A swirling void surrounds. The sensation of limbs struggle to find some sort of traction in the ceaseless expanse. It feels strange. Incomparable to swiping through open air, or paddling within a placid lake. It feels strange in that there is no feeling. This unreality forgot to include that part of the simulation.
What it did not neglect was the inclusion of a certain knowing. Something else is in the dark. Something forceful. Something exceptional. Something worthy of awe and fear.
There are two of them, each from a different direction. Specifics are vague. One is warm, crackling with the essence of life itself. There is a danger to it, but it appears to watch elsewhere. The other–
What is the other? Its presence is not nearly so palpable as the first, and yet it instills an analogous supply of dread. It is a hunger with unknown diet. A lurking tyrant. Something born of malintent. Keep it far away. Keep it far, far away—
—Tack, tack, tack.
The sound came gently to Dayton’s ears. Although the first set of knuckle thumpings had failed to gain any reaction, the second managed to do the groundwork. The boy was pulled from his dreaming, though remained within the certainty of his shut eyelids. He wanted to be sure the disturbance was a genuine tremor upon his eardrums. His runaway imagination was prone to rather deceiving imitations of true auditory experience.
Tack, tack, tack, tack.
“Hey, Dayton! You hungry, man?”
Ah. True sound. Spyke’s voice was already starting to feel cordial in spite of its faint rasp. Dayton’s eyelids parted. The inset ceiling stared back across the dark. Did he forget about the lights before laying down? It was rare for him to awaken while on his back. Or at least, it used to be. Since the incident, it had become an almost nightly experience. He could feel how the fitted sheet clung to his spine. Dayton was thankful he had chosen to remove his shirt at some point in his restful delirium.
Recollecting and redressing himself, Dayton stumbled through the dark room to open the door. As expected, he was greeted by the sight of his new blonde friend - as well as another individual he had not yet encountered. An asian girl with short hair, not long enough to reach past her chin. She dressed quite similarly to Kitty, with a small swap in coloration; notably a hot pink tank top with a light yellow button-up left undone. A semi-translucent pink band sat atop her hair. Dayton mistook it for a rather wide headband until he noticed the temple tips hooking behind her ears. They were sunglasses. Eccentric ones.
The tell-tale jolt in his brain returned, but did not carry the strength of those from before. It evoked a twitch of the eye from him, which he shuddered away.
“Damn- You must have really clocked out”, Spyke teased, looking over the new resident’s half-conscious posture.
Dayton's eyes shut as he nodded, hiding his distaste for the obvious.
“Yeah, the first week is usually a lot. You’ll get used to things though, no doubt!”
“A bit late now, but we were hoping you’d join everyone for dinner”, invited the girl, cutting to the chase.
“Dinner?” Dayton questioned.
“Yeah”, replied Spyke. “It’s like- what? Eight-fifteen already?”
Dayton reached into his pocket and checked the time on his phone, stunned by this revelation. It was indeed past eight in the evening already. He wasn’t much for napping, normally. Had he really slept for four hours?
“Oh”, he mumbled in surprise as he put the phone back. “Yeah, uh- Food sounds good, I guess.”
“Cool”, the inviting pair said in unison before leading Dayton out of the dormitory.
There was silence at the onset, likely intended to give time for Dayton’s awareness of the waking world to cement itself. When they reached the stairs to the ground floor, the girl finally spoke up again.
“So”, she began with an inquiring tone. “What’s your name, newbie?”
“Dayton. Don’t have a, uh, codename yet.”
“Huh. Really? Like the beach?”
Dayton made a face.
“Well, it’s unique at least! Unusual, like mine. Oh! I’m–”
“Don’t worry, he knows”, interrupted Spyke with a knowing grin.
“Yep”, Dayton confirmed. The girl looked between them, a growing anticipation in her expression.
“Oh yeah?”
Dayton gave a humorous sigh before answering.
“Jubilee.”
And Jubilee she was. She stopped in her tracks, mouth agape and eyes wide.
“Wait- So, do you know everyone here already?”
Dayton matched her pace to ponder this.
“No…? Well, yes and no. It’s hard to explain right now.”
“Professor thinks it’s related to his powers”, Spyke explained, looking over their shoulder. The other two hurried themselves back into formation.
“So your power is… What- Instant awareness or something”, asked Jubilee.
“No idea”, said Dayton.
