Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
...
Chapter Twenty-Five
...
Principal Powers walked into her newly-repaired office. The workmen had insisted that she stay out of it for the entire day so that everything could set properly, and she'd been forced to share an office with Coach Boomer. It was an experience she was in no hurry to repeat.
Seeing that one of her filing cabinets was open slightly, Powers walked over to it, opening the ajar drawer carefully. All of the student files were inside, just as she'd left them. Putting it down to a worker bumping into the piece of furniture, Principal Powers set about opening her windows, hoping to get rid of the new paint smell before the fumes ensured her return to Boomer's office.
...
The Commander and Jetstream had accepted the journalists' terms, agreeing to spend twelve minutes with them so long as they stayed behind a three-block radius. With that agreed to, Layla sent out a preliminary email to the media contacts, stating that the terms had been accepted and they were now in negotiations with AAA Contractors to get the cameras installed throughout the metropolis of Maxville.
A time frame was given for the project to be complete in two weeks' time, but no one truly expected the cameras to be installed by then, even if the job was being done by super-powered contractors. By the time Layla had taken down the details of the time-frame, a bet was running through the Mayor's office on how long they would really take to complete the job. After seeing how quickly the contractors from AAA worked during the aftermath of the Commander and Iceman's fight, Nina put her bet on for two weeks.
Layla discreetly wrote the number for the AAA Contractors down on a slip of paper so that she could call them later regarding her idea for the secret sanctum.
...
"If you want any super work done, no matter if it's above or below ground, then you'll need Council permission. The Mayor likes to know who's building what and where, y'know," the owner of AAA Contractors, Patrick said.
"Yes, I know. Do you know which specific forms I'd have to fill out in order to get Council permission?" Layla asked.
"For work above ground, it's a SW100 form. For below, a SW101 form. If you want to email me your requirements and the size of the block of land, I can give you an estimated quote before all of this goes ahead."
"Thank you, Patrick, I really appreciate it," Layla said.
"No problem. I'll wait until I get your email then."
"Okay, thank you. Have a nice day, Patrick."
"Yeah, you too," he replied, hanging up from the call.
Layla disconnected from the call, her hand trembling slightly. She was starting to create her very own secret sanctum, and it was both nerve-wracking and amazing.
Within three hours, Layla had emailed Patrick regarding her secret sanctum and received a quote in reply. At first, she thought the estimated cost was a joke, and had laughed. But when no other email came through with the real price, Layla realised that Patrick had been serious. She was on the phone to him in a matter of minutes, knowing all too well that the costs were far too exorbitant for the job she wanted - the entire lower half of the Maxville metropolis hadn't cost as much to repair! Patrick was tough, but eventually caved when she brought up the work he'd done at a much lower price for other supers in Maxville. In the end, Layla managed to get the price down from almost $25,000 to $10,000. It was still a steep price, but it would be worth it in the end.
With a happy hum, Layla got her bag ready to go to Warren's house to study. When she was ready, she left her Great Aunt's house without looking back, and knew that when the time came for her to leave for good, she wouldn't look back then either.
...
"Are you sure you're all right to come in with me, Warren?" Layla asked, frowning slightly. "I'm sure I'll be fine."
Warren just nodded in response. He wasn't about to let Layla go to this meeting without knowing what it was about. There was something about the whole situation that just didn't sit right with him. Warren seriously doubted that the meeting was in regards to the cameras being set up in Maxville, or the terms that the media had discussed to interview the Commander and Jetstream, especially since they'd all been accepted.
"Good morning. I have an appointment to see Sarah," Layla told the receptionist at Labyrinth.
"Just one moment," she replied, pressing a button on her headset. "Sarah? You have an appointment with... your name?" she asked, looking at her expectantly.
"Layla Williams," she replied quickly.
"Layla Williams?" There was a brief pause as she listened to whatever Sarah was saying on the other end of the line. "Oh, of course. I'll send them right through," she said, pressing the same button to hang up. "If you'll go straight to the end of the hall and turn left, the owner is expecting you."
The owner? Why not say the woman's name?! Warren wondered with a brief frown.
"Thank you," Layla said, heading down the corridor to the indicated office.
Warren was a step behind her, despite his reservations, and as she entered the office, she took his hand in her own.
"Hello, Layla. Warren, I'm glad you could make it."
Layla frowned in confusion, seeing that it was Honey sitting in the office rather than Sarah.
