You, he said, ignoring Daemons barely audible growl. Honestly, I thought about not coming back. Moving on, but theres my uncleand you. Thats not many like us who havent been caught by the DOD. You need to know what kind of danger youre in.
But you dont even know me. It seemed absurd that hed risk so much.
And we dont know you, Daemon added, eyes narrowed.
He shrugged. I like you. Not you, Daemon. He smiled. But Katy.
I really, really do not like you at all.
My stomach twisted. This wasnt the time to get into that mess. My brain was on overload. Blake
That wasnt said to make you say you like me or not. Im just stating the fact. I like you. He glanced at me, eyes shuttered. And you dont know what youve stepped in. I can help you.
Bullshit, Daemon said. If she needs help controlling her abilities, then I can do it.
Can you? What you do is second nature to you. Not to Katy. I had to learn how to rein in my abilities. I can teach her. Stabilize her.
Stabilize me? My laugh sounded a bit choked. Whats going to happen? Im going to explode or something?
He looked at me. You can seriously end up hurting yourself or others. Ive heard things, Katy. Some mutated humans Well, lets just say it doesnt end pretty.
You dont need to scare her.
Im not trying to. Its just the truth, Blake responded. And if the DOD finds out about you, theyre going to take you in. And if you cant control your abilities, they will put you down.
I gasped, turning away. Put me down? Like a feral animal? All of this was happening way too fast. Just last night Id been having a good, normal time with Daemon. The very thing Id wanted from Blake, who turned out not to be normal at all. And the whole time I believed Blake was attracted to me because he wanted to be, he was drawn to me because we were both X-Men wannabes.
Ha. Irony was such a bitch.
Katy, I know this is a lot. But you have to be prepared. You leave this town, the Arum are going to be on you. That is, if you can slide by the DOD.
Youre right. This is a lot. I faced him. I thought you were normal. And youre not. Youre telling me that I have the DOD gunning for me. That if I ever decide to leave this place, Im going to be a Snack Pack for an Arum. And better yet, I may lose complete control of whatever powers I have and wipe out a family of four, then be put down ! All I wanted to do today was eat some goddamn fries and be normal !
Daemon let out a low whistle and Blake winced. Youre never going to be normal, Katy. Never again.
No shit, I snapped. I wanted to hit something, but I needed to pull it together. If Id learned anything from my dads sickness, it was that things couldnt be changed. But I could change how I dealt with them. Since I moved heresince I met Daemon and DeeId changed.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled in the anger, fear, and frustration. Perspective was needed. What are we going to do?
We dont need his help, Daemon said.
But you do, Blake whispered. I heard about the window thing with Simon.
I glanced at Daemon, and he shook his head.
What do you think will happen next time? Simon ran off, doing God knows what. You wont get so lucky again.
Simons disappearance wasnt luck. I didnt want to look at it that way. Tipping my head back, I closed my eyes. Ice settled in my limbs. It was no longer a fear of exposing the Luxen, but myself now, too. And my mom.
How do you know so much about them? I asked, voice small.
The girl I was telling you about? She told me everything. I wanted to help herto get away, but she wouldnt leave. The DOD had something or someone that meant a lot to her.
God. The DOD was like the mafia. Theyd use any means necessary. I shivered. Who was she?
Liz something, he said. Dont know her last name.
The walls of the car seemed to shift even closer. Trapped. I felt trapped.
Daemon was boiling over in the seat next to me. You know, he said to Blake, theres nothing stopping me from killing you. Right now.
Yes, there is. Blakes voice was even. Theres Katy and the fact I doubt youre a cold-blooded killer.
Daemon stiffened. I dont trust you.
You dont have to. Only Katy does.
And that was the thing. I wasnt sure I did trust him,
but he was like me. And if he could help me not expose Daemon and my friends, Id do anything. It was just that simple. Everything else would have to be played by ear.
I looked at Daemon. He was staring ahead now, hand on the dashboard as if the plastic was grounding him somehow. Did he feel as helpless as I did? It didnt matter. I couldntwouldnt risk him.
When do we start? I asked.
Tomorrow if you can, Blake said.
My mom leaves for work after five. I swallowed.
Blake agreed and Daemon said, Ill be there.
Not necessary, Blake shot back.
And I dont care. You arent doing a damn thing with Katy without me being there. He faced the boy again. I dont trust you. Just so were clear.
Whatever. Blake climbed out of the car. Cold air rushed in, and I called out his name. He stopped with his hand on the door. What?
How did you get away from the Arum when they attacked you? I asked.