Jordan slams her coffee mug onto the table. “Nice? This is ridiculous. Why Daddy saidshehad to be part of our clique is beyond me.”
“Are you questioning a direct order from the Conclave,” Cosmo asks, his voice icy cold.
Her face pales, despite the fake tan. “No, of course not,” she replies quickly. “I’ll do whatever the Conclave requests, of course.”
I watch, fascinated, as she literally shudders, straightens her spine, then plasters on a smile and fixes it in my direction. “Good morning, Theo. Glad you could join us for breakfast. You do look like shit though. Didn’t you sleep well?”
Oh, Jor-Jor. Classic.
I blink slowly at her, keeping my expression unmoved. Inside, my Lumina is doing a slow, angry lap around my ribcage, but on the outside, I just offer her a docile, airhead kind of head tilt. “I had lovely dreams actually. About being a princess. Everywhere I went, trails of sparkles followed me. And I had all these lovely princes loving me madly.”
Jordan’s lip curls in a massive sneer. When Cosmo coughs, she attempts to turn it into something resembling a smile. I catch his eye.
—Bad dud, you nearly made me laugh—
I reach out and stroke one of Jordan’s dark red fingernails. “Ooh, I like that nail polish. Is it Basic Beetroot, or Budget Burgundy?”
She snatches her hand away, her face flushing a shade that nearly matches her manicure. “It’s Imperial Garnet, you idiot. Custom-made with an heirloom pigment.”
“Oh,” I say, letting my hand fall back to the table with a limp flop. I offer her a wide, vacant smile. “It’s so pretty. It really brings out your eyes.”
Cosmo chokes on a forkful of açai bowl. I push the water jug in his direction.
Jordan lets out a huff and turns her attention to the bowl of strawberries she’s picking at.
Taking a sip of my tea, I think in a weird way, the Conclave has given me a little gift. Tormenting Jordan now that she has to befriendscould be just what the doctor ordered. I stretch in my seat, and my foot meets Wes’s.
Instantly my Lumina freaks out. It’s an intense push and pull feeling.
You’re not the boss of me, Lumina. Get your butts over to Wes’s foot asap.
I think a few sparkles manage to wade through the gloop of dark energy but I’m not sure.
“Did you sleep alright, Wes?” I ask him.
He shrugs. “Yes.”
Shifting my chair a little, I manage to also connect my knee to Wes.
“Did you dream?” I ask him.
He frowns. “I think…I…”
My Lumina is tickling at his body, trying to be let in.
—Wes?—
A quick smattering of his thoughts flash into my brain. Not much, but snatches.
—no…bad…yes…can’t—
Jordan stands up abruptly, sending the water jug flying. We all shift to avoid the spill and my connection is broken.
Cosmo meets my eye. “Walk with me to Restricted Studies, Wilson.”
“Yes, of course,” I reply demurely, like a good girl, quickly gulping down my tea and picking up the toast to chew en route. Jordan’s eyes narrow, but relax when Cosmo leans towards her, kissing the top of her head. “Relax, dearest. Just doing my duty. My very tedious duty.”
She gazes up at him, face brightening. “Of course. I just feel so bad for you, being stuck with someone so…” Her eyes flick to me, “...so much less than the rest of us.”
