by R. J. Ross
“They really call themselves that?” Davis asks.
“They don’t seem that fond of using the acronym,” Vinny says dryly. “And if you want to know about plants, the ones to talk to are Sunny and his mother. I tend to avoid them, myself. They start wilting after a few minutes.”
“Even your vegetables,” Jimmi agrees.
“It’s a curse,” Vinny says mournfully.
“Who is Sunny?” Davis asks as the Wedding March begins to play.
“The guy that will be walking the bride down the aisle,” Vinny says before falling silent and focusing on the ceremony.
***
The reason we don’t have a flower girl is because we don’t have any little girls in the family. Instead, the flowers on the pews bloom one by one as we walk down the aisle, causing several appreciative comments. I feel especially awkward since I can hear all the comments about how much I look like my father. I’m still not sure that I want to “give my mother away,” either, even if it is just a phrase. I reach up, tugging at my collar, only to get a look from Mom, which isn’t nearly as potent thanks to the veil she’s wearing.
“You look beautiful,” I whisper to her, mostly to distract her.
“I feel a bit sick to my stomach,” she admits. “Am I doing the right thing, Sunny?”
I snort. “Shouldn’t you have asked that some sixteen years ago?” I tease her.
“Almost seventeen,” she says. “Don’t forget the months of being as big as a barn with you two.”
“You’re doing the right thing,” I promise her. “Have him show you the hologram disk sometime.”
“What hologram disk?” she asks as we come to a stop. I can’t answer, because Ken is looking at us and the music stopped.
“Who gives this woman away?” Ken asks.
“I think it’s more… willing to share,” I say. “I don’t want to give her away.”
“I’ll accept that,” Dad says, grinning slightly.
“Then… who is speaking on her behalf?” Ken asks, just going with it.
“My sister and I,” I say, looking over at Zoe, who’s standing to the side. I look over at the group of best men, just in time to see Pan slip into his place. So he’s back? Did he get the Petleaf? I almost ask him, but realize that now’s probably not the time. I move to Dad’s side, looking around for Cubby, who has the pillow with the ring… somewhere in here. That might be a problem, huh? Before I can say anything, Pan drops the ring into my hand. “Thanks,” I say.
I kind of zone out as Ken starts the wedding ceremony. I’ve listened to it a few times during rehearsal, and it hasn’t suddenly gotten more interesting just because I’m wearing a tux. I hear a giggle and I dare to glance behind me, seeing Robo and Cubby swinging from the limbs of a tree that I almost swear wasn’t there a moment ago. I look over at where Dragon is sitting, and he gives me his most innocent look. Oh well, as long as they’re occupied. Of course, supers being supers, they’ve garnered a lot of attention from the crowd.
Amara tries to sneak past the wedding party without drawing attention to herself, but it’s blown as the two boys let out little squeals and jump off the tree, racing away. What’s REALLY funny is that Ken hasn’t even blinked. I wonder how many weddings he’s been in that come with this sort of entertainment. Amara pauses, looking flustered as most of the audience starts to laugh.
“You two are in such big trouble,” I hear Adanna whisper. I glance over just in time to see her slip out of the pew and start after them from the opposite direction of her mother.
“Mommy! Can I go play?” I hear a little girl ask. I look over at Kim, who’s trying to keep her daughter in her seat.
“Cubby, Robo,” Pan says quietly. The two boys go still, pouting as their big sister scoops them both up and carries them to the front row. They start squirming after two minutes of looking repentant. I’m just now realizing that I never even got to talk to Kim about paying for the wedding gift. Crud, not good! I’m going to have to apologize to the entire SCHOOL—
“Sunny?” Dad says, “The ring?”
“Oh, sorry,” I say, handing it over to him as people try not to laugh. I look around again as Ken speaks for a while longer. I’m starting to get hungry, now that I think about it. And that drone is way too close. It’s like it’s trying to look up my nose, or something. The longer this goes on, the more I understand why Aunt Liz wants to elope.
