Calm Before the Storm

Dinner was a lighthearted affair. Even though you were the outsider for this group, all four girls made you feel welcome and included. It was easily the best time you can ever remember having.

The dinner table was circular and Kathy was quick to make sure you sat next to her. Annabeth was the next seated and immediately took the chair on your other side. When Jennifer sat on Kathy's other side, you noticed that she had a small, yet thoughtful, frown on her face. Allyson, on the other hand, was smirking in amusement. It was almost 10 o'clock pm when things began to wind down. Jennifer decided to call it a night, since she had work in the morning. Was was working a temp job through the summer until the fall semester started up. Annabeth begged off then, and politely turned down an invintation to stay the night. Kathy, on the other hand, took Jen up on her offer and would be staying with your sister in her room.

It was only you and Allyson left up. She was watching some program that you thought was utterly ridiculous, though you were polite enough not to state your opinion on the matter. Meanwhile, you were browsing the intetnet on Jennifer's tablet.

"You're a good person, James," Allyson said somewhat randomly.

"Hmmm?" you replied, looking up from what you were doing.

"You're a sweet guy. I can see why Jen thinks so highly of you," she further explained.

"Uh... Thanks," You reply uneasily, unsure of what brought that on. "You're pretty cool too."

"It was because of you she broke up with him, you know," Allyson informed him.

"Uh... I'm not sure I follow..." you tell her, giving Allie your full attention.

"Jen's boyfriend, Tony. For weeks, she had been talking about him possibly being 'The One' and then almost suddenly out of the blue, she broke up with him. It was because of you they broke up," Allyson explained.

"I-I don't..." you start to say, unaware of how you could have been the reason Jennifer broke up with a boyfriend she thought she could marry. "What exactly happened there?"

"I don't know the full story because I wasn't there, but it all started when you got powers. Tony, apparently, doesn't like metas," Allyson told you.

"Will he be a problem?" you ask with great concern.

Allyson shook her head. "I don't think he will be. I know he doesn't know about you, if that was something you were worried about."

"I wasn't yet, but thanks for letting me know," you reply. "Jen didn't say anything when I asked about him. She just said they broke up and that it was a mutual thing."

"Jen's an expert at maintaining an image," Allyson stated.

"That she gets from out mothers," you inform her in a deliberately neutral tone, though you can imagine some of your distaste has leaked out. "They're all about crafting and maintaining an image."

"Jen's mom didn't seem too bad when I met her," Allyson commented with a frown.

"Aunt Sarah is generally all right, but she has her moments. She isn't nearly as bad as Mother though. Aunt Liz- Kathy's mom- on the other hand, hates that crap as much as we do," you explain with a slight smile. "Aunt Liz would always try to have us over during the summer so we could get a break from all of that, otherwise it would be the three of us against the world as our mothers demanded it to be."

"Must have been nice to have someone so close like that growing up," Allyson commented wistfully. "I have an older brother, but he's a bit of a douche."

"I can sympathize with that," you say empathically. "My younger siblings and I don't exactly get on well either."

Allyson snorts in amused disbelief. "I get the feeling you don't exactly get along with any of your family."

You shrug indifferently.

"It is what it is. Besides, Dad wasn't so bad most of the time," you weakly defend your family. "We might not have the most loving relationship, but we at least respected and knew where we stood with each other. Even without powers, it was better for all involved for me to be gone."

"That's all sorts of fucked up," Allyson said disgustedly.

"No arguments here," you tell her.

There is a brief moment of silence, when Allyson stands up and stretches. You pretend not to stare at her ample assets. Whether or not she noticed your attention is left unmentioned. "I think I'm gonna go to bed. It was nice to meet you."

"Likewise," you respond in kind, watching her as she retreats to her own room. You get up to ready your make shift bed, plugging Jennifer's tablet into it's charger and shutting everything else down before going to sleep.

After several rather rocky weeks, the night as a whole had been uplifting and relaxing. It was a fun night that provided a nice, calming respite that had been denied to you for quite a while. That should have been your first clue that something was about to derail your life and that your true adventure was about to begin...