by Angie Lofthouse

he paint wasn't even dry on Zion's young singles housing units when Paul Witt got his new roommate assignment. The blond-haired eighteen year old stood outside the housing office, which was still just a tent, and stared at the hand-written sheet of paper as if looking at it extra hard would somehow change it.
You are assigned to YSA housing unit 37C with the following roommates:
Derek Halstead—Paul had expected that. He and Derek had been roommates for all their lives. But Derek was getting married in two weeks, so they wouldn't be roomies much longer. Ben Porter was next on the list. Not a bad choice there. Paul had become close friends with Ben, a young Paiute Indian, during their long and dangerous trek from Utah to Zion in Missouri during what people were now referring to as the Emancipation. Nothing like being under fire together to cement a friendship.
It was the other three names on the list that gave him pause. He'd expected more of the boys from the refuge where he grew up. But it was Lem, Sam, and Tim Martin. The triplet brothers were Derek's friends—ground crew for the Air Combat Fleet Derek commanded. Paul didn't exactly dislike them. He just found them a bit…odd.
"Hey, Paul!"
Paul turned to see Ben Porter coming toward him, waving his own sheet of paper. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"I don't think so." Paul shrugged.
"I'm not living with those goofballs."
Paul sighed. "You can request a different apartment, I suppose."
Ben scowled at the roommate list. "I don't know anybody else that well. I guess I'll just have to live with it. I'm not sharing a room with one of them, though."
"Derek will." Paul stuffed the paper in his pocket. "Guess we might as well get moved in."
"All right. I'll meet you over there." Ben waved and jogged away. Paul went to gather his things from the tent he'd called home for the last couple of months since they'd freed the earth from the alien invaders and come to Zion. It was remarkable to see how much the city had grown in such a short time. That was the power of people all working for a common goal. It made Paul proud to be a part of it.
As far as worldly possessions went, he didn't have much, so it wasn't long before he found himself in apartment 37C, where Derek and the triplets were wrangling a bed from one room into another so the triplets wouldn't have to be separated. Which solved that problem. Ben came in a minute later, and the six of them spent the next half-hour rearranging furniture to their liking.
The heat of the late-June afternoon left them tired and sweaty. They gathered around the small wooden table in the kitchen for ice water.
"Nice work, men," one of the triplets announced. Paul thought it was Sam, but he couldn't be sure, they looked so much alike. All over six feet tall with light brown hair and indistinguishable features.
"All we have to do now is turn this place into party central," another brother, Lem maybe, said. "We'll make this the most popular apartment in Zion. The girls will flock here."
"Party central?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
Derek stood up, shaking his head. "Good luck with that, guys. I have to go."
"Your lady love awaits," Lem said.
"Sadly, no." Derek got that goofy smile on his face like he always did when he talked about Hannah. "I actually have work to do. I'll see you later."
"We all have work to do, don't we?" Paul set down his glass. He had another construction assignment today, painting the new cultural hall.
"Wait a minute," the third triplet said. Tim, if Paul had guessed the other two correctly. "Derek's getting married in two weeks. That doesn't give us much time to plan."
"Plan what?" Paul asked, suddenly suspicious.
A mischievous grin lit up Tim's face, mirrored on his brothers'. "Oh, I don't know. But something special. Something to make his wedding day really memorable."
Ben rolled his eyes. "Surely his wedding day will be memorable enough without any help from you guys."
"Nope," Lem said. "Nobody's held a proper wedding for like twenty years. We've been reading up on pre-invasion wedding traditions, and it is our duty to uphold those traditions." His eyes twinkled. "After all, we can't let the invaders destroy our culture. Our heritage."
"Oh, certainly not." Ben's voice dripped sarcasm, but Paul doubted the triplets picked up on the irony.
"What kind of traditions?" Paul asked, wary.
"We've found a few different variations," Sam said. "Cans tied to cars, shaving cream, rice. But I think we can come up with something better than that. Something really spectacular."
That didn't sound good.
Tim leaned forward. "You guys'll help us, right?"
Ben stood up. "Whatever you idiots have planned, leave me out of it." He walked back toward the bedrooms.
"Is he always such a killjoy?" Lem asked.
