Page 116 of Awry
“That I would meet my mate while dancing!”Kris squeals quietly.
“So we went dancing,” Presh grumbles.
“And met up with DeVille!”
“There were hundreds of people there …”
“Yes, but … the psychic also said a bunch of specific things.”
“Like?”
“Like … I would be with a friend with multicolored hair, that we’d have to defy the odds to get where we needed to be.And like, you know, sneaking off the pack property wasn’t easy.Also, it had to be the night of the last quarter moon!That’s tonight!Well … almost.”
I stop pretending to answer text messages, turning to the girls.“Someone told you to bring Presh to that rave tonight?”I ask.
Both of them turn to look at me, wide-eyed and blinking.
It’s possible my tone is a little harsh.
Kris starts shaking her head in a way that reminds me she’s still stoned.“No … no … no … not like that.It’s just for fun …”
Presh touches my hand.“It’s nothing, Zaya.You know it’s a sham, and the so-called psychic just asked some questions and then twisted the things she got off Kris into a fake reading.”
Right.Sixteen-year-old girl.What else would she be interested in but mates and raves?“The multicolored hair …”
“Oh …” Kris says quietly, as if coming to a realization.“We … we were at the Nail Bar … Cayley was doing Zephyr’s nails.”She glances over at me.“Cayley’s family owns all the Nail Bars along the coast.And she can fix your hair for you too.”
Apparently, my hair and nails look so hideous that a sixteen-year-old has managed to shake off her terror of my eyes for at least long enough to offer me personal advice.Great.
Kris continues rambling.“I asked to tag along … and I … I might have mentioned Presh’s hair, from our last chat, you know …” She looks at Presh, emanating utter despair.“You think the psychic ripped me off?”
Presh snort-laughs again.“Yeah, she totally played you.”
Outside, DeVille snuffs out his smoke, crossing to intercept the guy carrying takeout bags toward us.
“Like there’s dangerous goods in Dairy Queen takeout,” Presh mumbles.“And the guy is clearly a null.”
“It’s adorable,” Kris says, rolling down the window.“The way he wants to take care of us.Protect us.Plus, nulls can take down shifters.Ever heard of poison?!”
Presh shakes her head at her friend.“Wait!Were Doc and Cay gossiping about Rought in the fucking Nail Bar?”
Kris actually flinches, completely called out.
Presh sighs affectedly.
Outside, DeVille is actually sorting through the bags.The delivery guy looks an instant away from bolting.
“He’d better keep his lips off my shakes,” I say.Yes, I ordered two.
Presh laughs, calling through the now-open window, “Don’t be a dork, Andy.We’re hungry!”
Then, as the three sort through the food, all I can think about is that Rought doesn’t have a mate.
His childhood love is dead.So I might not have misread the situation between us at all.
And suddenly, I’m flushing with … hope?Anticipation?Just like the teenagers fighting over the onion rings.
Twelve
