Fortified (11 page)

N
ever go to bed angry
, that's what she'd always been taught. Angela's parents did their best to teach these basic and true lessons to their children. She knew they were right. It was always a bad idea to go to sleep with anger in her heart. For her, she could never get her mind to stop racing long enough to let her rest in the first place. When she was mad, it consumed her much like the fire she controlled with her powers.

Speaking of her abilities, thanks to the rage building up inside of her, she was having a hard time keeping them at bay. The heat of the flames rested in her skin. She felt unbearably hot, and no amount of cold showers would help. There was no way she could walk around her house naked, so she needed to find an outlet—fast.

Since she couldn't calm down, she decided to do the next best thing and expend her negative energy. The only place she could do that was in the practice room at The Apartment, which of course just had to be attached to Orlando's house.
I know I promised I'd text him beforehand, but if I do that we're just going to fight. I'll have to be extra careful to not burn the place down…even if it is tempting.
More importantly, if she told him she was there, he might try and see her.

And if I actually see him I might lose all of my nerve. Whenever we're alone together, he knows what to do to make me putty in his hands.
She wondered if he knew what he was doing to her.
He's not that kind of a guy. If he were trying to play both Tait and I at once, he would make a bigger effort to keep his relationship with her a secret. I guess I'm the contingency plan, or something.

She glanced at the clock. Nine. Everyone would still be awake.
How am I going to do this? It's the middle of the week, so they're not going to just let me go without a good reason. I could sneak out. I've done it before, but I'd rather only use that as a last resort.

“Mom?” she asked as she stepped out of her room. “I need to go do something quick. Can I go out?”

Her mom and dad exchanged a look. “It's kind of late,” her father said.

“I know, but I got a random text from Beth. She just got into a huge fight with Nikki because she caught her cheating with her boyfriend and it's getting bad fast. Like, emergency Cheer meeting might have to happen so these two can hug it out before it destroys the squad.” She hated to lie to her parents, and yet she was all too good at doing it. Always had been. Not a skill she was proud of, but it came in handy. “Please, please, please, if she wasn't a total wreck I wouldn't even ask. I promise I won't be out late but she needs me to be by her side with a pint of cookie dough pronto!” Turning up the drama usually worked in her favor. Her dad was the softie of her parents.

With a sigh, her dad nodded. “Go ahead. Your brother is on his way back, but you need to be back in the house no later than ten fifteen. Absolute latest. I want you in earlier if possible.”

“Thank you, Daddy!” She gave him a big hug before making a dash for the keys in case they changed their mind at the last second. Soon she was on her way to Orlando's.

Like always, she parked on the street running along the side of the mansion. Hardly anyone went down that road, so she felt better parking there in the middle of the night. Plus, it was closer to the entrance of The Apartment and further away from the main hall of the residence. Less chances Orlando would notice her coming by.

What she wasn't anticipating was to walk into the practice room just as he used his psychic powers to shatter a wall of mason jars. Instinctively she threw up a shield of fire and all of the shards melted into small drops on the floor.

“Looks like we both had the same idea,” he said, his voice eerily quiet. He wouldn't look at her. That bothered her even more.

She placed her hands on her hips. “Yeah, guess so. I'll leave you to it. There are other places for me to blow off steam.”

“So you are mad…” He squeezed his eyes shut for a moment. “I don't understand what I did to make you so upset, but I'm sorry.”

“You don't understand? Okay, how about I make that clear to you then. You've been avoiding me for weeks, for one. Not sure why, outside of maybe you're no longer bored since you have a girlfriend again, so you don't have to use me to provide entertainment.”

“I don't have a girlfriend. That's far from the truth, anyway. I never hung out with you just because I wanted to be entertained.”

“As an excuse to stay away from the house, then.”

“That was the reason I gave you so I had an excuse to hang out with you and not look…” He shook his head.

“So why avoid me?”

He sighed. “Because...how much do you remember about the night I helped Alan in space? The one where you got food poisoning after cheer practice.”

