Chapter 14 – Travel Plans
Ariel
“Okay!” Midnight says, grinning as she snaps her hands to her hips, looking down at her new knife belt. I smile too, desperately pleased to see her so happy, thinking Daphne knew precisely the right thing to send. “I am ready to study!”
My footsteps falter a little on the way to the kitchen and I sigh as I glance over my shoulder at her. “Oh, Mids,” I say, feeling guilty as I reach for my damned herbal tea, which has not been cutting it in the absence of my usual morning caffeine push. “I don’t know if we’ll have time for that today –“
“What!?” Her shriek echoes through the room.
“Mids,” I say, apologetic and full of woe, quickly pulling the strainer out of my tea and turning to lean against the counter as I raise the mug to my lips, blowing to cool it. “We have to go get Tony’s body today, and it’s –“
“Ariel!” Midnight moans, her shoulder slumping. “This is like, the fourth day you’ve had an excuse!”
I sigh, feeling very guilty. “I know, Midnight, but I’ve been really busy –“
“I mean, could you study on the way to the Capital?” Jackson asks, looking between us, wanting to find peace as he always does. Marigold likewise watches and listens, ignoring Juniper’s attempt to keep my little girl’s interest on her breakfast.
“Maybe,” I say, raising my eyebrows at Midnight. “I mean, it’s Jesse’s job to figure out transportation, and it won’t be easy if we have to take a helicopter –“
“Wait,” Midnight says, her eyes going wide like two flashing coins. “I get to come?”
“Of course you get to come, Midnight,” Tony says, grinning. “Where else would you be?”
“I thought I’d be here, taking care of Marigold,” she says, looking over at my little girl, who smiles at the mention of her name.
“Well, Marigold’s coming,” I say, tilting my head to the side, confused.
“She is?” Jackson asks, sitting up straight, looking at me.
“Of course she is,” I say, frowning at him. “Why wouldn’t she be?”
“Ariel, we’re digging up a corpse,” Jackson says, leaning forward to stare at me. “What about that says little girl activity –“
“Oh, it’s a family affair,” I say, pursing my lips and waving a hand at him. “It’ll be fun!”
Juniper laughs at this and Tony grins. Jackson just sits back on the couch, considering it, and I raise an eyebrow at him. It’s not dangerous, I say down the bond, passing calm and assurance. It will be fine.
Jacks sighs a little through his nose but nods. I pass a great deal of love towards him, knowing he’s still struggling with anxiety. It occurs to me in a way that it did not before, now that I consider it, that taking his little girl to a graveyard in the middle of the night is probably not on his top list of safe, fun activities. But he passes faith back to me and I grin at my mate, who smiles back.
God, I’m glad that we’re back on the same page.
“Oh, great!” Midnight says, thrilled again. She flops back on the couch, moving the box her belt came in beneath the table and reaching out towards Junie. “Can you pass me my Chemistry book? I can start now and then we can study on the way!”
I grin, taking a sip of my tea, pleased at this resolution.
“Why do you want to study chemistry anyway, Mids?” Tony asks, leaning towards her with a frown.
“Because,” Midnight says, taking the proffered book from Junie and opening it to the front, where the periodic table is. “Ariel says that in order to be an espionage student, I have to be proficient in basic chemistry –“
“Oh come on,” he replies, leaning back and smirking at her. “You don’t want to be an espionage student.”
I gasp, standing straight, realizing what’s happening.
“Espionage students are all nerds,” Tony continues. “They study all the time and they have the hardest tests as well as the lowest number of any group that makes it through to the second semester –“
“Tony!” I snap, storming to the center of the room. “Don’t you try to steal my –“
“Nah, what you want,” he says, giving Midnight a charming grin and a wink. “Is to be assassin track.”
Midnight’s eyes go wide with desire.
“Tony!” I shout, pulling my foot back to kick at him and only remembering at the last second that I’m not supposed to do that anymore. I scowl, stomping it down on the ground. “How dare you! She’s my protégé!”
“Assassin track is all the fun of espionage without all the studying,” he says, leaning forward to Mids with a hand stretched out, sounding like a cheap car salesman with his smarmy pitch.
I huff, aghast. “I can’t believe you’re trying to get her to take the easy route!”
Tony keeps his eyes fastened on Mids. “Plus we have way more knives –“
“I have a sniper rifle!”
“And we get really great outfits to blend in with the night –“
“I want that,” Midnight whispers, nodding slowly, staring at Tony with awe.
“Daphne’s already making that for you! You can have the clothes and be a spy!”
“So, I can be an assassin?” Midnight asks, turning her eyes up to me. “Ariel! Why didn’t you tell me this!?”
“Because it’s stupid!” I say, crossing my arms in a huff. “Also…because I forgot!”
Midnight starts to turn her head back to Tony, completely seduced, but I point a finger at her. “Don’t you turn away from me yet, Midnight. You have to be specifically invited to be an assassin and Tony is, I’m sure, not telling you all the truth.”
Everyone in the room turns to him, but Tony just smirks and shrugs, as usual not giving anything away. Juniper grins at this, sighing happily and scooping up some oatmeal for Marigold, who ignores her.