“You may now kiss the bride,” Ken says, earning loud cheers from the onlookers as Dad and Mom kiss. I look away, because really, who wants to see their parents make out? Regardless of her talk about being as big as a barn, I’m still holding to the theory that she grew me in a cabbage patch. I’m a plant elementalist, it could totally happen! Okay, yes, I’m lying. And that’s enough on that subject, thank you.
Except… supers live really long lives, right? So… isn’t there a chance that I might wind up with a little brother or sister, now?
“Sunny!” Zoe whispers, alerting me to the fact that she’s holding my arm. “You’re supposed to walk me down the aisle, now.”
“Oh, right,” I say, starting to walk. “Hey, Zoe, do you think we could get a little sibling, now?”
“Well, duh, of course we could,” she says. “I’ve already picked out a list of names for them to choose from. I’m not going to have my little sister stuck with a name like Daisy or Petunia. Don’t get me wrong, I love Mom, but the hippie names are a bit… troublesome.”
“But if she’s another plant elementalist it might be a good name,” I point out.
“But if she’s a technopath, it definitely wouldn’t,” Zoe says.
“What if it’s another set of twins?” Dad asks over his shoulder.
“Oh, I really, really hope not,” Mom says. “One set of twins was plenty, thank you very much.”
“I don’t know, I’m rather fond of the twin thing,” Dad says. “Plus, I’m pretty sure that was due to your influence and not mine.”
“Is that a fertility joke?” she asks. “Besides, there’s nothing wrong with the name Daisy, Zoe. It’s a very beautiful, old-fashioned name. They’re making a comeback, now, you know.”
“Then her name would be Daisy Masters,” I say. “Master of little white flowers!”
We all start laughing, because I’m sure they can picture it as easily as I can. “Please do consider having more children,” Pan says from behind us as he escorts Skye down the aisle. “I would love to have someone that will play with Cubby and Robo.”
“I’ll play with Cubby and Robo!” Skye says.
“They would love that,” Pan says, giving her a smile. “In fact, the three of you are welcome to come over for a play date before you head back home. I’d enjoy showing you my large cats.”
“Kitties?” Skye says. “Oh, but we can’t bring Chooperic with us. He might try to chase them.”
“I’m sure we can find someone to watch him for you,” Pan says.
“Then we would be happy to come!” Skye says. “Doris also needs to go visit her friend here before we leave. She doesn’t know that I know about him, though, so I should give her a good excuse to get away.”
“That’s very considerate of you,” Pan says. We’re supposed to line up so people can congratulate us, now, so I move into place, waiting impatiently for people to shake my hand so we can go to the reception party. I yawn, covering my mouth with my hand just as the first well-wisher reaches me.
“Oh, sorry,” I say, offering my left hand, instead. They look at it a bit blankly before shaking it with a laugh. “Pan?” I say.
“Yes, Sunny?” Pan asks.
“Did you buy something?” I have no idea how else to put it.
“Unfortunately, no,” Pan says. “I’ll have to acquire it at another time.”
“Oh, oh, is it going to be illegal? Because I am TOTALLY in!” Skye says.
“What on earth are you all talking about?” Mom asks.
“If it’s plotting a crime, please leave it until after the w
edding,” Dad says, his smile twitching slightly as he has to shake yet another hand. I look over, seeing the cape holding his hand tighten his hold, only to wince.
“I give, I give,” he says with a laugh before moving on.
“It would be foolish to plot a crime in a room full of super heroes, don’t you think?” Pan says, his smile not even slipping as he shakes hands with yet another hero.
“I’m a huge fan,” the hero tells him. “I’ve been trying to get time off to bring my kids here to see your work sometime.”
“You’re… Gifted One, right?” Pan asks. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“No, no, the pleasure’s all mine,” Gifted One says.
“Hey, I’m a super villain, too, you know,” Skye points out as he moves on to shake my hand.
“I’m a HUGE fan,” the next super hero in line says as she reaches Skye. “Are your partners here? Do you think I could get all of your autographs at the reception?”
