by Jenna Moreci
“Look,what’syourpoint?”
“Youshouldbewith me,Jason.”
“God,Madison—”
“Wehavehistory,youknow.We’veknowneachothersincewewerekids.
We’repracticallyfamilyalready.”
“Madison,youjustintroducedmetoyour boyfriend. ”
“Lionelisreplaceable.Butyou,”shetuggedathissleeve,hereyespleading forattention,“you’reoneofakind.AndIcanlearntolookpasttherevolting
scaronyourchest.It isrevolting,isn’tit?Imean,Icanonlyassume—”
“Whyareyoudoingthis?Allofasudden,afteralltheseyears?”
“Because shedoesn’tdeserveyou.”
“Jesus Christ—”
“Iloveyou,Jason.”
“Madison,youneedtostop,okay?”
“But—”
“Idon’twantyou,”Jasonblurted.“You’reshallow,you’remean,andthe
worst part is, you only want to be with me because you hate the fact that I’m withEve.That’snotreal,Madison.Whatyou thinkyoufeelforme—it’salie.”
MadisontookastepawayfromJason,glaringathimwitheyesaspiercing
asdaggers.Herbottomlipquivered,andherfingersclenchedwitharagethat
turnedherfairskinapotentshadeofred.
“You’reastupidshit-sack,Jason,doyouknowthat?Youshould wantme.
I’m MadisonPalmer.Andyouchoose Eve?Afreakish,Amazonian whore?”
JasonstaredbackatMadison,hisgazelifelessexceptfortheslightcurlof
hisupperlip—thesubtlehintofdisgust.
“Ithoughtyouwerebetterthanthis,”Jasonsaid.“IguessIwaswrong.”
JasonleftMadisonbythepillarandventuredbacktotheparty.Hiseyesdarted
backandforthuntiltheyfinallylandedontheonepersonhewas
searchingfor.HehurriedtoEve’ssideandwrappedhisarmaroundherwaist.
“I’mdonemingling,”hesaid.“Thispartysucks.”
“Areyouokay?”
“Iwillbe.”Hetiltedhisheadatthedancefloor.“Dancewithme?”
Evenodded,andheledhertowardthewoodenpanelingalongsidethestring
quintet,veeringaroundothercouplesuntiltheyfoundanemptyspot.Gently,
he took her hand and drew her in close, and they swayed slowly to the soft music.JasonwatchedEveastheydancedandfoundhimselfcalmedbyher
presence.
Sherestedhercheekagainsthis.“Happybirthday,”shewhispered.“I
probablyshould’vesaidthatearlier.Todayhasbeenoverwhelming,tosaythe
least.”
Jasonchuckled.“Iknowthefeeling.”
“IwasinNewYorkthismorning.”
“Percytookyouontheprivatejet,huh?”
“Howdidyouknow?”
“Nothisfirsttimepullingastuntlikethat,that’sforsure.”Hewasquietfora momentandbreathedindeeply,pausingtosavorthisbrieffeelingofpeace.
“Youmakemeforget—aboutmyparents,aboutthistrainwreckofanight,
abouttheInterlopers.Youknowwhattosaytotakemymindoffthings.”
Evesmirked.“Idon’tknowaboutthat.I’veneverreallyhadawaywithwords.”
“You’rebetterthanyouthink.”
“WhatIreallyamisanass,”shesaid.“Iwassopreoccupiedwithflyingacross
thecountryandhuntingforastupiddressthatIdidn’tevenhavetimeto
getyouapresent.Ihavenothingforyou.”
“That’snottrue.You’rehere—that’sallthatmatters.”Hehesitated.“Beingwith
youisagift.Always.”
“See, you’retheonewho’sgoodattalking.You’repracticallyapoet,forGod’s sake—”
“Bemygirlfriend.”
Evestopped,frozeninplacebyhiswords.Shepulledawayfromhim
slightlysoshecouldlookhimintheeye.
“What?”
“Iwantyoutobemygirlfriend.AndIwantyoutowantit,too.”Helooked
awayuncomfortably.“Iknowthisstuffishardforyou,butIwantyoutofeel
likeit’seasywithme—likeit’sright.Becauseitfeelsrighttome.”
Herbreathcaughtinherchest,herlungssuddenlytight.ShestaredupatJason
asifshewereseeinghimforthefirsttime.Hiseyeswerecastofftothe
side,hisfacestressedyetkind—healwaysseemedsowarmtoher,nomatter
thesituation—andeventhoughherbodyfelthotandweak,herthoughtswere
simple.
