6: Well Thought Through

Ding!

Congratulations! Your application to enroll in the Eagle Super Academy has been approved!

"That was fast," we look at each other and say, simultaneously.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

[AHHH!!! TOO FAST!] I screech to Struan through our telepathic connection he established.

No, no! We are not in any shape to take guests right now! There's so much to clean up!

The shock causes me to leap up and transform into a ginger cat midair and land with a soft plop, while Struan vanishes on the spot.

Knock! Knock!

"Ethan! Are you there!? Are you alright!? Why haven't you responded to me for days!?" A man's voice calls through from outside.

The suits vanish from the floor along with one of the backpacks then followed by the laptop — Struan must have grabbed them. Right, this is no time for me to idling around.

I dash over to the laundry machine and transform back, shoving the sopping clothes into the other backpack and our duffel bag and sling both over my shoulders.

Struan reappears for a second and vigorously points to the display from our livestream and the decaying owner of the house. What does he want me to do with those? I can't make things disappear like him!

"Ethan! I'm coming inside!" The guest shouts again, and the door starts to creak open.

AHHHHH!!

The panic momentarily clears my mind, allowing me to think faster. Dropping the bags where I stand, I zoom over to the body between the kitchen area and the front door and transform it into white, powdered chalk. I take the time to form it into a rounded mound rather than leaving it in the shape of a sprawled body… Both are strange and a bit suspicious, but a filled in chalk outline of a body would look even more questionable.

You know… if, or when the cops get involved, I wonder if they'd think the white powder is something else at first…

With a small giggle that I really don't have time for, I entertain the thought of modifying the powder into an illicit substance, but decide to refrain. We already took so much from this Ethan guy — I wouldn't want to ruin his reputation too.

I turn the pigeon killing guy and the whole set up into a bigger pile of powdered chalk as well.

A hand grabs me, causing me to jump, and tints the world silver — and just in time too — as the door fully opens hardly a moment later. Carrying the two backpacks and a duffel bag, my poor partner looks loaded like a pack mule. He pulls me through the walls to the great outdoors before I can start giggling at the image.

We walk back to the forest — Struan dragging me along — reaching its depths before he lets go of my arm and releases his ability. Becoming undetectable, paired with phasing, sure is useful.

"So… Why didn't you turn it to powder before the smell got nausea inducing?" Struan asks me with a raised eyebrow.

"Errr… I thought he could be useful? Maybe…?" I give Struan a sheepish look, to which he only looks exasperated. "Ey! Don't look at me like that! You could have suggested I turn him into chalk earlier!"

"But you're the one with the abi— … You know what? Nevermind," Struan says, shaking his head. "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Hmm… we should probably check up on Eir — that's what caring friends who totally aren't villains responsible for the school would do. Then, I guess, we find out where the academy is and when it starts," I say.

"Ah, but first…" I pull the bags off Struan's shoulders and take out the electronics, putting them into the backpack with the suits. Struan peers at me with a questioning look, but at this point in our friendship, he doesn't question me nearly as much.

Ziiiiiip…. SPLOOSH!

"Amaryllis! Why!?" Struan shouts, clutching his head with both hands, as I toss the bags into the unfrozen part of the creek.

"Oh? It's been a while since you said my full name. You're usually all 'Ama! Ama!' as you follow me around," I smirk.

"Ugh! Just ans— ugh!!" Struan smacks his forehead and looks at the ground. He puts a finger to his lips and pauses, then makes a series of hand flinging gestures towards me as he tries to express his thoughts, but he soon gives up.

I calmly watch this highly entertaining display before enlightening him.

"If we take sopping wet clothes to Eir, that smell like very fresh laundry with the detergent not yet rinsed out, she may pick up on something being off… Since they're already wet, we can just wash them again at her place," I say.

"..."

"See? I didn't toss in the one with the suits and electronics so we can say you or I didn't fall in, or whoever… Hmmm… do ya wanna take a winter dunk?" I ask.

"NO! You do it!" Struan cries.

"Well, that's a strong reaction," I say as I inch closer to him, wiggling my fingers at him in a grabby motion combined with holding my arms in a t-rex pose.

"YOU DO IT! Turn into some winter-loving creature that won't freeze and I'll just carry the bags!"

"Fair enough." I leap into the creak with a splash, morphing into a rockhopper penguin midair while doing a flip.

"HRONK!" I shout in the totally irritating and completely uncute penguin voice. Now, if only they sounded as cute as they look.

I slap the water with my flippers a few times.

Struan fishes the bags, my clothes, and my black, leather boots out of the water as I hop around him on the surrounding ice as a small penguin. Hehe, aren't I cute?

Seriously though, phasing is so useful. He can go in the water, yet not get wet.

Struan rises out of the water and just stares at me for a moment, slowly raising an eyebrow. He clasps both of his hands together, but forms a steeple with his index fingers, pointing them at me.

"Okay… so hear me out… but… shouldn't we have first asked Eir if we could come over before deciding to haul all our stuff over to her house?" Struan asks.

"HRONK!"

"Does she even know that we have abilities?"

"HROONK!"

"Can you stop that?"

"Hrrrk…"

Struan sighs deeply and mutters, "Couldn't you have thought of this first, before tossing our stuff into frigid water?"

"HRRONK!"

A backpack comes flying at me, which I barely dodge with my stubby penguin legs.

"HROOOONK!!! HRONK HRRONK!" I exclaim while flapping my flippers.

"I asked you to stop! Nicely! But noooo, this is why we can't have nice things!"

Hehe, Struan scolded me. I hop around flapping my flippers while staring him down, challenging him.

"I know that look! I can still tell even though you're a penguin!" Struan shouts.

"Are you… arguing with a penguin?" A new voice joins in, causing me and Struan to jump.

We got too comfortable — we should never be caught off guard, especially with what we have done.