Paul shrugged. "I don't think he had much chance to play as a kid. He takes things seriously. He's a good guy."
"Yeah, I’m sure he is. So, you're in, right? You're Derek's best friend."
Paul didn't answer. Derek had already asked him to be the best man. And though neither of them knew quite what a best man did, Paul was sure it didn't include letting hyperactive triplets ruin the wedding. "Just don't get carried away."
"Who? Us?" Lem nudged his brothers on either side. "We never get carried away."
* * *
 week later, Paul leaned on his shovel and wiped the sweat from his face. The ground around unit 37 was cleared and ready for planting grass, and Paul was ready for some cold lemonade and a big lunch.
Ben came up to him, covered in dust. "Finished? Let's get out of here."
Paul glanced over to where Lem, Sam, and Tim were finishing up too, laughing and goofing off. He jerked his head toward them. "We ought to include those guys."
"Why?" Ben grumbled.
"Because if we're supposed to live together we ought to try and be friends, you know?" To tell the truth, Paul didn't like the tension that seemed to hang over their apartment all the time. The triplets weren't all that bad.
Ben sighed. "All right. I guess it won't kill me."
Paul leaned his shovel up against the front porch and he and Ben ambled toward the triplets. "Hey, guys," Paul called. "Wanna go get some lunch?"
The nearest brother (he still couldn't tell them apart) motioned them over. "Come see this," he said. "Lem found it."
Lem held up a small, black box, maybe a couple of inches across, smooth and featureless.
"That looks like invader tech," Ben said, his voice hard.
"Yeah," Lem twisted it between his fingers. "One of them must have left it behind. I wonder what it does."
"Don't mess with it," Paul said. "It could be dangerous."
"I wasn't messing—" Lem vanished.
Paul jumped back, bumping into Ben. "Where'd he go?"
Tim and Sam turned pale. "Lem? Lem! Where are you?"
Impossible. Paul stepped up to the spot where Lem had stood, his mind still reeling. Surely he couldn't have just disappeared. He took another step forward. An electric shock tingled against his skin. He drew back.
"What was that?" Ben asked.
Paul shook his head. He reached out his hand. The same buzzy tingle moved up his arm. The air rippled and sparkled blue.
"Looks like some kind of force field," Ben muttered.
"Lem!" Paul shouted. "Can you hear me?"
"We've got to get through it," Tim said, pushing his way past Paul and Ben. "Lem, we're coming."
Lem popped suddenly back into existence, and Tim ran smack in to him. Lem staggered back, laughing. "Oh, my gosh. You should have seen the looks on your faces."
"That wasn't funny." Tim shoved Lem. "I thought you were dead."
"No, it wasn't funny," Lem said, trying to look serious. "It was hilarious." He laughed again.
"I want to try it," Sam said. He reached for the box Lem still held.
"Are you nuts?" Ben said. "That's alien technology, not a toy. You're lucky he isn't really dead."
"Nah. It isn't dangerous. I could still see everything. Didn't hurt at all." Lem tossed it up and caught it again. "Seems like a pretty handy device to have around, actually."
Paul had a sudden blood-chilling vision of what the triplets might do with an invisible force field if given the chance. Especially when it came to upholding wedding traditions. He shuddered. "Ben's right. You can't keep that. We don't know how it works or what it might do." He held out his hand. "I'll give it to Derek. Studying alien tech is his area."
"Derek's busy," Tim said, stepping up next to Lem. "We should keep it for a few days. Until after his wedding." He nudged Lem in the ribs.
"Hand it over," Ben said. "And stop acting like six year olds."
Lem rolled his eyes and dropped the box into Paul's hand. "You should try having some fun once in a while, Ben. It'd be good for you."
"Yeah, sure," Ben said dryly and walked away. So much for roommate bonding time.
Paul put the little box in his pocket. "Well, as I was saying, you guys want some lunch?"
* * *
erek turned the alien box over in his fingers. "A force field, huh?"
"Yep. Made him invisible," Paul said.
Derek's face lit up. "That is so cool. I wonder how it works. It must bend the light around the person somehow."
"That's why I brought it to you. So you could figure out."
Derek set it down on his desk. "I won't have time to take it apart before the wedding." He sighed. "Who knew getting married could be so time-consuming."
