“Yes, you. Poor Naomi thinks you’re both straight and have a boyfriend. If you want anything to happen, it’s up to you to set the ball in motion.”
She gapes, and a little light bulb goes off in my brain. “The Ball! Ask her to the All Hallows Ball, it’s this weekend, right?”
A thousand thoughts flit through Willow’s head and I concentrate on letting her have privacy. After a couple of minutes, she squares her shoulders and juts out her chin. “I’m going to do it. The world might be ending and evil energy istaking over, but I don’t want to die without shooting my shot first.”
“That’s the spirit,” I tell her. “Now that’s decided, can we spend a little time practising your brain-shields? I really don’t want to intrude on your brains anymore.”
Duncan and Willow pay attention and very soon are able to keep their thoughts from my head. In fact, it’s remarkably straightforward.
Huh, now I come to think of it, since returning from Avalon, the voices haven’t been half as hectic, almost like I’ve been automatically tuning them out without trying.
If that’s a blessing from Amirene’s Lumina, then I am, truly, hashtag blessed.
Looking at my phone, I decided it’s been too long since I laid eyes on the twins. Both my head and my heart are worried that they are just going to vanish into thin air again. “I’m heading to Electis.”
Dunc doesn’t reply, too busy battling something, but Willow hugs me. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help,” she tells me. “But in the meantime, I’m going to be rehearsing the perfect way to ask Naomi out. Is a prom-prosal going too far?”
“Much too far. Keep it simple.”
“Aye, aye, captain.” She flops back on her bed, a dreamy expression on her face.
As I walk down the stairs, my phone pings with various notifications. The first is a text.
DONOVAN:Tee! Where are u? Miss u
THEO:Likewise, I was just gonna sneak over to yours
DONOVAN:Stay there. I’ll come grab you
THEO:*heart emoji*
The second is a new email. It’s from Aunt Nancy.
Subject: Re: Majorly Important Question
Theo,
I'm sorry you feel your life is a "mystery" right now, but no, I genuinely didn't know about the adoption. With the wedding planning, I haven't been able to go through your mother's boxes yet.
Be good.
Nancy
I’m going to dismiss that as a whole heap of nothing-burger, but my newly developed spidey-sense is tingling. I read over the email again. The words ‘I genuinely didn’t know’ appear almost oily.
She’s lying. I can smell it, like spoiled milk. Gross.
I file that under things to think about later.
In the lobby, Ginger-Teresa and Justin Bieber Haircut are hanging out, looking at the noticeboard. Dammit, I have to stop calling her Ginger-Teresa. Just Teresa. And what’s his name? Oh, Scott. I remember now.
While waiting for Donovan, I practice my telepathy shielding by focusing on the two Defectivum students. OK, brain. Don’t listen.
And…
Silence. Not a peep.
OK, brain, now switch on. Instantly, my head is filled again.
