So, what do you think – will Myka make use of the number Helena gave her? You'll know soon enough! :)
I do not own Warehouse 13, etc.
Chapter Eight
"Morning," Myka says cheerfully, entering the kitchen.
Her parents are sitting at the table, talking over a coffee. They stop to greet her with smiley faces, and as much as she's used to her mom's constant brightness, her father's little but honest smile takes Myka aback. I guess everyone's in a good mood today.
"Have you eaten already?" she asks, helping herself to a glass of orange juice.
"Not yet," her father answers. "We've been waiting for you and your sister, but we didn't expect you to get up so early."
That must be the longest sentence he directed my way in years, Myka muses, deciding not to point out to her father that she's always up so early. Tracy is the one who sleeps in. Why wait for us, anyway?
Seeing her furrowed brows, Myka's mom breaks in, saying, "We wanted to have a meal together, the four of us, before you two go out again. Don't get me wrong, honey, it's wonderful that you girls have friends to hang out with, but it's family vacation after all."
"Okaaay," Myka says slowly. "Well, would you like me to make breakfast? I can wake Tracy up when I'm done."
"Lovely."
While preparing breakfast, Myka thinks back to the previous evening. Helena gave you her number, Myka, she keeps telling herself, which means she wants you to call, that's a fact. But still, she can't bring herself to make the call; the mere thought of that makes her nervous.
Finally, when the food is ready and Tracy joins them at the table, Myka decides to choose the easy way and send a text. She types, "Would u like 2 go later 2 the beach with me?" After a moment she adds "and my friends" before the question mark. She ends, signing her name, and hits send.
The response comes within minutes. "I'm not sure they'd greet me with open arms. Make it just the 2 of us 4 now?"
She's right. Pete's not exactly her biggest fan. Damn it, Pete, Myka thinks, before it hits her, No, wait. Thanks, Pete! She grins, typing next message quickly, and puts her phone down, when her father looks at her expectantly.
# # #
After breakfast Myka and Tracy go out to grab Claudia and Josh, and together they head to the main street, chatting along the way. Then they split up. Tracy and Joshua go to the movies, or whatever it is that they do, as Myka and Claudia go to Artie's.
"Hello, Artie," Claudia says politely, still a bit shy around the man, even though he's nicer to her than to Myka or Pete.
Myka knows Artie has a soft spot for Claudia, who apparently doesn't annoy him as much as the two of her teenage friends. Not that Myka annoys him, but her bantering with Pete sure as hell does. Speaking of Pete…
"Hey Mykes! Claudster!"
The boy appears, while Artie's showing Claudia something on his computer. Myka noticed it a few days before, that Claudia totally treats the man as a mentor. He teaches her new things and answers all of her questions, and it seems the girl found her tech-world guide.
"Hi, Pete. How's your arm?" she asks, looking at his cast compassionately.
He shrugs, and then winces.
"You know, could've been better. But whatever. It's actually the first time I broke any body part, so – hurray to new experiences."
"If you say so." She eyes him up. "Why aren't you at the B&B anyway?"
"I had to get away from my mom for a while. She didn't want me to go, as I'm kinda grounded," Pete sighs, "but my sister convinced her to let me come here."
Myka watches him closely.
"How does your sister feel about all of this? The fight, MacPherson."
"I think the right world would be, confused. She was sorry and a little angry, and she made me promise I'd stay away from him. Or aim at his knees next time," his brows furrow, but Myka smiles with a corner of her mouth. "Whatever."
She nods her head slowly, trying to decide if she should tell Pete about her conversation with Helena. But in the end she doesn't, because Artie brings a plate of cookies and a glass of milk for everyone, so Claudia and Pete throw themselves at him immediately.
# # #
First thing Myka does when she sees Helena from afar is suppress a laugh. The girl is sitting cross-legged, wearing a white top, bright orange shorts with braces and a ridiculously giant hat. She's very absorbed in a book she's reading.
Myka comes up to Helena and sits down beside her, nudging her with an arm to catch her attention.
"Hi there."
"Oh, hello." Helena closes the volume after marking a page.
"I've got something for you," Myka says, trying to hand Helena "The Wonderful Visit". She's met with resistance.
"I thought I told you to keep it." Helena doesn't hide her surprise.
"Yes, but I've already read it, several times, so I wanted to return it to you."
Helena laughs. "No, Myka, I meant it. You should take it, consider it a peace offering of sorts."
Myka returns the smile. Fingering the cover, she says, trying to sound casual, "Sooo, you told Joshua to call you HG…"
"I knew you'd bring that up." Helena is openly smirking. "Do you want me to sign your book? I am HG Wells after all."
"And very humble, too." Myka chuckles, but hands the other girl the book. This time, she takes it. "Please write a nice dedication for a devoted fan."
"Oh I will, darling."
Helena thinks for a moment, then starts writing. When she's finished, she puts the book on Myka's lap, keeping her hand on top of it.
"Read it later, when we bid our goodbyes," she murmurs, before taking her hand back.
Myka nods her head in agreement, not trusting her voice not to betray her. Nobody has ever had that effect on me, not Charlie, not Sam…
"So, uh, what do you have here?" She points at the volume lying before Helena. It has a binding, so Myka can't see a title.
Helena traces the spine of the book with her index finger, saying, "Essentials of Clinical Immunology."
"Wow." Myka thinks back to the moment in library, when Helena was examining a shelf with medicine books. "Are you in med school?"
"No. I'm studying electronic engineering." Helena looks up at her, a small smile on her lips. "But really, I love science in every form." Her sight once again falls to the book, and she adds, "I have yet to find what I've been looking for." Her voice lacks emotions, but Myka's pretty sure Helena is disappointed, if not irritated, she didn't find an answer to whatever question she may have.
"Me too," Myka speaks up. "In life, I mean. I'm still looking for a right path for myself. I don't know yet what's next for me after high school. I don't have a future planned out."
"I suppose not everything can be planned out," HG muses, sounding dully. "Anything can happen when you least expect it." Suddenly, she jumps to her feet. "Let's swim for a bit, shall we?"
Myka shakes her head no, "I'm not really a fan of the sea water."
"Nonsense." Helena grabs her hands to help her up. "I know you're wearing a bikini under those clothes, so there's no way out of this for you." She pulls at the tie belt of Myka's shorts, undoing it. When their eyes meet, Helena winks. Her voice is flirty, when she asks, "Want me to help you disrobe?"
"Thank you, I can manage." Before Helena can react, Myka takes down her hat and lets it fall to the sand. "Now we're even."
Undressing, Helena chuckles.