“Only if you pay!” Skye says arrogantly. “We accept candy, cookies, shiny things, and weapons,” she lists off on her fingers.
“I’ll see what I can find,” the super hero promises.
“Not money?” Pan asks her.
“Eh, we don’t need money,” Skye says. “Hey, Summer, can I hold up the reception? It would be EPIC!”
“Yeah, but if you ruin your dress doing it, Mom will have a nuclear breakdown,” Liz says, joining the conversation.
“Oh, poo,” Skye complains.
“There will be no crime at the wedding reception,” Dad says.
I stop as Kim comes to the line, almost panicking. I need to talk to her! I don’t know what to do, since the presents are given at the reception, right? Before I can say anything, she reaches me, gently herding her daughter along. “Sunny!” she says with a brilliant smile. “The gift is ready and waiting for the reception. I put a bow on the base, but I hope you don’t mind him not being properly wrapped. I didn’t want to hurt him.”
“No, of course I don’t,” I say, “but we haven’t paid you—”
“We’ll discuss that later. Right now is the time to celebrate. Hana, this is Sunny. He’s good with plants,” she says, introducing me to her daughter.
“Hello, Hana,” I say, leaning down and offering my hand. She gives me a shy smile and hides behind her mom’s leg. I reach into my pocket, pulling out a seed and holding it out on the palm of my hand. She unconsciously moves forward as the flower blooms, reaching out to it, only to stop short. I hand her the flower. “You can plant this when you get home.” She gives me a brilliant smile and practically inhales the petals as she sniffs it.
“So, Nico, when will the kindergarten class begin?” Kim asks. “She’s been excited about riding a school bus since she was three, you know.”
“When did the school bus come into this talk?” Dad asks, blankly.
“I can drive it!” Amara says from across the room.
“There’s going to be an elementary Cape High?” a hero asks, sounding excited. “My son—ah, if I had a son, that is, I’m not saying that I do, exactly—”
“I’ll send out information to anyone inquiring through Central and South Hall,” Dad says, “AFTER my honeymoon. Now, who’s hungry?”
The supers cheer as they head out of the church and for their cars or into the air. The reception will be taking place at Central Hall. I turn, watching with amusement as the field shrinks and turns back into the tiny church with a little “pop.”
“Thanks, Ace,” I say.
“Not a problem,” he says, following me out the door.
“Did Rocco get to sit next to Carla?” I ask him.
“He didn’t work up the nerve, but maybe for the reception,” he says, amused.
“How about you?” I ask. “Did you sit next to Morgan?”
He gives me a dirty look and walks on by, not answering. But he just answered by not answering, didn’t he? I bet the world would be shocked if they knew that their up-and-coming bad boy super villains really suck at dealing with girls. I try not to laugh as I step out into the parking lot.
“Sunny, hurry up!” Dad calls from the car.
“Coming!”
***
*Texas*
“What just… happened to me?” the bodyguard asks, touching his temple as he looks around blankly. “Where am I? Who are you?” he demands as he sees a thin man standing a few feet away, looking at three medium-sized dog kennels. “What did you do to me?”
The man turns, looking at him with a slight frown. “It seems the gas lasted just long enough.”
“What just happened?” the bodyguard demands. “I was supposed to be working at the hotel…” He grabs his head as a headache attacks him.
“You were, of course, but I needed your assistance,” the thin man says. “Clay, I have the creatures, but they seem remarkably bland.”
“My name isn’t Cla—”
“It’s the nanobytes,” a voice comes from out of nowhere. “They’re manipulating them with knock-off versions of the nanobytes I traded with. You’re going to have to override the system.”
“And you say these creatures eat each other?” the man asks, sounding fascinated. “I’m not sure I should give them to you. They seem like a far more interesting experiment.”
“You can experiment on them when they come out on the market,” the voice says. “Shouldn’t you be more worried about the mass of muscle behind you?”
