Hero Worship by Christopher E. Long

passcode. A tiny green light on the keypad turns red. Eliza flashes me a warm smile and says, “I keep my computer in there.”
    â€œKeep it behind lock and key, huh?” I chuckle.
    â€œDo you know how many people would love to see what’s on the computer of a member of the Core? Hell, even at the Core Mansion, Security monitors what songs I download. I’ve got to be careful. That’s why I have this place. It’s completely off the grid.” She grabs my hand and pulls me along behind her, leading me into a room at the end of the hall. “Come see my bedroom.”
    The bedroom has a four-poster bed, a chest of drawers, and a television mounted on the wall. Curtains are drawn over the windows.
    â€œNice room,” I say.
    â€œYou should see my room at the Core Mansion,” she says. “But this one isn’t so bad.”
    She opens a drawer and removes underwear and a bra. Before I realize what’s happening, she’s untying the belt around her waist and beginning to remove the bathrobe. I spin around with my back to her. “Sorry,” I mutter, my eyes gazing down at my feet.
    She giggles. “Such a gentleman. You’re sweet.” A moment passes, and then she says, “Okay, it’s safe to look.” She’s wearing her underwear and bra. She removes the towel from around her head, and her hair falls to her shoulders. She tilts her head to the side and pats her damp hair with the towel.
    If my emotions were measured like a speedometer, I’d be clocked doing 125 mph. I have never been around someone who makes me as uncomfortable as Eliza—but uncomfortable in an exciting way.
    â€œSo, when’s the last time you talked to your father?”
    â€œMy father?” I ask, hoping I heard her wrong.
    â€œYeah.”
    â€œWhat do you know about him?”
    â€œI know that he killed your mother during a domestic dispute,” she says. “He’s serving a ten-year stint in prison.”
    My stomach ties into a knot, and it feels like my tongue suddenly swells and gets stuck in the back of my throat. “How do you know all this?” I ask, laboring over each word.
    She tosses the towel onto the bed and shakes her hair. “Marvin, Marvin, Marvin,” she says. “This is a courtship, and I won’t give it up until I know you’re a good fit.”
    I wasn’t prepared for this slap of reality. I’ve never told Yvonne or Kent about my father. I’ve tried desperately to bury the memories deep inside me. If I could wipe it from my mind I’d do it in a heartbeat, even if it means erasing all the fond memories of my mother, who died to protect me. The pain is too raw. And Eliza just opened the can of worms like it’s the most inconsequential topic ever—like asking me who was my first kiss.
    â€œYou’re powerful,” she continues. “But you’re untrained, and you don’t know how to maximize your abilities.” Opening the bottom drawer of the dresser, she retrieves a pair of jeans. She slides them snugly over her thighs and bounces to pull them over her hips, buttoning them at the top. Then she puts on a sheer top and steps into a pair of combat boots. “You ready? Let’s go have some fun.”
    â€œRight now? I thought we were going to talk about me trying out for the Core.”
    She slips on a leather biker jacket. “There are many factors to consider with a new recruit.”
    â€œLike what?”
    Snatching a set of keys off the counter, Eliza heads toward the front door. “Like whether or not the recruit knows how to have fun.” Her boot crunches down on shattered glass in the hallway. “We spend nearly all our time together, and I’m not going to do that with someone I can’t stand.”
    Shutting the door behind me, I ask, “Do you want me to lock it?”
    She waves me off and says, “Don’t worry about it. Nobody