Opening meetings at the council were always dull. Gage remembered that from the past few times he'd attended. Even though he was Touched, he wasn't being forced to sit on the main level with all of the other Touched sons of the nations. None of them looked all to pleased to be there. Darien, the son of Lord Oceina, sat with his head hiding in a notebook, while Jae had his legs kicked up onto the table top that he shared with his father. The only son who looked like he wanted to be there was the one sitting with Lord Inero. He at least sat at attention even if he might not have been paying any actual attention to what anyone was saying.

A lot of being Touched was playing the part, though. Gage knew that one all too well. Even though he was sitting in the row furthest from the main stage, he knew he was being watched and that he was supposed to set an example for the rest of the men in attendance—the Terran especially.

Over the years, he'd gotten good at occupying his mind in ways that made it not so obvious he wasn't paying attention. He knew how to pick out highlights from a conversation so he knew what to reply to. At political events like the council, he counted on Finn to inform him on important topics. So while the Great Lords all went through their ritual greetings to start the ceremony, Gage was perfecting recipes in his head. His kitchen sink omelet still wasn't meeting his standards of excellence.

Then he heard something that caught him off guard and demanded he listen for a while.

The nation of Inero, home of the fire dragons was in peril. Gage sat with his jaw completely dropped as he listened to the Great Inero Lord explain how his country had no food, no water, and no way of recovering from such a tragedy without the help of his neighboring leaders. One thing Gage knew for sure: either the Inero Lord was a genius or a complete idiot.

"Oh boy," Gage whispered.

Next to him, Zel let out a low whistle and a quiet curse, uttering with words what Gage was thinking, only in a much more direct and crude way. And next to him, Xio was literally off of his chair, crouching forward and bouncing on his heels. And next to him, Finn glared down the row at all three of them. Gage glared back because he knew for a fact he was not doing anything worth such a harsh gaze.

Zel nudged him in the side. "We should get out of here before the rest of the crowd goes during intermission."

"There won't be an intermission, not yet." Gage said. "Too soon."

"There will be after a bomb of this magnitude. The lords will all have to go back to their chambers and think about this behind closed doors."

Xio rocked back into his chair. "Bomb. Boom. Bye-bye Inero?" That comment got him a glare from everyone within earshot. He shrugged impishly. "What? It's a valid question!"

"Shh!" Finn raised a hand as if to strike his friend. He pointed toward the door and nodded. Surprising since Finn was such a stickler for following the rules and never wanted to leave anything politics related early.

Reluctantly, Gage got out of his seat, being as quiet and low as possible. He was on the aisle thankfully, so no other spectators of the council meetings were being bothered at least. His father would notice, though and that was what caused Gage to pause. Gage was not looking forward to getting an earful back in the hotel room.

If Finn was telling them to leave, there was no point in arguing. Finn knew what he was doing. He wouldn't steer them wrong because his butt was on the line too.

"Bathroom, now," Xio stated and ran down the hallway. His honesty, though sometimes tactless, was always appreciated. More often than not, he said what everyone else was thinking. Gage also had to go to the bathroom. He simply chose to show a lot less enthusiasm about the task.

He made his way down the hall, his hands in his pockets. Finn walked next to him, matching his casual pace.

"Don't worry about your dad," Finn said. "I don't think he'll notice you left."

"You know that's wrong," Gage mumbled.

Finn gave a nod. "Yes, he will notice. You're right. He always knows everything. He's all powerful and all knowing, merely pretending to be a mortal for the sake of keeping a low profile while he works all of his amazing miracles."

"Dad will know because he'll have people watching me to make sure I don't make him look bad." Gage rolled his eyes. "Wait, that's your job right?"

Snorting, Finn did as well. "Because it matters that the chef of a three-star local dive thinks about the dragon council and if he leaves a meeting early? Given the nature of your life, there will be understanding. The fact you came to the council at all speaks volumes to your character."

"They'll find a way to give it a negative spin and make it seem a lot worse than it actually is," Gage explained. He didn't bother to point out how much he hated using his dead wife as an excuse for everything he did, too. They'd have that talk later. "That's how the Terran party factions function. I'm supposed to always be on my best behavior."

"Until the election is over," Zel said.

"No, always." Gage wished it was only until the end of the election. If his father were to become the Great Lord of the Terran Nation, Gage would only become even more of a target than he already was.

His friends were great, and they'd known him for years. They were used to his declining wild parties, and choosing safe over sorry. Until they experienced the pressure first hand, however, they'd never understand what Gage went through. It was bad enough that Gage didn't have a more prestigious job. His father's public relations team had a fun time trying to spin that in a more positive direction. Being a chef wasn't bad. It also wasn't good enough.