“Ah, yes, of course. I keep forgetting that we’re not alone,” the man says, turning to look at the bodyguard. “I believe I told you that you were dismissed.”
“I don’t know what you did to me, but you aren’t going to get away with—” the bodyguard says, lunging forward. The thin man sprays something in his face and he goes perfectly still before his arms fall to his sides.
“Now, turn around and head straight out that door,” the thin man says calmly. “You won’t remember any of this. If asked, you will say that you slept through the day. You aren’t feeling well.”
“I’m not feeling well,” the bodyguard repeats.
“That’s right. Farewell.” The thin man watches him leave before turning back to the kennels. “Are you certain they won’t look into whether Colleck has a brother or not?” he asks.
“He does,” Clay says. “He lives on an island to the east of Cuba, where he collects strange creatures, just as your cover story said.”
“How do you know that?”
“It has to do with supers. I kept an ear to the ground whenever it concerned someone that might cause harm to… her.”
“Ah, yes, your beloved Skystep,” Richard Penski says. “Tell me, Clay, have you gotten over that silly infatuation of yours?”
“Yes, I do believe I have,” Clay says through the small clay doll sitting on the table next to the computer. “She’s not the person I thought she was.”
“Of course she isn’t,” Richard says, starting to tap on the computer. “Let’s see… the override for the original nanobytes was this… I’ll see if I can’t connect to the ones they created… and there, I’m in.”
“You should place them in a room where they can only reach each other,” Clay instructs.
“Do you really think I needed to be reminded of that?” Richard asks, heading for the kennels and grabbing one. “This should be fascinating.”
“So,” Clay says, “how well is your little ruse coming?”
“They haven’t broken down the doors yet,” Richard says. “Of course, I would never check in, either, if it meant having to watch my sister all the time.”
“Richie! Lunch is ready!” his sister yells from the floor above them. “You aren’t playing your silly web games again, are you?”
“Give me ten minutes,” he says, putting the kennel down. He strips off the suit coat and tie he’s wearing, unbuttoning the top two buttons of his dress shirt and messing up his hair. He heads up the stairs, explaining, “I just woke up.”
“Really, Richi
e, you need to get your nights and days straight,” she says.
In the basement, the clay doll just sits there, but the screen of the computer flickers and the mouse begins to move.
***
“So,” Lydia Monk says, looking at her brother over the dining room table, “how has your job search been going?”
“I don’t know what they told you, Lydia, but even if it was not technically me making the money during that time, my… replacement left me very well off. I can take my time and do my own research for the time being,” Richard says, looking at the very bland chicken on his plate. “Have you ever heard of seasoning, Lydia?”
“Salt is bad for you,” Lydia says. “It’s on all the health food shows, you need to cut back on salt.”
“That’s only if you eat too much of it,” Richard says, reluctantly starting to eat. You would think after being starved so long that he wouldn’t care what he was served. It would be true, if his sister wasn’t such a horrible cook. “How has your… job been going?” he forces himself to ask.
“Oh, you know how the market is, these days. People keep trying to sell their houses high, while buying new ones low. It doesn’t work out that well.”
“I see,” Richard says.
“This place is a bit of a fixer-upper, though. I know some excellent people that could help you… us out,” she goes on. “A new coat of paint never hurts!”
He’d invited her to move in because she was an excellent cover, but it doesn’t mean he has to LIKE living with her. The only good thing about it is that the walls of his basement are extremely well insulated, so he doesn’t have to listen to her unless she stops at the top of the stairs. “I’ll take your suggestion into account,” he says blandly. Actually, he might even do it. If she’s kept busy, she won’t be as apt to try and sneak into his basement.
“But Richard, you have a perfectly good bedroom upstairs,” she goes on. “I don’t see why you insist on sleeping down in that creepy basement.”
“I’ve grown accustomed to sleeping there,” he says, not lying. “It’s much more peaceful. I have difficulty sleeping with light and noise, such as your snoring.”
“I do not snore,” she says, looking affronted. “Well, now that you’re up, perhaps you can talk to those super people for me.”
