Entwined

by A. J. Rosen

  “Hot chocolate is far superior to those coffees,” I said.

  Vlad put his Caffè Americano down. “After that much sweetness? You need something bitter to balance it out.”

  I was hoping Adrian would back me up but instead found him looking at Vlad with admiration. Kris had told me that when they were kids, Adrian used to look up to Vlad as a kind of big brother figure, a role model. Clearly he still did.

  What was happening? Over the past few days, Vlad was becoming Vladimir, and not just my best friend’s annoying older brother.

  “Where to after this?” I asked coolly. Feeling Vlad’s gaze still on me, I chose to look at Adrian instead.

  “Depends on you, Montgomery.”

  “Where would you guys have gone back in the days of your rebellious youth? If you can remember back that far.”

  Vlad raised his mug, locking his eyes with mine as he took his time to drink. When he finally put the cup down, he said, “Royal Bar.”

  “Oh man. You almost got me excited for a moment there, but mingling with a bunch of snobby assholes is the last thing I want to do tonight.”

  Adrian leaned close to me. “Don’t worry, Montgomery. I’ll keep those assholes away from you.” He gave me a cheeky wink as he leaned back in his seat. “We’ve got a tiny little problem if I’m going to play your loyal bodyguard.”

  “What?”

  “You’re not going to Royal Bar looking like that, right?”

  Back in my room at the Hyped, I looked in the full-length mirror. I hated to admit it, but Adrian was right. My face was still puffy from all the crying I had done last night, and I could see faint bruises blooming on my neck. I could still feel the pressure of the woman’s hands around my neck and closed my eyes, trying to pull my thoughts away from reliving it. A shower would help.

  Adrian had gone back to his family’s suite to see his sister, while Vlad said he’d wait here. It was obvious that he was reluctant to leave me alone. Another thing I hated to admit: I was grateful he had stayed without me having to ask. I knew that the bizarre woman was in Court Guard custody, but I felt safer and was able to relax knowing Vlad was in the next room.

  Showered and dressed, with the tiniest bit of makeup on, I came out of my room to find the suite empty. Sitting on the couch where I’d left my phone, I was in the middle of texting Kris when Vlad came into the room buttoning up his shirt. A small towel hung around his neck, and his dark hair was slicked down and wet.

  “You’re still here,” I said breathily.

  “Of course,” Vlad said. “I wouldn’t leave you alone. I hope you don’t mind that I used the other bathroom—I needed a shower.”

  The warmth from his body bled over to mine as he sat down beside me, and he squeezed my hand lightly, not realizing the impact that small gesture had on me.

  It was an utterly foreign sensation; a strange and somewhat unpleasant feeling began to flutter in my chest. I quickly realized it was panic. When was the last time anyone had held my hand like this? Had my father? My mother? Kris always went for a hug.

  “You are going to be okay,” Vlad said.

  The way he spoke made it seem like he knew I would be okay. And for some reason, I believed him. My panic subsided, and instead, calm washed over me. We stayed quiet for a long while, my mind combing over the events and emotions I’d experienced since arriving at Court, which seemed like eons ago now. It was almost as if my brain had rebooted.

  “Vlad,” I said. “Do you know if it’s possible not to have a soul-mate bond?”

  He looked at me with a funny expression, like I’d just asked the strangest question in the universe, and perhaps I had. In the Hellenicus’s universe, anyway.

  He chose his words carefully. “We’re all taught about how special the bond is.” He tried not to sound patronizing. “How magical the experience is and how we should be grateful for this gift that the gods have given us.”

  “There isn’t a way.” I sounded dejected.

  “I didn’t say that. There’s this—”

  His phone rang, keeping him from going any further. He answered the call and quickly ended it with, “We’ll be there soon.” He slid his phone into his pocket and stood. “That was Adrian. We should get going. They’re already there.”

  Vlad walked back to the bathroom to put his towel away. I tried my best to stifle a groan. I was so damn close to the answers that I needed. What bad timing! Now I was back to square one.

