Chapter 334
Lucy flew back to Kansas City with us. The second my mom started to nod her head—not a full-fledged “yes” but just that initial, “I’m thinking about saying yes but haven’t quite gotten there yet” approval—Lucy was thanking her. So she really didn’t have much of a choice.
Luce said next to nothing the entire flight, which wasn’t that long, but I didn’t know if I should try to carry on a conversation or just let her absorb everything. Her whole life had changed in a matter of seconds. I do know the feeling. When this world was revealed to me initially, it was a little slower than that. But when I woke up in Philadelphia to discover I was a half-Vampire, half-Hunter Hybrid, it seemed like I’d taken a ride on a rollercoaster with no safety harness of any kind. I got it. And I didn’t want to overwhelm her. So we sat next to each other, and she stared out the window at the tiny towns and farmland, and I talked to Brandon a little on my IAC, but pretty much everyone else was speaking in low whispers, like they didn’t want to disturb the fragile girl with the big blue eyes.
Once we got to headquarters, Lucy’s demeanor changed slightly. I could see excitement building within her, like she remembered there was a fresh wound in her heart, but it was starting to scab over a little and let her life continue. It’s impossible to step onto campus for the first time and not think about what you’re looking at. The rest of the world out there beyond those gates has no idea what we do in here, and once you’re inside, there’s no going back. Unless of course Elliott does some of his mind trickery, but Lucy is beyond that.
Our apartment is tiny compared to Cadence’s. I wished Lucy could’ve just stayed with my sister because at least she’d have her own room, but my mom was adamant that she had promised Lucy’s mom that she would take care of her daughter, so she needed to be under our roof. I didn’t mention that we live in the same apartment building as Cadence, so technically, Lucy would still be under the same roof.
“Your room is so cool,” Lucy said, bringing in the small duffel bag she’d brought with her. The rest of her stuff would be up shortly. Sometimes it takes a few minutes for stuff to get here from the airport, but we have people for that. We have people for a lot of things.
“Thanks,” I said, thinking about drawers and closet space. And where we would both sleep. My bed is full-sized, so we would both fit on it, but it would be tight. “You can sleep in here, and I’ll take the couch.”
“Oh, no. I don’t want to be a pain,” Lucy said, dropping her bag and sitting down on the edge of my bedspread. “It’s just—not girly at all.”
I laughed. “I didn’t want any pink, frou-frou stuff. So I went with blues and teals.”
“It’s great. I’ll sleep on the floor. I brought a sleeping bag.”
“You can’t sleep on the floor for the next year and I half,” I muttered, but then I remembered she’d be seventeen soon enough. I wondered if my mom would let her move out then, after she Transforms. “We’ll have to get you enrolled in our online high school. If you need any help with algebra, Brandon can help. I wouldn’t be passing if it wasn’t for him.”
“Cool,” Lucy muttered, still looking around. “It must help that you have an IAC.”
“It helps with a lot of my classes, but not really math. The calculator is nice, though.” I sat down a few feet away from her. “Mom said I can take you over to meet Dax and Tara before dinner. But I’m on a very tight schedule. She’ll probably expect the same thing from you.”
Lucy twisted around, pulling her knee up on the bed, so she could face me. “What do you mean?”
Sighing, I picked up a throw pillow and squeezed it against my chest. I knew my parents were in the kitchen making lunch because I could hear the dishes. It was a Wednesday, and I was surprised my dad hadn’t gone to work as soon as we landed. He loved his new job working with the other engineers on weapons and stuff like that. He didn’t even mind that he answered to Christian. “I mean... I have a very short leash.”
Her forehead crinkled. “Why is that? You mean, they don’t trust you?”
“Nope. And maybe they shouldn’t.” I thought about my reckless behavior that had earned me a steel gray eye. “I go to training in the morning, come home to do my homework, and then if I’m lucky I get to go hang out with my friends for a couple of hours before my eight o’clock curfew.”
“Eight?” Lucy wrinkled her nose so that one nostril was a lot higher than the other. “Gross.”
“I know. On the weekends, sometimes they let me stay out until ten. Unless I’m on a hunt. That’s the only time I can stay out later.”
Lucy shook her head slowly. “There’s not even anything you can do to get yourself into trouble here, is there?”
An image of Bonnie ripping Tara’s throat out crossed my mind. “Sometimes. But I think they don’t trust me because of what happened in Philadelphia.”
“Right.” She shrugged. “I guess I can just have my parents—my mom—talk to yours.” Her voice caught in her throat as she had to correct herself. She didn’t have parents anymore. It had to be a sobering realization. “Maybe my mom can set all of those rules for me.”
“Maybe. But Liz Findley likes things a certain way, and she’s not likely to let your mom impose any rules while you’re here, since ultimately, you’re her responsibility.”
Lucy stared at me for a second but didn’t say anything. I knew she was used to coming and going at all hours of the day and late into the evening. “Can you show me around?”
“Sure,” I said before I realized my mom would expect us to eat lunch first. “I bet Tara and Dax are at the pizza place.” Thoughts of another person I wanted to introduce her to had me smiling. “And you’ve got to meet Alex. He’s so cool.”
She tipped her head to the side and took me in. “Alex who? Is he cute?”
I couldn’t help but laugh, confusing her more. “Sorry—it’s just. You’ll see.”
Lucy continued to study me for a minute. My mom shouted at us that lunch was ready, and we headed out to the dining room, even though I knew Lucy wouldn’t eat much of anything. I’d noticed all she’d done was pick at her food every time we’d sat down for a meal for the last few days.
