Gifted Connections: Book 2(96)

I walked down the steps and saw Gavin, Jace, Troy, Noah, and Jaxson dressed and waiting for us. I looked at Jemmy in exasperation. “Whatever happened to keeping it a secret?”

“Jemmy can’t keep secrets, you should know that by now,” Will laughed good-naturedly. “That’s why I had her spy on the boys for me, when they were growing up.”

I smiled, imagining them as teenagers. I could see the boys trying to hide their escapades and antics from Jemmy. I could see her being the bratty little sister trailing after them and then telling on them.

Every flippin’ one of the guys were dressed as a comic book character. I had to admit they made damn good comic book characters. They certainly didn’t need those costumes with the fake muscles built into them, that’s for sure. It was no surprise that Troy was Captain America. How befitting that the man that obsessed over war movies, chose the superhero that served in the military.

Jaxson was dressed as Spiderman. His face fell as he looked at Jemmy accusingly. “You told me she was going as Mary Jane.”

“And you believed me,” she pointed at him as she doubled over in laughter. “Who wants to go as Mary Jane?”

It was mean of Jemmy to lie to him, but I had to admit that it was hilarious. Honestly, if he had remembered their love/ hate relationship, he should have realized she was setting him up.

“She told me Blake was going as Harley Quin,” Noah said dryly in his Joker costume.

That had everyone laughing once again as Noah ran a hand through his green hair. Rachel strutted up to him in her outrageously high heels and circled around him. “I guess you’re stuck with me tonight, unless,” she grinned wickedly. “I find my four or six connections.”

“You need more than one man to handle you so they can give each other breaks,” Noah joked good naturedly.

Rachel sighed dramatically. “Oh Noah, we all know if Blake weren’t around, you would be chasing me.”

“You know it,” he joked with a wink at me.

“You look beautiful, sweet heart,” Jace kissed me on the top of my head. He was dressed as Flash. I knew instinctively he wouldn’t have asked Jemmy what I was in hopes of being my ‘pair,’ but that didn’t bother me. If all six of them constantly tried to please me and be yes men, I would get bored. To tears.

“Thank you,” I murmured, feeling slightly self-conscious in my miniscule outfit.

“The lanterns are lit,” Drake said triumphantly as he came into the room. He stopped short when he saw me. A slow smile spreading across his face. He was dressed as Superman. I was surprised to see him without his glasses, outside of the pool or shower.

“You told him?!” Jaxson said accusingly.

“Wrong,” Drake smiled. “She casually dropped the comment that Blake was going as Rogue, hoping I would go as Gambit. She forgot two things. One, I know her tells. Two, sometimes I know her better than she knows herself. She saw the opportunity to mess with us, and you guys fell for it.”

I couldn’t help but giggle at Jemmy’s crestfallen expression.



Nadia’s neighborhood was a large affluent one. The children and teens were excited, to say the least, when their bags were nearly full towards the of end trick or treating. I let them pick a few pieces, after inspecting them, to put in their overnight bags. There was no way I trusted them enough to limit the amount of sugar they would consume. The rest of the bags were coming with us.

We hugged and kissed them, telling them we would see them by tomorrow afternoon. They bounded towards Steven, Beth, and Cora’s house, with barely a backwards glance. I felt my heart warm as I watched them laughing and talking up the driveway. Micah, Ella, and Alex had never experienced trick or treating as they had tonight.

Trick or treating for Ella, in the past, had consisted of used or homemade costumes. We would walk or catch the bus to the nearest neighborhood. Half of the houses wouldn’t pass out candy, so that left us with half a pumpkin, if that, of candy. Ella was happy with whatever she got, but I had always wished for more.

I could remember Dad taking me to huge neighborhoods like this growing up. He had let me pick out whatever costume I wanted, and I always walked away like a bandit. I had tried to recreate that experience for Ella on numerous occasions in vein. I just didn’t have the means or way to do it.

From Micah and Alex’s behavior, their experience couldn’t have been that good as well. My brothers didn’t like to talk about their past, too much. Micah regaled us with stories about his veteran buddies, but he never talked about much else. Will had suggested therapy for them, but my memories of the therapy I was forced to go through left a bad taste in my mouth. I didn’t see how beneficial it could be for them.

“Well, I feel loved,” I joked when the door closed behind them.

“I’ll show you plenty of love, if you take your coat off.” Troy jokingly leered at me, wagging his eyebrows.

“Shut it!” I joked rolling my eyes. “So, what you’re telling me is your love is conditional to the amount, or should I say the lack of, clothing I wear?”

It was cold outside, and no matter how many times Noah, Troy, and Jaxson suggested it, there was no way I was traipsing around a neighborhood full of kids in my miniscule outfit. I would shed my coat in the warmth of the restaurant around people my own age range.

“That’s not what I’m saying at all,” Troy nearly tackled me from behind unexpectedly. I could feel myself falling, and a moment of pure unadulterated panic gripped me. I had a flash back of my earlier incident and froze.