Chapter Sixty Five

...

"Now, I hate to sound like one of those mothers, but I have to ask: is the purple hair permanent?" Josie asked with a bright smile, tugging at a purple lock on Magenta's head.

Magenta didn't know what "those mothers" meant, but she knew that she had heard that question from people she didn't like. Reminding herself that this was Jetstream, Will's mother, Magenta inhaled and forced herself to smile. "It's just a home dye job, Mrs. Stronghold."

"Oh, call me Josie, dear. We're practically family."

Magenta's eyes widened, but she nodded. "All right. Thank you, Josie. Do you... do you not like the colour?" she asked hesitantly.

"Oh, the colour's lovely on you, dear. It's just purple doesn't look pleasant on TV. You've seen fights between the Purple Grape and, uh, Jetstream and the Commander, haven't you? Added ten pounds, at least," Josie said, shaking her head as though it was such a shame.

Magenta thought it was the Purple Grape's power, stretching out to a large ball shape until her enemies were squished beneath her, but she simply nodded.

Could purple hair add weight too? she wondered.

"Now, the Spa Retreat in Maxville's the best in the state. We've got a hot rock session, a trip to the sauna, facial, mani-pedi, and finishing off with a Swedish massage," Josie said. "You're going to come out of this a whole new woman," she said with a laugh.

Magenta wondered what was wrong with the woman she was right then, but dutifully followed Josie into the building for their bonding girls day out.

...

"I know some people prefer Spa Retreat in Maxville, but they treat you like a piece of clay that needs be to moulded via excessive heat and sweat. It's not pleasant and you come out looking like a bright red prune and sore for days," Frieda said, rolling her eyes. "Trust me, the Lotus Day Spa in Westville is so much better, and for the budget conscious, they're also cheaper."

"Are they missing a zero on this?" Ida asked as she looked at the prices on her phone.

"Nope, those are the real prices. If we go the weekend after the barbecue, that gives everyone time to get the day off, or get someone to look after the kids," Frieda added, smiling at Elijah and Elliot and cooing when they giggled up at her.

"Can I come?" Heidi asked Anita.

"Of course. Can she?" Anita asked Frieda.

"Definitely. The more the merrier," Frieda said with a smile.

"Hey, everyone. What're we talking about?" Craig asked, crouching slightly to rest his chin on the top of Heidi's head.

She laughed and reached back to tickle him.

"We're organising a spa day," Anita said, smiling as Heidi laughed.

"Ooh, fun. Can I come along?" Craig asked, looking between them.

"Of course, dear," Frieda said. "Would you like to see the manscaping menu?"

"Nah, I want a mani-pedi. My cuticles are awful," he said, splaying his hands in front of Heidi. "Look at that, Heids. Total disaster," Craig sighed.

She laughed again and reached out to grab his hands. "Will you get a colour?" Heidi asked.

"Sure. What colour do you think works best?" Craig asked, glancing around quickly to ensure no citizens would see what he was about to do. "Blue, green, purple, pink, black, silver, grey?"

Heidi blinked as the colours changed rapidly before her. "Wow."

"Any you liked?" Craig asked, spinning Heidi in a twirl before signing the different colours to her.

Heidi laughed and signed back to him.

"All of them? Well, I'll see what I can do for my favourite sister," Craig said, winking at her.

"Favourite sister, huh?" Cara asked, her arms folded over her chest and not looking amused.

"Favourite little sister," Craig amended quickly. "Though, it's your birthday today, so you're not so little anymore, huh?"

Heidi grinned and shook her head.

"Ready to part-ay, birthday girl?" Zach asked, dancing badly next to Heidi.

She covered her eyes, though she was laughing behind her hands.

"Come on, we've got an ice cream cake that's going to melt if we don't eat it soon," Anita said, waving and ushering everyone to their cars to follow them to the Damsale residence.

"Are we all going to fit in their house?" Warren asked, following his mother to her car.

"I'm sure it will be fine. They've got room in their backyard as well," Nina said.

Warren didn't look entirely convinced, but fell silent as they followed the procession of cars.

"You know, if you're planning on having an orgy, I hope you kids are all being safe," Nina said in a conversational tone.

"What?! Where on earth did that come from, Mum?" Warren asked incredulously.

"You were all piled up in your room the other day. I just wanted to put it out there."

