Disclaimer: I don't own Sky High.
Read on, oh faithful ones...
...
Chapter Thirty One
...
"I heard everything. Let me see that," Heidi demanded of Warren, holding her hand out for the jar.
He glanced over his shoulder to Layla and Zach, and eventually they both nodded. He threw the small jar to her and she caught it easily with one hand. Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the red-infused water.
"So, my dad is really in here?" Heidi asked, looking to them for confirmation.
Ethan nodded quickly. "It's my power; I melt," he said.
She made a noise of acknowledgement, but her attention returned to the jar quickly. Before anyone could say or do anything, Heidi shook the jar violently, a look of satisfaction on her face as she watched bubbles fill it quickly. She smirked and threw the jar back to Warren.
"I'll keep mum distracted. I don't care what you do, just don't come back with him."
"Heids," Zach said, wanting to tell her that he was their father, and their mother literally wouldn't be able to survive without him since she had no control over their money.
"Don't Heids me, Zach. I don't care if he's our father, or what he means to mum, or even what you think you owe him as his son. He's an abusive asshole, and I never want to see him again," Heidi said fiercely.
The lights in the hallway flickered, even though the power was switched off.
"Promise me. Promise you won't come back with him," she pleaded.
"I promise," he said hollowly, his shoulders sagging in defeat.
"Thank you. Now go before mum comes up here looking for you. I'll tell her that you've gone to sleep, so don't let her see you on the way out, and don't come in through the front door on the way back," Heidi muttered.
"You've thought about this too much, Heids," Zach muttered, albeit a little fondly.
"I've been planning my escape since my fifth birthday party," she said with a shrug.
Zach's eyes widened slightly, but he remembered what had happened at her fifth birthday party and simply nodded in understanding.
Without another word they all headed downstairs. Heidi went to distract her mother in the kitchen while the others left the house. Warren pocketed the jar and led them to the bus stop. He and Layla knew the Hive's bus route off by heart and he knew that the next one wasn't too far off.
"Do I dare ask what happened at Heidi's fifth birthday party?" Layla asked.
"Maybe some other time, just not today," Zach murmured.
Ethan was still holding his hand gave it a little squeeze, smiling briefly. "Everything will be all right soon, Zach."
"I hope so," Zach murmured.
He went quiet, trying to remember how much money he had saved up over the years. Heidi wasn't the only one who had planned on escaping. Zach knew he couldn't stay in his father's house if this didn't work out.
...
The trip to the Hive felt shorter than it probably took, but Layla was surprisingly calm about taking Zach and Ethan there. Despite Zach's reservations about patricide, she knew that both were ready to become permanent markers, and Layla was having a hard time keeping the smile off her face. Warren could sense her excitement and rolled his eyes at her a few times, but she still couldn't bring herself to calm down.
"How'd Heidi hear everything anyway, Zach? I thought she was downstairs with your mum?" Ethan said with a slight frown.
"Obviously not. Heidi's completely deaf in only one ear; the other one can't hear a lot, but she can hear really loud noises without her hearing aid, not that she lets our parents know that. She was wearing her hearing aid when she caught us. Besides, we weren't exactly quiet, and the baby monitors that Heidi and I have are ones that amplify sound. I'm not surprised that she heard everything," Zach replied, shrugging.
"Do you know how you're going to keep your promise to her?" Warren asked.
"No; I don't know if I can," he added quietly, hanging his head.
Silence reigned for the rest of the trip, not breaking even as the four of them walked from the bus stop to the Hive's forest entrance.
"What is this place?" Ethan asked, frowning at the fact that a forest was essentially in the middle of nowhere.
"The forest that leads to the Hive. Try not to touch the trees; they're not used to anyone other than me and Warren," Layla said.
As if to prove her point, a tree close to Zach seemed to reach its branches down to swipe at his head curiously. Zach jumped back, eyes wide as he tried to hide behind Ethan.
"What the hell, Layla?!"
