.

were watching her, many with mouths open. She knew she was giving the boys a thrill; any teen boys who made the effort could see she was braless and wearing only a thong for panties—and what teen boys wouldn’t make the effort?

      “Cesar Chao!” Jade Blossom called out again. “Where are you? Ya too chickenshit to show yourself?”

      Finally a couple of boys, grinning like idiots, pointed to one guy in the middle of the crowd. Somebody shoved him forward and he stumbled into an open space.

      She drifted over to him and carefully increased her density to land lightly, as the others in the crowd backed off. “So you’re my date for the evening?”

      He grinned, embarrassed, and looked down. “Uh, yeah.”

      Jade Blossom put her hands on her bony hips and assessed his appearance. He was about five feet nine inches tall, she gauged, making him eight inches shorter than her in the Jimmy Choo sandals. Free of typical teen skin problems, Cesar had black hair in an average haircut. He wore a blue golf shirt with khaki slacks and was a little soft—definitely no athlete. “I guess you’ll do,” she said.

      Cesar shrugged and gave an awkward smile.

      Hoots of laughter and shouts of encouragement rose up from adolescent male voices. The girls were giggling again.

      “Cesar, let’s go get acquainted somewhere,” said Jade Blossom.

      “Uh, sure.” Cesar grinned as someone jostled him forward, pushing from behind.

      “Come on, laughing boy.” Jade Blossom raised her density to aluminum in case anyone caused trouble and clutched Cesar’s arm. “Walk me out of here.”

      “Your hand’s like a rock.”

      “Aluminum, damn it. In fact, because we’re touching, you’re about to increase to the same density.” She glared at the kids, teachers, and staff in front of them until they parted to make way, again like fish aware of a shark.

      “I am? What’ll happen to me?”

      She ignored him. Dr. Smith stepped up in front of her. Two uniformed security guards, both young, beefy men, came with her. “Jade Blossom,” Dr. Smith said, “I’d like to have a word.”

      Jade Blossom stepped up close, in Dr. Smith’s personal space, and looked down at her. “I’m going to spend time with my date, just as we all agreed.”

      “Your behavior has raised some issues …”

      Jade Blossom planted her aluminum-hard hand on Dr. Smith’s forehead and shoved, sending her stumbling backward.

      The two security guards moved to block her way. One, with a brass nameplate reading J. CARNAHAN, reached out for her arm.

      Jade Blossom knew she was stepping off a metaphorical cliff, but she had never hesitated to do so before. She leaned forward as though she was going to say something privately. Then, just an inch away, she head-butted him in the face, not too hard, and he stepped back, his hand to his nose.

      “Oh, my, excuse me.” Jade Blossom gave him her big, fake smile. “I’m just so clumsy, silly me.”

      Blood oozed between Carnahan’s fingers. His face contorted with anger, he opened his mouth to speak.

      She leaned close and whispered, “You want to show off your bloody nose in front of all these kids? Just shut up and let it go.”

      He glared at her, uncertain.

      “All right, lady, let’s go.” The other security guard, whose nameplate said H. BERBELIA, reached for her arm.

      Before Jade Blossom could respond, Cesar pushed the much larger Berbelia. He barely had an effect, but in return, Berbelia shoved Cesar back two steps. “Out, kid.”

      Jade Blossom stabbed her aluminum-hard thumb into Berbelia’s solar plexus and spoke in a harsh whisper. “You’re pushing around a high school boy? Are you going to shove me? The featured guest at this event?”

      “Jade Blossom!” Dr. Smith called out. “I’m asking you to leave the premises for good. Cesar, come with me!”

      Jade Blossom pushed past Dr. Smith and Cesar hurried to keep up with her.

      “Jade Blossom!” Dr. Smith shouted. “This is unacceptable!”

      With her signature catwalk pout, Jade Blossom led Cesar out. “Let’s find a bar.” She reduced her density to normal.

      “I’m too young to drink.”

      “Then a restaurant where I can get a drink.” She slowed enough for him to come up alongside her and then took his arm. “Dude, lead the way.”

      “Uh, yeah.”

      Protesters out on the sidewalk shouted as they waved their signs: “Jokers no joke! Jokers no joke!”

      Members of the news media were asking them questions, snapping photos, and taking video. “There’s Jade Blossom again!” One guy swung his video camera toward her. A man wearing a sidearm eyed Jade Blossom closely and shouted, “Aces ain’t no joke, either!”

      She had passed them on her way inside but had taken no notice. “Cesar, who the hell are they?”

      “They’re from Purity Baptist Church,” said Cesar. “I gotta admit, jokers kinda give me the creeps.”

      “Keep walking, damn it.” Jade Blossom didn’t like jokers either. They reminded her of what she might have become. She had majored in microbiology at UCLA to learn about the wild card virus, and she understood how arbitrary its effects could be. “I heard something about them on my way in.”

      “Aces no joke!” the protesters shouted. “Aces no joke!”

      Jade Blossom spotted Elaine, visibly anguished, waiting off to one side with Ethan. He had engaged a chauffeured limousine for her use during this appearance and now watched her warily. She decided they looked constipated.

      “Elaine! Get in the limo and follow us!” Elaine, whose rust-colored hair was tossing in the breeze, waved acknowledgment.

      Jade Blossom felt that breeze fluttering the long skirt around her legs. “I’m going to keep hold of your arm, but if you feel me slipping, grab on tight.” She reduced her density to the lightest feathery seed bloom.

      “What?” Cesar stared up at her.

      Because Cesar was in direct contact with her, his density was also reducing. Jade Blossom swept up her free arm and, as she began to lift from the ground, she gave her legs a little kick. Cesar came up with her.

      “Cool,” Cesar muttered, looking down.

      “Just don’t lose contact with me or you’ll fall,” said Jade Blossom, as they gradually gained altitude.

      “You can swoop down and catch me.”

      “I can’t fly, you idiot! We’re drifting on the breeze, updrafts, whatever air movement I can find.”

      “Oh.”

      “So if we let go, you’ll switch back to your normal self and go splat on the pavement.”

      Traffic raced along the street beneath them and Jade Blossom knew the pressure wave in front of moving vehicles pushed air upward as well as sideways. She caught more of the air and took Cesar forward about twenty feet above the ground. Below them, pedestrians were staring. “Pick a place, kid,” Jade Blossom said.

      “I’m from Seattle!”

      “Look anyway!”

      Eventually they spied an upscale tavern and Jade Blossom brought them down gently on the sidewalk, increasing her density, and his, back to normal. She let her knees bend slightly and found her footing even