House of Glass

by Lyn Forester

  "Oh?" She waits, patient, but I remain silent. After a time, she shrugs. "A story for another day, perhaps."

  "I need to apologize to them." I don't know why I say it, but half naked, I feel more open.

  "Did you do something that required recompense?" She sets the tablet down as she turns to face me full on.

  "I was stupid. I freaked out and lied, really poorly. I ran away." The expected blush never comes. Myrrine doesn't seem to judge me for my actions.

  "Sometimes friends make us do stupid things."

  "I was a moody bitch."

  "I doubt that very much."

  "Hunger makes me irrational."

  She smiles. "A common reaction."

  I grin, and maybe it's the buzz from the goo, but my body feels lighter. A weight gone. "I was going to go raid the snack room, then find them to say I'm sorry."

  "But are we not studying together, now?" She taps her tablet. "There is no lie if we follow through with the action. Wait until morning, and if apologies are necessary, make them then."

  "I'm still hungry."

  "Shall I have Bastian procure snacks for us? Enough to hold us through the night?"

  "Is that allowed?" I drag the pillow down from the top of the bed to mush it beneath my head.

  "It is not prohibited."

  "That's not the same thing."

  "But it is close."

  SHOW ME YOURS, I'LL SHOW YOU MINE

  I hug the doorframe as I search the cafeteria's tables for the guys. My head feels light, my limbs shaky. Pretty sure this is my first anxiety attack. This morning, I woke with the clear knowledge that I needed to either cut ties with the guys or apologize for my behavior yesterday. The decision weighed on me so much that I stayed in the bathroom until Myrrine went down to breakfast without me.

  Now, as I find the threesome at a table close to the buffet, I still find myself waffling. I don't want to go through the next two years with Myrrine as my only friend. We had fun last night, and I like her, but I don't feel at ease with her yet. Not the way I do with the guys. But by apologizing, I commit myself to friendship with the knowledge I'll abandon them the minute I turn twenty. Of course, Declan says he'll do the same thing.

  With a deep breath to bolster my nerves, I stride into the room.

  "Caitlyn, over here." I freeze at the loud voice, then turn my head to see Myrrine.

  Her opalescent arm waves to gain my attention to where she sits, close to the entrance. Bastian hovers behind her chair; a scowl fixed to his face as he assesses the rest of the room for threat. He seems to find the server at the buffet especially dangerous as his gaze keeps returning to her.

  In my periphery, I catch motion from the guy's table, two down. I glance over to find them staring, Felix and Connor turned in their seats to watch me. In fact, most of the room watches me. A blush warms my face at all the attention. Myrrine's arm still waves as she smiles.

  I stride over to her fast to make her stop.

  "Caitlyn, I thought you would miss breakfast." She chirps as soon as I near her table. "Bastian was just telling me he would not smuggle you an omelet, even though I assured him that is what humans prefer as their breakfast choice."

  "I actually like toast with jam." I peer down at her plate. She has an odd, spiky orange fruit cut in half, the insides purple and full of plump seeds. I've never seen fruit like that before. Must be a halion produce. I glance back at the guys. They've turned back to their meals, though Felix slumps in his chair, head on his brother's shoulder.

  "Take a seat, Caitlyn. I will have Bastian fetch your toast."

  "No, that's okay." I shift from foot to foot. "I think I'll sit with the guys today."

  "Ahh." She nods, brows creased with sympathy. "You've decided to apologize."

  "Yeah, I guess."

  "It is a good thing, to mend bridges." She lifts a long handled spoon from the table and delicately scoops out one purple seed. It jiggles on her utensil, a long thread of slime stringing from it back to the fruit still on the table.

  I turn away before she can put it in her mouth. "Thanks, Myrrine."

  "You are most welcome, Caitlyn."

  At the buffet table, a server heats me two slices of bread. I take the plate with a murmured, "Thank you," select a small bowl of red jam, and grab a jar of tea. With a deep breath, I stride toward the guys. They glance up in surprise when I set my plate down with a quiet click.

  Hand on the back of an empty chair, I meet Declan's eyes. "Is this seat taken?"

