Stellar Spectrum Book V

Chapter 3

After having lunch, Ophelia and Hector were settling in their room. Holden was in the bathroom, while the Soulpadres were in the lobby sitting together discussing something crucial. "Hey, Peachy," Vance called up to her.

"Yeah?" Perfida turned to him.

"I kinda remember that Holden doesn't know about... you, and what you can do."

"Okay, what about it?"

"And he's going to be staying with me, March, and Leyo."

The psychic lifted a brow at him. "Your point?" she asked.

"Ugh... Stepbrother," Perdita scoffed at the side.

"I'm just wondering, what if we encounter another g-h-o-s-t while he's closeby?" Vance told her.

Perfida saw her friend's concern. "Oh... Well, let's just hope nothing like that happens then."

"Yeah, but what if...?"

"Then we'll figure it out, or work around it, so he won't find out," the girl said. All of a sudden, she got a text from her parents so she stood up from her seat. "My Mom needs me to help her unpack. I'll see you guys later."

Once Perfida left her friends for a while to be with her folks, Vance let out a heavy sigh. "What's wrong?" Leyo asked, as he noticed his friend's frustrated expression.

"Nothing, I'm just worried."

"About what? Ghosts?" March questioned.

"Yeah," Vance sighed. "Holden will be staying with us, and what if we have to deal with one?"

"Unclench, Dude, it's not like we're gonna come across with one."

"That's what Perfida said before coming here until we meet..." Vance flinched over to Gussie who was still clueless about his dead girlfriend as he waited for him to finish the part of he was about to say. "... The wagans."

"I get it. Just, you know, go with the flow," March advised.

"But..."

"Uhmm... Guys, he's coming," Gussie warned them when he saw Holden coming out from the restroom.

Later, Perfida got back to her friends. She and the guys lead her stepbrother to their room where he was staying for the time being, even helping him carrying his bags inside. "Thanks," he said to them. "So which one is my bed?"

"Oh, the upper bed above mine," March said. "Is that okay?"

"Stellar."

"So what's it like in base camp?" Leyo asked.

"It's awesome," Holden answered with such enthusiasm as he sat down with them on the floor. "The training was brutal, but it's worth it."

Gussie cringed since he was the only one who could not relate to the space military life. "Like how brutal?" 

"Twenty laps after waking up and getting dressed, Five hundred reps of workout, three-thousand reps of burpees for losing a sparing match, adding five-thousand reps of burpees if you lose a sparing match the next round and if you didn't do well in shooting range, and many more."

"Damn. You guys really do all that?"

"Not me," Perfida scoffed. "Maybe I could do thousand burpees, but not running twenty laps."

"In my family, we call it 'walk in the park'," March remarked. He even shrugged his shoulder like what Holden went through was baby steps.

"That's what Hale calls it too," Holden replied.