by Nicole Thorn
He had a look on his face that made it clear trouble was coming. “Why do you really hate her? It can’t be all me.”
“Can’t it?”
He took a second. “Is it?”
I didn’t lie, because the idea of lying to someone so kind and trusting was nothing short of heartbreaking. “Yes. It is entirely you.”
His new smile was doubtful. “Someone being less than kind to me makes you hate them?”
“You’re a nice person and you deserve to be treated well. Nice people don’t seem to get that too much. I don’t think it’s fair.”
We sat there quietly for a few minutes. Then I decided something. “I’m hungry. If I ordered a pizza would you eat it with me?”
“Sure.”
I ordered and Jasper very cutely tried to pay. I shut that down quick. He gave up when I crossed my arms and stared at him. Then he sat back down.
The pizza got there and the delivery boy watched me as I signed my name for the food. I twitched and stared anywhere but at the boy. Then he casually took a step closer to me.
“So,” he smiled. “You’re not eating this all alone, are you?”
Jasper appeared at my side out of nowhere. “She’s with me.” He took the pizza and the soda, smiled, then shut the door.
Huh. Effective.
“Where do you wanna eat?” I asked.
“We can go to my room.”
I followed him up and he set the stuff on the bed. I got unbelievably nervous for a few seconds. Then he grabbed a blanket and laid it out on the floor. “Care for an indoor picnic?”
I happily took the spot beside him. We sat against the wall and kept the bottle of soda between us. The pizza was on Jasper’s side.
“Do you want to change?” he asked. “I’ll wait.”
Too nice for this world. “I’m okay. I’ve never eaten pizza in a fancy dress. I feel like it’s oddly fitting. Being all dressed up and eating junk.” I took a bite.
Jasper cracked open the soda. “You don’t seem to like being in a dress very much.”
“I used to.” I smiled, but it felt sad. “I used to really like dresses. I never wore pants.”
“Why’d you stop?”
It wasn’t hard to talk to him, but it was hard to talk about this. “I stopped after the, um, stuff happened. I didn’t like wearing dresses anymore. The orphanage didn’t have a lot of money for clothes, so a lot of it was hand me downs. I just picked out the stuff that was too big for me. We got older and our moms started giving us money. I used it for clothes. Zander bought candy.”
Jasper laughed. “Not surprising.” He spoke again while I was drinking. “How was it, in those places?”
“When we were kids it wasn’t so bad. We lived in orphanages mostly. When people came in wanting to adopt us, we would get into trouble, or cause general mischief. We didn’t want to get separated and no one wanted to take both of us.
“We dealt with some not so nice people. A lot of the kids hated us. We got beat up our fair share. Then Zander got big. He protected us both. For as long as he could.”
“Then he couldn’t anymore?”
I set the soda down and messed with the edge of my dress. “We were separated when we were eleven. Almost twelve. He was placed with this really great family. They were nice and they loved him. And I went somewhere else.”
Jasper reached out for my hand, but he stopped before he could touch me. “And you went with the people that hurt you?”
I nodded.
His voice had grief in it. “You were with them for two years?”
“Almost.”
“Did they hurt you the whole time?”
“Almost.”
His hand was on his leg and I felt… too alone. So I reached out and held it, hoping he wouldn’t mind. He didn’t seem to. He laced our fingers and his thumb bushed along mine.
“Why?” he asked.
I stared at the floor. “I was really scared and I was too young to understand why it was happening to me. I didn’t know what I did wrong. Why they felt the way they did about me. One hated me, I think the other might have loved me. But they both hurt me and I knew neither regretted it.”
I was crying when Jasper put his hand on my face, clearing the tears and pulling me closer to him. I didn’t fight at all. I was against his side and I felt safe. It was the first time that someone other than Zander made me feel that. Especially with physical contact.
It was tentative and slow, but I reached out again. I put my other arm around Jasper and I hugged him. His chest was pressed against mine and my face was on his shoulder and it was okay. There wasn’t a trace of malicious intent in him and I didn’t think I could trust someone as much as I trusted him. Not including Zander. So Jasper held me and I was fine.
Once I was finished crying, I let go of him. “Sorry. I got tears on your shirt.”
He shook his head. “I don’t mind. I don’t like this shirt anyway.”
“That’s too bad, because you look very nice all dressed up. My favorite is the missing tie.”
He looked down at himself before looking at me. “I think you win best dressed tonight, Kezia.”
I fidgeted with the dress again before I settled. “You don’t think I look like a,” I paused and looked down. “A whore?”
There was a silence that made me look up. He looked shocked, but it was mixed with something else. “No,” he said and I believed him. “Why would you think that?”
I gestured to myself. “I didn’t really leave much to the imagination.”
“You left plenty to the imagination.”
It didn’t feel like that, but he wouldn’t lie. At least I didn’t think he would.
Everything about him was kind and gentle. I couldn’t imagine him being with a person like Celeste. She may not be evil, or the princess of darkness or whatever. But she was cruel and selfish. And she was manipulative. From where I was standing, Jasper was nothing but a target for a girl like her. He was sweet enough to let someone push him around. He should find a girl who can appreciate him for all the softness in his heart and in his eyes. How without trying at all, he can make you feel like you’re safe from all the monsters in the world. Even when he seemed too gentle to fight them. Someone who sees him.
