Alright, here's chapter 2! Hopefully I will be able to post a chapter a week (maybe more if enough people ask for it).
Please let me know what you think! :)
Chapter 2
Marvel
As I watch Serena disappear, I can't help but feel worried- and lost. I know I might be getting freakin' paranoid, but I get the feeling that every time she gets too far away from me, something bad happens. I didn't mind it when a certain District 12 tribute almost strangled me- I was the one who got hurt that time. But if something ever happens to Serena because once again I'm not by her side, I won't be able to bear it.
"You, the tall one," Silk calls. I turn around slowly to face her; I had always thought I had gotten my cockiness from my father, but apparently it runs on my mother's side too. "Name and district?" she asks, when I get close to her.
"Marvel Gould. District 1," I reply blankly.
I was pretty sure she didn't know who I am, so I'm surprised when my aunt actually lifts her gaze from her clipboard and mutters, "I need to have a word with you before the party." I nod, and the anxious expression leaves her face. "Well, aren't you lucky?" she asks, louder. "You get to have two roommates! Cato and Thresh!" she calls, her eyes set on the small amount of people behind me.
Fuck.
I'm not able to repress a loud, frustrated groan. Who the hell assigns these rooms? Out of all the roommates I could have, nothing could be worse than getting stuck with Cato and Thresh- except perhaps getting the boy from District 10, whose name apparently is Luke, and is now being assigned his apartment along with Chip. They both hate my guts, hate each other's guts, and I hate their guts! Something tells me only one of us will make it to the party tonight alive.
"What?!" Cato strides towards us as soon as he hears his name- saying he is furious would be a big understatement. "I refuse to share a house with Lover Boy Number Two here!" he spits, shoving his finger right under my nose, his eyes shooting daggers at my aunt.
"I'm not thrilled either," I snarl. "I'm not really looking forward to seeing you in a towel… that is, in the small chance you ever shower."
"I think you're forgetting," my aunt says amusingly, as Cato inhales deeply, "That you have another roommate." Cato's nostrils flare, and her grin grows wider- apparently, the desire to piss Cato off runs in the family as well.
"He's also forgetting," Thresh says slowly, in his quiet voice, "That he's Lover Boy Number Three. So I'm not really looking forward to it either."
Cato's face turns purple; he either didn't hear Thresh's name when my aunt called it, or something happened between those two in the arena after I was gone- maybe both. Anyway, I'm glad I'm out of this, for a change.
"I BEAT YOU ONCE, I CAN BEAT YOU AGAIN!" Cato vociferates, though Thresh doesn't even blink.
"Cato! Drop it off. Please." Clove's face has become red- everyone within hearing range has their heads turned to us- and is glancing nervously at Thresh.
"You better listen to her," my aunt says, studying her nails. Then she adds, seemingly to herself, "God, I love Career fights."
"This doesn't end here!" Cato spits, reluctantly accepting his keys and storming off towards the apartment I will be forced to share with him and Thresh.
"Excuse me," Thresh says politely, as soon as Cato is gone. "But which one is our floor?"
"Fifth." My aunt still looks amused.
"Thank you."
Thresh begins walking towards the path I saw Glimmer, Serena, and Cato take, without giving me so much as a glance or a word; I end up following him, since my aunt doesn't seem to be paying attention to me anymore.
The building she indicated- the one with the '74' pinned over the door- is a six-story apartment block, painted in pale yellow, its balconies facing the sparkly sea; the front door leads to a hall with large windows that let the sunshine in, with a couple of elevators just around the corner.
I almost burst out laughing when I spot a still angry-looking Cato next to one of the elevators, obviously not knowing which button he should press. Thresh and I summon the elevator and he joins us without a word. None of us say anything as the number over the button panel indicates we are going up, but the silence is far from comfortable- the tension is clear, and I'm pretty sure Cato is about to burst into one of his fits.
There are two doors on the fifth floor, but we have no problem finding out which one is ours- there's a small plaque with our names written on it, while the one on the other door indicates we will be Clove, Robin, and Rue's neighbors.
