Page 40 of The Marriage Narrative
“Or maybe I’m in the mood for a wild goose chase. A test to see how long it takes for someone to realize I’ve gone rogue, except this time I won’t hide somewhere as obvious.”
She got turned around so often because even with the Zaffre blue streak, the entire house had a fatal case of white-wall effect. A few lost minutes later, she finally recognized the correct dead-end hall with the white cat den but stopped walking mid-stride.
Lulie was blocking the hallway like a bad omen in designer clothes.
Jordan favored Damon. Sadie favored Amber. The twins ended up somewhere in the ethnically ambiguous middle. It was like their genetics made a pact to reinvent the Zaffre wheel together, choosing jet-black kinky hair and very light skin with coolundertones. But Lulie kept her hair bone straight now and Wylie had a buzz cut, which spoke volumes.
Why wasn’t Lulie in the den already? Was she setting up another prank?
Jordan had promised Zinnia that the pranks were ending, but that didn’t mean the twins couldn’t change their minds. Or decide to go out with a bang.
The now painfully familiar low-grade buzz prickled under Zinnia’s skin as her heart began thudding from suspicion. She wasn’t a naturally anxious person, but this house truly had her fucked up.
All that running for nothing.
Click-click.
“Traitors,” Zinnia whispered.
“You’re late,” Lulie accused.
“Clicker says otherwise.Theytell the time, not me.” She pointed to her pod. “It’s quite freeing in a punishing kind of way.”
“Do you always complain so much?”
“If the mood strikes.” She shrugged. “I’ll spare you a joke about that as well, but please believe I do have one.”
“I don’t get what he sees in you.” Lulie sized her up. “Nice sweater. Very kindergarten teacher chic.”
It took over fifty hours for Zinnia’s mom to make just one and she’d given her an entire wardrobe’s worth. She was going to wear her cardigans until they disintegrated and then preserve the pieces in airtight bags.
Wearing a grin as wild as her brother but in the sweetest voice imaginable, Lulie called out, “Hurry up, slowpoke!” She winked at Zinnia before disappearing into the den.
Eyes wide and fists clenched, Zinnia took a step back, ready to turn and run, but then Jordan poked his head out the door.
Seeing him instantly flipped a switch in her brain—from panicked to focused, all of her sharpened into a fine point whenever she was near him. She breathed, shaky and then steady, as she began counting to center herself.
Jordan met her in the hallway on nine, smiling in a way that helped her remember she was safe with him. “Did you two walk over together?”
The look on his face was the killing blow. Lulie’s plan wasn’t a prank, but something much crueler—getting Jordan’s hopes up.
“No, your sister was waiting for me in the hall for some silly reason.”
“Hmm.” He bent down slightly, playfully inspecting her through narrowed eyes. “Sometimes, I can’t tell if you’re being serious.”
That was fair. Her sarcasm was directly tied to her stress levels, which had reached record-breaking all-time highs. “I’m not smiling. That usually gives me away. She told me I was late and insulted my cardigan.”
His gaze sharpened and flicked to her left hand. Zinnia rolled her eyes to confirm.Stand down.
“Hear me out,” he said, for the cameras. “That actually means she’s warming up to you. She just…has an interesting way of showing it.”
She tried to imagine being friends with Lulie, how their relationship could’ve played out if the cake prank had never happened…and there was nothing there but a self-preservation blank wall blocking her from even entertaining the idea. “If you say so.”
White cat den got its name from the wallpaper. The light gray cat line art nearly blended into the shaded white background. Standing nose to paper was the only way to see the cute vertical pattern of cats rolling, pouncing, stretching, and sleeping.
Zinnia entered right behind Jordan—a loud, shattering sound reverberated around the room, and she recoiled backward, almost colliding with Magenta.
“It’s okay.” Jordan held his hands up, palms out, as he blocked her view. “They started early. Wylie’s more interested in learning serving tricks than making drinks.”
