by Holly Hook
And I knew right then, that if he knew the truth, he would kill me.
"I was taking a break," he said. He straightened as if he had taken many verbal beatings before. "I've been getting my homework done on the side. I won't let my grades slip."
"Stop trying to impress that girl," he said, glancing at me. "You have more important things to do. Come inside. We will have a discussion about your...grades."
"Yes, sir." Sven bowed his head. He didn't dare give me a sideways glance.
As far as his father knew, Sven had just told me he liked archery, and that was all. We were to keep it that way.
But did it matter?
Every particle in my body urged me to flee.
Then Mr. Olsen stared right at me. His eyes were hard. Merciless. Though he wore no medallion, the heat within me intensified at the sight of him.
I curled my fingers, trying to hold it back.
What if something happened before I fled?
"Leave," he ordered.
I walked across the yard, and then broke into a run. I burst through the fence gate and held the tears back until I had made it halfway back to the farm.
Chapter Sixteen
Why couldn't Sven decide already?
I spent that night alternating between tears and anger. I tried to work on my Beowulf report, which got complicated by well, everything. I knew why he couldn't decide if he would do more than send me mixed signals, but that didn't make the situation any better.
Why didn't he understand how badly I needed him?
Without Sven, I had nothing to grab onto for support.
I would have to deal with this whole dragon thing on my own—or with the help of people who wanted nothing more than to hurt him and make me help. My stomach turned over every time the thought hit me. And it wasn't just that, either. We had something.
I scribbled on my report, convinced that Mrs. Cornea would give me a crap grade. Who cared? If Principal Adler and the mysterious den had their way, I'd become a fire-breathing monster soon enough, and get even more entrenched in Olivia than I already was. I'd go from one prison to another. And then I'd kill or be killed. What good was an education, then?
The thought of not bothering to take my new job crossed my mind.
But I'd also stand up Dirk, and that didn't feel right. The guy was trying to help. He might stay in Olivia all his life, but at least he could help me escape. Sure, he had a crush on me, but deep down, I knew he'd still want to assist. I wanted to keep him as a friend.
I didn't remember what I wrote for the report—only that I learned nothing new and got it done sometime late that night. At least Principal Adler hadn't showed up at the farm again. I was right that my parents could hold her back, at least for right now. But if the Slayers discovered the lair, she'd get more desperate. She had already tried to take me to the caves by force.
It was a long time before I slept that night. I kept my bedroom light on in case she tried to break in, and that made things worse when my phone alarm went off in my pocket at 4:30 the next morning. I turned off the vibration-only alarm, dressed, and opened the front door as quietly as I could. Then I did the same with opening the shed to retrieve my bike.
Riding to Dirk's place didn't take long. The Machers had a small house less old than mine that was right next door to the small printing press. Dirk was waiting outside when I got there, kicking gravel around as if he weren't sure I'd show up.
“Morning,” I said, trying to blink sleep from my eyes.
Dirk smiled. The guy had a lot of enthusiasm. “Morning,” he said, relieved.
He hadn't expected me to show. I felt bad.
“Look, I'm sorry about yesterday,” I said. “I got held up in the office.”
“I know,” he said with a nod. “You're not in trouble, are you?”
“No,” I lied. Dirk might have a nice smile, but I didn't know the guy well enough to open to him about the nightmare that had become my life. “She was just talking my arm off, and I had to break away from her. But I didn't see you in the parking lot.”
“That, I also know,” he said. “Let me show you what to do. We start with downtown, head out to the Water Company, and loop back around to here. If all goes well, we finish by seven and then we're both free for the rest of the day.”
He implied more with that last sentence. “Great,” I said. “I wish I could hang out later, but I have to be back at the farm.”
“That's a bummer,” he said. “I know you told me that your parents are being strict. They'll stop soon, won't they?”
Dirk sounded so sure about that, it lifted my mood from the gutter. “We deliver to the Water Company?” My heart raced. The Olsens would want to know about local happenings, but from a distance.
But I'd stay safe so long as none of them ever wore their medallions around the property.
And now I would play the jealousy card again if Sven were out and about. It wasn't intentional, but it looked bad, even if I weren't cheating on the guy. Well, we weren't dating, right?
The two of us had only shared a single amazing kiss.
“Half of the town is subscribed,” Dirk explained. “We've always delivered there. Well, I have. That's why I've always used a bike. The distance, you know?"
“Good idea,” I said. “By the way, if you ever want to hang out and my parents stop trying to keep me on the farm all the time, I'm game.”
Dirk grinned ear to ear. “That sounds great. You'd never know. And I'll see if I can get you more hours.”
It was as if I'd asked the guy on a date. I hadn't. But the more I stayed away from my thoughts, the better. And people were great for that. Of course, Dirk couldn't compare to Sven.
He spent the next fifteen minutes showing me around inside the Olive Plantation building and how to stuff newspapers in the most efficient manner inside the large bag and basket I had to mount on my bike. I caught myself glancing outside every so often into the forbidden dark, but no one appeared out of the early morning, human or otherwise.
