groovygamers.com

Sylvia asked Colin to come by a little early.  She wanted him to meet his moms before the rest of the group.

Well, really Sylvia has other issues she wants to bring up with Colin.  That her friends will meet her mothers tonight is something she's decided to face with all the bravery she can muster; that may not be much, but regardless, she's less worried about Colin's meeting them than almost anyone else.

Colin rings the bell, carrying a little but cute potted azalea. He meant to bring a gift or something, but given what Sylvia usually brings for lunch, he was afraid to make a blunder, so he ruled out food. His mom suggested flowers, but he always hated the idea of flowers that would wither and die in a couple days, so he went for a little plant.

Sylvia goes clattering down the stairs from her room when the bell rings.  She opens the door, and there's Colin, with a plant.  "Hey, Colin.  Glad you could make it.  C'mon in."  She decides to rip the Band-Aid off all at once and hollers toward the kitchen and family room.  "Mom!  Momda!  Colin's here!"

The two women make their way from the kitchen.  One is slightly shorter then the other and a sturdy woman who looks like she could snap colin like a twig if the mood struck her.  The other is a blonde bombshell that might have been a model or something.  both women are smiling and they both shake Colin's hand.  The blonde takes the plant, a cooing sound comes from her, "I'm Mitzi, and this is Carolyn.  We're very happy to have you here, and this is a lovely and thoughtful gift.  You have brought life into our home and we are honored by it."

Carolyn glances at Colin and Sylvia, "Mitzi, let's go into the kitchen and give Sylvia and Colin some time to talk."  She takes Mitzi's arm and smiles.  The two leave back towards the kitchen.

"Hi, Sylvia. I'm not late, am I? And... Momda?" Colin doesn't seem embarassed, or frowning or anything. Just oblivious.

Then Mitzi and Carolyn arrives, and his face turns to confused.

It's as they shake his hand that something dawns on him. Then he's definitely surprised. He recovers quite well, though, and offers them his trademark warm smile.

"Good evening. I'm Colin Crow and I'm very pleased to meet you. I'm glad you like it, it took me some time to choose it."

As they go back to the kitchen, Colin looks at Sylvia expectantly, but makes no comment.

And Sylvia chooses not to explain either, since she figures the situation should be self-explanatory.  "You want something to drink?  Mom bought soda.  Like real soda.  With sugar."

"Oh, then we mustn't disappoint her. Yes, I'd have a glass, thank you. And... " he thinks for a moment what to say, then, as usual, he chooses honesty "I like them. They seem really nice. You said your mom can help us. How much did you tell her about... us?"

Sylvia seems relieved.  Colin's not freaking out at all, but he was her best bet (after Kel) for taking it all in stride.  "I just told her about the witches, and what they did.  They're cool with my having powers," she says.  "Are you worried about their finding out about you?"

It's while she's saying this that she shows Colin the cooler full of carbonated beverages, exotic imports in this land of home-made carrot juice and soy milk.  She gets him a glass and some ice to go with it and sort of coaxes him around to the couch and chairs in the family room.  Carolyn's taste in such things is impeccable.  Every piece of furniture in the house has some little detail that makes it stand out from run-of-the-mill department-store fare, and even though the Avery-Vaughns have lived there less than six months, the house looks solid and comfortable as if everything in it were customized to the lifestyles of the Mitzi-Ginny, Carolyn-Sylvia pairs--artsy and athletic.

"No. Quite the contrary, actually. I didn't want to expose you by accident, or to say something you couldn't explain. It's not much use to keep my powers secret if those who would try to get at me to exploit them already know. I'm among friends tonight. I should have nothing to fear."

He takes a sip and looks around fascinated.

"Your house is so beautiful it makes me want to take some pictures Sylvia. It feels so... alive. But... you said you wanted to talk with me?"

"Um."  Sylvia takes a sip of her own drink.  "Yeah.  Um.  Um."  This makes her more nervous than the thought of Colin's meeting her parents.  "Are you and Sarah dating?"

A rainbow of emotions pass on Colin's face that, as usual, keeps no secrets from an observant eye. In order, surprise, embarassment, horror, guilt, sadness and hope.

"No. We're not. We're just good friends." he says before taking another sip.

Sylvia looks wary.  "But you're still in love with her?"  She doesn't beat around the bush.  After all, Colin pretty much pledged his eternal devotion that day at the Janush party.  There are witnesses, dozens of them.

Colin looks at Sylvia, frowning. Why are you doing this to me?

"Sylvia, I'd like to know where this is going..."

She makes faces.  How does she get this out in the least painful way possible?  "You're not attracted to me, are you?"

Colin's frown dissolves, leaving space for a look of utter confusion.

"W-why? Are *you* attracted to me?"

Sylvia looks like she's been asked to write a geometry proof on the chalkboard.  In French class.  "No."  Then she catches herself and tries to make it all better.  "I mean, you're cute, but you're Colin."  Whatever the hell that's supposed to mean.

"Your turn.  You're not attracted to me, right?"

Colin's confusion lessens but remains.

"Sylvia, you're beautiful and interesting, but... I just don't see you that way. And I'm not over Sarah, yet. Now that this is clear and out of the field, what the hell?"

