The Awakening
Page 38
herheadinherhandsandletoutalong,defeatedsigh.
“God,Ican’tbelievethisisactuallyhappening.”
“Good!”JJchirped,leapingfromherstoolandstrollingtowardthegroup.
“Soit’ssettled.”SheslappedEveplayfullyacrossthebackandgaveher
shoulderafirmsqueeze.“Don’tworry,darlin’,I’vebeenonprobation
before.”
Eve’seyespannedacrosstheothermembersofthegroup:theyweredistinct,
idiosyncratic,evendysfunctional,yettheyfittogetherlikethepiecesofsome
bizarrepuzzle.Itwasacollaborationsheneverwouldhaveassumedpossible,
andyettheretheystood,allwiththesamegoalinmindforwhatever
motivation.Withapainedexpression,sheturnedtohernewest,unwantedally.
“Allright,JJ,”shemutteredbitterly.“Iguessyou’reoneofus,now.”
CHAPTER11:ANIGHTBEST
SPENTINBLACKANDWHITE
ItwasearlyNovember,halfwaythroughthefallsemester,andautumnwas
officiallyinfullswinginCalabasas.Theairhadbecomecoolandbreezy,and
the sun set earlier and earlier with each passing day. A sea of coats stretched acrosscampusasstudentsmeanderedtotheirclasses,discussingmidterms,
groupprojects,andJasonValentine’sfastapproachingtwenty-firstbirthday
party,thehottopicoftheschool.
Oddlyenough,theonesubjectthatseemedtobemissingfromevery
conversationwastheInterlopers—becausetheresimplywasnothingnewto
discuss.Therehadn’tbeenasingleabductionoranyotheralien-related
disturbanceinovertwoweeks.Furstchalkedituptotheworkofthe patrolmen,andothersspeculatedthattheInterlopershadlostinterest,butEve
was unconvinced. The longer the Interlopers remained out of sight, the more shedreadedtheirinevitablereturn.
Eve’sfirstclassofthedaywasfinished.Shelingeredbythedoorforawhile,
staringatthewhitewalls,imaginingtheashystainsthathadlongsince
beenscrubbedaway.Withadeepbreath,shelefttheroom,onlytobestopped
at the doorway. Madison was waiting for her, her lips curled into a hideous frown.
“Tomorrow’sJason’sbirthdayparty,”shesneered.
Everolledhereyes.“Isthatso?”
“Iknowyou’rehisdate.”
“You’requiteobservant.”
Evecontinueddownthehallway,butMadisonboltedinfrontofherwith
unexpectedspeedandstoppedherdeadinthecenterofthecorridor.
“Jasonwasofflimits,”shebarked.“Hewas mine.”
Evelaughed.“God,areyoureallytryingtopickafightwithmeovera boy?”
Madison’seyesnarrowedintoscornfulslits.“YouknewIwantedhim—”
“No,Madison,here’swhatIknew:whenyoufoundouthe’sachimera,you
saiditwasgross.Yousaidyouweredisappointed—thathewas tainted.”
“Oh,don’tbesuchaself-righteousdick-squeeze,Iwasjusttalking—”
Eveshoulderedpasther.“And Iwasjustleaving—”
“I’minvited,youknow,”Madisoncalledout.“Andletmetellyou,my boyfriendandIwillbeleavingalastingimpression.”
Eveturnedback,herbrowwrinkled.“Youhavea boyfriend?”
“His name is Lionel Vandeveld. He’s an all-conference athlete, the newest addition to the Billington medical program, and next in line to inherit his family’smultimilliondollarpractice—thoughI’mguessingyouhaven’theard
ofhimsinceyou’resounfamiliarwiththeupperechelonsofsociety.”
“Oh,I’veheardofhim,”Eveanswered,makingherwaytoMadison’sside,
“butwhatI’mfailingtocomprehendiswhyyougiveasingle shitaboutwhatI dowithJasonifyouhavea goddamnboyfriend.”
“Youwerenever supposedtoenduptogether.You’re supposedtobealone.”
Madisonfoldedherarms.“Now,you’reencroachingonmyproperty—”
“Your property?”
“You’re getting in my way, chimera,” Madison hissed. “I get what I want. I always get what I want. And you know what I want more than anything right now? Your head.” She leaned in closer to Eve, her nostrils flared. “Do you understandme?”