"Oh, Super Jesus, no. Put it back in there. We were just sleeping. There are no orgies going on, okay?"

"Oh. Okay," Nina said, wincing slightly.

"Mum, what did you do?"

Nina coughed, trying not to look too guilty. "I might've talked with Frieda about it."

Warren let out a long groan and buried his face in his hands. "Why?!"

"Because she went to college in the 60s and 70s, and I knew she'd know more about the logistics of an orgy than I would. The 80s weren't that progressive."

"I'm going to power up now so I don't have to hear the rest of this conversation."

"You do that, and you're paying for a new interior. I'm talking neon fluffy dice and seat covers, mister."

"Y'know, that's still not as bad as this conversation," Warren pointed out, though he didn't power up.

"Oh, really? So I can go buy neon fluffy dice, then?"

"No."

Nina laughed, then reached over to squeeze Warren's hand. "Sorry about telling Frieda. I'd tell her to leave you alone about it, but I think she's planning a trip to a sex shop with you all. There was a whole educational benefit thing she had going."

"I... I don't know what to say to that."

"Well, just go and keep open-minded. You might learn something."

"I don't know that I want to," Warren said.

"You should always want to know more. You don't know what you'll learn from anyone, whether they're a sex shop owner or not."

Warren sighed and shook his head, taking his phone out and wondering how the hell he was going to explain this one.

Warren: So, mum saw us sleeping on the floor the other day, thought we were going to have an orgy & now Frieda's going to take us to a sex shop for educational purposes

There was a long minute of silence.

Layla: what?

Adam: dude, I wasn't even in that dog pile

Warren: if I have to go, then so do you

Craig: when are we going?

Ethan: are you sure we're all going? We're not 18.

Craig: dude, if Frieda gets us into a real sex shop, we're going

Ethan: I think Zach's having a heart attack.

Zach: are you shitting me? I'm trying not to pop a boner

Donny: TMI

Zach: Eth, think of the books!

Wendy: that's also TMI and I don't know why?

Warren: hippie, you okay?

Layla: I don't honestly know. I hadn't anticipated any of this

Layla: I'm curious to see what happens, though

Craig: what happens in the sex store stays in the sex store, agreed?

Everyone had agreed in a matter of seconds.

"Do I want to know what just happened?" Nina asked as she pulled into the Damsale's driveway.

"I told everyone what you said; we're organising an orgy," Warren deadpanned.

Nina cackled for so long that their friends passed their car to go inside before she finally settled down. "Grab the presents and go inside. I think I still need a minute," she said, giggling as she fanned her face.

Warren laughed, kissed her cheek, and grabbed Heidi's birthday presents from the backseat. "See you inside, Mum," he said, closing the door and heading up to the Damsale's home.

As he'd predicted, people were somewhat squished inside the house, but with the back door open, people made their way out into the sunshine and fresh air. Thanks to Honey and Anita's worked, everyone was armed with a piece of ice cream cake, Heidi getting the largest piece the plate could handle. She sat down on the grass outside and started to eat happily, practically ignoring everyone in favour of food.

"Now, Heids, you have a very important decision to make," Zach said, signing the words once he'd set his plate down.

Heidi frowned at him, her fork sticking out of her mouth.

"Which present are you going to open first?" he asked, indicating to the large pile of presents that had been set up nearby.

Heidi's eyes widened and she looked from the presents to everyone. "Mine?"

"All yours, sweetie," Anita said with a bright smile and a nod.

Heidi set the empty plate aside and made her way to the stack of presents hesitantly. She moved as though she was expecting the presents to fall apart, or to be empty as a joke. It was April Fools' Day, after all. Taking a present off the pile, Heidi tore at the wrapping, smiling brightly when she saw it wasn't empty: Christmas lights in the shape of little reindeer.

The doorbell rang, and Layla stood up before Anita could move. "I'll get it, Anita," she said.

Anita thanked her, and continued to take photos of Heidi opening her presents. Another set of lights?

"Sorry we're late," Grant said as he followed Jewel and Layla out into the yard.

Heidi looked confused, as she'd never met these two teenagers before. Meanwhile, Craig turned a bright red colour and apparently tried to hide behind Elliot. Elliot laughed at the new game, drawing everyone's attention in the silence.

"Traitor," Craig groaned, lowering Elliot back down to his knee and paying attention to his nephew instead of the newcomers.