“Okay.”
“Okaywhat?”
“I’llbeyourgirlfriend.”
Hiseyesshotbacktowardhers.“Youwill?”
“Iwill.”
“Yousoundcertain.”
“Iam.”
Hesmiled,runninghisfingersthroughherhairandsendingshiversdown
herspine.Hecuppedhercheekandbroughthislipsclosetohers,lingeringfor
justasecondbeforedippinghischinand—
Hestopped,distractedbythesoundofcamerasflashingandguests
murmuring,allofthemstaringatthecouplewithoutahintofsubtlety.
“Peoplearewatching,”Jasonsaid.
Eveleanedintohim.“I’mstartingtocarealittlebitlessaboutthat.”
Jason closed his eyes and kissed her, his lips like an electric shock that revitalizedeverysenseinherbody.Everanherhandsuphischesttotheback
ofhisneck,holdinghimtightlyandrelishingthemoment.Sheopenedher
eyes, and for a second she thought she saw fireworks, but quickly realized it wastheflashingcameras.Shealmostdidn’tevenmind,andJasonhardly
seemedtonotice.
Hiseyeslitup.“Ihavetogetyousomething.”
“What?”sheasked,perplexed.“No,noyoudon’t.”
“OfcourseIdo.You’remygirlfriendnow.”
“Jason,it’s yourbirthday,notmine—”
“Flowers,”heinterrupted.“It’snotofficialuntilthereareflowers.”
Jasonpointedhiswristtowardtheirdiningtablenottoofarfromthedance floor.Asingle,white,long-stemmedrosefloatedfromthecentervaseand
sailed through the air, drifting above the dance floor, then landing in Jason’s hand.
Thesoundofhorrifiedgaspsandshrieksechoedthroughtheballroom;
guestsjumpedfromtheirseats,theirfacestwistedwithrepulsionandoffense,
andthequintetdroppedtheirinstruments,whichclangedloudlyagainstthe
floor.Reportersimmediatelyswarmedthetwochimeras,andEveshieldedher
eyes from the blinding lights of their cameras, but even in the midst of such chaosshecouldstillseethehundredsofwide,petrifiedeyesthatstaredbackat her,consumedwithterror.
Jason’sfathertorethroughthethrongofphotographersandchargedtoward
them, his wife trailing right behind him. No longer did he emanate poise or dignity; he displayed no charming grin, no pleasant façade. All that was left waspure,unadulteratedrage.
“WHATINGOD’SNAMEDOYOUTHINKYOU’REDOING?”
“Dad—”
“Don’tyou darecallmethat!Youare nosonofmine!”thesenatorsnarled.
“Doyouunderstandtheseverityofwhatyou’vejustdone?”Cynthiacried.
“WhatI’ve done?”Jasonrepeated,scornfully.“Youmeanusingmygift? My gift?Being whoIam?I’ma chimera,Mom.Whetheryoulikeitornot,Iwill alwaysbeachimera!”
DonaldpointedatremblingfingeratEve.“Thisis herfault,”hegrowled.
“She’sabadi
nfluenceonyou.Youwould’ve neverbehavedthiswaybefore.”
“Isthatso?”Jasonsneered.“Andhowthe hellwouldyouknow?”
“Excuseme?”
“WEDON’TKNOWEACHOTHER,”Jasonbarked.“Youarea strangerto
me.Hell,youdidn’tevencometoseemewhenIwasinthe hospital—”
“Youknowverywellthatwas—”
“BULLSHIT,Dad.Thatwas bullshit.”
“Don’ttrytomakethisabout me—”
“It’s always about you. You and your precious image.” Jason backed away, glaringathisfather.“You’reright,I’mnotyourson.Notanymore.”Heturned
toEve.“Comeon,let’sgetthehelloutofhere.”
BeforeEvecouldfollowhim,someonegrabbedatherwristandyankedher
backtothedancefloor.SheturnedtoseeDonaldValentine’sdistraughtface.
“ForGod’ssake,talksome senseintotheboy.”
Evestaredbackathim—athisclammyskinandpanickedeyes—andripped
herforearmfromhisgrasp.
“I’msorry,IthoughtIwasabadinfluence, Senator.”
