Randi nodded. "Terrible, I puked and everything, my head felt like someone had taken a sledge to it." She looked at all of us again.

"When I came out and I tried to tell them what I'd seen, they couldn't match up with any recorded or known acquisitions."

"Let me get this straight," I began, clasping my hands in front of me, "you went somewhere no one's ever gone and you know it's another world how?"

She gulped, nervous. "It's what I saw there that made me know," she stated in a conspirator's whisper.

We unconsciously leaned forward to capture her words.

"I was in some dome thing." She made some motions with her hands that made a vaguely arched shape. I instantly thought of McDonald's. I grabbed another hot dog and a fresh pop. I opened the tab with a loud snap and took a swig.

"And there was a huge door that was all metal, never seen anything like it. There was an old-fashioned faucet thingy and when I explored there were people that looked..."

"Looked how?" Mia asked.

"Different. Way different." Randi said. "They were wearing clothes I'd never seen before, really old..."

I had a sudden inspiration. "Like Clyde?"

Randi scrunched up her face in thought, making her nose pucker in an appealing way that Alex noticed, he smiled a little, a fugue of attraction had descended on him and he was in some kind of stupor. Tiff noticed, throwing a glare his way that he completely missed.

"Kinda. But Clyde looks... newer somehow."

"Okay, describe the wardrobe," John said.

Randi did, in great detail.

"Huh. Sounds like turn of the last century to me."

"How would you know, Terran?" Bry asked, not unkindly.

John raised his brows, the brainiac faced off with the caveman. Nice.

"I've taken advanced United States and World History. I also took a summer course on Medieval Customs and Diction."

We stared and he smiled, explaining more, "It's interesting how people lived before us... as a point of fact..."

"Shut up, Terran, keep that creepy shit to yourself. It's isn't relevant, pal," Jonesy said, yawning, a Halloween mouth of chocolate and orange opened and closed.

Disgusting. The chicks leaned away.

"You never know, Mark... when a person may need to know something other than when the next UFC fight is, or pizza night at the Hart's or what the hottest 'babe' at KPH was wearing the day before yesterday..."

"Can it Archer, that's the important stuff you're listing, even with your smart ass mouth, don't dis the basics."

Sophie made a low noise in the back of her throat and Jonesy turned to look at her. She stared back with wide, innocent eyes.

"So Chen is having ten kinds of cows because her daughter is the first... what? World-hopper?" Tiff asked in her delicate way.

Randi nodded, unfazed. "They had to come up with a name and everything. And, as usual, a new ability has to be reported to the government."

Effing wonderful, the Graysheets knowing anything other than what brand of toilet paper I wiped my ass with was totally not on the To Do List.

Randi saw our faces and nodded. "Don't worry Caleb, I'm sorta in your situation. My mom has a position in the biggest paranormal high school in the state. They're not going to take off and experiment on me."

The guys let an uneasy silence roll out.

She studied our expressions, hers becoming more somber as the silence continued. "Are they?" she asked quietly.

"I'll kick their asses if they touch you," Alex said, brushing a stray black hair behind her ear, lifted by the light breeze that had come up.

She smiled like a fool and said, "I know."

Jonesy scoffed, "Listen, that's romantic and all that happy crap but it's not gonna cut it if they send out the dogs."

"Hey?" Jade asked in Randi's direction. She swiveled to look at Jade, her face in the crook of Alex's arm.

"What'd they name your ability?"

Randi paused, "Dimensional."

"No kidding?" John said, instantly stoked.

"What?" I turned to him.

"You know what this means?"

Obviously not. "Kinda," I replied out loud.

"Parallel worlds," John said excitedly, nearly rubbing his hands together in glee.

"See," Jonesy swept his hand toward John, "Terran's on board."

"For what?" I asked with growing suspicion.

"A field trip, Hart," Jonesy said, looking at me like I was slightly retarded.

"We're not entirely sure what's there, Mark, what the ramifications are..."

"Ram-i-fi-cations!" Jonesy said, guffawing.

"Ram!" Alex said and they roared together.

Archer frowned and Mia said casually, cocking a brow,"Still pervy."

Alex stopped laughing and looked at Randi, who had her arms folded, glaring at him. "Are we... nearly all of us, seventeen? Juniors-in-high-school?"

"I'm a senior," Mia said, raising her hand.

"I've graduated," Bry said.

Jonesy had quieted down to a chuckle but looked at Weller. "Admit it, Weller, it was kinda funny."

Bry looked at Mia and got the crooked mouth.

Nice.

"Ugh!" Sophie said and all the guys cracked up as Gramps came walking up.

"What's so funny, kids?"

"Ramifications!" I yelled into the summer air and all the guys lost it, even Terran and Archer. We grabbed our aching ribs and Jonesy fell off the bench while Gramps looked on, perplexed.

Finally he smiled, looking at the nonplussed girls, "What's with the guys?"

Mia summed it up perfectly, "They're apes, Mac."

"Oink-oink," Jade added, looking at me with tears streaming out of my eyes.

"Turnips," Sophie said, picking the shittiest vegetable on the planet, making us guys wail louder.

"Nah... I vote for pigs," Tiff said in a bored voice, looking at us like ants scurrying on a hill.

Gramps gave the girls a considering look, stabbing me with the end of his broom like a one hundred ninety pound dust mote and I barked out another laugh. His eyes finally settled on Tiff.

"Looks like you girls have a small problem with an animal fetish," Gramps said, coming swiftly to our side, a grin riding his face to bursting.

