“How lucky we are to have one of the healers act as our escort,” Isotonic says.

  “Mastermental says that if you’re trying to get me in your hall, you have to play hard ball with him,” Alyssa says, tapping on her watch. “I, personally, think we should be allowed into all of the Halls, since we have the watches, but then Sandra says you all would have to pay us. Grab on, please,” she adds. “Nico, we’re about to head in as soon as everyone’s—ah, there we go. We’re coming now.”

  “The field is neutralized, kiddo,” Nico says. She taps on the watch and they disappear. They appear on the island a moment later, only for Skye to race towards them—and try to kick Century in the face.

  “This is my SISTER’S wedding! You’re not welcome!” she says as he catches the foot.

  “You look as beautiful as a day in June, darlin’,” he says, grinning as she glares at him and slips her foot out of his hold. “Now, where’s the wedding taking place, and where is Nico? As much as I appreciate Alyssa coming to get us, I was told he would be the one.”

  “Oh, he’s getting ready to walk Liz down the aisle…” Skye says, her “fight” forgotten as easily as that. “Hey, hey, it’s Gin and Tonic!” she goes on, floating over to Isotonic. “You didn’t sneak a monkey in, did you?”

  “Why would I have a monkey?” Isotonic asks, confused.

  “The real question is ‘Why wouldn’t you have a monkey?’” she tells him, narrowing her eyes and getting right up in his face.

  “I deal with material objects, not living creatures,” Isotonic explains. He’s had to deal with Skye once or twice before, or this would be even more awkward. “In fact, none of us have any monkeys… do you?” he asks the others.

  “I deal strictly in horses and… other quadrupeds,” Century says a bit evasively.

  “Oh, do you?” Marigold asks him. “And here I always thought the cowboy boots were for show.”

  “Well, these are,” he admits, looking down at his boots. “They cost me upwards of ten k,” he admits.

  “You spend way too much on norm clothes,” Marigold says.

  “When a pair can last me a lot longer than few decades, I don’t see any harm in indulging,” he says. “Skye, honey, what’s all this about a monkey?”

  “Mmmm, I don’t think he’s supposed to be here,” she says. “Pop says he built the island not that long ago, and only the birds from Kimi’s garden place are here, no monkeys. And then there’s the whole ‘Liz’s mom showing up out of nowhere’ and we built a tree house and went surfing and Nico played a lot of Bob Marley, and I’m NOT WEARING HEELS!” she cheers, showing off her foot.

  “Oh, I do like those,” Negatia says, “where did you get them from?”

  “I think Mom made them,” Skye says. “She’s all into the beading and stuff!”

  “Do you think she would be interested in a commission?” Negatia asks.

  “Skye, my kitten, it is time for you to be coming back,” Tatiana’s voice comes from Skye’s updo. “And we will speak of the no-shoes after wedding, Negatia! They are much fun to make!”

  “Got it, Mom!” Skye says, heading through the forest. The Hall leaders look at one another for a moment before chasing after her as quickly as they can without getting their clothing snagged. Alyssa watches them go for a second before pulling out her phone and following at a more leisurely pace, looking amused.

  “You say this is a man-made island?” Isotonic asks, looking around. “It’s absolutely stunning. Who made it?”

  “Pop did!” Skye says. “And Mom! They did it for the wedding since they didn’t want Liz and Taurus to run off to Vegas and get married by Elvis. I wanna be married by Elvis, it sounds like fun! Would he go, ‘Uh huh, uh huh!’ a lot?”

  “You aren’t getting married by Elvis, sugar,” Century says firmly.

  “I don’t see why you would have a say in my wedding,” she says, snottily.

  “If you got married by Elvis, you would have to wear high heels,” he says.

  “I would?” she asks.

  “It’s a requirement,” he lies, looking her straight in the eye.

  “I don’t like those things,” she says, frowning. “Okay, then I’ll just not get married!”

  The other Hall leaders just look at Century, since he dug this hole, and none of them feel like pulling him out.

