It would have been enough, Indira knew, that they had saved the world. These rewards were extras, cherries on the top of an already delicious sundae. Once it was clear Underglass was finished, the crew turned to each other, hugging or smiling as they finally tasted the fullness of their victory. Before they could leave, however, Underglass cleared her throat.
“Indira,” she said. “Wait a moment.”
The others slid out into the hallway, led by Maxi’s bright encouragements. Indira promised she’d catch up with them before closing the door and facing Underglass.
“I figured it couldn’t all be good news,” she said.
Underglass lifted an eyebrow. “It’s not bad news, exactly. Phoenix earned his spot, but he did not earn it at the expense of your other potential romantic interest.”
“But I thought…”
“So did we,” Underglass confirmed. “One or the other. That was our expectation. But it appears the Author plans to include both of them. I wanted to give you a head start, time to think about it. I know Phoenix is fond of you, and that you are fond of him. I thought the two of you performed wonderfully. However, the reality is that you will also have another character assigned to your story who likes you just as much as he does.”
Indira swallowed. It had been hard enough figuring out how to hold Phoenix’s hand without making her palms sweat. The idea of some other boy smiling at her was just too much to handle. Underglass gestured up to the board. There was a shiver of light, and her title adjusted slightly, adding a plural s to the final word:
Indira Story and the Infernal Suns
“As I said, not bad news. For now, I’d like you to enjoy your victory.” The brainstorm made a shooing gesture. “I’ve sent for David as well. Why don’t you all head over to the Talespin? I’m sure the crew could use a few celebratory white mochas.”
Indira thanked the brainstorm before ducking outside. The others were waiting farther down the hallway, discussing their new roles excitedly. Indira started walking that way before noticing that someone else was waiting outside Brainstorm Underglass’s office.
“Cavern?”
The antagonist looked wildly out of place, but that did not stop him from grinning.
“Indira! Weird seeing you here. Weird.”
She nodded, a little confused. “I didn’t realize you’d have to report to Underglass.”
He shook his head. “We don’t usually.”
It took Indira a minute to notice what he was holding. There were a bunch of forms attached to a wooden clipboard. “Wait a minute. Are you…transferring?”
He looked around nervously. “Keep your voice down. I…maybe. We’ll see.”
She laughed. “Your secret is safe with me.”
Before he could reply, Underglass called his name. He straightened like a soldier, adjusting his collar slightly. Indira caught his eye before he walked inside.
“You know, I think you’ll be pretty good at being good.”
He rolled his eyes. “Pretty good? I did not enter the darkspring for seven years so that I could be pretty good at anything. You good guys always think you’re the best….”
Indira kept smiling long after he’d vanished into the office. Up ahead, David had joined up with the others. Her brother looked taller and sharper than when she’d left him. Training had suited him well. He let out a laugh at the sight of her. Ducking past the others, he wrapped her in a huge hug. “Baby sister. It’s felt like ages.”
Indira laughed at that. “You have no idea. How was training?”
It looked as if he’d grown a few inches, carved muscles onto his slender frame. There was also something in the way he stood, like he’d practiced being confident long enough that he actually was confident now. David smiled at her appraising glance.
“Woke up every morning before dawn,” he said. “I’ve never run so much in my life. Every hour we had a new class. Lunch breaks if we were lucky. I’ll admit there were a few times I thought about giving up. A bunch of kids dropped out. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done.” He paused to look around at the others. “How about you? Was your Hero thing fun?”
Their crew exchanged glances before bursting out laughing.
“Fun,” Indira repeated. “That’s one word for it.”
Their crew headed back through the halls of Protagonist Preparatory. Indira ran a hand along the wall. She missed the old school. When they reached the front entrance, Maxi heaved a huge sigh, taking in their crew one more time.
“Well, it’s been fun. I’m so glad you guys called me, but I’ve got to get back to headquarters. No rest for the weary and all that…”
Indira could tell she was stalling. She smiled at her best friend.
“Maxi. How about white mochas first? On me?”
That was greeted by a squeal of delight. “Thought you’d never ask!”
Naturally, they headed straight for the Talespin coffee shop.
Mr. Threepwood quickly wiped down their permanently reserved table. Indira was a little embarrassed when he said, in a voice loud enough for other nearby tables to hear:
“I feel like you should get a new table every time you save the world!”
Indira smiled back. “We’re fine with just the one. How about some white mochas?”
Gadget leaned in. “Could I actually get an iced, sugar-free vanilla latte with soy milk?”
Squalls added, “And please don’t poison mine. Thanks.”
Threepwood blinked in confusion before noting those requests and rushing off to fill their order. Phoenix grinned at Indira as David started pelting the group with questions, having finally figured out they’d saved the world a second time. He kept shooting astonished looks over at Indira as they told the story, and saying things like “Well, of course, she’s my baby sister after all”—which had Indira laughing.
It was the kind of day that could only be spoiled by the fact that it eventually had to end.