July 15, 2002 – 11:00
"At what time again are they supposed to arrive here?" said Frank after posing a small shelf on the wall near the kitchen island.
The cherub sculpture was still sitting in the middle of their kitchen island. Frank grabbed it and put it on the shelf he had just screwed on the wall. It made him think of the conversation he had with his family in Victoria's car, on their way back from the flyball game.
"Late afternoon, I'm not sure the exact time. Barla worked today, they were waiting for her to leave. Gus is also coming with his new boyfriend, but they won't be staying with us. He's got a cousin living somewhere in West-Island."
"You sure we got the space to host four people?"
Coralis sat in the living room, searching for something in a thick book. She got up to get a refill of coffee. Frank was supposed to work in the evening, but he traded his shift with a co-worker.
"Yes, you'll see. Now that you know about us, expect them to invite you to their next End-of-Year celebrations."
"I need to look into getting a passport then. Which name should I use when referring to you?" said Frank while searching the refrigerator for something to use to make lunch.
"It doesn't matter with them. They've been calling me Blue like everyone else, even when it's just the family, but they know my civil name. Hmm… stick to Blue, I don't think Gus' boyfriend knows it and I want to keep it that way."
"Vic told us the story behind it when we were at the game. My mom asked, and as it turned out she was the only one among us who knew why. Stephanie said that even Sebastian didn't know it. Vic explained that it was your guardian requesting it to protect your identity outside the field."
"When Martha, my guardian, requested everyone to refer to me as Blue Thunder when communicating with people outside the school, the team had already signed me as a reservist under that name. She advised me to only introduce myself as such to everyone, at least until I graduated. I barely knew Sebastian back then. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone and that was when we started playing for The Northerners."
"I remember her saying once that names have power, just like knowledge. I gather that the name Blue Thunder was meant to protect you from certain people?"
"Yes, we didn't want my mother's family to be able to find me, or anyone else who worked closely to Lord Meozo. Now, it protects you more than me. Some found me anyway, and some groups of people could still find you if they pay close attention to where me and Sebastian are going, but it makes it a lot harder for them to locate people dear to me if they don't have my civil name."
"We were distracted by the game when Vic told us that story. She didn't get to tell us where the name comes from, but she did say that people had already been calling you like that for years when your guardian made people use that name when referring to you."
Coralis raised her head to look at him, wondering how to answer that one. She heard the stories from the students but hadn't watch herself on replay.
"Gus and Vic could tell you better than I can. I was a second-year student playing a flyball game when students started shouting that name to cheer for me. I'm not sure what people saw exactly, but I remember that I was anxious and angry, and back then, I was using flyball as an outlet to let go of frustrations. The nickname stuck for some reason."
A few hours later, their doorbell rang and Coralis went to answer the door.
"SIS! Long time no see!" said Henry.
"I saw you last week in our London flat."
"Long long time ago, and only for 2 minutes, barely," said Erik.
Henry and Erik walked in, followed by two guys Frank never met before.
"Mom and Dad will be here in a minute, they were fascinated by the park across the street and wanted to see it a bit more," said Erik.
"I'm Gus, by the way, and here is Alastar, my boyfriend."
"Who gave you that horror?" said Henry, pointing at the cherub sculpture.
Frank laughed, loudly. Erik was about to activate a mute-ball when the doorbell rang again.
"Wait a bit before activating it, I need to open the door," said Coralis, as she pressed on the buzzer. "And bro, that's a story that I think you're going to love."
"Finally!" said Barla Fullemon as she passed through the door. "I wanted to come last summer, but Kief couldn't get off work."
She looked toward Frank and went directly to him. She hugged him tight.
"And you must be Frank, we heard so much about you," continued Barla.
"That's a lovely park you've got here. There must be a lot of secluded spots for you to land at night," said Kief as he closed the door behind him.
"And a full rooftop," said Erik as he activated the mute-ball.
"Oh lords from above, where did you get that," said Barla, looking at the cherub while Kief shook Frank's hand.
"What did you hear about Plurio Van Lur?" said Coralis.
"Heard he died a gruesome death and that the majority of his clan mysteriously collapsed and never woke up," said Erik.
"I heard some people saying that he's the one who stole the Vase of Crimson Sky from King Matthew and I remember you asking me about it. Stories we heard don't match what we found out about that vase," said Gus.
"Sis, you naughty girl, I now remember you telling us the plan you set for it… what happened to Plurio and his clan, is it your handiwork?" said Henry.
"King Matthew sent her that cherub 2 weeks ago to thank her for the Vase of Blue Sky."
Erik and Henry grinned.
"That's our sis," they both said.
"Holy gods from above, I heard about what happened to Plurio's clan. Does the EBEE know that you're the one who made it?" said Kief, looking at his wife.
"They don't, but one of their elders has been working with that vampire on getting the vase. Sebastian's dad asked me and Vic if we knew anything about it, he was wondering if she willingly gave the EBEE the wrong info about that vase. I agree with Princess Veronica, I think it's best if people don't know, so I didn't answer him and Vic gave him vague answers."
"Gus, here is the plan for the next week: we dig up what was said about Plurio's clan and make people think that it's what the Vase of Crimson Sky was supposed to be doing, that original accounts were the fake news of the time," said Erik.
He high-fived both Henry and Gus at the same time. Coralis started preparing a pitcher of sangria, the elemental way, after ordering pizzas.
"Anything to mess with the EBEE," said Henry.
"Vic confronted me in the car about it. I'm sure I can trust Seb's dad, but well, I wasn't sure about the others in the box."
"Good call, I think. I'm not sure anymore who I can trust."
"Problem is, with what Ralphonse said that night, my mom and Lizzy are now convinced that the entire supernatural world is plotting against humans."