“Plus,” Jackson says, turning to Midnight. “You still have to pass the intelligence exam to make it into school, and Ariel came in tops for that –“
“You came in tops for that!” I snap, turning my ire on him now.
Jackson flashes me a little grin and then turns back to Mids. “She’ll be able to train you in how to take the test. I think you should study hard between now and September – don’t put all of your eggs in Tony’s little ghost basket. Let them both train you.”
“Oh, I like this,” Midnight says, leaning back against the couch and nodding slowly. “I can be an assassin spy!”
I stick out my tongue, disliking the idea, as Tony shrugs, likewise displeased.
But before we can continue the debate, the door opens and Jesse steps in. “Are you guys aware that there’s like…a Princess from another world out there? Just…laying in the sun, weeping softly?”
“Yeah, she’s fine,” Juniper calls, waving a hand. “Get some coffee, Jess, it’s good!”
He presses the door shut and looks to me. “Coffee sounds good.”
“Get your own,” I say with a sigh, waving him towards the kitchen. “I’m trying to pull Midnight back from the edge of destruction –“
Jesse raises his brows even as he crosses to the kitchen.
“I’m going to be an assassin!” Mids calls to him.
The declaration doesn’t pause Jesse for an instant as he reaches for the coffee pot. “Politicians and Kings around the world will be shaking in their boots!”
Midnight grins, setting her shoulders back as she looks down at her book. “Okay, Ariel! Let’s go. Jesse taught me that it’s ChemistrY with a Y, and not ChemisTREE, a field of science regarding the study of chemis-trees. Which was a surprise. Then he taught me about hydrogen. So, what do we do next?”
I narrow my eyes. “What did he teach you about hydrogen?”
“That it’s exceptionally rare and the most complex element, which is why it’s so valuable. In fact, if you go to the bottom of the sea, you can mine hydrogen and sell it on the black market, which sounds very exciting -“
“Jesse,” I groan, turning towards him with a glare.
“What?” he asks, grinning at me as he leans against the counter. “I told you not to leave me in charge. You reap what you sow, Princess!”
I snarl at him as I move to sit at Midnight’s side.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Jesse calls, laughing as he takes a sip of his coffee. “Train leaves at noon.”
“Really?” Juniper asks, her face lighting up.
“Really,” Jesse says, nodding to her and then shifting his gaze to Tony. “I called our parents and explained a few things, mom says she’ll help. We’re taking you home, ghosty. Ready?”
But Tony just sighs, looking down at the floor, more worry coming into his expression than I think I’ve ever seen before.
At 11:50, we gather on the train platform, keeping to the shadows.
“So, is this one of the trains that knows we’re getting on it?” Jackson asks, glancing at Jesse next to him. “Or…one of the sneaky ones?”
“Sneaky!” Jesse says, nodding eagerly, looking down the tracks in the direction that the train will arrive. “It’s no fun unless it’s sneaky.”
“Why do we have to be secret?” Midnight asks, looking up at Jess.
I adjust Marigold on my hip as Juniper draws Laila in the shade from her sunny spot a few feet away, the Selkie Princess moaning lightly as she comes. I laugh, liking this little sun-worshipper very much, making room for her at my side.
“Because it’s better not to draw attention,” Jesse says, shrugging. He looks over at Jacks. “The media will have a field day if they catch two Princesses – one who hasn’t been in the press for months – traveling on Moon Valley’s commuter rail with the Ghost Hottie and the Mystery Hunk –“
Jackson groans, tilting back his head as his least favorite appellation again rears its ugly head. Marigold laughs, shouting “Mystery Hunk!” and leaning away from me, reaching for her dad.
Tony grins around at us, his eyes landing on Jackson as my mate sighs and takes Goldie from my arms, holding her up high. “Please,” Tony says, grinning wickedly at Jacks. “Please tell me you’re the Mystery Hunk.”
“No, I’m the ghost hottie,” Jackson murmurs, sighing, making me laugh. “Jesse uses that other name to refer to himself in the third person –“
“Mystery Hunk!” Marigold sings again, raising her hands up high, excited.
“I want a nickname,” Midnight mutters, crossing her arms, jealous.
“Is Midnight…not a nickname?” Tony asks, frowning down at her. She stares up at him like she doesn’t understand what he means.
“Sorry to interrupt…” We all turn as one to the red-haired young woman standing in the sunshine, awkward and a little pigeon-toed, a black backpack slung over her shoulder. “But…Jesse said? If I wanted an adventure…?”
I glance at Jesse to see him beaming before I give a screech of happiness, reaching for Daph and pulling her into a tight hug. “Yay!” I shout. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
“Train’s coming,” Jesse calls, his voice humming with happiness.
“Are you sure it’s okay?” Daphne whispers, loosening her arms around me and giving me a smile so happy it borders on silly.
“Of course it is, Daph,” I say, grinning right back. “It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
I pull my friend into the shadows along with everyone else, all of whom give her warm greetings – even Mids.
We all fall into a quiet hush as the train pulls up.
“Sneaky,” Marigold whispers, giving a steady nod and pressing herself close to her dad.
My smile is so wide my cheeks hurt.