“I got food poisoning after cheer practice, that's about it. Even that much, I can't say I recall a whole lot of what happened that night. I only know what I was told.” A shiver ran down her spine as she waited for whatever horrible truth was coming her way. It had to be bad if he didn't want to be near her anymore.

With a nod, he took a tentative step forward. “Don't get mad, but that was a lie.”

I put that together a while ago.
She still asked anyway, hoping the genuine outburst of emotion would encourage him to stop hiding from her all of the time. “What?”

“You were kidnapped by The Doctor's henchmen. Alan wanted to make sure you were safe before telling you.” Orlando shrugged, his expression hard to read. She couldn't tell if he was sad, angry, confused, a mixture of all three. Most of all, he seemed sad. Perhaps the distance was something Alan had implemented and she had been wrong in channeling her anger toward him.

“Safe how?” she pressed when he didn't continue to elaborate.

He pressed his lips together. “Security breach. Anyway, you needed my help that night. Somehow you had gotten away, and I…”

“You?”

He shook his head. “I-I was worried about you…JD made some kind of a deal to help you out, and that's why things have been weird all around. That's all of the information we could get from you before your memory got wiped by whatever it was The Doctor did to you.”

Something was still being hidden from her, but for the time being she let it go. “So you've been avoiding me because you were worried? Or did Alan want you to keep away?”
Please say it was Alan.

“It was a decision I made on my own. I didn't think I could talk about it until the timing was right. But I've also stayed away because…you're distracting.”

“Distracting.” Angela raised both of her eyebrows, surprisingly amused.
This is going to be good.

Orlando pinched the bridge of his nose. “I like you, okay?”

“That's usually why you hang out with people. Because you like them.” She suppressed an eye roll.

“I mean like you in the dorky middle school way that boys say they like girls because they don't have the courage to say what they're really feeling.” His gaze met hers then, and in it he held an intense, overpowering, vulnerability. Orlando didn't bare his soul to many, but she was pretty sure she was getting a good look at it then. She had to break contact with his intense blue eyes before she lost all of her nerve.

Someone pinch me, did he just say he has a crush on me? Be cool!
“So you're really feeling…what?”

“A lot of things I don't understand,” he whispered.

She closed the gap between them, almost daring to reach for his hands, but she decided to hold back for a moment longer. “They might make more sense if you talked about them more.”

“If I do that, I'm not sure I'm going to like the conclusion.”

“Because you'd rather be with her than me,” she somehow managed as her chest tightened and her breath caught in her chest.
I think I'm going to be sick.

He let out a sour laugh. “No, I'd rather be with you. I've always felt that way. I'm having a hard time accepting the fact that I'm a jerk. Scum. One of those guys I hate so much.”

“Because even though you'd rather be with me, you're still going to choose her.”
Yeah, he's onto something with the whole jerk thing, right now.

He lowered his gaze. “It's just a dance. She asked me, for the record. The idea was…I don't know anymore, but it's something I need to do.”

“Which is why you got so up in arms about Gideon saying she's corresponding with another dude.” Angela stepped back just as he was about to touch her cheek.

Orlando lowered his hand, sighing. “Pride, okay? It's not exactly an easy pill to swallow. I kind of liked the idea of her being hung up on me because the bitter part of me wanted her to see what she ruined. Happy?” He shook his head. “But I want to believe the best of her, too. I want to make what I feel for her magically go away, and I wish I had that superpower but I don't. So even though what I feel for you is stronger, it's not easy to get over the past. Not yet. Give me a little more time.”

“So you're not ready. Just say so! Stop leading us
both
on.”

“I'm not trying to!”

“Well you
are
!”

They glared at each other for a moment. He took in a slow, deep, breath and let it out equally as slow. A slight growl escaped his lips. “Which is why I've been trying to take some space—from both of you.”

“Funny, since you're going to
prom
with her. Not the impression I'm getting here.” Angela knew she shouldn't be egging him on, goading him into anger, but she couldn't help it. She was angry and he needed to see it. Was he out of his mind? How did he think anyone would be okay with the way he acted?

