--linh song--

As a young girl, I was one with simple tastes when it came to entertainment.

I had my personal favorite ways to spend my time: knitting, reading, playing with my dolls, and occasionally gardening with my mother (at least before I manifested my hydrokinesis). And I did love playing dress up with my brother when he was willing! But even as a baby, I was capable of entertaining myself with even the smallest things- and sometimes nothing at all- for hours at a time.

Perhaps it was something I learned. I pictured myself as a little toddler, sitting alone in a baby blue nursery while my mom tended her flowers in the gardens and my dad was working with the Council miles away. For half of those moments, I had my twin brother to play with. I pictured his frowns, the little smiles that for a long time, only I managed to get out of him. But the other half, Dad had forced him to come to work with him or do something more manly than keeping his little sister company. 

So then I was left with only one person to turn to. Myself, of course. My mother taught me how to knit and read and tend to plants, so I used my arsenal of skills to ease my boredom. But I knew I never really needed those things. Not really.

There was one thing I absolutely loved to do. Go outside.

I loved breathing in the crisp, coastal air infused with the smell of salt and sweet petunias. I loved feeling the warmth of the sun coat my bare shoulders when I wore swimsuits, even more when the sun was setting into the ocean and the sunshine was dyed a bold miscellany of colors. 

But mostly, even before I manifested, I loved sensing the water all around me. In every little inch of air, I could feel the little water droplets swimming around me. It was like a young child's dream: drowning in an oceanful of candy and sprinkles. Except with the added feeling of power, of the power of the air circling you, at your fingertips waiting for your command.

Well, that was what it felt like once I manifested. Before that, it was more frustrating, kind of like if all the candy and sprinkles a child could want were put just out of their reach- close enough for them to know it was there, too far for them to eat.

Whenever I remember what it was like to not be able to control the water around me, it just makes me feel grateful for what I can do now. I would smile to myself and maybe seize a bubble of water to splash around the air while I was walking.

That's what I did at that moment while walking through the elegant gardens of Everglen, grinning as the ball of water hit one of the bushes, drenching its leaves.

The second Dex ran up the stairs with Biana on his heels, Keefe flashed a grin and threw his suitcase on the kitchen counter. "While they're gone, maybe we could pop into the gardens for a bit?" he suggested.

Marella shrugged her approval. "I'm down. Nothing like a morning stroll to pass the time."

Sophie glanced nervously up at the staircase. "Won't Biana- oh, and Fitz, of course- be annoyed that we're running around their house without their permission?"

Keefe rolled his eyes. "Please. They don't care. I've done it before."

Tam raised his eyebrows. "You've run around Everglen without their permission?"

"Fitz was taking too long to use the bathroom and I was bored. So what?"

Tam sighed. And now we were in the gardens.

I had been in the Everglen gardens once before while hanging out with Fitz. The bushes and flowers used to be creepily symmetric until Fitz and Biana fixed it up, changing some seeds and having Dex trim the bushes into cool shapes. Now the place was a museum of rainbow blossoms that filled my nose with the smell of honeysuckle and lavender. The fountain in the middle of a clearing spilled crystal clear water from a pillar with holes on all sides. A majestic butterfly rested on the top of the pillar, watching over the flowers like they were its children.

The garden's makeover made me smile. Who knew something so bland could turn into something so beautiful?

Marella whistled at a particularly blooming red rose. "Who takes care of these things?"

"The gnomes, I'm guessing," Keefe shrugged, running over a line of buttercups with his pale fingers.

"Those gnomes need a raise. Goddamn." Marella fixed her ice-blue eyes on me and grinned. "I wouldn't be surprised if I found out Linh has been sneaking out every night to water these guys."

I giggled. "Mel, you know I've got better things to worry about than flowers." Marella raised her eyebrows at the nickname but said nothing. She seemed okay with me calling her Mel, but nothing else. I didn't want to think about what that meant if I was the only one calling her anything other than Marella.

"I'm sure you do. You could buy the same thing in the human world with some Dex Cash and use those instead," she pointed out, sticking her fingers into the inside of a light blue lily and coating her fingers with the pollen.

"There are better things to decorate with than flowers," I justified. I turned around where the other three used to be, but they seemed to have left. For some reason.

"Like?"

I smiled softly. "Fairy lights, tapestries, posters. Just to name a few."

"Can't argue with that."

I noticed throughout our conversation we had moved closer to each other.  My face warmed up and I turned away, pretending to inspect a pretty orange wildflower.

"I think that one's my favorite," I told her, pointing to the flower. Marella peered over my shoulder and grinned.

"Second best. The lilies are my favorite so far," she admitted, then paused. "I might need to buy some flowers the first chance I get. These are stunning."

"They are," I agreed. "But I think I'll pass on gardening for one lifetime."

Marella inspected me, then nodded. We smiled at each other and returned to the garden, standing in comfortable silence for a few minutes before Biana came barreling into the garden, almost tripping over a marble fountain.

"We're back!" she announced. Keefe and Tam jumped out from one side of the garden, Tam's face redder than it usually was. Sophie stood behind Biana while playing with her thumbs. Fitz and Dex were somewhere behind them both, holding hands and laughing at something Fitz had said.

"You gonna tell us what we're doing here yet?" Keefe asked, hands on his hips.

"Yeah, why are we here?" Sophie added from behind Biana. "Not that I don't like it here, but why?"

Biana grinned. "So...apparently when Mom and Dad left for their cruise trip to sea, they bought themselves a new yacht to travel on."

Dex rolled his eyes, but a smile was plastered onto his cheeks. "Vackers."

Biana shushed him, but she was smiling just as wide as he was. "Anyways, because of that, our parents let us..." She paused.

"Our parents let us." She glared at her brother, who was staring at Dex with a soft smile. "OUR PARENTS LET US. Fitzy, that's your cue."

"Oh! Yes." Fitz turned a dark shade of crimson. "So, our parents let us use their old yacht. And stuff."

"And stuff? My dad lets me use his calculator," Dex said incredulously. Fitz cracked up.

"So we're going on a yacht for a week!" Biana squealed, ignoring Dex who was mumbling something about cute rich guys being spoiled. "I assume you all have your stuff inside."

Sophie's lips were stretched into a grin as wide as the sea. "We're going on a YACHT?!"

Marella whistled again. "I gotta say, this is the most extra you guys have been with us. And that's saying something."

"Yeah, and Fitz still has to add the 'and stuff'," Tam said. Dex snickered.

"I'm sorry! I was nervous!" Fitz retorted. Biana smirked at him but said nothing on the subject.

"I'm not complaining," Dex said. "It's a yacht. I'm not stupid."

"When do we go?" I asked. Biana grinned at me.

"Whenever you guys are ready," she declared, her teal eyes sparkling with excitement. "The boat's down at the water waiting for us."