“You look tired,” he said after a while.
I blinked. “Do I?”
He smiled at me. “A little.”
“Are you going to sleep?”
He shook his head. “Not really tired.” We stood up at the same time and my head rushed. I guess I was sleepier than I thought. He held his arm out. “Can I escort you to your room?”
I smiled back at him and took it. “Please.”
We walked slowly and I was glad to take our time. Because soon he would leave and I would be all alone again. And he would be alone. I didn’t like either of those options.
It was a short walk and we stopped outside of my open door. Jasper released my arm and stood sideways at the wall. “This is you.” He pointed to the door.
“So it is.” I didn’t move. Neither did he.
“I guess I’ll see you in the morning.”
I crossed my arms. “Maybe we can shoot for an outdoor picnic next time. If you don’t mind a bit of cold.”
“I can always wear a sweater.”
I took a step into my door and then I stopped and looked back at him. “Goodnight.”
He nodded. “Goodnight, Kezia.”
Ψ
I woke up in my own bed and was glad to know I made it through another night without having to sneak into Zander’s room for peace. I showered and went back to my room to change.
The only things in the world I owned were the clothes Aphrodite left me and the dirt filled pot that was on the dresser. Well, it was supposed to just have dirt in it. There was a little bud in it that I had to look at twice to know what it was. Aster. Blue. I wasn’t sure if my mother made it for me, or if I did it in my sleep, but took care of it anyway. I watered it and opened the blinds so it could get
some sun. Then I started getting dressed.
I looked through the clothes, almost grabbing the sweater. But it was a nice day outside. I picked up a shirt that was my size. It was a deep green and there were three buttons on the top. The sleeves were short, but I put it on anyway. Then I put on jeans that fit me the way they were supposed to. I didn’t look at myself before I left the room.
I was halfway down the hall before I ran into Zander. He stopped and did a double take before he smiled. “You look nice, Kizzy.”
“Thank you.” I crossed my arms. “Your mom got the clothes for me.”
“I figured. Has Jasper seen you yet?”
My eyebrows pushed together. “No. Why?”
He shrugged. “No reason. See ya downstairs.” He patted my arm as he walked past me.
I made it down to the living room and no one was there yet. I went right into the kitchen, which was also empty, so I got a bowl of cereal and ate at the table. I was almost done when Jasper walked in.
He had clay on his shirt and hands and a little bit on his ear. He smiled at me before he went to the sink to clean up. He was washing his hands when I came by to put my dishes away. He finished up and turned to me.
“You have a little…” I pointed to his ear.
He tried to get it, but couldn’t quite find it. I took it upon myself to do it for him.
“Thank you,” he said as I was touching his ear.
“You’re welcome.”
I removed my hand and saw Jasmine at the doorway. She was leaning, watching, waiting. “I’ve decided we’re watching a movie. All of us. You have three minutes to be ready.” She walked all the way in and started looking in the cabinets, grabbing a bag of popcorn.
“My shirt is dirty,” Jasper said. “Can I go change?”
She eyed the both of us. “Just rinse off that part in the sink or something.”
“Then I’d have to take off my shirt.”
“So?” She went on making the popcorn and for whatever reason, I thought about what Jasper might look like without a shirt on.
He was a very good-looking boy. A kind face and still very handsome. Probably one of the reasons that bag of garbage was all over him last night. I don’t know why I didn’t notice how he looked until now. But he was very, very… nice to look at. All of him was nice to look at.
When I started feeling weird again, I looked at the floor. The sink turned on and Jasper tried cleaning off his shirt without taking it off. I think that upset me.
“One minute,” Jasmine said on her way out, with her bowl of popcorn.
Jasper was covered in muddy water splotches and he sighed. “I should have just changed.” He pulled his shirt over his head and… hmm…
He ran it under the sink before muttering about throwing it in the washer and getting a new one. I was a little past hearing words at that point. All I could do was blink.
He was all… nice, under his shirt. I hated touching people, but I kind of wanted to put my hands on his chest. And just… leave them there.
I shook away the picture and left to go watch the movie. Jasmine, Juniper and Zander were already on the couch. Juniper was warning her sister to not get popcorn everywhere and she was ignoring her while shoving popcorn into her mouth.
Jasmine saw me as Jasper was coming back. “I think to make everyone fit on the couch better, there might need to be lap sitting. Zander, do you mind?”
“Not at all.”
She placed herself on him and offered up popcorn. “Kizzy, you can have Jasper’s lap.”
My face turned red. “Why would I sit on his lap?”
She shrugged. “Why wouldn’t you?”
I sat on the couch, not saying anything. Then Jasper sat next to me and his eyes looked so weary. “Did you sleep last night?”
He shook his head. “I worked on a few things.”
“You look so tired.”
“I’m not,” he lied to the both of us.
I bit the inside of my cheek. “I wish you would take care of yourself, Jasper,” I said quietly.
He didn’t get the chance to respond before Jasmine held up the remote. “The movie is the Disney version of Hercules. Zander and I both love it, so we shall watch.”