"Heidi, this is Grant, and this is Jewel. They're new friends of ours," Layla said, winking at her.

Heidi smiled and waved shyly. Grant signed to say hello and happy birthday, and her shy smile turned bright as she signed back in return. Beside Grant, Jewel was wearing jeans, gloves, and a long-sleeved shirt, and due to her proximity to Grant, her skin looked pale rather than its usual shiny state. As long as no one looked too hard, they wouldn't even think she was a super.

Frieda looked at Grant and Jewel intently and then her gaze went to Craig, who kept looking to Grant and Jewel every so often, his cheeks red. "I might need to organise this trip sooner rather than later," she murmured to herself.

"I've got no idea what either of you said," Jewel said with an apologetic smile to both Heidi and Grant. "But happy birthday, Heidi. We brought you a present," she said, adding the wrapped box to the pile.

Jewel stepped back into the crowd, Grant sliding an arm around her and kissing her cheek.

Heidi signed thank you, then continued unwrapping the present Adam had given her. She frowned at the phone, looking between him and Anita and Richard.

"It's all right, I checked with Anita and Richard first. I made a game for you. It's installed and the phone's already charged and set up," Adam said, signing as many words as he could.

Made game? Heidi signed back in confusion.

Adam nodded and grinned. "Yep, it's your very own birthday game."

Heidi's confused expression gave way to pure joy, and she looked torn between opening the rest of her presents and playing her new game.

"Open the rest, Heids; I'll make sure you don't lose the phone," Zach promised.

Heidi handed the phone and box to Zach, then grabbed the next present. She laughed at the sixth set of novelty lights.

"Am I missing something?" Anita asked the world in general. Shaking her head when the world didn't give her a response, she handed her phone to Richard. "I'm going to get our present. Keep taking photos for me?"

"Of course," Richard said, kissing her before turning his attention and the phone back to Heidi.

Going into the kitchen to get Heidi's final present, Anita was surprised to hear a hushed argument coming from the lounge room. She'd thought everyone was still outside, so keeping her footsteps silent, Anita made her way to the doorway to listen.

" - believe you, Craig! You just can't be normal in any way, can you?" Cara snapped.

"I don't know what you're talking about!"

"What do you think everyone's thinking about you, what they're saying about you? It wasn't just me, Craig; everyone saw you making eyes at them."

"I... I didn't."

"Don't you lie to me, you freak."

"I'm not a freak. I'm not. I'm normal," Craig said, his voice small rather than his usual confident and boisterous sound.

"Give Elliot back to me. It's bad enough that you're a super, but they're starting to take after you as well."

"They're shifting already?" Craig asked.

"Not for long. I'm going to make sure they won't grow up to be freaks like you," Cara snapped.

Anita was ready to burst into the room and take Cara on, no matter the consequences, but a hand landed on her shoulder and Anita almost hit Honey as a result. Honey put a finger to her lips and nodded to the backyard. Seeing that Honey was holding a phone and she was recording Craig and Cara's conversation was the only reason Anita could bring herself to leave.

She forced herself to stop at the back door, to breathe, to stop from seething at the way Craig was being treated by his own sister. She couldn't understand why or how people could treat others like that, just because they were different, whether due to their sexuality or super ability, or both.

As she watched Heidi open another present, Anita wondered if she and Richard could take another child in. Craig deserved to be happy, and his nephews certainly didn't deserve to be called freaks by their own mother.

When Heidi had opened her last present - another set of lights, these in the shape of teardrops and looking like a curtain, according to the picture on the front - Anita made her way to her and made herself smile, warm and lovingly, just as she deserved.

"Anita, look!" Heidi said, indicating to the pile of fairy lights beside her - almost as tall as her.

"That's a lot of lights," Anita said with a bit of a laugh. "You have one more birthday present, sweetie," she said, presenting Heidi with the envelope.

Heidi took the envelope with a frown, not expecting more. Opening it, she pulled out a stack of documents, her frown deepening as she flipped between pages in confusion.

Don't understand, she signed.

"Richard and I discussed moving house with you all a while ago; somewhere bigger for all of us to be comfortable, somewhere that gives you a bigger room and bed. We've narrowed it down to those ten houses, but you get to choose. Well, you and the boys," Anita amended.

Heidi's eyes widened. "What?"

