I opened my mouth to ask him who he was again, but decided against it. "No. It's perfect."

He placed the other cups of ice cream in front of the others. Katia studied him. "Aren't you the guy at the gazebo and the rides?"

"I think you are mistaken, Miss Katia," Green Eyes said.

"No, I'm not." Katia nudged Lottius. "Lottie?"

Lottius just shrugged, but she was totally checking him out.

Katia gave me the look that said, What do you think? I shrugged, too. I wasn't going to be drawn into discussing Green Eyes. Behind me, a server spoke to the guards. "I'm Number Three. I will be your server."

I didn't hear the guards' response because my focus shifted to Green Eyes. He'd refused to tell me his name. "Hey," I said before he could walk away.

"Yes, Princess?"

"What kind of name is Number Two?" I asked.

"A convenient one." He smiled and dimples flashed on his cheeks. Katia and Lottius kept staring at him. He bowed. "If you'll excuse me."

"I'm telling you, he's the one," Katia said.

Lottie watched him with a speculative gleam in her eyes until he disappeared, then said, "Yeah, he's the one. That walk is unmistakable."

When had she observed his walk?

"He doesn't carry himself like a minion," Skylar said.

"Or talk like one," Ravan added.

"I'm Number Five, not Six," a server said a few tables away, in a voice that was clearly annoyed. "I'll find him for you."

"No, it's okay, Number Five," a girl said. "We need bottled water."

"Make mine carbonated," one of her friends said.

"What's with the numbers?" I asked.

Katia sighed. "Most people don't bother to ask minions their names. They just number them."

"That's rude," I said.

"Yep," Katia said.

"I've been to a house with a minion who answered to Hey You," Skylar said.

A name defined a person. Not using their names was demeaning. It made minions less than nothing. And I'd bet they hated it, too. I observed them, tapped into their emotions. Yeah, they definitely didn't like it.

"You guys want to come to the castle for dinner tomorrow night?"

"Can I bring a friend?" Lottius asked.

"Sure."

I was thrilled when they all accepted my invitation. They discussed things my father and Lady Nemea had never mentioned, things that interested me. In the past week, I'd searched for CCs on minions and had come up empty-handed. The upper-level Hermonites called them hardworking but incapable of taking care of themselves, but I wasn't so sure.

-7-.

"Your father wants you downstairs, dear," Lady Nemea said in the doorway of my closet the next morning, and I whipped a dress in front of me.

"Privacy, please." I wished she'd announce herself before barging into my room or closet. She and Solange had serious boundary issues.

She smiled. "Of course, dear. But do not wear that dress. I already laid out something on your bed."

Another outfit to make me look harmless, I was sure. "I can choose my own clothes."

"I know," Lady Nemea said. "Just like I know you keep changing the colors back and forth." She disappeared into my bedroom.

Perks of having the ability to manipulate solids. Grinning, I touched a burnt-orange dress. Burgundy. The color replacement took seconds. What else could I manipulate other than fabric? I hadn't tried messing with other solids yet. Maybe I could mentally lock on to the missing CC from Gavyn. I left the closet.

On my bed were black pants, a black top, and soft leather shoes. That was new. They usually shoved pastels down my throat.

"Come to the hall when you're done," Lady Nemea said. "And do put your hair back in a ponytail."

"Why? What's going on?"

"You'll see."

She wore a smile that said I wouldn't like whatever waited for me downstairs. She was still ticked off about my trip to the beach yesterday.

"Okay, I'll play. There's something I forgot to ask you yesterday," I said before she could leave.

"Was that before or after you decided to go to the beach with out informing Sir Malax or me?"

I refused to argue with her again over a simple trip to the beach. We'd already rehashed what could have happened to me a gazillion times. The fact that I had Ruby and her partner, whose name I still couldn't remember, and four G.o.dzilla guards hadn't placated her.

"Why can't people make an effort to learn minions' names instead of using numbers? Why does everyone I meet mention their powers? I'm Rita, P1, energy. Callum P2, psi and air... Ha, that's his name."

Lady Nemea frowned. "Whose name?"

"The guard, uh, Ruby's partner. Anyway, what's with the power intro?"

"Our abilities define us," Lady Nemea explained. "Not our groups or what we look like. The more powerful you are, the more you are revered. So, it's common to mention them so you are treated accordingly."

"You mean you can be a douche and still receive respect because you are a P1?"

She shrugged. "As for the names, I didn't know people used numbers. I know the kitchen staff and the cleaning staff by name. I have to go now. Don't keep your father waiting." Then she was gone.

I tried the pants. They were form-fitting and came to my knees. The top was really a sports tank top with a built-in bra. It had the raven logo on the breast. There were also fingerless gloves. Once I put on socks and the boots, I teleported downstairs.

Father was talking to two men. One had long, sleek black hair tied back, and slanted eyes, and was dressed like me, right down to the gloves. The other guy was a skinny man with gla.s.ses. He was shorter than me and something about his eyes was off.