  “Aunt Skye!” Zoe calls out. “We have your bouquet here, but your hair got messed up again, didn’t it? Come on, let’s get that fixed. It’s almost time! Alyssa, you could have taken them straight to the wedding beach, you know,” she says to the girl that’s been silently filming all of this with her phone, the entire time.

  “And pass up the blackmail material?” Alyssa asks. “That scene with Skye and Century talking about marriage is absolute gold!”

  Century gives her a dry look. “If you would follow me, please,” she says, demurely, the mischievous grin in her eyes showing just how NOT repentant she is.

  “You just let us follow Skye for kicks, didn’t you,” Isotonic says a bit dryly.

  “You seemed to think it was a good idea,” she says, shrugging. “Ah, we have a special place for you to sit, I think,” she goes on as they reach the beach.

  “Yeah, I got it from here,” Jack says, walking forward. He pauses next to Alyssa, looking her over for a second. “You good?”

  “It’s your girlfriend that’s running around like a headless chicken, you know,” she says. “All I did was a bit of fetch.” But she doesn’t seem that bothered by his asking.

  “They didn’t tell you, huh?” he says.

  “Tell me what?” she asks.

  “Alyssa! Sweetie, are you ready?” Jeanie asks, heading over. “We have the little platform all set up, and the mic ready. Oh, you look beautiful,” she adds, reaching up and straightening Alyssa’s mask. “The camera is going to love you!”

  “Wait, what?” Alyssa asks as Jeanie tugs her away.

  “We’ve been working on the song for months so you should be just fine!” Jeanie says happily.

  “Wait—it was for THIS?” Alyssa yelps.

  “Do you not want to do it?” Jeanie asks, as all the Hall leaders watch with fascination.

  “Well… I… well, I suppose I can…” Alyssa says, her eyes lighting up with excitement. “It would be a shame to let all that hard work be for nothing. Did you bring the tape?”

  “Actually, we brought the band.”

  “There’s our little Nightingale!” they hear someone say as Aubrey and Jeanie walk away.

  Jack turns to the Hall leaders, wearing a simple black dress shirt and a pair of baggy tan shorts. They find themselves looking at his legs in wonder. “So it’s true,” Marigold says, “at least the rumor about the skin, is. Are your bones really coated in metal?”

  “Yeah,” Jack says. “A—I mean, Life Light had to put it somewhere so it wouldn’t wrap around my organs. Almost killed me,” he admits, looking far more cheerful than a statement like that should warrant. “Kinda sucks whenever I get near magnets, or those scanners for stores, but hey, at least I’m alive.”

  “Are we being filmed?” Century asks silently.

  “We’ve got drones at two, four, and nine,” Jack says. “They shouldn’t be recording the talk, according to the Technico, but probably best not to get too friendly.”

  “The Technico?” Negatia asks, noticing how the term seems strange.

  “The system,” Jack says, holding up an arm. His comm doesn’t look like a watch, much to their surprise. The metal on his arm swirls, and suddenly they see his comm. It disappears a few seconds later, as Mastermental approaches them, placing a hand on Jack’s and gently pressing down. Jack takes the cue.

  “Was that part of your ability?” Negatia asks, looking intrigued.

  “Nah,” Jack says, “well, sort of, in a way. It is, but it isn’t, you know how that goes,” he says, changing his answer. They’re left without a real answer, though, because he just grins at them and does a mockery of a bow, motioning for them to follow. “Your seats are just this way,” he says. “If you think they need to be enforced, don’t worry, I made the base.”

  They follow him, watching how he moves and silently pondering just what sort of super he’s growing into. They all realize he’s still extremely young in the super world, but he’s already making quite a stir in the Central Hall ranks. Getting a Liberty in one of their branches, even an adopted villain…

  “Jack is building his base now,” Mastermental says in a conversational tone. “It will be right in the heart of Central territory. He’s quite entrenched.”

  Jack looks back with a shrug as he motions to two rows of the vine wrapped benches. “I got a family to plan for,” he says, quietly, with a hint of pride.

  “As you know, I have a lovely branch just perfect for raising a family in,” Century says.