Evehesitated.Shestaredattheheiress’sshinyhair,herpiercingblueeyes,her flawlessskin,andagainshesawthepilesofsootunderneathherbed.
“I said,doyouunderstandme?”Madisonrepeated.
Evetookastepback,takingonelastmomenttoeyethegirlupanddown.“I
gotyourmessage,Madison,”shemuttered.“Loudandclear.”
DIECHIME—thewordsrepeatedinhermindallthroughouthernextclass,
the lecture itself nothing but a distant buzz. At the front of the classroom, ProfessorRichardspacedbesidehisprojection,ramblingmathematical
nonsenseasheflippedbackandforthbetweenchartsanddiagrams.
“Kingston,”hebarked,“what’stheanswer?”
Everaisedhereyesslightly,gloweringathimashetappedhisfoot
impatiently.Hewastryingtocatchheroffguard—tohumiliateher.Hisefforts
weresoslimy,shecouldhardlystandit.
“Forty-seven-point-two-six.”
“Units?Dollars?Inches?Thisisamathclass—bespecific.”
“Dollars.Forty-sevendollarsandtwenty-sixcents.”
Hesneered.“AnothercorrectanswerfromKingston,theonlystudentwith
anAinthisclass,thankstoher unique situation.” He leaned against his desk, beamingwithsatisfaction.“Ifyouwanttoknowwho’ssettingyourcurve,look
nofurther.”
Evesighedandstareddownatherscratchpad,ignoringthegrumblingsof
herclassmates.ShecouldseeDickwatchingheroutofthecornerofhiseye,
alongwithherpeers.Theyallhatedher,unanimouslyandwithfierypassion,
andforoncethedetestedprofessorseemedtohavegarneredfavoramonghis
students.Still,despitehisglare,itwashardforEvetoshakeherearlier
encounter,toimagineanythingbuttheloathsomelookonMadison’sface,and
whileshetriedtoconcentrateonRichards’words,shefoundhermind
wandering. DIECHIME—wasitmerelyanemptythreat,orwasMadisonmore
dangerousthansheappeared?
“KINGSTON!”
Eve’sheadshotupinaninstant.ProfessorRichardswasstandingrightinfront ofher,red-facedandfurious.Helookeddownatherscratchpadtextbook,
whichwasopentoapagetheyhadpassedfifteenminutesago.
“Areyoueven payingattention?”
Eve’sclassmatesgiggledasshegrippedthecornersofherdesk.Nokindor
courteouswordscametohermind,sosheremainedsilent.
“You dare to disrespect me? You think you’re above us all, don’t you?” He leaned in, his oily nose uncomfortably close to hers. “Your kind can be so arrogant.”
“My kind?”
Richardsslammedhishandsontoherdesk.Herclassmatesjumped,butEve
flinchedonlyslightly,toostubborntoshowanysignofweakness.
Hislipsquiveredwithrage.“Youdisgustme.”
Withonequicksweep,RichardsslappedEve’sscratchpadoffthedesk,
sending it crashing to the floor. Eve gasped aloud, staring in shock at the sparking,brokenremainsofherarchaiccomputer.
“Youdroppedsomething,”hemuttered.
Evecrawledtothefloor,examiningthec
omputerthatheldallofher
homework,textbooks,andnotes—thecomputershecouldnotaffordto
replace.Themangledpiecesandcrackedscreenlookedlikesomethingshehad
seen before—no, something she had felt. She breathed in deeply, clinging to whatwasleftofherpatheticscratchpadasifitweretheremainsofhermessy
life.
***
“FIRE!”
Sancholaunchedtheclaydiskintotheair,andwiththefinesseofanexpert,
Jasonpulledhisgunfromhisbeltandfired,shatteringthediskintotinypieces thatscatteredlikehailtotheground.ThegrouphadtraveledtotheLaFleurgun
range,astheyoftendidafterclasseswereover;JJandEvesatinthesodwhile
Percy lounged in a lawn chair, watching as Jason shot one disk after another fromthesky.
“Lookin’good,Valentine,”Percypraisedhalfheartedly.“Notasgoodasme,
butstillworkin’itlikeapro.”
Jason sighed and shoved the gun into his belt. “Well, that’s probably because thisisallwe’vebeendoingforthelasttwoweeks.”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Sancho asked. “If the Interlopers haven’t made a moveinawhile,couldn’titmeanthey’vecalleditquits?”