"They're not going to start talking and walking, don't worry. They just have a higher level of awareness than most living creatures; humans included," she added in a low mutter. "You're our friends and don't pose a threat to us, so you'll be fine."
"What if we were a threat?" Ethan asked curiously,
"Then you wouldn't be fine," Layla replied simply. "Coming?" she asked, heading down the path.
Warren smirked at the two boys and followed her without hesitation, throwing the jar between his hands easily.
"You still okay with this, Zach?" Ethan asked softly.
He gave a nod, though he kept very firmly in the middle of the path and as far out of the trees' reach as possible.
"So, this is it? A house hidden behind a forest?" Ethan asked, not entirely impressed.
"That you can see, yes. But what's under the house is much more interesting," Layla said lightly, not at all offended by his assumption since it was the exact reaction that she wanted from others who might see the Hive too.
"What's under the house?" Zach asked warily, glancing back to the trees behind him.
"You'll see. Come in, we'll give you a tour of the house first," Layla said, nodding for Warren to open the door.
They were all inside a few moments later, Zach and Ethan both surprised about how warm and inviting the interior of the house was. Green and red were prominent in all of the rooms, but somehow, it didn't come across as a gaudy Christmas advertisement.
"Oh, that's what it reminds me of," Zach announced as they were going in the kitchen. "Hansel and Gretel. You've got the nice house that draws people in, and then you butter them up all sweetly, but behind it all you're really evil."
"I think I should be insulted that I'm being compared to an ugly old witch," Warren muttered. "But you're not far off," he added with a grin.
"Well, I don't know about you, but that comparison just made me hungry," Layla said, frowning as if she couldn't quite believe her own train of thoughts.
Zach moved as far away from the oven as possible. Warren chuckled and lead the way down to the library where the trapdoor was. This time, Ethan and Zach didn't hesitate before following Layla and Warren downstairs. They were both quiet as they headed down the main tunnel, looking in each branching tunnel curiously.
"Do you have any sort of map? It'll take years to memorise every tunnel in here. I should be able to make something basic in a few weeks," Ethan said, his eyes bright at the prospect of creating a map, and labelling the rooms and tunnels to the last detail.
"Calm down there, Popsicle. You can be the cartographer once we've dealt with this bastard," Warren said, shaking the jar for emphasis.
Ethan agreed with a firm nod, and they all followed Layla through the tunnels to a room that only had one exit.
"Zach, this is your final chance to back out. We can stop right now, and return your father to his normal form; you and Heidi could stay here as long as you need. I can use a vine to wipe his memory. I think I can, at least," Layla added.
"I've come this far, I'm not backing out now," he said.
She waited a moment longer, in case Zach changed his mind, and finally gave a brief nod before turning to Warren. "Give the jar to Ethan, please."
He handed it to Ethan with a brief nod, his arms lighting up to create a ring of fire on the floor. Warren left an opening so Ethan could walk through without the flames hurting him. The water in the jar bubbled fiercely, and Ethan took a deep breath before walking through the opening, the flames closing behind him. The empty jar rolled out of the flames a moment later, and there was a dripping sound as Ethan melted down. For a few minutes, there was nothing but silence, broken only by the crackle of flames.
Mr. Brighton fought back, even as Ethan tried to reform, and by the time they were both in human form once more, Ethan's head and eyes were spinning, his stomach churning. He fell to his knees, not quick enough to escape the flames as they'd planned.
"You fucking little faggot," Mr. Brighton snarled, emphasising his words with a swift kick to Ethan's ribs.
He groaned in pain, his eyes watering behind his glasses, and another kick was delivered to his stomach this time. Ethan cursed under his breath, trying to gather enough of his senses to think, to melt, but Mr. Brighton kept laying his boot into his body, and all of his thought processes went to protecting his head and trying to curl up to lessen the pain. Ethan wasn't entirely sure that it worked.
They heard the swearing and the heavy thuds of Mr. Brighton's boot connecting with Ethan's body. Warren made the flames stronger, not willing to lessen them in case the older man escaped, but the intense heat only seemed to make him angrier. Layla knew that none of her plants would survive the ring of fire considering how hot they were, and she looked to Warren, about to tell him to stop the flames when Zach ran past and jumped through the flames.