I rolled my eyes. That movie got so many things wrong.
It started and I couldn’t contain my disapproval. “Hera doesn’t like this movie,” I said. “So many inaccuracies.”
“What doesn’t she like?” Jasper asked.
“For starters, they needed to make Hercules a demigod because they didn’t want Zeus cheating on her in a kid’s movie. They also got his name wrong. It’s Heracles. Named after her. Zeus thought it would soften her up. It didn’t. And what makes me angriest is that they said they couldn’t make him a god again. Not true. The gods can do anything they want. You can make a mortal a god. It’s called Apotheosis.”
Jasper seemed amused with me. “It sounds like you hate this movie.”
“I do. They leave out all the bad stuff he went through and throw in this little love story, like that can make it all better. Love doesn’t cure anything.”
Zander sighed. “Love isn’t supposed to be a cure. It soothes. That’s enough.”
“For who?”
“Everybody,” he said like I should have known. “If you let it, then it can help. It won’t make the hurt go away, but you’ll have someone to help you through it.”
I sank into my seat. “I don’t buy it.”
The movie went on and Zander sang with Jasmine all the songs that popped on. Including the one Meg sang with the Muses.
I just sat there and watched.
Juniper frowned every time Hades came on the screen. “So angry at nothing.”
I smiled. “He’s not so bad, really. He just drew the short straw. Everyone thinks he’s meaner than he is.”
She stared at me. “He kidnapped your sister and tricked her into getting stuck half the year.”
“I didn’t say he was perfect. And Persephone loves him now. They get along just fine. He even held me a couple times when I was a baby.”
She looked like I killed a puppy in front of her. “He held you? Someone let him hold a baby?”
“Yeah. Mom said I fell asleep in his arms.”
She made a sound. “I would never let him hold my kids. Not that I’m having any. But still. Nope.”
Zander commented. “None of the gods are right in this movie. They make Mom look ridiculous. But she said she liked the little theme for her from the show.”
I nearly smiled again. “Icarus was the best part of that show. Oh and how my mom looked. Wait, that’s right, they never showed my mom. No one cares about her when the huge gods are more interesting,” I said, bitterly.
There were giggles from everyone but Jasper. He leaned into my ear, his lips touching it just slightly. “Demeter is too good for this movie.”
I was fighting an ear to ear smile when he pulled away. He didn’t say anything for the rest of the movie, but his hand was beside him. His palm was facing up and every part of me wanted to believe he wanted me to hold his hand. He probably wasn’t even aware of what he was doing.
But my hand was next to his, so I did something stupid. My fingertips started brushing against his palm and it was so soft. He didn’t react, so I wasn’t sure he noticed. That was fine. I knew it was happening.
When a phone rang, I ripped my hand away and crossed my arms. My heart was racing like I’d done something wrong and been caught. But Jasper didn’t look mad, he was just looking at Zander as he answered his phone.
“Professor Mooz?” he said into the phone. “What’s up?”
“Well,” his voice crackled on the phone. “I have your scroll translated. I think… I think the five of you need to come down here. It’s a little much for the phone and I’m sure your mother would prefer me to explain properly.”
Ψ
We all walked down the stairs into the empty classroom. We were in a line, being led by Zander. He didn�
��t seem worried at all about any of this. He was never worried, or at least, not able to show me the worry.
We made it down to the desk and I stood with Jasper as Zander took it upon himself to go through the man’s things. It was a mess, that desk. Pencils and papers and trash.
“How about we wait for him?” Juniper suggested. “We might get in trouble.”
Zander scoffed. “I can’t get in trouble. I shall invite you into my umbrella of safety.”
“Not sure how much of a comfort that is…”
Zander looked around but didn’t find the scroll. He didn’t go as far as to break into the desk, but he might have if Mooz didn’t come into the room then.
“Sorry,” he said, holding the scroll and a notepad. “I was looking for my shoes.” He settled at his desk, setting the papers down. “It took me a while, but I’ve translated the majority of the scroll.”
“Majority?” I asked.
“It’s old, my dear. And I am good, but not perfect. I got everything that matters.”
“Great. So what does the thing say?”
“Well.” He fidgeted. “It’s a story. It would seem that it’s the first hand account of a Fury attack. They tore through a village, killing people. They were wild, violent. People were mutilated by the dozens.”
My hands tightened at the words. Three against a village and they still won. What kind of a chance did me and Zander have? Worse, how did we keep the Seers safe? I needed to keep them safe.
“Does it say why?” I asked.
“Not specifically. As far as I know. There were many deaths and not all of them committed the same sin.”
Zander’s eyebrows pushed together. “They were punishing more than one person?”
“Yes. The adults in the village that were killed were all responsible for something. The Furies wouldn’t have attacked if they weren’t. They only kill when they believe it’s justified. The problem being that over time, that line blurs for them.”
“How so?” Jasper asked.
The man picked up his notes. “How much do you know about Furies?”
“The basics, I guess.”
“All right, then I’ll try and explain the best I can. There are some creatures that cannot be killed. Not really. The deaths that they die are only temporary, lasting a different amount of time for each.”
