Opheliac (8 page)

JD scoffed. “Are you kidding me?”

“I said not
always
.”

“Okay, once in a blue moon you don't put up a fight.”

“More than that.”

“You're arguing with me now!”

“Because you're wrong.” Orlando glared at him, but there was a slight hint of a smile on his lips, so JD was pretty sure it was all in jest. JD wanted to pinch himself. They were actually getting along? Over the past few months they'd gained an understanding of one another, but weren't quite friends. Things seemed to finally be falling into place.

JD rolled his eyes, using a language Orlando knew all too well. “Denial.”

“Don't follow that up with a river-in-Egypt crack, or I'm going to leave.”

He put his hands up defensively. “I wouldn't dare.”

“Good.” Orlando stretched some more. “If we're done, how do you all feel about doing something? Movie, arcade, ice fishing.”

Shaking his head, JD also stood. “Can't, school night. Ice fishing, man, you are desperate to get out of the house. Can't you just lock yourself in your bedroom?”

“That's too much work.”

“More work than ice fishing?”

Orlando shrugged. “Not the point.”

“Okay then.” JD dropped the issue. “Another time, just say the word and we can make something happen. We don't need to be meeting to hang out, right?”

“Right.”

Another small victory, and JD would take it. “Cool, Cadence, I'll give you a ride home if you want.” They still had to have their talk. Hopefully, she hadn't changed her mind. It was her idea, after all, and it needed to happen—badly.

There was some apprehension in her gaze, but she nodded all the same. “Thank you.”

“I can drive you back home, Angela,” Orlando said. His observation skills were much appreciated, because JD hadn't been sure what to do about his sister.

Alan watched all of them, his expression back to being stoic and difficult to read. “Saturday at noon. That will be our next meeting time. Thank you for your cooperation. If I can, I'll try to stop in and talk to you individually before then.” Without so much as a goodbye, he teleported from the room.

Tait lay in bed, trying to focus on her homework. She had a mega-paper to write and a poster board to decorate. Soon, she would also be leaving for a meeting with Alona. All she had to do was wait for her brother. Being impatient made the time drag that much longer.

Okay, let's write this paper. Writing a report on the Industrial Revolution should not be this hard. I have all of the notes and highlights I want to include. Now all that's left to do is transfer them onto the computer.
Every time she looked down at her notes, her mind couldn't lock onto one fact to add into her essay.
Maybe I should call Orly. He always makes for a nice distraction. We could talk more about going on a date. Possibly even this weekend if my schedule allows for it.
What she wouldn't give to be able to have one normal weekend where the only thing she had to worry about was finding the perfect outfit. The world was changing. As exciting as those changes were, she did like her moments of being only a girl instead of a superhero.

“I shouldn't push him,” she mumbled.

“Push who?” Payton asked from her doorway.

She jumped, not realizing she'd left the door open to begin with. Her reflexes were down if her brother could sneak up on her. Payton was a big, clunky mess, not to mention a bit clumsy with everything but a football. Anyone could hear him coming from a mile away. So why hadn't she?

Tait rubbed her forehead and moved away from the desk. “Orly, he hinted at wanting to get back together with me during lunch. Well, he said he wanted to hang out more and work on rebuilding our relationship. That's the same thing, right? In guy code?”

“More or less,” Payton said with a small chuckle. “Awesome, I was hoping it would happen. He's good for you, makes you better.”

“You say that like I'm a bad person.” She scowled, making sure to glare at her twin as she did so.

All he did was laugh. “If he didn't make you better, he wouldn't be worthy of being with you. That's how it's supposed to work. He's the first non-sleazy guy you've been interested in.”

Groaning, Tait faced away from him.

“It's true,” Payton said.

Tait shook her head. “I guess, but again, you're making it sound like I have this awful track record.”

“You do!”

“Do not!”

“Do too!”

“Ugh,” she grunted. “Logan wasn't bad.”

Payton snorted. “You were twelve, dated for two weeks, and the only reason he asked you out is because you were cute and he needed a girlfriend.”

“Yeah, but he wasn't bad. He treated me well when we were together. It's part of the ‘being young and stupid' thing. First boy who wanted to date me, of course I'm going to say yet.” She hated the chastising from her brother—it made her feel dirty, tainted. “I seem to remember you having a girlfriend like that.”

“Okay, bad example. But Henry sucked. Didn't he date you and another girl at the same time?”

Grumbling, she reluctantly nodded. “Yes.”

