It was disgusting how he'd mastered things she still struggled with. Of course he remembered Button and Pompadour so completely. But time slowed as Kate genuinely stared harder and harder, the bobbing of the throat, the occasional split second of spacing out, the blank stares.
Oh damn, they'd been talking the entire time!
But so what?
"They're playing it cool." Kate began, "They've never been up there and now they're planning on hanging out in the hot tubs and do who knows what else?"
"Ew," Griff said pulling a face she couldn't see but could physically feel. "But if you say it, then sure."
Damn, just the way he'd said that had bled her of her sureness , but what was there to be doubt?
The other girls caught up.
"You guys are funny," Said Young Striker, who had been eyeing them. "My implants couldn't even read what you guys were whispering and they're designed to. How you doing that?."
Huh?
Griff laughed. "Mom said it's our Simone language code."
"What ya'll whisperin' about?" Triss asked, those arms crossed again.
"We were gonna go for tha shooting range." Kate said, modulating her accent.
"Yeah," Griff added. "I have a bet that Kate can break what ever record is-"
"Nope, I can't." Kate immediately cut in, being stabbed by the oddly true words Griff had squeezed in.
"I wanna see." Said Young Striker, with a smile and eye wiggle that created a smile in Kate so large her lips threatened to rip apart.
Button and Pompadour caught up, and even handed Triss a little bag.
"For the hot tub right?" Triss asked. "I assume they got one there."
"Yeah" Kate said, Griff tapping Kate constantly.
"The hatch is a bit tight for all of us." Button warned.
"They boys should lead. Then Griff should go with Button. You, Kate, Pompadour and me should come last and locked up." Triss offered.
Kate suddenly felt exposed as Griff nodded and went up first. If there was ever tie to stop. It was right then because her gut felt light.
"Your mom is something special right?" Triss asked, while watching others climb.
"No, just a salesman." Kate said, staring at the gap as the list of girls climbing up continued to grow. It had been three, then five then ten. "a really good one."
"You sure there wont be any issues once we're inside?"
"You're coming up as personal guests. My mother and I know the French Olympic team will be happy to cover for you guys beyond my mother. There should have been girls for them to talk to anyway."
Triss stared at Kate for a while with half a smirk, as if unsure as she nodded.
"I appreciate that." Triss said. "Looks like its our turn."
Young Striker had climbed and left Kate long behind. Leaving Pompadour and Triss at the end, they climbed in silence. Tiff twisted the hatch shut with an odd amount of skill and straight behind her to make it extra tight. And she then rose up to held up by and Pompadour before tightening again. It all took so long.
"I heard you're a new girl?" Triss asked.
"Yeah. We literally got in from a big sale in from North Carolina. Let's just say Jacksonville but we helped them too."
"You don't say."
Kate's hackles rose. She wasn't mother. She wasn't even Griff! But she wasn't an idiot. Mother's boasting method was flying through nothingness like Kate was punching the air.
Triss was stalling her.
"What's going on?" Kate asked.
"Nothing much." Triss said as she closed another hatch, twisting it in a way, even Kate knew nothing about.
It was time to realize that truth. The only person buying a lie was Kate.
"You guys are planning something aren't you?" Kate asked.
"Yup, we can't exactly have fun if there's a bunch of kids around, right? And you know you're right? Once you're in, you're in. We play around here all the time since it's illegal to lock. But that top door, its been impossible to open it. Turns out you just had to open it from the other side. None of us have even been able to fake a way in. And you just gave us the best gift I have ever seen, Thank you. So as gratitude, if you and your boy, give us some time. You'll visit later. But ya'll will have te use tha exit on the other side."
Triss said all that with a smile before she shoved Kate down and closed the hatch overhead, closing her in.