“Doesn’t seem like it”, added Spyke. “Based on the news story, at least.”
“He was on the news!?” Yet more interest sparkled in Jubilee’s eyes.
“Don’t wanna’ talk about it”, answered the person in question, remorse painting his face.
Jubilee pouted, but relented all the same. Spyke just chuckled.
As the trio entered the kitchen - which was thus far the least opulent room in the estate - two others were making their exit. Two of the taller boys, both blonde, with one having shaggy hair down to his neck, while the other’s was slicked up and back rather sharply. They gave a short greeting before continuing on. Introductions would have to wait. That was fine by Dayton.
The kitchen itself was visibly modern. From its chess board tiling to the black laminate countertops, this was the cheapest built room by far. The redheart tables and chairs seemed old and well kept, though they clashed with the sand tone cabinets. The current occupants at said table were Mr. Xavier, Mr. Howlett, Xabi, Rogue, and a particularly young boy with brown hair - three of him, in fact. As for the appliances, everything was skinned in stainless steel. The sink, the fridge, the oven, microwave, mini-fridge next to the fridge; all of it.
Spyke and Jubilee proceeded further within, but Dayton was transfixed upon the mini-fridge.
“Why do y’all have two refrigerators?” he pondered aloud.
Mr. Xavier, who was seated at the far end of the dining room table, turned away from his conversation with Xabi to respond. “That one is for personal items. Medications that require it, or items you’d like to keep separate from everything else.”
“Aaah. Makes sense.”
“Good evening, by the way”, added the professor with a warm smile.
Dayton nodded with his signature head bow. Xabi waved with a smile before returning to his talk with Xavier. Rogue, seated mid-table and across from Mr. Howlett, also waved with a casual “Hey”. Without peering away from his newspaper, Mr. Howlett raised a few fingers to acknowledge the boy. The duplicate triplets looked nervously in the new resident’s direction from the seats closest to the doorway, making eye contact before the two exchanged anxious bows. With a point towards the kids' center self, the older teen attempted to initiate for once.
“You must be, um… James? Jimmy? Not sure what you prefer”, Dayton greeted.
The children shot a nervous look towards Jubilee, who had sat down next to Rogue. The cheerful girl smiled and gestured reassuringly.
“Yeah, uh, James is fine”, said one of the clones.
“Or Multiple”, said the furthest seated James.
So not ‘Multiple Man’ yet, thought Dayton, giving a silent thumbs-up in reply.
Now surveying the table, there were surprisingly few seats left unoccupied. It was likely that meals were more of an optional gathering than Dayton had presumed. Spyke had taken the seat on Rogue’s other side and was already loading up their plate with grilled chicken and corn. Though Mr. Howlett’s imposing aura was rather stifling, Dayton wanted to remain in proximity to his new acquaintances. He took the seat to the right of the reading man as quietly as possible, then began to fill the empty plate waiting for him.
From the smell, the white meat was quite thoroughly cooked, but lacked much in the way of distinct flavor. There was an itching of light spice and the flare of salt. He supposed the plethora of sauces which filled the table was intended to make up for that lack - and also worked to keep the food allergen safe. Dayton opted to try a brand of hickory barbecue sauce he’d never seen before. It poured from the bottle thickly before settling into a sweet, rounded dollop upon the plate. Dayton gingerly dipped the tip of a finger into the sauce, then into his mouth. His tongue was cautious. Then enamored. An approving hum rang in he throat briefly. The most important matter of the meal had been settled, and thus he proceeded to select more for his plate.
As for other options, there was quite the selection. A small portion of grilled tofu remained - just enough that someone could save it for tomorrow’s lunch. There was also some butter-boiled corn, kidney beans, some mixture of foliage that would form a salad, and a pot of dwindling wild rice. Dayton took a small portion of each. He was grateful for the familiarity of his first meal here.
As he finished selecting his meal, the stares of the tripled boy from across the back of the adult between them had finally inflicted goosebumps upon Dayton's skin. When the gaze was returned, the boys effortlessly merged into the middle seat of the three.
“So... You got a name, pal?” James asked, evidently unaware of his tactless verbiage. To the boy’s credit, Dayton had forgotten to introduce himself, and was thus due for the return gesture.
“Oh- Right. Yeah, it’s Dayton.”
“Dayton?”
“Mhm.”
“Huh. Weird name. Not terrible though, I guess.”
