PANDORA

by Rebecca Hamilton

  I dump everything in my locker and practically run for the cafeteria in an effort to escape Mason. I know he’s not far behind, but halfway there he backs off a bit and gives me some space. As I round the corner to the cafeteria, I spot Robin approaching the door as well. She freezes, eyes wide before walking over to me.

  The last thing I want to do right now is talk to Robin. I do my best to make that obvious by turning away from her, but she isn’t deterred. “Olivia, are you okay?” she asks. “I heard about what happened.”

  Spinning around to face her, I say, “I have nothing to say to you after what you’ve done.”

  “What I’ve done?” Robin asks. “Look, Olivia, it wasn’t my idea. I told Mason . . . ”

  “I don’t care what you told him or who’s idea it was. I don’t want to see either of you. Keep him away from me. That’s what you’re good at.”

  Stalking away from her, I’m so angry I am tempted to pick up a chair and throw it at a wall. Luckily, I spot Hayden sitting at a table on the opposite side of the cafeteria from where I usually sit with Mason and head in that direction. I collapse into a chair next to him with no food and a scowl that seems to be on its way to becoming permanent.

  “Everything okay?” Hayden asks.

  I want to snap at him for asking such a stupid question, but I don’t. I watch as Mason and Robin sit down at our usual table. My eyes narrow. I want to scream when Robin puts her hand in Mason’s. They start talking a few minutes later and I look away.

  “I’m sorry, Hayden,” I say, “I’m not very good company again today.”

  “Well, it would be hard to have a worse day than yesterday, so you can at least feel good about that.” He pops a fry into his mouth and looks at me with a knowing expression.

  Tired of feeling like crap, I decide to ignore Robin and Mason completely and focus on Hayden, who has been nothing but nice to me—pretty heroic actually—and force myself to be in a better mood.

  “Not all of yesterday was horrible,” I say. “I was having fun before that psycho tried to grab me.”

  “So was I,” Hayden says. “I think we should do it again.”

  Cocking an eyebrow at him, I say, “I thought you were grounded from basketball for the time being.”

  “True. I guess we should go see a movie then.”

  Hayden is so sweet, but the idea of going out on a date with him makes me feel . . . weird. I don’t know what to think. Being furious at Mason doesn’t change the fact that he has been my best friend for twelve years or that I am in love with him. I want him more than anything in this world or his.

  But no one has ever hurt me as badly as he did.

  “Sure,” I say quietly. “When?”

  “Friday night?”

  “Um, okay.” Given my glaring lack of extracurricular activities—sports especially—I’m pretty sure I’m free. “Do you have a movie in mind?”

  Hayden shakes his head. He leans closer to me, his hand coming up to brush against my uninjured cheek. My heart stutters a moment, but whether in fear or something else I don’t know. He smiles as he says, “Why don’t you choose?”

  I really couldn’t even tell him a single movie at the theaters right now. Needing some space and a moment to think, I turn to grab my phone so I can check the movie listings. Without meaning to, I elbow Hayden in the side. I don’t get him very hard, but it’s on his injured side and he groans. I gasp and spin back around more carefully.

  “Hayden, I’m so sorry!”

  “It’s okay,” he says after taking a deep breath. He looks anything but fine.

  Gently, my hand presses to his abdomen where I elbowed him, as if it does any good to protect that area now. His heart is beating so rapidly, I can feel it echoing through his whole body. Did I hurt him that bad?

  I look up and find him staring down at me with a look that is not filled with pain, but with something else entirely. His hand covers mine gently and slowly pulls it north to his chest where he curls his fingers around mine and simply holds onto me.

  “Can I confess something?” he asks.

  “You lied about how bad I hurt you?” I guess.

  He shakes his head with a chuckle.

  “Then what?”

  “I’ve wanted to ask you out since sixth grade.”

  Honestly surprised, I ask, “Really?”

  He nods.

