Page 28 of Omega Chattel
“If it’s true—“ He pouted, and took a deep, hissing breath through his nose.
“I can show you some things that will be helpful.”
“Okay.” His look changed immediately to one of hope again. I liked to see it. I didn’t want him unhappy here.
We spent the next two hours going over many things, including the science questions, many of which he’d also gotten wrong… or almost right.
Technically, he’d failed again, but I would never lead him down that road of thinking it. No one failed who tried, and tried again.
We talked of the story he’d read that afternoon and which he, again, hated, and of the novel he’d chosen to read for the week. He seemed a little more on board with literature than the other subjects.
When he glanced at my desk clock, his eyebrows shot up. “Wow, it’s late! I didn’t mean to keep you so long from your work.”
“It’s all right.” Honestly, I hadn’t noticed the time. Just like last evening with the movie, I hadn’t cared about that part of it. It was as if spending time in the presence of Alli made everything else disappear.
No.I couldn’t think that way. I had to be firm.
“But you have your own work. And you said before that evenings were for relaxing. And we’ve been working.”
“There are exceptions to my rules all the time.”
Alli raised a young and delicate, untouched eyebrow at me. My chest flooded with warmth.
“I think I made you up,” he said softly.
“What?”
“One of my childhood teachers used to say, ‘If it seems too good to be true, it’s probably not true.’ I guess he was trying to make us not so gullible or something. And to prepare us for a world at large that make Omegas vulnerable because we’re more submissive.”
“Good and bad happens all the time in this world,” I replied. “Your teacher was right, but in a very general way. He was probably trying to instill in you some common sense. That you shouldn’t simply believe everything you’re told without some investigation first.”
“Right. Don’t just accept things at face value. Use your mind.” He tapped the side of his pretty head.
“Exactly.”
I knew I was doing a good thing here. A rare thing. Helping Omegas.
But did that make me good?
Alli gave me a sheepish smile. “Maybe I also need to learn to take the hand up when it is given, and not question it so much.”
“Of course you should question. Always. Questioning should not be something to be avoided. You can only grow and learn and become your best self if you keep questioning.”
“Can I ask you something then?”
I nodded.
“Why do you do this?”
I shrugged. “Because I can.”
“But, but… All right. You said to question. I will, then. This can’t be it. You teaching me. Me living here. I don’t understand. I’m taking up your time. I—I don’t know how to ask, but I keep wondering. When you have your Burn, I mean, it’s all I have to give in return. All--”
I held up my hand for him to be quiet. “I told you I don’t sleep with my house-guests.”
“I don’t know about the others, but I was farm trained. For servicing Alphas. It’s what I know how to do. Enin pays you back by cleaning your house. Some day Oren will make a lot of money and pay you back in that way. But I keep wondering about me. What I can do. And clearly I’m not smart.” His voice softened as if he became suddenly shy. “But I am service-trained. I can pay you back in that way.”
A yearning tug. A gravity. Like stars.