A small silence blew across the table. Some of the teens held back feelings of humor, though their faces did little to hide the desire.
“Thhhhanks?”
James gave a satisfied nod, then returned to finishing the large pile of rice on his plate.
“Okay, I gotta’ ask” Jubilee chimed, leaning forward. She placed her chin onto her bridged fingers, held up by her table-set elbows. “If the memory stuff isn’t your real power, what is?”
“Memory stuff?” James inquired with filled cheeks.
Spyke, Rogue, and Xabi had also turned their attention to Dayton, with tangible interest in the topic. Mr. Xavier considered speaking up, but clasped his hands in wait to let the boy speak for himself.
Dayton shrugged at first. “Not really sure. I guess there’s the chains thing I accidentally did, but I still don’t know how that even works. I haven’t exactly been practicing it since I didn’t even know it was me until the Professor and them showed up on my doorstep, so...”
After a pause, the teen shrugged again, unsure of how to continue. Mr. Xavier took that as his cue.
“Your powers appear passive”, he began as all heads turned to listen. “At the very least, for now. It may be that they are purely reactive in nature, or they may require a specific means for control that we have not yet uncovered. Normally, I would be able to assist with this on some level, but…”
Mr. Xavier took great care in selecting his next words. He flashed a glance at Xabi, whose conversation had been related to this very matter.
“With your… Protection against psychic influence, your mind has become highly resistant to my own abilities. This unfortunately means that there is nothing I can do to help you directly. You’ll have to learn largely on your own, which will require a great deal of trial and error.”
A sudden dejection spread throughout Dayton’s spine. The one man that seemed to hold all the answers was stumped over his circumstance. He wondered what the point of even enlisting him must be. Sensing this, Mr. Howlett finally spoke up.
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
“Don’t sweat it too much, champ. Just means yer free to learn at yer own pace, in yer own way. We’re still here to help ya'. You've just gotta lead yerself along.”
Jubilee and James were just as surprised as Dayton by the sudden pep talk. The ever silent, perpetually frumpy Mr. Howlett saying more than two words to them, let alone positive ones, felt like winning a lottery. Rogue, Spyke, and Xabi nodded along confidently instead. Clear differences in familiarity.
“Ain’t nobody here that won’t help you, if ya’ ask”, Rogue agreed.
Dayton looked from face to face. Their words were generous, but the ends seemed too lofty to him. Mr. Xavier, along with every single person seated with him, presented some gesture of reassurance, be it a nod or a thumbs up or a smile. Mr. Howlett was last. The man felt the boy’s eyes fall upon him. His own turned away from the black print barrier to meet Dayton’s. With nothing further to add, he matched the others with a sharp nod, too.
A well of relief began to bubble in Dayton's gut.
Not a moment later, a set of distant voices finally closed in upon the open doorway. The first was Kitty Pryde, who spoke over her shoulder as she fazed through the wall and cabinets near the door. The other was not someone Dayton had met yet. A large, blue furred being that approached with a gorilla-like gate through the open porthole. Though his immediate instinct should have been to flee at the sight of him, that same bioelectric hum of knowing returned. It began by speaking only one word: Beast. The next thought was a gratitude towards this iteration’s retention of clothing.
Beast’s still plainly human eyes roamed away from his conversation partner and across those still eating.
“Good evening, everyone! Charles. Logan. Kids.”
The gathering said their hellos back. Beast opened the larger, communal refrigerator and began to rummage around. Kitty snatched up an empty plate and began piling food onto it.
“Sorry, everybody. Just grabbing this for Mr. Aguilar”, she hurried with a swift wave as she passed each person. Within a few moments, the plate was loaded, and both it and the girl had sunk through the floor in short order.
The other teens exchanged glances and laughed. Dayton looked to his right, at Xabi, for answers.
“Mr. Aguilar is kinda’ kooky. Forgets to eat a lot.”
Dayton made a motion of silent understanding. Perhaps he would find a fixative comrade in within this Mr. Aguilar.
Beast finished his fridge foraging, approaching the table with two pears in massive hand. He silently observed the situation, the corners of his mouth lifted gently as he chewed his first bite of fruit. He hadn’t noticed Dayton at first due to the paper wall held within Mr. Howlett’s hands. On the second scan around, the animalistic man tilted his head to better confirm the extra person.
