confronted the squat woman, forcing his fists to stay at
his sides. "I've been looking for her. And I could have helped her if I knew where she was." He looked down at his suit and
all the fight drained away. "I hate that she doesn't even know who I am."
She
opened the door with a wave of her hand and tossed the apple into the patch of
lilacs–ignoring his tantrum. "We're doing this, but we're doing it my way."
She went right to Lena's desk and flipped through the Arcus text. "Right
in front of your nose, this book lays, and you don't think to take a look at
it? Moron."
As she
shuffled through the open book, he watched her mess with things that hadn't
been touched since the night Lena left. It took everything he had not to yell. "I'll
do whatever you want as long as I get to be with her." He cleared his
throat, trying not to sound like a sniveling twit. "Cassondra is being
Paired. We have a month."
"Well,
we need to get busy," she said. She looked up after finding a folded bunch
of papers in the middle of the book. Holding them up, she gave him a sneer. "Unbelievable.
Took me two minutes to find this." She unfolded the papers. "The
names, Tarek! Look at all the suspects she had sitting here, waiting for you to
find."
If it
were possible to feel any stupider…"They're her–"
"Shut.
Up. Don't even say it again." She pulled out the chair and shot him a
dirty look. "Listen up. I'll look through these to see if any names pop
out. Maybe we can find the rogue. Maybe, we can find out how she got a
Tainted in the first place. Once we do find the bastard, we'll go to Cassondra
with the evidence. We'll tell her we won't go above her head if she leaves Lena
out of it. That'll give her a chance to take care of Casimir without Synod
interference."
He
cringed. No, he didn't like that idea much. "And what if she doesn't bite
and still wants Lena gone?"
Wilma's
face hardened as her hand crinkled the thick fold of notes. "I'll send you
a message," she pointed to his head to indicate how she'd send it, "and
you can get Lena as far away as possible." As hard as the woman was, she
couldn't hide the pain creeping its way into her voice. "I'll stay away so
they don't follow me."
Hiding his
euphoria took a lot of willpower, especially when Wilma's hurt was so evident. "So,
you're letting me stay with her?"
She
swallowed a few times before directing her attention toward the desk. In a
shaky voice, she said, "You don't catch on quick, do you?"
He bowed
his head. "Thank you."
When she
didn't respond, he went to change. He knew how she felt. He'd been feeling it
for seventeen years.
As soon
as Wilma unleashed Tarek's power, he opened the portal. He had no idea why she
let him go, but he wasn't about to argue. Wilma could have the notes as long as
he had Lena.
Lena
T he screeching alarm wasn't
necessary. My eyes stayed wide open the entire night.
A shoe
took care of the nagging beep, but my butt stayed planted on the floor. Things
went from confusing to terrifying, and on to plain nuts in a matter of days.
That someone wanted me dead had me all conspiracy-theory crazy. Oh, and Him was real and had a name. Tarek.
My legs
agreed the floor was the best place to hang out for about forever. My eyes
drooped as the inner voice banging in my brain told me to get off the damn
ground. Sleep. Escape. That was all I wanted…
"Lena,
breakfast!" Mom's voice broke through my self-pity. She sounded vibrant,
happy.
Something
wasn't right.
I
fumbled for the doorknob and pulled myself up. The walk down the short hallway
felt like a march toward the gas chamber.
Last
night should've been impossible to forget. Mom and Dad smiling while she
scrambled eggs trumped all the crazy shit. I tried to swallow the anger, cover
the shock, fake happiness. "What the hell's going on?"
I've
never been good at faking anything.
Both of
them looked away from each other as though it were the most difficult thing to
do and focused on me. "What do you
his sides. "I've been looking for her. And I could have helped her if I knew where she was." He looked down at his suit and
all the fight drained away. "I hate that she doesn't even know who I am."
She
opened the door with a wave of her hand and tossed the apple into the patch of
lilacs–ignoring his tantrum. "We're doing this, but we're doing it my way."
She went right to Lena's desk and flipped through the Arcus text. "Right
in front of your nose, this book lays, and you don't think to take a look at
it? Moron."
As she
shuffled through the open book, he watched her mess with things that hadn't
been touched since the night Lena left. It took everything he had not to yell. "I'll
do whatever you want as long as I get to be with her." He cleared his
throat, trying not to sound like a sniveling twit. "Cassondra is being
Paired. We have a month."
"Well,
we need to get busy," she said. She looked up after finding a folded bunch
of papers in the middle of the book. Holding them up, she gave him a sneer. "Unbelievable.
Took me two minutes to find this." She unfolded the papers. "The
names, Tarek! Look at all the suspects she had sitting here, waiting for you to
find."
If it
were possible to feel any stupider…"They're her–"
"Shut.
Up. Don't even say it again." She pulled out the chair and shot him a
dirty look. "Listen up. I'll look through these to see if any names pop
out. Maybe we can find the rogue. Maybe, we can find out how she got a
Tainted in the first place. Once we do find the bastard, we'll go to Cassondra
with the evidence. We'll tell her we won't go above her head if she leaves Lena
out of it. That'll give her a chance to take care of Casimir without Synod
interference."
He
cringed. No, he didn't like that idea much. "And what if she doesn't bite
and still wants Lena gone?"
Wilma's
face hardened as her hand crinkled the thick fold of notes. "I'll send you
a message," she pointed to his head to indicate how she'd send it, "and
you can get Lena as far away as possible." As hard as the woman was, she
couldn't hide the pain creeping its way into her voice. "I'll stay away so
they don't follow me."
Hiding his
euphoria took a lot of willpower, especially when Wilma's hurt was so evident. "So,
you're letting me stay with her?"
She
swallowed a few times before directing her attention toward the desk. In a
shaky voice, she said, "You don't catch on quick, do you?"
He bowed
his head. "Thank you."
When she
didn't respond, he went to change. He knew how she felt. He'd been feeling it
for seventeen years.
As soon
as Wilma unleashed Tarek's power, he opened the portal. He had no idea why she
let him go, but he wasn't about to argue. Wilma could have the notes as long as
he had Lena.
Lena
T he screeching alarm wasn't
necessary. My eyes stayed wide open the entire night.
A shoe
took care of the nagging beep, but my butt stayed planted on the floor. Things
went from confusing to terrifying, and on to plain nuts in a matter of days.
That someone wanted me dead had me all conspiracy-theory crazy. Oh, and Him was real and had a name. Tarek.
My legs
agreed the floor was the best place to hang out for about forever. My eyes
drooped as the inner voice banging in my brain told me to get off the damn
ground. Sleep. Escape. That was all I wanted…
"Lena,
breakfast!" Mom's voice broke through my self-pity. She sounded vibrant,
happy.
Something
wasn't right.
I
fumbled for the doorknob and pulled myself up. The walk down the short hallway
felt like a march toward the gas chamber.
Last
night should've been impossible to forget. Mom and Dad smiling while she
scrambled eggs trumped all the crazy shit. I tried to swallow the anger, cover
the shock, fake happiness. "What the hell's going on?"
I've
never been good at faking anything.
Both of
them looked away from each other as though it were the most difficult thing to
do and focused on me. "What do you
Similar Books
