Page 35
“Yeah, stay in sight of us, Randa. We’ll keep you safe.” Mannus chimed in.
The others all grunted in agreement. Whatever treacherous happenings befell the singles mixer, they seemed determined to protect her from them. She refused to feel touched by that. The Light Phases were only there because her life was in danger. She’d hired them. They didn’t actually care about her.
“You don’t even like me.” She reminded them, mostly for her own benefit. “And I don’t need bodyguards. Focus on finding Matches.”
Kahn muttered a curse.
Julius glanced Kahn’s way and quickly back to Randa. “We’re not used to socializing, so some of us come off as harsher than we intend. But we do like you. …All of us.”
Randa instinctively looked towards Kahn.
His gaze locked onto hers and he slowly nodded.
Her lips curved into a very small smile. She couldn’t help it.
Kahn released a long breath, still gazing up at her.
Randa quickly turned back towards the TV. “Um, right. Anyway, I’ve prepared a human backstory for you.” She advanced to the next slide, which showed a parrot and a palm tree. “You’re from the Amazon.”
Their blank expressions told her they had no idea what that meant.
“It’s an area of dense forest, like the Light House. It will be easier for you to remember, if we stick as close to the truth as possible. So, if a woman asks about your life, just say ‘I’m from the Amazon’ and then quickly change the subject with a question about her hobbies.” She cast hesitant look Kahn’s way. “Do you want to practice that part?”
“I’m from the Amazon.” He said obediently. “What are your hobbies?”
“I like cooking. And I read a lot of travel books.”
“Why travel?”
For no reason at all, she answered truthfully. “The human world has vast cities, where people don’t even know each other. Somebody could move into one unnoticed and begin their lives again.”
His eyes traced over her face. “You would always be noticed, Randa.”
She blinked at him.
“Do we really have to say all this to the girls in the bar?” Mannus whined. “Because I’m not going to remember it.”
“Yeah and when do we mention that we have Light powers?” Daven frowned at the TV, looking for that part of the presentation. “Should we just show them?
“No!” Randa said swiftly. “Don’t use any Light energy around the humans.”
Humans would be confused if the Light Phases flicked the bar’s lamps off and on by snapping their fingers. Humans would be terrified if they used laser blasts to fry people’s retinas. Light powers were very versatile and very scary. That poor squirrel was probably traumatized for life.
“I think girls would be impressed with what we could do.” Daven pouted.
“Or they’d run away screaming for the cops.”
“Yeah, but Sullivan is the cops. He’s got our back. He’s a Wood Phase! They’ve got everybody’s back. It’s worth the risk, I say.”
“Rule three was don’t tell people you’re Elementals. That means no powers tonight.” Randa backtracked the slides so they could read that part again.
Daven sighed in disappointment.
“What about memory sharings?” Mannus tried. “We can’t control when they happen. When you find your Match, they just trigger and show you parts of their past. She could be looking at my memories, and I could be looking at hers, as soon as we shake hands. That would freak her out, if she thought I was human.”
“Most memory sharings aren’t instant. They occur after the initial feelings of Phazing start. So you’d have time to be sure she was your Match before you tell her that you’re an entirely new species. You can wait for the opportune moment.” Randa couldn’t stress that enough. “Trust me on this. Supernatural abilities are not a great conversation starter.”
Julius summarized all that on his notepad. “First, we ask about women’s jobs. Then, we say we’re from the Amazon. Then, we discuss how many men they’ve killed. Then, we wait for an opportune moment to inform them we aren’t human…”
