Sean laughs.
“Ignore what?” Luke and Marc ask.
I look at Marc, biting the inside corner of my bottom lip to keep from telling the truth. “Nothing,” I say with a quick shift of my gaze to Collins and back to him. He averts his gaze and scoots away from Collins. Marc gets on my nerves with the back and forth we so often have. Though Collins appears to be so infatuated with him, giggling and whispering to him, Marc saves those intimate interactions for me.
I turn to Luke, after catching Collins reclaim her closeness to Marc. “You want some?” I ask, picking up my canned soda to cover up my grimace.
“No, I got one.” He taps his soda can with his fork. Over the sound, Collins’s cackling and moans tempt my attention. She won’t get it.
I close my eyes and pinch the bridge of my nose. “Um,” I divert my attention back to Luke, “You sure? Because you’ll say no and still take it.” Honestly, I want the distraction to take my focus away from Collins’s obnoxious snickers.
Luke turns down the corners of his mouth and shrugs. “Yeah.” Unconcerned with Collins’ sudden change from him to Marc. “You like your food?” he asks.
“It’s fine. You apparently like it too.” I wipe my mouth before whispering in his ear, “Why is Collins on him when she wants you?”
He turns my head and says in my ear, “I was finished with her, so I guess she moved on to the next one.”
I nod, turning back to the others. Fire is casually flirting with Marc, asking him a million and one questions. Fein is sitting on the other side of her, flicking her peas at Sean. A couple of them scatter onto my tray. The front of her is damp and cola drips from her chin, likely Sean sprayed his soda at some point while I was distracted. Floyd’s sitting on the other side of Fire, also flinging food at her.
Luke talks to Marshal and Marc, and Marc tries to hold up the conversation while ignoring Collins and Fire.
I finish my food while the kids play. Someone behind me squeezes my shoulders, and I am so over people sneaking up on me.
Striking a glance over my shoulder, I find Cory looking down at me. He invites me to talk with a welcoming, crooked smirk. I shake off his hands and stand. “What?” Cory swipes his thumb over the corner of my mouth. “Don’t do that.” I swat his hand away, feeling awkward that he did that in front of everyone.
When it comes to Cory, Marc forgets what role he actually plays in my life and will take up the torch of a big brother, forgetting I already have one of those. He’ll run and tell Luke when I won’t listen to him telling me to stop. Then there are times when he gets jealous and wants to play the boyfriend. Don’t do that with him, Ky, he’ll say passively, a look of resentment sticking in his violet eyes.
“There was food on your face, and it was distracting. I need to tell you something. Walk with me.”
Then there’s Luke…The big brother who thinks he’s my father.
Luke stands beside me, an inch taller than Cory, shoulders also wider than his. He crosses his arms and looks Cory over. “Why do you insist on talking to me in front of him, knowing he’s going to have a cow?” I sigh heavily, knowing one of the three of them is about to start a fight.
“You shouldn’t be talking in front or behind me,” Luke states.
I thought we were talking low, but once Luke says this, the room quiets, and everyone turns their attention on us. “Cool out, Luke,” I tell him kindly.
Luke looks from Cory to me. “No, you cool out.” Since Luke overheard Cory’s confession of working with the Trade to sneak the names of the implants from our general, and Cory lost his position, Luke has zero tolerance and no respect for him. We’re supposed to be loyal to each other. If our generals were under investigation, as a Creation, Cory should’ve brought the concerns to Jord before sneaking around his office. Or at the very least, he shouldn’t have gotten himself caught.
I look away from Luke to Cory. “I’ll, um, talk to you later,” I say, scratching the outer side of my left eyebrow. My cheeks burn.
“Ky, everything okay?” Fire asks. She’s the only one of our close group who is not used to the disputes between Luke, me, and Cory like everyone else.
I roll my eyes. “This is normal. It’ll be over in a sec,” I whisper over the table.
“Why is she in here?” Cory blurts as I’m turning back around. He points to Fire, raising his voice. “Why are you allowing her to be in here, Luke? It’s your responsibility to keep one party separated from the other!” He shakes his head and marches off, shoving the mess hall’s doors open on his exit. They slam against the walls and swing on their hinges.
“See what you do, Ky,” Luke accuses, following after Cory, likely to prevent Cory from telling on him.
