On Friday morning, ten minutes after Jack left for work, Xander's car pulled into the Thorntons’ driveway.

He was coming over twice a week to train Riley and Reed. They both thought the giant warrior was an excellent teacher, and he was becoming a good friend as well. Even Jack, who interacted with him a few times in passing, seemed to like Xander. Riley was surprised by that. Few people passed muster with Jack Thornton.

This time when Xander came in through the front door, he was carrying a large stack of textbooks which he deposited on the dining table with a loud thud. “I've spent the last week completely neglecting my thesis so I could track down what your abilities are, Riley. I've never worked with a turtle before, so all of this is new.”

Reed was proving to be easy for Xander to train. Riley was far more difficult. For one thing, her mud requirement meant that becoming Unveiled at all was harder. Either the soil or her skin had to be wet at all times. Wet clay-dyed clothing was useless on her. A clay pendant dipped in water and placed around her neck worked, but as soon as the clay dried out again it stopped working. Dipping it in water and oil mixed together worked for a full day, but it also made the clay fragile, and the clay would eventually crack. There was simply no good option for Riley to remain Unveiled for a long period of time.

“This wetness thing is really throwing me,” Xander told her over the phone the day before. “I checked with Jane. She's never heard of anything like it, either. I'll see what more I can dig up.”

She also showed no sign of being able to turn invisible. More than any other potential ability, invisibility excited her. She would probably have no further need of protection from fire warriors if she couldn’t be seen at all. But so far, literally the only thing Riley could do was turn from human to turtle and back again. It was very discouraging. Since Reed's power had been so strong and had shown itself immediately, Riley felt as though there was something wrong with her.

Maybe Xander's research would help.

As the twins came to the table, he thumbed through one of the books, and pulled out a list. “I researched things that all turtles can do, and I cross-checked that with known Unveiled turtle skills, and then conferred with Ned. This is a list of things you might be able to do, Riley. It will be our starting point for your training.”

Riley took the paper from his hand and read it aloud. “I may be able to: make my shell hard enough to repel physical objects, expel unwanted objects from inside my shell's area, use my shell as a cave, free dive up to 100 feet in fresh water and maybe half that in saltwater, hold my breath under water for up to 20 minutes at a time, live an exceptionally long life, and hibernate under water in the mud during winter.” She looked back up at Xander. “Why on earth would I want to do that?”

He shrugged. “Ned hibernated through the winter once. He said it was one of the best experiences of his life. You should ask him about it sometime.”

Riley read on. “In addition, I'm omnivorous, and my power and abilities are probably stronger in mud or water than on dry land. Like every cold-blooded animal spirit, heat will agitate me and cold will calm me. My preferred method of dealing with conflict is to hide, and it’s likely that I will only confront someone if I think hiding is impossible.” She looked up at Xander and nodded. “That's true. I'm not aggressive, I'm very defensive, I'll be tempted to bite when I feel threatened...” Riley trailed off there as Reed began to laugh. Then she chuckled herself as she read ahead a bit. “Wait, wait! It gets better! My scent will attract mates, I'll prefer mating in water whenever possible—”

“You wrote that down?” Reed asked Xander, laughing even louder. “What's wrong with you?”

“I'm a scientist,” Xander replied, his expression inscrutable.

“And that says it all, doesn't it?” Riley teased him before continuing down the list. “I will prefer freshwater to saltwater, I'll have the most energy in the morning and evening, I need lots of rest, and my greatest threats are droughts, poisons and pesticides.” She tossed the paper across the table toward her brother. “Well, there you go.”

Reed stared at the list. “This is great, really. This is several weeks' worth of tests. Although I'm going to go ahead and say it: I don't want to be around when you test whether her scent attracts mates.”

“I'm not sure I want to be around for that, either.” Riley laughed, then nervously nibbled her lower lip. “Xander, I'm not sure how I feel about this. I mean, let's go back to the hibernating for a second. Under what set of circumstances would burying myself in mud at the bottom of a river for months at a time be a good idea?”

“Look, guys, this all sounds strange because it is strange,” Xander said quietly. “I've been aware of my panther all my life. And I'm still not comfortable with the fact that my body and personality are so closely mixed up with his. I’m a loner, I’m oversensitive, and I’m nocturnal when most of the world isn't. None of that makes my life easier.” He frowned and shook his head. “Anyway Riley, this is the list we'll use for you now. We can switch back and forth among the things on the list if you start to get stressed out again.” He took a long drink of water. “How were things at camp last night?”

“Fine. I spent most of my time on the swing with Alley and Gabe.” Riley frowned as she recalled her evening. “Camp is beautiful and I like it, but it’s still hard for me to relax. And people stare at me a lot. It’s weird.”

“I’m sure they do. Part of it is that you're new, and part of it is the fact that Gabe really likes you and everyone hopes you guys will start dating. They're looking to see if anything is happening between you yet.”