"You look confused to see me sitting here," Honey said, grinning.
"I thought you said that Sarah was the owner of Labyrinth?" Layla asked.
Beside her, Warren lit up his arms, glaring at the woman menacingly.
She just smiled, not looking at all fazed by his flames. "I tell everyone that. It's a tactic that's saved my life more than once, and I don't intend on stopping any time soon. You're now two of five people who know who the true owner of Labyrinth is, and I trust that you won't tell anyone else?" Honey asked, looking between them.
"How did you know my name?" Warren asked, not willing to agree to anything - even verbally - when this woman knew who he was before he'd even been introduced.
"I am a seer. Your name was one of the easier things to find out," Honey said with a slight grin.
"Why are you being so open about this? Don't you need to protect your secret and super identities?" Layla asked, suspicious and just plain confused.
"Considering just who you are, what you will be to me, and who I hope to be for you, there is going to be very little need for all of that secrecy."
"What?" Warren asked, his confusion far too evident in his expression.
Honey's smile slipped, and she sighed softly, rubbing her temples for a moment. "This would be so much easier if you could see everything that I see," she murmured. "If you could sit down while I try to gather my thoughts, I'd appreciate it... And please don't power up if you can help it, the upholstery's new," Honey added with a brief frown.
Curious, Layla moved to sit down on one of the chairs. Warren took a moment to follow, his flames extinguishing after a few moments of wrestling with his emotions.
"I can only tell you so much, because if I detail too much of the current future, then the present may be altered because of it, and then the future I see may not come to pass," Honey said, licking her lips and trying to think of a delicate way to encompass everything she knew could convince them to trust her. "At the moment, you're thinking of who to recruit as permanent markers. It is vital that you start to recruit by the end of the year. In the future, you will have an entire hierarchy of super villains and would-be villains that will be run from your secret sanctum, the Hive. The Hive needs to be finished sooner rather than later so that you can continue your work without raising too many suspicions."
Warren was about to tell her what a load of bull she was spouting - even if she did know about the permanent markers and secret sanctum - but Honey looked directly at him and continued.
"Your mother will be safe. Her future is uncertain, as it is unlikely at this moment that she will become a villain, but she will always be safe, and she may be persuaded eventually."
Warren felt a tightness leaving his chest - one that he hadn't even been aware of until this very moment - and felt some of his suspicions lessening towards Honey.
"My name is Hourglass; it is an immense pleasure to meet both of you, and I cannot wait to start working with you," Honey finished, sounding genuine and just a little shell-shocked, as if they were celebrities and she was their biggest fan.
"You're starting to freak me out, Hourglass," Warren said, but grinned nonetheless.
"My apologies. It's just... I've seen so much of you two for so long that it's actually hard for me to believe that you're real and you're both sitting here in front of me!"
"You're going to have to stop there, or I'll be curious enough to ask about what you've seen," Layla said.
Honey nodded, sitting up a bit straighter. "Of course. I mainly wanted to introduce myself to you. I'll give you my business card, but don't worry, I'll call you when the time's right," she added with a knowing smile.
Taking the offered card from Honey, Layla simply stared at the small rectangle for a moment.
"Honey Olgestein?! You're Henry and Frieda's daughter?"
"Yes, I am... I've been trying to save my mother the pain of his adulterous ways for years, but she's never listened," Honey said with a laboured sigh.
In her very expression, Layla could see the pain of a daughter who knew exactly what was happening but was unable to stop it, and forced to watch as her mother suffered each emotional or physical blow. Then Honey smiled up at her and the moment was over.
"I'll call Sarah to show you out. I'm sure you'll both keep quiet about who I am," Honey said, calling for her assistant via the intercom.
Sarah arrived in a matter of seconds, smiling as she guided them to a side door rather than the front entrance. "Honey will call you when you're needed, or when you'll need her, don't worry about that. She's been waiting for this for years."
"So are you a super, Sarah?" Layla asked curiously.
"No, I'm not," she replied, not sounding as upset about it as some might have.
"Then why do you keep Honey's secret?" Warren asked curiously.
He'd heard of some supers working with citizens, but not in such a close proximity as Sarah and Hourglass seemed to have.
"Honey saved my life," Sarah replied with a shrug. "Besides, the pay's really good," she added, grinning a little.
"Fair enough," Warren muttered, already trying to think of the numerous ways Hourglass might have saved this woman's life.