  “Yeeeah, nah, I’m good,” Jack says. “I ain’t about to compete against the Darlin’s, and I really can’t stand Tank. He’d better not be hittin’ on my sister while he’s here.”

  “We have neither of those problems, up North,” Isotonic says, temptingly.

  “Or in my territory,” Negatia says.

  “Huh…” Jack looks at her, curiously. “What villains DO you have, anyway? I just know the south ones ‘cause my girlfriend’s related to them.”

  Before either of them can reply, a crowd of people come onto the beach, heading for their benches, or chatting with others. Most of them are teenagers. Those that aren’t, are Central Hall members, their dates, or little kids. “Sorry, ma’am, I need to get back to work,” Jack says, heading off to tell everyone where they’re seated. The Hall leaders see a bit of movement over his arm, and are once again intrigued.

  “What is that, Century? You know, don’t you,” Isotonic says as he offers Negatia his assistance. She waves it off and takes a seat next to Mastermental, who looks quite smug right now, and they all know why.

  “I have a theory,” Century says, “but it’s not my place to share something that I have no say in,” he adds with a shifty little smile.

  The group chats with only a few jibes tossed in, the old animosity somewhat faded due to all they’ve been through lately. Even Marigold and Negatia chat happily about the students that they’ve been keeping eyes on. They have no lack of interesting conversational matter, since even the teenagers are hard to keep in their seats at the moment. They watch as a wooden dragon puppet floats overhead, and a coyote races pass, chased by little boys and girls, only to chase the children a second later.

  “Are we positive that Lady Rose isn’t carrying another pair of twins?” Negatia asks as the heavily pregnant hero walks in, escorted by her son and daughter.

  “One child,” Mastermental says. “I have checked; it is only one.”

  “But?” Marigold prompts.

  “But we believe he will be a Superior,” Mastermental says.

  “Well, of course he will be—wait,” Century says, catching on a second too late. “A SUPERIOR Superior? The atomic manipulator type Superior?” he asks.

  “Yes, exactly,” Mastermental says.

  Every single one of them groans. “Not another one,” Isotonic mutters.

  “Really, are you positive? I was hoping for another lovely plant elementalist like their son,” Negatia says.

  “Wait a moment,” Century says, as if only remembering it now, “what was that about Liz’s mother showing up?”

  “What? She did?” Marigold asks.

  “Skye said it, earlier,” Century says, half standing out of his seat and looking over the crowd. There, sitting in the back, is Sparky. He lets out a muttered curse at the sight, catching the attention of the others… except for Mastermental, who just has a beleaguered expression on his face. It’s a bit shocking to see that look. Mastermental very rarely shows his emotions.

  “Have you actually even met Liz’s mother?” Isotonic asks. “I know why I disliked her in the past, but I had no clue you knew her.”

  “I met her once,” Century says, “a very long time ago, right after she was kicked out of the Central Hall.”

  “You kicked her out of your Hall?” Marigold asks Mastermental.

  “Oh, no, but I would have, had I known,” Mastermental admits.

  “Then who kicked her out? That was quite a while ago, wasn’t it?” Negatia asks, “Even for us.”

  “Nico,” Century says as the music starts. Taurus practically runs to the front of the area, taking his place next to Ken, with his father standing right behind him. “Nico tossed her out. He was fifteen, or so, at the time. I didn’t get much other than the fact that he interrupted her training of her daughter. I’m sure you can make your own conclusions based on that. I know I did.”

  “And why did you meet her?” Isotonic asks.

  “She wanted to join my Hall,” Century says.

  “And? Why didn’t you let her? She’s a very impressive cape in her own right, isn’t she?” Negatia asks.

  “She spent the entire interview complaining about Mastermental, Superior, and her own kids,” Century says. “I’d just lost my wife and the idea of someone that badmouthed the family they’d left behind acting as a super hero—”

  “As much as I dislike her, divorce is rather difficult to go through,” Isotonic says.

  “But you don’t tell a prospective employer all of that,” Century says, dryly. “If she couldn’t keep quiet in front of me, there was no chance she would in front of the media. I’m surprised she didn’t approach you three, as well.”