Riley blushed, and Reed rolled his eyes. “What, they think if they stare at her long enough she'll jump him right there in front of everybody?”

Xander shrugged. “This is what happens when a bunch of horny single twenty-somethings and bored married fifty-somethings have too much time on their hands. They start trying to match people together like unmated socks.” He stood and walked toward the back door. “Come outside, guys.”

When Riley stepped outdoors with her training list, she winced. It was already hot out.

She spent the next hour attempting to become invisible, getting progressively more irritated as nothing happened. At Xander’s suggestion, she tried standing, sitting, warmth, cold, being calm, being worked up, and being in and out of water all to no avail. And the weather was compounding her frustration. The air was a thick sweater of dampness, and the sky promised thunderstorms. And the temperature became hotter and hotter.

After coaching her brother through a flight where Reed had turned himself so dim and light as to be virtually invisible, Xander wiped his face on the edge of his shirt. “This heat is killing me.”

Riley walked toward the house. “I'll get us all some lemonade. I need a break anyway.”

“Thanks, Riley,” Xander called out over his shoulder. “Don't let yourself get frustrated. These things take time.”

“Too late,” she muttered. I'm already frustrated. It had been so easy to become her turtle, and turn from turtle into a glowing human. If becoming invisible was possible for her, shouldn't that be just as easy?

The kitchen was shady and cool. It felt wonderful. Opening the freezer to get ice felt even better. As she dispensed ice into each of their glasses, she took a deep breath of chilly air to calm herself.

Okay. Focus, Riles. What do turtles do when they're threatened? They disappear into their shell.

Wait...

When they're THREATENED.

Animals that disguised themselves did so when danger was present. What if there needed to be a threat present for her to become invisible? Or at least a good adrenaline rush going on?

That's possible.

How could she test that without involving the guys, who would get way too much entertainment out of scaring her to death?

Riley poured lemonade into the glasses and set them on a tray. As she stepped outside, she pictured the knife guy from the river hiding in the bushes under her kitchen window. After a second, she felt a mild degree of panic, and thought to herself, I don't want him to see me!

A strange wet feeling shot down her spine. Her turtle shell immediately became visible to her even though she was still in human form. And instead of having a distinct shape, both she and her light blue shell were watery-looking. Shimmering light was moving all around her shell, dancing like the reflections of sunlight in a swimming pool.

I think I did it.

She looked up just in time to see Reed's jaw drop.

Yep! Invisible!

“Riley disappeared!” He pointed at where she'd been standing. Xander quickly turned to look.

Riley took a deep breath. Show yourself, she thought. Before she was even finished thinking it, she became visible again.

Xander shot his fists into the air. “You did it! Fantastic! What did you do differently this time?”

“I pictured a threat.” She walked over to Xander and Reed and sat the drink tray down on the table, and explained her reasoning to them.

“Great thinking. A threat... that makes perfect sense,” Xander said. “Did it look or feel any different when you became invisible?”

“Very different. Here, maybe I can show you.” Riley pictured her attacker again and felt the same wet feeling in her spine.

But nothing happened.

“I bet I'm too close to Reed again. Hang on.” Riley backed up a few paces and tried again. That time, it worked.

Xander stood up and walked forward until he was standing inside her shell with her. Once inside, he blinked, an awed expression on his face. “You look like you're made of water… and so do I. I feel like it, too. Kind of wet.” He ran his hands through the watery reflections. Then he stepped back out and looked at Reed. “We’re both invisible, right?”

“Yeah. What's it like?”

Riley made herself visible again, and Xander described what he'd seen. “Did you hear me talking to her?”

“Nope. Nothing.”

“Inaudible and invisible. I wonder how our clothes became invisible. Maybe it has to do with body heat?” Xander sat down and started scribbling on his notebook. “I wonder if other senses are blocked out, too. Violet can help us test with smell…”

Riley shuddered. “Violet hates me, Xander. There's no telling what odors she'd choose to test with.”

“This is an incredible find, Riley. It will keep you safe. It can also help keep other people safe. It has a thousand possible uses.” He paused, then dropped his pen and frowned. “Good and bad. Pretty much anyone who finds out about your invisibility will want to use it… use you to help them sneak around. And until you’re way more comfortable in the clan, I don’t want you making yourself that kind of a target.” He looked up at her. “Keep this ability to yourself unless your turtle instinct says otherwise, okay? Save it for special occasions.”

“I will.”

Xander yawned and checked his watch. “Let's take a break.” He looked at Riley as he stood. “Is it okay if I sleep here?”

“Of course. The couch is all yours.”

“I’m going inside too,” Reed said. “It’s too hot to stay out here. What about you, Riles?”

“Not me. I’m going to keep practicing.” The heat was no longer important. Nothing mattered but mastering her new skill.