  “Then why didn’t you?” I ask not so much because I would have jumped at the chance anymore more back then than I did today, but more out of curiosity.

  “I wasn’t sure you even knew who I was. I didn’t think you were interested. You always seemed to be, I don’t know . . . like you were happy just being on your own. You never talked to me unless I asked you a question about one of our classes.”

  I always knew people thought I was a little strange, but it’s embarrassing to hear how out of it I have been. “It wasn’t anything personal,” I say. “I did know who you were. I was like that with everyone, though.”

  “Well, I hope that won’t be the case anymore, because I actually enjoy talking to you.”

  Smiling, I say, “I like talking to you, too.”

  And surprisingly enough, it’s true.

  Hayden finally releases my hand and pulls out his phone so he can bring up the movie listings for the nearest theater. I steal a French fry from his tray while he scans the movies. I don’t really care what we watch. I’m not even totally sure if I want to go to a movie with Hayden. I do know that he makes me feel better about my life and the lousy turns it has taken recently, and for now that is enough.

  “Comedy?” Hayden asks.

  “Sure.”

  “Seven o’clock?”

  I nod.

  “Is it okay if I pick you up, or would you rather drive separately?”

  I don’t answer right away. Driving separately would give me a getaway car if I got desperate and wanted to bail. Letting him pick me up will force me to sit through the entire movie, ride to and from the theater with him, rely on him. The idea of that scares me at first, but then I think it might be nice to rely on someone else . . . for a little while.

  “You can pick me up, if you don’t mind.”

  Hayden attempts to put his arm around my shoulders, but only moves his arm a few inches before thinking better of it and takes my hand instead. “I don’t mind at all,” he says.

  Chapter 25

  Nothing in Between

  (Mason)

  My hands are pressed flat against the table as I watch Hayden and Olivia. Why is he so close to her? Why does he have to touch her so often? What is with his stupid smile? My fingers curl under into fists. Why is she letting him act like this?

  “Mason.”

  “Mason.”

  “Mason!” Robin snaps.

  I can’t bring myself to look away from Olivia, but I snap right back at her. “What?”

  “Stop staring at them. It’s not going to do you any good.”

  “It might,” I argue.

  She shakes her head. “It won’t. Now stop it.” She gives me a moment to comply on my own, but when I don’t she kicks my shin from under the table.

  “Ow!” I rub my leg angrily.

  Robin just shrugs. “I told you to knock it off.”

  “I bet he was involved,” I grumble.

  Looking over at me with a confused expression, Robin asks, “Involved in what?”

  “The attack last night. I bet Hayden lured her out into the open . . . ”

  “Give it a rest!” Robin snaps. She’d probably yell if she could, but that would draw a lot of attention. “Hayden had nothing to do with Olivia getting attacked last night and you know it.”

  “He could have. He could be a Sentinel.”

  Robin rolls her eyes. “If he is, he’s a pretty lousy one. You said you’ve known him since sixth grade. If he were really a Sentinel he’d have figured you out by now. They may not be able to see you, but they can feel it when you’re nearby, remember?”

  �
��He could still . . . ”

  “Mason,” Robin says firmly, “he’s not a Sentinel. Drop it.”

  Sinking into my chair, I fold my arms over my chest and continue to glare at Hayden. I knew he was interested in Olivia. He has been for a long time. It’s a miracle Olivia remained completely oblivious to his advances as long as she did. How can my luck be so lousy that the second I try to step back from Olivia, Hayden is right there to sweep her off her feet like some kind of freaking fairytale hero?

  “Hey, Angry Boy,” Robin calls out to me.

  I sneer at the nickname, but still look over at her.

  “So, what are we going to do about these Sentinels running amuck through your neighborhood?”

  “What can we do?” I ask. If I get too close to one of them, they’ll recognize me for what I am.

  Robin shrugs. “I don’t know, but moping certainly isn’t useful.”

  “Shut up,” I growl.