Great, I think, When Cato and Thresh finish me off, Rue can come over and laugh at me.
Cato struggles with his key for a while before he manages to open the door with a bang; he's the first to get in, and when I follow him inside and he closes the door behind me, I get the strange feeling I may never get out, at least not in one piece.
The apartment is relatively large, with a living room, a small open kitchen, and a corridor that leads to what I suppose are the bedrooms and the bathroom. It actually looks quite comfortable, and everything has been neatly kept in its place.
Too bad Cato's about to wreck everything.
I barely manage to take a good look around before he crashes against Thresh, shouting, "YOU WILL PAY FOR WHAT YOU DID TO CLOVE!"- I've never seen two bulls going at each other, but I honestly don't think it's that different from what is going on right before my eyes. They ignore me for a while, punching, kicking and destroying everything on their way, before seemingly getting tired and standing face to face, breathing heavily. "She told me," Cato pants, "That you did it because of your district partner." He smiles broadly and points at me. "But have you forgotten that he was the one who killed the little girl?"
Shit. Shit, shit, shit, shit.
Before I know it, Thresh's heavy fist is buried in my face, sending me stumbling backwards a couple of steps, before he grabs my throat and slams my head against the wall- something that has happened to me before, with a much less threatening opponent. "YOU COWARD! You killed a child!" he vociferates, inches away from my face. "Don't deny, I know you did it!"
I'm already seeing sparkly dots in front of my eyes, but I still manage to stammer, "I'm… sorry." And I mean it- the image of little Rue helplessly struggling to escape from me will haunt me forever.
Thresh seems so taken aback that he loosens his grip on my neck enough for me to take a deep breath. "You're… sorry?" he asks, as if he doesn't believe it.
Behind him, I can hear Cato snort. "Of course he is," he says mockingly. "He gets all lovey-dovey whenever he's around that useless bit-"
This time I'm the one who lunges forward, taking the opportunity that Thresh is too surprised to do anything, and punching Cato's stomach as hard as I can. Not my wisest decision- he's about an inch shorter than I am, but almost twice as wide, and soon I'm seeing starts again; but I can tell he's tired from fighting Thresh, and I manage to give back each blow I receive.
Suddenly, Thresh grabs the back of my shirt and drags me away from Cato. "I think that's enough," he says calmly, eyeing Cato, who is lying on the floor with a cut lip.
I wipe the blood from my nose. "We might as well admit it- we can't stand each other," I say bitterly.
"Yeah, but whether we like it or not, we're stuck here," Thresh says. Maybe I'm seeing things- after all, I just got beat up by two guys who are larger than me-, but I think he's calmed down from the moment I said I was sorry for killing Rue. "So we better try and get along. Truce?" Thresh holds out his hand, which I shake a bit hesitantly.
"Truce," I agree, feeling relieved.
We both look at Cato, who is sitting up, his eyebrows furrowed as always. He stares back at us as we raise our eyebrows, silently asking him if he agrees on a ceasefire. "Fine," he finally consents. "But I call dibs on the biggest bedroom."
Serena
I stand in the doorway and scan my new bedroom- it's smaller than the one I had in Victor Village back home, but the walls are painted with the same shade of baby blue, and through the window I can see the beach, not further than 500 yards from the back door of the building. I guess that's where I'll be spending my days.
However, as I look with more detail, I notice the room is deprived of any decoration, or anything remotely personal: there's a bed, a small table, a closet, and a wooden trunk with a '4' painted on it, but that's all.
I kneel next to the trunk, the necklace Grandma gave me dangling from my neck, and carefully open it, unsure about what I should expect to find. Inside there are clothes- piles of clothes, vaguely familiar, but not the ones I used to wear when I lived in District 4. Are they Felix's designs, that I wore during my brief visit to the Capitol? Yes, there's my interview dress, sparkly as always, and the red top Glimmer forced me to put on that time Marvel and I fell asleep by the pool…
And among all those fancy designer clothes, suddenly I find something that brings tears to my eyes- a fairly simple, deep blue dress, the only one that wasn't designed by Felix. I had it on the last time I saw my sisters, Sally, and Annie, when my name was drawn at the reaping and Marina asked me to be her baby's godmother- a baby I will never meet…
It was also the first time Marvel and I laid eyes on each other, even though we were still miles apart, on the train to the Capitol.