  "It's open." Declan pushes it out with his foot.

  Bag dropping to the floor, I sit. Awkward silence fills the table. I stare at my toast without appetite. This is harder than I thought it would be.

  I clear my throat. "I'm sorry I ran off like that yesterday."

  Chair legs scratch against tiles, and Felix snuggles up to my side. "Tell me when bro's being mean to you next time. I'll beat him up for you."

  "He didn't do anything wrong." I glance at Connor as guilt tightens my gut. "It wasn't because of you."

  "Is it because I'm ugly now?" Felix's head drops to the table. The vivid red mark on his cheek stands out even more than it did yesterday.

  "No, of course not." Instinctively, my hand lifts to touch the wound. I freeze, remembering how I'd hurt Connor yesterday through my carelessness.

  Felix's fingers curl around my wrist. He places my palm over his cheek to cover the angry mark. It feels hot against my skin compared to the rest of his face.

  I fight the urge to pull away. "Doesn't that hurt?"

  "Your hand's cold. It feels nice." His green eyes drift shut.

  I glance at Declan and Connor, who smile. Today, both wear long sleeved shirts, probably to hide the marks on their arms. Guilt floods me that I woke up this morning completely healed. I should have asked Myrrine to help the guys, too. It's not fair that I'm fine while they're still in pain.

  "You should eat. Class starts soon." Declan nods at my toast with a disapproving frown. "Is that all you're eating?"

  I smooth my hand back through the thick stands of Felix's hair, then pull away. "It's too early in the day for something big."

  "You won't last through lunch." His plate contains a half-eaten omelet stuffed with what looks like spinach and protein cubes. I shudder, glad I passed on that one. Protein cubes stick to my teeth like they're made of paste.

  "I'll be fine." I spread jam over my toast before taking a bite. I can't identify the flavor, but it's nice. Tangy and sweet at the same time.

  "Felix, stop moping. You need to eat before breakfast is over." Connor nudges his twin.

  "It's gross." But Felix straightens in his chair to pick his fork up. Uninterested, he pushes a cube around his plate.

  I take a sip of tea to wash down the toast. "What class do we have today?"

  "Environment Quality Demands." Connor stares at his own plate before cutting off a corner of his omelet. He chews with determination, if not enthusiasm.

  Felix uses his spoon to smash the protein cube into a glob on his plate. "What's that class about?"

  "City development, I think." Declan takes the last bite of his omelet.

  "Ugh, so boring." Felix pushes his plate away. "I'm going to sleep through it."

  "You better not." Declan pushes the plate back in front of him. "Eat your food."

  "I'm tired of all this healthy stuff." Felix cuts a tiny bite off and shoves it into his mouth.

  "We've only been here three days." Connor clears his own plate. "It's not that bad."

  "No, it's worse." Felix turns to me. "Back me up, Sparks. It's unbearable, isn't it?"

  I glance up from digging the last of the jam out of the small bowl. Just enough left over to fill the shallow dip of my spoon. "It's not so bad."

  Felix's eyes drop to my hand, and he lunges forward, lips closing around the utensil. His eyes lock on mine as he slowly pulls back. "Mmm. Almost like candy."

  "Stop that." I whack him on the head with the clean spoon. "That was mine
."

  "Here, I'll share mine with you." He pushes his plate in front of me.

  "I'm not eating your breakfast for you." I shove it back at him, then turn to see if the buffet is still open. Servers have cleared the end near the door, but the toast station is still open. "I'll be right back."

  I stand and hurry to the long bar, grabbing two new plates of toast from the server. Four bowls of jam go next to them. Behind the counter, the black uniformed woman frowns at me. I shrug, unapologetic. There's plenty for everyone, who cares if I take extra?

  Felix perks up as I set a plate in front of him. He skips the bread in favor of spooning the red jam directly into his mouth. "Thanks, Sparks, you're a lifesaver."

  "You're only encouraging him." Connor pulls his glasses off to rub his nose.

  Without the glasses, I'm reminded once more that they're identical. "Does it bother you when people can't tell you apart?"

  Felix pauses, spoon halfway to his lips, to turn and stare at me. "You can't tell us apart?"

