Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 132933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132933 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 665(@200wpm)___ 532(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
I heard through the bodyguard grapevine that the two security firms that protect my family—Price’s Triple Shield and Akara’s Kitsuwon Securities—have been doing their best to work together this past month. Which includes agreeing on bodyguard attire for big events.
Frog was bummed when she learned Akara surrendered to Price’s order of no costumes for bodyguards. So I came up with the Agents of Shield idea. Just a tiny nod to Marvel. She pitched it to her cousin and then Akara talked to Price. Signs that the two firms are working somewhat symbiotically, all the bodyguards are now Shield agents.
I thought I’d been staring slyly at Donnelly, but when my focus returns to the Hale Huddle, Moffy’s toughened eyes flit from me to Donnelly, then back to me. It should be noted that Moffy’s tough eyes carry mountains of concern.
I try to act like nothing is awry or wrong. My brother is one of several people who are tasked to keep Luna & Donnelly’s Good Head Experiment secret. Yes, he found out Donnelly went down on me.
No, he did not kill him. (Donnelly is not a droid. He’s still human and alive.)
Yes, he’s asked if it has happened again.
Yes, I’ve assured him it was a one-time thing. To never repeat.
I know he’s doing his best to believe me. To believe the truth, and I love that about Moffy. Even though I’m not so forthcoming with everything, he’s accepting my word as truth.
He peers at Kinney’s map. “Let’s do the Lord of the Rings panel first,” Moffy suggests, “and then we can head over to the Marvel panels.”
Kinney fixes her Lady Loki horns. “It’s a halfway decent plan.”
“Halfway decent?” Moffy smiles, adjusting the Cap shield of his Captain America costume. “I’ll take it.” Kinney already roasted him and Xander for being lazy and going with the same boring costume choice for every convention. At least I got sister points for changing it up this year.
Xander checks the time again. “Now we have ten minutes until it starts.”
Moffy eyes the nearby bathroom, probably wishing for X-ray vision just to see what’s going on with his son. It’s sweet that he stayed out here for the Hale Huddle though.
“I’ll go ahead with Xander,” I propose. “In case Ripley had some diaper explosion or something. We don’t know how long that’ll take.”
Xander’s face transforms with pure worry. He rarely can hide his emotions, and today is no different. “We’re going to be late, aren’t we?”
Kinney shoots me a look like I called upon Gorr the God Butcher to smite us all down. “No splitting up,” she reminds me.
Xander turns his expressive doe eyes on our youngest sister. “Kinney, come on. Just let me and Luna go ahead. We’ll save you seats.”
Kinney’s lips draw into a line, but I can see Xander’s pleas working their magic.
“Please.” Xander cups his hands together in prayer formation.
Kinney huffs like she’s a big bad wolf, but I see through it. She’s soft somewhere inside just like the rest of us. “Fine. But make sure to save us seats. We’re right behind you guys.”
“Thankyouthankyou,” Xander squeezes her in the tightest hug.
“Ew.” She acts allergic to him, but her lips rise when he shakes her side to side.
His smile is too big to vanquish, and after setting Kinney down, Xander quickly catches my hand in his.
And we’re off.
“Good plan, Luna,” he tells me as we walk towards the convention room.
My stomach is knotted, undeserving of my brother’s gratitude. I don’t tell him that I have ulterior motives. I didn’t do this all for Xander. I just thought that getting away from Moffy would make my triple date search a little easier.
“He’s a fast elf,” Donnelly says while in a slight jog to catch my brother. He steps out in front of Xander with quick ease. He glimpses backwards, and in a slight, momentary second, our gazes catch. Donnelly tosses a thumbs-up back at me.
I hoist two thumbs-up to him. I’d consider this a humanly playful greeting. Humanly friendly.
He focuses ahead.
Frog bypasses me and matches Donnelly’s stride while pretending to talk loudly in her radio. “Yes, Agent Coulson, we have the mutants under our supervision.” She’s not super big into Marvel, but this morning she wanted to know all about Agents of Shield for her role today. I gave her the CliffsNotes.
Donnelly touches his earpiece now too. “Yeah, Coulson, we’re pretty sure they’re both Omega level mutants.”
Despite Donnelly being into pop culture and fandoms, I still don’t know how deep some of his X-Men knowledge goes. Omega level mutants isn’t introductory kind of stuff though.
Xander laughs and then leans in to whisper, “We have the coolest bodyguards.”
I don’t deny that, and this isn’t the first time Donnelly has spouted some comic book knowledge. Maybe Xander gave him a crash course. So I ask my brother, “Did you tell Donnelly about X-Men?”