Chapter Eighty Six
...
Ethan tried not to melt with nerves. He had better control over his power and his emotions, so he knew that he should be fine. Still, the desire to become a puddle - unfeeling liquid without these worries - was far too close to the surface for his liking.
"This is great, Ethan," Sarah said, not sounding as surprised as Ethan felt.
"Really?"
"Really," she confirmed with a nod and smile.
"I like what you've done with the layout. It doesn't look as tacky as the previous yearbook. In fact, if our readers expected better from Labyrinth, I'd ask you to take a look at our layout too," Honey said.
Ethan couldn't help but feel proud at Sarah and Honey's praise. He didn't usually work on the layout of the school newspaper, so working on the yearbook's had been an experience all on its own. He straightened the lapels of his brown suit jacket and moved to the table to explain the changes he'd made and why. "And, of course, the 'most likely' awards have all been fixed," he finished.
"Just a couple of modifications to one or two and it'll be ready to be sent to the client, then the printer once Principal Powers has agreed to the changes," Honey said, smiling.
"Did I do something wrong?"
"Oh, no, not at all. I simply know what needs to be said for a few of the students. The others are great," she said, patting his shoulder gently. "Now, go eat your lunch and text Zach, would you?"
Surprised at her request, Ethan nodded and adjusted his glasses before going to his bag and food. Taking a long drink of water, Ethan unlocked his phone just as a text came through, the phone vibrating on silent in his hand. His eyes widened and he almost choked on seeing Zach's text message and accompanying photo.
Zach: Managed to do my own knots! What do you think? :)
Ethan: I'm very impressed.
Ethan: I was right: pastel pink looks amazing on you. Leave it for another five minutes, then undo the knots and let me see the end result.
Zach: You're usually right ;) I'll text soon.
Ethan: You used the right 'you're'; I'll reward you for that later.
Zach: Fuck, yes! Love you.
Ethan smiled and grabbed his lunch, heading to the Labyrinth's staff room to eat.
...
"Mrs. Woo needs me to cover the next three nights, all double-shifts. Sorry, hippie," Warren said, sighing and running a hand through his loose hair in frustration.
"It's all right; you've almost saved enough for your bike, so this'll help get you over the line, won't it?" Layla asked.
"Yeah, it should. The car dealer said he'd hold the bike for me until next weekend, so this pay will be enough."
"You're sure you don't want to use Mr. Phillips?" Layla asked.
"Nah, not for this. I've been saving for so long, it'd feel like a cop-out if I did that. Besides, Mr. Phillips is for more important things than a motorbike," Warren said, tying his apron on.
Layla laughed. "Zach and Craig bought a popcorn machine, Warren."
He grinned, holding his phone between his shoulder and ear as he tied his hair back. "Yeah, like I said: important things," Warren said teasingly.
"Frieda's calling me; dinner must be ready. I'll text you later, okay?"
"All right. Love you, hippie."
"Love you, too."
...
"So you're saying I can actually really practice out here?" Robin asked, their eyes wide. "No underground sensors, no Super Bureau agents coming after me for the smallest tremor?"
Layla nodded. "You can really practice out here. You'll have to keep it restricted for the moment; while there aren't any underground sensors this far out of Maxville, WET still monitor seismic activity and too much at once would be suspicious."
Robin thought about it, then nodded. "So I can do smaller quakes leading up to a larger one, but not a large one without warning, right?"
"Right."
"Hell, yes! I promise I won't destroy the garden," Robin said over their shoulder as they ran out to Eden.
Terry grinned at his friend's excitement. "What about me?"
"You're with me, Terry," Adam said.
His face fell slightly. "Uh... It's gonna sound weird, but can you guys call me Terrence?" he asked hesitantly. "I just... Terry's a kid's name, y'know, and I'm sick of being treated like a kid all the time, and I prefer Terrence, but everyone calls me Terry anyway, even if I ask. So I don't really know why I'm asking, but I dunno, I feel like you guys would actually listen?"
