Pretty Monster

by Somers, Jill

  She didn’t wait for a question this time. She answered the one he had asked already.

  “One of those poor boys who fell in love with me, despite me giving him absolutely no reason to do so… His name was Kurt. He was younger than me, and very innocent. Very kind. His father owned this simple little ice cream shop on the edge of the town we were living in at the time. I loved both of them like family. I stayed with them for longer than I stayed with anyone else when I was on the run. I probably would have stayed with them forever.”

  Dash watched her. She could see the realization in his eyes that he was finally going to get his answer.

  “Cole Crowley,” she continued, “offered to buy Kurt’s father’s ice cream shop—to keep him on but take over ownership. At the time, none of us knew who he was. We thought he was just some random, rich entrepreneur. Sure, we probably should have connected the dots—rich entrepreneur named Crowley, mega-corporation called Crowley Enterprises. But why would a billionaire want to buy an ice cream shop? The thought never even crossed our minds.

  “Anyway, Crowley took Kurt’s father out to a nice restaurant, flashed a bunch of papers in his face, got him drunk, and asked him to sign the papers. Told him he’d be receiving fifty thousand dollars, and would get to stay on as manager. Just fifty thousand. Nothing, to a man like Crowley. Everything, to a family like Kurt’s. In the end, they never received a penny. The contract was faulty. Crowley turned the shop into a convenience store and kicked him out of it. There was nothing he could do about it.”

  Dash shook his head, confused. “I don’t understand. Why would Crowley even bother? There’s no way he became a billionaire conning small business owners out of their ice cream shops.”

  “Of course not. Once Kurt and I figured out who he was, we wondered the same thing. But more than anything, we just wanted that money back, so we devised a plan. It wouldn’t be the first time we had committed a crime together. We had been keeping our little family afloat for months. It would be our highest-profile robbery, but I wasn’t worried. I should have known, I guess. Should have trusted my gut—put the pieces together. But I didn’t.”

  “Known what?” he asked, though she could tell from his voice that he already knew the answer.

  “The real reason—the trap. The contract. The lies. Luring us there. He knew how much I loved that family—that I’d come and try to steal it back. And he was right. That was exactly what I did.

  “He had a man with him—a man who had the ability to stop my compulsion from working. He called him Shield. When I saw that my compulsion wouldn’t work, I was worried. But I had no idea how worried I should be. Not until they all turned their guns on Kurt.”

  “They killed him,” he said softly. “Didn’t they?”

  “Oh, they killed him. But it was the way they killed him that keeps me up at night. We made a deal. My imprisonment for his life. I came willingly. Let them sedate me. Let them cuff me. And he was still alive.” She shook her head, sickened by the memory. Feeling her own tears starting to fall. “It wasn’t until I was seconds from blacking out completely that they killed him anyway. For no reason but to hurt me.”

  He seemed to be at a complete loss for words. The two of them stood there, watching each other, the weight of each other’s stories sinking in. Two people who, twenty minutes earlier, had still barely known each other. Now, they knew close to everything.

  Finally, he spoke. “I think we both want to kill the same man.”

  The light playfulness she had felt earlier in the evening was all but gone, replaced with something new—something heavier—something stronger. She found herself looking up at him with a new, impassioned hunger—the closest thing to a true craving she had felt yet.

  She could see it in his eyes, too.

  “I suppose you could put that bra back on,” he said in a voice that clearly indicated he wanted her to do nothing of the sort. “Now that you’ve answered my question.”

  She took a step toward him, eyes serious, words playful.

  “That,” she said, “would be counterproductive.”

  And she kissed him.

  • • •

  When the two of them had kissed underwater, it had been a sensation unlike anything she had ever experienced. At the time, she imagined it was because they were underwater, combined with the fact that they both had emotionally charged abilities of every variety. But now, kissing him for the second time, she realized that it had nothing to do with the water. It did have to do with their abilities, but not the way she had initially thought.

  It was almost like how she had felt when Rory had electrocuted her—like someone else’s abilities were feeding her own—charging her up. It wasn’t the effect of her own abilities she was feeling, but the effect of his on her. It felt electric; it felt fiery; it felt icy… it felt everything.

  They kissed hungrily, desperately—so desperately, she didn’t catch on for several seconds that they had disappeared from the roof altogether and were somehow now on a bed.

  When she finally did notice, she found it such a welcome confusion, she continued to kiss him for several seconds, rolling on top of him and pinning him to the bed, ripping his shirt off, loving every second of it. But as her fingertips sunk into the soft, silk sheets, and the feeling of nighttime breeze abandoned her, she finally forced herself to pull away from him long enough to wonder…

  Where the hell was she?

  It was a bedroom; that much was clear. It was a nice one. Large. It had big, beautiful windows that overlooked…

  The island.

  She looked down at him, lost. They had teleported? They had teleported to somewhere else on the island?

  His expression wasn’t nearly as confused as hers; if anything, he looked amused. He reached out to touch her hair, lying contentedly on his back as she looked around. “Welcome to my room.”

  Her eyes widened as she turned back down to look at him. “You did this? You took us here?”

  “Mostly by accident. Though I guess it tells you where my mind was going.”

