Over Easy

by T L Christianson

  From her bag, she pulled out an old photo album and opened it on the desk. It was the kind with sticky pages and transparent film covering the prints.

  She pushed the book toward me.

  “You can’t take it, but you can look at it here while I grade papers. I’ll give you a hall pass when you’re done.”

  I felt the corners of my mouth turn up and warmth flood through me at her thoughtfulness. It made me wonder if she really had been the one to take the yearbook. If she had, maybe this was a consolation prize.

  Mrs. Moorhead breathed out a long sigh before meeting my gaze. “I just wish we had you at the academy a lot sooner.”

  I picked up the maroon album, and it cracked as I turned the page.

  Spotting my mom near the bottom of one page, I ran a finger over her light brown hair. She stuck her tongue out at the camera.

  “Do you know who Evgeni Garin is?” I asked absentmindedly.

  When the teacher didn’t answer immediately, I looked up to see her red pen raised in the air and her lips pursed. Her eyes stared unflinchingly into my own.

  “Evgeni Garin. Do you know him?” I asked again.

  “Where did you hear that name?” She questioned.

  “He’s listed as Celine’s bondmate in the genealogy book in the library.”

  Leaning forward on the desk, Calla flipped through the yellowed album pages before stopping midway through. Tapping her long unpainted fingernail above a tall, gangly boy with pale blond hair, she said, “That’s Evgeni Garin.”

  Three kids stood under a large elm tree on the bank of a meandering river. They wore bathing suits, wide grins: two boys and a girl.

  I shivered as something about the people seemed familiar. I examined the boy.

  “This is Evgeni?”

  She nodded and hummed an affirmative, “ Mm-hmm.”

  I pointed out the other two beside him. “Is that my mother?”

  “Yes, that’s Celine.”

  “And this guy?”

  The teacher sucked in a breath; I was delaying her from her work, but I had to know.

  “That is…” She turned the book toward herself and pushed her glasses up. “Actually, I’m not sure. I think that’s one of their friends. I’m five years younger than your mom.”

  I blew out a breath. “Did mom have trouble because she was a Prime or because she was trouble?”

  Mrs. Moorhead set her grading pen down. “Celine was smart, I mean genius smart. But being smart and being wise are two different things. She was a brilliant mess with her fair share of demons—figuratively speaking. She always pushed the limits.” She sighed, “I wish I could give you more answers. But after her disappearance, I rarely saw her again.”

  I felt sick about the abduction. Every time it was mentioned, the idea turned my stomach.

  Turning my eyes to the album, I began to skim through the pages. Almost all of them were of Calla and her friends in awkward puberty. Every once in a while, I’d find my mom or Evgeni in a picture. Using my mobile phone, I snapped photos of each one.

  Reaching the end, I reluctantly closed the book and slid it back onto Calla’s desk. “Thank you, I appreciate you thinking of me and letting me look at this.”

  She nodded and wrote me out a hall pass. “I just wish I had more to show you.”

  Getting up, I stood at the door. “Mrs. Moorhead, you didn’t take out a yearbook from the library, did you?”

  Raising her head, she pushed her glasses up on her nose. “A yearbook? No, those aren’t supposed to leave the building. What yearbook?”

  “Never mind, I should get going,” I said, before slipping out into the hallway.

  Maybe you’re right, Aaraeth. Maybe she didn’t take the yearbook.

  She still hides secretsss, my dragon hissed.

  9

  As I walked to my next class, my phone buzzed: Ashe.

  “Hey,” I answered in a whisper.

  “Did I get you at a bad time?” He asked.

  I ducked into the bathroom before replying, “I was just on my way to class, but I have a few minutes. What’s up?”

  “I know I told you not to dig into your past, but you’re doing it anyway, right?”

  I blew out a breath. “Yeah.”

  “Well, I’ve been doing some digging also, and I found something. It concerns your mom and George Miller, but it’s not great news. Do you still want to hear it?”

  “Yes! Of course.”