"Of course, Terrence. We'll call you whatever you want," Layla said.
"Unless it's, like, Prince Terrence of the metropolis of Maxville; that's way too many syllables, dude," Adam said, grinning when Terrence laughed.
"Thanks. I think I'll skip on the Princely title. You're sure you're okay to open the shop on your own?" Terrence asked Layla, looking outside to where a small crowd had already started to gather.
"I'll call if I need help," Layla promised. "You've got your phone set up, Adam?"
"Yep; we'll come if you call. C'mon, Terrence, let me show you my awesome hideaway," Adam said with a grin, heading through the Hive to his room.
"Robin, I'm opening up shop!" Layla called out, hoping Robin wouldn't make the tremors too obvious; she didn't want her customers leaving.
"I'll be right in," Robin called back, slowly letting the tremor dissipate.
Closing the kitchen door, Layla headed to the front of the Hive. She turned the sign to 'open' and then opened the door wide, stepping back as people rushed inside.
"Do you have more of that honey hand lotion? My brother swears it cleared up his eczema."
"Are the beeswax candles made from real beeswax?"
"What's in the two-ingredient honey butter?"
Layla smiled and started to answer their questions as she returned to the front counter, a crowd following her like a swarm of bees. "The honey hand lotion has been moved to the front window by the new beeswax soaps. Yes, the candles and the soaps are made from real beeswax. The honey butter is made from local honey and salted butter."
More questions and customers came, and over their noise, Layla heard a sound like a large bus stopping. Thinking it was just the public transport stopping over the hill, Layla continued to answer and serve her customers.
Within a matter of minutes, the shop was filled with tourists on their way into Maxville for the museum's newest Jetstream and the Commander exhibition. While Layla might have been okay with the usual customers, and maybe some more, another thirty people was simply overwhelming.
"Adam, help," Layla called to her phone, hoping he'd be out sooner rather than later.
Within seconds, Adam and Terrence were out of the room, calling for Robin to help when they saw the large group of people. The library had been filled with stock of local art and ornaments, and by the time Adam and Terrence made it to the counter in the other room to help Layla, the shelves were almost empty.
"Super Jesus, Layla. What happened?" Adam asked, cringing away from yet another person who had carelessly bumped into him.
"Tourist bus. Use the door behind me to get more money for the register," Layla said, a door appearing in the wooden wall behind her.
Adam nodded, grateful to get away from the people, ducking into the kitchen to retrieve the extra cash that was hidden away.
"People are in Eden," Robin hissed through the new doorway, their eyes widening at the full shop. "They're only looking though."
"That's fine then. If anyone tries to pick a plant, they'll get a nasty surprise," Layla said, then smiled at the customer across from her. "Thank you for your business."
Adam returned with the money, Layla refilling the register as Terrence wrapped the flower arrangements and delicate ornaments beside her.
"Layla? They're asking if there's somewhere to sit to admire the garden," Robin said. "There's no chairs that I can move," they added, since all of the chairs in the dining area were literally grown from the floorboards.
Layla concentrated carefully, not wanting to mix up the customer's change and destroy the chair tree she was creating in the backyard. "Tell them there's a chair in the oak tree."
"In it? All right," Robin said, shaking their head.
"Robin, can you add a note to the whiteboard to get one of those fancy metal benches for outside? The oak tree can be a gimmick, but I'm sure people would prefer actual seating," Layla called over her shoulder.
"Sure thing. Need me to bring out more honey?" Robin asked.
"Yes, thank you," she replied.
Layla wasn't entirely sure how Robin would make it through the crowded Hive to get to the shelves where the honey stock had already dwindled to one jar.
No, wait, now there were none.
