"Yes, if you'll have me. It's not like our introduction was especially..."

"It's okay, Lewis. It's not your fault. They're like that with everyone that has something that they want," Jade said.

"What do they want?" he asked.

"To defile anything good," Mia said.

We nodded in agreement.

Jonesy came up to Archer and slung and arm around him. "Okay, since I know you're not like, scoping my package, then I guess you're in."

Lewis's eyebrows shot to his hairline.

Poor Lewis. He was getting the drive-by-Jonesy introduction. Speed-of-light.

John and Alex groaned. If he could survive Jonesy he was invincible.

"Hey!" Jonesy suddenly said, stepping away and looking at Lewis expectantly. Lewis sorta cringed and I smiled. He'd be immune soon.

Numb like the rest of us.

"What?" Archer nearly yelped.

"What are ya?"

"I said... I'm gay."

"No numbnuts, not that," Jonesy waved that away impatiently. "What are ya?"

"Oh! I'm a Lock-Manipulator."

We all stopped in the middle of the parking lot.

"Perfect," John breathed out.

"Yeah," Jade said, dreamy like.

Tiff smacked her gum. "Sounds like you're a versatile guy, even if you do look like a model."

Tiff was kinda anti-beauty.

All the girls stared at Lewis, taking in his perfection, unmarred by the beating. In fact, the bruises only accentuated it.

The guys glowered at his girl groupies and he smirked, smug. That a-hole, he knew the chicks dug him. Not that it mattered. The irony was not lost on me.

"Whatever..." Jonesy started, scowling at Tiff, who grinned widely back at him, popping a bubble.

"So you're a Precog and a Lock-Manipulator both?" John asked.

Archer nodded. "I'm like Jade. I'm an LM, but I have a dash of Precog." He shrugged. "It's not that useful though. My visions come in dream form, I sketch out what I can remember and so far, until today, it hasn't meant anything."

Until today.

There was a swollen silence and Jonesy burst it like an errant bubble, "Okay, so... I'm diggin' on your skill set, Archer. You're in."

"In what?" he asked, a confused look covering his face.

"Our coolness, dude. Our group. Our posse..." Jonesy said as if he was retarded.

"Oh," Lewis said.

"Come on pal, you can ride in my car," Bry said.

Archer took one look at Bry's wheels and couldn't keep the fear reined in.

Bry looked offended but Mia giggled and said, "You can ride with me, stud."

Archer brightened and followed Mia to her tin can. The Toaster, us guys called it.

They squeezed in there together. Cozy.

Bry scowled, his hands becoming fists as Mia roared out of the parking lot with Tiff and Sophie crammed in the back like sardines in a can, Lewis riding shotgun.

"Calm your tits, Weller," Jonesy said, clapping Bry a good one. "He's gay. G. A. Y. Gay. He's not gonna move in on Mia. Not that you're making any progress ya gigolo."

John laughed and Alex shrugged.

"And you're one to talk?" Bry roared.

"He's got ya there, Jones," Alex said on a smirk.

I was silent. My mind tumbling around Jade.

A Precognitive sketch featuring Jade.

In the throes of death.

Jade and I walked to Bry's car, a death-trap for sure.

It surged to life, the engine struggling, our restraints binding us together. I looked at Jade, a warm and fragrant presence pressed up against my side.

She kissed the side of my neck, her lips burning where they touched my flesh. "It'll be okay."

I looked down at her, afraid for the future.

A future without her.

CHAPTER 7

Our bellies were full. The guys had taken down a triple batch of chili and an entire casserole dish of cornbread and half a bottle of honey. The girls looked at us as we gorged like a pulse-movie (cheap entertainment, ah-huh). A gallon sized milk carton stood empty on the kitchen table.

Mom smirked. "Are you fellas going to need some more... sustenance?"

I felt like I was gonna puke. That was usually my cue to stop eating. I don't know if John had that internal barometer as he was holding out for thirds.

Jonesy said, "Thanks Ali, that whole deal at the school worked me up into a fine appetite."

Mom gave me a significant look and I sighed. I didn't really want to go into the whole thing with the group here. Especially the uber-awkwardness of Lewis Archer. I knew Mom would be down with it (remember, everyone gets a break in her world).

"I'm sure Caleb will fill me in on everything later. And," she smiled as she stroked my hair and I died watching my friends smirk, "my boy seems to have come out unscathed."

Jonesy brightened. "Actually, his balls got bounced around pretty good by Brett," Jonesy expounded.

I so didn't need my mom to know that. And, my girlfriend was all ears too.

"Thanks, Jones," I said with menace.

"No problemo, Romeo," he winked.

Asshole.

Jade looked at me with concern. Holy hell.

John saved the day. "Where's your wheels, Caleb?"

I sighed with relief. "Gramps has it."

Alex and Bry perked up. "Oh yeah? What's Mac doin'?" Bry asked and Mom pursed her lips. I glossed over the details.

"He's putting some modifications on the motor," I said as neutrally as possible.

Of course, that tipped all my friends off that something interesting was going on. I was a slow learner.

"Yeah, he fixed up my rig really good," Bry admitted with gratitude.

"He welded your door on, moron," Tiff said, smacking gum.

Mom looked at her, smiling. "Would you mind..." Mom asked, pointing to the separator. Tiff tried for a neutral expression and failed saying, "Ah... that's my last stick!"

Mom smiled wider, waiting. Tiff threw the gum in the trash.

Mom, the Manipulator of Manners.

"Well, I hate to pork and go but..." Jonesy said.

Alex pushed up his glasses. "No you don't."

Mom laughed.

"True, dude," Bry agreed.

"I'd love to check out what Mac's doing to your car, Hart," Jonesy said.

