“What’s with this gear?? You almost got killed tonight, why did he have to ask about it?”
Jane stayed silent, leaning up against the elevator wall and staring into space. Seeing her like this, he doubted she even heard him. Pain turned her head, though, regarding him with a cold, detached look.
“It’s our job, Chad. This is what we do. That’s all,” she answered in a flat voice.
The doors slid away, and they spilled out. Chad snorted, following her into the hall.
“So if we got killed tonight, you wouldn’t be even bothered?”
“Oh, I certainly wouldn’t be bothered if I got killed. Like, ever,” she sneered.
“No, I mean me and Dave. Would you say that if we two were killed tonight, you wouldn’t care at all?”
They were at the door now, and after Jane fished out the key and opened it, they all gathered at the doorway, kicking off their footwear.
“Well, of course, I’d care.” Pain shrugged, unzipping her shredded jacket, though she could just rip it apart, since it was trashed. “Totally would lose my bonus this month if that happened…” she muttered and opened the wardrobe.
Chad growled, feeling the irritation increase.
“I’m kinda serious here, hello!”
She turned on him then.
“Shh! It’s late! Boys are sleeping behind this wall.” She pointed her thumb in the next room’s direction. “You don’t wanna wake him up, trust me,” she added with a shake of her head, meaning Marco, obviously.
“A cannon wouldn’t wake him up!” Chad retorted, but lowered his voice, making it a hissing whisper now. She chuckled and raised her eyebrows at his angry tone. Was she amused by him being angry? Was it funny that he was the only one who actually tried to argue with her? “I’m just saying, we’ve spent what, a week now? Living together, hanging out just the four of us, and you think you can use that it’s-just-work pretense? You think I’d believe that?” He raised his hands in a question, staring at her back because she didn’t bother to look at him as they talked. She preferred to rummage about the wardrobe’s top shelf, hovering in the air casually because she was too short to reach there otherwise.
At last, she stood on the floor and turned to him. There was a towel, a long T-shirt, and a pair of bright-green panties in one of her hands. The other was undoing the buckle of her weapons belt as she stared at him. Her expression seemed exasperated, but not in a bad way. He could see that malevolent bemusement behind her eyes as she appraised him from top to toe with her look before answering.
“I don’t know.” She shrugged, holding his gaze with hers while pulling her belt free of its loops. Through the tattered remains of her gear bottoms, he could actually see her red underwear at the edge of his vision. She tossed her weapons belt into the wardrobe. “Do I care what you believe?” she enquired indifferently and slipped out of the pants, leaving them right there on the floor. Chad silently thanked God she had at least her sliced-all-over tee and panties on as she turned and crossed to the bathroom at a cheerful pace. Obviously, she got some weird satisfaction from annoying him like this. He sighed.
“Why-Why do you argue with her?” Dave asked with a dubious grimace. “Do you have to do it or something? I don’t talk to her at all, and I’m just fine,” he stretched out the last two words with an affirming wave of his hand.
“That’s ’cause you’re intimidated by her, don’t flatter yourself,” Chad snapped back and then glanced at Jane, realizing belatedly that they were discussing Pain with her sister around. She didn’t seem to have heard them, though. Standing by the vanity, she was busy brushing her tangled hair, or trying to do that without staying half-bald.
Dave paled.
“That’s not true!” he hissed, pulling off his blood-splattered sweatshirt with an indignant glare in Chad’s direction.
“Oh, that’s so true, you shit bricks every time she enters the room,” Chad gloated, finding some compensation in bullying Dave instead, since he interfered. “So spare me your opinion.” He heard Dave click his tongue at that and added, mostly to himself as an afterthought, “I just wanted an honest answer, just one. Or am I asking for too much?”
Nobody responded to that, of course, and he sighed inwardly.
