What was he doing? He had to find Devi. He knew it wasprobably a damn distraction to get him to not follow his father.
Well, it was a distraction that worked. “We go out in thecrowd and break off before they can question us. Head down. We have to get outfar enough that we can call base.”
Tasha nodded.
And they joined the fleeing crowd, praying everyone he lovedsurvived.
* * * *
Devi glanced up at the clock and wondered if she was goingto survive the experience.
“Do you have to breathe that way?” Lucy asked, staring witha frown on her face.
“Yup.” Kala was laid out over the comfiest chair in theliving area, scrolling on her phone. “It’s how I receive oxygen. I know demonsdon’t understand human physiology, but we require oxygen to live.”
Lucy’s eyes rolled. “I mean with all the sighs and obviousdisdain. You know if you don’t like it here, you can go join your father at thestation. I assure you I can keep Devi safe. I don’t understand why we can’t goout into the city. It’s not like Huisman is going to blow up Liverpool.”
Devi sat up from her place on the couch where she sat kindof halfway watchingtellyand halfway waiting for thereal show to begin.
Spy v Spy
Overly aggressive alpha female v overly aggressive alphafemale
Kala v Lucy
Two spies enter, one survives with her hair intact.
Yeah, it was going down if the team didn’t hurry up. “I cansee The Phil later. I also want to go to Strawberry Fields. It looks pretty inthe guide. Is there a reason the only juice we have here is beet juice?”
She’d kind of hoped for orange. Maybe some cranberry.
Both women turned her way and said in stereo, “Aliens.”
No explanation. Nothing more. She searched her memory. “Isthis a Bliss thing?”
“Yes,” Lucy replied. “It’s a Bliss thing, and Kala is atourist.”
Kala sat up, putting her phone down. “I spent almost everysummer there, and a lot of Christmases and spring breaks, too. I know thosemountains as well as you do. I’m sorry your sister likes me more than you. Youmade a mistake with Poppy. You let her meet you. If you wanted her to like you,you should have stayed away from her.”
“Does anyone want to tell me why you two hate each other?”She was so curious. Zach didn’t know. Cooper claimed he didn’t know. Tristanhad made a bunch of shit up and Tasha, Kenz, and Lou weren’t talking. It wasfrustrating.
“I don’t hate her,” Lucy replied, arms crossed over herchest. “I simply don’t want to hang around with a reckless asshole who will oneday almost certainly get someone killed in the field.”
“I do hate her,” Kala countered. “She’s an asshole who triedto ruin me when I was a teen.”
Oh, they were getting somewhere now.
Lucy sighed. “Sure. It was all me. You did nothing.”
“I responded to your taunts. I responded to your tricks.”Kala looked Devi’s way. “Do you know why Kenz and I went pink the first time?”
“No.” Devi was so intrigued it almost made up for being leftbehind. “I thought you liked the color.”
“I was fourteen and my mom told me I couldn’t dye my hairuntil I was at least sixteen, and then we would talk. But then some asshole putbleach in my shampoo while my family was on vacation.”
“I’m not proud of that, but I will say I was young and youtold me I couldn’t come with you and Poppy.” Lucy’s mouth tightened with thememory. “You told me Poppy needed older friends and I should find some kids myown age, but there weren’t many kids my own age. I only had her. Everyone elsethought I was weird. What would you have done if someone told you they weretaking your sister away?”
“I didn’t mean it like that, and I would punch them. Iwouldn’t put bleach in their shampoo. It could have gotten into my eyes,” Kalareplied.