Dirk explained that I'd do this route alone next weekend, but it was helpful having him show me the shortest way possible to get around town and stuff the local papers into the orange boxes that most people and businesses had mounted underneath their mailboxes. We got through downtown pretty fast and even carrying the large sack of papers wasn't that bad. “Whatever you do, don't toss them,” he said. “This isn't like that old video game where you could knock out robbers and stop runaway lawnmowers with flying papers.”
“Oh. I know what you're talking about. You're a gamer?”
Dirk stuffed another paper into an orange receptacle. “Retro games are the best. I didn't realize you were one, too.”
“When you're bored, you read a lot and sometimes play a lot of games.” My parents had a lot of old game systems and Dad liked to refurbish them. Dirk would love that. “We even have that new system that plays a lot of old arcade games.”
“Are you kidding?”
“Well, it's that new one that plays the old, old games.”
“I have to come to your house.”
“Maybe sometime soon,” I said. “You'd have to pass some scary tests.”
“As in?”
“My parents asking you a million questions. They do that with all my friends. But since you help with the local paper, you might get a pass.” Talking to Dirk wasn't bad at all.
But then he frowned at me. “Water Company next. I hate riding my bike up that hill. It's best to do it towards the start of the route so you don't tire yourself out too early."
A faint pink glow started on the horizon. Dirk and I pedaled down Water Road. I tried to hide my nerves, but I wanted to say something. Anything.
“Nobody's at the gate,” I said once we got there.
“They aren't on the weekends.” Dirk stopped at the gate which comprised two striped bars across the road. “All we have to do is duck inside. They won't care. The owners have always been cool about it. Sometimes they even wave a
t me when I deliver. I know little about these new people, though, so we might want to prepare our wills.”
Dirk had uncovered nothing about the new family, then. Now that I knew why the Olsens wanted to keep their ownership of the company low key, the Water Company looked sinister in the pale light. Machines worked and clanked inside. Only a few cars that belonged to night shift people stood in the parking lot.
And the Manager's House was dark. For a moment, the big house looked like a castle with pointed towers. I shuddered as I thought of the things in the shed.
Things meant for me in just a few months. Or maybe less.
“Felicia?” Dirk asked.
“Sorry,” I said. “I'm not used to being up this early. And before you say something about me living on a farm, don't.”
“I was going to say I'd stand guard while you delivered the paper if you're comfortable with that. The employees have seen me here a few times, so if they come out, they won't call the police on me. And since you're carrying the bag, the managers will know why you're here.”
Dirk was oblivious. He thought he was taking the worst job.
But I was glad in a way. I had to get over there and take another look at the house. If I could glimpse Sven again...
So I walked over to deliver the paper.
But just as I was fishing out a paper to stuff in the orange box by the front door, it cracked open.
“Who are you and what are you doing here?”
I jumped. It took a second for me to realize that a girl about my age was standing in the doorway. She had dark brown hair tied back in a ponytail and wore a tank top similar to mine. She also sported baggy cammo pants with big pockets—and the same intense blue eyes as Sven and his cousin. Another family member, then.
But at least Sven was right that the Olsens didn't bother to wear those Gems at home.
“I'm delivering the exciting local news,” I said. "Isn't it early for non-working people to get up?"
The girl maintained her sneer. "I saw you in our backyard yesterday."
"So?" I shoved the newspaper into the orange box, trying not to make a show of peeking into the house for a glimpse of Sven. "I got invited."
"Sven needs to stop messing around," the girl said. "We're here on business. As soon as we're done, we'll be leaving. I swear, he's always been scatterbrained."
A rock seemed to settle in my gut.
Sven was a traveling guy.
He wouldn't stay in Olivia for long. This girl had a point.
"Can't I at least see him for a minute?"
"He's sleeping because he had a long night working. I will not wake him up for you." Then the girl seemed to think. Her expression softened. "Or maybe I should."
I couldn't explain the change in heart, but I sensed Dirk's gaze on my back. He was waiting for me to stop arguing with the new family. "That would be great. I have to hurry."
It was clear that Sven's family didn't like to have local visitors. I wondered why. But if he'd move soon enough, then I had to know from him and not from a relative who didn't want him to have a life outside training and work. This girl, I didn't like, but if she'd wake him up for me, that would be great.
I needed a final answer and there might not be another chance to get it.
There I stood on the Olsen's porch, waiting for Sven to come down. Dirk drew closer behind me, but he stayed back as if sensing he shouldn't draw any nearer.
"Felicia," he called. "We have to hurry."
"It'll just be a minute," I called back. "These new people are asking each other if they want to get the local paper. I'll work it out."
"We have to get going," Dirk said.
"I know. It'll just be a minute."
"Felicia?" Sven asked from inside. Stairs creaked as he descended.
"Don't turn on the light," I warned in a low voice. "Someone's watching from behind me. He's just a friend, but secrecy, you know?"
Sven's bare torso glistened as he appeared from the dark expanse beyond the door. I hadn't been inside the Olsen's new house yet but I could tell that the entryway was spacious. Spacious, and cold. "Felicia. You came back." He talked with a heavy accent again that was swoon-worthy.