I roll my eyes and throw my hands on my head. “I didn’t do anything,” I say childishly, hurrying outside after them. Dusk deepens the red color of the dirt road and brick homes. I see Cory charging for the General’s office, kicking up dust with every step. Luke’s a few feet behind him. “Cory,” I call once the doors to the mess hall are closed behind me. “Where are you going?”
“To have a talk with the general.”
Luke laughs as he slows his pace until I make it to his side. “He’s going to tell on me.”
I match his laugh. “Cory, you cannot be that childish. I’m the one who told Fire she can come. Tell on me, not him. I thought you wanted to talk anyway, why waste the time. The talk with Sir Jord will take too long. Let’s talk now.” Cory stops, and I mutter to Luke, “Got it.”
He laughs again. “No. Let him tell on me. We can all go sit in the general’s office and tell him everything, including that conversation you had late night with Ky.”
Cory whips around, charging across the dirt. “You told him,” he accuses, jabbing a point in my face.
I smack his hand away, and before I can defend myself, Luke says, “Ky didn’t tell me anything.” He shoves Cory away from us. “I can read snake in your eyes. I know the sneaky shit you do to get back on top. You’re low.”
“What does he do?” I ask Luke, tugging at his shoulder.
“Nothing,” Cory cuts in, giving Luke a warning glare.
Luke laughs loudly, holding his middle. “You think I’m afraid of you. Regardless of you being good or bad, Ky will never side with you over me. It doesn’t matter if she knows or not.”
“What did you do, Cory?”
“Nothing, Ky. I’ve always been on Luke’s bad side because you like me. He’s threatened by me. Thinks I’ll become your first pick.”
I hold in my laugh, though I snort. Pick Cory over Luke. That will never happen. I wouldn’t even pick Cory over Marc, let alone Luke. “The three of us know that will never happen, and you cannot try to sway me from the side of my brother. Are you insane?” I ask but don’t wait for an answer. I tug Luke’s arm as I turn us around to head back to the mess hall. We ignore Cory’s rebuttal as he stomps off, but I don’t hesitate to ask Luke, “You’ll tell me about what you were talking about later?”
He laughs, arm dropping on my shoulder. “I know nothing. It just makes sense. He has to be doing something under the table. I don’t know for sure though.”
Chuckling, I nudge his side with my elbow. “That’s deceitful.”
He shrugs. “Must be true by his reaction.”
“He definitely gave himself away,” I say, realizing that what Luke is saying is true.
Luke laughs louder as we head back into the mess hall. “The best was that bit about you picking him over me, your twin.”
I snort. “Like that’ll ever happen.” I shove his arm from my shoulder, and we shuffle back to our table where we left our food trays.
Fein stands at my approach. “You ready to go?” she asks.
“Yeah.” I scoot my tray to Luke as he sits. “Throw that away for me.”
He nods.
“Thanks.” Passing Luke to meet Fein, a cold feeling strikes me in the chest, sending a freezing scorch blazing my veins. Collins’s lips conne
ct with Marc’s. Seconds crawl by before I’m in position to lurch across the table and shove her away from him.
Marc calmly breaks away from her, and Sean says, “Exactly, Fein. Let’s go.” He coolly wraps his arm around my shoulder and shuffles me from the room against my will. Fein follows close behind.
I’m fuming, skin boiling red.
The nippy breeze cools my flesh but does nothing for the rage within me. “What the hell was that?” I shout. I maneuver out of Sean’s grasp and turn back for the mess hall. Sean and Fein catch me by my arms and push me toward our house.
“It’s cool, Ky. He didn’t want her to. Don’t be jealous,” Sean tells me, hands wrapped tightly around my shoulders, still pushing me.
“Am I acting so unruly that I needed to be shoved from the mess hall and escorted to the house?” I snap.
“The fingers you shoot with are twitching and you turned red with anger in an instant, Ky. Sean grabbed you when you took a step toward them.”
I wasn’t even able to take a step forward. “Why would she do that?” I burst. “Did he let her?”
“Don’t sweat it, Ky,” Fein begins. “I’m sure he didn’t want her to, like Sean said. I thought you and Marc were over anyway.”