"It was nice meeting both of you, I hope to see you again," Sarah said, farewelling them both before closing the door and returning to her office.
Layla and Warren were silent as they made their way back to the bus stop. They didn't have to wait long for a bus to arrive, as the Labyrinth offices were on the city loop, and services ran every fifteen minutes.
"What do you think?" Layla asked, looking at him when they were on the bus.
"I'm not sure what to think, honestly," Warren admitted with a slight frown.
"Neither am I," she agreed. "It's a bit overwhelming, really, and I don't think there's anything we can do with this information until a later time."
Warren nodded slightly, not knowing what else they really could do either. "I'll take you to lunch, but I want to show you something first," he said, pressing the button for the bus to stop.
When they were out on the street once more, Warren slipped his arm about Layla's waist, leading her down the street.
"Where are you taking me?" she asked, glancing around and trying to get a bearing on their surroundings.
"You'll see in a minute, hippie."
She did see, sooner than a minute though. The streets hadn't changed much since she'd left, but Layla didn't know why on earth Warren was leading her through her old neighbourhood. They stopped in front of Mrs. Kibbitch's house. The street seemed to be deserted, despite the fact that it was the middle of the day.
"Okay, stand right here. No moving," Warren added, grinning at her.
"All right, I'll stay as still as a statue," Layla promised, curious enough to follow his instruction.
"Close your eyes too," Warren said, almost as an afterthought. "When I whistle, open your eyes again."
Frowning, she did as he said, her eyes closing as she waited. Warren pressed a kiss to her lips, then stepped away before she could lean into his kiss. Layla felt the vines rippling beneath her skin, a whisper in her head, softer than leaves rustling in a breeze. A whistle sounded, and she opened her eyes. A line of fire burned before her, and as she watched, the line started to move, spreading to form a small square. Then another formed, and another two, until in front of her, a fiery game of hopscotch was waiting.
"I've been practising. See if you can grow something in it," Warren said, grinning.
"Why here?" she asked, even as she tried to conjure a plant in the middle of one of the squares.
"You'll see; try again," Warren said with a nod as the small plant burned to ash.
Layla tried to grow another plant, watching as it burned too. Frowning, she tried again, and again another time. The next try stayed up for a few seconds longer, the plant hardening against the flames for a brief period.
"Close. Try again, hippie," Warren said.
Layla tried again, concentrating harder this time, shaping the stem, then the leaves, before continuing onto the flower itself. It didn't have to be a fire resistant plant, per se. So long as the stem could withstand the fire, then she could make it grow high enough so that the flames wouldn't destroy the rest of the plant.
"So why are we here?" she asked, resting between her attempts.
"Look around you, hippie. You're in the middle of suburbia, creating plants in squares of fire and no one is leaving their house or even looking out the windows."
Looking at the houses, Layla frowned slightly when she saw that he was right. All of the lights were off in the houses, no one was out and about, and no one even seemed concerned that they were lighting fires in the street.
"Suburbia is ridiculously predictable, hippie, and it's safe. In fact, it's probably the main reason the Commander and Jetstream live out here. No one cares what happens, so long as it doesn't happen to them."
Grinning, Layla turned around in a circle, a hedge growing to an enormous size, a tree losing all of its' leaves, weeds in the concrete overtaking the path, a rose-bush bursting into bloom. Nothing happened from the houses. Not one light turned on, no doors or windows opened, no one yelled at them. Everyone continued on with their lives, not bothering to look outside of their mortgaged homes. Laughing, Layla moved to Warren, kissing him fiercely.
"It'll make the takeover all that much easier," Warren said between kisses, grinning at her.
Layla nodded, and as they pulled away, she noticed that eight hopscotch squares were filled with plants, swaying in the light breeze easily and not burning to a crisp.
...
Ethan sat at his desk, a book open before him, his own neat handwriting staring up at him. He touched the pages almost reverently, fingertips light against the indents and trails of pen. Inside of this book were the names of every person attending Sky High, their powers, their addresses and contact numbers, and beneath their names was enough space to list their weaknesses and strengths. The book was a black covered one, almost as if it signified just what the future held for the names written inside of it.