“And I don't need to talk about Vance…”

“No, no, you don't need to talk about him.” Shivers ran down her spine at the mention of her emotionally abusive ex, the one she'd foolishly slept with and hoped she could change.

Her brother gave her shoulder a squeeze. “Orlando is the first boyfriend of yours I've actually liked. He's got his quirks, but I don't worry about him hurting you. At least, not in the same ways all of your other exes had.”

“I don't either.” She was the one who was doing all of the screwing up. The fact that Orlando still loved her despite everything she'd done to him was some kind of miracle.

“All I'm trying to say is that I'm happy you guys are working it out. I was worried you were going to go off the deep end and find…him.” He frowned, pressing his lips together.

She raised both of her eyebrows. “Who?”

“Chihuahua Man's sidekick. Who else?”

This is almost as bad as having the birds and the bees talk with my mom. Of all the times for him to go protective brother on me…
“Look, I'm not going to deny there's something hot about him. The suit and fedora, the dark hair, that air of mystery around him, it's…”

Payton put his hands over his ears. “I'm not listening to you fantasize about a guy.”

“I was just going to say it was yummy.” She pulled his hands away from his ears. “Besides, it's not every day I get to have such stimulating banter. Just because he's attractive doesn't mean anything is going to happen with him. I'm not going to go searching for his identity and make him mine.”
For now.

The idea of revealing his true self was all kinds of stupid. At the same time, her curiosity was getting the better of her. Someday, she
would
find out who he was, just so she could know who the real man was behind the mask. They'd only interacted with each other twice. The first time, he and Chihuahua Man had interrupted some business she was attending to at a park. In an attempt to stop her from euthanizing a sick teenager, he had slammed her intelligence and called her worthless. So she decided to slam him into the ground with her powers and make him regret it. The next time they met, he retaliated by throwing her into a wall and almost killing her.

Figuring out who this mystery man was would not only give her an opportunity for revenge, but allow her to scratch a nasty itch brought on by her unfortunate attraction to him.

Her brother's frown deepened and she wasn't sure if he believed her. After a moment, he nodded. “Okay, sis. Can't blame me for being concerned. Ever since Vance, I promised myself I wouldn't let you get involved in something stupid again.”

“Should have thought about that before joining forces with Alona then.”

“I don't consider the things happening with Alona to be stupid. As dangerous as it is, we need to help her in any way we can. Chasing after a guy who clearly doesn't respect you or your life, on the other hand…that's dumb.” He cracked a small smile. “Just stick with Orlando.”

She rolled her eyes. “I was planning on it. Thank you.”

“Speaking of Alona, it's time to get ready to go.” Payton's entire face seemed to light up, all too reminiscent of a lovesick puppy. As far as she knew, he didn't have a crush on their alien big sister. He was in a steady relationship too. When it came to dating, he wasn't anywhere near as reckless as Tait. Payton's devotion to Alona was admirable. Seeing her brother passionate for something was refreshing. For the most part, he always seemed to coast through life, content but submissive to the rest of the world. Being easygoing was a good thing, but sometimes he was a bit too easygoing.

Tait stood from her chair, stretched, and went to find something she could work out in. They weren't supposed to be training tonight, but anything was possible. She had to be prepared for a change in plans. Especially since she didn't know how Alona would react to Tait's news of the memory loss.

Grabbing a pair of yoga pants, a tank-top, and a pair of sweats to wear over that, Tait walked into her large closet and got dressed. She had just enough space to get ready without her brother seeing. Really, she should have just kicked him out, but she doubted he would have listened to her until she started stripping in the middle of the room. He could be a little dense at times. It was an endearing quality of his, all the same.

Once changed, she rejoined her brother, grabbing her mask along with her backpack. “Okay, I'm ready.”

“Aren't you going to be cold? It's still practically winter outside,” Payton said.

“I'll wear my coat still. It's starting to warm up some more. Hopefully, the snow will be melted before prom.”

“We've got about a month to find out.” He winked. “Got your date?”

She shrugged as they made their way through the house toward the garage. “I've been asked by a few guys, but I haven't committed to anything.”

“Because you're still hoping Orlando is going to ask you.”

“Yup, that's it exactly. I don't want to push him to ask me. If all else fails, I'll just ask him instead. Assuming things are going well, I mean. That would let him know I was serious, right?” She glanced at her brother. “It's supposed to be the most romantic night of your high school life.”

Payton gave her a sideward glance. “Supposed to be, yeah.”

