Super Powereds: Year 2 (42 page)

80.

Thomas eventually left his post at the door to join the revelry, but only once he was sure the bulk of the guests had arrived. It seemed like things were going well - the general vibe was certainly more relaxed than at last year’s festivities. The few freshmen who’d bothered to attend looked like they were enjoying themselves. A couple milled about in the living room making conversation, some participated in the drinking games set up in the garage, and one looked to be racing Roy to the bottom of the keg. Angela and Chad greeted him with their usual nods, and Thomas thought he saw a smattering of approval in the smile Angela flashed him. He could see why: things were going along as well as could be expected.

Thomas tried to take a detour to the bathroom, only to walk in on a couple getting exceptionally familiar on the counter of the sink. He closed the door before investigating identities: there were some things he was probably better off being ignorant of. It wasn’t like he blamed the duo - there were scarce private places to be found and with this much social lubricant, such instances were bound to occur.

The thought that followed on that one’s heels, not that Thomas would accept that there was any connection between the two, was that he should check on his housemates and make sure they were all doing okay. Thomas turned his attention in search of Violet and the others, winding his way back through the rooms. He snatched up a few abandoned cups as he went: just because it was a party didn’t mean he couldn’t get a head start on the eventual clean-up.

* * *

The inevitable had happened, and thankfully it had happened in a toilet rather than on anyone’s shoes. Despite Sasha’s secret water and Camille’s watchful eye, Vince’s stomach had turned after only a few drinks more. Camille had offered her services in aid to Sasha and the two had gotten him upstairs where he proceed to make a valiant offering to the porcelain god. The two women stood outside during the assault, neither one particularly wanting to get the visual on such an event.

“You can probably head back down if you want,” Sasha said, partly just to verbally cover the series of sickening sounds coming from the open doorway. “I’ll just clean him up, throw some water in him, and put him to bed in Will’s room.”

“That’s not a good idea until we’re sure he’s done vomiting. If he gets on his back and throws up in his mouth he can choke to death.”

“First off, yuck. Second, what are the odds of that?”

“More than you’d think. I took some emergency care classes at the local hospital when I was younger. Apparently there are multiple cases of people dying that way every year,” Camille explained.

“Really? I guess I’ll prop him up, then.” Sasha was interrupted by a fresh wave of audio from the restroom. “That might be a while from now. So, why did you take emergency classes? Can’t you fix everything with a touch?”

“Not everything. Illness is really hit or miss for me, depending on what kind it is. There are very few healers who can deal with all forms of infection and sickness, so learning some general treatment practices was a good idea. Plus, it never hurts to expand your knowledge.”

“I bet it also looked good on your application to Lander.” Sasha flashed her classmate a conspiring grin. Camille reciprocated as best she could. The noise from the bathroom began to dull, and Camille risked a quick peek to ensure his head was still above the rim.

“How is he?”

“Looks stable for the moment. Let’s give him a bit.”

“Good call,” Sasha agreed.

The two stood in silence, save only for when Camille ventured into the bathroom to give the toilet a quick flush. Vince stirred briefly, mumbled a pair of words and then set his head back onto the seat. The girls had wiped it liberally with some cleaning pads before letting him settle down, but Camille still couldn’t help wondering how sanitary a practice this really was.

“Why don’t you use some of your healing ability to make him better?” Sasha asked as Camille emerged from her unpleasant adventure.

“I did that on the way up the stairs. I healed his liver, but the alcohol is still in his system. The symptoms won’t go away until it runs its course.”

“I see. So all I can do is wait.”

“Seems like it’s our only option.”

“Gotcha. Well, while we’re standing around, I was wondering something. How long have you had feelings for my ex-boyfriend?”

Camille reddened immediately but she didn’t look at the ground. Instead she met Sasha’s stare dead on, even shifting her feet a bit to close the height gap between the two. “What do you mean?”

“It’s okay, you don’t need to deny it. I’ve given you multiple chances to leave Pukey yet you stay; you even went in to flush despite his current combustive nature. When I think about the way you’re always gazing up at him, it all falls into place.”

