a wide neck falls to just above her hips. My back straightens, and I run my hand over my messy hair. I’m caught in the middle. I don’t feel comfortable going back to Dante and I can’t walk past her either, she obviously belongs here and knows exactly where she is. I, on the other hand, can’t even find the door to get the hell out of here.
The mystery woman does a double take at my appearance. Her eyes linger on my bare feet and then at the door behind me.
“I came in early today. I couldn’t make the trip with Ares yesterday when he returned.” Her voice is soft and sweet, there’s a tiny hint of an accent, but nothing I could place. “Rather quickly,” she adds, her eyes narrowing on me.
Milo chooses that moment to come through from another archway. He pulls a carton of yogurt and spoon away from his mouth. “Hi Mia.” A small smile lifts his lips, he likes her. Maybe even really likes her. He takes a few steps and ends up standing right in front of me. “Haven’t seen you in a while, how ya been?”
Ollie steps up beside me and wraps his fingers over mine, with a tilt of his head he beckons me in a different direction. “Will your guest be here long Ollie? I need to know what to tell the others,” Mia calls as we’re making our way to the door. I drop my head; I know Ollie was trying to get rid of me before she could ask any questions. Milo was the distraction.
“Don’t worry about her,” Milo dismisses me easily. I tug my hand free from Ollie’s. These guys only see me as one thing, a battery.
“I want to go home now, please.” The pleasantry tastes like ash on my tongue.
Sixteen
Instead of taking me to the car, Ollie ushers me up the stairs to Dante’s studio above the garage. The brief time we spent outside clues me in that we’re late for school since the sun is high in the sky. It’s probably closer to noon.
Once upstairs I close myself in the bathroom, I need to pee. But more importantly, I need a few seconds without the weight of everyone’s expectations. Looking in the mirror I wince, my face is flushed, the loose ponytail I was wearing yesterday is gone, leaving my hair matted. I finger brush it as best as I can to tame some of the mess. There’s a bottle of mouthwash on the counter, which reminds me I didn’t brush last night.
I look over at the door confirming it’s locked and slowly open a few of the drawers as quietly as possible. I hit the jackpot on the first try, there’s a half full tube of toothpaste. After washing my hands, I squeeze a thin line of paste on my finger and scrub my teeth, I even tip the bottle of mouthwash up, making sure the bottle doesn’t touch my lips. A few swooshes later I’m as fresh as I’m going to get.
Even though I’m tempted, I don’t search through the other drawers. I found what I needed.
I’ve stalled as long as possible. I need to head out there and demand answers, then I need to get home. I’ve already missed too much school today to bother going in at all, besides, I need to get ready for work tonight.
When I open the door, I expect to find Ollie, maybe even Dante, but the place is empty. After peering over the railing to see if anyone was on the stairs, I make my way over to the kitchen sink to get a drink of water. How long do they expect me to stay hidden away up here? My stomach rumbles when I catch sight of the open pizza boxes, all that food gone to waste. We should have put it away last night.
The lower door opens and I spin, putting my back against the counter while still holding the blue plastic cup I found in the cabinet. Milo’s mop of light brown hair crests the railing. His eyes search around until they land on me, and Ollie is right on his heels.
“I need to get home.” My voice comes out a little softer than I intended, so I clear my throat.
“What’s the rush, your mom probably thinks you’re at school, unless you make a habit of staying out all night and skipping school?” Ollie tries to play his question off as a joke, but