Yeah, that.

I wiped my eyes, just another day at Gramps'.

CHAPTER 5

I sat on Gale's easy chair with my hands dangling awkwardly between my knees.

Nothing was easy right now. I watched the couple across from me and saw what was on Clyde's face.

Love and devotion.

Him diggin' on Gale shouldn't have worked for me but it did. It made sense, she was AFTD, so was I. As long as a person didn't dwell on the specifics of the whole thing, it'd roll just fine.

But, there was the small detail of them dating... and everything that meant.

Clyde sat back casually, his suit unbuttoned, his hand clasped loosely in Gale's, his fingers brushing against her knuckles casually.

Intimately.

I swallowed. Then took the plunge, "Here's the thing."

They gave me their full attention. "I need you guys to be on the down low until my probation's up."

Bobbi sighed. "I'm sorry Caleb. I'm on thin ice myself. I don't know if I'll be reinstated, and with the way things are between me and Raul..." she trailed off and Clyde stiffened at the mention of Garcia's name, squeezing her hand and she winced.

"I apologize," Clyde said, pressing his lips to her temple and she turned into his gesture like a cat searching for cream.

Wow.

His gaze locked with mine. "I am learning to control my strength, understand it."

Right.

"Anyway, if you guys wouldn't like... incite riots and stuff, that'd really help me out."

Bobbi shrugged a little helplessly, when I knew full well she was not helpless and responded, "We've got to be able to have a life. Move forward."

Clyde said, "Roberta knows my intentions toward her are honorable."

I met his eyes, the deep green impenetrable. "I know Clyde. But, others don't understand."

Clyde gave a smile-turned-smirk. "I have gathered that."

"What can we do?" Gale said, giving me steady eyes.

Shit, I was only almost seventeen, what did I know? I plowed forward anyway. "Ah, I don't think you can legally... ah get married or anything. I mean, technically, Clyde's dead. There's like proof and everything." I cocked an eyebrow and Clyde nodded while Bobbi lifted her pulse-reader and thumbed it.

She handed it over to me and I looked where she'd marked it.

It had Clyde's birth and death certificates linked. The luminescent green characters underscored what I'd just said. In glaring detail.

I looked up from the reader and met her eyes.

Gale, such a badass cop just a few months ago had been brought low by her own emotions.

Mainly love.

Her eyes filled with tears and she whispered, "I love him, Caleb."

Clyde looked at her with such tenderness I was embarrassed to observe them together. But I was somehow responsible for it all, I had to help.

"I know," I said simply, because it was true. They seemed so right together.

I stood and they did as well. "I can't help if you keep acting like you guys are normal."

"We are!" Bobbi protested.

Clyde's eyes narrowed at my words.

I put my palms up in supplication. "Ya are to me, but I'm AFTD, death is normal for me... in all its guises."

Clyde's eyebrows rose. "Don't say it," I said to Clyde but Bobbi laughed. "Sounds like somebody is getting philosophical." She smiled and I frowned.

Clyde reached a hand out, our eyeballs level to each other, and squeezed my shoulder, a flash of death energy surged and he smiled, the connection flexing between us. "You are becoming the man you were meant to be. I am glad to be here to see it... Caleb," Clyde said somewhat awkwardly.

I nodded, it was great to be done with the Master moniker.

"Thanks." I met both their eyes, shifting my gaze equally between the two. "Just cool it until my probation is over. Don't run around and shove it in their faces. Besides, my parents will be okay with you coming over. And Gramps."

Especially Gramps. He was all over putting it to people that didn't like those that were different.

I think Gale and Clyde qualified.

Zombie couple.

Geez.

Gale hugged me and Clyde gave a nod, sliding his palm into the front pocket of slacks that hung from a body that was twenty-nine but eyes that were ancient, the knowledge of then and now colliding in a harmony only he could hear, feel.

I left. Their assurance of inconspicuous behavior tied with my promise of assistance.

When I could give it.

I was in the eye of the storm, waiting to get out and be free, free of appraisal.

Free of scrutiny.

Just free.

*

Jade and I walked hand in hand down the hall, the wall of my friends behind me, some hooked up in pairs, the others dangling behind us. The noise of the cafeteria greeted us as we got in line and I slapped a couple of trays on the stainless steel rails that rode in front of the disgusting offerings in front of us.

Jade started to assemble The Salad as I loaded my tray with the requisite pizza, sherbert, two milks... I skipped the soggy fries. They never got those right.

Sorta like my zombie mouths.

Nice.

I smiled and Jonesy saw it and said, "Share it, Hart."

"Nah... we're getting ready to plow through the grub, I'll let my internal musings ride for now."

Jonesy scowled. "You're not gettin' all Archer on us, are ya?"

Lewis frowned. "And what if he were, Mark? Is there something wrong with expressing oneself in a manner which is unique as compared to your peer group?" Archer smiled, his gray eyes lighting up in his face, the perfectly sculpted ashen blond eyebrows hiked in question.

"Argh!" Jonesy groaned, clutching his chest. "You're effing killing me!"

Archer smiled wider when the lunch lady said, her spatula raised like a weapon. "Watch your language, Mark Jones!" She waggled the spatula toward him, the spaghetti sauce sticking like glue.

Archer spread his hands wide. "See Jones, I'm not the only person on earth that calls you Mark."

Instead of answering, Jonesy threw his tray on the metal rails, lurching it along, loading it with every kind of bread he could find that didn't have color, muttering words that sounded a lot like clown and ass.

I smiled as the group trudged through the line.