Sean nudges our front door open, and Fein and I walk in before he does. “Right. I mean, we are. We weren’t something to be over. I just didn’t need to see that.” We amble to the den and toss our vests onto the table.
“Ky and Marc are not over,” Sean states halfheartedly, plopping down on the sofa. “He’s into her, and she is equally into him. That’s why they look at each other like that. Googly eyes, as though they were destined to be Dyads instead of Creations.”
I sit on the table in front of Sean, and Fein sits beside him. Crinkling my nose, I scoff, “I’m not at all beautiful enough for being a Dyad, and Marc’s too rough for being aired on some billboard and ogled at by onlookers.” I wouldn’t want that anyway. The broadcasters in charge of the America’s entertainment and developing culture match the most captivating individuals, whom they can portray as loving, intimate couples in efforts to encourage the Normals to mate and have families. They use them as an example to imitate, and I believe they’re indirectly conditioning Normals to want companionship so that they will be inclined to increase the population. The more people in the America, the greater the economy.
Fein fake gags. “Those well-shaven god and goddess fakes!” She kicks her heel against the table and dust works from the sole of her boots. “They give Normals hope they’ll one day look like them and have camaraderie. Ha!” She barks a laugh. “I think they’re created in a tube too.” Disgust turns up her upper lip. “No one can relate to their beauty.”
Sean leaves the couch to shuffle through the movies. “The Trade models those fake couples on purpose. It’s for hope and to give those lonely Normals dreams. Just like they make war look fun and sway volunteers with building strong relationships with Creations and Normals before one magical day returning to their normal family.” Sean closes his eyes, viciously swipes across the screen, and smashes down his index finger. The projector flickers on, and a movie plays. “While you two may not be Dyad material, that doesn’t change the way you two look at each other and walk around, acting like no one knows, or we don’t see it.” He slumps back down on the sofa.
Fein adjusts to sitting on her left leg tucked beneath her. A contemplative glance steals her eyes as her gaze slices over me and travels to Sean. “I have noticed that.” When her gaze carries back over to me, I’ve already looked away from her.
“It’s not what you think,” I tell her. “It’s because she was just all over my brother, and now she’s trying to make out with Marc in front of Luke.” I groan and shrug not to draw emphasis to my anger, and while I may have Fein convinced, Sean isn’t.
“You’re right. Collins sure does get around,” Fein sings, standing. “I’m going to shower before we get too relaxed.”
“Yeah. Me too,” I say as the front door whips open and closes, followed by rushing footsteps that plod across the hardwood floor.
“Kylie,” Marc calls loudly. The rasp in his voice makes the call echo through the low furnished home.
Nope. No. No way. We’re not having this conversation.
I pass Marc to head for the stairs, and he grabs my arm. Without looking at him, I pull my arm through his hand, then grab it, pulling him to come with me. We make it to my room, and I push my door closed. “You kissed her. I’m not mad anymore, and you aren’t mine to be jealous over. You can do that to whoever you want.”
Splaying his arms out at his sides, he defends, “She was just using me to get back at Luke. I didn’t know she was going to take it there.”
“It’s fine.” I snatch up my in-house lounge wear and avoid his eyes. “I’m tired, we’re about to lie around the den. Go back to who you were doing.”
“Kylie,” he says in an impatient tone. “Cut that shit.”
I lean my shoulder against the door. The scene replays in my mind every time I look at him. “Did you slap her? Push her away like you did me?”
“She is not a traitor. There was no need for me to push her away like I did you.”
He grabs my arms to keep me from pushing him. “I am not a traitor,” I snarl.
“Don’t be jealous.” He takes my hands in his and raises them over my head, pinning them against the door as he steps closer. Placing a kiss to my cheek, he says, “I only want your lips kissing me.” His beard is rougher than his kiss.
I try to move my arms, but he keeps me pinned. “Why do you insist on holding me down?”
“Because I don’t want you to touch me.”
“I won’t touch you. Let me go. I’m getting in the shower.”
“You’re going to stay down there with them or come up here with me when you finish?”
I bite my cheeks to fight my smile. When I have the grin under control, I say, “Stay with them. We’re nothing, remember. You hate me, and I’m working on leaving you alone.” I’m happy I have him back, but we’re still in this place where we go back and forth. One day, we’re forcing distance. Another day, I’m sleeping in his room, cuddled next to him on his bed. I don’t think it’s supposed to be this way.
