Page 95 of Ghost
She dropped my hair, talking to face me. “Besides, you like this style, don’t you? In the daytime, you wear cute clothes. But at night, you’ve been hiding behind baggy things. I refuse to believe that there isn’t a reason for that.”
How could she do this to me? I wasn’t sure how she knew what I wore at night, but she wasn’t incorrect in her observations.
There were two reasons for that, actually. But for the main… “I have different pajamas with me. But I don’t want them to make fun of me.”
Maria burst into laughter, the sound startling me enough to meet her gaze. “Why in the world would they make fun of you?”
“Because I look weird,” I muttered, finding it difficult to maintain eye contact. “And the thought of people looking at me is scary. Even Finn made faces before.”
“Scary? Okay, juststop.” Maria put her hand in front of her. “What are you scared of? And don’t mind Finn, he makes faces at everything.”
“How do you know Finn?” I asked, happy for this perfect distraction. From her tone, it didn’t sound like she hated him either.That was odd.
Maria’s face froze briefly, and when she spoke there was hesitance. “Finn is one of… mine.”
I paused, reflecting. “One of your quintet?”
“Wow, they told you everything, didn’t they?” Maria stared at me incredulously. Our eyes met in the mirror, before she glanced away, grumbling under her breath. “‘Just a friend’, my ass. This plan couldn’t be more perfect. I’ll show them what happens when you don’t tell the truth.”
“What?”
“Yes,” Maria sighed, defeated. “Finn is in my quintet.”
Well, that might explain why she hated men. If it hadn’t been for Damen and the others, I’d have hated men too. Finn had that manner about him.
“But he’s never present. Even upon enrolling here, he’s skipped our activities,” Maria continued. “Anthony has been searching for him, but he’s hiding again.”
Who was Anthony? And why would he be looking for Finn?
And now I was thinking about it. Controlling elements, if Finn was Fire and Maria Metal… “Are you scared of Finn? He controls you, right?”
Maria barked out a laugh, before catching herself and covering her mouth with her hand. “Sorry.” Her eyes sparkled with mirth. “I don’t know what they’ve told you. But that’s not how it works.”
“They said that Tituswantsto eat me,” I confessed. Being eaten was my biggest fear. “But that I didn’t have to worry because he has super control.”
For some reason, Maria grinned even wider. But then quickly changed her expression into one of professionalism. “You’ve got nothing to fear from Titus, especially with Damen nearby. A controller only exists to maintain a balance of power. Titus couldn’t be more stable. Finn is a problem, and only because he refuses to act like a functioning member of our group.”
“As for me,” she gestured toward herself. “Without Finn nearby, I lack a controller. That’s why I am employed by Titus—not because I enjoy the work. Being near Titus helps me, and seeing Damen too. I’m not scared of Finn. IneedFinn. His absence has made everything difficult. And I hope when Anthony finds the little shit, he beats the crap out of him.”
“What would you do if you didn’t need to work with Titus?” I felt bad for Maria.Darn Finn, ruiner of dreams.
Maria’s grin faded, and a thoughtful expression crossed her face. “I wonder.”
“What?” I prodded.
She blinked, her focus returning to me. “Something more suited to my personality. Now, speaking of. Don’t think I haven’t noticed,” she said, circling to face me. “You didn’t answer my question. Why are you scared? Why won’t you wear what you want when you are alone with the boys? What are you even doing with Finn’s pants?”
Oh my Lord, she could smell him.Somehow, his pants had gotten lost in my clothes during our last sleepover, and I had worn them for modesty’s sake. Did Titus know these were his as well? This was so humiliating.
“Bianca?” Maria’s eyes peered at me, and my face warmed under her look.
I couldn’t keep a secret from her. “I don’t want to give anyone the wrong idea.” I touched my fingers, unable to hold her gaze. “I thought they were monks. So I didn’t want to get in between them and their mission. But now… I like this style, but…”
Maria sounded as if she was torn between seriousness and humor. “But what?”
I couldn’t answer her question. There was no way to describe my many fears. I still had no idea if they were even flirting with me in seriousness. In this situation, there were more cons to them being serious than pros. But it had worked out perfectly before, since they couldn’t date.
I had nothing to offer any of them. My life was a mess.
