Close to the Covert Rains **Book One**

Chapter 26 (Monday)

Niko certainly hadn't lied; it was a sledding event. But he'd forgotten to mention it wasn't snow sledding. Kwayo looked down at his neon yellow marshmallow of a coat and his thick, blue gloves, glad someone had left early to double-check what they were doing tonight. He, just, wasn't glad he was the one doing the double-checking. He'd stumbled into the arena partially filled with early-bird arrivals, and the open stares of people dressed in muddy T-shirts and jeans still burned in his cheeks.

The one advantage of his poofy coat was how well it could hide his face.

Kwayo knocked again. How had he been the one roped into seeing what the event was? Verspri was busy with math or something, and Teremki was out practicing weapons, but he'd been working on his presentation for Tropical Animal Studies.

The door finally opened and Verspri appeared, eyeing Kwayo from head to toe. "I take it we're not actually sledding."

"Oh no, we're sledding alright," Kwayo stepped inside, stripping off his boots and gloves. "Just not in the snow."

Verspri raised an eyebrow, and slid the chair back under the door handle. Teremki's desk was back in his room; they'd decided just a chair was good enough during the day when they were all constantly coming and leaving.

Kwayo gave up waiting for him to ask. "We're mud-sledding."

Verspri smirked and went back into his room, so Kwayo trudged off to put his winter gear away, stuffing them together in the bottom drawer of his dresser.

He changed into a different set of clothes--a pale blue shirt he'd ripped a hole in once by losing a porcupine quill in it, and some shorts that had somehow never gotten juice stains out of them.

Someone knocked, so Kwayo went and squinted through the peephole. Teremki stood there, so Kwayo tugged the chair away and creaked open the door.

"Guess what," Kwayo said.

"What," he yawned.

"We're mud sledding. Not snow sledding. You should be grateful I found that out for you."

Teremki smiled half-heartedly. "Thanks. I'm going to go shower."

Kwayo frowned. He sure didn't sound very thankful. "I'm going to wait outside," he said.

"Okay."

"Are you coming, Verspri?"

"Yes. Just let me finish changing first."

Kwayo let the door shut. He tapped his foot, then stepped out of the way for Teremki to leave again, and slid the chair back in place. Verspri still didn't emerge, but overlapping Verspri-voices shouted at each other. Kwayo knocked on the bedroom door. The shouting continued, so he just shrugged. Verspri could take care of his clones, surely.

"Be quiet!" Verspri yelled. Silence ensued. "YAY!" he shouted this time, followed by some high-pitched squealing. Kwayo winced, but Verspri emerged, alone, slipping out the door. The squealing continued.

"We can go," Verspri folded his arms.

Kwayo pointed at the door, not sure what to say. "Wha...?"

Verspri grinned. Sort of. Maybe grimaced? "Cuatro just popped out a new clone. Now Trio's really happy because he thinks he's a grandpa. Segundo, too, actually," he marched outside, down the hall.

Kwayo bit his cheek to stop from laughing, jogging to catch up. "What about Cuatro?"

"I don't know if Cuatro knows what's happening still--" they stepped outside, and Verspri grunted. "You wanna see him?"