"Hey! Leave him the fuck alone!" Zach called, only for his father to whirl around to lash out at him.
Zach didn't let him get close enough to land a blow, a series of flashes emitting from his body. He watched coldly as his father dropped to the ground, his entire body seizing up and shaking, his eyes rolling back into his head. Zach barely resisted the urge to kick his father and stepped over him to help Ethan up gently.
"You all right, Eth?"
He pushed his glasses up his nose slightly and gave a brief nod, even though they both knew he was lying.
"Hey, turn the flames off. It's hot in here," Zach called.
The flames died instantly, Warren and Layla looking between them and Mr. Brighton curiously.
"What did you do?" Layla asked, she and Warren stepping over the circle of ash to inspect Mr. Brighton more closely.
"I don't really know. I just got so angry, I powered up without even thinking about it. Can you do what you need to do while he's like that?" Zach asked.
"I can try," Layla murmured, her eyes turning green.
Two vines slithered out from the palms of her hands and pushed their way directly into Mr. Brighton's feet. He didn't make a noise, still seizing from Zach's blast of power, and they all watched silently as the vines continued to trace green lines beneath his skin.
...
Heidi was watching a movie, half of her concentration on the words and actors on the screen, and the other half listening out intently for the front or back door to open. She'd been on edge ever since her brother and his friends had left, only allowing herself to relax after her mother had left for work almost an hour ago.
The front door opened and slammed loudly, Heidi's heart skipping a beat at the sudden noise. She looked out of the lounge room cautiously, a wave of relief washing over her at the sight of Zach and his friends. Then her expression and heart dropped, seeing her father standing with them.
"You brought him back?!" she yelled, the entrance light flickering violently for a second before shattering completely.
Ethan immediately melted himself and Zach down, and a leaf taller than Warren and thicker than a piece of wood covered him and Layla. Mr. Brighton didn't move, even when the shards of hot glass hit his skin, and Heidi frowned at him.
"Well, that was a pleasant welcome," Layla murmured, her leaf disappearing when Heidi didn't try to attack them again.
"Hey, Popsicle, get back up here already," Warren said, toeing the puddle of water.
Ethan and Zach were in their human form in a second, and the four of them stepped over the pieces of glass carefully. Zach immediately went to the laundry to get a dustpan and brush, handing both to Heidi.
"You know the rules, Heids: you make a mess, you clean it up. I'll replace the bulb," he said.
"What did you do to him?" she asked, the pan and brush held in her hands limply.
Zach grinned slightly and signed his answer to her. 'He's being controlled by vines. I know it sounds weird, but it's the truth. Trust me on this: never piss Layla off.'
Heidi laughed and nodded briefly. She went over to their father, frowning slightly as she looked up at him. Making a decision, Heidi banged the dustpan and brush together loudly, knowing how much it annoyed him, but there was no response. His eyes glowed green for a moment, and she knew that he was still in there, but he couldn't get out. Zach had kept his promise: he hadn't come home with their father, even if it was still his body.
"Good," she murmured to herself.
With that done, Heidi set about cleaning up the mess of glass on the floor while Zach went to get a light bulb. When they were finished, Heidi followed the group to the kitchen.
"How long will it last?" she asked.
"He should stay this way as long as I'm alive. It's growing inside him now, so it might last even longer," Layla replied.
"Plan on dying soon?" Heidi asked.
"Not if I can help it," Layla said with a grin.
'I want to help you with whatever you plan on doing,' she signed to Zach.
He shook his head. 'No way, too dangerous.'
'Bullshit.'
'Where did you learn that sign?!' he asked in surprise.
'How did you know it?' Heidi returned, smirking.
Zach didn't reply, his cheeks reddening. Heidi just laughed at her brother, resolving to ask Layla about helping them when Zach couldn't be there to refuse.