  "I don't know." I tilt my head to study them. If Connor mussed his hair to look like Felix's, I'm not sure I could tell the difference. Felix's shoulders droop at my extended pause, his lower lip quivering. I smile at the smear of jam on the corner of his mouth. "Yeah, I think I can."

  "I don't know. We've fooled a lot of nannies." Connor leans forward, green eyes intense without his glasses to block them. "We're good at pretending to be each other."

  Yeah, I bet they are. My gaze shifts between them as I search for any difference. I find none. No moles, no scars. They're the same height, the same weight. I glance at Declan, who leans back in his chair, arms folded. "Can you tell the difference?"

  He smirks. "Every time."

  "How?"

  "It's a secret."

  I grab a napkin from the basket at the table's center to hand it to Felix. He stares at it in confusion, and I point at the corner of my mouth. "You have something here."

  "Oh." He wipes at the wrong corner.

  "No, the other side."

  He wipes at his cheek. "Did I get it?"

  "Not even close."

  "Do it for me." He shoves the napkin back at me.

  "No."

  His lip juts out. "I'd do it for you."

  "I'm not a messy eater."

  Felix turns to his brother. "Sparks is being mean to me, bro."

  "I heard."

  "Do I really have something on my face? Is she messing with me?"

  "I wouldn't do that!"

  "Your face is clean." Connor pats his brother's shoulder. "She's just teasing you."

  "Is it because she likes me?" Felix whispers loudly. "Do you think she wants to be my girlfriend?"

  "Give me that." I stand and reach over his shoulder to grab the napkin from his hand. Felix turns his head to glance up at me. With swift motions, I swipe at the spot of sticky preserve on his mouth. "There. All better."

  "My girlfriend takes such good care of me, bro."

  "I'm not your girlfriend." I throw the napkin onto the table and resume my seat, arms folded.

  "Are you sure?" Felix turns to Declan. "You heard her say we were going steady, didn't you?"

  "I thought she was dating Connor." Declan leans his elbows on the table, a smile at the corners of his mouth. "They held hands yesterday."

  "We did not." A blush crawls up from my neck, into my cheeks. From the smiles on their faces, I'm sure my face is as red as the jam.

  "You're cheating on me?" Felix opens his eyes wide, lips parted. "How could you?"

  "It's because I'm prettier, bro." Connor taps his cheek, and Felix lifts a hand to cover his wound.

  "That's a low blow." Felix grabs his last bowl of jam and shoots it back like a shot of whiskey. "I'm going back to bed. I need more beauty sleep."

  "We have class," Declan reminds him.

  He runs a finger inside the bowl to scrape out any leftovers. "Then I'll sleep in class."

  "No sleeping." Connor pushes his shoulder.

  "What's going to keep me awake?" He sets the bowl down. "These classes are boring."

  "City development might be interesting." I take a gulp of tea; I'll need every ounce of caffeine in the cup.

  Felix shoots me a narrow eyed glare. "Liar."

  "How about a bet?" Declan offers.

  "What kind of bet?" Connor leans forward, interested.

  "Whoever answers the most questions in class wins something."

  "What something?" Felix straightens in his chair, eyes bright with interest. "It has to be good."

  "First movie pick?" Connor offers.

  "Boring," Declan and Felix say in unison.

  My eyes focus on the buffet table, now empty of food. The servers wheel their full carts toward a doorway at the back of the room, most likely the kitchen.

  "Cake."

  The others stare at me in confusion. "Huh?"

  I turn to Felix, excited. "You like cake."

  "Yeah, torture me some more, Sparks," he grumbles.

  "No, listen." I lower my voice as I lean forward. "They have a kitchen, right? And Archie said we get cake on Sundays, so the kitchen must have it in stock right?"

  A smile spreads across Declan's face. "Are you suggesting we steal cake?"

  "They might not have it made in advance." Connor places his glasses back on his face. "Cake goes stale pretty fast."

  "We can make some, then." I wiggle in my seat, excited. "Losers make the winner cake."

  "I like this idea." Felix smacks his lips in anticipation. "I can stay awake if dessert is involved."

