July 19, 2002 – 11:00
"At what time again are they supposed to arrive?" 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 a spell 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, 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."
For the past 2 weeks, when Coralis wasn't on the flyball field, she was working with Andrew, and she only saw Frank twice for a short amount of time.
"I forgot to tell you the night we took my family to the game. When we were at the game, Mom asked why you were called that way. As it turned out, Vic was the only one among us who knew why, so she told us. Vic explained that it was your guardian requesting it to protect your identity outside the field. Stephanie said that even Sebastian didn't know it and dodged his questions back then."
"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. On our first game as reservists, the Lord Meozo attack was still very fresh and I didn't want to talk about it. I dodged the questions about Lord Meozo, but for the name, I couldn't talk about it even if I would have wanted to."
"I remember her saying once that names have power, just like knowledge. I gathered that the name Blue Thunder was meant to protect you from certain people, but that it didn't work?"
"She tried. It still protected me from some people, like my mother's family. Everyone heard that Blue Thunder destroyed Lord Meozo, but we didn't want people to know that Coralis Golmar, daughter of Anita De Lima, did it. Her family worked closely with him. Many people recognized me anyway because of my unique scent. Now, that name does nothing to protect me, but if my foes don't have my civil name, it makes it harder to find you and other people dear to me."
"We were distracted by the game when Vic told us that story. She didn't get to tell us where the name came from, but she did say that people had already been calling you like since you were 11. Mind to tell me that story?"
Coralis raised her head to look at him, wondering how to answer that one. She heard the stories from the students but hadn't watched 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 chanting that name when cheering for me. From what I was told, it's something they saw around me along with the sounds coming from the crowd and atmosphere during games. The nickname stuck beyond the field."
A few hours later, their doorbell rang, and Coralis went to answer the door.
"SIS! Long time no see!" said Henry.
"I saw you a few days ago 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 this 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.
"Holy gods 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 3 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, glancing at his mate.
"They don't, but one of their elders has been working with that vampire on getting the vase. At the game against Mexico, 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. Princess Veronica said her family doesn't want people to know and I think they're right, it's best if people don't know, so I didn't answer him and Vic gave him vague answers," said Frank.
"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 while Coralis ordered pizzas.
He high-fived both Henry and Gus at the same time.
"Anything to mess with the EBEE," said Henry.
Coralis ended her call and helped Barla to prepare a pitcher of sangria, the elemental way.
"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."