he says, “I know.”
“I have to go after them.” I tug at our entwined hands, drawing his eyes to mine. “How do I get in?”
His head swings slowly from side to side. “I don’t know.” He slowly withdraws his hands from mine. “But we both know someone who does.”
Before I can respond, the waitress arrives with our entrees. She sets the delicious-smelling plates in front of us.
When she disappears again, I ask, “Who?”
“The same woman who told you about your legacy.”
“The oracle,” I say. “Wait, how did you know she—”
“Everyone knows,” he answers before I can ask my question. “That’s what got this whole war brewing in the first place. I’ll meet you at your car tomorrow after school, and we can go talk with her.”
The oracle. She’s at the center of a lot of what’s going on in my life. If anyone has answers—though probably cryptic ones—she does. Besides, it’s the only idea we’ve got.
As I spear a pajeon pancake with my fork, I ask, “Will you be there?” I feel like an idiot and I think my cheeks are burning. “In school, I mean. In class.”
He actually laughs. “Do you want me to be?”
I shrug, as if it doesn’t matter.
“It was only a cover,” he says. “An excuse to be near you without raising your suspicions.”
I glance at him. “Oh, you raised my suspicions anyway.”
He lifts his eyebrows in a silent question.
“Well, besides the fact that you’re immune to my hypno powers,” I find myself confessing. “You never could seem to take the hint that I wanted you to back off.”
“Did you?” he asks.
“What?”
“Want me to back off?”
I hate that I hesitate before saying, “Of course.”
“Uh-huh.”
We eat silently. I have to force myself to stop stealing glances at him. This is such a strange situation. Me, eating dinner with a boy who is more than just a boy, a boy who knows my secret. He knows exactly who and what I am and he’s not running for the nearest exit.
I wish I knew more about him. He’s a descendant of a goddess. He says he was sent to protect me and help me and my sisters succeed. I feel like I’m missing something. Heck, I feel like I’m missing a lot of things.
He shifts on his bench, and his foot brushes mine. Startled, I look up and see a sultry smirk. He knows exactly what effect he has on me. He’s teasing me. Flirting maybe.
I don’t know how to flirt back, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He flirts enough for both of us.
For now, he’s the best link I’ve got to the mythological world. I don’t have much choice but to accept his help. But that doesn’t mean I’m not keeping my eye on him.
When our plates are clean and we head back out into the Peace Plaza, the sun is long gone. I shiver, wishing I had my leather jacket. Wishing it hadn’t been destroyed in the explosion.
That’s probably the thing I miss most. I spent four years breaking it in. It was soft in all the right places.
“Cold?” Nick asks.
I want to say yes, because then I think he might put his arm around my shoulder. But that’s too much too fast. I’m just starting to trust him, to let him into my life.
So instead of succumbing to girly impulse, I say, “I’m fine.” Then, because I can’t entirely dismiss him, I ask, “You want a ride home?”
My heart does a little flip when he grins and says, “I’d love one.”
As we make our way into the garage, I have a talk with myself. Just because he knows the truth, just because he seems to enjoy flirting with me—or making me blush or making me angry or whatever—doesn’t mean this is a good idea. It doesn’t change the fact that I know next to nothing about him. It doesn’t change what I am. It doesn’t change my responsibilities. I’m still a descendant of Medusa, still a monster hunter with a lifetime of guardianship ahead of me. Right now I’m not even sure how long that lifetime will be. If the various players in the game have their way, it’ll be pretty
“I have to go after them.” I tug at our entwined hands, drawing his eyes to mine. “How do I get in?”
His head swings slowly from side to side. “I don’t know.” He slowly withdraws his hands from mine. “But we both know someone who does.”
Before I can respond, the waitress arrives with our entrees. She sets the delicious-smelling plates in front of us.
When she disappears again, I ask, “Who?”
“The same woman who told you about your legacy.”
“The oracle,” I say. “Wait, how did you know she—”
“Everyone knows,” he answers before I can ask my question. “That’s what got this whole war brewing in the first place. I’ll meet you at your car tomorrow after school, and we can go talk with her.”
The oracle. She’s at the center of a lot of what’s going on in my life. If anyone has answers—though probably cryptic ones—she does. Besides, it’s the only idea we’ve got.
As I spear a pajeon pancake with my fork, I ask, “Will you be there?” I feel like an idiot and I think my cheeks are burning. “In school, I mean. In class.”
He actually laughs. “Do you want me to be?”
I shrug, as if it doesn’t matter.
“It was only a cover,” he says. “An excuse to be near you without raising your suspicions.”
I glance at him. “Oh, you raised my suspicions anyway.”
He lifts his eyebrows in a silent question.
“Well, besides the fact that you’re immune to my hypno powers,” I find myself confessing. “You never could seem to take the hint that I wanted you to back off.”
“Did you?” he asks.
“What?”
“Want me to back off?”
I hate that I hesitate before saying, “Of course.”
“Uh-huh.”
We eat silently. I have to force myself to stop stealing glances at him. This is such a strange situation. Me, eating dinner with a boy who is more than just a boy, a boy who knows my secret. He knows exactly who and what I am and he’s not running for the nearest exit.
I wish I knew more about him. He’s a descendant of a goddess. He says he was sent to protect me and help me and my sisters succeed. I feel like I’m missing something. Heck, I feel like I’m missing a lot of things.
He shifts on his bench, and his foot brushes mine. Startled, I look up and see a sultry smirk. He knows exactly what effect he has on me. He’s teasing me. Flirting maybe.
I don’t know how to flirt back, but he doesn’t seem to mind. He flirts enough for both of us.
For now, he’s the best link I’ve got to the mythological world. I don’t have much choice but to accept his help. But that doesn’t mean I’m not keeping my eye on him.
When our plates are clean and we head back out into the Peace Plaza, the sun is long gone. I shiver, wishing I had my leather jacket. Wishing it hadn’t been destroyed in the explosion.
That’s probably the thing I miss most. I spent four years breaking it in. It was soft in all the right places.
“Cold?” Nick asks.
I want to say yes, because then I think he might put his arm around my shoulder. But that’s too much too fast. I’m just starting to trust him, to let him into my life.
So instead of succumbing to girly impulse, I say, “I’m fine.” Then, because I can’t entirely dismiss him, I ask, “You want a ride home?”
My heart does a little flip when he grins and says, “I’d love one.”
As we make our way into the garage, I have a talk with myself. Just because he knows the truth, just because he seems to enjoy flirting with me—or making me blush or making me angry or whatever—doesn’t mean this is a good idea. It doesn’t change the fact that I know next to nothing about him. It doesn’t change what I am. It doesn’t change my responsibilities. I’m still a descendant of Medusa, still a monster hunter with a lifetime of guardianship ahead of me. Right now I’m not even sure how long that lifetime will be. If the various players in the game have their way, it’ll be pretty
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