by C. L. Stone
When they finally learned what Mr. Blackbourne and North had been up to, he was sure this was the way to go. Share her? He’d get to keep her and that was what mattered. He could picture it: their future together.
What he hadn’t thought of until later, was Sang’s strange reluctance now to hold his hand around the others. She stiffened whenever anyone touched her if anyone else was around. Alone, she was perfect, comfortable. In front of everyone, she froze.
She was uncomfortable, it was obvious. Maybe she wasn’t into the idea.
And if she wasn’t, then would she pick any of them? Or would she leave?
“She won’t leave,” Dr. Green said, reading his mind, a small smile on his face. “Did you see how she eventually opened up at the football game?”
“Did you see her playing with children?” Mr. Blackbourne asked. “Around the adults and people our own age, she was shy. She had no problem with the kids. That’s good. She’s opened up a lot since she’s been with us. She’s happier.”
“And she didn’t give in to Volto,” Dr. Green said. “She fought for us, in her own way, trying to convince him to back off. That doesn’t sound like someone not interested in staying with us.”
Luke wasn’t so sure. “She’s been different lately.”
“She’s been through a lot,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “Haven’t you?”
Luke blew out a breath and shifted, uncomfortable with sitting in the same position. He considered lying down in the back of the car. “Are you telling me I should stop assuming and just ask her?”
“I’ve asked her,” Mr. Blackbourne said, pulling off the highway and onto the road that lead to the hospital. “She’s worried about upsetting everyone else by saying yes. That’s what’s holding her back.”
Luke sat up then. “Really?’
“She thinks it’s selfish to say what she wants.”
Luke tried to blow a raspberry and then choked when it vibrated his nose painfully. He covered it, and groaned.
“Don’t do that,” Dr. Green said, turning in his seat and looking back. “No raspberries for you for a while. Those hurt when you’ve got a broken nose.”
“Thanks for the warning.”
“So are we any closer to figuring out who Volto is?” Dr. Green asked.
“No,” Luke said. “He was wearing different boots. He’ll be more careful now. He might have been slightly taller than me? He had some power to the punch, so he’s probably fit. With the outfit, it was hard to tell.”
“So it is a male?” Mr. Blackbourne asked.
Luke shrugged slowly. He really couldn’t be sure. “A tall girl with small breasts?”
“Or a girl wearing a sports bra and boots,” Dr. Green said. “I don’t mean to confuse us, but I had a few female suspects on my list, including Marie.”
“No way,” Luke said in a dramatic emphasis.
“She does have a gripe against us,” Dr. Green said. “And she might just tell Sang to get lost and get away from us, despite her cool exterior.”
Luke could see Marie telling Sang to get out for her own good but would Marie really put in the effort? Would she be so skilled?
Sang had some skills. She surprised him a lot with new talents that he hadn’t expected, like when she carried Sprinkles out quickly when they bought the skunk out from those drunk guys. And the time she helped him steal that camera.
He secretly considered that their first date. He’d been waiting for the following year, and to get her to do it again with him, only in a fake set up house and surprise her with a picnic inside. He smile at the idea, and then stopped when smiling so much hurt.
“I don’t see it being Marie,” Luke said.
“There’s a lot of people on our suspect list,” Mr. Blackbourne said. “Now we need to narrow it down. Outside of finding out why Mr. Hendricks is sticking around, we need to get to the bottom of Volto.”
Luke was silent for the rest of the ride, wishing he’d gotten to that black ski mask Volto wore, so he could have finally put to rest who he was. He scared Sang, not to mention the rest of them. Plus, he was crazy…or she was crazy.
Once they were at the hospital, Luke spent the next hour with Mr. Blackbourne in the waiting room, on an uncomfortable green sofa with nothing but a television playing the news for entertainment. Normally he’d wander around, but because he was sick, he had to sit still, away from everyone, and every angle he tried to sit or lay down, he ended up hurting. Dr. Green sent everyone’s samples to the lab to test for strep, and then ordered Luke’s X-Ray.
When it was finally time, Luke was got a table for the X-Ray, with Dr. Green and Mr. Blackbourne standing by. He remembered Sang doing this not too long ago. “If it’s just broken, there’s not much you can do,” he said.
“Just sit still,” Dr. Green said. “Don’t move.”
Luke sighed and stilled. He fiddled with the hem of his jeans, waiting.
He pictured Sang, sick in the bed between him and Gabriel. Maybe he needed to talk to her and Gabriel together. They needed to figure out why Sang cringed around the others when they were watching, or when she was discovered, like when Kota had kissed her forehead. She needed to know that was progress.
Maybe that’s what he needed to do. He needed to show her that it was okay to daydream of all of them together, and that soon, once everyone was in on the plan, she wouldn’t need to worry. Jealousy was something they may have to work through, but Luke was sure if they talked it through, they could make it work.
Or maybe, maybe he needed to talk to Kota himself? Or to any of them who doubted this could work.
Being open and honest was the only way it could work. Liam and Lily had been right. When he spoke to them, they said over and over again that honesty was what mattered.