Orlando threw up his hands. “What impression are you getting then?”

“That you're so desperate to make things work with her, to prove some kind of stupid point. I'm not sure what it is, but you know what? Have at it. I've tried to remain as objective as possible in your tango with her and I can't. Be in love with her like every other guy on this planet is. Don't come crying to me when she breaks your heart. Again.” She waved her hands in front of her and backed away toward the door. He wouldn't see her cry. She refused to give him the opportunity.

His eyebrows knitted together as he frowned. “You wouldn't be getting this upset if you didn't feel the same way about me as I do about you.”

Duh. You really are clueless, man.
Rather than give him a reply, she spun on her heel and stalked her way to the door.

“It's just a dance,” he called after her.

No, whatever game you're playing, I'm done. You want space? You got it, for good. No guy is worth this crap.
She wouldn't cave and go back…at least not tonight. Of all the guys she'd had a thing for, she'd never once felt the same deep heartbreak as the kind Orlando Holmes gave her.
I fell for him. How do I unfall? How do I get out before it's too late?
And how was it possible to love and hate someone so much all at the same time.

O
rlando mentally went
over the notes for his future mission, or tried to. After his fight with Angela the night before, he had a hard time focusing on much of anything.

Per usual, Alan popped into his school, Orlando conveniently left to use the bathroom, and the two had a brief meeting in the restroom only opened up for special events near the auditorium. Apparently, Lunar Falls didn't trust the students to not trash the more luxurious accommodations located there. It made for a good spot since he could use his psychic powers to get in and out with ease. The pick-up point for the mission was given. He plugged it into his cellphone so he didn't forget, and the two parted ways. He never thought anything of it again until he was at home, alone in his room.

Interesting that for a seemingly passive task, Alan is bringing all of his firepower.
Literally, since Angela was supposed to be coming, too. Orlando didn't want to see her.
I have to suck it up sooner or later. Might as well get it over with. Bite the bullet, and we can get the awkward angry stage out of the way now.
For the sake of being professional, he'd be civil and hold back as much of his sarcasm as possible.

The lack of Cadence also piqued his curiosity. It'd happened before, in the past, when she and JD were fighting, but those two were back to being besties for life. The room no longer felt like it was going to explode from tension whenever they got together. Cadence was by far the most polite member in the group. It didn't make sense.

He shrugged.
Not my problem. Alan probably has other things for her to do. He usually does. I'm sure Giddy will be joining in.
He gazed down at his phone, at the map on his screen showing directions for how to get to the park where Alan would pick them up. Then teleport. After teleporting to space, Orlando was pretty sure he could handle doing it on a smaller scale. Traveling through the atmosphere scared him a whole lot more than a few miles.

Space. Remembering being there sent a shiver down his spine. A pipe dream of his had been actualized and all he felt was nauseous. Then again, it didn't happen the way he'd planned. No rocket ships were involved, just alien technology.
Correction, native technology from
my
people.
Orlando rubbed at his forehead as one of his cats nudged him at the ankles, like the animal could sense his distress.

He picked up the massive orange and white striped cat. “Did I trap you in here? Too bad, you're stuck with me.”
Pretty sure I closed my door this morning, which means Mom and Dad must have snooped around. Not sure what they're expecting to find. Do they think I'm stupid?
They had a lot of catching up to do. When it came to his personal life, he kept it under lock and key. Any Altura business was conducted at The Apartment, and that was rare to begin with. He showed up to meetings, but hardly ever got homework from Alan.

As for girlfriends and whatever other teen drama was going on for the day, if it infected his bubble of seclusion, he kept it confiscated to his phone. His phone never left his body.
I have a lot of text messages I should probably reply to. Tait practically blew up my phone this afternoon during Spanish. Must have been bored.
He scrolled through the messages in which she gushed over prom and something about colors and flower options and what kind of food and did he want to ride in the limo and a lot of things that didn't particularly interest him. Probably a huge sign he was making a
big
mistake.

