Alien Proliferation

Snugli, at hyperspeed, I realized. “Wow, I can see you. I mean, going fast. You’re clear, not blurry and not invisible. And I can tell you’re moving at hyperspeed, too.”
    “I wonder when your mutation is going to stop.” Naomi sounded thoughtful.
    “What if it doesn’t?” Abigail sounded worried.
    “What if it regresses?” Naomi asked.
    “Cross that bridge when I go to the dark side or when I turn all ‘Flowers for Algernon.’ For now, let’s go see what my family and yours have been up to.” I was dressed, stuff was gathered. I took Jamie, slung my purse over my shoulder, did a Poof check, and we took off for the library.

 
    CHAPTER 45
     
    R EACHED THE LIBRARY and realized Doreen hadn’t been kidding—it was a full-fledged party. It looked like everyone other than the few A-Cs on agent or Security duty were in here. Jamie cuddled into my neck—I got the impression she didn’t like the noise and crowd, but I could have been putting my own feelings onto her.
    Spotted Sheila and decided now was as good a time as any to stop being the worst friend in the world. The Gower girls said they’d catch up to me after I got some time with her and wandered off toward their mother, who was with Denise Lewis.
    Trotted over to Sheila, did the squeal and hug thing. She had her youngest on her hip, and I had Jamie in my arms, so the hug wasn’t what it could have been, but it wasn’t a hug from someone who resented or hated me. She looked great. She’d always been between Amy and me in height and had dark hair and eyes to our fair.
    We then did the fast catch-up thing, and while we did it, all our old jokes interspersed throughout, I felt myself relax. It was almost as if we were back in high school, but better, because we were both adults, settled into our lives, and, happily, those lives, while different, weren’t mutually exclusive.
    “I can’t believe what you do now,” Sheila said with a laugh as I finished my really fast explanation of what the last couple of years had held for me. “Just glad your mom sent all those great-looking guys to rescue us.”
    “Yeah, the visual benefits are wonderful.”
    “I saw a picture of your husband. Boy, talk about gorgeous.”
    “Yeah, Jeff’s a total hunk.”
    “I’m sure you’ve heard this too much, but I was surprised you went for him and not his cousin. Saw him, too. Totally your type.”
    “So the world seems to feel. If I was going to stick to that type, I’d have married Chuckie.” Whoops, that was a slip. Guilt high-fived itself.
    Sheila shook her head. “I don’t know what’s more shocking—what you do and who you married, or how Chuck turned out.”
    “Wow, you’re not hating on him?”
    She laughed. “Uh, no. I married a nerd, remember? They make great mates.” Reader had said the same about A-Cs. Found myself wondering if Jeff counted as a nerd. He was really smart and funny. Couldn’t imagine awkward. Then again, if I’d met Chuckie now, I’d have trouble believing he’d ever been awkward, too. Resolved to ask to see Alfred’s pictures of Jeff and Christopher through the years. Thought about Alfred—something tickled in my mind. Couldn’t figure out what or why, though.
    “I guess I don’t think of Roger as a nerd.”
    “Me either, anymore. Honestly, if you’d told me you and Chuck were getting married, it wouldn’t have surprised me. He’s always been in love with you.” Guilt did a back flip while shouting “go team.”
    “Thanks, I need that guilt from someone else.”
    Sheila laughed again. “My mother said you have to marry who you’re really in love with, at least the first time.” She shook her head. “Amy thinks her dad loves his second wife more than her mother. I wouldn’t know, but she seems so adrift.”
    “Ames? Adrift?” Maybe. I hadn’t seen her much in recent years, after all. “She never said anything like that to me.” Worry raced over to hang out with Guilt and chat.
    “I’m probably just seeing things that aren’t there.”
    “And maybe you aren’t. You were always Miss Insightful in school. What’s Ames shared with you that she hasn’t shared with me?”
    Sheila looked thoughtful. “She said that your mom and Chuck had suspected her dad of being involved in whatever’s going on, and while she felt she had to defend him, especially against Chuck, in reality, sometimes she wonders how much he’s changed since we were young. It sounded like she never sees him, even though