“Ah”, he called out. “You must be Dayton, our new resident! A pleasure to meet you.”
Beast gave a plainly thespian bow, which the boy echoed in the tilting of his head.
“Nice t’ meet you, too, Mr. McCoy.”
The now named Beast made no indication that this knowledge was out of place to know, and merely continued conversing. “How’s your first day been? I know things here can be overwhelming - I’m certainly no exception to that.”
Beast looked down at his own semi-human form with a vaguely pained chuckle. Dayton took no time to think of his response.
“No worse than Kurt, really. Not like you can help it either.”
Much like the other ocean hued resident, Mr. McCoy was touched. His large teeth shone brilliantly as he beamed at this answer.
“Well, thank you for that! If you need anything, feel free to call on my services.”
“Ah, that reminds me”, interjected Mr. Xavier. “There was a small matter that I wanted to discuss with you. Care to join me in the study, Hank?”
“Certainly, certainly! After you, professor.”
Mr. Xavier took that moment to excuse himself from the table, quietly mentioning to Xabi that he would check in on the boy at another time. Mr. Howlett exchanged glances with the disabled man as he wheeled past, going back to his reading right after. As if a wordless conversation had taken place. Then Mr. McCoy and Xavier left.
The teenagers resumed their conversations. Jubilee started planning for the weekend, with rumors of a new arcade moving into the mall. Spyke and James were sold on the idea immediately. Xabi silently declined. Dayton was interested enough in checking things out to tag along. Rogue already had plans with her friend, Risty, but offered to join next time. Something about that name set off a flare at the back of Dayton’s cranium, but nothing else followed. Mr. Howlett, to yet more shock, offered to chaperone.
After another ten or so minutes, their meals were fully devoured. Mr. Howlett mentioned going for a walk. There was no telling if he meant this as an offer to join him, or if he was informing the youth not to be a bother. The others made no attempts to inquire, so Dayton joined them in their farewells. Rogue also departed from the group. Solitude and a good book were to be her nighttime plans - at least until her roommate arrived, she claimed. More goodbyes followed as the pale girl made her way up the stairway and out of sight.
The final five chose to get some fresh air while they continued chatting. The pool area in the back was "the usual spot for moments like these" according to Jubilee, but something compelled Spyke and James to sit around the fountain in the front. Dayton and Xabi abstained from stating an opinion, and thus the vote was two to one.
They moved to the courtyard, planting themselves on the nearest side of the fountain from the entrance. Stars peeked down from behind a red-navy curtain of sky. A few birds darted between trees in small groups to find preferable lodgings for the coming dark.
The grass made for a good cushion beneath James and Spyke as they sat down beside the water installation. They made angels in the lush green with joyous exaggeration. Dayton and Jubilee awkwardly collided while laughing at their antics, both attempting to sit against the same segment of stone wall. They quickly exchanged apologies and found their own spots against the rim of the fountain. Xabi, ever accepting of his plight, stood casually beside Dayton and James.
“Aaaah”, James exhaled. “Nothing beats rolling outdoors after a good meal!”
The older children tittered, unsure of the purpose of the young boy’s words.
“Fresh air’s nice, yeah”, replied Dayton, unbothered.
A collective deep breathing followed. Each of them paused to enjoy the day’s slowing buzz. When the moment ended, Dayton offered a new topic.
“So… I get that this place was made for us to, like… Feel safe and figure out our powers-”
The others nodded along, a few attentive yeah’s padding the air.
“-but it doesn’t seem like that’s… The only thing y’all do here, is it?”
“Well- Nah. We go on, like, missions sometimes”, said Spyke.
Dayton nodded slowly, rocking with the flow of his thoughts.
“Most of the time, it’s just recruitment stuff”, added Jubilee. “Occasionally, we’ll do more dangerous stuff - or a pitch won’t go as planned - but usually, that’s left to the more experienced kids.”
“Like me”, Spyke proclaimed, thumping a thumb against their sternum.
“And me”, Xabi mumbled with a smirk.
Dayton’s expression strained.
“Okay, so… Are the, um… ‘X-men’, right?”
The others nodded.
“Are y’all like a military thing? Is this kinda’ like, um… ROTC?”
“What’s ROTC?” James puzzled.
“Like an army program for kids”, explained Jubilee. James tried his best to imagine what that meant.