"Armed with newspapers," I said. My heart raced.
"I didn't know if you would after yesterday." He drew closer. "I had to know for sure if you were all right with everything, and with me, but you ran, so I thought--"
"I ran because of your father," I said. That wasn't entirely true. Now that I was back I could hear the deadly cracks of the crossbow arrows yet again. I could see those suits of armor with burn marks and most of all, I could see those huge manacles and that enormous bear trap. They were weapons that had faced monsters like me and perhaps even killed them. Sven had showed me that stuff for a reason. He wanted me to know what I was getting into. There was no sugar-coating it. He was from a family who would want to kill me in the most brutal ways possible.
Sven smiled. "Well, I run from him sometimes, too."
"You? Run from a fight?" Instead of dissipating, the heavy feeling in my gut intensified. Sven didn't want to keep any secrets from me. I'd never met such an honest guy.
But me?
Hey. I killed your cousin. Sure, it was self defense, and I had no clue I could do it, but I still made the guy burn from the inside out and die in agony. And if I told you that, there's no way you'd ever want to kiss me again.
The longer I carried that secret, the heavier it would get.
I wanted to tell Sven about it to see if he was okay with me, but I opened my mouth, unable to form the words. He hadn't seen the full horror of what I was yet. I hadn't even seen that.
"Felicia," Dirk called again.
"In a minute," I called back. "They think they want to keep getting the local paper, but I'm making sure."
"We still have half of the route left," he said with concern. The guy worried about me keeping this a secret from my parents, and rightly so.
Sven took a step closer, staying within the shadows. "Are you sure about this, Felicia? I'm not sorry about kissing you, but this is dangerous." His gaze flicked to where Dirk was standing at the edge of the yard. "You deserved to see the truth."
My heart raced. "I'm sure. But only if you are." Sven's father would hurt him if he knew what we were doing. Maybe Principal Adler would hurt me.
But Sven leaned down for our second kiss.
His lips brushed mine, sending tingles down my spine and chasing away the heaviness inside. I breathed in the scent of far-away lands.
"Now, I am sorry that I couldn't do that for longer," Sven said with a warm smile. He reached into his jeans pocket and pulled something out, slipping it into my hand. A warm, metal chain settled in my palm. Sven placed his hand around mine, closing my fingers around the gift. "But I don't want that guy back there getting suspicious."
"He's only a friend," I said. "He got me this job so I can get off the farm and save money."
"That's good."
"He wants to be more than a friend, but I'm not interested," I said.
Sven let go of my hand, leaving the piece of jewelry in my fist. I stuffed it into my pocket, eager to see what he'd given me.
"I can tell," Sven said. "I'm not the jealous type. But you need to be careful around my twin sister, Sofia. She can be disagreeable."
"Your what?"
"Don't tell her what you are," Sven said. "And if you want us to continue, wear my gift so I'll know. Don't risk yourself." He eyed Dirk again.
I stuffed it into my pocket. "Thank you." I stood on my tiptoes, kissing Sven once again. Then I raised my voice. "I'll make sure you keep getting the exciting local news. Breaking story: the new traffic light! Coming next week!"
Dirk was pacing when I got back to him. "That's not how you advertise the paper," he said. "They've been fighting about that traffic light for years." He smiled and hiked his own bag of papers over his shoulder. "Next week's story might be that freak storm we had yesterday."
But I wa
s in another world. Our second kiss felt like another gate had opened. No matter what his sister said, Sven had no intention of leaving me in the dust. The gift remained in my pocket, mysterious and promising.
Dirk and I finished the route in what he said was record time.
Chapter Sixteen
I got no chance to look at my gift until Saturday night. I got home and rode my bike up the driveway of the olive farm at a quarter to seven. After putting it back in the shed, I had to sneak back into the house and back up to my room. Climbing back into bed wasn't easy now that I'd exercised and felt ready to go. But as soon as I did, Dad's alarm went off, playing a country song about a sexy tractor. Dad didn't even like country, and Mom teased him about his alarm choice since they operated the farm, but it was the only station that came in loud and clear in Olivia.
My parents groaned as they got up to face another day of work.
"Felicia," Mom said, knocking on my door. "We have more picking to do today. I'm afraid it will take the entire day. The rain yesterday might have caused a lot of ripening."
My parents asked me if I'd seen the freak storm yesterday. They seemed abnormally interested in it as we ate breakfast.
"What were you doing when it started?" Mom asked.
"Were you at school?" Dad asked.
The more they pressed me, the more uncomfortable I got. They were taxing my storytelling abilities to the max this morning. The more they pressed, the more I suspected I had caused the rainstorm.
They did. That was clear.
I had heard nothing about dragon shifters having control over the weather. Sven had mentioned something about other types of magic happening in the more ancient types, whatever that meant. The realization sent a whole new wave of terror through me.
Besides what Sven had told me—the basics—I knew nothing about dragons.
I knew nothing about myself, my origins, or my future.
Even Sven would only know about dragons through a Slayer filter and wouldn't be able to give me all the information I needed. Principal Adler would, but I'd have to go to her for that.