Page 66 of Home to the Hollow

Hell, even I’m notthatout of touch. God help this woman if she gets within four feet of any teenager in town. They’re going to destroy her, and I’m going to laugh until I suffocate.

That’smyprediction.

Wake Me Up When It’s All Over

Sugarplum needs some blackout curtains in this room. The sun damn near fried my eyeballs in the sockets when I opened them. Yawning, I frown when I stretch my limbs and notice how empty the bed feels.

Rolling to my side, I look over at Presley sprawled like a starfish. He was the most vocal about our lady’s absence when we headed to bed. Boone pouted like a toddler and stormed to his house, and I checked my phone more than I have in years, but Prez…

He spent a good portion of the evening wearing a tread on the living room carpet. It’s not that he thinks Jolene can’t take care of herself; he’s worried about her emerging powers and Saoirse’s cavalier attitude. The Irish lass isn’t a bad Guardian, but her personal connection to Sugarplum makes it harder for her to do her job.

It’s obvious she’s allowed her to take risks most Guardians wouldn’t have over the years, and Prez can’t stand things outside of his sphere of control. His gifts make him certain of his ability to help if something goes very wrong, but since they kept us in the dark about their plans, he fretted all night that he might not make it in time.

The weird presence that’s been lurking around the house has us all on edge, I s’pose.

I tried contacting my old Guardian, but she’s incommunicado. The same goes for Andromeda from the school, and when I had Boone text Nelia, she was ‘disinclined to acquiesce to our paranoia’. Fancy words for ‘mind your business’, but that’s our mayor in a nutshell.

“What time is it? Is Magpie home?”

My lips curve as I look at one of the best things to happen to my life since I graduated from vet school. “No, love, she’s not here.” I brush his hair out of his eyes, cupping his cheek. “Unless they’re passed out downstairs, which seems unlikely. I just woke up and hadn’t gone looking yet.”

He sits up, fumbling around for his glasses before turning to me. “Why didn’t you wake me? It doesn’t feel right; she’s not the type to not come home.”

“At some point she was, babe. We’ve heard her and Saoirse talk about their wild days. Maybe it’s like a reunion, and they’re curled up somewhere sleeping off hangovers,” I reply, trying to soothe him. I didn’t realize how close he was to the bond—that’s the only thing that would cause such a panic. I’m not saying mine isn’t pinching, and I’m sure Boone is as well.

In fact, it’s strange that he hasn’t?—

“Where is she?!”

Yep, that’s about what I expected. Guess I won’t be distracting Prez with breakfast in bed now. Sighing, I roll to my feet and head for the bathroom. I’m not worried about being naked; hell, he’s seen almost as much of my ass as Prez has by now. “You both need to calm down. It’s making me fritz. Too much emotion, and it’s too naked in here to get frosty.”

“Focus, Lucy. Your mother will make an appearance if your control slips. The real one, not poor Aurelia. She’s the last thing we need right now.”

“Is no one listening?”

I blow a kiss at my love before I close the door, chuckling under my breath. He’s not wrong—my mother loves to use a substantial power burst as a reason to break her promise to my father. She’s not supposed to come here because she lacks the ability or will to blend in with modern society. With Boone losing his mind, Sugarplum not yet emerged, and the gossip in this town, a visit could blow up in our faces in a million ways.

But I am concerned our girl hasn’t called. I don’t want to fan the flames of the other two—especially Edgar—so I’m trying to remain calm. However, their panic is feeding my powers, and well… It'd be nice if we had Jolene to balance us all out. She brings out the best in all of us, and I feel like we’re missing a piece with her not here.

That’s odd, right? Is the connection between us so strong this soon?

Hell, if I know how this bond thing works. There’s book learning, which we all get in school from Andromeda, but there’s practical application. I’m not sure the stuff we covered really prepared me for how it would feel to have that connection—much less with two people. I’m sure it’s part of what’s ruffling Prez’ feathers, too.

I step into the shower, grinning to myself as I pick up their conversation through the wall. It’s the ears—fashionable and functional, that’s my heritage.

“Hamilton, I don’t care what we have to do. I need to know she’s okay!”

“Take a benzo, Boone. Magpie’s a big girl. She can handle herself.”

That wasn’t his attitude earlier. Huh. I smile to myself, feeling Prez self-soothing through our bond as he tries to talk Edgar out of his hysterical fit. It must be the switch in him needing to take care of our panicked third. His own emotions smooth out, and that helps me keep control of the ice that was crawling up my spine.

I close my eyes and let the warm water sluice over me as I lean my head against the shower wall. The magnolia body wash Sugarplum uses is on the hanging shelf, so I pour some in my palm, inhaling the scent. It makes me feel closer to her, and I used it in my hair as well. I frown when I run my fingertips past my ears, cursing under my breath. Maybe I’m not as calm as I thought, and I gotta figure this out before she comes home.

Until she emerges, the three of us have to keep the other sides of ourselves quiet. Boone almost fucked it up the first day we were all together, but Prez helped talk him down. Of course, neither of us has triplásia, so who knows how hard it is to control three dominant sides in that kind of situation?

I’m only dual myself—like most of the ‘special’ residents here—and my darling doc has only one known contribution. Since no one knows who his father is, that may not be accurate, but he’s never once shifted or displayed an affinity for anything outside of his feathered alter ego.

We’re outcasts from the larger supe society because of our ‘mixed’ genetics, whether we come from the Hollow enclave, the Tsuiho-sha enclave in Asia, or the Mínádúrtha compound in Ireland. There are a few smaller communities in places like Hawaii, Greece, and Thailand, but those are where the more... water-minded kids are placed.

---