The Beach House

Three days later, Theo stood on the deck of the Wetherill beach house and gazed out at the sparkling blue sea. A salt-tinged breeze brushed his face while seagulls cawed in the distance.

It was so idyllic, he could almost forget why he was really here. The house, a charming cottage tucked along its own private stretch of white sand, seemed like the perfect place to relax. Hike in the woods behind the house or play on the beach during the day, nap away the afternoon in a deck hammock, stargaze while feasting on grilled fish at night.

But this wasn't a vacation, he reminded himself. They had a mission to carry out.

Over the last three days, they'd hammered together some semblance of a plan. It might be insanely risky, but it still seemed doable. Maybe.

At least convincing Dad to let him go by himself hadn't taken much. All he'd had to do was promise to get his summer reading done during the week he was here, and even then Theo doubted Dad would care enough to check. It lined up well enough with Sam's story that she wanted to use this as a study retreat.

Whether they'd find the time to get any studying done was, of course, an open question. Hopefully it wouldn't take the entire week to defeat the Ensons.

Footsteps creaked on the deck, startling Theo, but he relaxed when he saw Zenith approaching. His hair swirled in the sea breeze, flashing bright as the sun above. For a moment, Theo forgot how to speak.

Thankfully, Zenith spoke first. Resting his elbows on the railing, he gazed out at the sea and said, "It looks just like the ocean in Tielos."

His voice was so soft Theo's heart ached. Just like at the aquarium, when they had watched the jellyfish together.

'You'll see it again,' Theo wanted to say, but he couldn't bring himself to. Not when he didn't even know what the future might look like just a few days from now. Thinking any further ahead was like trying to stare across an endless abyss.

"Theo? Are you all right?" Zenith turned toward him, lifting the brim of his straw hat. "You've been quiet."

"Ah, it's nothing," Theo said quickly. Flailing for a distraction, he blurted, "What's with the hat? Didn't know you could get sunburned."

"I can't," Zenith said, serene as ever. "Lodovico insisted I wear it outside. For his 'peace of mind,' apparently."

A grin spread across Theo's face. Just like Lodo to fret and fuss over all of them, even the homunculus knight.

But the grin vanished when a 'ding-dong' echoed from inside the house. Heart pounding, Theo ran back inside and through the narrow halls until he reached the front door.

Meg had already opened it, revealing Ryan standing on the porch. Dressed in a salmon-pink polo, plaid shorts, and his trademark aviators, he couldn't be more obnoxious if he tried.

"Well, you came just in time," Meg said. "I'm impressed."

Ryan scrunched his face up. "Duh. Who do you think wants this the most? Now hurry up, let's get going."

"What's the rush? Did your parents not allow you to go for a whole week?"

"Nah, they did, but you really think I wanna spend that long around you lot? Plus Avia's already been stuck there for three days."

He shifted from foot to foot, and once again Theo couldn't help but feel a spark of sympathy for him. Maybe he was reading too much into this, but it seemed like Ryan really was worried about Avia.

"Calm down, will you?" Meg sighed. "We're not going to go marching off right this instant. We have a plan. Care to hear it?"

"Yeah, yeah." Rude as ever, Ryan stomped inside. Catching Theo's gaze, Meg sighed and raised her shoulders, and Theo responded with a helpless shrug of his own. As if they could've expected anything better.

Soon everyone had gathered around the dining room table. Lodo served them fruit salad in champagne glasses, which felt delightfully fancy to Theo. But Ryan didn't even touch his before snapping out, "So what's the plan?"

Folding his arms, Lodo muttered something that sounded a lot like, "My goodness!" Theo had never seen him so annoyed before.

Of course, Ryan didn't care. He just kept glaring at Meg, who he seemed to have decided was the leader. Which probably wasn't too far off, since she had come up with the bulk of the plan.

"All right, all right." Meg rolled her eyes at the ceiling. "So it's like this. I've already contacted the Ensons as Margaret Wetherill."

"You what?" Ryan yelled so loudly Theo could've sworn the starfish decorations on the wall rattled. "The fuck are you – you sold me out!"

"Shut up and let me finish!" Meg shouted, her string apparently snapping. Her fury made Theo scoot his chair back, even though he knew none of it was directed at him. "I told them that I was interested in finding a familiar for my students."

She nodded at Sam, who bounced in her chair, and then at Darian. "I'm a Tielan, but Meg will cast a glamour on me that should last for a short time even inside an arena, which we assume the Enson prison probably is," Darian explained.

"You're a Tielan?" Ryan squinted. "Then who's your wizard?"

"Haven't found one yet," Darian said airily. "Anyway, let's not get sidetracked."

"Using that as a pretext, we'll meet with an Enson representative tomorrow. He should be contacting me with the information tonight," Meg said. "The representative will bring us inside the prison, and that's how we'll get in. The alternative is trying to break into an extremely well-fortified arena, which will exhaust us of our Levia and instantly alert the Ensons that something is wrong. This way is easier. Any objections?"

She thundered out the last question, arms folded and gaze so stern even Ryan shrunk back a little. "I guess...," he grumbled, kicking at the floor.

Meg's scowl deepened, cutting furrows around her mouth. "Honestly. Do you think I want to do this? Taking on that name, acting like I'm still the heir? Don't forget this is all for your sake. So have a little gratitude, will you?"

So she said, but it wasn't really for Ryan's sake. Meg would never have agreed to it in that case. She was doing this more for Theo, Sam, and Darian.

Someday, somehow, Theo would have to repay her. He didn't know if he could begin to do enough.