“I wasn’t denying it. I was literally asking for clarification on what you meant. If you mean to ask how long I’ve admired him, the answer is a very long time. How long have I been attracted to him is obviously since I saw him. If you want to know how long I’ve cared deeply for him... well, now that I think about it, that’s really none of your business anyway.” Camille’s insides were churning with a fervor only Vince’s could currently equal, but she stood her ground and refused to look away.

“Look at you, getting all puffed up for a change.” Sasha attempted a friendly smile, but succeeded only in resembling a tiger showing its teeth to a house cat. “There’s no need to get upset. He’s my ex after all. I was just making conversation.”

“Then I apologize for misunderstanding your meaning,” Camille replied, lowering her stance but keeping her eyes locked with Sasha’s. The two might have stayed like that all night, if not for the sounds of a silver-haired young man pulling himself up from the toilet and lumbering to the doorway.

“Anybody have any mouthwash? There’s a flavor on my tongue that would curdle milk.” He gave a weak smile to his two caretakers, who immediately let the tense mood between them dissolve.

“I’ll put a cup for you by the bed. I’ll also leave a bottle of water and a trash can, just in case,” Camille volunteered. She nearly dashed from the room while Sasha began helping Vince over to the bed. Her heart was thundering, partially because of her confrontation with Sasha, but more from fear that Vince might have overheard their discussion. They’d been speaking low; however, that didn’t mean he hadn’t at least gotten snippets.

By the time Camille had found a free trash can and a big enough bottle of water, she’d managed to calm her nerves a bit. She reminded herself that even if Vince had gotten pieces of the conversation, there was virtually no way he’d recollect them in the morning. He was well beyond out of it; after all, when she’d gone in to flush he’d mumbled something that sounded like “stop, thief.” That made no sense at all. At least, that’s what she kept telling herself over and over as she climbed the stairs back to the room where the man she loved was waiting.

81.

Angela was impressed: the celebration had lasted most of the evening before any semblance of a fight had broken out. She’d had to put down two half-hearted scraps before the freshmen had even arrived at her party. It was a little surprising that Thomas had managed to keep the peace for so long, though who had broken it was somewhat less shocking.

“Should we intervene?” Chad was standing next to her, looking delicious as always. For a guy who didn’t seem to care much about his looks, Angela couldn’t help noticing that his hair was always nicely styled and his complexion impeccable. Given his power, these things probably took almost negligible effort to maintain, but it was still effort he exerted. Chad could put on the dedicated tough act all day long; Angela knew there was a bit of vanity and ego under the calm warrior’s surface.

“I don’t see any reason to; so far it seems to be a friendly match. Better they release their aggression harmlessly than let it loose in more destructive ways.”

Across the yard stood Roy and the freshman boy, Cameron or some such, both doing a preliminary stretch or two as the crowd of intoxicated students mingled about. A few other freshmen were speckled through the growing audience, three of them with looks of evident concern. Cameron himself seemed quite nonchalant, perhaps the gallons of beer he’d put away were the cause of such chillness.

The cluster parted as Thomas made his way outside. He looked at the two men preparing to do battle and let out a long, exasperated sigh before speaking.

“Who insulted whom?”

“Neither,” Roy said with an oversized grin. He looked like a kid waiting in line for a new roller coaster than he’d yet to scream his way through. “We were just drinking and talking, and Cameron mentioned his abilities were physically-based as well. Couple of beers later we decided to have ourselves a match.”

“‘A couple of beers’ is something of an understatement,” Alice chipped in from the sidelines. Even half-buzzed and in the cool wind of the California air, she still looked dazzling. Angela was very thankful the girl was inept in choosing men and procuring them, otherwise she might have had some real competition for her current conquest.

“We had enough,” Roy replied. “Now hold my hat.” He tossed the ever-present grey cowboy hat to Angela, which she caught with some distaste.

“What on earth makes you think a fight in my backyard is a good idea?” Thomas inquired.

