Riley POV
"Riley" I tensed and then relaxed as I turned to face Tiana, who had a wide smile on her face as she bounced up to me, "where have you been?" she asked eagerly as Marigold began to walk up as well, a look of concern on her face.
"Oh, I've just been busy," I said lamely, thinking it was a terrible excuse and unable to offer any other explanation.
Tiana seemed to find that perfectly acceptable though, while Marigold merely looked at me knowingly.
"Trying to avoid the elders?" she asked.
"Is it that obvious?" I growled.
She laughed "Look I can't blame you. They seemed to be particularly fascinated by the collars we were wearing. They've spoken to us several times, asking us to reiterate, over and over again, exactly how they affected us, what they did to our powers, and w