  Well, obviously; she would have been offended if his mind hadn’t gone there. But last she had checked, there was a big difference between thinking about a bedroom and magically being transported to it.

  “You can teleport?” she demanded. “How did I not know this?”

  He laughed. “It wasn’t one of the questions you asked me. And anyway, as you can see, I’m not very good at it. Kind of happens whether I want it to or not sometimes.”

  She could hardly believe it. She loved her abilities, but she would trade every single one of them in a heartbeat for the ability to teleport. It was the ultimate freedom. No one would ever be able to catch her.

  “But, if you could take us anywhere in the world,” she asked, “why here? We could go anywhere, Dash. Do anything.”

  The amusement drained from his eyes. Suddenly, he looked sad. When he asked his question, she realized why. “Where would you have us go?”

  She realized with a heavy heart that he was right. No matter where they went, they would always run the risk of being seen by a regular. Sure, there were quiet places with beautiful scenery, but there would always be a chance. And the moment word spread in the real world that the Siren was back….

  She would never truly have her freedom, she realized. No matter how fast she could run, no matter how quickly she could disappear, they would always be chasing her. At least here, she was able to remain still.

  But if she had to stay here, she had to know the truth. She had to know what other secrets about the island he and Ridley were keeping from her. He had told her many secrets that night, but he hadn’t shared any of those.

  “What is it you’re still not telling me?” she asked him softly. “What are these ‘things I still don’t understand?’”

  She had known going into the question that she might not get an answer, but his reaction still hurt. He sat up, looking down at his shredded shirt that just moments ago he would have laug
hed at. Now he seemed uncomfortable being shirtless around her. “I want to tell you everything, Quinn. If I could tell you everything right this second, I would. But there are so many factors besides me. I promise you’ll know eventually. It’s just—”

  She shook her head, standing up, backing away from him, pulling the straps of her dress back on and covering herself up. She didn’t want to be there any more. She had never seen Dash switch from hot to cold in the same interaction, but she could see it happening now. It was the worst possible time, but also the best possible time; she had been so close to making a huge mistake.

  “Forget it,” she said, refusing to look him in the eye. “Forget all this.”

  “Quinn,” he said, starting to stand up, too—but she caught a glimpse of his eyes, and that was enough to send her flying to the door. There was no more hunger in his eyes, no more craving. He just looked sorry. And if there was one thing she couldn’t stand, it was people feeling sorry for her.

  • • •

  She had no idea where she was as she exited his room into a large, open hallway. She had a feeling the entire floor might be his. She ran to the elevator, where she punched the ‘G’ button so hard, she nearly broke it. She watched the floors tick down—3—2—1—and flew out of the elevator, barely stopping to see what the lobby of the building looked like. When she did, she realized it was the same building they had been on the roof of. The tower. Dash lived on the floor below the penthouse.

  Of all the buildings for him to live in—Charlie’s parents’? Not something belonging to the government, to Savannah? Was it possible he kept his distance from his mother as much as he could? Where did Reese live, then?

  She glanced behind her toward the elevator, mind flashing. She should go back to the party, she thought. She should actually spend time with her real friends, make Drax feel loved, maybe even give Trent a chance. How could she feel so incredibly differently toward Trent than toward Dash? Seeing the honest side of Trent that night had been fascinating for her. The more she got to know him, the more she realized how similar he was to her. The façade of confidence toward the outside world; the hardened exterior of lies and winks and grins covering an interior soft as a baby’s skin. Why couldn’t she just desire him the same way he desired her? It would be so easy. So simple.

  But she didn’t want to go back to the party. She didn’t want to see anyone else that night. She didn’t even want to see her own bedroom.

  She made her way to the waterfall. Some twisted, sad little part of her hoped he would sense that she was there, meet her there, apologize. Tell her all of the secrets he refused to tell her. But he didn’t.

  She forced herself to fall asleep.

  9. DOMINOES

  She woke up with the sun, greeted by a minor headache and a grumbling stomach. She made her way to her dorm quickly, stopping only to open the door to the lobby. Of course, when she did so, she saw Drax.

  She had expected him to be wearing a smirk, perhaps, or to demand to know where she had spent her evening. But he didn’t. In fact, he was surprisingly cordial to her.

  “Good morning, Quinn,” he said politely.

  “Uh,” she managed, stumbling through the door and coming over to the desk. “Hi, Drax. Sorry for not making more of an appearance last night. I know, I’m a shitty friend.”

  “You’re not a shitty friend. Nothing to apologize for.”

  She stared at him, genuinely confused. What was wrong with him? He didn’t seem mad, exactly, but he certainly didn’t seem like his usual self. Was it about her? Or was it about something different?

  As if on cue, the door opened behind her, and Drax’s eyes shot over to it. She glanced backwards, body going rigid when she saw who it was.

  Dash.

  He seemed as surprised to see her as she was to see him. For a split second, he stared at her, an urge evident in his eyes—whether an urge to grab her, to kiss her, or just to tell her something, she wasn’t sure. But it was only for a second, and then it was gone, and his gaze turned to Drax. He wasn’t there for her at all, she realized.

