
"Super Jesus, I'm not a burrito," Warren muttered, untucking the blanket again.
"I know. Robin's been teaching us how to do the hospital folds on beds. If it's tight around you, it means you don't roll out of bed in the middle of the night. Also, you look like a burrito. Hot 'n spicy one. Or just a grumpy burrito."
"What the hell are you on about? Did someone give you red gummy bears again?" Warren asked.
Craig laughed and moved to sit on the seat between their beds. "Nah, Jewel's banned me from eating them. And the purple ones, which sucks 'cause they taste the best. Barney packed our lunch today and we got so much sugary foods that I was practically in a sugar coma for Save the Citizen. We still won, though."
"Thanks to me," Adam said from the doorway.
"I was getting to that part. Credit where credit's due."
"Where's everyone?" Layla asked, not seeing their friends with Adam.
Adam grinned and held up a large Slurpee cup. "We couldn't decide who got to come up in the elevator. It says it fits 15 people but it lies," he muttered, rubbing his ribs as though someone's pointy elbow had stabbed him there far too recently.
Adam tipped the liquid out onto the floor, Ethan reforming everyone a second later.
Zach rubbed his elbow and glared at Adam. "What's going on with your ribs? They're like rocks!"
"That was my bad," Robin said. "What? Adam said I could practice on him."
"Your timing was seriously painful," Zach muttered.
"Layla and Warren had a building fall on them," Terrence said, rolling his eyes.
"And that citizen had a building fall on them without our powers," Layla pointed out.
Robin rolled their eyes and flicked Terrence's ear. "All of you shut up. Pain is subjective and someone else's pain doesn't mean yours is any less meaningful. You're all sore and if you keep on, I'll get Justina to hurt you."
Justina laughed. "I'd do it, too, so shut up and play this video for us. I want to see it again."
"What video are you talking about?" Warren asked, his breath hard in his lungs, and wondering if he'd missed part of the conversation with the drugs in his system.
"We were talking about it before you came back. Adam and Terrence have put a video together for us," Layla said, a question in her tone as she looked over at them.
"You told them?" Terrence asked.
"No! I just told them not to watch the news."
"What else do you think we've been doing in here? We're basically stuck in bed facing a giant TV screen. Daytime TV sucks, but we do have cable and we got to watch the international news," Warren said.
"That's why I brought your homework," Ethan said with a grin.
"Stop looking so happy about that, it's creepy," Corvin said from the back, giving Layla and Warren a small wave when they looked over to him in surprise.
Craig grinned as Ry laughed. "You remember Corvin from Save the Citizen, right?"
"Yes. We've seen you around the building, too," Layla said with a smile.
The drugs worked on her just as well as Warren, but even they couldn't stop the sharp pain she felt from her vines when Corvin stepped forward.
"I'm assuming the international news - and the fact that you're both in here, battered and bruised, and certainly not sick with the flu - has something to do with those kids that are running around the building?"
Warren felt cagey at the question; his drugs were a higher dose than Layla's and the vines weren't as sharp for his dulled mind. "What of it?"
"I wouldn't mind hearing the full story one day. But I can leave if that makes you more comfortable?" Corvin offered.
Layla shook her head. "No, stay. We'll talk later, when we're not so drugged up."
"Sorry, Nigel had a hell of a time trying to find somewhere to park," Pat said with a grin, tousled hair and several hickeys betraying the lie in an instant.
"Can you buy me a flying limo so I can make out in random places with my boyfriends and girlfriend, too?" Craig asked with a snicker, draping around Pat's shoulders, the frogs jumping off and reforming, Maleah blushing.
"Don't give Cee that look, Pat, no one believed you anyway," Adam said, handing the USB to Terrence, who hooked it up to the TV and used a burst of power to navigate to the video file.
"Ready?"
Layla and Warren both sat up straighter and concentrated on the video, nodding for Terrence to play it.
