Eloi

Eloi Chapter Ten

Disclaimers Apply

A/N Goddess Foxfeather, Queen of
Mad Plotbunnies, BUSIEST WOMAN ALIVE ™, Prophetic
Muse, Hamster Witch and Uberbeta… HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
InterNutter, TC, Maxwell Pink, Dracena
and Graywolf are loverly
and wondermous for archiving/hosting.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Jstyle='mso-spacerun:yes'> ProPhile:style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Damned lack of multitasking.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I did it again this morning. Morgan: *class=SpellE>glomp *
Readers/Reviewers: Tomorrow’s update will likely be late.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> RL in the morning and all…

Storm
folded her arms across her chest, fixing the students with a penetrating
glare. “You will do as you are
told. Now sit down, close your mouths
and pay attention!” The half circle of
students stared up at her in something akin to fearful awe.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Storm’s eyes had gone white and they had all
heard tell of her abilities. Some of the
students snuck an upwards glance at the sky, seeing if there were thunderheads
rolling in or something even more dire, but the only thing they saw was blue
sky and a few wispy horsetail clouds drifting lazily across the western
horizon.

class=GramE>“Think scarin’ ‘em
is the best way to go, Ro?” Logan
murmured at her side. They had taken the students to the field abutting the
river on the furthest edge of the property, the green grass rising on the
hillside behind them, leading to the mansion, and the river moving sluggish and
dark before them. “They might pull a
lemming act and go in headfirst.”

“That,”
Storm said tartly, “is a myth perpetrated by the Disney company
and their continuing campaign of ignorance.”href="#_ftn1" name="_ftnref1" title="">style='mso-special-character:footnote'>class=MsoFootnoteReference>[1]style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She adjusted her kanga subtly and addressed
the students again. “The river is very deep here.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> There will be no swimming.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> You were instructed to bring homework if you
are in summer school and a book or other activity if you are not.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sunscreen is in the basket by Jean and you
are to reapply every two hours.” She
paused, hearing her own tone, and sighed.
“We’ll keep you informed of what’s going on at the house as we find out
more.”

“Why are we
hiding out here if there’s someone who’s trying to blow us up?” Jubilee asked
as if she had not heard Storm’s last statement.
The teenager stood, her hands fisted on her hips and face set in defiant
lines. “It’s bullshit!style='mso-spacerun:yes'> We’re out in the open! I don’t know if we’re
cowards or sitting ducks or both!”

w:st="on">Logan fought his natural
urge to snarl and instead ordered firmly “Sit down, Jubilee.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> The other students, those who did not know
about the threats, were stirring, their voices rising in nervous fear.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “I’m gonna kill
Mark,” he added as an aside to Storm. “Jubes, get
your ass over here.”

Pausing for
a fraction of a second, Jubilee trotted over to w:st="on">Logan. “Look,” she began, “I’m not a big fan
of hiding out and I think…”

“What you
think doesn’t matter,” Logan
cut her off, leaning in close so that only she could hear him.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “You’re a kid.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I don’t care how tough you are, how smart you
are or how brave you are…you’re not the one in charge here.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Sit down, shut up, and do as you’re told.”

She opened
her mouth to respond but, under the twin glares of both w:st="on">Logan and Storm, she changed her mind.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Her cheeks burning under the intent stares of
her friends and housemates, Jubilee strode purposefully to the back of the
group. By chance or design, she was
never sure which, she ended up next to Remy.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She dropped down to sit on the still-verdant
grass, not yet crisped by the summer sun, and found himstyle='mso-spacerun:yes'> standing silently next to her, her head level
with his knee. “Well, you class=SpellE>gonna sit down or should I kneel?” she muttered, knowing he
could hear her.

With a
snort, he lowered himself to the ground with considerably more grace than she had.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “I know you still mad at me, class=SpellE>Jub’lation, mais…”

“class=SpellE>Shhhhh,” she hissed, scooting back several feet.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> “Don’t need the rugrats
hearing our stuff, ya know?” she said as he frowned
and moved back to join her. “What?”

“I jus’…”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He frowned, regretting sitting so close; he
could smell the faintly sweet and incense scent of her skin, the bubblegum and
peppermint of her breath and the very very faint salt
tang of her sweat as the day warmed them.
“Je t’aime et class=SpellE>je t’adore, Jubilation,” he said
in a breathy rush. “I class=SpellE>wanna truce.”

She
blinked, recoiling slightly. The sadness
in his voice made her wince, made the tears prick the
back of her eyes. “I don’t hate you,
Remy,” she muttered. “I never did or
will… I still love you, too… But if by truce you mean pretend like I don’t need
space…”

“class=GramE>Non,” he sighed, “I mean a truce, ma belle.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> We ain’t class=SpellE>gonna be bitchy an’ mean, d’accord?”

She sighed
deeply. “Okay, Gumbo.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Truce.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She spit on the palm of her hand and held it
out to shake his. “Seal it.”

He made a
face and shook his head. “Non, merci… I just take your
word, eh?”

Jubilee
snorted. “Look, I meant it, okay?style='mso-spacerun:yes'> I do still love you.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> But right now… I’m not ready to grow up all
the way yet.”

“You think
I am, chere?” he
laughed. “You got some weird ideas o’
grown ups, je pense.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He stood and brushed the grass from the seat
of his pants. “Vas-y… I’m gonna show you class=SpellE>somethin’.”

She
accepted his hand for help up and snickered. “Last time you said that, we
nearly got busted in the rec room…”

“I class=SpellE>ain’t showin’ you that ‘gain.style='mso-spacerun:yes'> Not today anyways.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> He tugged her hand, pulling her towards the
river. “Logan
an’ Storm gonna think we makin’
up.”

class=GramE>“Hmmmm.”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She did not respond further for fear of
tempting him to a more detailed conversation on the nature of their
relationship at that moment. “What’re
you showing me then?”

“You don’t class=SpellE>wanna be here no more than I do,
eh? We gonna
go back to de house via the super secret sneaky thieves entrance,” he said
slyly, giving her a wink.

“Do what?”
she asked, pulling away just slightly. class=GramE>“Really?” A grin
broke over her features. “Cool…”style='mso-spacerun:yes'> She bounced slightly on her toes as they drew
to a half at the edge of the river. class=GramE>“Then what?”

“Then,” he
grinned back, “we jus’ hope we don’t go boom.”