“You can’t.”
“I can’t,” I admit defeat. “But they’ll know I’m up here with you.” We try to keep everyone out of it, but as Sean said, our efforts are pointless.
“Okay,” he says, releasing me and taking multiple steps back.
I rub my wrists. “Why are you so strong?”
He smiles. “To make you weak.” He approaches and nudges me from the door. It opens and closes after he leaves.
One-minute Marc is all Kylie kiss me, Kylie lie with me, Kylie don’t like Cory because I like you. Kylie, Kylie, Kylie. Then the next minute, he’s asking to be left alone and accusing me of being a traitor. He’s a walking contradiction that gives me a headache I like to have, an irritation I love to feel, and annoyance I can’t avoid. I hate it, and I admit going back and forth with him drives me crazy, but when he does give in…it’s worth it.
Chapter Six
Fein beats me out of the showers. She, Sean, and I crowd on the sofa in the den, watching a movie about a giant reptile. Fein falls asleep shortly after the movie starts.
I nudge her leg with my knee, and she is out cold. “Wasn’t this her idea?”
“Yeah, it was. I’m probably right behind her.” Sean slouches and lays his head back. His voice drawls as he asks, “You and my brother are back at it?”
Though Sean is cordial and oddly nice, he’s not that big a fan of mine. He may secretly hate me because of what happened and preferred it when his brother still resented me. “I don’t know. No…” I answer.
Sean doesn’t tear his gaze from the lizard squashing a motor vehicle as he says, “He can’t turn on you. Regardless of the circumstances.” He won’t say it in front of Fein, but what he’s saying is even under these circumstances
of me being connected to the Vojin, Marc won’t turn on me. And while I don’t even know why Marc is even the least bit interested in me, I push that side of him to give in to me, to want me like I want him. Maybe this is because I’m selfish, and I want the things I’ve heard others talk about. Maybe it’s the parts of me clashing, the Vojin, the Creation, and the trickling humanity still coursing through my veins.
“I’m sorry.” I feel the urge to say.
“For what?”
“I try to leave him alone. It’s just really hard.”
“It’s not that hard,” he condescends.
“It is when you feel the way I do about him.”
He leans over on his knees and cranes his neck to look back at me. The grave expression he wears causes a heavy shadow to fall over his always light eyes, the seemingly permanent rise of his cheekbones to fall, and his brows to pull taut, which I’ve never seen them do. His gaze flicks over to Fein then back to me and whispers, “You’re saying you have prohibited feelings for my brother? Like an affection for him?”
“I’m not saying anything.”
He shakes his head, turning back around. “Would you pick him?”
I lean back on the couch. I don’t know the answer to that question. I could say no and say I’ll pick Luke one hundred percent. I just don’t know just how truthful that is anymore. But it’s what I was born to say. “I’ll pick Luke.”
He nods slowly. “How can you confirm that feeling? Attraction, yes, that is acceptable. We don’t love.”
“I’m not confirming that feeling, I can’t. It’s nothing more than anything anyone else has going on around here. What I said was, it’s hard to pretend like I don’t have this attraction, that I can’t have it one day and leave it be the next.” Confirming restricted feelings would be a mistake, and what’s saying Fein’s definitely asleep?
“What I’ve heard from the Normals is if you have those feelings for someone, you don’t have to think about it.”
I couldn’t write this off as just attraction. It’s deeper than that. It’s empty and full. It’s heavy and weightless. I float, and I sink around him. I breathe as I suffocate with him. And the same without him. It’s an odd feeling that I can’t explain, and one I’ve never experienced. But I can’t say yes, that’s what this is. “I think, though there are restricted feelings and emotions, I don’t think it’s because we can’t feel them. I believe we have open access to these feelings, that our brains can manifest them, and our bodies can and will react to them. But they’ve been working us for so long, training us, and making us believe there’s only one path. And while there is…what if there was an opportunity for Creations to be Creations and something more?” I follow up the questions with a half-hearted chuckle, hoping to give off a sense that I’m joking.
Salient Invaders: A Young Adult Post-Apocalyptic Dystopian Series (The Separation Trilogy Book 2) Page 5