Craig laughed, Zach putting a hand over his mouth to muffle the noise. "Don't spoil it, Cee."
"Good afternoon, viewers. The fight between Earthstone and Airborne at Westville this afternoon is our top story. Everyone is reporting on it, so even Maxville News is getting a piece of that action," Brian Anderson said with a broad smile, several voice and video clips put together to create the opening statement.
The video cut across to Westville, images in a four panel view to see the fight from all angles.
"What are you doing, Earthstone?"
For a rocky structure, Earthstone's confusion was clear. "Uh, capturing the Black Club gang and handing them to the police?"
The screen had a pop-up box with the Black Club gang members and how they related to the Red Diamond gang as part of the Suite Quartet.
Airborne flew into Earthstone's face, his face twisted in fury. "What are you doing in my territory, Earthstone?"
"Patrolling and keeping the citizens safe. It's not like you were here doing it."
The screen paused to show an exaggerated jaw dropping, transposed over Airborne's face. A tally appeared in the corner: Earthstone 1, Airborne 0.
"What did you just say?"
"I've been here every day for two weeks, Airborne, and this is the first time I've seen you. If you're going to be the Hero for Westville, don't you think you should be the one here every day?"
"I have been here every day!"
An alarm started to blare: lies, lies, lies!
"Uh huh. And what have you achieved in the last two weeks? How to perfect your pose?"
Earthstone 2, Airborne 0.
"I've done more than that! What have you done?"
"I've stopped two gangs with connections to the Suite Quartet. From what I've seen, you've patrolled and stopped thugs from stealing a car from a mansion, and that's it."
Earthstone 3, Airborne 0.
An image of a young child appeared on the screen, lying on a supermarket floor, and kicking and screaming in a tantrum. Their face was screwed up in the same expression on Airborne's face.
"Remember what happened the last time I punched you, Earthstone?"
"I'm going to put these thieves down, and we're going to talk about this, Airborne. Like the professional Heroes we are."
Earthstone was covered in a suit, a large briefcase sitting beside him, and thick-rimmed glasses on his face.
"Thanks, Earthstone! See you at the meeting tomorrow," one of the police officers called, realising their mistake a moment too late.
Earthstone replied, but the video focused on Airborne. A cartoon volcano appeared over his body, slowly boiling up and exploding as red creeped up his face. "What the hell do you think you're doing? Westville is my territory!"
"According to my contract, Westville is my territory, too. I swore an oath to use my power to stop acts of villainy, both citizen and super."
The American flag appeared in the background, waving in a patriotic wind.
"It was mine first! Westville isn't big enough for both of us!"
A cartoon of a standoff between two cowboys made Warren laugh.
"It clearly is, if I haven't seen you patrolling every day for the last two weeks. We can split it, if you're that upset. We could cover more territory together."
"No! I'm strong enough and fast enough to cover all of Westville by myself! I work alone!"
The question 'Has anyone told Magenta?' appeared on the screen, Layla snickering.
"So I've heard. You weren't very nice to the Commissioner of Police when he introduced himself; things like that travel fast."
"I... I was nice! I don't even remember meeting the Commissioner."
"Clearly. You called him a beady eyed monster."
"I was talking about the prawns, not him!"
Prawns danced across the bottom of the screen, Justina giggling.
"The news didn't capture that part. They were too far away by then," Zach said, Craig putting a hand over his mouth.
"The Commissioner doesn't remember it that way. Can I go now? You need to patrol over near Sycamore Street, don't you?"
A balloon puffed Airborne's chest out. "Yes, I do."
"Sycamore Street is in Maxville, not Westville. You should know your territory after almost six months of being Westville's Hero, shouldn't you?"
Earthstone 500, Airborne 0.
The screen froze, an animated fast-forward motion appearing until Airborne shoved Earthstone toward a building, the video playing again at a normal speed.
