OK?’
‘Jordy, what’s going on?’ He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t look at me. ‘Jordan, what happened at the lockers this morning – with you and Sophie?’
‘Nothing!’ he says too quickly. ‘Nothing at all.’
‘What did she say to you?’
He laughs, his tone so cynical I get goose bumps. ‘Drop it, Ebony.’
‘All right, but about tonight . . .’
‘It’s no big deal, OK? I just don’t feel like partying.’
We remain quiet for the rest of the drive home, and even the occasional glimpses of stunning valley views doesn’t help lift our moods.
It’s not until we’re turning into the driveway that Jordan opens up again. ‘What are you going to do about Mr Zavier? It’s too late in the year to switch classes.’
‘I don’t want to ditch Physics. I just had a surprise seeing him today. I wasn’t functioning at full capacity to start with, you know?’ He nods. ‘But tomorrow I’ll talk to him, see if he can shed light on my past.’
‘Good luck with that.’
‘Why the scepticism?’
He shrugs. ‘It’s getting harder to figure out who’s telling the truth about you.’
‘I know what you mean. If only Mum and Dad were here, I’m sure they would tell me more. They were scared, that last night, when they finally revealed how they adopted me from Zavier. They’ve been gone so long now. Where on Earth can they be? I miss them both so much.’
‘If you ever want to talk, I’m here for you.’
‘Thanks, Jordan.’
Inside the garage with the door locked behind us, Jordan switches off the ignition but makes no move to exit. I wonder again what’s bothering him.
‘There’s something about that bond we share that I think you should know,’ I say.
‘Go on,’ he prods.
‘A Guardian and her Charge are not supposed to live in the same dimension. Nathaneal wanted to explain to you how the bond could misguide you into thinking the need to feel close to me is love when it’s not a true feeling. But I thought it would only upset you more, so I stopped him.’
‘I’m glad you did because that’s just horse shit. He’s only telling you that so you don’t go thinking what you feel for me is love. Ebony, if you give yourself a chance, if you give me . . . ah, forget it! It doesn’t matter since you’re clearly into angels now.’
‘Jordan, what’s going on with you?’
‘What if Mr Zavier can prove you’re his blood niece?’ he asks with a little too much enthusiasm. ‘How are you going to handle knowing you’re a mere mortal after all?’
‘Do you know something I don’t?’
‘Nah. I just –’
‘Then shut up before you put doubts in my head that I’ve already dealt with and dismissed, OK?’ I exit the Lambo and head for the internal door.
He calls after me, ‘If Mr Zavier is offering DNA, it’s the one way to know for sure.’
I go inside with Jordan’s doubts chasing me all the way up to my room.
10
Jordan
I hate fighting with Ebony. It puts distance between us. And we’re going to be distant enough when she leaves for good.
Man , my life sucks!
‘Hey, how about I cook those yummy quiches you like tonight. The ones you said taste like pizza.’ We’ve been home from school a couple of hours. I’m leaning my forehead on the inside of my bedroom door when Ebony comes down the hallway from her room. ‘I can tell you’re upset and I’m just trying to make you feel better.’
At least she’s not still mad at me. But Sophie’s confession is not the revelation that slammed me in the guts today. Skinner telling me my mother is alive is a big jolt to my senses. Apparently the Dark Prince resuscitated her. For the last eight years he’s held her prisoner in his palace, biding his time for the right moment to reveal this news to me, knowing the accelerating effect it would have, the need I would feel to have her released immediately. Knowing my mother is alive and in the constant presence of Prince Luca is tearing chunks outta my
‘Jordy, what’s going on?’ He doesn’t answer. He doesn’t look at me. ‘Jordan, what happened at the lockers this morning – with you and Sophie?’
‘Nothing!’ he says too quickly. ‘Nothing at all.’
‘What did she say to you?’
He laughs, his tone so cynical I get goose bumps. ‘Drop it, Ebony.’
‘All right, but about tonight . . .’
‘It’s no big deal, OK? I just don’t feel like partying.’
We remain quiet for the rest of the drive home, and even the occasional glimpses of stunning valley views doesn’t help lift our moods.
It’s not until we’re turning into the driveway that Jordan opens up again. ‘What are you going to do about Mr Zavier? It’s too late in the year to switch classes.’
‘I don’t want to ditch Physics. I just had a surprise seeing him today. I wasn’t functioning at full capacity to start with, you know?’ He nods. ‘But tomorrow I’ll talk to him, see if he can shed light on my past.’
‘Good luck with that.’
‘Why the scepticism?’
He shrugs. ‘It’s getting harder to figure out who’s telling the truth about you.’
‘I know what you mean. If only Mum and Dad were here, I’m sure they would tell me more. They were scared, that last night, when they finally revealed how they adopted me from Zavier. They’ve been gone so long now. Where on Earth can they be? I miss them both so much.’
‘If you ever want to talk, I’m here for you.’
‘Thanks, Jordan.’
Inside the garage with the door locked behind us, Jordan switches off the ignition but makes no move to exit. I wonder again what’s bothering him.
‘There’s something about that bond we share that I think you should know,’ I say.
‘Go on,’ he prods.
‘A Guardian and her Charge are not supposed to live in the same dimension. Nathaneal wanted to explain to you how the bond could misguide you into thinking the need to feel close to me is love when it’s not a true feeling. But I thought it would only upset you more, so I stopped him.’
‘I’m glad you did because that’s just horse shit. He’s only telling you that so you don’t go thinking what you feel for me is love. Ebony, if you give yourself a chance, if you give me . . . ah, forget it! It doesn’t matter since you’re clearly into angels now.’
‘Jordan, what’s going on with you?’
‘What if Mr Zavier can prove you’re his blood niece?’ he asks with a little too much enthusiasm. ‘How are you going to handle knowing you’re a mere mortal after all?’
‘Do you know something I don’t?’
‘Nah. I just –’
‘Then shut up before you put doubts in my head that I’ve already dealt with and dismissed, OK?’ I exit the Lambo and head for the internal door.
He calls after me, ‘If Mr Zavier is offering DNA, it’s the one way to know for sure.’
I go inside with Jordan’s doubts chasing me all the way up to my room.
10
Jordan
I hate fighting with Ebony. It puts distance between us. And we’re going to be distant enough when she leaves for good.
Man , my life sucks!
‘Hey, how about I cook those yummy quiches you like tonight. The ones you said taste like pizza.’ We’ve been home from school a couple of hours. I’m leaning my forehead on the inside of my bedroom door when Ebony comes down the hallway from her room. ‘I can tell you’re upset and I’m just trying to make you feel better.’
At least she’s not still mad at me. But Sophie’s confession is not the revelation that slammed me in the guts today. Skinner telling me my mother is alive is a big jolt to my senses. Apparently the Dark Prince resuscitated her. For the last eight years he’s held her prisoner in his palace, biding his time for the right moment to reveal this news to me, knowing the accelerating effect it would have, the need I would feel to have her released immediately. Knowing my mother is alive and in the constant presence of Prince Luca is tearing chunks outta my
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