"What?" Ethan and Zach echoed her in surprise.

"It's something we've been thinking about for a while," Anita lied, just a little bit.

She and Richard had discussed it when Zach and Heidi had first moved in with them, but had set the decision aside as they seemed to be fine with three bedrooms. Then Mrs. Brighton had turned up on their doorstep and seeing Zach's reaction to her had been enough for them to bring up the discussion again. Anita and Richard had spent hours pouring over real estate booklets and websites, trying to find something that would suit all of them, and their friends.

Heidi waved Zach and Ethan over, flipping through the pages carefully, immediately dismissing one or two before continuing to the next one.

"So, any party games? Pin the tail on the donkey? Pin the horn on the unicorn? Pin the gloves on the Commander? Pin the cape on Jetstream?" Craig listed, grinning brightly.

Anita couldn't see anything like the small and sad boy she'd heard in her lounge room, but figured that his power was the cause of that; this face is red and blotchy from crying? Not a problem, here's a new face, fresh and shiny! Realising that he'd asked a question, Anita nodded. "There's water balloons in the laundry."

"Aw, yes! You got one of those giant balloon-filling pipes, right?"

Anita laughed. "Yes, and Richard spent most of the morning attaching the balloons and filling them up so they're ready to go."

"So where exactly is the laundry?" Craig asked, grinning.

"Richard will show you. I'm going to make sure none of these presents get wet," Anita said, starting to pick up the boxes of lights from the stacked pile.

She saw Grant and Jewel follow Craig and Richard inside, and felt her heart ache for all three of the teenagers. Anita had no doubt that Cara's cruel words would still be affecting Craig, though he certainly wouldn't show it if he could help it.

"He'll be all right, Mrs. Damsale," Adam said, helping her to pick up the presents.

"You... you've heard what Cara says to him?" Anita asked, her voice low.

"Not specific words, but he talks in his sleep sometimes," Adam said with a shrug. "It's better if someone else is there, they can't get to him then."

"They? The rest of his family treats him like that?" she asked, her voice raising. Anita forced herself to breathe and remain calm. She didn't want to ruin Heidi's first birthday party in years.

"His dad, mostly. His mother... she's, well, not aware of things beyond herself."

"Plain English, please, Adam," Anita said.

"Selfish cow."

"Ah, right. You're with him more often than not?"

"As often as I can be. My folks work late hours, so they're happier knowing I'm with a friend instead of being alone in an empty house," Adam said, waving over to his mother.

Anita sighed heavily. "Maybe I should talk with Ms. Martin again. I saw a five-bedroom house. That could work instead of four."

Adam tried not to laugh. "You honestly think Zach and Eth'll have separate rooms?"

"No, of course not. The last bedroom would be a study; there's no room left on our bookcases," Anita said.

With the presents gathered, they headed inside to put them away. Richard passed them on the way out, water balloons in each hand and looped to his belt, a bucket full under his arm. Anita and Adam both heard Richard's challenging roar before he started pelting water balloons at everyone, squeals of shock and laughter sounding.

"I'll get towels ready, if you'd like?" Adam offered once he'd set his half of the presents down.

"That would be nice, thank you. In the linen cupboard in the laundry," Anita said.

Adam wrinkled his nose and headed down to the indicated laundry.

Craig cackled and headed indoors to find Richard and the water balloons. "Hey, Mr. Damsale. Your lovely wife says you have water balloons at the ready," Craig said with a broad grin.

Richard clapped and rubbed his hands together. "Oh, excellent. This way, young man. Any battle plans, or do we just charge in?"

"Charge in, I'd say. Element of surprise and all that," Craig said.

"Good thinking. Now, I'll get the bucket and a few spare balloons, and you can follow with one of the tubs, how's that sound?"

"Sounds good to me," he replied, standing back as Richard looped a few balloons to his belt, tucked the bucket under his arm, and struggled to take one balloon in each hand.

"See you out there," Richard said with a broad grin, squeezing past Grant and Jewel to get out of the laundry and to the backyard once more.

"Did you hear about the water balloons as well?" Craig asked cheerfully, not letting himself to look at either Grant or Jewel, and making sure to stay out of Grant's reach.

"Nope, we were hoping to seduce you," Jewel said, grinning.

"Not up for seducing, thanks. I've got water balloons to throw at people."