Suddenly, I realize I'm crying- not just crying, but sobbing over some old clothes. I should be happy- I'm alive, Marvel's alive, and we have years together ahead of us- but I still can't get everything I left behind out of my head.
"I can't believe they sent this," Glimmer's disgusted voice says behind me. I turn my head, wiping a tear: like me, she's still in the white tunic all the tributes- Awakened- were wearing when we woke up, revealing that I'm not the only one who's lost weight since we 'died'- it's impossible to know how long we were in a coma. It could be either days or months. She's also holding her interview gold gown.
"I thought I had gotten rid of it," she goes on. "It's not even that pr… Oh my God, are you okay?" In three strides of her long legs, Glimmer gets right next to me. "It's not because of District 5, is it?" she asks kindly.
I shake my head, even though my heart has jumped now that she mentioned it- before we entered our own apartment, we took a look around the building, and found out that the 6th floor penthouse is empty, and that every floor is occupied by boys and girls. We exchanged apartments with the girls from Districts 3 and 6- their names are still on the plaque, though their trunks weren't here when we arrived- thanks to my fear of heights, but if I had known our front neighbors would be David and the boy from District 5, I would have stayed on the fourth floor. Of course I don't mind David's presence- he waved cheerfully at us as he entered his new house- but the look his roommate gave me- of pure terror- made me hate myself. Especially at the sight of the scar I left when I slit his throat.
"Don't tell me it's Marvel." She frowns. "I know you were looking pretty cozy back on the ship, but please tell me now if I need to go and shake some sense into that hard head of his again."
I manage to crack up a small smile. "Not, it's not him. I just… I just miss home. I know it's stupid." I rub my eyes. "I wasn't even this emotional up until I got reaped. I don't know what is wrong with me."
"It's not stupid," Glimmer assures me. "Do you think I won't miss my family as well? But now we're here, and there's nothing we can do about it, so the best we can do is move on. As for the crying… I think you already know my advice on it."
This time, I laugh. "Let me guess…" I say amusingly, "Shower and new clothes?"
"Well, they're not exactly new, but I'll see what I can do." Glimmer pokes the see-through gown she's dropped on the floor. "Then you can help me get rid of this. What do you say we set it on fire?"
"Wouldn't be the first time someone did that to a dress," I chuckle.
We burst out laughing, but none of us says what is really on our minds- that we would give anything to be in Katniss's place, on our way home.
There's only one bathroom, so after I take a shower, put on a white dress and comb my hair, I decide to give a little life to my room while I wait for Glimmer to come out of the bathroom. I dig through the trunk, but I only find the objects I was given when I was lodged in the Training Center, like boring books about wigs, a toothbrush, and a small make-up bag. Something tells me I'll be spending a lot of time picking up shells to make wind chimes- these naked walls are getting on my nerves.
It is just as I'm sizing up my window, wondering how many wind chimes I could squeeze next to the curtains, that my stomach decides to growl loudly, reminding me I haven't eaten in a long time.
I walk to the kitchen, where I find Glimmer with her perfectly curled blonde hair peeking from the fridge door. As soon as she hears me get in, Glimmer pulls her head from the inside of the fridge and looks at me, her emerald eyes wide open.
"I don't know how to cook," she says in a slightly panicky voice.
My jaw drops. "Don't look at me! I can't cook either."
Glimmer slams the fridge door. "What?!" she asks incredulously.
"I was the youngest sister," I say defensively. "Naida wouldn't even let me come near the stove! She said I would burn the house down. What's your excuse?"
"I had a cook for that," she replies sheepishly. "I don't think I ever set foot in my kitchen!"
"That's just great." I sigh. "Now what?"
