Chapter 1251 (1/2)

Nathan leaned his forehead against the glass window of the manatech rail car and made an aggravated face. But even so, he would be damned if he let anyone ruin his good mood right now. “Look, we are just friends. But she’s playing the halftime show! Thousands of people are going to watch. As a friend, I have to support her.”

“Uh huh,” His twin sister Kiersty’s voice clearly indicated that she didn’t believe Nathan’s assertions at all. “And when did you and Mariah Jane become so close? Isn’t she sixteen already? That’s two years older than us. How many sixteen-year-old girls have friends who are fourteen-year-old boys? Especially ones who are so...”

Nathan fiddled with the buttons of his shirt as Kiersty trailed off. He rather pointedly ignored everything but her first question “...we became after she took second place in Donnyton’s performance challenge. I went… to encourage her for next time. I-.... I met her backstage. She should have won.”

Next to Kiersty on the seat opposite Nathan, Tykes chuckled and briefly ceased making the gold coin dance across his fingers. “You really think that girl-child should have beaten Raina? They aren’t even in the same vocal league, little man,”

“She’s just developing her sound,” Nathan said defensively. “She… really, I think the next challenge she will be even better.”

Dinesh yawned loudly in the seat next to him, finally pulling Nathan’s gaze from the forests they were speeding past to favor Dinesh with a sour look. Shrugging rather noncommittally, Dinesh continued to work on the sudoku puzzle book he had bought at the train station before they had departed. Feeling wronged, Nathan folded his arms and glowered indiscriminately at the others in the train car.

“So you walked backstage and talked to an older girl that you didn’t know and you two just became friends.” Kiersty prompted after the silence had stretched for a few minutes. “Even though everybody says that she has a thing with the Cortez boy.”

Nathan unfolded his arms. “People can have friends… and I just...Well, you know her actual Class is Heavy Archer, not related to singing at all. So I mentioned… well, just said that if she wanted, it would be possible to change her Class to something more… well, more related to singing. Like Songstress, or something, and she seemed really interested!”

“Of course she’s interested,” Kiersty sighed as she slumped back in her seat and crossed her arms again. “This is why I’m saying you need to be more responsible with who you tell about your powers.”

“Oh shut up, Kiersty, you run a cult,” Nathan muttered glumly.

That earned a sharp glare from Kiersty, but it was Dinesh that responded. He carefully raised his measure gaze from the puzzle book in his hands and said. “Spreading word of your abilities can be dangerous. Make sure she understands that this matter shouldn’t be be talked about lightly. Although both of you are mature for teenagers, that does not mean all others are… and it is best to avoid misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings that Dinesh and I end up solving,” Tykes said with an easy smile. He popped the golden coin into his hand and flapped it into the air. When it landed on his palm, he immediately covered it with the other hand with an audible slap.

“Mariah’s different,” Nathan said firmly. “Even Mrs. Hamilton said she was trustworthy.”

Again, Tykes chuckled, but Nathan ignored the older man. After all, what did he know? When they were back at their temporary base by the Ogre Gorge, Tykes was constantly fawning over that woman would couldn’t even speak. In terms of developing a relationship, Tykes was successful, but that was definitely not the sort of relationship that Nathan wanted.

No… Nathan’s face flushed a bit as he turned back to the window. I want to date someone… someone who just gets me… Sometimes when I’m listening to Mariah’s songs…

“Well she’s certainly not very nice,” Kiersty announced, interrupting Nathan’s reverie. “Why the hell do we need to buy our own tickets? She could at least give us a couple. And good ones. Who asked this football game to be so popular?.”

“Kiersty, honey, we all know how much money you have,” Tykes rolled his eyes. “What are you doing with it if not spending it on tickets?”

“Investing in the coffee farms,” Kiersty said defensively. “If we can expand now, since there are so many new places on Earth- anyway, that’s not the point. I’m just saying that I’m sure Raina would have given us tickets if she had been singing at the halftime show.”

Nathan’s throat was dry as he cleared it lightly. “Ahem. Well, I… I didn’t tell Mariah that we were coming. I… wanted it to be a surprise. Like she… she would look out into the crowd and see me...”

Everyone spared Nathan a look and considered the fact that the group had was heading to watch the inaugural football game without telling Mariah that they were coming. Tykes smirked and DInesh sighed. Both of them honestly didn’t care that much; they were there to protect Nathan and would have followed him anyway.