I hadn’t heard them curse much. For some reason, in their accent it kind of made me want to laugh. Normally they sounded so cultured, European or something. Drop a swear word in there and the culture disappeared. Kind of. They pulled it off anyway.
As we crossed the road, my eyes immediately zoomed in on my driveway, hoping like anything that our old clunker would be there. That my guardians were just lost and had somehow found their way home last night.
It was empty. My throat got tight; my heart clenched. They had to be okay. I couldn’t lose another family. I wouldn’t survive it.
I must have made a distressed sound because Jero slung an arm around me. “I’d cry too if I lived in a dump like this. You should probably just move in with us.”
His arrogance was enough to snap me out of my sadness. “Yeah, right. Lexen would absolutely love me being around permanently. And … it’s not too bad.”
Total lie, but I felt the need to defend our little shack. It did the job it was required to do. For the most part. We were dry, and warm … ish.
I’d run out last night without locking the door. When we stepped inside it looked like everything was exactly as I left it. “Wait here,” I said to Jero. He was looking around our dingy kitchen and lounge room. It all seemed that much smaller and shabbier after being in the beautiful mansion across the street.
It is fine!
I couldn’t afford to start acting like a snob. Literally couldn’t afford it.
Crossing the five steps to my room, I shut the door behind me. I quickly changed my underwear, putting the borrowed ones into my laundry basket. I’d wash them and give them back to Star whenever I was released from the kidnapping program I was currently in. I also grabbed my makeup bag, and using the mirror above my dresser added a bit of powder, mascara, and lipstick to try to brighten my drawn face. I looked stressed, my eyes surrounded by dark circles. My hair went into a bun; it would keep it out of my way for most of the day. And that was as good as it was getting today. I picked up my mom’s necklace, slipping it on over my head, feeling like I needed her support.
Snatching up my backpack from where I had thrown it last night, I checked inside to find my wallet and cards all accounted for. I slipped the provided dress shoes on, and then left to join Jero.
“You can’t live here,” was the first thing he said to me. “There’s no coffee maker. There’s no food in the cupboards.”
I shrugged. “We manage. I’m sure this is going to come as a surprise to you, but a coffee maker is not an actual requirement of survival. Oxygen, water, food, coffee maker … one of these things is not like the others.”
He narrowed his eyes on me, brow furrowing. “Are you sure? That doesn’t sound right to me.”
I chuckled, pushing him toward the door. “Come on, let’s get out of here. You don’t want to catch poor.”
He shuddered, like the very thought was horrifying.
Stepping outside, I locked the front door, ignoring Jero’s snort. I was going to lock up, no matter how crappy our stuff was. An SUV was idling out the front of the quiet street. I knew it well since I had watched it drive past for days. The dark tint now was a relief. I’d be hidden from prying eyes once I was inside.
Jero opened the front passenger door. I expected him to climb in, so I was already moving to the back. He caught my arm. “You’re in the front.”
I tripped over my feet as I tried to change direction. “Are you sure? I’m happy to get in back. I’d actually prefer it.”
“Get in the car, Emma.” The growled command came from the darkened interior.
With a sigh, I stepped around Jero, and grabbing the handle pulled myself into the seat. My bag was dropped on the floor and seatbelt clicked on before I allowed myself to relax into the plush leather. For once the sun was out and actually hot, but I still felt the chill coming from the driver’s side of the car. I didn’t glance Lexen’s way. Part of me was still annoyed that I’d cried on him last night. He was the absolute last person I wanted to show my vulnerabilities to.
Something landed on my lap, and since I had been so determinedly staring out the window I jumped about a foot. Glancing down, my heart beating slightly faster than normal, I gasped at the wrapped sandwich.
“You didn’t eat.”
My eyes moved to Lexen, and I had to stop myself from reaching out and touching him. “Thank you,” I whispered, my voice almost failing me.
He turned back to watch the road, but it almost felt like a little of the awkward between us was gone.
Star leaned forward, her face lit up. “Lexen got one of us into each of your classes! We’re going to keep an eye on you, you don’t have to worry.”
I smiled back, my fingers already busy unwrapping the food. “Have you ever been to school before?”
She actually bounced in her seat and my smile turned into a chuckle. “Never. I can’t wait. I watched a few movies about it last night.”
“It’s not really like the movies…” I started to say, but cut myself off. It wasn’t my place to burst her school bubble; she’d learn soon enough. And, really, what did I know? For the elite, it might be exactly like the movies, with them playing the role of the popular clique. “I’m really glad you’ll be in my classes,” I said instead.
Star surprised me by leaning forward and giving me a hug.