  I leaned against the wall and picked at the chipped paint peeling off an exposed pipe.

  He paused, “Celine and George were both arrested for acts of terrorism against the Dragonborn. And both of them were sentenced to the Stygian Ritual.”

  I sucked in a shaky breath. “What?”

  “Yeah, but I can’t find any dates that it happened or confirmation. Most of your mom’s file has been redacted, it means…”

  I cut him off, “I know what it means. Were you able to find out what they did?”

  “No. I didn’t have a lot of time in that part of the archives, but like I said, most of her file was blacked out.”

  I sank against the counter, squeezing my eyes closed and rubbing my temples with my thumb and forefinger.

  “There’s more,” he breathed.

  I swallowed the rock in my throat before wearily saying, “Okay. Tell me.”

  “It looks like Celine had a drug problem. There were records of her being in a drug treatment center—three times.”

  “Seriously? Drugs?”

  “Yeah. I’m sorry.”

  “Why do I feel like there’s more?” I asked, staring at my reflection in the mirror.

  “I meant to talk to you about Evgeni Garin. It just shocked me when you said he was your mom’s bondmate.”

  “Yeah, you seemed weird. What about him?”

  “Eh…” Ashe paused, “I know him.”

  “Of course, you know him. How do you know him?”

  I could hear him sigh. “He’s a family friend and lives near my parents in California. I worked for him as an intern at his company last year… and he wants me to work for him when I’m done serving my time in the militia. I haven’t decided anything yet.”

  “Oh?”

  “It was just a shock, that’s all. I was going to tell you.”

  “I guess you did say that it’s a small Dragonborn world, huh? Anything else?”

  “No, not about him. There’s something else,” he almost whispered over the line.

  “Something else? Why do I feel like it’s bad news.”

  “It’s not exactly bad, but you remember that deployment I told you about?”

  “Hmmm…” I answered.

  “It’s a blackout op. So, no communication in or out until it’s over,” he said, his voice low.

  “For how long?”

  “It’s all classified. I’m actually not even supposed to talk about it at all, but I couldn’t just disappear and make you wonder.”

  I stared at the tiles on the floor next to the radiator. One was chipped.

  I had so many questions. Like, would it be dangerous? Would he be safe? What was he doing? Where would he be?

  But instead of asking things I knew he couldn’t answer, I said, “Stay safe—okay?”

  “I will,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.

  Neither of us spoke for several moments until Ashe did, “You sound like shit. Are you still unable to sleep?”

  I laughed sarcastically. “Gee, thanks. So much flattery, I can’t take it.”

  “Are you? I’m worried about you,” he told me quietly.

  “I’ll be right as rain. I promise…” Then, in a cheery voice, I asked, “So, what’s Evgeni like?”

  “Evgeni? Umm… He’s easy-going but always on alert if that makes sense. He’s a Prime, no surprise there. He works in the mundane sector and has an investment company, but he’s involved in a lot more than that. Be careful around him. He’s very strategic. The man makes plans within plans…�
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  I scrunched up my nose. “How old is he?”

  “Thirties or forties, maybe?” Ashe told me.

  “Do you have his phone number or email address? What do you think? I feel like he could answer a lot of questions.”

  “Hmmm… you should hold off on calling him, okay?”

  I shook my head. My patience was running thin. “He’s my mom’s bondmate. Besides, Evgeni has blond hair, and so do I. He’s tall, and so am I. George is short and has darker hair.”

  “Sydney, that’s not exactly proof. If you talk to Mr. Garin, you need to be very careful. You’re still a minor and under your grandparent’s protection. Evgeni isn’t a monster, but he’s ruthless and is known to be… manipulative. Do you understand? Your grandparents are protecting you.”

  I pursed my lips in disagreement. “I should call him.”

  A long-suffering sigh came over the line. “Fine, I’ll text you his number, but tread carefully. You don’t want him as your enemy.”

  He ended the call, and I pocketed my phone.

  Taking out my hair tie, I finger-combed my locks before bending at the waist to smooth it all into a neat ponytail.