They made a pit stop at the bathroom before walking out the front doors of the Main Hall of the Dragon Council—just as the meeting was being dismissed.

"Beach?" Zel suggested.

"Beach," Xio agreed.

Gage nodded. "Not Harmony Beach though."

"Ew!" Xio scrunched up his nose.

Finn gazed off toward the cliffs in the east. "Away from the crowd it is."

The beach in front of the cliffs was just as soft and white as that of Harmony Beach. About the only difference between the two was the backdrop and the fact that most of the council goers didn't want to be bothered with walking ten extra minutes to get there.

Gage welcomed the walk, even more so since his friends were being quiet while they made the trek. Quiet wasn't something he got a lot of which was the only reason he'd come to the council in the first place. That and his father begged him while his mother practically packed his suitcase. He'd been promised a relaxing week of vacation with his friends. All he had to do was attend at least half of the meetings, look happy, and not cause any problems with anyone—especially from another tribe.

For Gage, that was easy. His friends on the other hand were another story. Trouble had a tendency of finding them whenever all four of them were together.

"What do you think of the Inero information?" Gage asked no one in particular when they arrived. No unwanted ears were around to hear their conversation. If they were going to talk freely about anything, it was time to do it.

Xio shrugged. "Their problem, not mine?"

"It'll be our problem," Zel said. "Lord Vincent has been spending an awful lot of time going to private meetings with the Inero Great Lord lately."

"He has?" Xio scratched his head then shrugged. "Still not my problem."

Finn sat down in the sand. "So we know who doesn't read the news in the tribune." He gazed up at Gage. "As of now, I'm not concerned. Those meetings could have been about securing a trade for aide in a less public setting. I guarantee that Lord Vincent knew about all of this before today, though. I will also be incredibly surprised if the other two lords agree to help over the course of this council session."

"I hope they do, because I love it when you get surprised. You hate it. It's funny," Xio said. He did a cartwheel in the sand, kicking a great deal of it up as he did so. "It's like non-sparkly glitter."

"Sometimes, I wonder how his brain works," Finn said quietly. Louder, he called out to Xio, "And just like glitter it'll get everywhere and never leave."

They made quite the collection of friends. On first appearances, the connection would be hard for anyone to make. Their personalities were all so unique. All it took was a shared love of cookies and farts at the tender age of five, and they were inseparable ever since. Gage loved it and wouldn't have it any other way. Each one in the group provided a perfect perspective that helped balance another.

"Do you need help getting up to pace with everything, Gage?" Finn asked quietly.

Gage gazed out at the ocean, shaking his head. "No, I understand it fairly well. I don't think I'll be asked any questions any time soon. Perhaps after the election starts I'll be fair game once again for the media. They've been good about leaving me alone ever since...you know."

"They better be giving you privacy, because I would hate to have to bust some heads open," Zel stated. "Press pass doesn't matter to me."

"I'd like to not have a repeat of the club," Gage said. He smiled all the same. On more than one occasion Zel had stepped up and protected him from unnecessary harassment from the media. Paparazzi always liked a juicy story. For a little while Gage was it. A tragic love story was always a great way to sell magazines. Another price he paid for his father's attempt at glory.

Zel shrugged and walked toward the cliffs, no doubt to explore on his own. That was Zel's way. Check in, and then move along unless he was wanted. Gage wasn't sure what he wanted then. Well, he wanted a few things, but they were the kind of dreams that were impossible.

Being at the beach was calm, but a sad reminder of those dreams of his that were never going to come to pass. Before he could let himself start to lament over the sad circumstances of his life, Gage pulled out his cellphone to call home.

On the third ring, his mother picked up. "Hey, honey, how's it going? First meeting done already? Isn't it supposed to last a few hours?"

"Some stuff happened so they're taking a bigger break than usual," he said quietly. "Take it you haven't talked to Dad yet?"

"No, but if what you say is true, then he's probably acting as an advisor. I'll hear about it tonight."

"Probably. Anyway, I thought I'd call and check in. See how Gus is doing and..." Hear a friendly voice. Make sure you're all okay. "Just kill some time."

She laughed a little. "He's doing well so far. I can tell he's looking for you. I'd get him on the phone here, but I just put him down for a nap. We'll take some pictures and videos for you to help tide you over for the night. How's that?"

"I'd appreciate it." He sighed, disappointed. Naps were important for babies to take. And he's looking for me. What if he thinks I'm gone for good? Maybe leaving was a mistake after all.