Shepushedpasthimandshovedherwaythroughthehordeofreporters,
ignoring Madison’s and Lionel’s shocked faces and Heather ’s Cheshire grin as
shehurriedforthedoorway.Jasonwaswaitingforherattheendofthehall,
angrilypacinginfrontoftheelevatordoors.
“Jason?”shestammered.“Jason.Wherearewegoing?”
Helookedather,hiseyessuddenlywideandenergized,almosthopeful.
“TotheMeltdown.”
Theywalkedfornearlyanhour,arrivingatthePierLorentHoteljustasthe
sky faded from purple to black. The hotel stood like a beam of light in the darkness,itswhitewallsandbluewindowssparklingwithnewness,thoughEve
andJasonwerehardlyinterested,theirsightsfixedonthealleywayacrossthe
street. They hurried across the road hand in hand, dodging honking cars and laughing like children until they reached the sidewalk and ventured into the alley.
Theairfeltthickanddamp,asifstifledbetweenthetwobuildings,andthe
deepertheyheadedintothenarrowpassage,thedarkertheirsurroundings
became. It couldn’t be much farther, and so they continued forward, trekking pastrowsofreekingdumpsters,stumblingthroughpuddlesofGodknows
what,andallthewhilekeepingtheireyesopenforanythingthatresembledthe
entrancetoanightclub.
“Lost?”
Evejumped,caughtoffguard.Sheglancedfromsidetoside,searchingfor
thesourceofthevoice,butnoonecouldbefound.
“Downhere.”
Thevoiceseemedtobecomingfromtheground,thoughitcouldn’tbeso.
Eve’seyesdartedacrossthebrickwalloftheneighboringbuildinganddown
to the floor, and then she spotted it: an opening at the foot of the building,
practically hidden in the darkness. She crouched beside the hole, which she soondiscoveredwastheentrancetoacementstairwell,andpeereddownatthe
footofthestairs,wheretwobouncersstoodinfrontofaheavyblackdoor.
“WhenPercysaidtheMeltdownwasanundergroundclub,Ididn’trealizehe
literallymeantunderground,”Jasonchuckled.
“YoulookingfortheMeltdown?”Oneofthebouncerscockedhisheadat
thedoor.“Youfoundit.”
EveandJasonheadeddownthestairs,duckingtheirheadstoclearthelow
ceiling,andapprehensivelyexaminedthegrimysurroundings.
“Looksstructurallysound,”Evemumbled,sarcastically.
“Thegoalissecrecy—seclusionfromprotestors.”Thefirstbouncer,thick
andmuscularwithdarkskinandaheavybrow,eyedthechimerascritically.
“Aren’tyoutwoalittleoverdressed?”
“Saveit,”saidthesecondbouncer,asmallermanwithmultiplepiercings.
“They’renotthefirstonestoshowuplookinglikethis.”Heshovedhishand
forward.“IDs.Now.”
Jason and Eve fished their driver ’s licenses from their pockets and tossed themintotheman’spalm.Hestaredatthesmallphotosforasplitsecondand
immediatelydidadoubletake.
“Holyshit,you’reJasonValentine!”
“I knewyoulookedfamiliar!”thefirstbouncerchimedin.
“Looks like we’ve got a celebrity in the flesh. And it’s your twenty-first
birthday.Well,you’vecometotherightplace.”
HeflippedovertoEve’slicense,glancingbackandforthbetweenherand
thethickpieceofplastic. Afterafewmoments,heletoutaloud,irritatedsigh.
“’FraidIhavebadnews:Ican’tletyouin,notwithher.”
“Whynot?”Jasonasked.
“She’snottwenty-one.Didn’teventhinktobringafakeID?”
“Whydoesitmatteranyway?Neitherofuscangetdrunk,”Eveadded.
“Rules are rules. Can’t have anyone underage in the club, even if they’re a chimera.SorryMissKingston,butyou’vegottogo.”
“Holdon,”thelargerbouncerinterrupted.“Yourname’s Kingston?”
Evehesitated.“Yes?”
“EvelynKingston?”
“Howdoyouknowmyname?”
“I’mfromSanFrancisco.”
Evefeltherstomachdroplikeabagofcinderblocks.Itwasinevitable—she
hadknownamomentlikethiswasboundtohappen—butdidithavetobe
tonight of all nights? The bouncer stared back at her, his eyes quizzical, and then,afteralong,agonizingsilence,heyankedopenthedoor,unleashingthe
suppressedsoundofthunderingmusicandthestrangestenchofsweat,candy,
andsex.