"Well…" Glimmer eyes the stove hesitantly. "It's probably not hard. We could try an easy recipe…"
It takes us about twenty minutes to figure out how to work with the stove, and another ten to find a recipe in the book we spot on one of the shelves that doesn't involve anything too complicated. By the time we decide to give up, there are ingredients scattered everywhere, and a really stinky goo boiling inside a pot.
It's just as we are contemplating the possibility of going around the building begging for help that we hear the doorbell ring.
"I'll go," I say, while Glimmer checks the consistence of our meal- apparently it's cement-like.
The first thing I see when I open the door is a mane of ebony curls, framing an adorable, dark-skinned face, inches below mine. "Oh… Hi, Rue," I say, half-surprised, half-embarrassed, given that the last time I saw her, I accidentally threw a knife at her head.
Rue doesn't seem to remind the incident, and if she does, she's forgiven me. "Can I come in?" she asks timidly, her big eyes filled with anxiety. "Please."
"Sure." I step aside so she can get in. "So… What brings you here?" I ask, as she takes a look around the apartment.
"I needed a place to hide," Rue confesses.
"Who is it?" Glimmer appears from the kitchen, her hair a little frizzy from our failed attempt at cooking. "Hello-" She pauses, widening her eyes at Rue, seemingly realizing she doesn't know her name. "Hello!" she repeats.
"This is Rue," I help, amused. Turning to the younger girl, I ask kindly, "What were you saying about needing a place to hide?"
"Clove is mad," she explains. "Robin hid her lucky stone, and now she can't find it."
Glimmer gives me a meaningful look- we both know an angry Clove is almost as bad as an angry Cato. "And can't she… persuade," Glimmer seems to be choosing her words carefully, so that she doesn't scare Rue. "Robin to give it back?"
"I guess she could," Rue replies. "But you see… The problem is, she can't find Robin either."
I nod, knowing all too well how she feels. "So she's decided to take it out on you," I finish for her. "Don't worry; you can stay here as long as you want."
Rue exhales, visibly relieved. "Thank you," she says, sounding sincere; then she sniffs the air. "Do I smell burning?"
"Well…" Glimmer rubs her neck. "We were trying to make lunch, but we don't really know how to cook."
"We're sorry we don't have anything to offer you," I add.
"It's okay," Rue says cheerfully, before darting towards the kitchen. Glimmer and I exchange glances before following her, only to find her small frame flickering around, and hopping on the counter.
"Rue," I say, when I realize what she's doing- she's cooking. "You don't have to do it."
"I don't mind it," she says lightly. "We didn't have much to eat back in District 11, so I actually enjoy when I get the chance to do this." My face heats up with shame- I've always had enough to eat but never bothered to make my own meals, and now there's a starving twelve-year-old making my lunch. "Besides," Rue adds, "You let me stay here. I don't want to owe you."
"You don't owe us anything," I assure her, thinking about my knife- and the spear Marvel threw out of revenge for my own death.
"Yes, I do," Rue insists, her eyes glittering. "I was the one who pointed that tracker jacker nest to Katniss. I'm so sorry, I was just trying to help her-"
Hearing Rue mention the tracker jackers is like being punched- I can still feel that furious swarm blocking my view, my hearing, my breath.
"You were there?" Glimmer interrupts, sounding incredulous- though her voice is a little shaky. "Wow, she's good," she praises, nodding at me in admiration. "No wonder she got to the final eight and we didn't."
I know Glimmer's just being nice- I can tell she's feeling the stings penetrating her skin as well.
But can we blame Rue? Although all of us were scared kids- even Cato and Clove, as tough as they may want to sound- Rue was the smallest, the weakest, while we actually looked forward to killing tributes. And she's still the one apologizing.
I shake my head. "You did the right thing," I tell Rue. "We are… were Careers. Why did you come to us? Aren't you afraid?"
"No." Rue smiles. "I watched you in the arena. You didn't act like the others… You care about people."
I can't bring myself to correct her. Sure, I care about Marvel… but I almost killed him once.
"But why didn't you ask Thresh for help?" Glimmer asks sympathetically. "Clove is scared of him, she told me herself."