“Itmeansthey’replanningsomething—somethingbig,”Evesaid,
discouraged.“They’rejustwaitingfortheperfectopportunitytoact.”
“WhileIdoenjoyspeculating somuch,don’tyouthinkit’dbealoteasierto actually listen to their communications so we know for certain what’s going on?”
Evegrimaced.JJ’srequestforabeaconhadturnedintoapersistent
complaint,onethatwasrapidlywhittlingawayatherpatience.Shebitherlip.
“Wegetit,youwantabeacon.Unfortunately,it’snotthatsimple.”
“I’m not asking for simple, I’m asking for a beacon. We need one if we’re goingtogetanywhere.”
“Look,we’reallonthesamepage,”Jasoninterrupted,“butthatdoesn’t changethefactthatwedon’tknowhowtofindone.”
JJfoldedherarms.“IsaywetrackdownanInterloperandtakeit.”
“Oh,really?”Evescoffed.“Justlikethat?”
“Idon’thear youcomingupwithanyideas,”JJsnapped.“Arewejustsupposed tositaroundandwaitforonetofallintoourlap?”
“All right, people, let’s play nice.” Percy stood from his seat and playfully wrappedanarmaroundJason’sshoulders.“We’vegotabirthdaytomorrow.
Andnotjustanybirthday—it’satwenty-first,theholiestofallbirthdays,agift fromthegodsofinebriation.”
“Someofusweren’tinvited,”Sanchogrumbledunderhisbreath.
“Forthemillionthtime,Ididn’tgettopicktheguestlist,”Jasongroaned.
“Whatever.”SanchoscootedtowardJJandflashedadebonairsmile.“IfI
wasinvited,Iwould’vetotallyaskedyoutoaccompanyme.Ilookquitedapper
inasuit,youknow.”
JJrolledhereyesandturnedtoJason.“Ishealwaysgoingtobelikethis?”
“God,Ihopenot.”Jasonshovedhisgunintothebackofhispantsandtossed
hisshoulderbagoverhisarm.“Look,I’vegottorun.Ihavemylasttuxfitting
tonight.”
“Yeah,Ihavetogetgoing,too.”SanchoshotJasonadirtylook.“Gotabig
projecttoworkon,onethat’s waymoreexcitingthansomestupid party.”
JJgatheredherthingsaswell,thenstoppedsuddenlywhenhereyes
wanderedtoEve’slap.“Holymotherof suck,whathappenedtoyour scratchpad?”
Evehadbeenfussingwiththecomputer,tryingtofixitssplinteredpiecesto
noavail.“It’snothing,”shegrowled.
“Nothing but crap, you mean.” JJ yanked the device from Eve’s grasp and examinedit.“Whatdidyoudo,dropthisthingintoawoodchipper?”
EvesnatchedthecomputerfromJJ’shandsandquicklydeactivatedit,
ignoring the loud sputtering as she thrust it into her shoulder bag. Without anotherword,shesprangfromherrestingplaceandheadedtowardthefiring
range.
Jasonwatchedherforamoment;herhandswereswift,hermovements
sharpassheloadedhergun.Hecouldseethestressinherstanceandherjaw,
andhedelicatelyrestedhishandonherback.
“Youcomingwithus?”
“IthinkI’llstickaroundforalittlewhilelonger,”shemumbled.
“Yousure?”
Sheeyedherfirearm.“Tobehonest,Ijustreallyfeellikeshooting
somethingrightnow.”
JasonnoddedandjoinedSanchoandJJ,andtheyslowlymadetheirway
fromsight.Eveturnedtofacehertarget,immediatelytakingaim.
Percystoodinthebackground,observingEveasshefiredherweapon.He
cockedhishead,studyingherrigidframeandagitatedfaceasshecontinuedto
shoot over and over again, her target now riddled with holes. After a brief silence,Percywanderedtohersideandcrackedahalf-smile.
“YoustillmadaboutJJ?”
Evesighed.“No.Kindof.Idon’tknow.”
“Well,you’remadaboutsomething.”
“Gee,howcouldthatbewhenIhavesomuchtobethrilledabout?”
Percylaughed.“That’swhyIlikeyou,Eve—you’reasmartass,justlike
me.”
Sheignoredhisquipandreloadedhergun,hereyesstillfixedonhertarget.
Beforeshecouldfire,Percypluckedthegunfromherhandsandspunitacross
hiswrist,thenshoveditintohisbelt.Hesmiled.