“And… Not exactly?” the girl continued, active thought shifting her posture inward. “It’s more like we make sure that we and other mutants have the best opportunities we can. Like, not ending up on the street or in a cell. That make sense?”
“Yeah”, Spyke agreed. “It’s to stop groups like the Brotherhood from causing trouble, usually.”
That name prompted a reaction. Another flash of images and text at the forefront of Dayton’s consciousness. Pain joined with it. Immense pain. Numerous persons, names, and details constructed a dizzying montage. Differing rosters faded in and out of focus. There were a multitude of iterations on many of the individuals sampled. Some were more clear than others. Two particular identities seemed the most consistent: a blue-skinned woman with red hair, and an imposing helmet of crimson steel.
But what is this thought? This memory? A vision of looking down at pages clutched within hands so much like Dayton’s own, yet so different. So distant. Flipping page after page of a thin collection of smooth, inked paper. The faces of those he had met here, and many he had not, filling each colorful panel. Through whose eyes were these sights coming? The perspective felt nostalgic, but how could that be so?
“Dayton–”, called a murky voice. It was difficult to tell where it originated from. The sound warped and distended like churning water. Like it was moving.
“Dayton—”, the voice beckoned again, a droning static growing in volume as another wave of audio crashed against his body.
“Dayton!!”
The boy opened his eyes. He wasn’t sure when he had even closed them. Nor when he had sunken down into a tight ball against the fountain wall. Dayton’s breathing was labored. The voice that had broken him from this spell must have from the others, though he was unable to process specifically who. It could easily have been more than one of them. That didn’t matter.
Rolling the orbs in his eye sockets around, Dayton observed two things: The first was that Spyke had a hand on both of his shoulders, with Jubilee kneeling nearby to get a better look at his own face. They must have been shouting and shaking him for some amount of time from the beads of stress filled sweat dotting all of their brows.
The other detail was more perplexing. James was some distance away, turning frantically off of his belly and scrambling to gain distance from the group. His expression was unusual. Confused? Scared? Perhaps a bit of both, but undoubtedly overwhelmed judging by the tear lines running down from the young boy’s eyes. Xabi was close by, making his own efforts to confirm the well-being of James.
Oh no, was the first thought in Dayton’s head. Not again.
Through staggered heaves of air, Dayton tried to speak.
“What— Sorry. What happened!?”
“You happened, man”, Spyke retorted. A fading anxiety shook their voice.
“You started holding your head and curled up, and then–”
“Chains?” Dayton suggested. Apprehensive fear spread through his chest as the idea took root.
“Well, not at first”, answered Jubilee, trying not to encourage another reaction. “You weren’t responding to anything, so we tried to get James to go and call the professor or another adult over, but…”
They looked back at the still bewildered child. His chest inflated and contracted to capacity. His navy eyes remained wide, but seemed more focused.
“He took like five steps”, Jubilee continued. “After that, some glowing chains shot out of the ground… Wrapped around his feet and took him down.”
“Kid was startled, but that’s normally okay”, Spyke added. “If anything, the fall should’ve been a good thing. Clones popping out from the impact and all that.”
That phrasing caught Dayton’s attention.
“He didn’t split?”
The other three teens shook their heads with emphasis.
“Not only didn’t he - He couldn’t split”, informed Jubilee.
“Why– Why not?”
“The chains, I guess? They kept glowing brighter whenever he was trying to do it himself.”
What a revelation! What a terrible way to find out. Dayton’s heart sank as he turned back to the poor victim sitting across the courtyard. James had now looked to himself, staring down at his own still trembling hands as he held them upturned. The words racing through James’ mind were plain as daylight: Are my powers gone for good? All knew that there was only one way to find out.
James pulled his arms into his chest and clenched his whole body. There was a small, fear-based delay before the physical distortion began. His entirety wobbled with escalating intensity, like gelatin in an earthquake. Once the vibrating had peaked, the magic happened. Three duplicates were ejected behind the boy at different angles. All four iterations remained posed with the same tension for a moment. The jiggle ceased. They opened their eyes and looked at themselves. Simultaneous sighs of relief displaced the cool air. More relief followed from the others present.
“All good, kid?” Dayton shouted. He was beginning to relax as well.
The quartet returned a set of hesitantly raised thumbs. Dayton failed to take note of their expression, but at least they were alright.
“Ain’t that a relief”, said a distinctly harsh tone.