  “Come on,” he said to Drax. “We’re late.”

  Without a word, Drax gathered his things from behind the desk, nodded goodbye to Quinn, and followed Dash out of the door.

  Quinn stood there, utterly perplexed.

  • • •

  She made her way up to her room after that. Haley was still asleep, so Quinn tiptoed to the shower as quietly as she could. By the time she got out of the shower, Haley was up and at her with dozens of questions. Quinn deflected all of them. If the night had gone differently, she might have been more willing to talk about it. But it hadn’t, so she wasn’t.

  She met up with Rory again around lunchtime. They found a spot much deeper in the forest to practice, and Quinn taught her about having a strong force take up a small space. It was a lesson they spent several hours on, but Rory seemed healthier by the end of it.

  Quinn spent the rest of her Sunday evening relaxing, watching more classic movies with Haley and Pence and deflecting questions from both of them about Dash. They didn’t seem surprised; she had never been much of a sharer with any of them.

  The next morning, they had English first. Quinn had almost finished the book Dash had given her. She loved it—and now she hated loving it. Her teacher, Simon, came over and talked to her for several minutes about the last few chapters she had read. She tried to engage with him the same way she had the last few times he’d asked her these kinds of questions, but she felt her answers changing. They were becoming resentful; angry. She could tell Simon was concerned, but he said nothing of it.

  She had math next. Zerrick was one of her favorite teachers, but math remained one of her least favorite subjects. He constantly told her that she was learning at an impressive pace, but she never believed him. Not when the rest of the class stared at her the way they did as she thumbed through her elementary-level textbooks.

  Zerrick came over to her that morning in good enough spirits, asking her to pull out her homework. She had it ready; she had done it before things had gone haywire that Saturday night. She pulled it out, trying to pretend everyone around her wasn’t watching her as he began to go over it with her.

  The only person in the classroom who wasn’t watching her, she realized, was Drax. He hadn’t even made it to English that morning. He had stumbled in late to math, and seemed completely distracted. What had he and Dash met about the day before? Had they met up again that morning? Since when had they even been friends?

  “Quinn,” Zerrick said, snapping her out of her trance. “Are you listening?”

  “Sorry,” she muttered, turning back to the homework she didn’t care about. “Look, I understood the assignment. Okay? Can’t you just give me another one?”

  “I’m telling you, you didn’t. You’re doing the long division wrong. See here—you’re supposed to multiply the number on top with—”

  “I get it,” she snapped, slamming her hand down on the table. If everyone hadn’t been looking at her before, they certainly were now. “Who gives a shit how good I am at math, anyway? I’m stuck on this godforsaken island for the rest of my life, just like the rest of you, aren’t I? When the hell am I going to need to do long division?”

  Everyone else in the room had fallen completely silent. She didn’t dare look at the other students; she had seen enough concerned expressions already. To her surprise, Zerrick didn’t look concerned. He just looked angry.

  “See me after class,” he said, rising to his feet. He pulled a sheet of paper out of his binder, slapping it down on her desk. “This is tonight’s homework.”

  • • •

  She didn’t see Zerrick after class. She shot out of the room before he had the chance to realize what she was doing. Next was power tech, and there was no way in hell she was going to that.

  She contemplated her options as she left class. She could go back to her room, but odds were someone would come knocking, demanding to know why sh
e wasn’t in class. She could go to the waterfall, but she didn’t want to be alone. Then again, who could she really spend time with? Ridley was in cahoots with Dash on the big secret, which crossed him off the list. Everyone in the YA was in power tech. Who did that leave?

  She headed for Rory’s room.

  Rory’s rubber-skinned roommate opened the door when she knocked. She was a cute girl with big, shiny eyes and a sad expression. She seemed to know the moment she saw Quinn that Quinn wasn’t there for her. She headed back to her bed, leaving the door open for Quinn to step inside.

  Rory stepped out of the bathroom a moment later, saving Quinn from a painfully awkward silence with the rubber girl. She gave Quinn a huge hug.

  “I’m so happy to see you!” Rory squealed. “This weekend’s practices made such a difference! Just ask Mallory. I haven’t shocked her once!”

  Quinn glanced over at Mallory, who gave a limp shrug.

  “I’m glad to hear it, Rory,” Quinn said, trying to feign enthusiasm. “Are you up for a little more practice?”

  Rory’s eyes widened—clearly, three times in three days was more than she had ever expected—but she nodded eagerly. “Of course! Lead the way.”

  Quinn led her back to the same place they had gone the day before, where no one had questioned them.

  “So, first things first,” she said to the girl. “You said your abilities have been cooperating better with all this practice, right?”

  Rory frowned. “Well, yes—at least, my electric abilities have.”

  “You mean you have other abilities?”

  Rory crossed her arms, not seeming sure how to form the right words. “I don’t know… Nothing useful, that’s for sure. I just keep getting these… flashes. Like everything’s normal, and then suddenly I’m somewhere else, or with someone else. But just for a second. And then it’s gone.”

  This was why Rory had looked so disheveled the last few days, Quinn realized. The overpowering strength of the girl’s electric abilities probably hadn’t helped, but this had to be the real root of the problem.