Robin grabbed a tray of jars, winced at the crowd of people in the Hive, then turned and left through the back door. Avoiding the people in Eden, Robin walked around the other side of the Hive, making it to the front door. Slipping inside, they used a hint of their power to affect people's bodies, similar to the minerals in the earth itself, to move them out of the way. Robin was as gentle as possible, though more than one person was surprised by their sudden movement. Setting the jars on the shelf, Robin tried not to laugh as the jars were taken off as fast as they could set them down.
Returning back to the kitchen, Robin refilled the tray with the last of the jars. This time, they decided to wait for a few people to leave before restocking the shelves.
Layla saw the honey shelf restocked for about five minutes before it was empty again. Five minutes after that, the tourist bus left and a significant number of customers disappeared along with it. Adam looked ready to attack the next person who touched him, so Layla sent him back to his room through the new kitchen door. Adam thanked her profusely and left without a single argument.
"Are you okay to keep wrapping, Terrence?" Layla asked.
He nodded firmly, though he looked a little shellshocked at the amount of people that had been in the small room at once. "I'll be fine."
"Let me know if you need a break, okay?" she said, then smiled at the next customer.
Almost half an hour passed, and the sound of another bus stopping nearly made Layla's heart stop. There wasn't enough stock for another tourist bus. There was hardly enough stock for the people that were already in the Hive, in fact. She wanted to preempt the tourists and close the Hive, but she had three customers waiting to be served. Layla smiled and continued to serve them, hoping that the tourists would be understanding when they saw how bare the shelves were.
The public transport bus driver stepped through the doorway hesitantly, his driving hat in his hands and his thin grey hair sticking up. He looked around the shelves, bare but for one or two items here and there. He waved to Layla when she looked over. Her face broke out in a relieved grin and she waved back.
"I'll be right back," Layla said to Terrence after the last customer was served.
Heading into the kitchen, Layla revealed the hidden compartment to retrieve the first jar of honey she and Warren had made. It was decorated with a ribbon, and as promised, she planned on giving it to the driver. As Honey or Frieda had driven them to and from the Hive most days, Layla hadn't had a chance to see the bus driver since they'd opened the Hive for business. She hadn't wanted to sell the jar accidentally, so she'd hidden it away so it wouldn't be added with the rest of the stock.
Returning to the Hive's counter, Layla saw that Terrence was talking with the bus driver. She waited until there was a lull in the conversation before setting the jar down in front of him. "The first jar of honey we made, as promised. For you and your wife," Layla added with a smile.
The bus driver's eyes widened, filling with tears a moment later. He wiped at his eyes quickly, sniffling. "I'm sorry about this. It's just... I haven't seen you around for so long, I thought you'd forgotten. I'm just an old man, a nobody... It's a lovely gift. Thank you so much."
"You're welcome. We didn't forget, and you're not a nobody," Layla said fiercely, making the old man smile, his eyes red and watery.
"Bob was telling me how his wife heard about this place from her friends and has wanted to come for weeks. He was checking to see if her wheelchair would fit," Terrence said with a smile.
"The gravel's wheelchair-friendly," Layla said. "And the ramp and doorways are apparently large enough to fit a Mini, though I still refuse to let anyone actually test that theory," she said, grinning. "Today was somewhat crowded with a tour bus, so how about we organise a time for you and your wife to come in without the rest of Maxville's population?"
"You'd do that?" Bob asked in surprise.
"Of course. I'll even make sure not to put stock on the higher shelves so she can reach anything she wants. Which I really should have thought of in the first place," Layla mused, frowning.
An alarm sounded and Bob took his phone out of the holder on his belt, turning the alarm off. "I have to get back to my route. I'll take a business card and call you after I've finished, if that's all right?"
"That sounds perfect. I should have enough stock after next weekend, if that's suitable for you and your wife," Layla said.
Bob nodded firmly, and then took the business card and his jar of honey. "Thank you again. You've no idea how happy this will make my wife. Have a nice afternoon," he added, putting his hat back on and heading to his bus.