"We'll wait, Craig. As long as you need," Grant said, reaching out to tap his chin.

Craig jolted back, as far away from Grant's reach as possible. Unfortunately, he wasn't fast enough and Grant's power ruined Craig's perfect complexion.

"Who made you cry?" Jewel asked, her voice harsh. "They'll be stone in two minutes flat," she snapped, taking a glove off.

"Shit. No, Jewel, don't. It's fine. It's nothing, okay? Just... personal shit, okay?" Craig said, shifting so his perfect face returned.

"Craig, babe. Don't hide. Please, not with us," Grant said softly.

Craig looked away, their earnest expressions too much of everything, and poked at the bulging water balloons. He sighed, ran a hand through his curly hair, and let his shift fade away. "There, happy?"

"You're upset, of course we're not happy," Jewel said, reluctantly tugging her glove back on so she could cup Craig's cheek. "Any time you want, tell me a name, and they're stone, okay?"

Craig could feel his shoulders shaking, somewhere between sobbing and laughing. "That's the sweetest thing anyone ever's said to me."

"Tell us and they'll be rubble," Grant said, smirking. "Jewel can do her thing, and I'm more than happy to push them off a high building. Or I could get a sledgehammer."

Craig laughed, only stopping when he heard footsteps approaching. He immediately shifted to his perfect face and stepped back out of reach of Grant's power.

"Please tell me you're decent. I just need towels," Adam said outside of the laundry door.

"Of course we're decent, what do you think we're doing?"

"I'm not thinking about it, that's the point, Craig," he replied, opening the door and breathing a sigh of relief when he saw they were still dressed.

"How many towels do you need?" Jewel asked, turning to open the linen cupboard door behind her.

"Depends if you actually bring the water balloons out," Adam said with a grin.

"All of them, then," Jewel said, passing as many towels as she could find to Adam.

"Thanks," he said, his voice muffled behind the towels.

"We'll be out in a minute, armed with water balloons," Grant added.

"I'm timing you," Adam said over his shoulder as he left.

Jewel closed the laundry door behind him and looked back to Craig. "Are you sure you're all right, babe?"

Craig shrugged. "I'm fine."

"I'd believe you if you said it with a bit more conviction," Jewel said.

"I'm fine!" Craig said, bright and sarcastic.

Jewel smirked. "That's more like it. Come on, hand the water balloons over and we'll show them how it's done," she said with a wink.

"Jewel was laser tag champion at Stronghold's party," Grant said proudly, kissing her deeply.

Craig watched them, feeling his heart race and his cheeks redden. He tried to get himself under control when they pulled away, and handed one of the tubs to Jewel when she turned to him expectantly.

"My offer stands, Craig," Jewel said, kissing his cheek. "Any time, just tell me their name, okay?"

Still feeling stunned and overwhelmed, Craig nodded.

Grant kissed his other cheek, grinning when he saw Craig's blush behind his perfect face, then grabbed a tub of water balloons. "See you out there, babe."

Craig forced his limbs to work again, to grab the last tub of water balloons and follow them outside.

...

"Hey, Stronghold. I need to talk to you," Warren said. "In private this time," he added when Will just looked at him.

"Why can't you say it in front of everyone?" Will asked.

"You really hurt my feelings when you didn't invite me to your birthday party," Warren deadpanned.

"Really?"

"No."

Will frowned. "Why's it gotta be in private, then?"

"Because I'm asking nicely, Stronghold, and I don't want the whole damn cafeteria hearing this," Warren said, being exceptionally patient.

"Just tell him you love him, already!" Donny called out, Craig and Zach laughing.

"Also because my friends are dicks. But then, so are yours," Warren said. "Come on, Stronghold, I'm not going to throw you off the edge of the school or make out with you."

His curiosity finally overcoming him, Will stood up. "If I'm not back in five minutes, come find me. With Principal Powers," he added firmly.

Warren tried not to laugh at the weak threat, and he led Will out of the cafeteria and towards the lockers.

"You're not going to stuff me into a locker, are you?" Will asked, tensing up.

"No, I'm not a bully, Stronghold. Super Jesus, would you relax already? I'm not going to attack you," Warren said, rolling his eyes.

Will desperately tried to think of what Warren had to say to him. During one of the long and awkward silences on their date, Magenta had admitted that she'd gone home sick on Monday and that Layla had been the one to look after her. Had she told Layla what they'd done on Saturday night? Had Layla told Warren what he'd done?