When he'd still had all of the files, Ethan had written the information on his computer in a form of shorthand, names and powers whispered to him from his friends reading the files, and that was enough for the time being. But as Layla had left with her red-covered book for Save the Citizen, Ethan became attached to the idea of a book, of having the knowledge available to him at the turn of a page, rather than reflecting back at him from a cold screen. He'd stayed up until the early hours of Saturday morning to write them all down, the words imprinting in his head as they were transcribed on paper.
A knock on his door had Ethan closing the book quickly, one of his textbooks covering the incriminating book.
"Yes?" he called.
"Oh, you're up now. Are you all right, Ethan? It's almost one in the afternoon," his mother, Anita said, opening his door to look inside.
"Fine, mum. Just needed some more sleep," Ethan replied with a quick smile.
"You must be going through another growth spurt," Anita said, smiling at him. "Well, come downstairs when you're ready and I'll make some lunch up for you, okay?"
"All right, thanks."
She closed the door as she left, and Ethan ran a hand over his face, his heart racing. The lies had come so easily, pouring out of his lips without thinking, and he didn't even feel guilty about it. He had gotten away with lying to his own mother, and Ethan felt a terrifying sense of pleasure at the thought, wondering just what else he could get away with.
...
Whistling to himself, Zach made his way downstairs, a grin on his lips when he saw his little sister playing with her matchbox cars at the foot of the stairs. He waved to get her attention, and she looked up at him with bright blue eyes.
"You need to move, Heidi, or someone might trip over you," he said, careful to enunciate his words so she could read his lips.
Smiling up at him, Heidi signed that she was fine and he shouldn't worry. Nonetheless, she still moved to the lounge room, her car moving along the walls gently. Zach hurried after her, making as much noise as possible so that her actions weren't seen by their parents.
"Fucking hell, Zach! Do you have to make such a damn racket?" his father yelled from the kitchen.
"Sorry, dad," he called back, moving to switch the TV on and sit beside his sister.
Heidi snatched the control from him, turning the subtitles on. Zach grinned at her, signing that she was too quick for him. She laughed, the sound deeper than it should be, but to Zach it was one of the most wonderful laughs in the world, and never failed to make him smile.
"Zach, I'm going out now. Would you take your sister out to get some new shoes? Your father needs his rest for tonight's shift at work, so make sure you're both quiet when you come back," his mother said, looking into the lounge room to see them.
"Yes, mum. Can you take us now? I'll be real quick," Zach promised, already standing up.
"All right. Heidi, you need to get new shoes. Zach will be taking you to the shops," she said to her daughter.
Heidi didn't look happy at the idea of going shoe-shopping, but brightened at the news that her older brother would be taking her, and hurried from the room.
"I can spare twenty dollars, but no more. If it's over that, then use some of your pocket money, and I'll pay you back next pay packet," his mother said, holding out a twenty dollar note to him.
"Right, thanks," Zach said. "Won't be a minute," he called, hurrying upstairs to get changed.
Putting the money in his wallet, Zach changed out of his pyjamas into more acceptable clothes for wearing outside, and hurried downstairs, making sure to grab his wallet on the way.
"Finally. Come on, I'm running late now," his mother muttered, hurrying outside.
Zach guided Heidi out to the car, making sure she had her belt on as their mother pulled out of the driveway. Twenty minutes later, they were standing outside of the local mall, Zach double checking that Heidi had her hearing aid on.
"I'm fine, I can hear you," she said, waving off his concern.
"What if I talk really soft, like this?" Zach whispered, grinning and pulling a face to make her laugh again.
Heidi shook her head at him, smiling nonetheless, her hand slipping into his as a large group of people came out of the mall, loud noises filtering out of the doors. Zach squeezed her hand gently and led her into mall.
"I've seen some bright pink shoes in the shoe store, do you want them?" he asked, knowing how much his sister hated anything that made her seem girly, pink definitely at the top of that list.
"I want blue. Or green. Or yellow. But not your yellow," she said, crinkling her nose at his neon yellow shoes.
"There's nothing wrong with my yellow," Zach replied, mocking offence.
"Yes, there is," Heidi said seriously, grinning a moment later.
"Ah, you brat. Come on, let's go find your blue or green shoes and get out of here. I'll buy you lunch if you..."
Heidi blinked in surprise when Zach stopped talking abruptly, her hand moving up to her hearing aid to see if it was still working. She could hear the rest of the noise in the mall though, so figured that something must have made him stop talking. Looking in the direction he was looking, Heidi saw the reason, her hands clenching at the sight of the purple-clad girl across the mall. Magenta was coming out of a store with Will, his arm around her waist. The girl who had broken her brother's heart - the very same one who refused to go to the mall because she hated it so much - was right there, and Heidi wanted nothing more than to slap her for hurting her brother and for being a fake hypocrite.
