- Chapter Fifty-Five and A Half -

You're A Right Cut-Up, Mate

[Cutting The Girl Some Slack]

Surfboards and kayaks largely to thank for her muscle tone, there was no training on earth that could prepare the Thunder and Lightening for carrying enough books for two students. Arms heavy with the brick-like tomes as she lugged them from her locker to her mom's minivan, Cassie shifted the weight as she hopped over an underclassman's hopscotch outline. There was a sea of students rushing to get out of the building as quickly as they could, and she would bet that not one of them had to study as much as she did.

But that was the deal: Cassie could only join her parents on their expeditions if her grades were good, and the only way that happened was if she doubled-down.

Mostly that meant doing assignments in advanced, although there were one or two teachers that were harder to get around. Mrs. Vickers, for example - she demanded not only proof that her student was where she said she would be, but also that Cassie do an extra essay to compensate for being unable to help in a group project. Both of her parents were in agreement that that was totally fair, so they would always grill her about doing her homework.

Expect on her birthday.

That whole week was always a special occasion, marked with a laxer set of rules and capping off with an epic bash to remember. All her friends from school would be invited, and even a few from the various camps she'd been to, although she suspected that that was more so her parents had ample excuse to spend time with their own friends. The adults were pleasant enough, but they usually hung out in the back.

Ali would probably hang out in the fringes too, but since he was so bookish and private that was hardly anything new. Joey on the other hand...

Joey was basically the same age as she was, but the last time he'd visited with his dad, the brat was too good to hang out with her and her friends. He said he was just more mature than they were, but she knew that was load of bullshit.

Err, crap.

Honestly she didn't understand why her folks were so bent on her language when they were sounded by utter filth dispensaries, but whatever, their house, their rules. At least Sully and her uncle were cool about her using some of the less offensive words. And Chloe... She practically encouraged it, teaching the bespectacled blonde new slang every time she stopped by. Man, if Dad knew half the stuff his friend had taught his precious baby girl...

"Over here!" Leaning across the lap of one of the other passengers, the dark-haired Aussie called out for the girl.

Speak of the Devil.

Grinning from ear-to-ear, Cassie practically flew into the open door of the van. Discarding her books on the floor with all the other junk, she sprang into the open arms of her cool auntie from down under. Nadine winced as the little blonde scrambled over her, but the scowl softened almost as soon as one of those scrawny little arms was wrapped around her neck too.

"Alright, alright." Not the overly mushy sort, the stern woman patted the girl's back.

Squeezing for dear life before letting go to settle in next to Chloe, the door closed with a loud grinding noise. Her dad groaned at the sound, no doubt making a mental note to do something about the car. Mom had probably already asked her uncle to give it a look, but considering he was so busy with his plus one, it had probably slipped his mind.

Maybe Rafael knew something about cars? He'd done a pretty good job patching her up after she had fallen out of that tree at the park. And he'd already done so much to help out at the house, like keeping everyone fed. If it wasn't her birthday, Cass would probably award him as the MVP of the month. Possibly next time. If there was a next time...

Cassie hoped so. Rafael kept to himself for the most part, offering to help when he could and cracking jokes (almost exclusively at her uncle's expense), but he was alright. Teaching her a few new tricks in Crash, they had lost more than an hour playing video games together. Plus, Vicky liked him, and that alone was enough for her.

"Jesus, they make you read all of those?" A dove-gray toe nudged the books, "That should qualify as breaking child labor law."

Nadine agreed, "Ja. Even I didn't have to read that much over a weekend."

Blinking at one another in unison, neither adult knew what to say to that. It made all kinds of sense that the woman had had a strict upbringing, but to actually have to read that much over a single weekend... Cassie suddenly felt a lot better at her cushy deadlines.

Broken as they all were, it was her dad who recovered first, "No, Nadine, she doesn't have to finish all of these books at once. Cassie is just bringing them home so she can read them while we're down in the Gulf."

"Oh. What are you lot going down to the Gulf for?" Asking in earnest, Nadine really didn't know.

Talking shop, Cass had heard it a million times before, so she kind of tuned out the rest of the conversation. Catching on, Chloe pulled at her elbow and whispered in a hushed tone so that they weren't overheard, "You're not going to finish your homework until you guys get back, are you?"

Caught and busted, it wasn't entirely a secret that she was known to procrastinate. Making sure that her father was busy running his mouth about what D & F hoped to dig up this time, the girl nodded in confidence, "Not exactly..."

"Just so long as you have fun, eh?" Chloe smiled, "And don't forget to take lots of pictures."

[Alright, Who Cut The Power?]

Boards lined up on the beach for easy access, the traitorous wind kicked up the alabaster sand like a toddler throws a tantrum. Grains spiraling in the salty air, the waves themselves roared like some ancient monster was due to rise out of the depths at any moment. Sky still an open-faced azure, over on the far side of the island there was a gathering unlike any other, a blueberry cotton candy swirl right out of the machine.

Fairly certain that they wouldn't be impacted by the tropic storm where they were, Joseph's mother waded through the shallow end of the sea. Her snorkel was a bright enough yellow to see beneath even the blackest of tides, so there was no chance they could lose her.

A little further inland, Joey scratched his growing wheat fringe, chocolate eyes rolling as his dad told some lame joke that didn't bear repeating. Baldy swinging from the hammock with a beer, Ali had his nose shoved into some fantasy novel, pretending that he was too engrossed to hear their old man.

Volunteering to cater to everyone while Elena was at work and Nathan was picking up the twerp, that Rafael guy was in the kitchen, whipping up snacks. He mentioned something about the food being for everyone once Cassie and them came back, but it had been hard to hear from her room.

Not that he was in there long! Just long enough to grab her guitar. Which she was probably total crap at playing anyways.

Strumming the cords to a song he had heard on one of his dad's old movies, Joey just barely glanced up as the sandwiches were brought out. He wasn't all that hungry, and anyways it would have been bad form to burrow the instrument without permission and gunk up the strings.

"Right, food's here!" Clapping his hands together with glee, the old man reached for one of the B.L.T.s with a grateful salute.

Lowering his book some, Ali glanced at the orange serving tray and then up at the one bearing it. Closing his book with a light snap, the elder Cutter brother dug in as well, his words half a mumble, "Thank you."

Simple as that, the other man nodded, "Let me know if you need anything else."

Despite being hoarse from disuse, Rafael seemed to hear him well enough; selecting the seat nearest the recluse, he grabbed a tuna for himself, one of three. Apparently he was a considerate guy, making a variety that might appease everyone's taste.

Maybe too considerate, for a private security goon.

Granted, he wasn't nearly as intimate with the type as some of the others in the family circle, but Joey had known enough of them to be fairly certain that they wouldn't just leave their job wander off. Sure, Sam Drake was good enough to watch out for some bimbo with a plastic card, but that wasn't the issue. The issue was that she was being left alone period.

None of them had been introduced to this Ella chick just yet, but already he suspected that there was more going on than any of them were being told. Frankly given the absence of Sam and this mystery socialite, he figured that they were holed up someplace - probably a hotel so she could sweat out whatever her addiction was before they had to meet everyone. These rich girls always seemed to be in and out of rehab.

"Hey," ambling out of the house and away from the new flat screen, Sullivan called everyone in, "you guys might want to get Mary-Elizabeth out of the water. Weather service say that there's a storm brewing, and it is gonna be a dozy."

Just as soon as he said that, the power grid crashed to a chorus of deep-throated bullfrogs from hell.