Later that night, Zach woke up with the sudden feeling that something was wrong. He was used to being woken by loud screams, by arguments, or his mother crying, but there was no noise. Creeping out of his room quietly, Zach headed over to the stairs and peeked down in the lounge room where his parents were sitting. His mother looked exhausted, her head dropping forward onto her chest slowly, but his father had his eyes wide open, staring at the TV without seeming to process it. When Mrs. Brighton had fallen asleep completely, he stood off the lounge and carried her upstairs. He passed Zach without a look or word of reprimand, going straight to their bedroom. Zach watched after them, making sure that his father wouldn't do anything to hurt her while she was so vulnerable. When he was satisfied that she would be all right, Zach went back to his bedroom and fell asleep, worry-free for the first time in years.
...
The week of the election arrived and along with it came all of the tension and nerves borne of a political polling week. The Mayor promised everything, smiled at everyone, shook hands and kissed babies, and with the Commander and Jetstream on either side of him, his popularity among the voters never wavered.
Layla spent nearly every waking moment that week thinking of more ways to publicise her boss, from social media campaigns, posters in local businesses, to even asking Ron Wilson (bus driver) to use the Sky High bus to write the Mayor's name in the sky. He was initially excited, but after consulting with Principal Powers, he had to refuse Layla's request - the buses were very expensive pieces of technological equipment, not a skywriter's plane, and even so, the school would not be coerced into advertising for either side of the political campaign. (However, Principal Powers would use the same technique to boost school enrolments later that year.)
"Hippie, if you don't eat your lunch, I'm going to make you eat it. Did you even eat breakfast this morning?" Warren asked.
"I went to bed later than usual and ran out of time," Layla admitted.
Warren glared and put her plate of salad directly on top of her draft of the Mayor's speech for that evening's television broadcast. She made a sound of protest, but he ignored her and offered her a fork instead. With a sigh, Layla ate her salad under Warren's watchful eye, taking a long drink of water before returning to the Mayor's speech.
"The bell rang, hippie," Warren said, flicking a screwed up napkin at her.
"What?" Layla muttered in surprise, looking up to see that they were two of the last six in the cafeteria.
"You're very determined when you focus on something, hippie. That could be a bad thing if you don't pay enough attention to your surroundings," he murmured as they left together.
"I know. But you were with me then," she said, smiling up at him. "I'll pay more attention next time," Layla added, pressing a kiss to his lips before heading off for her next class.
...
"Congratulations, Layla. The Mayor's going to be very pleased with this afternoon's election results."
It took Layla a moment to place the voice, but the words were damning enough, and she immediately knew that it was Honey Olgestein - Hourglass - on the other end of the phone.
"Really? So it's definite?"
"Ninety-five percent positive that he will win. Five percent if he wears the purple tie," Honey said.
Layla looked into the Mayor's office, wincing when she saw that he was wearing a tie covered in purple swirls. "I'll be right back."
"Of course," Honey said patiently as she was put on hold.
Layla headed straight to the staff kitchen, pouring a mug of coffee before heading back towards the Mayor's office.
"Mr. Mayor? I brought you a coffee," Layla said, offering the mug to him carefully.
"Thank you, Layla. What do you think of this tie? My wife bought it as an anniversary present."
"It's a lovely tie, Mr. Mayor," she said hesitatingly. "But... Never mind."
"But what?"
"I'm just not sure that purple's the best colour for you. It doesn't inspire a lot of confidence, does it?"
"Purple's a colour of royalty!"
"And we're not a monarchy, sir, nor do you want to be seen as someone higher than the average voter. That's the image we've been promoting these last few months: you're just as honest as the next man."
"Damn, you're right. A coffee stain should be enough to placate my wife," he muttered, going to tip a careful amount on the tie.
"We just had the carpet cleaned from the last coffee spill, Mr. Mayor," Layla prompted him. "The kitchen has a tiled area," she added.
He tapped his nose knowingly. "See, that's why I have you around. My red tie's in the top drawer, get it out for me, would you?" he asked, heading off to the kitchen.