Despite its dark tone, Rue's skin turns pale. "I-I don't want to bother him," she stammers.
I look at her, confused, before realization dawns on me, like a bucket of cold water has just been poured over my head.
Rue's not afraid of Thresh- judging from the way he chased after me in the arena, I'd say he truly cares about her. She's afraid of his roommates.
Of one in particular.
"I'm not bothering you, am I?" Rue asks quickly, mistaking my silence for disapproval.
"Of course not!" I assure her, smiling.
Rue seems pleased, and keeps cooking in silence, stopping every once in a while to teach us the correct way to cook pasta. Soon, the stink of our previous attempt at a meal is replaced with a delicious scent that has our mouths watering; the three of us sit by the table, not talking as we empty our plates.
After the initial conversation, Rue seems to be back into her bubble of shyness, if the fact that she doesn't look me or Glimmer in the eye indicates anything. The whole time, I'm wondering what's on her mind, and praying that Marvel doesn't keep his promise and decides to show up.
"So," Glimmer starts, after a while. "Tell us about yourself, Rue! How was it like in District 11?"
I let out a relieved sigh. Glimmer's an expert at making people feel comfortable around her, and she sounds genuinely curious.
Rue inhales deeply before excitedly beginning to describe her work in the orchards, how the mockingjays were her special friends, her passion for music. I feel my heart tighten a little more at every word, especially when Rue tells us about her struggle to get food- I've never felt more ashamed of myself in my life.
"But it was all worth it," Rue assures us. "Especially when I managed to get food for my entire family. You see, I have five siblings, so it was kind of hard," she finishes modestly.
A smile spreads across my face. "I have five sisters too! But they're all older than I am. What about you?"
"I'm the oldest," Rue replies, visibly proud of that fact.
"Really?" I ask, surprised. It's hard to imagine how someone so small and young can be the oldest of six even smaller children. But then again, by the time I was born, Marina was only eleven years old, so it's not that unusual. "I bet you're a wonderful big sister," I praise, earning a radiant smile from Rue.
"I'm an only child," Glimmer informs hurtfully. "But I've always wanted a little sister." She turns to me and messes my hair. "Maybe that's why I kind of adopted you."
I raise an amused eyebrow. "You do realize we're probably the same age, right?"
"Don't be silly," Glimmer snorts. "I'm seventeen, you're what? Fourteen, fifteen?"
"Seventeen," I correct her, laughing.
Glimmer widens her eyes. "Really? No wonder Marvel calls you Baby-face. I must tell you I'm relieved, I always thought he was a tad bit too old for you, even though you're perfect togeth-"
"Glimmer," I whisper, glancing at Rue. "Can we please not talk about him?"
"Fine." Glimmer rolls her eyes. "I won't mention him, if you agree to be my little sister. Deal?"
"Deal."
Glimmer turns to Rue. "This lunch was delicious," she praises, tapping her stomach. "What do you say I help you choose something to wear for the party in return?"
"I-I'm not sure if I'm going," Rue stammers, looking surprised.
I repress a snort- Glimmer seems to be recruiting another little sister.
"Of course you are!" Glimmer exclaims. "And Serena is going too. Aren't you?" she asks, looking at me with a devilish smile.
"I don't know," I reply. "I'm not really into parties-"
"You're going. You're wearing black. End of discussion. And you," she smiles at Rue. "Will look perfect in white."
"But I left all my clothes in my apartment," Rue says nervously, clearly trying to escape Glimmer's plan.
"No problem. I'll get them," Glimmer volunteers promptly. "I can deal with Clove. Maybe when I come down I'll call Dave from next door." The smile she gives Rue widens. "He can give a male opinion on our choices! And you're about the same age, I'm sure you'll get along."
"Glimmer!" I cry, shocked, while Rue turns slightly red- I'm all too familiar with Glimmer's habit of playing matchmaking. "She's twelve!" I hiss.
"Okay, okay." Glimmer laughs and opens the door. "I was just trying to help."
Marvel
What are you supposed to wear at a welcome 'congratulations-you're-not-really-dead' party? A vampire costume?
