Read Online Inquest by DelSheree Gladden - Free Book Online Page B

a point.”
    “And what
point is that? You’re lazy?” I ask.
    Milo stoops
down and scoops my forgotten books up off the floor and holds them
out to me. “Not lazy, exactly, just incapable of turning in
homework assignments.”
    I reach out
for my books and notice that the right cuff of his frayed
sweatshirt has pulled up enough to bare his wrist. The sight of a
tiny string of diktats isn’t all that remarkable given that we’re
in a talent training class together, but they catch my eye anyway.
There is something wrong with them. Before I can really get a good
look at the diktats Milo notices my gaze and practically drops the
books into my arms. I catch them purely on reflex and hug them
against my chest.
    “So, is there
actually a difference between being lazy and incapable of doing
your homework? ‘Cause I’d probably just lump them together,” I say,
trying to alleviate the awkwardness.
    “Of course
there is.”
    I wait for him
to explain, but he doesn’t. Instead he shoves his hands in his
pockets and starts walking toward the parking lot. It isn’t the
harried pace of someone trying to get away. I get the distinct
impression that his ambling walk is an unspoken invitation for me
to catch up with him. And for some reason beyond being desperate to
have someone to talk to again, I accept. Given how slow he’s
walking it only takes me a couple of steps to catch up and fall in
beside him.
    “So,” Milo
says, telling me I was right about him waiting for me, “what made
your day so awful? Was it just the typical ‘Everybody knows I’m the
Destroyer’ stuff, or something worse, like a broken nail or some
other girl drama?”
    I can’t even
respond for a moment. Milo trying to have a normal conversation
with me is weird enough. His talking about my being the Destroyer
like it’s no big deal is just bizarre. I was sure back in
Perception class that he had no idea who I was.
    “You know
about that?” I ask. Everyone else in the school did, though I
haven’t seen much hint of Howe’s promise to make everyone hate me
yet so I assume it was either Lance or Principal Andrews giving the
school a heads up.
    Without
looking over at me, Milo fills me in. “I have first hour with
Lance. He pretty much announced it to the whole room. It’s probably
a safe bet to say everyone knows by now.”
    “Of course he
did,” I growl. “I’d slap him if I didn’t think he’d try to kill me
again.” My eyes snap over to Milo. I didn’t mean to actually say
that out loud. Things are bad enough without everyone knowing my
own boyfriend—uh, ex-boyfriend—tried to kill me. Milo just keeps
sauntering along without pause.
    “No offense,
but I don’t know what you ever saw in that guy. I thought he was a
prick the first time I met him.” He didn’t move his gaze from the
ground, but I swear I saw him smirk a little as he trashed
Lance.
    Not that it’s
any big surprise that a guy like Milo would detest a guy like
Lance, but I appreciate the sentiment. “I guess I’m not as good a
judge of character as you are. It took his knife barely missing my
throat to clue me in,” I say. The piddling joke actually makes me
feel a little better. “Feel free to warn me next time, okay?”
    Milo actually
glances over at me. “Sure thing.”
    Silence fills
the space between us for a few seconds as we reach the first line
of empty parking spaces. Without warning, Milo stops. Not wanting
to abandon the only person still talking to me, I pause as well and
look back at him.
    “Did he really
try to kill you?”
    My long brown
hair is hanging down around my face, covering my neck. Rather than
answering, I pull my hair back and tilt my head to the side so the
inch long proof of Lance’s attack can be seen plainly. “And right
after that a Guardian came in and almost finished the job,” I
say.
    Whatever I
expected Milo to say, I would have been wrong.
    “Does that
kind of thing happen to you often?” he asks.
    The slight
turning up