"Are you okay?" his mother asked, breaking the long silence.

Gage sighed, yet again, unsure of how to answer. Lying to his mother was always a bad idea. Having her worry about him was also not good. "Getting used to being away from Gus. It's weird, not having to take care of him all of the time. I miss him, and you too. Just..."

"Especially him. Try to enjoy it as much as you can."

"I am."

"Okay, I'll send you those pictures soon. I should go, because your father is trying to get a hold of me after all."

"All right, Mom. Love you."

"Love you too."

She hung up quickly after that. If it had been anyone else, Gage would be annoyed. Knowing his father wanted to talk to his mother as soon as possible only confirmed the suspicion that the problem the Inero was having was a huge deal.

"One meeting down," Xio said, settling in beside him. "Think that means we're good for the day. We should spend the rest of the day by the pool, or exploring. I bet we'll find all kinds of nifty things on the island."

"Pass," Gage said.

Xio frowned. "Let me guess, your idea of a good time is a nap while hiding in the bedroom at the hotel suite."

Thankfully, Gage didn't have to justify his desires because Zel stepped in to do it for him. "When you have a toddler in your house, you'll think a nap is a great idea too."

"We're working on it." Xio stuck his tongue out at Zel before returning his attention back to Gage. "As long as you're not shutting down." There was so much concern and sadness in his voice, Gage couldn't help but offer a small smile in the hopes of being reassuring.

"Not shutting down. Taking baby steps."

For a moment, Xio didn't say anything. He gazed out at the ocean with a great deal of calm. Anyone who didn't know him better might have found it odd. Gage knew it meant Xio was taking the time to think his words over carefully.

Finally, he nodded and gave Gage a grin. "We have all week to explore and to nap to your heart's content. You can definitely have it all. I'm going to make sure of it. The fact you went to one party is a milestone in my opinion."

"Thanks." Gage appreciated the sentiment, but he knew just as well as everyone else that he'd never have it all again. "One party was big, wasn't it?"

"For the guy who doesn't party, yes," Zel said, rejoining the group. "I think it's bigger than the club."

"And you ate with the Inero!" Xio added, snapping out of his daze. "Huge."

"They're not bad guys, so I don't get why they're considered social plague," Gage pointed out.

Finn pushed his glasses up on his nose. "Lord Inero's history of being a dictator usually has something to do with it. The lord reflects the nation. Still, I think it was good you did it. Shows you being proactive, even if you didn't know what was going on. Some might assume you did because of your father's status."

"Lord Inero is creepy," Xio stated. "He's always so serious and hasn't he had like a million wives? I heard he's got a billion kids."

"You do know that's mathematically impossible, right?" Finn said.

"It's called an over exaggeration to illustrate a point."

With a shake of his head, Finn gave Xio a stern gaze. "Creep factor aside, it's not a good idea to shun him either. By shunning his people, you're doing that."

"I'm not mean to them," Xio mumbled. He used his magic to lift some of the sand from the ground and started to build a castle. "But I'm not going to go out of my way to become best friends with them either."

"All I did was eat a steak," Gage said. "We didn't even talk."

"Boring, just like their Great Lord."

Zel, ever the peace maker, put a hand on Xio's shoulder. "I found a cave. You should come check it out with me."

"I like caves..."

The two left together, and Gage was grateful for the reprieve. Who'd have thought that eating food with men from another country would spark such controversy? He should have thought about it more thoroughly before going over. Then again, he didn't know about the trouble the Inero were having, so why would he?

With both Zel, and more importantly Xio gone, Gage could ask what was actually on his mind. "How bad is it going to get?"

"Taxes will go up once we supply aide," Finn said. "Your dad isn't going to be happy about that. I know already what his opinions on the matter are."

"He won't want to help?" Gage was surprised. Most of his father's campaigns of the past have centered helping the needy regardless of nation.

Finn hugged his knees to his chest. "It's not that he doesn't want to help. The way he talks about Lord Inero, though...I don't think he trusts the Great Lord. I, personally, can't say if he should since my experience with the guy is limited. Xio's right, he's creepy and calculating. This disaster shouldn't have happened. He's too smart for that."

"So then you have to wonder why," Gage said. His father would wonder the same thing.

"Especially since there haven't been any natural disasters or droughts or anything that would give the Inero a reason to be in trouble. All of the reports I've ever seen have supported these past few years as being the best our planet has ever had."

"So basically, we're in trouble."

"Probably."

Gage also hugged his knees to his chest as he contemplated the stirring beginning inside of him. You're Touched for a reason. It might be time to finally learn why. Regardless of if he wanted to or not.