“Whatareyoudoing?”thesmallerbouncerhissed.
“Lettingherin.”
“But—”
“Youthink he’sacelebrity?Well, she’s alegend.”HeglancedbackatEveand Jasonandofferedthemawink.“Havefun,youtwo.”
Evegazedcuriouslyatthebouncer,butonlyforamoment,asJasonquickly
pulledherintotheclub,eagertogetinsidebeforethebouncerschangedtheir
minds.
Thedoorslammedbehindthem,shakingthegroundandsendingdustfalling
fromthecracksintheceiling.EveandJasonglancedatoneanotherandthenat
the long, dark corridor in front of them. Far into the distance, they could faintlymakeoutaflickerofpinkandpurplelightspulsingwiththebeatofthe
music.Withapprehension,theymadetheirwaydownthecorridor,going
deeperintothebuildingwheretheairbecameripeandstale.Themusicgrew
louder,andasthepassagewayfinallyended,EveandJasonfoundthemselves
immersedinbright,streaminglights.
Theywerestandingatthetopofarustedspiralstaircasethatplungeddeep
underground, leading to the pit of a massive, concrete warehouse. Eve could feel the stairs vibrate with each thump of the bass. She peered down over the side,whereanoceanofbodies,somechimerasandsomehumansympathizers,
surgedandswelled,dancinganddrinkinganddoingwhateverelsethey
pleased.
EveandJasonclimbeddownthestairs,spiralingindizzyingcirclesuntil
theyfinallyreachedthedancefloor.Totheirleftwasasomewhatneglectedbar
withalonebartenderleaningagainsthisvintageregister,boredandaloofas
he stared at his nails.
A sign hung above his head— Water: Seven Dollars, Soda: TenDollars,BeerandAlcohol:OneDollar—apricingsystemthatwould be preposterous at any other establishment, but not at a chimera club. At the back
oftheroomsatamakeshiftwoodenstage,swarmedbypeoplewhowatchedthe
performersinawe.Aseven-piecebandwasplaying,thougheachmusician
seemed to look surprisingly like the next one, and Eve soon realized that the bandwasactuallyonlyonemanreflectedintomultipleholograms,eachone
fadinginandoutofviewbasedonitsrelevancetotheperformance.
“Mylittledeviants!”
Percychargedtowardthecoupleandwrappedhisarmsaroundthem,nearly
spillinghistequilashotsontotheirclothes.Helaughedandgavethemeacha
big,wetkissonthecheek.“Youcame!Thissureashellbeatsyourboring-ass
party,huh?”
Jasonsmirked.“Iwouldn’tsaythepartywas boring—”
“Well,thisisbetter,trustme.”
Theystaredoutatthethrongofbodies—attheprofuselysweatyhumansand
theboundlesslyenergeticchimeras—andgawkedattheiroutlandish
ensembles.Everyoneseemedtowearthesameminimalistclothinginripped
denim,leather,andlatex,iftheyworeanythingatall,asthevastmajoritywere practicallynude.Mini-skirts,bathingsuits,shorts,andthongswerethe
ensembleofchoiceforbothmenandwomen,andbreastsandbuttcheekswere
plainlyvisiblethroughouttheclub.Percyturnedtohisfriendsandlaughed.
“Lookslikewe’rethebest-dressedfolkshere.Iwintophonors,ofcourse, butyoutwotakeaclosesecondandthird.”
Jasonsmiled. “Idon’tknow,Evelooksprettyspectacular.”
“Youshouldseeherinherunderwear,ifyouhaven’talready,”Percyadded.
“Wait, what?”
“Noquestions.Youdidn’tcomeheretotalk,didyou?”Percydownedhis
shotsandtossedtheglassesbehindhimbeforepullinghistwofriendsontothe
dancefloor.“I’dofferyouadrink,butthatwouldjustbeawaste.”
EvenoticedalongredribbonhangingfromPercy’sneck,tiedintoasloppy
bow.Anotherribbon,thisoneyellow,wastiedacrosshiswrist,andthreemore
inpink,orange,andbluewerewrappedaroundthearmofhiswhitejacket.
“HeyPercy,”Eveyelledoverthemusic,“what’swiththebows?”
“It’scalledgift-wrap.It’sthegimmickofthechimeraclubscene.You’refree