“You sound too nervous for that.”
“Too nervous? I’m not nervous at all.” Shit, shit, shitty-shit, shit. I can’t tell her the truth. We’ve been together for two years now. She knows how I feel, but she was married once before. The man abused her. Hardened her. I need to make sure that the idea of marriage hasn’t been ruined for her. Ted Watson and Anne Cooper, our co-workers at the Department of Homeland Security’s Fusion Center – Paranormal division, FC-P for short, were married six months ago, before the birth of their son. Collins was a bridesmaid, but I couldn’t read how she felt about the situation. I might need to come right out and ask her, but that will kind of ruin the surprise...which I haven’t planned yet. To lead her away from the truth, I need to give her something embarrassing, something to justify the nerves she’s detecting.
I sit up, revealing myself to the enemy. “Uhura.”
Collins sits up beside me. “What?”
“Uhura. I was picturing you as Uhura.”
Collins lifts her facemask so I can see her squinting eyes.
I take her silence for not understanding, despite the fact that I know her fantasies probably involve Jean-Luc Picard. “Star Trek... Communications officer. Tight red uniform. Short skirt. Speaks Klingon.”
“Heghlu'meH QaQ jajvam.”
I have no idea what she said, but Collins’s Klingon sounds flawless.
I lift my mask away, smiling wide. “Oh my god. Where were you during my teenage years?”
A thud reveals the arrival of our enemy. I turn to the new arrival and casually say, “Oh, hey Lilly,” before giving Collins my full attention again. “Seriously, you know Klingon?”
Collins acknowledges Lilly with a wave, but otherwise ignores the girl, which is impressive, since the now six-foot-tall cat-woman with bright yellow eyes, black fur-covered body and long twitching tail is still amazing to witness—even after we’ve known her for a year.
“I had Watson teach me a few phrases. Thought you’d like it.”
“Thought right,” I say. “Bonus points for Collins.” I pantomime a scrolling scoreboard, complete with ticking sound effects.
The ridiculous conversation has the desired effect.
“You guys will never beat me if you don’t take this seriously,” Lilly says.
“We’re playing capture the flag,” I say. “It’s hard to take seriously. Not all of us are kids.”
Lilly’s pupils narrow and lock on me. Predatory. Intimidating.
I smile.
She stomps her foot. “I am not a kid.”
“You’re what, six years old?”
“I age differently than...humans...than regular people.”
I’m pushing the conversation into dangerous territory here. Lilly’s teenage self-esteem issues, unlike most, are rooted firmly in reality. While other teenagers feel like freaks, Lilly pretty much is one—at least to the outside world. To us, she’s family, and a part of the team.
“That doesn’t mean you mature any faster,” I say.
Lilly pulls back. Sucks in a breath. “I know what you’re trying to do.”
I grin. “You do?”
“I know that Dad is hiding beside you.” I turn to the long lump next to me, the camouflage fabric of Mark Hawkins’s fatigues hidden beneath the leaves. Lilly reaches out and taps my head, and then Collins’s. We’re officially captured.
“Okay, Dad,” she says to the stationary lump. “You can come out.”
I still get all choked up when this girl, who looks every bit the killer, speaks in such kindhearted tones, and gives those she loves honorary familial titles. We’re all uncles and aunts these days.
Hawkins doesn’t budge. Lilly nudges his still form with her sleek, black-furred foot, the retractable claws currently hidden. The leaves fall away, revealing an empty boot and pant leg.
“Oh my god,” I say in my very best sarcastic tone. “What did you do? You vaporized him!”
Lilly is too smart to fall for the continued distraction. She knows she’s been had, and like a true competitor, she’s once again on the hunt. Finding Hawkins proves easy. Even I can hear him running through the woods, which means one thing.
“He’s got the flag,” Collins says, sounding a little stunned. Despite her surprise, Hawkins was the logical choice for flag retrieval. He’s a first class tracker, trained by Howie Goodtracks, his unofficial adoptive father, who also happens to be a Ute Indian. After learning the trade from Goodtracks, Hawkins became a Yellowstone Park Ranger, specializing in finding lost, and sometimes dead, hikers, climbers and vacationers. An encounter with a grizzly bear ended that career, along with the bear’s life.
We’ve run through this simple exercise twenty times. At first, we were cocky. How could Lilly stop the whole group of us, in the woods, by herself? But she has—every single time. We’ve never even spotted her flag. Whether she catches us all, or simply steals our flag out from under our noses, we’ve never stood a chance. But this time...