"I didn't want to leave it in the triplets' hands."
"Invisible triplets." Derek shuddered.
"I know." For a second, Paul wanted to warn him about the triplets and the wedding, but Derek had enough to worry about. No. Paul would just have to make sure things didn't get out of hand.
"So, are you ready for the big day?" Paul asked.
"Oh, I'm ready." Derek got that goofy smile again. "Can't wait."
"Yeah." Paul slapped him on the back. "It's gonna be great."
* * *
he wedding day arrived without the triplets trying to rope Paul into any crazy schemes. In fact, they'd been relatively subdued since the force field incident. It made Paul nervous.
They held the wedding reception in the wide meadow set aside to become the city park. It was a lovely evening. Wildflowers dotted the pale prairie grass, pink and purple, yellow and blue. Tall maples, oaks, and other trees guarded two sides of the space, bedecked with colorful ribbons that danced in the breeze.
Long tables held a staggering amount of food, like maybe they expected everyone in Zion to come. Maybe everyone in Zion had. The crowd was enormous. The buzz of conversation almost drowned out the chamber orchestra playing at the far end of the meadow.
Paul adjusted the jacket of the new suit Sister Miller had sewed for the occasion. He had a sprig of summer flowers pinned to his lapel. It matched the one Derek had pinned to his. Hannah had a bouquet in her hand and flowers in her hair. Paul didn't think either of them had stopped smiling since the reception began. All he'd had to do as best man so far was stand next to Derek and shake the hands of an endless supply of well-wishers.
That made it hard to keep track of what the triplets were doing, but as far as Paul could tell, they'd spent the evening stuffing their faces and talking to the single girls. Harmless enough.
The line was beginning to dwindle and the sun was low on the horizon when Bishop Thayer stood up and announced it was time for dancing. Derek nudged Paul. "I forgot to tell you. You're supposed to dance with the maid of honor." Well—that was a duty he could live with. The maid of honor was Hannah's best friend, McKenzie. She looked lovely with flowers in her red hair, and a pale pink dress. He smiled as he took her hand and led her to the clear space between the tables. The orchestra played a peppy waltz. Paul caught sight of Lem, Sam, and Tim sitting around a table eating cake.
"I'm so happy for them," McKenzie said. She was looking at Hannah and Derek.
"Me too." Paul spun her around. One of the triplets had disappeared from the table.
"I always knew they'd end up together," McKenzie said. "Even when she only had eyes for you." She laughed.
"No she didn't." He scanned the crowd for the missing triplet. He wasn't on the dance floor. Wasn't near the food.
"Oh, yes she did." McKenzie giggled again. "You should have heard her go on and on about your hair and your eyes and your smile."
"That's ridiculous." Although Derek had done the same to him about Hannah. Now only one of the brothers remained at the table. Tim, maybe. He caught Paul's eye and gave him a thumbs up. Paul craned his neck around trying to spot the other two.
"Who are you looking for?" McKenzie asked. "Is she cute?"
"No." Paul felt his cheeks get hot. "I mean, I'm sorry, Kenz. I shouldn't be looking for my friends right now."
"Don't worry about it." She tossed her flower-filled hair. "I'm sure whoever it is goes on and on about you to her roommate every night."
"Oh, please." His cheeks got hotter. But speaking of roommates… "Have you seen Ben Porter?"
"Yeah, he's right over there with his parents." She lifted her hand off his shoulder to point. Ben was at a table looking uncomfortable in his shirt and tie. He'd pulled his long hair back into a braid and was eating cake. He wasn't looking in Paul's direction.
"I doubt you'll get him to dance with you though," McKenzie said. "He doesn't seem like the dancing type."
"Ha, ha. Very funny." Now all three of them were gone. That couldn't be good.
The song ended, and everyone clapped. Paul turned to McKenzie, embarrassed. "Thanks for the dance, Kenz. I'm sorry I wasn't such a great partner."
She grinned. "Just go find whoever you're looking for and sweep her off her feet. Then I'll come and dance at your wedding too."
He felt suddenly lightheaded. "I'm not—never mind." On a whim, he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "Tell Derek I'll be right back, okay?"
She seemed too stunned to reply.