“I honestly think he's…it…for me. You know? If I could show him that…”

“I don't think getting physical with him is going to make your relationship better. Just a hunch,” Payton grumbled. “First of all, I told him if he did anything with you he shouldn't, I was going to break his ribs and mash his kidneys. Second, you should try this thing called talking. I hear it does wonders for people.”

She rolled her eyes. “We talk. Orlando is the type of guy who needs tangible evidence. How else am I supposed to show him I love him? I thought that's how guys communicated.”

Shaking his head, Payton got into the car, getting into the driver's seat. She got in on the passenger side and buckled in, her gaze never leaving her brother. He was the only access to male insight she had. Neither of their parents would ever talk to her about boyfriends. Unless her mom and dad needed to perform a parental duty, they would rather be friends with their children rather than authority figures. Orlando wasn't the only one who had parents abandon him. Hers did too, but in a different way.

Payton stepped up and was honest with her at least. When he wanted to be, he could be insightful. She waited to see if he would offer any of his profound, wise-beyond-his-years advice.

He let out a slow breath and started the car, opening up the garage door at the same time. “I'm not sure how to answer that.”

“Why?”

“Because it's complicated. Yeah, we like the tangible thing, but it just doesn't seem smart to me to be tangible right now.” He frowned. “I can't believe we're talking about this.”

She rolled her eyes. “Who else am I going to talk to? If I went to Dad he'd walk out. If I tried to talk to Mom she'd march me down to the woman's clinic and stock me up with five million types of birth control before handing me cash for skimpy lingerie and telling me to ‘have a nice night.'”

“No she wouldn't!”

“Want to make a bet?” She glared at him. “It's more or less what happened when I tried to talk to her about Vance. I need someone to be straight with me and offer some real guidance, not let me flounder and learn on my own.”

Payton's frown deepened. “I'm not sure I'm the one who can offer it to you. None of your relationships have been like any of mine.”

“But you're a guy.” She pouted.

“And as a guy, I know I'd feel like crap if a girl got me into bed thinking it would magically solve all of our problems. Hello, did it work with Vance? No. It's not going to work here either.” He rolled his eyes.

He was right; she knew as much. At the same time, she was at a loss for how to prove to Orlando she was going to stick around for as long as he wanted her—that she meant it when she said she was sorry. Her options were limited, and she was desperate to earn his love.

Payton gave her a weak smile. “Try not to make it complicated. Talk to him. Go from there.”

“What do you think Alona wants from us?” she asked. Changing the subject was probably a good idea. It was time to get into a new mindset. There was business to attend to. Orlando would still be there when she got back home.

Her brother shrugged. “I'm not sure. She said it was important. The whole team is getting together. That's what Sensor said on the phone, at least.”

“I don't like that she's going to
him
now to tell him what we're doing instead of us,” she mumbled. “It's like she doesn't trust us anymore or something.”

“You know she cares about us, Sis.”

“Yeah, well, I still don't like Sensor. Nor do I trust him. He's not one of us, so why is he getting in on all of our meetings?” Tait clenched her fists. “Especially if we're going to break away from his boss, the Doctor. I don't know what she's thinking.”

“We'll find out soon enough,” he said. Soon they were at the Lunar Falls High School parking lot. The school did not have any security cameras equipped to the outside, or the inside for that matter. All it had was a security system that was easy to turn off. The enemy tribes knew where the blue tribe liked to train, but that didn't stop them from using the space. Tait, personally, welcomed the challenge.

She put on her mask. Simple and black, the mask would protect her identity from outsiders. There was some kind of strange technology that allowed for the wearer to become distorted to anyone who had never seen her take it off – clothes included. Only Payton knew who she truly was. None of her other teammates had earned the privilege to see her face.

Together, she and her brother found the side door by the theater and unlocked it. Payton was able to swipe the keys from the janitor during the school day and get them copied over lunch before anyone noticed they were gone. Everyone loved and trusted him at Lunar Falls, so he got a lot of perks that only seniors tended to have. The guy could get away with murder.

They made their way down the stairs next to the stage, heading down underneath to where the dressing rooms were located. Alona stood in the hallway, picking at her nails. It was just the three of them. The theater was their private meeting place where they could talk away from the rest of the group. Often, the twins arrived early so they could talk about business and organize the plans for the evening before addressing all of the others.

When Alona looked up at them, a smile formed on her face. Tait let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. Why was she so nervous Alona was upset with her? When she met the gaze of her superior, she noticed a sadness in the young woman's eyes.