Layla waved goodbye and closed the front door, turning the sign back to 'closed' with no small amount of relief.
Terrence slumped over the counter with a low groan. "My everything hurts."
"Just wait 'til you get paid; all of your money will be going on a masseuse," Layla said with a laugh.
"I get paid?"
"Of course. Ethan didn't send you the contract? It had the salary rates," she added, frowning.
"Oh, is that what that email was about?" Terrence asked. He looked as though he was going to check his email, but then stayed on the counter and groaned again. "I'll look at it later, shit."
Robin rolled their eyes at him. "Get off the counter, you dork."
"Nope."
Robin grinned and the ground shook with a violent tremor, knocking Terrence off the counter.
He glared at his friend, on his feet in a second. "You're gonna regret that, Robin."
"You've gotta catch me first," they replied with a laugh, running out of the doorway and back into the kitchen.
Terrence grinned and with a burst of power, the fridge reformed to hold Robin prisoner.
"Let Robin out of the fridge, Terrence. I just filled it," Layla said, frowning.
Sighing, Terrence reluctantly opened the fridge door, the fridge returning to its usual shelving after Robin stepped out.
"I so hate you right now, but that was also really cool. Literally, so thanks," Robin said with a laugh.
Layla rolled her eyes at both of them and continued to tidy up the Hive.
...
"When is Layla back? The napkins need folding," Mrs. Woo said, eyeing Warren with a frown. "You didn't scare her off?"
"She's busy at work, Mrs. Woo, and no, I didn't scare her off. We're still dating."
"Layla would be here if you were still dating."
Warren rolled his eyes. "Layla has to be up at six every morning to get to work, Mrs. Woo; I don't want her being here so late if it means she doesn't get any sleep."
Mrs. Woo stopped looking so stern after another few moments, then sighed. "Bring Layla on Friday."
"I'm not working on Friday!" Warren called after Mrs. Woo. "Am I rostered for Friday, Kim?"
On his way back out to the restaurant, Kim took the pen from his pocket and scrawled Warren's name over Ronnie's name for the Friday night shift.
All right, apparently, he was now working on Friday.
"Sucks to be you, dude," Ronnie said, smirking.
"You just lost a night of work, Ronnie," Warren said, rolling his eyes.
"Yeah, but it's a Friday night, if y'know what I mean?"
"No, I don't. I don't want to know," Warren said, ignoring Ronnie and turning back to his station.
"Friday night is fuck night, kid. Get rid of the old ball and chain, and you could totally pull a new girl every fucking night."
In the blink of an eye, Warren had Ronnie by the front of his shirt, lifting the older man off the ground completely. "Shut your fucking face, Ronnie, or I'll shut it for you."
Ronnie's eyes widened, his face paling. "Holy shit. You're one of them, aren't you? You're a super!" he said, his expression turning into a broad grin. "We've been working together for three years and you never told me? I'm totally insulted!"
"I'm not a super, I'm just stronger than you," Warren said, letting Ronnie go and turning back to his station again.
"With eyes like that? Yeah fucking right," Ronnie said with a snort. "C'mon, man. I'm not gonna tell anyone! But seriously, you could have two girls a night with that shit. Chicks dig supers."
Warren ignored Ronnie - really this time - and started on the next customer's order.
"Ronnie, do your work!" Kim snapped, glaring when he returned to the kitchen only to see him still talking to Warren, who looked to be ignoring Ronnie while doing his job.
Ronnie muttered under his breath as he moved back to his station.
"I heard that!" Kim said, Ronnie looking down at his station quickly and getting to work.
Warren concentrated on his work and refused to pay Ronnie any attention for the rest of the night.
...
"He called me a what?"
"A ball and chain," Warren replied, rolling his eyes.
"Is this some citizen thing that I don't know about? Who the hell refers to someone they love as a ball and chain?!" Layla asked incredulously.
