Touch (Denazen #1)(26)

I tilted my head toward the door. “An hour is plenty of time to get in some trouble. If you let me in, I’ll wait for you. Bet we can find a nice quiet corner to get to know each other a little better.”

His smile bloomed into an all-out grin as he pulled the door open, gesturing me, Alex, and Kale inside.

As we entered, Alex shook his head, a small grin on his lips. “You’re the only non-Six girl I know who could flirt her way into a place like this.”

I pushed through the door with Kale beside me. Once Alex tried to shoulder him away, but a single look from Kale and the subtle hint of removing his glove, had Alex trailing behind. I steered us to an empty table in the back corner of the room where there were fewer people. Kale was nervous about the crowd so I was hoping it would help him relax.

Thick, velvety swatches of onyx material covered the walls while strobe lights danced across them, skimming the edges before assaulting the ceiling in an array of rainbow color. Around the bottom layer of the room, several makeshift bars were set up, each manned by a beautiful and very well-endowed blonde. The upper level was a mass of bodies, all grinding and thrashing to the techno beat blaring from well-hidden speakers. The sound system—as well as the acoustics—were fantastic.

“So what is all this?” I asked, having to lean closer to Alex than I would have liked so he could hear me. I couldn’t help being aware of his leg pressed firmly against mine. Somehow I’d ended up between him and Kale.

“This is where the Sixes go to party. They come from all over. If you thought the raves down by the river were wild, you ain’t seen nothing yet.”

I wanted to smack him. “I get that it’s a party, you idiot. What I don’t get is why it’s Sixes only? And while we’re at it—why are they called Sixes?”

“Because Stan Lee already has the patent on mutants?” Alex snickered, leaning back. “There’s a genetic abnormality that shows up in the sixth chromosome. Not incredibly original, but appropriate.”

After searching the room for a moment, he tapped me on the shoulder and pointed to the upper level. I tilted my head skyward in time to see a small-framed girl in a blue leather bustier and really cute boots dump a large box over the edge. Like silver snow, a million pieces of metallic colored confetti rained down on the crowd. With a flick of the girl’s wrist, the confetti stopped its descent and began swirling and fluttering above the dance floor, moving to the beat. It was beautiful.

A loud explosion tore my attention from the dancing confetti. A stocky shirtless boy stood by the entrance with his arms raised high above his head, sparks shooting from each of his fingertips, while a young girl who looked no more than twelve or so watched with a wide grin. Fluttering in the air above her head for a few seconds, the sparks twitched and jumped until they formed a single word. Amber.

In front of our table, a couple stopped long enough to kiss passionately. The girl looked familiar—I was sure she’d been in my English and Math classes last year. When their lips touched, the air hissed and sizzled, sending smoke curling skyward.

“Wow,” was all I could say as they disappeared into the crowd. Alex grinned at me, a too-familiar expression I’d told myself I hadn’t missed. Below his lips, Fred, the smiling yellow labret bead, seemed to wink. I shook my head to clear the stupidity. No way was I going there again. “So they’re free to be themselves here.”

“Exactly. No one has to hide.”

“Isn’t it a little dangerous? I mean with people like Dad and Denazen never far away, is it smart to have all these Sixes bunched up in one place together? What happens if you’re, like, raided or something?”

“Raided? I think you need to lay off the TV, Dez.” He snickered. “Besides, I told you, the location changes all the time. Plus, we’re in no danger from the local PD—we have a few Sixes on the force.”

“How do people know where it’s going to be if the location is always changing? I’m guessing there’s no mass email…”

He smiled. “Craigslist.”

“Huh?”

“Each afternoon, someone posts an ad for something under the lessons section. When Sixes call the number listed in the ad, they’re asked a question. If the answer given is right, they get another number to call..”

“So…it’s like a scavenger hunt?”

Alex smiled. “Zactly.”

“Couldn’t anyone figure out the answer?”

He shook his head. “Nah. Not likely. It’s usually something silly and unrelated. Something only one of us would know. The first time, you’d have to know someone to get the answer right. Something that happened at a previous party, or you might be given a name and asked what their four-one-one is.”

“Four-one-one?”

“You know a Six’s four-one-one and you know their gift. Their ability.”

“Well, what about Denazen? You don’t think they could find you without the ad?”

“You saw the outside of the building. Did you have any idea this was anything more than an old abandoned building?”

“Yeah, what about that?”

Alex shrugged. “A Six,” he said with a wink. Glancing down at his watch, he sighed. “We have a little time till she gets here.” Hand extended, he nodded to the dance floor. “Shall we?”