Soon enough, Pain showed up from the bathroom, looking wearier than she was before entering it. Her black T-shirt was just long enough to cover her bottom, and judging by the width of its shoulders, it had obviously belonged to a man before. There was a faded white print across the chest: “Don’t mess with my girlfriend.” Marco, no doubt, Chad thought, and felt a stab of jealousy toward all their history. It evaporated, though, as he paid attention to countless bruises and scratches all over her arms and legs. They were reddish-pink, standing out bright and irritated against her skin, and he averted his gaze, unable to look at it.
“That’s a funny T-shirt!” Dave exclaimed all of a sudden, and Chad startled, shooting him an incredulous glance. Oh, right, now he will prove that he isn’t afraid of talking to her. He thought he saw Jane smirk before she disappeared behind the bathroom door.
Pain measured Dave with a disdainful look.
“Sorry, it won’t fit you. You’re too skinny. And too lame for having a girlfriend,” she replied, and now Chad couldn’t hold back a laugh, turning away so that Dave wouldn’t notice. He did anyway and glared at him with disbelief. Pain must have noticed Chad laughing, too, because she glanced at him and added, “But we can get you one about a boyfriend. That one,” she pointed at Chad with her toweled hand, “gets pretty savage if there are books around. Definitely, no one would want to mess with- ”
“Hey!” Chad threw up his hands, offended, and saw Dave grin this time.
Pain only turned away, coming to stand before the mirror, drying her hair with a sly smile. She could almost feel them both fume behind her. Now that was what she called a good day: some men dead, some pissed off, her mission accomplished.
“Good night, boys!” she said and flopped on her bed without looking at the two scowling faces in two different corners.
“Good night,” two grim voices sounded, and she smiled to herself before closing her eyes.
Chapter 9
The next morning Pain opened the door and came out of the room, dressed in skinny gym pants, sneakers, and a green T-shirt with a print of Bob Marley and a caption “No PMS, no cry” on it. She paused outside, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. All of her muscles seemed to be out of place, as if somebody took her body and wrung it over and over, like a cloth, while she was sleeping.
The door to her right flew open, and Marco jumped back, spotting her.
“What the hell are you doing here, Pain’s evil twin??” He screwed his face into a horrified grimace and stared at her. He was wearing khaki pants and a yellow T-shirt with Rasta motifs on it.
Pain smirked.
“Look at us, all matching today…” She pointed at his shirt and closed the door behind her.
He assessed her tee, his expression skeptical.
“Nah… I think I’m missing my period for the last twenty-four years, buddy,” Marco mumbled, shaking his head with exaggerated disappointment, and she burst out laughing.
“Shut up, I’ve got nothing else to wear!”
She came up to him to slap his hand in a greeting. Marco beamed down at her.
“No, seriously, you should spend more time shopping. Aren’t you a girl??” He hooked her collar with his finger and pulled at it, trying to sneak a look inside. Pain smacked his hand. “Just checking! Don’t wanna find out you’re a dude, especially, with all that wrestling we do,” he teased her, pinching her stomach until she caught his hand and pinned it to his side. “So, what’s up? I thought you were still at that apartment.”
“No, it pretty much doesn’t exist anymore.” She made a face and started along the hallway with Marco walking cheerfully by her side. “We got attacked last night.”
“How was it??” he asked without a hint of sympathy,
but with a lot of enthusiasm.
“As always,” she drawled, trying for boredom in her tone, “Small room, lots of Beasts, fountains of blood, and mountains of broken furniture,” she said, waving her hand. “Nothing out of ordinary, you didn’t miss a thing.”
“Like I would buy this load of crap…” he muttered, looking at her with accusation. “No, seriously, was it fun?”
She looked at him for a few seconds, and then her face stretched out from ear to ear in a dreamy manner.
“Yeeeeah, it was something. Crazy battle. We got the guys out in time – hey, Jane pulled them both! I didn’t even think it was possible, not for someone who isn’t like you or Skull! And the fight, I had it all to myself, and you know how I like space. Though I must say, I hate it when there’s a lot of glass around, you know, those teeny-tiny splinters everywhere in your clothes afterward…” Marco nodded with understanding at that. “But I can’t say it wasn’t awesome.”