"Citizens who don't have respect for their partner?"
"It's completely misogynist! If they can't talk to each other and tell them what they actually want to do, then it's not a relationship, it's... it's..." Layla trailed off, floundering as she tried to think of a suitable analogy.
"The Commander and Jetstream?" Warren suggested with a grin.
His response startled a laugh out of Layla. "Oh, you're so right. But... I really hate that phrase."
"You're telling the guy who almost set Ronnie on fire for saying it, hippie. Super Jesus, he's such a prick."
"It's too obvious if we set his house on fire, isn't it?" Layla asked with a heavy sigh.
"Yeah. I think we're starting to develop a pattern, hippie."
"We'll have to think of other ways to kill people. Oh, hi Frieda. Want to say hi to Warren?" she asked with a bright smile.
"Hello, cutie. Layla, you were meant to be asleep an hour and a half ago."
"I know, but Ronnie called me a ball and chain," Layla said, her nose wrinkling.
"I beg your pardon?"
"A ball and chain, like he thinks I'm limiting Warren or holding him back in some way. We're discussing ways to kill him."
"Castration; he'll lose his ball and chain," Frieda replied promptly, setting Layla off in a fit of giggles. "All right, you're getting hysterical now, dear. You obviously need sleep. Layla will text you in the morning, cutie. You should go to sleep, too."
"Yes, Frieda. Good night," Warren said, ending the call before she could get another 'cutie' in.
Frieda hugged Layla and kissed her head gently. "Good night, dear. Sleep well."
Layla's laughter tapered off and she smiled broadly, her cheeks red. "You too, Frieda. Love you."
"I love you too, dear," Frieda said, leaving Layla's room and turning her light off on the way out.
Smiling, Layla settled down on her bed to finally go to sleep.
...
"Josie, dear, please tell me we don't have another fight in the next week?" Steve asked.
While he was an indestructible and super strong superhero, Steve was also human and so very tired. When he wasn't fighting villains, Josie had booked them for open house after open house until Steve's eyes blurred with names and addresses and times. He was fairly positive that he'd called Mr. Robertson by the wrong name, which had thoroughly annoyed Mrs. Robertson. They'd sent an email stating they no longer required Stronghold Real Estate's services, and that they would be going to someone who would "remember their clients' names". Steve was too exhausted to care very much, and even Josie hadn't berated him for as long as she usually did.
"We have one on Friday, but there's no other fights scheduled for the rest of the week. We can both relax and recover until then," Josie said, feeling as tired as her husband. "You've set your alarm for your open house tomorrow? It's scheduled for eight in the morning," she reminded him.
They both knew that Steve would sleep until noon if given the chance. Josie had her own open house scheduled for eight-thirty in the morning, but she needed to be up early so she could cover the bruises from their latest villain fight.
"Yes, dear," Steve said, yawning widely and turning over to go to sleep.
Josie yawned and settled in beside her husband to sleep as well. She had managed to convince the Barrs to return to Stronghold Real Estate, promising to sell their house before the month ended. Mr. and Mrs. Barr hadn't been entirely convinced that Josie could do such a thing - they refused to go below the asking price, and they hadn't sold their house in the past three years, after all - but she'd promised them that Jetstream wouldn't let them down. Using her superhero alter ego was a low blow, but it had worked, and she had their business again while Trixie didn't. The end always justifies the means.
Sleep came easy to Josie, unweighted by guilt and exhausted by fighting villains every day for the past week, and as she and Steve slept, their alarms were switched off.
...
"Good morning, Jetstream. A villain from out of town is issuing a challenge to yourself and the Commander. Their giant robot is terrorising downtown Maxville. Are you and the Commander available or should I contact Robot Warrior instead?" Layla asked.