Magenta must have realised that they were both staring at her, because she looked across the mall, her face paling on seeing them. She tried to turn away, to get away from their stares, and Heidi growled low in her throat. Overhead, the fluorescent lights flickered violently until they shattered completely, pieces of glass and hot plastic showering down on the gathered shoppers below.
Swearing softly - but loud enough for Heidi to learn a new curse word or two - Zach took her arm and led her away as quickly as he could.
"Shouldn't have done that, Heids," he whispered carefully.
"She hurt you, why shouldn't I?" Heidi replied angrily, wrenching her arm away from him.
"Because we're in public, and shit like that will get us into trouble. Will's the son of the Commander and Jetstream, and I don't want to go to gaol for taking the rap for you. I'm dealing with them, okay? It was just a surprise to see them in the mall," Zach said, leading Heidi to the back of the shoe store.
"That little punk's the son of the Commander and Jetstream?" she scoffed, but his face was pale enough to attest his words.
"Come on, let's just get you some shoes, okay?" Zach murmured quietly. "They'll think that I did it, and I'm fine with that. So long as you don't get into trouble, it's nothing to worry about, understood?"
Heidi nodded, but felt a little guilty at the thought of getting her beloved brother into trouble for her own loss of control.
"Wait, you said you're dealing with them... How are you dealing with them?" she asked, even as she dutifully sat down on the stool and tried on a pair of blue shoes Zach offered to her.
A pair of security guards walked past the store, their walkie talkies making a sound of interference as they called the store's medics to look after the people who had been injured.
"These are actually really good shoes," Heidi said, looking down at her feet in them.
"Really? Oh, hey, go me," Zach said, grinning at her. "And they're only fifteen bucks too. All right, walk around the store, see how you go in them. Might need the next size up," he mused.
Heidi stood up, flexing one foot at a time before walking up and down the aisle. Zach was surprised to realise that his sister was taller than his shoulder; he was sure Heidi had been shorter than that only last week!
"They're good, and they've got growing room," Heidi said, smiling at him.
"Cool. Let's go then; the next bus shouldn't be too far off."
"I'm hungry," Heidi said as they went to the front counter to pay for her new shoes.
"What do you feel like? Food court?" Zach asked, opening his wallet and pulling out the twenty to pay for the shoes.
A few medics ran past, bulky bags in their hands, and Heidi paled slightly, shaking her head.
"I don't want to eat here," she said, her hand slipping into his again.
Zach faltered for a moment. He didn't really want to eat there either, but the mall wasn't as close to the city centre and the rest of the food places as he'd like. In fact out here the only place that was nearby was The Paper Lantern.
"Oh, I know where we can go," Zach said, grinning. "And if I play my cards right, we might get a free meal."
"Zach?"
He turned on hearing his name being called, a silly grin on his face when Zach saw that it was Ethan. "Hey, man. What're you doing here?"
"Needed some new notebooks for school, so Mum dropped me off about half an hour ago," he said, holding up his shopping bag to reveal the various coloured notebooks in his bag. "What about you?" Ethan asked.
"Heidi needed some new shoes, and we're just about to go to The Paper Lantern for lunch. I'm going to see if I can scab a free meal off Warren," Zach said with a grin. "Want to come?"
"Okay," Ethan said, a light blush on his cheeks.
"Is he your boyfriend?" Heidi asked Zach, grinning broadly.
"Yes, he is, now be quiet or I'll exchange these for that Barbie-pink pair," Zach muttered.
Heidi blanched at the thought and went quiet, quickly following her brother and Ethan out of the store's side entrance.
"Did you see the lights blow up?" Ethan asked on their way out. "Will jumped on a couple kids and saved them from being hurt. He's probably going to have to give a statement to the media," he muttered with a grimace.
"You don't like him either?" Heidi asked, delighted with her brother's boyfriend already.
Ethan seemed surprised at her question, but gave a brief nod, as if he hadn't been aware of his dislike until it had been pointed out to him.
They walked along the streets quietly, passing an old house with a sold sign and a large picture of future apartment blocks stuck on the front fence. Walking the last few metres up to The Paper Lantern, Zach called out to Warren and Layla, who he saw walking up to the side of the restaurant. They both turned around at his call, waiting patiently for them to join them.