You're cute, but you're Colin??! What's that supposed to mean? It didn't sound good at all.

Sylvia looks relieved, and in her relief, she smiles and slides a little closer to Colin on the couch.  A guy could get the wrong idea.  "I have to ask you because Sarah's out sick."  She pauses and gets right to it.  "Am I stringing boys along?"

Colin feels relieved too, as a man who finally realizes that the stranger that had been chasing him with a pack or ferocious dogs for a few miles only wants to give him the wallet he dropped.

So now I'm the second closest thing to a female friend she's got? This evening is doing wonders for my self-esteem.

"Oh. Well, it depends. I mean, I'm not that kind of oracle, and I only know what you do when I'm there too, so... I think you should ask yourself if you're being totally honest. Not that I think you haven't, only that... well... no, it can't hurt if I say it, you do realize that Donnie is quite interested in you, don't you? And that, on the other hand, you joined the cheerleading squad right with Kel?"

Colin's equivocating.  It annoys Sylvia.  "Kel joined the squad with me.  And Donnie's. . . ."  Well, she can't really explain that away.  "Am I stringing him along?  How do I stop?"

If Donnie ever finds out I'm having this kind of conversation, he'll want to rip my heart out with an athame. If I'm wrong about Kel, he'll beat me into the next century. Nice.

"Look, Sylvia, the way I see it, you're only stringing him along if you would never consider anything with him. If when you think of him, you think -he's cute, but he's Donnie-... then yes, you are, because I'd say he hopes something more than that. If you think there's a chance, even a slim chance things could work between you, then you're not.  As for Kel... sometimes, just sometimes, you look at him in way... someone could think you're interested in him, but if you're not... well everything's easier."

Sylvia makes a strange face, trying to draw a real answer out of what Colin's just said.  "So you're saying I should, what, stop talking to them?  Stop looking at them?"

No, that's not what I said at all. What I mean is... If Donnie has no chances, if you're friends and nothing more, you should tell him. Probably you'll hurt him a lot, but every day you keep his hopes alive will hurt him more in the end. If you have no interest whatsoever in Kel... nothing happens. It's only a problem if you are and you're sending mixed signals to Donnie. I don't think you are stringing Kel along, he seems pretty oblivious so far."

Sylvia, the athlete, finally has the strategy she wants from Coach Crow.  "Okay.  Okay.  Thanks, Colin."  That's really all she had to ask him.  Now all they have to do is wait until the others show up.

"Not so fast Ms. Avery-Vaughn. This kind of advice is not really free. I answer your questions, you answer mine. That thing about stringing boys along... It didn't came out of you. Someone told you that and it upset you, and now you're running to shut everything off, so the rumors will stop. Guess what? They won't stop. Have you noticed, after that little show of yours yesterday, what is being said at school about me and Jane Spofford? Rumors don't need something real to spring up. They just do. But if you make a mistake now because you can't stand a rumor, that'll be for real, and it will hurt. So my question is: are you really sure you're not overreacting? Are you sure you're not letting someone else's opinion decide how you should live your life? I could bet your moms didn't raise you like that."

Sylvia sighs.  "Why do you have to make things complicated?  My sister--my sister--said I was stringing boys along.  She doesn't even hang with us.  She probably heard it from Greg, and it's not like Greg makes stuff up.  If you hear it from him, it's like hearing it from CNN."

"Greg is a friend. He's really helpful and all. But he dreams to be a director. Could it be that maybe sometimes he sees a little drama where there isn't any? I don't know your sister, she's probably wonderful, but if she's never seen you with Donnie, or with Kel, how can she know if you like them or not? I don't want to hear it from the CNN, I want to hear it from you.  Or rather, I don't. You are the one who should listen to yourself only. Not to me, not to your sister, not to Greg. Donnie and Kel deserve that you are true to yourself, but most importantly *you* deserve to be true to yourself. How can being yourself possibly be bad?"

Sylvia shrugs convulsively.  "Look.  I don't have a problem with being myself.  I don't have a problem with what other people say about me.  I have a problem with hurting people's feelings, especially Donnie's.  I don't want to mess with him and not know that I'm doing it."  Her brow furrows, and her voice drops to a whisper.  "Especially if I can . . . make people . . . feel things."

"Oh, sorry. You're afraid you're not controlling it? That it could be you making him feel a certain way rather than he on his own? Oh. That's different. But I don't think so. I think Donnie liked you since the first time he saw you, when you couldn't make your illusions yet, could you? If you want to be sure we can make some experiments. To see how far it goes, how long he lasts and so one. On the phone, you should be pretty safe. What makes you think it happens when you don't want?"

Sylvia thinks about her little adventure of the previous night.  It seems silly to tell anyone about it, especially with her parents in the next room.  If they knew, they'd freak.  "How would I know if it did?  I mean, just supposing, you weren't really Colin but just an illusion of Colin, how would I know?"

"Well, that's easy. I would know something you don't. Like my mother's birthday. It happened to you? You thought somethin was real and instead it was just one of your illusions?"

"It could happen.  That's all I'm saying."  That's what her mouth says.  Her eyes are flashing danger signals at Colin.  Let's not go there, they say.