  Tossing down her fork, Robin glares at me. “Look, for the record, I told you the whole pretending to date me thing was a stupid idea. I told you Olivia would be hurt. I told you to just tell her the truth about leaving.”

  “I couldn’t tell her.”

  “Haven’t you ever heard that whole ‘tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ saying?”

  Rolling my eyes at her, I say, “It’s not that simple. As far as you know, once I leave, I’ll never come back. I’d be holding Olivia back when she could be finding someone she has an actual future with.”

  “Isn’t that what she’s doing with Hayden?”

  Hunching my shoulders, I refuse to answer that question. Why did it have to be Hayden? I can’t stand him!

  “So you thought pissing her off and making her think you’re a total dirtbag would be a better way to spend the next three weeks?” Robin shakes her head at me when I don’t answer.

  Of course it isn’t better. I hate it. I am furious with myself that Olivia got hurt because I wasn’t there to protect her. Then again, if I had been there, the Sentinel would have found me and then I’d be dead.

  “I didn’t think she’d hate me,” I mumble.

  “Well, you’re an idiot.”

  My eyes snap up to Robin angrily.

  She shrugs. “You spent the night with her, kissed her that morning, all but outright told her you are so head over in heels in love with her that you can barely stand it . . . and then you hooked up with another girl. You really thought she’d still want to be friends after that?”

  My chin drops to my chest. Yes, I did, and Robin is right that I’m an idiot. I just didn’t think Olivia could ever look at me like she did last night. Then again, I’m sure she never thought I would do something so horrible to her, either.

  “Mason, maybe if you explained to Olivia . . . ”

  “No,” I say automatically.

  She tries to say something else, but I cut her off. “What are you complaining about, anyway? You got what you wanted out of this deal.”

  Robin stares at me, wounded. “I went along with this because you begged me to. I didn’t do this because I wanted to date you at the expense of Olivia.”

  She starts gathering her trash and slamming it back onto her tray. I sit up quickly and grab at her wrist. I catch her before she can bolt. Forcing her to look at me, I say, “Robin, I’m sorry. I never should have said that. I didn’t mean it, and I know you didn’t want to hurt Olivia. It was a terrible thing to say.”

  Robin stops trying to escape my grip and calms back down. She doesn’t push me away when I turn my restraining grip into a gentler one. She pulls her hand back slowly until my palm falls into her hand.

  “What are we going to do about the Sentinels?” she asks again.

  This time I have an answer. “We’re going to find them.”

  “And do what?”

  “I don’t know. I just know I won’t let them hurt Olivia again.”

  Robin looks down at the table. “They’ll never give up, Mason. There’s no way to stop them from feeling your presence. The only way to make sure they don’t kill you is to kill them.”

  “Then that’s what I’ll have to do.”

  “How?”

  I shake my head. I have no idea. I’ve never killed anyone before, let alone some kind of super hunter. I’ll figure it out as I go along.

  “Even if you kill them,” Robin says, “the other Sentinels will realize they’re missing. They’ll send more to figure out what happened and look for you.”

  “I don’t have to keep this up forever,” I remind her, “only until my birthday. Then they should be safe.”

  My hopeful words linger between us. I want to believe they are true, but I have no way of knowing. I won’t even be here to find out. How can they expect me to leave not knowing whether or not my family is safe? They. I don’t even know who they are. My biological parents? Someone else? I have no idea.

  “What if . . . ” Robin begins. She takes a deep breath and starts over. “What if the same thing that happened to your Caretakers happens again?”

  “It won’t. I won’t let it.”

  Robin’s other hand comes up and presses over our already joined hands. “Mason, you can’t promise that. We need to find the Sentinels. What if we could capture one and figure out why they’re so keen on you?”

  “If we capture one, he could never be let go. He would know I’m an Aerling and where to find me.”

  Fighting back fear, Robin says, “I know.”

