Dreamjumper

Chapter Nineteen

By the time we opened the front door of my dorm room, flushed pink and our hands numb with cold, the rest of Sector 17 was waiting for us. Amy and Gabe were sitting together on Jay's bed, being the only members among us who posed no risk of invoking her wrath; Jack stood by the balcony, still open from when I had stepped outside to find Alistair; Luna sat perched on the edge of my own bed, looking not quite uncomfortable, but much more formal than she really needed to be.

"And the double A's return!" Jack remarked, leaning against the wall with a smile.

Amy pretended to be offended by this, shooting him a glare and a vulgar gesture with a certain finger. "Pretending I don't exist again, Vargas?"

"Children, won't you please settle down ..." Gabe shook his head in exasperation, leaning back farther on the bed. "I'll apologize on their behalf. We didn't even congratulate you on your transformation, Anne." He gave me a bright smile at this, which immediately spread to me, though I was turning red from the sudden shift in attention.

"He's right. Congratulations, Anne," Luna smiled, scooting over to make room for me. "You looked so beautiful up there ... and carried yourself like a queen ..."

"Hello? Are we seriously going to ignore the most important thing?" Amy stood up and came over to me, throwing both arms around my waist from the side, leaning her head on my shoulder. "You're a part of Sector 17 now! I mean, who knew? We haven't had anyone new in our sector since we were put together as kids ..."

"I'm surprised at that, too. Especially because Lius is relying on us to carry out the hardest missions," Jack added, giving me an apologetic look as he realized what he'd said. "Not that we don't get along with you! I know you're a fast learner and all. And you're one of the coolest people we've met in a long time. What I meant to say was, Lius doesn't really know you. How would he know that he wasn't going to mess up the group dynamic by putting you with us ..." He lifted his hand to his forehead, wincing again at the harshness of his words. "Not that you'd mess it up! Shit, I'm sorry!"

"Who knows just what Lius is thinking these days," Alistair mumbled, as he shrugged the long black coat he'd worn out into Robbinson off his shoulders, hanging the sleeves up on a hanger I'd flung onto the ground.

Luna seemed uncomfortable at his words, looking down and fidgeting a bit as I took my seat beside her. Amy also seemed to notice this, and placed a hand on her knee, rubbing it comfortingly. I couldn't quite piece together what she was so upset about, though I knew it had something to do with her grandfather. I had enough decency, though, to restrain myself from asking something that I knew perfectly well was none of my business. Amy's hand had moved to Luna's, tentatively entwining their fingers. Though she seemed careful with how she touched her, the look she gave her best friend was meaningful.

Alistair bit his lip as he joined us, sitting down beside me on the twin bed, which was feeling far too small by now. He turned to me, realizing that there was no real context behind the sudden solemnity that enveloped the room. "You know yourself that Lius can be a ... difficult man. Not only concerning negotiations,, but in deciphering just what he is thinking."

I nodded, remembering the way his seemingly ancient eyes held some sort of mystery to them. While they revealed the age of the person who owned them, they told nothing of his intentions or what he was thinking. "I can see how that could be true," I replied in agreement.

Alistair's face twisted a little, his eyebrows narrowing as if just the thought of what he were about to say brought back bad memories. "I have never forgiven him for some of the decisions he has made, nor figured out just what has driven him to make them." He glanced at his cousin for a moment, letting out a sigh. "I try to be respectful, and do as he says. But when it comes to hurting our family, there is no way that I can agree with him."