Page 51 of Last Resort

“What of the Elite?”

Poppy smiled. “They may have been busted down to standard alpha. The ones that survived. Win was irritated.”

Breen blinked. “Win. Wait, she’s the blood witch?”

“Yeah, I guess so. She makes her weapons out of blood. Not hers, though.”

“Oh.” Myro looked around.

“Don’t worry. She isn’t here. She’s meeting with her parents on one of the Breakridge Islands. It turns out her dad is an Elite who ran from the Stronghold, and her mom has lived out here with him since they had to leave her in the hospital. She wasn’t a strong baby.”

“How do you know that?”

“We chatted for a few minutes when we arrived, and right before the attack on the Stronghold, we chatted then, too.” She smiled and returned to the loveseat with the wide back and small table in front of it.

Breen and Myro settled next to her, the light faded, and servers brought more food to them. The screen lit up, and they started snacking and watching snippets of video that had been taken from the time they landed on Wonder. Of course, the first footage was of Team Alpha.

The waving from the ferry and the standing on the shore with images that Win had taken. Myro and Breen had a lot of energy curling around them, but Poppy had silvery twists that formed an hourglass.

She smiled at the picture. “I think I want that file.”

“Sorry, it will be the property of the production.”

“Dang.”

Myro patted her hand. “I am sure they will allow you a copy for your own uses.”

“Good. I look badass.”

The images went to the other teams getting their instruction and learning to surf. Then they showed Team Alpha. Poppy watched Breen learn to surf, Myro took to it with ease, and Poppy dropped twice before she was able to remain on the board.

She watched clips of them with the scuba and her ridiculous attempts to dive. The scuba was better, but she ended up the wrong side up and staring at a grouper.

The catamaran was better. She was on a small individual one and doing well, but then she had to switch to the larger one, and her lack of physical capabilities compared to them was apparent again.

The next clip was dance practice, and the guys were really good moving together, and she had to admit that she leaned forward to watch. Then it came to her turn, and she danced, rocked her hips, and twisted as the music rolled over her. Illu adjusted her posture a few times but then just watched and smiled.

Breen and Myro were tense on either side of her. The view changed to them climbing the cliff face, a long shot with them on the bridge, and then her playing with the butterflies and spinning into the black outfit that was covered with butterflies until she spun and the cloud of colour fluttered away from her, leaving her with waves of butterflies in her hair.

Myro said, “I am getting all kinds of gaming ideas right now.”

“I just wantthatimage on my wall.”

She snorted.

The last images were of them on the boat and her pinching Myro’s lips and scowling at him.

The group laughed. Poppy reached up and stroked Myro’s cheek.

Mickey walked over and said, “Poppy, can you show me how to dance like that?”

“Sort of. I can show you how to dance like you. But Illu is the perfect person to teach you. It is literally what she does.”

Mickey smiled. “But you know how to move a body this size.”

“Yeah, but you need to come to it on your own. Don’t worry. Girls get separate lessons from boys.”

“So, you won’t show me?”

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