Josie had slept for what felt like mere minutes and she was aching all over. She was tempted to let Robot Warrior handle the fight so she could continue to sleep, but Josie had seen figurines of the man with his broom on an eye-level shelf just that weekend. Eye-level shelves were meant for figurines of herself and the Commander, not a giant man with a broom. Looking to the clock on her bedside table, Josie felt all of the blood drain from her face, and all thoughts of fighting giant robots and pushing Robot Warrior's figurines off the shelves left her mind.
"Steve! It's ten-thirty!"
Layla held the phone away from her ear as she laughed into her hand, muffling the noise. Waiting until there was a gap in the frantic yelling from both Steve and Josie, she put on a concerned tone. "Is everything all right, Jetstream?"
"Uh, yes. Yes, everything's fine," Josie said, sighing heavily.
They'd missed both of their open houses, and Mr. and Mrs. Barr were probably back with Trixie as of eight-thirty-five this morning, never mind what Jetstream had promised them.
There was no point focusing on what had already happened, Josie thought to herself firmly. She and Steve simply had to move on and focus on what was important: fighting villains and keeping both Maxville and its citizens safe. Not to mention keeping their merchandise on the shelves and at the sellable eye-level height.
"Did I hear something about a giant robot?" the Commander asked as Josie ended the call with Layla.
Josie clenched her jaw briefly; for a man who couldn't listen to a simple instruction to set his alarm, Steve could certainly hear things he wanted to hear. "Yes, Steve. Downtown Maxville. Pass my foundation; I need to cover these bruises on the way," she said, standing and changing into Jetstream's spandex outfit.
She needed to get another outfit made soon, Josie realised, seeing her skin through a scrape in her outfit, courtesy of the latest villain she and Steve had defeated. Her cape would cover the mishap for now, but Josie couldn't look anything other than perfect for her fans. No one would buy a bloodied and dirty Jetstream figurine, after all.
Steve held up her foundation and mirror as Josie flew them out of the house and towards downtown Maxville where a giant robot was looming over the metropolis.
...
"If Jetstream's makeup was any thicker, she'd be wearing a mask," Craig said, wincing at the sight of the super on the TV. "Oh, move right, quick!"
"I know, shut up!" Adam snapped, controlling the giant robot with a joystick.
"Any bets on what trophy the Commander will be taking?" Zach asked, sitting next to Ethan with a large bowl of popcorn.
"Hopefully the one we want him to take," Warren muttered, his eyes closed as he rested against Layla's legs.
Layla smiled and continued to card her fingers through Warren's hair, planning on braiding it when he was more coherent. He'd spent the previous night working until almost three-thirty in the morning, and there was only so much coffee that could keep Warren awake with fewer than six hours of sleep. She leaned down to kiss his cheek gently, then continued with her ministrations, turning her attention back to the TV screen.
"You're so lucky Terrence didn't ask why you wanted to build a robot and an expanding ray," Jewel said, shaking her head.
Grant moved his body left and right, trying to see past Craig unsuccessfully. Reaching out to still Craig, Grant pulled his boyfriend onto his lap. "You're blocking the screen, babe."
"My bad."
"C'mon, you piece of shit. Whoever decided on a joystick design for the original toy needs to be slapped. It looks and moves like an amateur built it," Adam hissed through his teeth.
Several of them cried out as the large robot was hit with an upper cut from the Commander and practically fell to pieces under his gloved fist.
"The robot and joystick design is meant to look amateurish; we don't want anyone following the trail back to us," Layla said.
"Come on, take the hand," Ethan muttered, intent on the screen and not even caring that Zach was shoving an excessively large handful of popcorn into his mouth.
"What happens if he doesn't take the hand as a souvenir?" Wendy asked curiously.
"We'll cross that bridge when we - yes, he's taking the hand," Layla said, sighing in relief.
"Super Jesus, he's so stupid he'd probably press the Big Red Button," Jewel said, rolling her eyes. "Hey, why wasn't I invited?" she asked with a pout, seeing her boyfriends making out without her.
