sounded confused, but almost as seductive as Kaio’s.
“Like E.T.?” Luke said. “Outer space?”
Fen couldn’t bring herself to answer. She wanted to die. That metaphor about the floor opening up and swallowing her? She wanted it to have teeth. Big, jagged, crushing teeth that would rip her apart and then spit her out scornfully.
Dammit, she’d repeated the same mistake she made with Zach’s friends, reacting on instinct instead of thinking.
“I—” Fen started, not sure whether she was going to apologize or pretend she’d been joking.
“No,” Kaio interrupted her. “No, we’re not.”
“But wouldn’t that be fun?” The woman next to him pressed her hands together as if in prayer. “To travel the stars? To see other worlds?”
“Only you would say so, Gaelith,” Luke responded. He beckoned to the seat beside him. “Come sit, Fen. You need to meet our sister and I’m starving.”
Wordlessly, Fen joined them at the table.
She intended to hate Gaelith. The woman had called her a curiosity. Okay, not to her face, and Fen shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but that was beside the point. But when Gaelith smiled at her, eyes dancing, and held out her hand, saying in her rich voice, “I’m so delighted to meet you, Fen,” Fen couldn’t help but smile back.
Nothing about Gaelith resembled the wealthy, spoiled prima donna of Fen’s imagination. She wore a plain blue caftan-style dress, loose but fully covering her, and while she was beautiful, it wasn’t a beauty bought by expensive make-up and regular maintenance. Her features looked like those of her brothers—straight nose, high cheekbones, full lips, firm chin. Faint lines around her eyes suggested she was the oldest of the siblings, while her hair color was the flat black of a bad dye job.
“You’re having quite the adventure,” Gaelith continued. “I’m so sorry such a terrible thing happened to you. You must have been so frightened.” Gaelith’s voice held the same lilts as Kaio’s, the same hint of an accent, but unlike his, her tone was full of warmth and concern.
The sympathy was too much. Below the cover of the table, Fen took a pinch of her skin and twisted, hard, letting her fingernails bite into the flesh to bring her back to herself.
She was used to being alone. Or at least alone in a crowd. After her mom died, she’d gone into foster care, into houses always filled with kids. She’d spent time in a group home, more time living rough on the streets, usually finding squats packed with fellow homeless teens. She’d drifted from place to place, avoided jail by the skin of her teeth, avoided pimps and dealers by the grace of God.
But there were people, people, always more people. She’d craved solitude like it was the holy grail, while being lonelier than she’d ever conceived of.
And then she’d found Theresa. The used bookstore had been a place of occasional refuge—a way to spend a warm hour for the price of an old paperback. When Theresa offered her a job, Fen had been suspicious. Hey, suspicion served her well during those brutal years. But Theresa meant it. She’d given Fen work, wages, helped her find a room in an apartment with three roommates, provided bracing advice and cookies when needed. The day she’d trusted Fen with the key to the store had been the best day of Fen’s life.
The last four days—they hadn’t been the worst. Nowhere close. But they’d been lonely and isolating and yeah, scary.
“It was unpleasant, yes,” Fen said, keeping her voice cool. Kaio and Luke were still standing, but Gaelith took her seat and gestured toward an empty chair to indicate that Fen should sit. Fen sat. Kaio and Luke followed suit.
“Thank goddess,” Luke said. “I’m so hungry. What took you so long?”
“Luken!” The name was the same, but the protest was a gentle remonstrance from Gaelith, a firm objection from Kaio.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said immediately. “I meant no offense.”
“None
“Like E.T.?” Luke said. “Outer space?”
Fen couldn’t bring herself to answer. She wanted to die. That metaphor about the floor opening up and swallowing her? She wanted it to have teeth. Big, jagged, crushing teeth that would rip her apart and then spit her out scornfully.
Dammit, she’d repeated the same mistake she made with Zach’s friends, reacting on instinct instead of thinking.
“I—” Fen started, not sure whether she was going to apologize or pretend she’d been joking.
“No,” Kaio interrupted her. “No, we’re not.”
“But wouldn’t that be fun?” The woman next to him pressed her hands together as if in prayer. “To travel the stars? To see other worlds?”
“Only you would say so, Gaelith,” Luke responded. He beckoned to the seat beside him. “Come sit, Fen. You need to meet our sister and I’m starving.”
Wordlessly, Fen joined them at the table.
She intended to hate Gaelith. The woman had called her a curiosity. Okay, not to her face, and Fen shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but that was beside the point. But when Gaelith smiled at her, eyes dancing, and held out her hand, saying in her rich voice, “I’m so delighted to meet you, Fen,” Fen couldn’t help but smile back.
Nothing about Gaelith resembled the wealthy, spoiled prima donna of Fen’s imagination. She wore a plain blue caftan-style dress, loose but fully covering her, and while she was beautiful, it wasn’t a beauty bought by expensive make-up and regular maintenance. Her features looked like those of her brothers—straight nose, high cheekbones, full lips, firm chin. Faint lines around her eyes suggested she was the oldest of the siblings, while her hair color was the flat black of a bad dye job.
“You’re having quite the adventure,” Gaelith continued. “I’m so sorry such a terrible thing happened to you. You must have been so frightened.” Gaelith’s voice held the same lilts as Kaio’s, the same hint of an accent, but unlike his, her tone was full of warmth and concern.
The sympathy was too much. Below the cover of the table, Fen took a pinch of her skin and twisted, hard, letting her fingernails bite into the flesh to bring her back to herself.
She was used to being alone. Or at least alone in a crowd. After her mom died, she’d gone into foster care, into houses always filled with kids. She’d spent time in a group home, more time living rough on the streets, usually finding squats packed with fellow homeless teens. She’d drifted from place to place, avoided jail by the skin of her teeth, avoided pimps and dealers by the grace of God.
But there were people, people, always more people. She’d craved solitude like it was the holy grail, while being lonelier than she’d ever conceived of.
And then she’d found Theresa. The used bookstore had been a place of occasional refuge—a way to spend a warm hour for the price of an old paperback. When Theresa offered her a job, Fen had been suspicious. Hey, suspicion served her well during those brutal years. But Theresa meant it. She’d given Fen work, wages, helped her find a room in an apartment with three roommates, provided bracing advice and cookies when needed. The day she’d trusted Fen with the key to the store had been the best day of Fen’s life.
The last four days—they hadn’t been the worst. Nowhere close. But they’d been lonely and isolating and yeah, scary.
“It was unpleasant, yes,” Fen said, keeping her voice cool. Kaio and Luke were still standing, but Gaelith took her seat and gestured toward an empty chair to indicate that Fen should sit. Fen sat. Kaio and Luke followed suit.
“Thank goddess,” Luke said. “I’m so hungry. What took you so long?”
“Luken!” The name was the same, but the protest was a gentle remonstrance from Gaelith, a firm objection from Kaio.
“I’m sorry,” Luke said immediately. “I meant no offense.”
“None
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