  It brings me a sick sense of relief to hear her say that. “Okay. This afternoon, then, we need to find out where they’re watching us from.”

  “Then what?”

  “Then we find out how many of them there are, what their weaknesses are, and how to get rid of them. What happened to Olivia last night won’t be their last attempt.”

  “No,” Robin agrees, “it won’t.”

  I want to ask Robin to do one more thing, but fear keeps me quiet for a moment. I know Olivia was right when she said talking to other Caretakers was too dangerous, but I can feel the clock ticking now and I don’t think we can afford to be in the dark for too much longer.

  “Robin, without telling your parents about me, do you think you could try to find out more about all of this?”

  Robin nods carefully. “I can talk to my grandma more, and I’m sure I can ask my parents about a few things without raising their suspicions. I’ll find out as much as I can.”

  “Thank you, Robin.”

  The bell rings, but Robin doesn’t move right away. Instead, she looks up at me with a sad expression. “Can you do something for me?”

  “What?” I ask warily.

  “Quit hounding Olivia and Hayden.” I start to react right away, but she cuts me off. “Look, I still think you should tell her the truth, but if you’re really set on this stupid plan, you have to back off and actually let her move on. It’s either one way or the other, nothing in between, do you understand me?”

  I hate knowing that she’s right. Being with Robin so Olivia can move on won’t work if I’m constantly hovering over her shoulder reminding her of what might have been. I would only be hurting her more. Despair crashes over me as I say, “Fine, I’ll back off.”

  Chapter 26

  Jealous Much?

  (Mason)

  The drive home from school is just as miserable as the drive to school was this morning. No one speaks. Even Evie is quiet, which is a small miracle. It’s a not so pleasant reminder that she is still pissed at me, though. As soon as we pile out of the Jeep and into the house, everyone goes their separate ways. For Olivia and Evie, that means up to their bedrooms. Me, I crash on the couch waiting for Robin to text me.

  I wanted to get started on our Sentinel hunt right after school, but Robin had an eye appointment. She promised to text me as soon as she was done. Realizing now how incredibly horrible it was for me to show Olivia that we couldn’t be together by moving onto Robin right in front of her, I told Robin I’d mee
t her at the park instead of having her pick me up.

  Flipping through channels on TV quickly gets boring. I settle on a favorite, but even that has trouble keeping me occupied. The minutes tick by slowly as I watch reruns of Uncle Si and Willie getting into one crazy situation after another.

  The house is so quiet with Mom at work for the afternoon. The mental and emotional exhaustion of the past few days starts to catch up with me and my eyes slowly drift closed.

  Images start flickering through my mind, all of Olivia. Her on the phone, opening the front door. She takes a plate out of the dishwasher. Suddenly she’s on the kitchen floor, the broken plate lying next to her.

  Buzzz! Buzzz!

  My phone vibrating against my hand jerks me awake. The images fall away as I blink and try to open my text messages. Robin’s number pops up with a new message.

  Finished. Meet U @ the park in 10.

  It only takes a few minutes to walk to the park, but I don’t wait. Eager to get out of the house, I shove my phone in my pocket and head for the front door. Evie’s hand on my arm stops me before I can escape. I’m not sure how she knew I was there, but I suspect she’s been watching me.

  “Where are you going?” she demands.

  “I just need to get out for a while, okay?”

  “With who? Robin?”

  The way my body goes still must give me away because Evie’s face screws up in disgust. I sigh, wishing I could explain. “Evie, I know you’re mad, and you have every right to be, but please believe me when I say that this is the only way I know how to protect Olivia.”

  Confusion spreads across her features, but I don’t wait for her to respond. I slip away from her and out the front door, trying not to look back. I only last until I reach the front sidewalk before my eyes dart back at the house. It isn’t the front door or Evie that trips me up. I only see Olivia’s curtain swish closed, but it’s enough to know that she saw me leave, and just like Evie, she can probably guess who I’m going to see.