  But a second later my annoyance turned to delight as I realized that he had confirmed one thing: there really was a way to avoid having a soul mate. I just had to find out how.

  Chapter Thirteen

  The second we got out of the Hyped and into the street, I jumped back to our unfinished conversation. I was grateful that we walked to Royal Bar. I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be in any vehicles without being reminded of both Bryan and Carlo. “What were you saying about the soul-mate bond?” The frustration was apparent in my voice. I wasn’t sure if I would get another chance to speak to Vlad alone again this evening once we were at Royal Bar.

  “What?” Averting his eyes to the road, he continued walking along the busy Ermou Street—in English, Hermes Street. It was particularly cold outside tonight, and Vlad tugged the collar of his jacket closed to keep out the night breeze.

  “You didn’t answer my question from earlier. You were in the middle of saying that there’s a way to break a soul-mate bond, but Adrian interrupted you.”

  He kept his mouth shut as we continued walking, our breath visible in puffs of air against the cold.

  “Are you really not going to give me the answer?” I asked again.

  Vlad came to a halt on the corner of the busy street. We were standing in front of Royal Bar now. “Look, Avy, it’s not that I don’t want to give you the answers, I just don’t see the point. Why does it matter?”

  “Because I’m curious. People like Adrian, maybe like me, I wonder if they’re better off without the gift.”

  “I shouldn’t be telling you any of this, but we learned at the Royal High Court Academy that in the past, someone—seeing the soul-mate bond as a curse—managed to find a way to return it to Apollo, the god who had given it,” he said quietly, probing for my secret agenda.

  “How?”

  “No idea. We don’t even know who this person was. We’re supposed to cherish our gift of clairaudience. Why would they teach us anything about throwing it away?”

  He was right. And I had assumed this would be the case. But that didn’t mean the Court hadn’t kept any files on the subject. And it didn’t mean that I wasn’t going to find out more about it.

  “Let’s head inside before Adrian calls again.” Not even two seconds after he’d said that, his phone rang. “See. Told you.”

  Royal Bar turned out to be the actual name of the bar, not a supercilious nickname used to keep us Regulars away, like I’d assumed. Vlad and I met up with Adrian, who had been waiting for us at the entrance, and the three of us walked into the dimly lit space. It was simple and minimalist. Along the wall at the far back were inverted bottles of amber liquid in every hue. A sharp smell of alcohol wafted toward me, like black plumes billowing from the windows of a burning house. A faint smell of vomit rose from the crowd of drunk and mingling Hellenicus, which tainted the fragrance of the room.

  Standing so close to Adrian was overwhelming and dangerous; heat radiated from his arm on mine. There was this static, a crackling in the air, that always seemed to happen whenever the two of us got close. The baby hairs on the back of my neck stood up, and it surprised me that my skin longed to make contact with his. I dared to glance at Adrian, and judging by the look on his face, he felt it too.

  “Did you see Kris and Domenico?” Vlad’s presence broke the connection. All the yearning vanished into thin air. “I think we should find them.”

  Adrian picke
d up on the real reason for Vlad’s concern. “You just don’t like the idea of them being alone inside a bar for too long,” he teased.

  Vlad’s mouth turned into a straight line, confirming Adrian’s words.

  I looked up at the two tall figures in front of me. “I can’t see them from down here. You guys are tall—if you can’t see them, why not call Kris?”

  Adrian took his phone out of his pocket. “Actually, it’s still too early for a party. Perhaps they are still wandering Ermou Street. Don’t worry, Dom won’t do anything inappropriate in public places.” Adrian paused. “Voice mail.”

  We scoured the bar and then made our way through the crowd to find Kris and Domenico near the back, sitting at a round table for ten. I greeted Kris with a tight hug; it felt like a long time since I had last seen her, although it had only been yesterday when she had picked me up from jail. She looked breathtaking in a shimmery blue dress with her hair up. Domenico stood behind her. I said, “Dude, you lucked out with this one for your soul mate.”

