anything for a few moments, and she feared she’d gone too far. Then he shrugged and said, “Not babies, just potential baby chickens.” He pointed to the eggs with his fork.
Calli laughed and butted him with her shoulder. “I knew you had a funny bone somewhere in there, Alex.” He smiled.
“Wanna see something cool today?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said.
“I’ll show you after lunch.”
“Wow,” she said. “Eating human food and cutting school. You’re full of surprises.”
“The new computer is being delivered after lunch. Palmer will be completely obsessed and consumed by that. We’ll just make another appearance right before his going home time and he won’t even know we were gone.”
“Yay for technology geeks,” she said. Her tone was light, but she was extremely curious about what he’d show her.
* * * * *
Alex wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing. He thought maybe he’d been so long without a friend or companion outside of his school tutor that made him a bit reckless where Calli was concerned. He didn’t know if he could completely trust her, and yet here he was, doing just that.
Nerves got the best of him during their morning lessons. Luckily Palmer was distracted enough by the idea of a new computer coming that he didn’t notice. He thought Calli noticed a little, but she didn’t say anything.
They had lunch with Palmer as usual, though he was completely distracted. Then finally the computer came and Alex waved Calli to the door.
“We’ll be back,” he said to Palmer.
“Yeah, um. . . okay. Wait, what?” His words were followed by a wave in their general direction as he turned back to the computer, mumbling to himself.
“Where we going?” Calli asked.
“You’ll see.”
He led her up to the top floor where her room was. Once there, he took her to the back of one of the hallways and opened a closet. He shoved the coats in the closet to the side, revealing a door at the back. He glanced back at her, saw that she was curious but didn’t seem suspicious. Kinda weird. He’d be suspicious if someone led him into a closet.
He reached up to the low ceilinged light and pushed a button on the side, popping the lock on the door. It opened just a bit, and he pushed it further.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, stepping forward.
“Stay close. It’s kind of dark on the stairs.”
She stepped into the closet and he pushed the closet door closed behind her. Once that door closed, the closet light went out. She immediately reached out and placed a hand on his back. Alex drew a breath. He hadn’t thought about that, that she’d need contact to follow him.
He started up the stairs that he knew as well as the back of his hand. She followed behind. At step ten, she stumbled and Alex cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten to warn her about the warped tenth step. Habit had caused him to step over the upturned lip. He reached back to help her, finding her arm. He slid his hand down to hers, wrapping his fingers around her palm. She immediately gripped his hand back. He tried to ignore the sensation of having her hand bound so tightly to his own. It meant nothing, right?
“Thought you said kind of dark,” she said, a little nerve quivering in her voice now. “I personally would call this pitch.”
Alex chuckled. “Sorry. I’ve been going up these stairs for a long time. I forget how dark it is. I could find my way with my eyes closed.”
“Of course you could. It’s the same with your eyes closed or open.”
Alex smiled into the darkness. Calli was pretty funny, he was finding. At the top of the steps, he stopped and she bumped into him.
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time.
“Jinx, you owe me a Coke,” she quickly said.
“What?”
“You know, when you say something the same time as someone else, you call jinx then they owe you something.”
“And you choose to be owed a Coke?”
He felt the slight
Calli laughed and butted him with her shoulder. “I knew you had a funny bone somewhere in there, Alex.” He smiled.
“Wanna see something cool today?” he asked.
“As a matter of fact, I do,” she said.
“I’ll show you after lunch.”
“Wow,” she said. “Eating human food and cutting school. You’re full of surprises.”
“The new computer is being delivered after lunch. Palmer will be completely obsessed and consumed by that. We’ll just make another appearance right before his going home time and he won’t even know we were gone.”
“Yay for technology geeks,” she said. Her tone was light, but she was extremely curious about what he’d show her.
* * * * *
Alex wasn’t sure he was doing the right thing. He thought maybe he’d been so long without a friend or companion outside of his school tutor that made him a bit reckless where Calli was concerned. He didn’t know if he could completely trust her, and yet here he was, doing just that.
Nerves got the best of him during their morning lessons. Luckily Palmer was distracted enough by the idea of a new computer coming that he didn’t notice. He thought Calli noticed a little, but she didn’t say anything.
They had lunch with Palmer as usual, though he was completely distracted. Then finally the computer came and Alex waved Calli to the door.
“We’ll be back,” he said to Palmer.
“Yeah, um. . . okay. Wait, what?” His words were followed by a wave in their general direction as he turned back to the computer, mumbling to himself.
“Where we going?” Calli asked.
“You’ll see.”
He led her up to the top floor where her room was. Once there, he took her to the back of one of the hallways and opened a closet. He shoved the coats in the closet to the side, revealing a door at the back. He glanced back at her, saw that she was curious but didn’t seem suspicious. Kinda weird. He’d be suspicious if someone led him into a closet.
He reached up to the low ceilinged light and pushed a button on the side, popping the lock on the door. It opened just a bit, and he pushed it further.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Sure,” she said, stepping forward.
“Stay close. It’s kind of dark on the stairs.”
She stepped into the closet and he pushed the closet door closed behind her. Once that door closed, the closet light went out. She immediately reached out and placed a hand on his back. Alex drew a breath. He hadn’t thought about that, that she’d need contact to follow him.
He started up the stairs that he knew as well as the back of his hand. She followed behind. At step ten, she stumbled and Alex cursed under his breath. He’d forgotten to warn her about the warped tenth step. Habit had caused him to step over the upturned lip. He reached back to help her, finding her arm. He slid his hand down to hers, wrapping his fingers around her palm. She immediately gripped his hand back. He tried to ignore the sensation of having her hand bound so tightly to his own. It meant nothing, right?
“Thought you said kind of dark,” she said, a little nerve quivering in her voice now. “I personally would call this pitch.”
Alex chuckled. “Sorry. I’ve been going up these stairs for a long time. I forget how dark it is. I could find my way with my eyes closed.”
“Of course you could. It’s the same with your eyes closed or open.”
Alex smiled into the darkness. Calli was pretty funny, he was finding. At the top of the steps, he stopped and she bumped into him.
“Sorry,” they both said at the same time.
“Jinx, you owe me a Coke,” she quickly said.
“What?”
“You know, when you say something the same time as someone else, you call jinx then they owe you something.”
“And you choose to be owed a Coke?”
He felt the slight
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