  The more I found out about Celine, the more confused I became.

  Standing there, I didn’t want to go to class. I had that feeling that I was on the brink of figuring something out—I could feel it…

  A chime rang out, startling me. Ashe had texted me the phone number.

  I took a screenshot and smiled before replying, “I’ll be careful, XO.”

  See? Aaraeth purred. Ashe is solid. Why do you doubt him?

  “I’m not doubting…” I told her.

  Examining the number, I chewed my bottom lip in thought.

  I should call him. I wanted to call him.

  What if Evgeni Garin was my dad? Even if he wasn’t, he was my mother’s freaking bondmate. If anyone knew her, this guy did.

  Holding up my phone, I opened my calling app and entered the number.

  It rang twice before a man’s deep, accented voice said, “Hello?”

  I swallowed hard before speaking. “Hi, ummm. May I please speak with Evgeni?”

  “Why you are looking for Evgeni?”

  “It’s a personal matter.”

  “If it’s personal, then tell me what it’s about.”

  “It’s about Celine Lambert…”

  The man hung up.

  Was that him?

  I dialed Ashe back.

  “Hey, I can’t talk long. What’s up?” He asked in hushed tones as a way of answering.

  “You sound out of breath. Why are you out of breath?” I asked, pulling myself up to sit next to the sink on the counter.

  “I’m running late, but I’m… what’s up?”

  “I just called Mr. Garin, and he hung up.”

  “He hung up? Why?”

  “I don’t know. I mentioned Celine, and bam… he hung up.”

  “And you’re sure it was him?”

  I scratched a scab on my knee before flipping my skirt back over it. “I don’t know. The guy had a Russian accent.”

  “That wasn’t him. Evgeni doesn’t have an accent. He’s American—he was in Harrow…hey, I’ve got to go, babe. Bye!”

  “Bye…” I trailed off, realizing he’d already hung up.

  After the last bell, I made my way to the library and Logan’s promise of newspapers on film. However, when I spotted him sitting in one of the plush chairs near the entrance, he wasn’t alone. Liv and Nate sat with him, whispering, but still loud enough to earn angry looks from other students.

  Eyeing the three, I said, “Hey, what’s up?”

  Logan stared up at me, “I told them about the search. They’re here to help us go through the microfiche.”

  I pressed my lips together. “That was supposed to be between you and me. I don’t want to air my dirty laundry in public.”

  Liv stood and rubbed my back with the flat of her hand. “Hey, I already knew, and Nate isn’t going to tell anyone, are you?”

  He shook his head, pretending to zip his lips before tossing an imaginary key over his shoulder.

  Logan frowned, “Sydney, come on. They just want to help. Besides, we’ll need it. I already requested the films, and there are tons of them.”

  I crossed my arms. “Fine, as long as they actually help.”

  Logan’s usual grin spread across his face, “Come on. It’s already set up.”

  He led us toward the back of the library and into the computer room with his arm around me. Two old machines hidden beneath yellowing dust covers sat in the rear of the room. Logan pulled each one off and laid them aside before flipping switches.

  “Okay, Sydney and Olivia, you take the machines first.”

  I sat down, and Logan leaned over me, inserting a flat sheet into the reader. His face brushed my hair as he adjusted knobs and a slider on the device. “This is how you focus, and then this is how you move to the next one. If it’s something important, you can hit this button to print it out.”

  His proximity made my cheeks heat, and I bit my lip. But all these emotions that Logan roused in me only reminded me of Ashe, making my heart ache inside my chest.

  Thankfully, Logan found his own seat—across the room. Our eyes met briefly before I slipped in a new film and began scanning headlines.

  After a while, Nate waved his hands in the air laughing. “Listen to this!”

  “Yeah? Is it about the abduction or…?” I trailed off, hoping it was good.

