As the knife’s trajectory headed for Ronald, Cassie saw a blur of movement and felt her body moving to her left. Only a few seconds had passed but when she glanced up at Tonks, she noticed her friend now stood three paces back, her jaw slack, eyes widened in surprise. Ronald wasn’t in the foyer. Looking over her shoulder, Cassie spotted the stiletto knife that was embedded on the door. It shimmered, its edges fading before vanishing completely. Just as she’d expected, Tonks had never meant to hurt Ronald.
“I knew it! It really is him!” exclaimed Tonks, regaining composure. She seemed satisfied by Ronald’s show of powers. Sighing, Tonks darted a look at Anna then turned to Cassie, putting a hand close to her mouth as though she were telling a secret. “He needs to loosen up though.”
Cassie shrugged. “Ronnie has gone through a lot...Just don’t do anything stupid.”
“Hmph! I only wanted to see his abilities first-hand without your moony eyes making him seem like the best thing since sliced bread.” Tonks descended the stairs.
Cassie rolled her eyes. “Sliced bread? Who the hell uses that expression anymore? You know, sometimes you sound like you’re from the early 90s.” She poked her friend in the shoulder. “And I don’t have moony eyes.”
Tonks chuckled. “Oh yes, you do. Whenever you talk about him, you sound like a blabbering, blushing—"
She elbowed Tonks in the ribs, silencing her. If she didn’t stop Tonks, she’d be teased endlessly. Having spotted Ronald in the living room through the archway, Cassie headed there and settled on a chaise lounge. She let herself relax now that the threat of imminent danger was gone. She could feel pangs of hunger settling in since she’d skipped breakfast and lunch. As soon as she was done discussing the current state of events, she’d be heading straight for the kitchen. Cassie spared a glance at Ronald and wondered if he was truly okay. He’d survived a deadly fight with his twin and had a brush with death all in the same day.
“What happened?” Tonks asked, sitting cross-legged on a lone sofa chair. There was a stool next to the chair and on top of it lay a tray full of fruit candies.
Cassie recounted the incident at the auction starting with the appearance of the technopath—she didn’t want to reveal the fight between Ronald and Wes—to the theft of the power enhancer. As she talked, Tonks unwrapped a kiwi-flavored candy and plopped it in her mouth. She didn’t say a word until Cassie had finished speaking.
“So a power enhancer, an invisible thief and a psychopath with the power to take the abilities of other Supers,” Tonks said, her emerald eyes narrowed in thought. “Looks like you’ve got your hands full.”
“We need your help in finding the power enhancer,” Cassie said. “I know you can do it.”
Tonks ran her fingers through her ginger curls. “I’ll need some time. I need to think and I need to do it alone.” She stood up, stared at something through the window then turned to the others. “Oh yes, I’ll need a book,” she stuffed several candies into her pockets and waved a finger in the air, “a spell, a map and a bucket of luck.”
Cassie gave an apologetic smile to Ronald on behalf of her friend. Tonks might seem quite weird with her sudden shifts in behavior but it was just her way of expressing her eagerness to help them. If Tonks wanted to be left alone in order to think through the situation, so be it. She rose up and motioned for Ronald to follow her towards the kitchen.
“I’ll talk to you later, Guineverin Tonks,” she said before she left. The name was bound to elicit some response.
Tonks flinched at her full name and waved them off.
The kitchen, much like the rest of the house, had a quaint layout overlaid by grandeur. The furniture was made of a rusty-colored mahogany wood and the wallpaper had a vintage floral pattern. Opening the fridge, Cassie surveyed the contents.
“I’m starving,” she said, taking out a packet of cheese and some vegetables. “Would you like a sandwich?”