“You’ve got high fences. Besides, we’re just horsing around. No mega-strength punches or tossing each other half a mile away. Just the first to three pins wins.”

“I’ll be quick,” Cameron promised from a few feet away. He’d finished his own stretches and was hopping impatiently in place.

“This seems like an awful idea,” Thomas reiterated.

Angela waltzed forward slowly, letting the crowd register her presence and slide away appropriately. She’d learned long ago how to project an aura of power and intimidation. It didn’t come from being aggressive or showing your strength; if anything it was the opposite. People saw true power when they witnessed someone who could move with a blissful peace, no matter what was happening around them. That confidence only came from being so strong that you had nothing that required your worry. Anyone could learn to project that image, but if you actually had the power to back it, then it was dozens of times more effective. And Angela definitely had the power.

“Let them be,” she said as she slid up to Thomas’s side. “You can’t control morons, you can only point them in a useful direction. If things get out of hand, Chad and I will put a swift stop to it.” Her words were for Thomas, but both of the would-be fighters got a dose of her eyes. She made sure each understood that the consequences of her stepping in would be exceptionally unpleasant. They seemed to absorb as much of her message as their booze-addled brains were capable of. With that settled, Angela put her hand on Thomas’s shoulder and led the party host back a few steps. There was immediate bickering directly behind her; a cursory glance revealed it to be the freshmen she assumed were Cameron’s friends. She started to listen to their conversation, but her attention was drawn to the action as it started.

Cameron kicked things off with a headlong charge right at Roy’s torso. If the older boy was surprised, it was only because he wasn’t accustomed to someone pulling his own signature move on him. Unluckily for Cameron, all of Roy’s experience with this technique had given him first-hand experience on how it could be countered. Roy struck with a quick elbow to the shoulder blade, obliterating Cameron’s balance and leaving him wide open for the knee that was driven into his hip. If it had been against a regular opponent, such a strike would only have further skewed his balance, but from someone like Roy, the blow flipped him several feet into the air. He landed chest-first in the grass with a soft thud. Roy moved to capitalize, but the freshman was surprisingly quick to recover. A single punch against the ground launched him back to his feet.

The two combatants looked at each other for only a moment before they rushed back into the fray. Cameron was good: he had speed and experience to go with his strength. But as the two cycled through holds and escapes, two things became clear: Roy was more practiced at hand-to-hand combat, and Cameron was the much weaker of the two. His speed and tactics kept him aloft for nearly a full minute before Roy landed a pivotal leg sweep that sent Cameron crashing down. Recovery might still have been possible if Roy hadn’t learned his lesson from the first attack. Such was not the case, and Roy kept after his opponent relentlessly, offering no chance for rest. A few seconds and three taps on the ground later the first round was over.

Roy stood up and brushed himself off, extending a hand to help his younger opponent off the ground. Cameron accepted graciously, leaping up with energy to spare.

“Ready for round two?” Cameron asked with an excited smile.

“Sure, why not?” Roy now knew that there was no way Cameron could defeat him, but if the kid wanted to go again, that was fine. Chad had wasted lord only knew how much time last year fighting an inferior opponent so he could learn. The least Roy could do was follow Chad’s example.

“Wait a second!” A cute girl with short blonde hair came tumbling out of the crowd. Just behind her were two more freshman, each exchanging looks of concern with the others. “Just wait a minute, please.” The girl turned to Cameron, who looked as if he’d just discovered someone ate all of the cereal and put the empty box back in cupboard.

“Tell me something honestly, how much have you had to drink?” Her tone made it clear she wouldn’t buck any lies or half-truths. She wanted his alcohol consumption down to the glass.

“A lot of beer,” Cameron answered as honestly as he could.

“That it? Just beer? No hard liquor of any kind?”

“None at all.”

“Ugh, you’re such a moron.” The blonde began rooting around in her oversized purse, eventually producing a full bottle of what had to be the cheapest vodka sold in stores. She handed it to him without a word, and stared at him until he unscrewed the cap and began to guzzle it down.