  “Thank you, Avery. I agree entirely,” Domenico said with a strange formality.

  Kris gave me a look, and I realized that this would be the first time Vlad would meet his sister’s soul mate. I took the hint. I nudged Adrian, motioning him back toward the bar. “Let’s get some drinks. I think I’m going to die of thirst if I don’t get some water ASAP.”

  And I wanted to talk to him alone. Adrian called to the bartender and ordered our drinks while I scoped out a place for us to sit.

  We found a spot at the bar proper, and I looked around, making sure no one could overhear what I was about to say. It was taboo to talk about breaking the soul-mate bond, but I somehow felt like Adrian might agree with me, considering the heartbreak he’d experienced.

  Adrian passed me a glass of water before downing one of a number of shots he’d ordered. Maybe if he was a bit tipsy he’d be more forthcoming about any secret documents the Hellenicus might have stored somewhere.

  “How are you feeling?” I asked once the bartender had left us in our corner, away from prying ears.

  He grabbed another shot off the sleek surface of the bar and tipped his head back as he downed it. A devilish grin spread across his face. “I’m awesome.”

  “I’m serious. We haven’t had a chance to really talk after that encounter with Marsela.”

  “It sucked,” Adrian admitted. “But I’ll live. How about you, Montgomery? Are you okay? You know, after hearing about Carlo, and everything else that’s been going on.”

  “No. And I don’t think I will ever be.”

  “Hey, don’t say that.” Adrian slid one of his shots to me. “Here. Have a drink.”

  I slid it back to him. “I’m not eighteen yet, remember.” Even if I was of age, I wouldn’t be drinking tonight. I had to keep my wits about me. I needed to focus on figuring out a way to avoid ever having a click.

  “Suit yourself.” Adrian downed the shot.

  “I’m not going to have a click,” I blurted.

  He said nothing for one full minute, then reached for another shot and said, “Everyone will have a click eventually. It’s our fate. If not in this lifetime then the next one.”

  “But what if we can change it?”

  “We don’t have the power.” He shook his head and stared at the dark-brown liquor in his glass. “Look, Montgomery, I don’t want it to happen, either, but there’s nothing I can do.”

  “If there was a way to break the bond, would you do it?”

  His face turned serious. “After all the pain and suffering and heartbreak I’ve been through?” His brow wrinkled and the corners of his emerald eyes pinched. “Hell yeah.”

  I had found my new partner in crime.

  Adrian went out for a smoke, leaving me at the bar, and when he came back in, a group of Royal girls stole him away. Not surprising at all. Kris and Domenico seemed to be letting loose and shaking off all the mourning. I sat alone at the bar until Vlad found me. He pointed to my glass of water. “Responsible teenager, huh?”

  “Yep. That’s what I am.” I took a sip, letting the cool water with a hint of freshly squeezed lemon quench my thirst. “What about you? No alcohol before midnight?”

  “Someone has to make sure everyone gets home safely.”

  Vlad seemed different tonight, and I wondered if this was the real him or if he was putting on an act because he knew I was mourning Carlo.

  “What’s with that look?”

  “I’m just thinking about how nice you are.” I didn’t know who was more surprised. Him or me. “Okay. Let’s not get carried away. What I mean is, it was not right for me to call you an asshole the other night. We haven’t seen each other in two years, and people change. You aren’t as bad as I once thought.”

  “I don’t recall you calling me that.”

  “Maybe I didn’t actually say it out loud, but I’ve lost count how many times I’ve called you that in my head. Anyway, I’m only going to say this once, and I will deny it until my last breath.” I inhaled deeply before continuing. “You are a good person, Vladimir Ambrosia. And a good brother to Kris.”

  If someone had asked me last week to choose between praising Vlad and cliff diving, I would have chosen the latter without a blink, despite being afraid of heights.

  “This is a one-time thing?”

  “Yes, don’t you know by now that I don’t hand out compliments so easily?”