Layla opened the drawer with the key carefully, taking out the red tie that was curled up beside his stapler. A key glinted in the office's lights, and Layla frowned slightly on realising that it wasn't one of the usual keys the Mayor carried around. The tag read Beast, and she almost dismissed it as a key for one of his many cars. But why would he keep it in his desk drawer at work? Layla thought to herself. The Monster was the main office filing cabinet, maybe he'd named the one in his office Beast?
Making a split decision, Layla slipped the key into her pocket. Her entire body seemed to be trembling in excitement, as she shut the drawer, and she hid the trembling of her hands by shaking out the tie properly. The Mayor returned less than a second later, and she smiled at him, offering the tie.
"The media are waiting for you downstairs, would you like me to bring them up here?" Nina asked, popping her head into the office.
"No, I'll go meet them. It's what any honest man would do," he murmured with a slight smirk, putting his tie on with ease and following Nina out.
Layla locked the top drawer and went back to her desk, the key to the Beast burning a hole in her pocket. She took Honey off hold, but discovered that the woman had disconnected the call, the reason for her call now complete.
...
"Congratulations on getting the Mayor re-elected, hippie. Now, tell me the truth, how many of his promises will actually be kept?" Warren asked, grinning at her.
"Out of ten? Maybe four, if there's a few tax increases. Of course, two of those promises are ones relating to politician's wages and salary bonuses," Layla said sarcastically.
"You're already so jaded, and you've only been working for two months," Warren said with a snort.
"Funny, Warren," she said, nudging him with her elbow.
"I'm giving up my life of crime to become a stand-up comedian," he deadpanned.
Layla rolled her eyes at him, shaking her head.
"So, where to? Your Great Aunt's to celebrate? Or the Hive to really celebrate?" Warren asked, a grin forming on his face.
"Frieda's organised a party for me. We'll have to leave our celebration until next weekend," she said, though a little reluctantly. "Actually, I'm surprised you didn't know about the party already. Didn't Frieda invite you too?"
"She did, but I was hoping to avoid it. I know she's going to call me cutie again," he groused.
"Oh, you'll live. Come on, come celebrate with me; I'll make it worth your while," Layla promised, grinning up at him.
"How're you going to do that, hippie? I want details," Warren said, pulling her close to kiss her fiercely.
"Well, I was going to start with that," she said breathlessly.
"Good. We'll discuss the rest of how you're going to make up for me being called cutie on the way there," he said, flagging down the approaching bus.
Layla, still a little dazed from his intense kiss, simply nodded and followed Warren onto the bus without a word.
...
"Congratulations, Layla!" Frieda said happily, hugging her tightly within seconds of Layla walking in the door.
"Oh, stop acting so dramatic, Frieda. You're acting like she single-handedly got the Mayor re-elected," Greta said, rolling her eyes.
"Oh, ignore your Great Aunt, Layla; she's just upset that Honey thought of this party before she did."
"No, I'm upset that Honey thought of the party and insisted that it be held here. Tonight is my poker night," Greta muttered.
"You've never gone to poker night while I've been here. I haven't disrupted your social outings, have I?" Layla asked anxiously.
Behind her, Warren covered his laugh with a cough, drawing Frieda's attention.
"Hello, cutie! Have you gotten taller since I last saw you?" she asked, smiling up at him brightly. "Come inside, that cough didn't sound healthy at all."
Warren stepped further inside, shooting Layla a 'this had better be worth it' glare as Frieda shut the door behind him. Frieda took his arm, patting his hand gently.
"Now, let's go see where my daughter and her personal assistant's gotten to," she murmured, leading him away.
"I voted for the opposition," Greta muttered under her breath, going after Frieda and Warren.
Layla smirked to herself before heading upstairs to put her bag away. She jumped in fright on seeing Honey in her room, holding her hand to her hammering heart to try and calm herself.
"What on earth are you doing in here?" she hissed, closing the door quickly.
"I need the key. Quickly, we don't have much time; Sarah will only be able to distract them for so long," Honey replied, holding her hand out.