“Oh, I’m so jealous right now! I feel like Peter’s pissed at me or something. He’s been giving me the most boring jobs lately! There was only one that was at least funny, but I haven’t used my sword even once this month. Even a knife!” he complained.
Pain gave him a wry smile.
“Yeah, well, maybe it’s all the weed in your room, Marco?”
He waved at her.
“It was just the leftovers, someone ratted on me. The man charged in like a fuckin’ Rambo. He threw everything out the window, even my iPod! And- ” he broke off, shifting uncomfortably as they stopped at the elevator.
“And…?” she prompted, her eyes laughing.
“And me, too. He threw me out the window and closed it,” he finished sourly, and Pain grimaced, holding back a laugh. “And I was only in my boxers! He’s so freakishly strong!” he groaned, and this time she chuckled, feeling her insides shake with laughter.
“You paraded in through the front doors like that? Damn, you should’ve been commando that day.”
“No, I got in through another window. It turned out to be Betsy’s.” He cringed, and Pain laughed out loud, unable to hold it in anymore.
“Betsy the Cook??”
Marco nodded with a bitter grimace.
“She kicked me in the ankle,” he said. “Is someone screwing in that elevator or something??” he complained and shot a glare to the elevator doors.
Pain reached out to press the button.
“You didn’t press it,” she noted. “I think you got off easy, that woman could’ve killed you. Or worse.” She gave him a serious look, doing her best not to grin. Marco raised his eyebrows at her, puzzled. “She could have… forced things on you,” she added, and he waved his hand, dismissing her fake concern.
“I seriously doubt that.”
“No, no, just think about it. She’s alone, and then BAM! You’re in her window, almost naked and sexily disheveled from sleep…” She nodded at him, looking him up and down in a playful manner. Marco looked back cautiously.
“Do you wanna force things on me…?” he asked, and she smacked him in the shoulder just as the elevator doors slid apart.
“Where are the others?” he asked, following her inside.
“Oh, they’ll catch up. Dave has drowned in the shower, apparently. Chad disappeared somewhere. In general, they’ve pretty much got on my nerves by this moment.”
Marco’s eyebrows arched.
“Shouldn’t you be watching them all the time…?” he prompted.
“Right, here’s Mister Thorough, forgot his ward in a desert two years ago.” She crossed her arms, looking at him with irony.
“I got confused!” he exclaimed. “Oh, whatever, just saying.”
Marco rolled his eyes, and she punched him in his huge bicep with a crooked smile. He grinned and punched her, too, so that she flattened against the elevator door.
“Hey!” She hit him again, this time with more force, and Marco returned the beating.
At that moment the doors opened, and Chad turned out standing behind them. He looked fresh in his white vest and gray pants, with his hair clean and fuzzy, his jaw cleanly shaved. And he stared at them with a curious surprise now.
“What the heck are you doing here alone?” Pain enquired, a little more irritably than she really felt.
“Actually, he isn’t alone,” Ryan answered her question, showing up from around the corner. His cheeks were reddened, and he had a light gym jacket on over his shirt and jeans, as if he had just been outside.
“Yeah, I just woke up early, came outside, and ran into Ryan,” Chad explained.
“Hm-mm,” Pain muttered, giving him a speculative look. She didn’t approve of him coming outside without her or Jane, but she wasn’t in the mood for arguing, really. It was always like this for her after a good battle: she felt lazy and sore, in need of time to restore her energies.
The four of them headed for the canteen, and since Ryan was quickly ahead of them, and Marco caught up to his pace, Chad and Pain were walking side by side alone. He glanced at her cautiously before saying,
“I wanted to talk to you.”
“Hm?” She didn’t even look at him.
“I…” Chad began, but at that moment they passed the canteen entrance and Marco turned to them.
“Wanna take a table by the wall or in the center?” he asked.
“By the wall, whatever,” Pain responded with an indifferent shrug. “Chad, get us a table, we’ll get something to eat.”
“I- ” he began again, but Pain and her two friends were already in the crowd of fighters that stood stomping impatiently in line by the counter. He stepped back, disappointed, but then changed his mind as some stubborn urge pushed him forward.