  "There's a kitchen in the entertainment hall." Declan glances at me. "We checked it out yesterday. We could use it to make the cake."

  Felix's shoulders droop. "But they didn't have any sugar."

  Declan points at his friend. "That's because people like you would eat it straight from the canister."

  "Yeah, I would." No shame in Felix's voice at the admission.

  "We can get it from the main kitchen and bring it over to the entertainment hall." I nod my head toward the swinging door where the servers disappeared with their carts.

  "Only one problem." Connor props his chin on his fist, eyes distant. "How do we sneak in? They lock up after dinner."

  Declan turns to stare at the kitchen door. "Sparks and I can do it."

  "Huh? Why me?"

  "Your idea, your adventure." Facing forward once again, he rubs his hands together. "Our first heist together. This will be fun."

  "Hey, I want to go, too." Felix bounces in his seat.

  "No, you'll be a third wheel."

  Felix clutches his chest. "Bro, he's so mean."

  "I'll keep you company." Connor slings an arm around his twin. "We can decide what kind of cake I want."

  "Yeah, that's true. Wait." Felix turns to his brother. "Who said you're winning?"

  "Statistics."

  Felix blinks at his brother. "Huh?"

  "I always beat you."

  "No, I always beat you."

  The twins twist in their seats to face each other, knees touching as Connor pokes his brother in the chest. "That's not what our report cards said."

  "That's because I drew pictures on the test cards." Felix pokes back. "I could have scored higher if I wanted to."

  "You never studied." Poke.

  Poke, poke. "I'm a genius, I don't need to study."

  "Who says either of you are winning?" Declan interrupts. "I always kick both your asses."

  The twins fix him with identical green glares. In unison, "No one asked you."

  I keep my mouth shut, sure I won't be winning anything today. Unlike Myrrine, I never did study last night.

  "Anyways, I'm looking forward to our date tonight." Declan grins at my shocked expression.

  "Date?"

  ~

  "I can't believe you won." Connor throws his digital notepad into his school bag in disgust.

  "I told you." Felix points at himself. "Genius."

  "Genius who g
ot in trouble for not waiting for the teacher to call on you before answering the questions." Declan groans as he stands, hands at the base of his spine as he leans back into a stretch.

  "Winning is winning." Felix grabs me in a hug, arms banded around my body. I hang in his arms like a favorite teddy bear. "Are you amazed by me, Sparks?"

  "Amazed by your ego, maybe." Connor stands and walks toward the exit after the last of the students.

  "Congratulations, Felix." Myrrine calls from the front of the class. Her cheekbones show a darker shade of blue than usual, her narrowed eyes unhappy. "You were very informative in class today."

  "See, Sparks?" Felix rocks on his feet, making us sway together. "Even your roommate thinks I'm amazing."

  "That's not what she said." I pinch him, and he jumps away from me.

  He rubs at his side. "That's totally what she said."

  "It is not, in fact, what I said." Myrrine taps her foot against the ground, clearly irritated. She doesn't like being shown up in class, even if it was only because Felix kept shouting the answers. "Caitlyn, will you come back to the dorm to study?"

  "Sparks and I have a detour to make." Declan grabs his bag from the hook on his desk and turns to me, expectant.

  "Right now?" I gather my things, and we walk to the front.

  "Hey, wait for me." Felix's chair rattles as he flings his things into his bag before he rushes to join us.

  Myrrine waits at the front of the room, bag slung over her shoulder. When Declan and I reach her, she places a hand on my arm. "I will study with you tonight so that tomorrow, you may answer more questions."

  "Umm, thanks?"

  "You are most welcome." With a frown, she glances over my head at Felix. "This mark on your face, is it the same as Caitlyn's from yesterday?"

  Surprised she brought it up, I peer at Felix over my shoulder. His hand covers the left side of his face. "Yeah, we all have them. You're lucky you skipped etiquette."

  In fact, Felix has a new one from lunch today. He clinked his water glass when he set it on the table. The rest of us managed to make it through unscathed.

  Myrrine's frown deepens as swirls of pink join the deep blue on her cheeks. "Bastian would never allow such harm to my person."