  He let out a loud guffaw. “Neither, but listen, ‘Students Cook and Serve Grandparents.’ ” Another snort of laughter erupted from his lips. “Get it? They’re cooking and eating them? ‘All Grandparents were invited to Balaur Preparatory Academy for Grandparents weekend.’ ”

  Olivia gave Nate a shake of the head, even though her eyes shone with amusement. I sank into my chair, disappointed.

  “If you think that’s good,” Liv shifted the film to read from another article. “Listen to this: ‘Man accused of murdering his attorney gets new lawyer.’ ” Her eyes lingered on the small print as she shook with silent laughter. “These things are gold.”

  After spending all afternoon doing homework and taking turns looking through the films, we found more funny stories, but nothing about my mom. But as time went on, the novelty of the old articles faded.

  The clicking of the old clock above the door and the smell of printer toner left me feeling brain dead and tired.

  Logan interrupted the silence when he said, “Hey, I found something about your grandfather.”

  “Oh?” I asked. “Anything about my mom?”

  He scanned the article and shook his head. “No, sorry. But apparently, your grandpa Arthur has been PL since 1972.”

  “Damn… that dude is old!” Nate murmured as he continued to look through his own slide.

  “Is anyone hungry? I’m starving,” Liv spat out, looking up from her math homework.

  This began our tradition of eating lunch together, looking at films, and working on homework in the afternoon before eating dinner together as well.

  For a little over two weeks the four of us went to the computer lab and ate together every day until that lazy Friday night when Olivia finished the last box of slides.

  She stretched and met my eye. “I’m done, Syd. We’ve looked at over a year’s worth of articles, and if there were anything here, we would’ve found it already.” She stood, gathered up her books, and shouldered her backpack.

  “You’re leaving?” I asked.

  “Yeah, I’m gonna go, and you should too.” Nate quickly stood and followed her to the door, giving me a goodbye wave as he ducked through the opening.

  Turning in my chair, I watched them disappear into the library.

  I didn’t blame them. They were right. If there had been something about the abduction, we would’ve found it.

  In my mind, there were three explanations as to why we found nothing. One, the Dragonborn communi
ty didn’t know about the abduction. Two, they didn’t care. Or three, the film had been removed on purpose.

  Flipping off the microfiche reader, I rested my head on my crossed arms and stared down at my shoes.

  Logan cleared his throat, but I ignored him.

  It didn’t matter, though. The Drake Prime was nothing, if not persistent. Under my arms, I saw his feet as he approached and stood behind me. He brushed my neck with his fingers as he gathered my hair and held it to the side.

  “What?” I snapped, lifting my head to meet his gaze.

  His hazel eyes searched my face, but he said nothing. Instead, he took my hands in his and pulled me up.

  “Come on. Let’s talk.”

  I stood and angrily whispered, “Stop trying to help me! Stop trying to be nice!”

  He smiled and shook his head. “No.”

  “No?” I scoffed.

  “Come with me…” He pulled me out of the computer lab along the far wall and into a cozy corner nook.

  Sliding onto a padded bench, Logan pulled me down with him. His mental shields were lowered. I’d felt this before—it was a tactic used by Primes to prove they were telling the truth.

  Logan sighed and stared out at the bookshelves around us. His usual smiling lips were pressed in a thin line. “You’ve seemed different since you talked to your dad… I know it’s not the same, but I know what it’s like to feel lied to. And you didn’t deserve that.”

  “Oh… I know,” I breathed, not sure what to say.

  He took my hands into his and gazed into my eyes. “I know you’re angry and frustrated—and you have a right to be. I just wanted to let you know that I understand… and I’m not going anywhere. So, there it is. You’re not going to scare me away or push me away. I’m right here.”

  He raised his eyebrows and stared at me for several seconds.

  I wiped my eyes with my sleeves before the tears had a chance to run down my face.

  When I looked up, Logan once again wore his Captain America smile.

  “Just try to let some of your anger go—for your sake. You deserve some happiness in your life.” He stretched, making a comedic gesture of putting his arm around my shoulders. “And, I’m here to give it to you…”

  That made me laugh, and I batted him away as I stood. “All right. I get it. Thanks...”