smooth sailing, but it's been fun.”
“You know he's not always on the right side of the law?” Rose said. She continued to cut the vegetables, but her eyes were on Denise.
“Neither am I. Wasn't this supposed to be a mother interrogation?”
“I count. My son is the little monster that was clinging to Jake's leg.” Denise nodded, looking back to Ms. Redpath. She was humming quietly, completely lacking the intensity that Rose radiated.
“I talk with him a lot,” said Ms. Redpath as she scooped the vegetables from Rose's cutting board and put them into the salad, mixing it with a pair of wooden utensils. “You've been good for him. Treat him right. He doesn't talk about his problems and doesn't ask for help, but that doesn't mean he won't need it. It's something he inherited from his father.” Denise moved out of Rose's way as she moved to the sink to wash the knife.
“Is Mr. Redpath going to be with us for dinner?”
“Redpath is my maiden name, dear. Their father is no longer with us.” Ms. Redpath's smile disappeared momentarily, returning with a slightly forced quality.
“We don't talk about him,” Rose said, her tone cold. She placed the now clean knife into the knife rack with more force than was necessary. Denise nodded and decided it was time to find Anansi again.
Chapter 10
February 25, 2014
“You're plotting again. I can hear the gears in your head spinning.” Anansi felt her hands on his shoulders, kneading his muscles. He looked up from his desk, and minimized the diagram he had been making notes on in a holographic display. The woman behind him was tall and lithe, her eyes like coals and her skin like chocolate. She wore nothing but a collared shirt and underwear, and the way it showed her numerous tattoos, black motifs of death all over her legs and arms, always made him wonder about tattoos of his own, but he was never sure what he would get if he got one. He smiled up at her and shrugged, spinning his chair around to face her, diagram momentarily forgotten. She called herself Ghost, though she was a shapeshifter, not a phase shifter or able to become invisible. He had suggested an alternate, more appropriate, name for her power set, but she had smiled and told him no. That had been that.
“Evil plots, as is befitting the master of traps and tricks,” Anansi responded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. She placed an arm over his shoulder and kissed him on the forehead. She laughed and it sent warmth through Anansi.
“You're insane, you know that?” she said, humor in her voice to add playfulness to the insult.
“Says the woman who is dating a self-professed mad scientist, evil genius, supervillain.” Anansi brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it. He loved the feel of her against him, the taste of her. It was intoxicating.
“What is the plan?” she asked, playing with his hair. It was hard to think about trying to rule the world with her right there. Why fix it all when everything was perfect for him in the here and now? That was a selfish thought, though. So many people in the world were suffering under the heel of criminally negligent governments, and if he wouldn't step up to correct it, then who would?
“There's a speech next week in Airy City. Lowe is trying to garner support for that bill that would essentially make us criminals for being different. The President will be with him. I'm going to take them both out.”
Her fingers froze, muscles instantly tense. Ghost looked down at him, trying to determine if he
“You know he's not always on the right side of the law?” Rose said. She continued to cut the vegetables, but her eyes were on Denise.
“Neither am I. Wasn't this supposed to be a mother interrogation?”
“I count. My son is the little monster that was clinging to Jake's leg.” Denise nodded, looking back to Ms. Redpath. She was humming quietly, completely lacking the intensity that Rose radiated.
“I talk with him a lot,” said Ms. Redpath as she scooped the vegetables from Rose's cutting board and put them into the salad, mixing it with a pair of wooden utensils. “You've been good for him. Treat him right. He doesn't talk about his problems and doesn't ask for help, but that doesn't mean he won't need it. It's something he inherited from his father.” Denise moved out of Rose's way as she moved to the sink to wash the knife.
“Is Mr. Redpath going to be with us for dinner?”
“Redpath is my maiden name, dear. Their father is no longer with us.” Ms. Redpath's smile disappeared momentarily, returning with a slightly forced quality.
“We don't talk about him,” Rose said, her tone cold. She placed the now clean knife into the knife rack with more force than was necessary. Denise nodded and decided it was time to find Anansi again.
Chapter 10
February 25, 2014
“You're plotting again. I can hear the gears in your head spinning.” Anansi felt her hands on his shoulders, kneading his muscles. He looked up from his desk, and minimized the diagram he had been making notes on in a holographic display. The woman behind him was tall and lithe, her eyes like coals and her skin like chocolate. She wore nothing but a collared shirt and underwear, and the way it showed her numerous tattoos, black motifs of death all over her legs and arms, always made him wonder about tattoos of his own, but he was never sure what he would get if he got one. He smiled up at her and shrugged, spinning his chair around to face her, diagram momentarily forgotten. She called herself Ghost, though she was a shapeshifter, not a phase shifter or able to become invisible. He had suggested an alternate, more appropriate, name for her power set, but she had smiled and told him no. That had been that.
“Evil plots, as is befitting the master of traps and tricks,” Anansi responded, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her onto his lap. She placed an arm over his shoulder and kissed him on the forehead. She laughed and it sent warmth through Anansi.
“You're insane, you know that?” she said, humor in her voice to add playfulness to the insult.
“Says the woman who is dating a self-professed mad scientist, evil genius, supervillain.” Anansi brought one of her hands to his lips and kissed it. He loved the feel of her against him, the taste of her. It was intoxicating.
“What is the plan?” she asked, playing with his hair. It was hard to think about trying to rule the world with her right there. Why fix it all when everything was perfect for him in the here and now? That was a selfish thought, though. So many people in the world were suffering under the heel of criminally negligent governments, and if he wouldn't step up to correct it, then who would?
“There's a speech next week in Airy City. Lowe is trying to garner support for that bill that would essentially make us criminals for being different. The President will be with him. I'm going to take them both out.”
Her fingers froze, muscles instantly tense. Ghost looked down at him, trying to determine if he
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