Deciding that she didn't have time to feign innocence, Layla took the key for the Beast out of her bag and handed it to her. Honey took a small silver container from her pocket, pressed the key into the rubber-like dough inside and closed the lid, holding it tight so the key would create a firm impression.
"I'll get the copy made and tell you when you can come pick it up. I apologise in advance for interrupting you and Warren later tonight, but you'll need to return the key to the Mayor's desk tonight. He will be in his office tomorrow morning - an unexpected argument with his wife over the tie - and he'll definitely notice the key's absence. I'll text you when it's safe to leave without disturbing Greta."
"What about security? Besides, I can't get inside the building without swiping with my access card. That information's recorded, and someone's bound to get suspicious about me being there in the middle of the night."
Honey passed the key back to her, frowning as she tried to think of a solution, processing hundreds of possible futures in a matter of seconds. One came to her suddenly, and she let out a shaky breath. "Dave will let you in; tell him you've left your access card on your desk upstairs and you couldn't sleep knowing it was there. He's very particular about security and you'll get scolded, but your presence won't be logged, and Dave will probably forget you were even there in a few days, even if he makes a few comments about your access card later on."
"All right, thank you."
"You're welcome. Now you get changed while I go to the kitchen and get drinks. Lemonade?" Honey offered.
"Yes, please."
She nodded and left Layla's bedroom quietly, closing the door behind her. Layla pulled her shirt off and changed into a clean top, kicking off her shoes but deciding to forgo changing her skirt. Taking her hair out of her usual plaits, she tied it back into a ponytail and put a bandanna on. Layla waited a few moments longer, wanting to make sure that she had spent enough time 'getting changed' to give Honey time to get the drinks, then headed down to the lounge room to save Warren from Frieda's pet-names.
"Honey had an ulterior motive in organising this party, you know, Layla," Frieda mentioned with a smile.
"Did she?"
"She just wanted an excuse to meet you in person. Honey says I've talked you up and no one could be that nice, but I only spoke the truth," she added, grinning.
Greta scoffed, but Frieda didn't seem to hear.
"Honey told me that she saw you at the meeting you organised with the reporters, but she didn't get a chance to introduce herself," Frieda said.
"All right, I have drinks," Honey called, coming into the lounge room with a tray of various drinks.
Sarah followed with a bowl in each hand, one full of chips and the other of biscuits. She was introduced to Layla and Warren, Honey's introduction following.
"It's nice to finally meet you, properly Layla," Honey said, stepping forward and hugging her.
"Since when do you hug people, Honey?" Greta muttered, taking the chocolate biscuit that Sarah offered her.
"Oh, Layla and I are going to be great friends," she replied with a sweet smile.
"That's a bit presumptuous, isn't it? You just met the girl, and she's twenty years younger than you!"
"Fourteen, actually. Besides, age has nothing to do with friendship," Honey said, a little sterner now.
"Of course it doesn't. Just like love; and there's no gender restrictions either," Frieda said with a nod.
"Mum, Sarah is my personal assistant, she is not my girlfriend. Sarah has a lovely boyfriend; you've met him before," Honey said with a sigh.
It was obviously an ongoing argument, if the look on Honey's face was anything to go by, Layla mused. Sarah, she noted, simply looked amused at Frieda's words.
"Yes, yes, that Jared boy, I know. But you haven't been on a date in years, Honey, and I worry that you're going to end up all alone," Frieda said, patting her daughter's hand gently.
"I've told you before, Mum: I'm waiting for the right guy."
"You've been waiting an awfully long time, Honey. Are you sure you're not being picky?"
"Mum, please! If I promise that I'll go on a date by the end of the year, will you stop bringing this up?" Honey asked with a groan.
"Oh, don't be like that, we're among friends. They'll find out that you're 30 years old and alone eventually, why not now?"
"Layla, would you like to show me the garden outside before I have to throw myself out of a window in utter embarrassment?" Honey asked abruptly, turning to her and pleading.
"Uh, sure," she said, trying not to grin.