“Idon’tknowifyouknowthis,Eve,butIdon’tthinkofyouasJason’s…
date.Crush.Romanticinterest?Whatthehellareyoutwo,anyway?”
Evepaused.“Idon’treallyknowwhatweare.”
“Okay,well,Idon’tjustthinkofyouasJason’s whatever. I think of you as a friend.”
Evefeltherbackloosentheslightestbit.“Well,thefeelingismutual.”
“Allrightthen,shit-dick,”hesmirked.“Fortherecord,that’swhatIcallall
myfriends.It’satermofendearment,Ipromise.”
“Howsweet,”shemumbled.
“AsIwassaying,Iknowsomething’sgrindingyourgears.Youneverputup
withJJ’smouth.”
“It’snothingyoudon’talreadyknow.ThepeopleatBillington—”
“Hateyou.”Henoddedtowardhershoulderbag.“Andthescratchpad?”
Hereyesdartedtotheground;shecouldseehercomputerpokingoutofher
shoulderbag,itsdeformedpanelingclearlyvisible.“Look,thingsare—”
“Complicated?”
“Areyougoingtokeepdoingthat?”
“Sorry,nastyhabit.Butyoushouldlookatthebrightside:your
complicationsareover,atleastfortheweekend.Insteadofdodgingprotestors
andhuntingaliens,you’llbesippingchampagneandrubbingshoulderswith
highsocietyatJason’sparty.”
Asthewordslefthislips,Eveletoutaloud,irritatedgroanandcradledher
headinherhands.
“What?WhatdidIsay?”
“Ihaven’teventhoughtabouttheparty,”shegroused.“God,Idon’teven
havea dress.I’msoscrewed.”
Percybecamestill,hiseyesfarawayasifdeepinthought.“Youdon’thavea
dress?”
“No,nothing.Ihaven’twornadresssinceIwaseightyearsold.”
Suddenly,adevioussmilespreadacrossPercy�
�slips.“Icangetyouadress.”
Eveletoutacynicalchuckle.“Yeah,I’msureyou’vegotaclosetfullof
’em.”
“Ido.Severalclosetsfull,actually.Andtheseclosetsarealotbiggerthanthe kindyou’reusedto.”
EveglancedsidelongatPercy.Sheexpectedhimtoburstintolaughteratany
moment, but instead he stood firm, his grin widening as he waited for her reaction.
“Wait—you’reserious?”
“Asaheartattack.Sosoonyouforgetthatmymotheris theAliciaLaFleur, infamoussocialitewithacovetedwardrobetodiefor.”
Eve’smouthgapedopen.“Youwant metowearoneofyourmother’sgowns?
I…Ican’t.”
“Youcan,andyouwill.”
Withoutwarning,PercysnatchedupEve’sshoulderbag,yankedatherarm,
andchargedupthefieldtowardthemansion.Evestumbledbehindhim,
awkwardlylurchingfromsidetosideashedraggedheralong.
“Wherearewegoing?”
“Toseemymom.”
“Wait,you’retakingmeto meether?”
“Ofcourse!Howelsearewegoingtogetthedress?”
“Percy,thisisabadidea—”
“Onthecontrary,it’sa brilliantidea.Iampronetomomentsofbrilliance, afterall.It’sprettycommon.”
“Whatwillyourmomsay?”
Helaughed.“She’llprobablysaythatanyfriendofmineisafriendofhers.
Thenshe’llrambleonaboutherglorydays,backwhenshewasourage,and
then she’ll insist that the two of you look like sisters.” They had reached his car,andheheldthepassengerdooropenforher.“Yougettinginorwhat?”
“Percy,youdon’thaveto—”
“Oh God, Eve, just get in the damn car before I run you over with it,” he moaned,floppingintothedriver’sseatandrevvingtheengine.
Evereluctantlytooktheseatbesidehimandsatinsilenceastheydroveoff
together.Asurgeofanticipationswelledwithinher,andsheanxiouslyfidgeted
in place. The drive felt long and intolerable, and just as her nervous energy becametoomuchtobear,shebegantonoticethesceneryoutsideofher
window.Thebusystreets,tall,dilapidatedbuildings,andoverpassescoveredin
spray paint were unfamiliar to her. Before she knew it, they were deep in the heart of Los Angeles, far from the Billington campus or any other place she wasaccustomedto.SheglancedoveratPercy,whoworeasmugsmirk.