The fight between Airborne and Earthstone had the others calling out and arguing about who'd won. Ry even decided to demonstrate against Craig, their motions almost in perfect unison to the video playing on the screen, so it was clear they'd been arguing about it for a while already.
Layla watched, her laughter exhausting her more than she thought it could have. The combination of her friends arguing with the fight on the TV - Adam and Terrence's cartoon edits included every so often - was enough to make her laugh so hard her ribs hurt.
By the end of the video several buildings were destroyed, including a heritage-listed one, and as several citizens were trapped beneath the rubble, it wasn't entirely clear who'd won. Earthstone and Airborne made a competition of trying to save the citizens. Their work was frantic and hurried, collapsing another part of a broken building and crushing the unfortunate citizen.
The emergency services that had arrived while the fight was still raging were in the news blasting the irresponsibility of the two Heroes, the damage they'd done by turning a serious rescue into a childish competition, and several citizens were shown being treated for injuries caused by both Earthstone and Airborne.
As the news features ended, Adam included a list of claims that both Airborne and Earthstone had made in the days since their fight including:
His brutish size/his superhuman strength destroyed the heritage-listed building, not me.
Citizens personally thanked me/asked for my autograph.
I saved that citizen, he crushed them.
He started the fight, not me.
I'm stronger than him.
I won, he lost.
Warren couldn't help laughing at the idiotic responses, though his eyes were already closing, even as another argument broke out between Zach and Corvin about the outcome of the fight.
"Everyone, out. They're asleep now," Ethan said, Adam helping him to usher everyone out of the room.
"But, Eth, I'm right, aren't I?" Zach asked.
"You can keep arguing about it in one of the white rooms," Ethan said.
"I'm not giving up on the argument, but I've gotta go," Corvin said over his shoulder, grabbing his bag and running out before the others could respond.
"You leave, you forfeit! I win!" Zach called after him.
"That's what Airborne said!" Corvin called over his shoulder with a laugh.
Pat snorted. "He's right, Zach. C'mon, Heidi's probably been stuck with babysitting duties again."
Kiara winced as she checked the time. "We said we'd take over ten minutes ago. Shit, we're so getting fried."
"I call dibs on the swings!" Craig called, running after them.
Everyone else followed in a rush, Ethan melting and sliding off the floor landing to drop all the way down to the foyer. Reforming in an instant, he jogged to the playground corridor, several people cursing at him from the level they were still stuck on. Ethan just laughed and went to get a swing.
Kiara cursed Ethan once more and then grinned as she saw the leafy vines that had created a wall only days ago. "I've got a stupid idea," she said, even as she shifted to her frog form and launched herself off the landing towards the vines.
"Key, you idiot! If you get squished by the security system, it's your own damn fault!" Lorcan called after his sister.
Kiara was too busy concentrating on her descent down the vines to respond.
Najair watched for a moment longer, then flipped his hair over his shoulder, and grinned at Lorcan. "Race you there, Lore," he said, shifting and jumping to the vine.
"The elevator's right here," Maleah said, rolling her eyes as Lorcan shifted and threw himself after their brother. "Come on, Pat. I won't leave you behind," she said, kissing his cheek.
"I'm using the stairs," Adam said, wrinkling his nose. He reached into his bag and pulled out a small spray bottle, holding it out. "It's antibacterial acid; spray the elevator when you're done, would you?"
"What do you think we're going to do in there?" Pat asked, his eyes wide and cheeks red.
"I don't know and I don't care. Just spray the damn elevator," Adam said over his shoulder, heading to the door marked 'stairs'.
Justina snickered and got into the elevator with Robin. "C'mon, then. Zach, you coming?"
"Eth left me behind!" he cried dramatically.
"He's probably gone to save a swing for you," Robin pointed out.
Zach grinned brightly. "Ooh, yeah. I have the best boyfriend. C'mon, I want the swing," he said, nudging Pat and Mal into the elevator.
...
End of the hundred and fifty-ninth chapter.