"Sarah, Warren, why don't you come with us?" Honey offered, seeing the grip her mother had on the poor teenager's arm.
"Yes, thank you," he said in relief. "My apologies, Ms. Bettendorf," Warren added smoothly, taking his arm out of her grasp and barely refraining from running to the back door.
"I've got to schedule your interview with Zona for tomorrow, you don't mind if I'm on the phone while being out there, do you?" Sarah asked Honey.
"Not at all, come on," she muttered.
Layla led them through the house and to the backyard outside. There was a small garden at the end of the yard. It was sadly neglected, and Layla felt a stab of guilt at the sight of the withered plants. She hadn't been out here since arriving to her Great Aunt's house, and the plants had shrivelled without someone taking care of them.
"This will just take a minute," she murmured to Honey.
"Not a problem, take as much time as you need," she said, then frowned. "Sorry, you'll actually have exactly two and a half minutes before my mum and Greta join us."
Layla nodded and turned to the small garden. She kicked off her shoes, digging her toes into the warm grass beneath her feet, and closed her eyes. A few seconds passed as she recognised each plant through feel alone. Feeling the seven different kind of plants in the small garden, she immediately knew what each plant needed to bring it back to life. Layla opened her eyes held her hands out and let a pulse of her power loose. Before their eyes, the plants strengthened, flowers budding and unfurling. Even the grass underfoot looked healthier.
"The flowers won't grow, I think someone's salted the earth," Greta muttered as she stepped out with Frieda in front of her.
"Why, they're beautiful. I don't know what you're talking about, Greta; look how lovely these hydrangeas are!"
Sarah coughed into her hand, covering her laugh at Greta's look of surprise. She busied herself with her phone when Greta glared over at her, but a smile still tugged at her lips.
"Sarah really has a boyfriend named Jared and works at Labyrinth? Isn't that awfully cliché?" Layla asked Honey, pretending as though they'd been talking all of this time.
"That's not the best part, though; they've got a dog named Toby," Honey said.
"You're the one that named him!" Sarah called, her hand covering the phone briefly.
"Oh, I know, but how could I resist?" she said, laughing. "Of course, poor Sarah had no idea I was being mean; I bought Toby for her a year before Jared came along. Toby's the reason she met Jared, so I think Sarah's forgiven me now."
"Dog park?" Warren asked, grinning.
"Uh, no, actually. Toby impregnated Jared's poodle. They lived about two blocks away from each other, and their dogs decided that two blocks wasn't enough to stop them from having the most adorable little puppies in the world. I got one from the litter, he's called Ari," Honey said with a warm smile.
"Don't tell me you orchestrated the whole thing just so you could get a dog?" Warren asked incredulously.
Honey just grinned and didn't answer.
"What did you do?" Greta hissed at Layla, pulling her away, but careful not to apply too much pressure and hurt herself with the phantom thorns in the process.
"What do you mean?" she asked, blinking innocently.
"You know exactly what I mean; those plants were dead this morning!"
"Oh, that... I made them healthy again. Don't you like the flowers, Greta?" Layla asked.
Greta muttered under her breath and let go of Layla, going back into the house without another word. Frieda was busy looking at the plants and didn't notice her friend's departure.
"Do you think Greta would mind if I take a few clippings, Layla? These are some of the loveliest hydrangeas I've seen this season," Frieda said.
"I don't think she'd mind at all," she replied with a bright smile. "I'll go get the scissors and a bag for you."
"Honey? I've got Zona on the line, would you like your interview for tomorrow morning or afternoon? She refuses to make a decision," Sarah added in a mutter, her hand covering the phone.
"In that case, afternoon. I'd much prefer to see Zona when she's somewhat sober and not still half-asleep," Honey muttered.
"I'll organise to have her favourite coffee available, just in case the extra hours of sleep aren't enough," Sarah said, returning to the phone call once more.
Honey thanked Sarah, drawing her into the conversation she was having with Warren about the Mayor's re-election. They went back towards the house to get to the shade, leaving Frieda with Layla once she returned with the scissors and bag. Frieda smiled and watched as Layla carefully trimmed one of the hydrangeas so that she could take the clipping home.