Grant and Craig both held out their hands for her to join them without pulling away from each other. Grinning now, Jewel cuddled in close and kissed Grant's neck.
"Can we make this a 'no making out zone' already? I'd like somewhere to sit where I don't have to sanitise the furniture," Adam said, wrinkling his nose.
"Adam's right. There should be areas designated for everyday and everyone's use," Ethan said, pushing Zach's hand away from the popcorn bowl with a stern expression.
"Yeah! I don't want to walk in on any of you," Zach added, paling.
"Like your ropes are any better?" Donny pointed out, rolling his eyes.
"Hey, at least we're not - "
"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Adam chanted. "Someone else take the joy - what the fuck?" he paused, looking to the TV screen, his eyes widening.
"What's wrong?" Craig asked, pulling away from his boyfriend and girlfriend to look to his best friend and the television.
The Commander was holding up the large robotic hand and right there on live TV, the fingers started to wiggle and wave. The hand was no longer connected to the robot itself, so there was a murmur of confusion from the gathered reporters and citizens, and even the Commander looked wary of taking home a moving trophy.
"Oh, shit. Adam, get Terrence on the phone, quick," Layla said, straightening and almost knocking Warren off her lap.
Adam dialled Terrence's number. "Dude, leave the robot alone."
"It is mine! I knew it! What are you doing fighting Jetstream and the Commander with my toy robot?" Terrence asked incredulously.
"I'll explain later, okay? Just stop fucking with the robot," Adam said.
"All right," he replied and on the TV screen, there was a small spark of electricity and the robot's hand stopped moving.
"Just a technical fault, folks! It's all right!" the Commander called, waving to the crowd with the large hand.
"Thanks, Terrence. Layla will contact you, okay?"
"All right. Soon though, yeah?" Terrence asked, frowning again at the Commander with his robot's hand as he waved it around.
"Soon," Adam promised, ending the call and returning his attention to the screen.
"We should've written 'Number 1 idiot' on the hand; he's waving it around like one," Wendy said, rolling her eyes.
"Maybe next time," Layla said with a grin.
"You're sure your seed will be okay in there while he's waving it around like an idiot?" Jewel asked. "I mean, any normal seed would've been dislodged by now, right?"
"Yes, but that's no normal seed," Layla replied. "It'll get to the Stronghold's Secret Sanctum sooner rather than later."
"Say 'Stronghold's Secret Sanctum' five times really fast," Zach said, grinning.
"No. Now, everyone out. I need to get Warren to bed," Layla said, seeing that Warren had fallen asleep despite their noise and her spike in emotions.
"Yeah, you do," Craig said with a snort, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
Layla rolled her eyes and ignored him. "Oh, Ethan, how's the map going for the lower Hive?" she asked, gently picking Warren up with a vine.
"It's almost finished," Ethan confirmed with a nod.
"That's great. Colour-coded?"
"Of course."
"Excellent. I think you and Adam are right: we need general areas where people aren't allowed to make out, for everyone's sanity and peace of mind. Can you label and colour-code those areas clearly, please?"
Ethan nodded again. "I might organise a separate map for Adam, marking the areas that are safe and the areas that belong to others," he mused, pushing his glasses up his nose.
"That would be fantastic. Thank you, Ethan," Layla said.
"Not a problem. Can I help with Warren or anything else?" he offered.
"I'll be fine from here, thank you though."
Ethan grabbed Zach's free hand, wincing at the butter and salt on his fingers, but led him upstairs to the Hive.
When she and Warren were alone, Layla went to a different room where she knew a large tree root was protruding from the earth. When she was close enough, Layla used a burst of power to rearrange the tree and hollow it out so she and Warren could be moved up into the forest behind Eden. Checking that Warren was still all right, Layla headed to their oasis to let Warren rest and sleep for the remainder of the day.
...
End of the eighty-sixth chapter.
Thanks for reading; I hope you liked the chapter!
