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Authors: Nazarea Andrews
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problem—it was the
symptom. His career was suddenly the very last thing any of them were concerned
with.
“They gave him six
months,” Iris says, sniffling. “It’s been eight, and he was doing so good.
Like. I thought he might actually make but then he took a turn and it’s just…I
keep waiting for them to call. To tell me that he’s gone.” She stares at me,
her eyes wide and searching. “What am I going to do when he’s gone?”
I lean forward.
Take her hands in mine and rub them. “You’d go on. Because that’s what he’d
want.”
She stares at me,
and tears stand in her eyes, these big, begging things.
I should leave. I
know I should. I should leave her here and go back to my family, to the
fighting that is happening there that I can't ignore or escape--I can only
pretend to do both.
Instead, I take her
hands in mine and smile at her. "Come with me."
And she tilts her
head. Studies me through her tears. It feels like the world holds its breath as
I sit there, patient and waiting under this mortal girl's eyes.
Finally, she nods.
" Okay ."
I take her out of
the city. We climb into her little car and she stares at Del who creeps off my
neck and settles in my lap with a single, grumpy mew.
"Got a thing
for cats?" she asks, cranking the engine and pulling into traffic.
I shrug.
"Think I've always known I'd be a cat person, in the end. But Del is a
good , little
buddy."
I rub a finger
between her ears and they pin back, and she hisses at me.
Iris laughs and
it's good to hear. To hear something other than tears and angst in her sweet
voice.
"Tell me about
you," she says, and I shrug.
"There is very
little to tell."
"Where have
you been the past few days?" she asks, tilting her head to side eye me and
that I can answer.
"There was a
death, in my family. A cousin. I have a pretty.... intense family and we've
been holed up in my father's house, while we waited for the funeral."
"Were you
close?"
I shake my head.
"No. She was a sweetheart, but no. We weren't close. I hadn't seen her in
years."
"You aren't
close to your family, are you?"
I shrug. "Not
most of them. I'm very close to my twin sister. She's my best friend." I
say it fondly, but it's such a trite way to describe the other half of my soul .
That's what twins
are. Or, what they were, when the world was very young. They were two halves of one soul,
torn into two bodies. It's why Artie and I are still close, despite everything
that says I should stay away from my family.
Why what Hades did to
the twins was so infuriating. It’s one of the only times I sided with Zeus
over my uncle.
It's why today, I
can't forget this gorgeous girl that I want in my bed and wrapped up in my
power, that smiles at me, distracted but lovely from the driver's seat--I want
to fix it. I want to give her back her twin brother.
I want to wipe away
the fear that lingers in her eyes.
She touches my
knee, and I let my fingers wrap around hers. "Stay with me, Apollo,"
she says, softly.
I want to tell her
that I am. That I am here.
That right this
moment, I don't want to be anywhere else. That I want to lose myself in her,
because I can't face the truth that is glaring at me when I look away from her.
Instead, I squeeze
her hand and she drives us into the sun.
When we are sitting
on a rock looking at the setting sun, she's wrapped in my jacket, shivering in
the cool wind, and licking an ice cream cone with dogged determination.
"What would
you say if I said I could fix your brother? What would you give me if I could
do that for you?"
She doesn't
hesitate.
"Everything.
But you can't. No one can, Apollo. I've accepted that."
She licks the cone
again, a smear of chocolate on her pink tongue and then turns pensive.
"There's
nothing I wouldn't give or do, if you could. But it's just...the shit hand we
were given. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to my awful little cafe, and I'll go back to
Heath's bedside, and I’ll go back to my shit life."
"And
today?" I
symptom. His career was suddenly the very last thing any of them were concerned
with.
“They gave him six
months,” Iris says, sniffling. “It’s been eight, and he was doing so good.
Like. I thought he might actually make but then he took a turn and it’s just…I
keep waiting for them to call. To tell me that he’s gone.” She stares at me,
her eyes wide and searching. “What am I going to do when he’s gone?”
I lean forward.
Take her hands in mine and rub them. “You’d go on. Because that’s what he’d
want.”
She stares at me,
and tears stand in her eyes, these big, begging things.
I should leave. I
know I should. I should leave her here and go back to my family, to the
fighting that is happening there that I can't ignore or escape--I can only
pretend to do both.
Instead, I take her
hands in mine and smile at her. "Come with me."
And she tilts her
head. Studies me through her tears. It feels like the world holds its breath as
I sit there, patient and waiting under this mortal girl's eyes.
Finally, she nods.
" Okay ."
I take her out of
the city. We climb into her little car and she stares at Del who creeps off my
neck and settles in my lap with a single, grumpy mew.
"Got a thing
for cats?" she asks, cranking the engine and pulling into traffic.
I shrug.
"Think I've always known I'd be a cat person, in the end. But Del is a
good , little
buddy."
I rub a finger
between her ears and they pin back, and she hisses at me.
Iris laughs and
it's good to hear. To hear something other than tears and angst in her sweet
voice.
"Tell me about
you," she says, and I shrug.
"There is very
little to tell."
"Where have
you been the past few days?" she asks, tilting her head to side eye me and
that I can answer.
"There was a
death, in my family. A cousin. I have a pretty.... intense family and we've
been holed up in my father's house, while we waited for the funeral."
"Were you
close?"
I shake my head.
"No. She was a sweetheart, but no. We weren't close. I hadn't seen her in
years."
"You aren't
close to your family, are you?"
I shrug. "Not
most of them. I'm very close to my twin sister. She's my best friend." I
say it fondly, but it's such a trite way to describe the other half of my soul .
That's what twins
are. Or, what they were, when the world was very young. They were two halves of one soul,
torn into two bodies. It's why Artie and I are still close, despite everything
that says I should stay away from my family.
Why what Hades did to
the twins was so infuriating. It’s one of the only times I sided with Zeus
over my uncle.
It's why today, I
can't forget this gorgeous girl that I want in my bed and wrapped up in my
power, that smiles at me, distracted but lovely from the driver's seat--I want
to fix it. I want to give her back her twin brother.
I want to wipe away
the fear that lingers in her eyes.
She touches my
knee, and I let my fingers wrap around hers. "Stay with me, Apollo,"
she says, softly.
I want to tell her
that I am. That I am here.
That right this
moment, I don't want to be anywhere else. That I want to lose myself in her,
because I can't face the truth that is glaring at me when I look away from her.
Instead, I squeeze
her hand and she drives us into the sun.
When we are sitting
on a rock looking at the setting sun, she's wrapped in my jacket, shivering in
the cool wind, and licking an ice cream cone with dogged determination.
"What would
you say if I said I could fix your brother? What would you give me if I could
do that for you?"
She doesn't
hesitate.
"Everything.
But you can't. No one can, Apollo. I've accepted that."
She licks the cone
again, a smear of chocolate on her pink tongue and then turns pensive.
"There's
nothing I wouldn't give or do, if you could. But it's just...the shit hand we
were given. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to my awful little cafe, and I'll go back to
Heath's bedside, and I’ll go back to my shit life."
"And
today?" I
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