The truth was, it wasn’t just Volto Luke was hunting. He’d spent a lot of time going back to Liam to talk to him. Liam often met him halfway at a coffee shop. They talked about relationships, about jealousy. Liam told him tricks that helped with his own family. Luke asked questions, often of what it was like in that secret, hidden house they all lived in.
A house much like the one he lived in now—the old Victorian house Uncle wanted to fix up, and flip.
Maybe they would buy it from him.
Luke grew excited by the idea of it. He hadn’t pictured the house as anything more than a rotting old building. He was never the construction type. It was too big for Luke to picture living in for himself, even with Uncle and North. Prior to meeting Sang, it was just a means to some income.
However, North had his garage there. There was plenty of space around, like trees they could cut down to make room for additions.
With some work, it could be a lot like what Lily had: a secure place where no one would bother them. There were plenty of bedrooms, or they could add some. He didn’t mind sharing, but he guessed a few of them might appreciate having their own space. If they did it right, it would be like a mansion.
A mansion for Sang, hidden from the rest of the world. Safe. They could all live there.
“Luke,” Dr. Green said in a soft voice. “You’re done.”
Luke breathed in deeply, sitting up, suddenly very excited by the idea. “Can I go home now?”
Dr. Green chuckled. “Don’t you want me to fix your nose?”
Luke made a face. He was tempted to say no so he could rush home, but just nodded and let Dr. Green work on his face while he got lost in his own thoughts.
He wanted to talk to North. He’d help him with the house. He’d promise to take care of the skunk, or find it a new home if he really didn’t like it, and he’d be on his best behavior.
He’d ask North his ideas for the old house, that perhaps they could rework it.
There was a catch: Would the rest of the team approve?
Would Sang?
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BOOKS BY C. L. STONE
The Academy Ghost Bird Series:
Introductions
First Days
Friends vs. Family
Forgiveness and Permission
Drop of Doubt
Push and Shove
House of Korba
The Other Side of Envy
The Healing Power of Sugar
First Kiss (2016) – Turn the page for a sneak peek!
The Academy Scarab Beetle Series
Thief
Liar
Fake
Accessory
Hoax (2016)
Other C. L. Stone Books:
Spice God
Smoking Gun
READ AN EXCERPT FROM THE NEXT BOOK IN THE ACADEMY GHOST BIRD SERIES
The Academy
The Ghost Bird Series
FIRST KISS
♥
Book Ten
♥
Written by C. L. Stone
Published by
Arcato Publishing
FIRST KISS
I was one of the last people to return to the house at the finale of the snow fights. When Luke finally admitted defeat due to being too cold, we returned to the house. We left our boots by the back door and Luke went to find out if the downstairs shower was open.
I went upstairs, finding Kota’s bedroom empty but the bathroom occupied.
Shivering in my soggy clothes, I contemplated whether I should go downstairs, or strip in the closet and put on warm clothes there.
The warm-looking bed called to me, and I kept my clothes on, crawling between the sheets. I suspected Kota or one of the others would yell at me, but I was too cold to wait for a bath, and stripping in the closet meant I’d get even colder once my skin was bare.
The sound of the shower spraying in the bathroom was starting to get to me, too. Lately, that had become very hard to ignore.
I pulled the pillow over my head, appreciating that it was helping to get my face warm, and using it as a sound barrier.
A hand grabbed my ankle and then tugged at the blanket, but I held on, keeping it where it was.
"Sang," Kota said, his voice muffled through the pillow. "Don't fall back asleep."
"I'm too cold to get up," I said.
"Let me walk you to Nathan's house," he said. "We’ll shower over there. The hot water here will probably run out soon. It’s probably gone already, even with the new bigger tanks we installed. My mother is up and so is Jessica and they've already had their showers."
The thought of trekking over the road through the cold and snow back to Nathan's house wasn't appealing. I had just started to warm up underneath the blankets. Still, I shivered after all the excitement had drained away. We’d gotten up too early and now I just wanted to get warm and sleep.
"I'm fine," I said. "Just wake me up in a few hours." It was meant to be a joke because there was no way they would let me sleep after I’d woken them so early over snow.
"Hurry up," he said. He rubbed his hand over my calf, warming me a little over the blanket. "You're not going to want to miss pancakes."
With Erica at home, there would be chocolate chip pancakes. It was what Luke requested every time we were together. The thought of melted chocolate and maple syrup made my stomach rumble. I pushed the pillow and blanket away in a heap, and was hit by a new wave of cold air against my wet clothes. A shiver started at the base my spine and moved upward through my body, finishing at my neck. I gritted my teeth. “Cold,” I bit out.
Kota stood over me, wearing a clean pair of jeans and a new green sweatshirt. His brown hair was still a little damp, combed neatly to one side of his face. I suspected it was something Gabriel had suggested, slightly different for Kota, but stylish.
The thought of getting back into my boots in my bare feet caused another shiver. “The boots are going to be icy,” I said.