"Here," Warren said, opening his locker and taking out a wrapped present.

"You... got me a birthday present?" Will asked in shock.

"It's from me and Layla. She didn't think you'd accept it in front of everyone, hence the whole private talk thing. Layla and I miss you. We were your friends not so long ago," Warren said, shutting his locker door and leaving Will standing in the hallway in a state of shock.

Will opened the present to find a honeysuckle flower nestled in the decorative box. Knowing Layla's power, Will doubted the flower would ever die. It was a surprise, and more than that, it was a nice one. He put the box on his locker's top shelf, leaving the lid off so his locker would smell nice instead of like sweaty old gym clothes.

Returning to the cafeteria, Will wasn't entirely surprised to find his friends counting down the five minute allocation and glowering over at Warren with every second that passed and Will hadn't returned.

"Hey, guys. I'm thinking we should do another game of laser tag. What do you think of this weekend?" Will asked as he sat down.

"I don't know, Will. Finals are in four weeks," Ben said.

Lisa ended the timer on her phone and shook her head. "We've also got the final paper and yearbook, sorry."

"What about after finals?" Larry suggested.

"What do you think, Maj?" Will asked.

She was his sidekick now and he needed to start getting her input into these sorts of things. As the Commander had told him, it was important to make sidekicks feel useful. Getting input from a sidekick made them feel like they were contributing and that they were part of a team. It wouldn't even matter if their input wasn't listened to or their advice wasn't followed, so long as they believed that they mattered.

Magenta sat up straighter at his attention, then considered the options. "I think we could all blow off stress this weekend for a few hours and still have enough time to study for finals."

"I think that's a great idea, Larry. If we organise a game for after finals, it'll be a celebration," Will said.

The other Heroes agreed with him immediately, working out a date and time that would suit them all. After almost five minutes, Will finally remembered to include Magenta in their conversation and plans.

...

"This place is amazing, Layla. How long have you had it?" Jewel asked as she and Grant came into the Hive from Eden.

"A few months. My mother left the plans and money to me in her will," Layla added.

"How convenient," Grant said, Jewel laughing beside him. "I just want to know where the rest of it is. There's no bedroom here, so there has to be one somewhere, and the structure doesn't allow for anything in the rafters. Not to mention nearly everyone's disappeared and we can't hear them inside or outside," he said pointedly.

"Craig, do you want the honours?" Warren asked, settling back on his chair with Layla beside him.

"Where's the pantry gone? Did you move it?" Craig called back from the kitchen.

"Yes, I'm hiding chocolate," Layla called back.

"Not fair, Lay," Craig said, eating an apple as he came into the lounge room. "What honours am I doing?"

"Us," Grant said, Craig promptly choking.

"Grant," Jewel hissed. "He means showing us where the rest of this place is," she added once Craig had stopped choking.

"Oh. Okay. You're sure?" Craig asked Layla and Warren.

"Positive," they replied, vines sharp under their skin in Grant and Jewel's presence.

"Creepy," Craig said, taking another large bite of his apple before nodding for Grant and Jewel to follow him.

Curious, they followed him into the library and watched as he reached up to press a panel, the trapdoor opening in the middle of the room.

"Don't worry, it's not claustrophobic down there," Craig promised, heading down the stairs without waiting for a response.

Warren and Layla watched as Grant and Jewel followed Craig down into the hive below. Zach, Ethan, Donny, Wendy, and Adam were already training in the arena, and with their friends preoccupied, Warren and Layla could practise their own powers without being seen.

Layla tried to juggle two fireballs carefully and beside her, Warren tried to coax different plants from the one seed.

"Do you think they'll end up together?" Layla asked curiously.

"I don't know. Craig's pretending he's not interested in them. I don't know whose benefit that's for, since it's obvious to everyone that he likes both of them," Warren said, shaking his head.

"Frieda's trying to get details from Honey; I think she's worried they're going to break each other's hearts," Layla murmured, letting the fireballs disappear as she heard footsteps.

Beside her, Warren stopped changing the seed, and tugged Layla onto his lap to kiss her.

"If I have to walk in on people kissing one more time, I'm putting acid holes in all of your clothes. Super Jesus, get some control, would you?"