Paul jogged over to Ben's table. "Did you see where the three musketeers went?"
"No." He stood up. "You think they're up to something?"
"I don't know. Help me find them."
They skirted the edge of the party, trying to spot them. "There's one of them." Ben pointed. Yes. Sam was at the dessert table.
"Okay, good. How about his brothers?"
"Nope. Not seeing anything," Ben said. "Wait. Is that one of them dancing there?"
Paul squinted at the dancing couples. "Yeah, I think it is." Maybe he was worrying for nothing. He looked back at the dessert table. No Sam. Argh. "Come on." He motioned to Ben, moving out among the dancers. "If I can just talk to one of them, I'll feel better."
But the song ended before they reached him, and the couples all shifted and rearranged. By the time they reached the spot where the triplet in question had been dancing, he was nowhere to be found.
Derek and Hannah had moved up to the head table to cut the towering wedding cake. Paul spotted a triplet heading that direction. He looked over his shoulder straight at Paul and Ben and waved.
"They're just messing with us," Ben said.
It sure felt that way. Paul had no idea if they had seen all three of them, or just one moving around fast. Then the truth hit him like a punch in the face.
"If one of them can deep us distracted here, the other two can do whatever they have planned somewhere else."
"Where?" Ben raised an eyebrow.
Paul thought about it for a minute. "Their cottage. That must be it." Another terrible thought occurred to him. Derek had left the force field box sitting on his desk. In his office. Where the triplets came and went all the time.
"Shoot. They may have the invisible force field."
"You're kidding. I thought you gave it to Derek."
"I did, but he's been distracted."
"Great. We'd better get over there," Ben said.
They took off at a sprint through the twilight for the married couples' housing on the other side of town. Everything around Derek and Hannah's newly finished cottage was dark and quiet. Undisturbed. "Maybe we got here in time," Paul said, trying to catch his breath.
Ben humphed. "Or maybe they're inside, invisible, waiting to surprise the happy couple on their wedding night."
Paul groaned. "We'd better find out." He and Ben stepped up onto the porch.
A light flipped on, and an avalanche of tiny bits of colored paper rained down on top of them. Balloons floated down with the confetti, and sultry violin music started up out of nowhere. A banner reading "Welcome home, Lovebirds," unfurled above the door. Paul stood there in shock, blinking confetti out of his eyes. Ben muttered a swear word.
"What are you doing? You ruined it!"
Paul turned and saw Lem, Sam, and Tim coming around from the back. "That was supposed to be for Derek and Hannah. What are you doing?"
Paul shook a mound of confetti off his head. "Um…we wanted to see what you were up to." He looked over at Ben and had to bite back a laugh at the sight of him with confetti stuck in his long, black hair.
"What did you think we were going to do?" Lem asked. "Burn the place down?"
"Did you think we'd actually ruin the wedding?" He turned on his brother. "I thought you were distracting them." Sam just shrugged.
"What's going on?" Derek and Hannah stood hand in hand in front of the porch, looking bewildered. Hannah giggled.
Lem faced them. "These jokers ruined your surprise." He pointed with his thumb at Paul and Ben. "We modified the force field to trigger the confetti and stuff when you stepped through it. Only these two beat you to it."
Paul wanted to disappear. Ben had his hands bunched into fists.
"That's nice guys," Derek said. "Thanks. Really."
"Yeah." Hannah giggled behind her hand. "Nice. But do you think you could leave? Like now?"
"Oh, hey, we're outta here," Lem said. "Come on, guys."
Paul stepped off the porch and shook hands with Derek as he and Hannah came around them and disappeared into the house.
Lem put an arm around Paul's shoulder. "You really should have seen the look on your faces. It was priceless. Almost makes up for not getting to see Hannah and Derek's."
"So, no hard feelings, right? Let's get back to the party. I bet there's still a lot of cake to eat."
"Yeah," Tim said. "And lots of girls to dance with."
Paul shook off his embarrassment and laughed. "All right, let's go." He turned to Ben. "You in?"
Ben rolled his eyes and picked confetti out of his hair. "You guys are nuts. But if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? What the heck. I'm in."

Copyright 2014 Angella Lofthouse
All rights reserved