He gave me a considering look before he said, "I was going to pick you up, but I don’t want to drop you on the stairs," he said. "Just get to the garage. I’ll carry you over so you won’t have to put your boots back on.”
I winced as I stood, feeling guilty for being such a baby. I was the one who’d walked outside in my bare feet. I was the one from Illinois who was supposed to be used to the cold. Cold was still cold, though, no matter where you’re from. And I was freezing. “You don’t have to do that,” I said. “I can run over. Just go ahead of me and open the door.”
Kota smirked and then turned toward the stairs, but before we started to descend, his bathroom door opened. Victor stepped out wearing only his usual black slacks and a towel around his bare shoulders. His torso was trim with delicate lines around his abdomen and deep indents at his hips. His wavy hair was still wet from the shower and appeared much darker than normal, almost black and contrasted against his light skin. His fire eyes were dim; he looked tired. He noticed at us at the steps and raised a smooth brown eyebrow. "Is she showering downstairs?"
"I'm taking her over to Nathan's house," Kota said. "There's not enough hot water now."
Victor dragged his eyes from Kota to me. "She prefers baths," he said. "Your bathroom has a tub."
He was the only one that knew about my fear of showers. I shivered where I stood and not just from the cold. I didn’t want to talk about showers right now. "I can take one in the other bathroom," I said.
Victor pressed his lips together as he looked at me for a long moment. Then he nodded slightly and turned toward the closet, picking through the hanging shirts.
Since he didn’t say anything else, I assumed had kept his promise not to tell the others until I was ready. As I descended the stairs behind Kota, I hoped he understood why I hadn’t said anything to Kota this time.
Being cold wasn’t the only reason. I didn’t know where to start. Every time I hesitated, I felt the guilt of holding back. At first, it seemed such a stupid little thing to worry about when we had real worries like Mr. Hendricks and his people following us, Mr. McCoy hunting for me, and all the other problems we had been facing. Maybe back then when it had first come up, it had been the wrong time to talk about something like that.
Now, after almost a month of quiet, of all of us going about our routines, and forcing Mr. Hendricks to stay put by not drawing attention to ourselves, I could have told them but I hadn’t. At first I didn’t want to trouble anyone with a new problem. It’s not like they could have solved it, anyway. All I had to say was that I wanted a bath; no one had questioned it.
Still, I knew it was probably best to tell them. I wanted to wait until I got a moment alone with Victor; maybe he could help me figure out how to tell one of the others.
I followed Kota to the back door and the salty, greasy smell of bacon frying hit my nose as we passed near the kitchen, making my stomach rumble.
Kota encouraged me on. “Hurry and get a shower in,” he said. “By the time you get back, it’ll be ready.”
I got out in the garage before he had a chance to close the door behind him and descend the few stairs. The big door was open and I could see the snow had already started to get soggy and melty, only patches remaining now that it had warmed up. There was the start of a very soggy snowman at one corner of the house, the one we had given up on when the boys finally realized they wouldn’t be able to collect enough snow before it all melted.
My clothes were sticking to me and I sniffed as my nose started to run. I wiped at it with the sleeve of my jacket.
Kota came up behind me. “You sure you don’t want me to carry you?”
I looked over at him. “No, it’s okay.
He grinned at me and then blurted out, “Ready, set, go!” before he took off in a jog.
Finding a spurt of energy, I raced behind him, catching up only when we got to the road. Once he realized I was about to leap ahead, his run turned into a faster sprint, aiming right for Nathan’s front door.
I was breathing in cold air and had to go around the wet grass so I wouldn’t slip on it in my bare feet.
He was able to get the key in the door right before I crashed into him, breathing heavily. The short run wouldn’t normally have winded me so badly, except I was already exhausted from playing earlier.
I leaned on him, tired and needing support.
Kota eased me back a bit. “Hang on,” he said with a chuckle. “I can’t open the door and hold you at the same time.”
I pulled back, waiting. Kota opened the door and reached back around my waist to pull me against him, picking me up to carry me into the hallway.
I was met with a wave of warm air—Nathan’s house was warmer than Kota’s—and I breathed in deeply, catching the leather and wood scents of the house.
Kota locked the door behind us and urged me on. I shuffled forward, and then stopped and listened when I heard an unfamiliar sound.
Someone was in the bathroom in Nathan’s dad’s room. I was usually the only one who used it, since everyone else liked Nathan’s new shower.
Kota turned his head toward the sound. “Looks like someone beat you to it,” he said, before turning me toward the hallway bathroom. “You’ll have to settle for a warm shower instead of a bath.”
A memory of being inside the shower at Victor’s house sent waves of nausea to my empty stomach. I almost whimpered but coughed to cover it. “I could wait.”
“You’re freezing,” Kota said with a chuckle, though his eyes were concerned. “Your lips are turning blue. You need to get warm.”
As I stood still in the kitchen, hesitating, I touched my lips. The sprint here and fear were warding off the cold, but that wasn’t the point. I pressed my lips together, secretly hoping whoever was in that bathroom would finish quickly. There wasn’t an argument I could make that would make sense.