The guy with slanted eyes saw me first and smiled. A memory teased my mind but disappeared before I could a.n.a.lyze it, leaving behind wariness in its wake. Father turned and indicated I join them.

"Lilith, I want you to meet your tutors. Kenta"-Lord Valafar pointed at the guy dressed like me-"is your physical trainer. You'll work with him twice a day, in the morning before your lessons, and in the evenings."

Kenta hesitated as though waiting for something. "It will be an honor to work with you, Princess Lilith." He bowed.

"And this is Rahm." Lord Valafar pointed at the skinnier man. He was bowing, so all I saw was the crown of his head. He had long curly hair. "He'll help you in the coming months to catch up before you can join the academy."

"Months? You said a couple of weeks," I protested.

"That depends on how fast you catch up," Lord Valafar said firmly. "They're six months ahead of you."

If I studied my b.u.t.t off, I could catch up within a month. "Why can't he test me to see what I know, then we can cover what I don't know? If I pa.s.s after that, I join the Academy." My eyes swung from Lord Valafar to Rahm.

Lord Valafar smiled. "It depends on Rahm. He's in charge of your lessons."

I studied my new tutor. I realized why his eyes seemed weird. He had cat eyes, which meant he was a Werenephil. "Can I?"

He bowed slightly. "The princess drives a hard bargain."

"So, we have a deal?"

"Yes, but only if we start testing you today."

"Yes!" The sooner I convinced him I was ready, the faster I'd join my friends at the Academy.

"But first, we train," Kenta said.

"Then I'll leave you to it," Lord Valafar said. He pinned me down with narrowed eyes. "Make me proud, Lilith."

"Does that mean I have done something to make you not proud?" I teased.

Surprise flashed in the eyes of my teachers. Lady Nemea sighed as though I'd committed another mortal sin, but I ignored her. Lord Valafar studied me from his great height without cracking a smile. I could tell he was amused. I wish he could smile more.

"You've tried my patience once or twice, but I'm adjusting," he said.

I grinned. "Good, because my friends are coming to visit this evening. I've invited them to dinner."

He tilted his head to the side as though thinking about it.

"It's okay, right?" I added quickly when he took too long.

"Yes. We'll eat in my quarters. The dining room is larger."

"No way. They'll be too intimidated by you to relax."

"We are a family, Lilith. We eat dinners together. Bring them to my quarters. Seven o'clock sharp."

"Stinker," I said before I could stop myself, then cringed. I expected him to scowl with disapproval. Instead, he smiled.

Then something weird happened. Instead of his face, I saw a face of an older man with a graying beard, long hair, and twinkling dark eyes. The image lingered even after Lord Valafar disappeared.

Who was the old man, and why did his face fill me with mixed emotions-anger, sadness, and regret? I turned and faced the others. Lady Nemea looked like she was about to have a stroke while Kenta studied me with amazement. I found Rahm's poker face more intriguing.

I tried listening to his thoughts, but all I heard was static. Only a Psi could do that. I wanted to know how to block people from getting inside my head.

"Can you teach me to do that?" I asked.

A smile flickered across his face and I was sure he'd pretend he didn't know what I was talking about. "Of course, Princess."

"Oh, good." I turned to face Kenta. He didn't seem pleased about something. I bowed toward him. "Where do we train, Kenta?"

"Outside, and it is Master Kenta, or Daisensei Kenta." He studied me intently. "Do you know what that means?"

"Teacher," I said. Then I glanced at my new tutor. "I know several languages. I didn't realize it until I read some books at the library."

"That's good-"

"You should know all worldly languages, including extinct ones," Master Kenta cut off my tutor rudely. "The weather is perfect for outdoors. Follow me." He teleported like Solange-one minute there, the next gone.

What a grouch. And how could he know what languages I knew?

He was standing by the gazebo when I arrived outside. Propped against the wall of the gazebo were wooden sticks and swords, along with real daggers and swords. Workers taking care of the gardens watched us curiously until they realized who I was and bowed. I smiled. I felt Green Eyes's presence and looked around.

He watched us from the corner of the castle. I couldn't explain how I'd known he was around. He waved.

"Focus, Lilith," Master Kenta said sharply. "Catch!"

I froze the wooden sword before it hit me. What was Master Kenta's problem? If he continued to be a jerk, I was so going to ask Father for a new trainer. I plucked the wooden sword from the air.

"Not real swords?" I asked, smiling and hoping he'd thaw a bit.

"I want to see how much you remember first. En garde."

Remember from where? I barely evaded his wooden sword before he could hit me. We parried, moving back and forth, sideways. The entire time, he watched me with narrowed eyes.

"Your form is still good," he said. "At least the Guardians didn't screw that up."

Not what I wanted to hear. As far as I was concerned, the memory of my time with the Guardians was better left buried. Then I frowned. "What do you mean, 'still good?'"