I frown at my trunk, filled with Zama's creations, which I finally managed to drag here. I had been assigned another room, but it was the biggest one, so Cato forced me to move my stuff to the smallest bedroom.
"You placed the lowest," he said arrogantly. "So you get the worst room."
I didn't even dare to disagree with him, especially when I saw my new room- it's only slightly smaller than the others, and it has a wonderful ocean view. I had to restrain myself from laughing at his stupidity. Besides, I thought with a smirk, eyeing the window and the waves below, It's the perfect place to bring Serena.
Of course, Cato wasn't happy with just nearly breaking my face and forcing me to move my stuff- he had to go and announce we should share tasks. Which means that Thresh cooks three times a week, while Cato and I do it on the remaining four days and are in charge of the cleaning. So, in addition to helping Cato clean up the mess he made with his little fit, I was assigned the best part of the house…
The toilet.
I don't even want to think about what awaits me. Especially since Cato's favorite dish is bean stew.
I agreed without contestation- let's face it, out of the three of us, I'm the weakest; it only takes me a glance in the direction of the mirror to further prove that: it's true I haven't lost my athletic frame, but my skin is unhealthily white, contrasting with my black pants, and dotted with the purple bruises from the earlier fight. And then there's the scars- one on my neck, reminding me I got killed by a small girl from the Seam, and one across my chest, from the baker's knife. How humiliating.
But then I remember Serena's delicate fingers tying the bandage, and her patient expression as she tended the wound, and I smile, thinking it was worth the pain. I have something that Cato and Thresh don't, after all- a girl that I love, and that loves me back. I don't think I've ever seen Thresh demonstrating any emotion while speaking to a girl, and Hell will freeze before Cato finally admits his feelings for Clove.
I grumble to myself and button the white shirt I chose over my chest, hiding the scar. I roll the sleeves up and decide to leave it untucked. I've always hated to dress up, and the only reason I'm attending this stupid party is because Glimmer will probably force Serena to go- and seeing her in a dress more than makes up for it.
Just as I'm tying my shoelaces, Cato pokes his head through the door without even knocking. "That creepy lady who gave us the keys is here to see you," he informs tonelessly, before disappearing without another word.
I walk to the living room, where I find my aunt carelessly taking a look around, with her hands in her pockets. Thresh and Cato are nowhere to be seen. "Where-" I start, but she raises her hand, cutting me off.
"I asked your friends if I could have a word with you in private, and they very kindly agreed," my aunt says with a sly smile.
I stop on my tracks and eye her hesitantly- now that I can look more closely, I can see that despite the obvious height- and this is not mentioning her personality- differences, she actually reminds me of my mother. The resemblance becomes more evident when my aunt drops her juvenile- and disturbingly similar to mine- attitude and the mischievous grin she was giving me turns into a motherly smile.
"They're not my friends," I manage to say.
"It doesn't matter," my aunt dismisses, taking a step closer. "So… You're Lacey's son."
I nod. "And you're her sister," I add, not knowing what else to say- my whole life, I thought my mother's sister was dead, and now here she is, wanting to talk to me. I have no idea how to act.
Much to my surprise, my aunt eliminates the space between us and gives me a bear hug. I just stand there awkwardly, unsure if I should hug her back. "You look so much like her," she says, pulling away and studying my face.
"Erm… Thank you," I stutter.
"How is she?" my aunt asks eagerly, widening her uneven eyes.
"She… she's-" At the last moment, I stop myself from saying happy, even though that's what my aunt wants to hear. My mother was far from that- I could see it in her eyes every day when I got up early to train, but I was so sure that I would win the Games that I always thought there was no need for it. "She did well in life," I say carefully instead. "She mentions you a lot."
My reply, however, doesn't seem to be enough. "Did well in life?" my aunt asks, wrinkling her nose. "What do you mean with that?"
"She owns a jewelry store," I reply. "It's not big, but-"
"I get the picture," she interrupts impatiently. "But I asked you how she's doing, not how big her bank account is."