“Pain, wait!”
He shouldered the crowd and reached out for her arm, and she turned to him, exasperated.
“What?”
“I just wanted to give you this.” He took a rectangular package from behind his back and held it out for her.
She frowned, and he could swear it was her way of hiding her surprise. Her fingers felt the object inside the brown paper carefully.
“I heard you saying…” he broke off mid-sentence, seeing her expression as she unwrapped the package. “Uuh, whatever. I’ll go find a table.”
Swiftly, he strode out of the crowd while Pain stared at the object in her hands blankly: a shiny, brand-new volume of “One Day”. It was a beautiful hardcover with Emma and Dex on it, and it smelled of a new book, and the paper crackled as she ran her fingers through the pages, lost in thought and amazement.
“How did you…?” she murmured, but Chad was already gone. She followed him with her look, but was able to see only a flash of his white shirt among the black clothes all around her. “Oh…”
Stepping back into the line, she turned and caught a glimpse of a smile on Ryan’s face as he looked away hastily. She thanked God that Marco was too busy choosing bagels at that time and slitted her eyes at Ryan with suspicion, wrapping the book back in its package and tucking it under her tee.
A few minutes later the others caught up with them, and they pulled up two tables, as always. Pain dropped the book on her chair and sat on it quickly, not wanting to explain to her sister what it was in front of Marco and the others.
“Now that we’re all here, I wanna know the whole story. How did your little mission go? Must I say, we missed you sisters really bad.” Marco nodded with his usual sly grin. “Ryan was worrying about you like a girl.”
“No, I wasn’t,” was all Ryan said, frowning a little, but not raising his look at the others.
“Yes, he was!” Marco said. “But did you have a good time out there, huh?” he asked, obviously eager to hear the details.
Jane shrugged.
“Well, the apartment was good. It was nice at first, but got boring with time, you know. Hanging out in four walls all day.”
“Bet I could keep you better company there – no offence, guys,” he waved his hand at Chad and Dave, who only glanc
ed at him shortly, not really paying attention to what he was saying. “What about the place? Tell me, tell me everything! Was it expensive, was it big? I wanna know every improper detail of that mission of yours,” he said, ignoring Ryan’s sharp glance.
“There was nothing improper about it,” Jane said a little indignantly, her look stiff and disapproving. “The apartment was really gorgeous. With a fancy bathroom, Jacuzzi and stuff.”
Marco was nodding with satisfaction as she confirmed his ideas of a corporate apartment. But then he realized Pain was silent all this time, so he smacked her shoulder, making her fork fly out of her hand and land on the floor along with a piece of potato.
She watched it go and then turned to Marco, her face uncommonly expressionless.
“I’m just gonna use yours now, thanks.” She reached out and grabbed the fork from his tray.
He only waved his hand at her, interested more in her comment on the topic in hand, apparently.
“Would you say at least something? I asked about the mission!”
She looked at him, chewing and thinking over her answer. Finally, she swallowed and said,
“The apartment was nice. Then we came and turned it into a huge heap of wrecked crap. The end. I liked the couch, though,” she added the last sentence as an afterthought and shrugged.
Marco sighed loudly.
“Okay, fine. You don’t wanna give me dirty details, I’ll come up with my own,” he said with a threat, “And when I do – God, you better not know anything about them.”
Pain only scoffed at that.
“You never told us about your job,” Jane noted. “The one you had after we left, remember?”
Marco clapped his hands sharply at that, making Dave jump in his chair. The fighter grinned the biggest grin at the sight of it, genuinely happy about the unexpected effect. Dave only swore through his teeth, pulling his chair closer to the table and sitting back down on it.
Chad glanced at Marco and Pain – he’d expected her to look irritated, but even when Marco was being annoying, she still waited for his next words. Her eyes rarely left his face, the kind of attention Chad could never expect from her for himself. He watched her peer into Marco’s tray, looking for a spare piece of bread. She took a bite out of it and glanced at Marco with expectation.
Sky Ghosts: All for One (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1) Page 14
