Part 22 (2/2)

The minions pressed closer as though waiting for Father to say something. The children grew restless. A few tried to move from their mothers' sides but were stopped by firm grips. I closed my hand around the mango core and felt it s.h.i.+ft and change texture. When I opened my hands, the core had turned into sand. I made eye contact with Seraph's mom.

Ziminair, the children are bored. I want to play with them in the water. Can you see if it's okay with the other mothers?

She smiled. Of course, Princess.

I stood when she nodded, and took Seraph's hand and the hand of the friend she'd been playing with. The other children, nudged by their parents, joined us.

”Where are we going, Princess Lilith?” Seraph asked.

”We're going to play in the water.”

She giggled. ”You can't swim in a dress.”

”Oh, but I can. This is a special dress. It can change into a swimsuit just before I get in the water, and as soon as I step out of the water, it changes back into a dress.”

”You have earth powers,” her friend whispered softly. ”My mother said so.”

I smiled. ”Yes, I do.”

”Can you make my swimsuit blue with snowflakes?” she asked.

”I want pink snowflakes,” Seraph cut in.

”Ask your parents first,” I said. ”If they say it's okay...”

The children ran to their parents to ask permission. The water was blue and clear; I could see the sandy bottom. My sundress changed into a bikini as soon as I stepped in the water, but I was too busy adding polka dots, flowers, and hearts to swimsuits to feel self-conscious. Not that I had any reason to be. I wasn't pale and scrawny anymore. I'd filled out.

Most of the children, like their parents, were in their Neteru/humanlike form, so that made things easier. I didn't have to deal with tails and whatnot. I guess the ability to s.h.i.+ft depended on the psi energy. I focused on creating more pink, blue, red, and yellow snowflakes, b.a.l.l.s, bugs, and bikes on shorts.

Help, I begged Katia.

Katia helped with the swimsuits, then with keeping an eye on the younger kids. She was good with them. She laughed and splashed with them, chased them under the water like an eel. Their level of playfulness was different with her. I guessed no matter how hard I tried, I'd always be their princess and they'd always treat me differently.

I knew the moment my father left. There was a ma.s.s exodus into the water, but it was more than that. My father had a presence and a powerful energy that was hard to ignore. I wondered if that was how people felt around me. According to my tutors, I had the strongest psi energy on the island.

Lady Nemea left with his guards, but mine stayed. Lottius walked to the edge of the water and waved.

A little help with my swimsuit, Prime Earthlings, she teased.

Katia laughed. ”Do you want to do the honors?”

”You do it. You know what she likes. Besides, she called us earthlings. That is insulting and demean-”

Hands wrapped around my waist and pulled. Arms flailing, I went under. The kids were finally treating me the way they treated Katia. I glanced over my shoulder and my eyes widened.

What are you doing? I asked Green Eyes.

He smirked, letting me go. Trying to get your attention. What to see something cool?

I shook my head and surfaced.

Chicken, he said, still underwater.

Not.

Please. His gorgeous eyes twinkled and his ridiculously long hair floated in the sea like a mermaid's. I couldn't resist, so I nodded. He beckoned me to join him and I dove in. He took my hand and I expected us to teleport.

The water parted around us as we swam until we were inside some sort of bubble. Instead of floating to the top, the bubble moved farther from the others and the sh.o.r.e and into deeper waters. It was weird. Green Eyes held on to me as we sank until our feet landed on the bottom of the ocean.

The seabed was rocky and bubbles shot upward from cracks on the floor, probably from some nasty sea creatures wondering why we had invaded their s.p.a.ce. But I didn't care. I was alone with Green Eyes.

A school of colorful fish floated past us, skirting our dome as though they knew the inside had no water. Above us, light rays streaked through the water like splashes of white paint on a watery canvas. I poked at the wall and my finger sank into the cool wetness of the ocean, but when I pulled it out, the bubble didn't pop.

”Did you do this?” I asked, glancing at him. I caught his smile. He really had a beautiful smile, and from the look in his eyes, he was enjoying my reaction. Heat crawled onto my cheeks and I was suddenly aware that he was holding my hand, and that I was only partially dressed in a bikini while he wore a surfing suit.

”Did you?” I asked again.

He shook his head. ”How could I? I'm only a minion. Maybe your water powers are appearing.”

Could they? He laced our fingers. Holding his hand seemed natural.

”I don't buy it,” I said. ”Do you have wings?”

He laughed as though the idea was absurd, then let go of my hand, leaned against the bubble, and crossed his arms. ”If I had wings, I'd be up there flying, not down here.” He angled his head and studied me. ”Why do you ask?”

I pushed my finger into the water. ”I had a dream about you.”

He wiggled his brow. ”Only one? I've had plenty with you.”

Heat flooded my cheeks. ”Yeah. Well. In the dream you had ma.s.sive black wings.”

”Nice. My dreams tend to be more...”

His smile changed and something s.h.i.+fted in my stomach. ”More what?”

”Realistic.”

”Oh.” I'd expected him to say something more, I don't know, romantic.

He smirked as though he'd read my thoughts. ”Meet me at the sublevel library at midnight tonight and I'll show you. I'll be in the east study room with the giant globe.”

I c.o.c.ked my eyebrows. ”You plan to show me your dreams?”

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