"Hi Zach, Ethan. Hi Heidi," Layla said with a smile, remembering Zach's sister from when she'd seen her at his house during their last study group.
"Hi Layla. Are you all right?" Heidi asked Warren, indicating to the white-knuckled grip Layla had on his hand.
"Fine. What're you all doing here?" Warren asked, looking between them.
"Came to see if we could get some lunch," Zach said, grinning.
"Sure, shouldn't be too busy in there yet. I'll check the reserved tables and see if we've got one available," Warren said, going into the restaurant and holding the door opened for Layla.
She smiled at him, thanking him quietly and waiting as the others joined her in the foyer. Mrs. Woo called out to Warren when he opened the reservation book, and he replied to her in Cantonese, scribbling something in the book.
"You've got table 20. Someone will be out in a minute to get your orders," Warren added, nodding over to the table that he'd booked for them.
As they walked over to the table near the back of the restaurant, Warren went into the kitchen to get ready for his shift.
"So why are you here instead of the shopping mall?" Layla asked, looking to the bags they were all carrying. "Surely there's Chinese food in the food court?"
Ethan shrugged, Zach reddened slightly, and Heidi looked at the table, the light overhead flickering.
"Did something happen?" Layla asked, looking between them curiously.
There was a moment of silence, an awkward pause filling the air.
"Magenta was at the mall with Will. I overreacted and made the lights explode," Zach said.
"I didn't know you could make lights explode, Zach," Layla said in surprise.
"He can't," Heidi said quietly. "It was me; Zach's just covering for me."
"So you can light up, and Heidi can affect lights?" Ethan asked, grinning slightly. "Does that mean you can turn Zach on and off like a Christmas tree, Heidi?"
Heidi's eyes widened at his question and she laughed behind her hand, Zach shaking his head with a grin.
"Hey, what do you lot want to eat?" Warren asked, coming over to the table with notebook in hand.
"Since when do you take orders?" Layla asked, trying not to grin.
"Since I let my friends in the restaurant half an hour before opening time," he said, rolling his eyes. "Come on, I don't have all day."
They gave their orders, Warren leaving back to the kitchen to cook.
"So will you be going to Sky High, Heidi?" Layla asked.
"Hope so. Still have to wait three whole years," Heidi muttered sourly.
"I'm sure it'll fly by," she replied assuringly.
"I hope so. I have to show Zach up somehow. Stop kissing Ethan before lunch, Zach. You'll ruin your appetite or something," Heidi muttered, nudging her brother with a grin.
Layla laughed, and Zach pulled away from Ethan reluctantly.
"When you start dating someone, I'm going to go around and bug you about kissing them too."
Heidi rolled her eyes at her brother, but her response was stopped by Warren serving their food. He indicated for Layla to move further down the booth, sitting next to her.
"Mrs. Woo's letting you eat lunch with us?" she asked in surprise.
"She really, really likes you. Something about brightening up the flowers, which you're not meant to do outside of Sky High," Warren added with a bit of a smirk, handing her a pair of chopsticks.
"Oh, stop it. It just looks sad when the daisies aren't straight," Layla muttered, the flower on their table adjusting itself accordingly, as if to prove a point.
They ate, snippets of conversation breaking the silence every so often. Eventually, Mrs. Woo called for Warren to start his shift, and he took their empty dishes to the kitchen, leaving them to continue talking.
"So why were you here, Layla?" Heidi asked eventually. "Do you always come to Warren's work?"
"No, not always. I went to the bank this morning, and was going out this afternoon before heading back to my Great Aunt's house. I was actually going to organise a study group for tomorrow, if you and Ethan are interested, Zach?"
"Yeah, who's place this time?" Zach asked.
"It's my turn," Layla said with a grin.
"Then we'll go to mine next, Warren's after that, and Zach's last, before starting all over again, right?" Ethan asked.
Layla nodded, and started discussing one of the assignments she had for Mad Science. Heidi didn't participate in this conversation, frowning slightly as she glanced to her brother. Zach obviously hadn't told their parents about his relationship with Ethan, but she wondered if he'd told Ethan and his friends why. She resolved to make sure that Zach wouldn't be hurt when the truth was revealed to their parents.
...
End of the twenty-fifth chapter.
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!