  That got him laughing. “No, you don’t.”

  We stood awkwardly at the bar, people milling around us, music blasting. Vlad didn’t say anything, so I was the first to break the silence.

  “How’s work?”

  “Stressful. There are some things that I don’t agree with at the moment, but I’m doing my best.”

  “Now I’m intrigued. Tell me more.”

  He seemed hesitant, which only made me more curious. “Don’t be so secretive. You can tell me. I won’t judge, and my”—I zipped my lips—“are sealed.”

  “I can’t. I can’t disclose anything to anyone—it’s illegal and against the code of ethics.”

  “Okay. Then why don’t you tell me generically what it is that you do?”

  “I think it will bore you.”

  “Try me.”

  He hesitated, and then said, “My work involves helping refugees get asylum, preserving human rights, fighting against irresponsible industrial waste—that kind of stuff. But I’m only an intern. Someday I’ll be doing more than preparing files for trial.”

  Before I could form some sort of response, Kris came up behind us and linked her arms around our necks. “Hello, lovebirds, want to play a game?” Kris must have been well on her way to being drunk because she’d just called us lovebirds. She raised her hand to signal the bartender for another round, but I grabbed her wrist and pulled it down.

  “Sure, let’s play!” I wanted to be excited. Over the top of Kris’s head, my eyes found Vlad’s. I knew my best friend. If Vlad played the big brother and scolded her for drinking too much, Kris would drink even more. Distraction was the way to go.

  “Yay!” Kris yelped in joy, clapping her hands like a kid who had just gotten an early Christmas present.

  “If we play with her, she will forget about drinking,” I whispered in Vlad’s ear. He nodded and we followed Kris back to the table. Domenico smiled goofily at us, clearly also drunk.

  “What game are we going to play, my love?” Domenico took Kris’s hand as she scooted in close to him.

  She pouted and scrunched her forehead, trying to align her thoughts. “I can’t remember,” she said as she slumped in her seat, and her shoulders hunched in defeat. Suddenly she sat back up and exclaimed, “Oh, I remember!” Kris clapped eagerly. “Basilinda.”

  “No, please, anything but that game,” I groaned. Basilinda was a children’s game and, just like everything else
in the Hellenicus tradition, it was centuries old. To play, one person was appointed as the king, and everyone else became the servants who had to obey them. Adults played the more complex, mature version, which was a combination of Basilinda and aporraxis—a bouncing-ball game. The king would throw a ball on a flat surface, and when it bounced and landed in someone’s lap, that person had to either swear on the River Styx to truthfully answer any question the king asked or do whatever the king requested of them. If they didn’t obey, they had to spend one life cycle—one round of the game—in the Underworld. But if they obeyed, that person would become the next king and would have a chance to throw the ball. Some Hellenicus truly believed that they would have to spend one life cycle in the Underworld as a result of this game, so there was a lot at stake. Some even believed that if someone did not meet their soul mate in their lifetime, it could be because they had not abided by the rules of this game, and they were actually spending one additional life cycle in the Underworld.

  Kris put her hand on my arm. “Please, please, please, Avery.”

  I was not fond of the game since it was a big deal to both swear on the River Styx and to spend one life cycle in the Underworld. No one could report back to let us all know whether this part of the game was true or not, so we did not know for sure. I wasn’t the most superstitious person, but I also didn’t want to take my chances when it came to spending any amount of time in the Underworld. Kris, on the other hand, looked like she wouldn’t budge. I let out a weary sigh. Kris always acted like a five-year-old when she was drunk, and I figured agreeing to play would be the only way to stop her from being in a bad mood for the rest of the night, so I finally gave in. “Okay, okay. Basilinda it is.”

  Since this game was popular among the drunk, most bars had a few balls around, and Kris borrowed one from the bartender. We all appointed Kris as the first king. The ball bounced and landed in Domenico’s lap. Kris smiled fondly at him. “Are you ready, pumpkin?”