Page 38 of The Lost Kings
Something told me it would be worse.
“Psst.”A hiss echoed through the room and then something shoved my shoulder.
“Gio!”
I sat up and looked around the dark room, finding someone kneeling next to my bed.
“Presley?”
Her hand moved to my mouth, covering it. “Come on, let’s go.”
I moved the sheet off and slid out of bed. I was in a pair of basketball shorts, but my shirt was still off. The air was hot and humid. I glanced at Kingston’s bed, seeing he was still asleep.
“Where are we going?” I whispered back, but Presley merely grabbed my hand and pulled me with her as she moved over to Kingston’s side of the room. I ignored the fact that she was including my brother in whatever we were doing and focused on how warm her hand was in mine.
“Kingston,” she whispered, rousing my brother from sleep.
Once he was awake enough to sit up, she tugged his hand.
“Gemini is out!” she said excitedly, leading us out of our room and down the hall. The place we were staying had polished, wood floors that creaked ever so slightly whenever we stepped on them, but right at the end of the hall was a door that led out to a huge balcony.
Kingston was holding Presley’s other hand, and right as he saw me, he delivered that exact expression he’d given me when exitingthe pool. Presley’s head tipped back as she stared at the sky. Her pajamas were cotton shorts and a thin tank top, which made that concrete block return to my gut.
Why did it feel so strange seeing her like this?
She was freshly fifteen and still had her braces. She’d always just been Presley…even though if I were to really remember and think back, she’d always been more than that to me.
“Right there, Gio!” She pointed up, and I stepped next to her until I saw where she was pointing.
Sure enough the complex system was there, the two twin heads at the narrow opening.
“You found it, Elvis.” I draped my arm over her shoulders and tugged her into my side.
Her smile was infectious as Kingston stepped closer to her.
“Show me,mi reina. I can’t find it.”
Yes, he could. He may be into plants, but we’d both been in the same astronomy class last year, and we’d both learned how to read maps.
Presley left my embrace and gently took his wrist until her hand hovered over his. “Look, right there.” Their heads were bent closer, as she leaned into him, trying to get him to see the right group of stars.
“Oh, I see it now.”
Idiot.
Presley let him go and then brought her hands together. “It’s so beautiful. I can’t believe we finally found it.”
“You found it, Elvis,” I said, tugging on the end of her braid.
She turned and smiled at me then reached for both of our hands and intertwined her fingers through ours.
“One day I want to come back here, when we’re grown-ups. I might even want to live here.”
Kingston and I followed her to the ground when she decided to lie on the balcony and stare up at the constellation. We never let her hands go while we lay next to her.
“What about your farm, Pres?”
She let out a heavy sigh. “I can have a farm here in Mexico, can’t I?”