"It will last until you get it home and put it in some water," she assured Frieda.
"Oh, that's good news. Now, why don't you try and make this rosebush grow a little taller? There's a lovely bud near the bottom branches that I think will turn out just perfectly," she said, leaning in close to look at the rosebush.
"You... You know about my power?" Layla asked, her jaw dropping slightly.
Over by the house, Warren went still and silent, watching them intently as he tried to determine what was making his vine tattoo spin wildly out of control. Honey shook her head, told him that everything was fine, and drew him back into the conversation once more.
"Of course; Greta's been ranting about it ever since you came to live with her. She kept saying something about trees ripping up her floorboards or something ridiculous like that. I didn't believe her at first, but then I met you, and... well, who else would have that many plants in their house? Of course, it wasn't hard for me to find out the truth, considering my daughter's talent. I remember her talking about a plant grower and fire boy when she was just a child. It was after one of those times she was bullied at school, and I told her to look to the future, to find something that would make up for everything she went through, something that she could always look forward to. I remember because when I told her that, and she told me about you two, she didn't stop smiling for a full week," Frieda said, sighing. "It was so rare to see my lovely daughter smiling back then, and I feel like I can trust you, just for that alone. Now, how about this rose then, dear?"
Layla did as she asked, too stunned to think of a reason not to make the rose bush grow more. "Do you have a power?" she finally asked after Frieda had clipped the rose off the branch carefully. (She was right, it was perfect.)
"No, I'm just very lucky. It's not a power, it's just good luck," Frieda said firmly.
Layla frowned. In the super world, good luck didn't account for much, and definitely wasn't a power. Still, she walked back up to the house with Frieda, who smiled brightly on seeing Warren and looped her arm through his.
"Help an old woman walk up the stairs, would you, dear?"
"You're not old, Ms. Bettendorf," Warren said, grinning. (He was just grateful she wasn't calling him cutie again.)
She laughed brightly. "You say such the nicest things. Just for that, I'll convince Greta to let you stay the night. I'm sure she won't mind someone as strong and handsome as you looking out for two ladies for one night."
"Uh, sure. That'd be great, thanks Ms. Bettendorf."
"Please, call me Frieda, dear."
Sarah went inside with Warren and Frieda, Layla waiting behind with Honey to try and get an explanation from her instead. Honey sighed, realising that Layla wouldn't take no or any evasion tactics to get out of this conversation for an answer.
"My mother grew up in a time of war, when the defence forces' recruitment agencies went knocking on doors and dragging people out of their houses so they could join the fight. She saw people with... gifts, like hers being taken away by people in the government, but she never saw them again, even though their names were never on the obituary lists. My mother's gift is one that she's kept secret for a very long time, because she knew if anyone knew about it, she too would be taken away by the government and never be seen again. Mum was right about that," Honey added with a slight frown.
"All right, but what's her power?"
"Secrets, Layla. She touches someone - sometimes, she just has to see them - and she knows their deepest and darkest secrets. Could you imagine what would happen if the government had her under their control? She would be used to collapse entire countries."
"But... what about Greta and Henry? She didn't know about them," Layla pointed out, her voice low.
Honey's jaw set firmly and she glowered at the house, as if she could see Greta through the brick walls. "Like I said, it's a gift. And her one flaw - or blessing, whichever way you see it - is that it doesn't work on people she's close to. She can only see the secrets of people she doesn't know. Of course, since I spoke about you and Warren when I was a child, she feels as though she already knows you, and hasn't heard a single secret from either of you," she added, seeing the look of relief on Layla's face. "The same can't be said for most people she meets."
"Thank you, Honey."
"You're welcome. Now, let's get inside. It's getting late, and the rest of us should be going... After the cake, that is," she added.
"There's cake?"
"There's always cake at my parties," Honey said with a grin, leading her back inside.
...
End of the thirty-first chapter.
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it!