Layla pulled away from Warren, laughing. "Sorry, Adam. How's training going?"

"Grant won't stop flirting with Craig, Jewel's thinking dirty thoughts, and Ethan and Zach are doing something with knots, so Donny had to go scrub his brain with bleach. Wendy left soon after, I don't want to know why."

"Oh, bleach! I missed that for my vat of toxic waste. Damn it."

Adam frowned. "It's like the most obvious household chemical?"

"My mother always used vinegar and baking soda to clean. I didn't even know what bleach was until I was eight years old," Layla said with a grin.

"I'm going to go check on the bees. I'll be back soon," Warren said, standing to go to the changing room to change into his beekeeping suit.

"How are the bees going?" Adam asked, sitting on Craig's window seat.

"Really well. Warren's almost perfected the smoke they need without making any flames, so he's proud of that. I think we should have enough honey for a jar around finals. I'm going to buy those tiny jars to make up samples."

"Oh yeah, speaking of finals, we need to study. That should be enough incentive for Ethan and Zach. Not sure about the others. Depends how much Wendy wants it," Adam mused, flicking through his phone before holding the speaker to his mouth. "We've got to study. Get your asses up here already."

His voice was projected through all of their phones, startling more than one person.

They were all upstairs in a matter of minutes, Grant and Jewel looking confused.

"How did your voice get on my phone?" Jewel asked warily.

"Remember that phone update you had about a week ago? I added my own code so I can access anyone's phone," Adam replied.

"Anyone?" Grant asked.

"Well, within Sky High. Possibly Maxville; I didn't restrict the update as much as I could have. Actually... Lay, you've got Jetstream's number, right?" Adam asked, scrolling through his phone.

"Of course," Layla said, offering her phone so he could verify the phone numbers in his list.

"All right, looks like it's Maxville, not just Sky High," he said.

"You're not a technopath though?"

"Adam up-skilled," Craig said, grinning at his best friend. "Now, hurry up, I've gotta pick your brains about this English essay."

"Yeah, I'm coming," Adam said, grabbing his bag from the front and following Craig, Ethan, and Zach through to the dining room.

"I'll go through Communications with you, Wendy," Donny offered, taking their bags and following the others.

"Couldn't have waited five more minutes?" Wendy muttered as she adjusted her shirt, following them as well.

"Warren's looking after the bees, he'll be back soon. Do you have any last-minute assignments or study to do?"

"Not Mr. Smartass here, but I do," Jewel said, getting her laptop from her bag.

"Hey, I have a great ass," Grant said, smirking.

"Adam? Elephants, please."

Adam agreed with a nod and a second later, the noise of elephants trumpeting sounded, redirecting their thoughts. "Focus, people. We've got three weeks before finals, remember?"

"I've worked out a study schedule, if anyone's interested?" Ethan offered.

"Yes, please," Craig said, already sounding stressed at Adam's reminder.

"I'd like one too, if you don't mind?" Grant added, curious more than anything.

"Do you have an electronic copy, Eth?" Adam asked.

"Yeah, I'll send it around. You might not like my colour coding," Ethan said, scrolling through his phone to his Dropbox account and sharing the document to their school emails.

"I like your colour coding, Eth. Fifteen or thirty minute study blocks?" Zach asked, reading the printed and laminated study schedule in Ethan's folder.

"Fifteen minutes; it allows for more flexibility," Ethan said, pushing his glasses up his nose.

"You weren't kidding about scheduling making out," Wendy said.

"Oh, just take those out."

"No way. I might change the length though," she said, grinning.

Warren returned from checking on the bees to find his friends in various states of laughter, while Adam just sat there and glared at them all.

"Would you please just study?" Adam groaned, turning his music up even louder and pressing his hands over his headphones to stop their noise from infiltrating.

"Eth, did you find out when Adam's birthday is? I vote for noise-cancelling headphones," Warren said as he passed by to hang up his suit.

"It's the 9th of May, the day after Craig's, which is the day after the barbecue," Ethan listed.

"Good timing, we can celebrate finals and both birthdays. Find a good pair of headphones, we can all pitch in," Warren said with a nod.

Ethan nodded and added the task to his to-do list.

As Warren returned with his notebook and pen, everyone finally started to settle down and began studying again.

...

End of the sixty-fifth chapter.

Thanks for reading; hope you liked the chapters!