Their heads snapped towards the direction the familiar voice had come from. Mr. Howlett had approached from somewhere nearby. Finally, an adult had arrived - though a tad too late. He must have heard the shouting from a ways away. Another pang of anxiety struck Dayton’s core. He wasn’t sure what the price for interrupting a post-meal stroll might be, and the paranoid parts of his brain predicted it may be steep. Especially given the cause.
The stocky man checked on all of the James’, helping each one to their feet along side Xabi. He ushered them inside - claiming that the youth’s bedtime was fast approaching - then turned back to the remaining group. His face still wore its usual scowl. It wasn’t too severe a look, but kept apprehensions high. Mr. Howlett’s eyes scanned each of the teens' own expressions for clues. His nostrils flared with sharp inhales. Dayton knew without a doubt: the man could smell fear and worry alike.
“So”, Howlett finally interrogated, his attention held largely by Spyke. “Tell me what happened. Doesn’t seem like an attack, but you kids were screamin’ plenty loud.”
Spyke wasted no time answering, and didn’t mince their words.
“We were talkin’ about what we do here since Dayton asked, and I guess we said something that set off his powers. Uh- He seemed like he was in pain, so we asked James to go get someone–”
“That’s when those glowy chains showed up”, Jubilee interjected. “Shot up from the ground and sent James to his feet! He couldn’t move or split himself, which sent him into a panic, and then… That was that. Dayton woke up, the chains faded out, and— Yeah.”
Mr. Howlett nodded a couple times as he processed this. Spyke and Jubilee both tried their best to hold in any beads of sweat while still under his scrutiny. When Howlett finally looked at Dayton, the man ran one thick hand to the top of his head and scratched. Dayton wondered what he could be thinking over. Did he think Dayton was a threat? A nuisance? Did this accident somehow reveal important information to the man?
The silence passed as Mr. Howlett cocked his chin forward swiftly- a sort of reversed nod of acknowledgement.
“You feelin’ alright now, Tex?”
Dayton guessed that meant him, and nodded unconvincingly. Mr. Howlett looked from the recovering boy to Xabi, who echoed the movement with more certainty. The man made a noise close to a snarl, but his face didn’t budge.
“Just be sure to let the professor know about this tomorrow. It’s a bit late to handle now—”
Everyone paused suddenly. Everyone except Dayton. The rest turned their heads back towards the mansion like they had heard a noise from within. Or maybe a voice. Dayton had no way of knowing, and wasn’t sure if interrupting their concentration was a wise choice.
After a few moments, Spyke and Xabi spoke seemingly spontaneous affirmations of “on it” and “lo entiendo”, followed shortly by a more resigned “okay” from Jubilee. Mr. Howlett turned back to the former pair, rallying them to follow him as he rushed inside. Spyke and Xabi matched his pace as best they could. Jubilee sighed and shrugged, then finally turned back to her deeply confused friend.
“Oh! Yeah- pretty surprising, huh?”
Dayton mashed his brow as his lips pressed inward. It took another second for what was - or rather, wasn’t - happening to dawn on her.
“You… You did hear the professor, right?”
Dayton shook his head.
Jubilee blinked.
“None of it? Like, nothing at all?”
“You all just kinda’ stopped and started staring at the mansion to me”, stated Dayton.
“Oh… OH! Right, forgot!”
Jubilee was at a loss. Her mind churned, devising some method for clearly explaining what Dayton was apparently not privy to. Though it wasn’t much to work with, the boy offered up an idea of his own.
“Lemme know if I’m right: Mr. Xavier was, um… Telepathically? Talking to y’all?”
Jubilee nodded with a firm, “Bingo! He called the others away for a mission. Told me to keep an eye on you, instead.”
So watching him was worthy of disappointment? Or maybe Jubilee was just eager to see field action.
“Huh”, Dayton pondered with a pause. “Guess my powers really do keep me tapped out on that stuff.”
The two teens shared a look, then a shrug. They laughed at their synchronized reactions.
“Well”, Dayton segwayed. “If you’re stuck with me, what should we do now?”
A wide, toothy grin stretched across the girl’s face. She stood up, helped Dayton to his feet, then put her hands confidently against her sides, beaming up at the taller boy.
“What kinds of video games d’you play?” Jubilee inquired, smugness oozing from each word.
Dayton raised a brow and smirked back. “All kinds. What do y’all have here?”