“I’ll show you too slow…!”
“My goodness, what did we miss?” Seraphine giggled as she and Stark came inside. They seemed much more themselves; Seraphine was back to her glowing self, and Stark held a gentle grin that made all our shoulders relax.
All the Shadows were a bit unsure of what to say or do, so to break up the awkwardness, I punched Jackson in the side of the head. He howled in pain and threw his arms around my neck to put me in a lock, where we wrestled to the floor to fight for dominance. Odysseus went back to squeaking out his adorable laughs while May laid a five-dollar bill on the coffee table. “My money’s on Jackson. He’s yet to lose one of these fights.”
“Have some faith in me!” I cried out from under Jackson’s left leg.
May gestured to my awkward position. “I know, because you’re giving me so much to work with right now.”
“Submit, shrimp!” Jackson cackled like a villain.
My arm jutted out from our pile of bodies to bang on the floor repeatedly. “I submit! I submit! Let me go you hog!”
“Eh, five more minutes.”
“JACKSON!”
“If you were ever curious as to what we’re like in our off hours, this is it,” Bianca popped as she stomped on Jackson’s back. He immediately freed me, as he knew his wife would beat his ass if he didn’t listen. I crawled out from under him wheezing like an asthmatic, and the sounds I released made laughter fill the room.
“What a couple of morons,” Odysseus chuckled.
“You want this? Huh, buddy?” I taunted as I threw my fists up in a fighting stance.
“I would whoop your ass to kingdom come,” Odysseus scoffed with a wave of his hand.
“Let’s make a bet, right now!”
May slapped down ten dollars this time. “Odysseus: kill him.”
“Wait, wait, wait…” I pleaded as Odysseus stood ominously, his eyes pure gold.
“Alright, that’s enough everyone. Let’s eat!” Alice chimed.
Odysseus giggled at my frazzled expression and pulled me up from the ground so he could peck my temple and guide me to the table. I was still wary of a sneak attack and kept my defenses up, especially when he pulled me chair out for me and kept his hands on the back as I sat down. I expected him to wrench it out from underneath me, but in typical Odysseus fashion, he was only waiting to push me in politely. I smirked to myself at his thoughtful gesture and leaned over to kiss his cheek gratefully when he sat beside me.
Alice handed out dishes of lasagna for us to pass down while Stark dressed the salad with Italian dressing, and Bianca cut up garlic bread. I licked my lips rabidly when Claude set a plate down for me. “Yummy, yummy in Nicodemus’s tummy!”
“You like lasagna that much? I’ve never seen you eat it?” Odysseus questioned as he watched me shovel a forkful in my mouth.
“I like Alice’s cooking, period,” I answered with my mouth full, “but her Italian is some of the best she can do!”
“Oh hush, you,” she giggled out.
“If only he had the table manners to eat it like a normal person,” Bianca scolded.
I brushed her off and reached for the diet soda. “You guys hear anything from Dad’s Shadows yet?”
An eerie silence overcame the table. Seraphine bit her lip as she thought of what to say, while my Shadows all looked at one another sadly. “No, Nick, we haven’t. No one can seem to track them down right now…” Bexley finally admitted.
I nodded solemnly. “I figured.”
Odysseus set his fork down and patted my back gently. “You’re… taking this rather well. Are you sure you’re doing ok?”
I stayed concentrated on my garlic bread. “I’m as good as I’m gonna get.”
“Nick…?” Claude warned.
I let my smile fall slightly, just enough to show a little of my true feelings. “I’m incredibly worried about him. I mean, it’s Gehenna; there’s no way he’s down there picking flowers. I wish they would let me see him, even if just for a moment.”
