10
Theo
I led Maxwell through the winding corridors and outside towards the large greenhouse that stood behind our mansion. The night air was cool and crisp, and stars glittered overhead. Maxwell raised his face. He took off his glasses, wiped them on his shirt, then put them on again.
“Wow. It’s so beautiful out here,” he said.
I was a few feet away when I realized he’d stopped walking to stare at the sky. I smiled and returned to him. “Are you always so spacey?”
“Huh?”
I crossed my arms. “If you act like this all the time, then it’s no wonder that guy snuck up on you.”
Maxwell suddenly looked back down to me, seeming a bit embarrassed. He averted his gaze, probably thinking about that night since I’d stupidly brought it up.
“Er, sorry. I didn’t mean to imply it was your fault,” I mumbled.
What was wrong with me? First I avoided him for days, and now I was acting like a fool.
I took his hand and lead him towards the greenhouse. “Come on. I want to show you something.”
Warm humidity and floral scents hit our faces as we entered. Neat rows of assorted plants stood before us, covering the area with green, along with the bright splashes of color from the flowers. In the back of the greenhouse stood a few taller trees, all bearing fruit.
“What do you think?” I asked Maxwell expectantly. This seemed totally up his alley. He loved science and biology was science, right?
But Maxwell seemed distracted. I searched his face.
“Theo,” Maxwell began, “is something wrong?”
“Wrong? Why do you say that?”
“Um,” he mumbled. “Because I haven’t seen you since the night Pierce agreed to let me stay.”
I stopped and turned to face him. “I know. I don’t know what came over me, but all of a sudden, I felt really guilty for what I did to you.” I absentmindedly reached out to finger the rim of a potted plant. Its broad leaf touched my skin, making it tickle. “Sorry.”
“You didn’tdoanything, really,” Maxwell murmured. “Aside from making up that plan.”
I grumbled. “It was a stupid plan. I found that out pretty quick today.”
“You were there, at Lark’s appointment,” Maxwell pointed out. “Was that on purpose?”
I made a so-so hand gesture. “Kind of. It was mostly a feeling. I know that sounds weird, but I suddenly got this feeling like you needed my help.”
Maxwell’s brows rose.
“So I ran there as fast as I could and heard what was happening on the other side of the door. I had to make up a lie to drag Pierce away, so I did,” I continued. “It wasn’t the smartest thing I’ve ever done, but it worked. I hope.”
He smiled a little. “It did. Pierce was expecting me to give Lark some calamine lotion, so your distraction gave Benji and I time to cover it up with some normal lotion.” His smile faded. “Honestly, I would prefer not to go through that again. It was really stressful. Not just for me, but for Benji and Lark too.”
And it’s my fault,I thought.My stupid plan.
Maxwell gently touched the nearby leaf. “We need to start enacting the other half of the plan. Right?”
“Huh?”
He faced me. “You know, the part about you being around me andnotin crazy-vampire-mode. Being stable and safe. Which you totally are right now, by the way.”
I puffed out my chest. “Of course I am!”