"I'm sorry," I utter, running my hand through my hair with frustration. "She's… she's alright, I guess. She was against my volunteering and that caused some little fights with my father, but nothing serious."
My aunt squints at me. "Your father is Garnet Gould, isn't it? I remember Lacey having a huge crush on him. She used to watch him fight with his sword, even if she hated training," she says. Then, she confesses, "I can imagine him fighting with her over something like you volunteering."
"They might have their differences, but my parents love each other," I say, suddenly annoyed.
"I don't doubt that." My aunt seems alarmed by my change of mood. "What about siblings?" she asks, changing the subject. "Do you have any?"
"A sister and a brother." I cross my arms- even though she's family, and I'm glad she's here, my aunt is still a stranger. "Crystal and Jem."
My aunt nods. "What about your girlfriend? Are you going to tell me about her?"
"No," I reply, turning my face. "What about you, uh- should I call you Aunt Silk? Auntie Silk?" She tilts her head back and laughs, but gives me an approving smile. "Do you have any family?"
"Actually," Aunt Silk says with a playful gleam in her eyes, "I was just waiting to speak to you about that. Your cousins are dying to meet you."
"Cousins?" I ask, in shock. I have cousins?
"What's the surprise? Did you think I was some old maid?" My aunt shakes her head, amused. "No, I'm married with four children. Unfortunately, neither my oldest daughter nor my youngest son could make it, unlike the twins-"
"They're here?" I widen my eyes.
"Yes, they're outside, but they won't get in unless you want them to. Should I call them?"
"Sure," I answer, suddenly feeling curious.
My aunt smiles and steps to the door, opening it and talking to someone I can't see in a hushed voice. When she gets back, she's accompanied by a boy and a girl that must be about my age, both with fiery red hair and green eyes. Like me, they're dressed as if they are attending a party, and while the boy seems pretty comfortable with the fact he's about to meet his cousin, the girl looks like she just wants to be swallowed by the ground. "These are Rufus and Gretchen," my aunt informs. She turns to her children. "And this is your cousin Marvel."
Rufus cockily holds out his hand, which I shake in the same fashion. His freckled nose is ridiculously perky. "Pleased to meet you," he says.
"You too." I drop his hand and motion to shake Gretchen's, but she doesn't even move or says a word.
"Well," my aunt says quickly, "I have to go now. I trust you three will get along. Goodbye!"
Then, without another word, she turns around, leaving me with my snooty cousin and his mute twin sister.
"Look," I start, as soon as my aunt is gone. "As much as I'd like to stay here… I'm meeting someone, and I'm already late, so I have to go."
"Who?" Rufus asks, spreading his tall figure on the couch.
"That's none of your business," I say, annoyed.
Rufus looks at me through the corner of his eye. "My mom told me about your girlfriend. Is she hot?"
I don't manage to reply the way I want to- which would maybe involve wiping the floor with his face- because Cato and Thresh choose that moment to come back. "I'm starving," Cato snarls, opening the fridge door and proceeding to open a milk carton, most likely to pour the milk directly down his throat. "Who the fuck are you?" he asks, when his eyes fall on my cousins.
"I was about to ask you the same question," Rufus says lazily from his spot on the couch, causing Cato's face to turn as red as his hair.
"Listen, buddy," Cato spits, "I don't know how you got in-"
"These are Gretchen and Rufus," I inform, before another fight breaks off. Although I wouldn't mind seeing Cato go at Rufus's throat for a change. "They're… Silk's children."
"Oh." Cato points the now empty carton at my cousins. "Are they our guides or some shit?"
"Yes," I reply tonelessly.
"Well, I don't need chaperones," Cato says arrogantly. "I'm going to that party alone."
He storms out of the apartment to mark his words, grabbing a grey jacket in the process. I focus my attention on Thresh, who still hasn't spoken a word, and notice he's observing Gretchen- who is silently studying him back.
Then, to my utter surprise, he does the strangest thing- he smiles.
Unable to take any more weirdness, I put on my black jacket and dart out of the door Cato has left open, followed by my two ginger shadows.