Dad put his paperwork down, his brown eyes meeting mine over the top of his glasses. "Have you phoned Gramps to let him know you have a group coming?"

I shook my head. Gramps would be cool with it.

Mom held up a slender finger. "I think I'll phone Gramps."

"Really?" Mia asked.

Mom looked at her. "Yes, he still retains a land line."

Sophie looked shocked, scooping up the last of her chili with the remnants of her cornbread.

"Yes, Caleb's grandpa is," she hesitated over quantifying Gramps. I felt her on that one. "Old-fashioned," she finished.

Right, that.

Jonesy barked out a laugh and she gave him a stern look as she depressed the Fam-pulse. It was the only one in the house that could do verbal to a land line. It had cost the mother lode. You had to get a special internal gizmo. Who the hell had phones anymore? Gramps, apparently. Unless it blew off body parts for his mondo security, he wasn't really a tech-dude.

Mom started talking, "Hi Pops."

"Why hello, Peanut."

"Is it okay that Caleb and a few friends stop by the house and look at your... embellishments on the Camaro?"

There was a pause while all us kids listened to the weirdness of verbal speakerphone.

"There a whole glut of 'em?" Gramps asked.

"Ah, yes there is."

"Humph! Well, send them over I guess. Did ya feed them? Those boys are a pen of swine with the grub."

Jonesy snorted, offended and the girls laughed.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Yes, Pop, they had chili and cornbread."

"They're staying outside then. I'm not having my house all fouled up with their gastronomic fragrance. (Mom slapped her forehead and Dad smirked.) Why don't you send a smidgen of that my way, Alicia? And use a fridge dish. I don't want any of that nasty-ass petro stuff. Glass only."

Mom paused, sighing. "Yes Pop. I'll talk to you soon."

"G-night honey."

The call ended and I smiled. Mom looked at the kids and Lewis said, "I take it he's a straight forward guy?"

"Dude, that doesn't even cover Mac," Jonesy said with real admiration.

Archer's brows rose. "Coming from you, Mark, that takes on a whole new meaning."

"Would ya stop calling me Mark? Can ya?"

Archer smiled. "No."

Jonesy threw up his hands and they flopped down against his thighs as he stalked out the door.

Mom and the Wellers grinned.

Jade put her dishes in the sink and Mom gave her a hug.

We went to the door and Onyx came racing to meet us, his tail wagging a mile a minute.

The Boy was going to the old pack Alpha's cave. The dog could smell his intent, feel the words that smelled in his Boy's mind. He wished to go with his Boy. He made himself low and appealing, sliding his eyes away politely when the Boy made eye contact. Wag-thunk-wag.

"Ahh...! He's so cute," Mia hunkered down, stroking Onyx's fur. He gave her the big chocolate eye and she cooed some more and rubbed behind his ear.

The Dog liked this female, she was very aggressive in her petting. She was able to scratch areas that were difficult for the Dog to reach. The Dog would wag his tail harder and maybe she would continue.

"Hey Weller!" I yelled, watching Onyx alternately lick Mia's hand and wag his butt off. Huh, he really dug her.

"Caleb," Mom said, hands planted on hips.

I sighed, walking over to Bry, who had already leaped in his car. The window on the door-that-doesn't-open was cranked down to the seal. Kinda cool weather for that.

"Can Onyx come?"

"Come on, Hart! My car's gonna smell like dog."

I took an experimental whiff and staggered back. "Damn man! You're worried about my dog?!"

"Language," Mom trumpeted from the front door.

The J's walked over to see what the deal was and the smell from Bry's car was eye-watering worthy.

Bry pleaded with his eyes not to be hung out to dry with the Hot Mia around.

No dice.

"Having trouble with the beans, Weller?" Jonesy chortled.

Bry's neck suffused with a dull brick color that begun at his neck and worked up to the tops of his ears. "Payback is a bitch, Jones," he growled.

"Yeah, but its righteous at the moment."

Mia strolled by and Bry died a little more. "What's that awful smell?" she waffled her hand back and forth in front of her nose. "Is there a septic leak?" she asked innocently as Bry pressed his forehead into the steering wheel in defeat.

John was holding his ribs, tears running down his face.

"Easily amused, Terran?" Jonesy asked.

That made John laugh harder.

"Like you've never had an ass-trumpet, Jonesy?" Alex asked reasonably.

"Who has ass-trumpets?" Sophie asked.

"All the guys... but it sounds like right now the main problem is with the J's and my brother," Tiff elaborated, her face an evil girl mask.

Hell.

"Ew, gross," Sophie and Mia said, walking to her car and casting glances of disgust over their shoulders.

"Chicks don't fart?" I asked to no one in particular.

"Ya ever hear one do it?" Jade asked, her hands on her hips, her green eyes flashing.

"No!" I stuttered, caught.

"Well, there ya go!" she said as she stalked off. I guess she was riding with the girls. Go figure.

Huh.

*

We stumbled out of Bry's car, grateful to finally arrive at Gramps. It was a solid thirty minutes from Kent and crammed into the discomfort of his car, it seemed like forever.

Gramps was already outside, the Camaro up on metal ramps, his legs sticking out from underneath. He must've heard us roll up because he pushed off with his hands and rolled out from underneath the car. He sat up, planting his feet on either side of a board that looked like it was covered in carpet with four wheels on each corner. It looked ancient.

Us guys came over and there were guy claps all around. A couple of my dudes staggered over the ones Gramps handed out. He stared at Lewis for a few seconds and stuck out his hand for a shake instead.

"You gonna have that nose looked at son?"

"Yes sir. I just haven't had an opportunity yet. My name's Lewis Archer."

"Mac O'Brien. Nice to meetcha," Gramps said with a smile. "I can set that for ya."