  “Mastermental called me,” Marigold says. “I never did understand why you were so intent on getting her out of the country, but I went along with it.”

  “I did the same, but a part of me regretted it,” Isotonic admits. “I’ve always had a smaller pool of supers than the rest of you. I would like to remind you that many of the healers come from MY territory, by the way, so I think I should have some say.”

  They wave off the healer comment and look at Mastermental. “There was an… incident when Nico was a child that has never set right with me, fortunately, or perhaps unfortunately in a way, he was a quick healer back then,” he says. “Once she showed her true colors completely, I was no longer going to put up with it.”

  “What sort of incident?” Marigold asks, looking suspicious. She even turns and glances at the woman in question, almost bristling thanks to what HASN’T been said. Before Mastermental can reply, though, music starts playing and they turn their attention to the side, where Alyssa is standing on a platform. She opens her mouth, and they forget what they were discussing as the wedding begins properly.

  ***

  Jack looks at Aubrey, wondering if she’s STILL intent on this—he groans as she points as discreetly as possible to the space next to Taurus while she and several others move to the other side. Taurus looks at him, clearly amused. “You didn’t happen to bring the ring, did you?” he asks.

  “You forgot the ring?” Jack asks, panicking for a second. Both Taurus and Andre burst out laughing at the look on his face. “I mean, I can probably toss somethin’ together, if you need it, but you had Sandra’s mom make—”

  “Relax, Jack, I was in charge of that,” Andre says, pulling a crystal box out of his pocket. Jack lets out a sigh of relief, only to blink as Sunny joins them, and then Trent.

  “We’re really sorry, Taurus, we were shanghaied,” Trent says.

  “She caught me off guard,” Jack says.

  “Think that’s what ‘shanghaied’ means,” Sunny says. “Isn’t it?”

  “I thought it had ropes involved,” Jack says, frowning in thought.

  “Nah, ropes don’t work on us,” Sunny says. “We just got told what to do.”

  “Alyssa has a beautiful voice, don’t you think?” Andre says, changing the subject. “I’m sure we could do a nice little show—”

  The music changes and everyone turns to the back, watching as Liz appears with a veil over her face and a bouquet of sunflowers in her hands. Nobody seems to notice as Sparky looks around, and then stares at where Jack is standing, a little smile pulling at her lips. Jack, though, frowns and looks up, wondering why he suddenly feels tense. Being stuck up here is no big deal. He likes his future father-in-law, they watch sports together on a weekly basis. Oh, sure, people are going to start talking about a villain standing in as a groomsman, but who cares? They’ve already told the world that he’s dating Aubrey. It’s all in the family—

  There’s a zap, and he barely manages to look up before lightning spreads out over the floor, charging all of the metal parts of the benches and dancing over the metal framework of the alter. The vines that cover everything start sizzling and burst into flames. There should be a panic, right about now, but everyone just groans and gets up before their clothes can catch on fire. Only the little ones and Granddad Jake look worried, and all of them have been grabbed by the nearest adult, whether they’re related or not. Even Granddad Jake is being held by Banshee, several feet off the ground.

  “Fire Hazard, son—” Century starts out.

  “Wasn’t me,” Vinny says, but he lights up, taking to the air and holding out his hands to put the fire out. Jack, on the other hand, looks down, seeing the lightning coming up, wrapping around him—but it wraps around a thin layer of air, not touching him. He looks over the crowd, his eyes falling on the lady that looks like Liz, and he lets out a growl.

  “Jack, stand down,” Nico says as he takes a step forward. He has Summer in his arms, but he takes a moment to put her down and move her so she’s behind him.

  “You allow a SUPER VILLAIN to be in the wedding party?” Sparky demands, pointing at him in a self-righteous manner. “Do you truly think a villain won’t attack in that sort of position?”

  “So you attacked him just as the bride was walking down the aisle?” Nico asks dryly. “AND try to catch the party on fire? You do realize we have kids and pregnant women here, don’t you?” His eyes narrow on her, because that DOES bother him.

  “Should I pretend to scream and start shaking or something?” Jack asks, his hands still clenched. “I wanna punch her. Can I punch her?”

 

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