I can't call it off now after all of this planning. We'll go and keep it friendly. I can let her down easy next week.
He hoped. When he saw the words “after party” in her last text, he groaned and blacked out the screen. Good timing, because there was a soft knock on his bedroom door.

“It's open,” he called out and put his phone on his nightstand.

His mother walked in and sat down on the bed, opposite from where he lay. “Everything all right?”

“Huh? Yeah, why?” he asked, trying to figure out how she knew he was even mildly distressed.
Okay, over statement. I'm confused. Nothing more.

She ran a hand through her blonde hair, averting her gaze, and she looked an awful lot like his sister then it was almost funny. “I can…feel it. It's what I do.”

“What you…do?” He tilted his head to the side. “Your power? Like an empath?”

“So you're familiar with the term?” She perked up, her whole demeanor changing.

Orlando shrugged. “You know you're talking to a teenage boy who likes comic books and video games, right?”

“Interests change fast,” she said softly. “When you were five, you were obsessed with skyscrapers and airplanes. At twelve it was robots and some video game I could never understand. Something involving digging for supplies and building?”

He knew the game, but wasn't about to go off on a tangent about it or how to play. “Certain things don't change. At the core, I've always been into this kind of stuff.”

“I…I see,” she said.

If you'd been around, you'd have known that.
He almost said it.
But I promised to try.
So instead he didn't verbalize his disappointment. Apparently, she could sense it anyway.

She scooted closer to him. “Perhaps you don't want to let me try and mend my mistakes. I know you don't trust me. Still, if…if you need…me…”

“I do,” he whispered. “I always have. Your gift explains a few things. Helps, actually.”

“It does?” she asked. “I thought your powers were more like your father's. Aggressive. Potent.”

Slowly, he raked his teeth over his lower lip. “They are, but there are things about it that are so intuitive, so connected with my core. I'd like to think that comes from you. We…aren't as alike as I want to be. I want to be more like you and less like him. I…like you more.”
I actually love you. Not so sure what I feel for him.

She gave him a gentle smile. “This makes me both happy and sad to hear. I think if you're willing to give your father the same kind of openness you're giving me, you two would get along great. You're so much alike.”

“That might be part of the problem.” He chuckled. “It'd be a lot easier if he'd stop hassling me about the Altura stuff. I get it, he's mad that I'm not following in the family footsteps, but he kind of lost that chance when he decided to leave us to fend for ourselves.”

“He has solid reasons to be concerned in your tribe affiliation,” she murmured. “They're a lot more militant than ours. He'd rather you not be a soldier.”

Orlando held her gaze. “Eighteen is considered the legal age to be a soldier here. Not like I want to be one, exactly, but he can't control me and I don't respect him enough to value his opinion about anything. You know, in the off chance he decides to present something to me as an actual discussion instead of him trying to order me around all of the time. Ultimately, I'm an adult. I get to make my own decisions.” That sounded like a cliché, bratty, teenager kind of thing to say, but he was too tired to care about being a stereotype.

Whatever lecture he was expecting, he didn't receive. Instead, his mother put her hand on top of his and rubbed his knuckles gently with her palm. “It's hard to accept that you're all grown up. I wanted so badly to come back permanently when you were younger. To be here for more crucial moments of your life. Things didn't work out in my favor, of course. My powers were needed to weed out cracks in our structure. People who were putting our people at risk and jeopardizing our ultimate goal.”

“Which is?” he asked, not sure he'd ever been told what the whole point of the war was.

“Your father is better at explaining it.”

“I'm asking you.” He moved his hand onto hers and gave it a squeeze. “Please, Mom. This is the straightest anyone has ever been with me. What's it all about?”

She patted his hand. “The war started over a land spat. While the Gelandrosimbol, or green tribe, for simplicity to you, agreed for diplomatic negotiations, they were only trying to stall the Yumsaltanz, or yellow tribe. Ultimately, they wanted to assassinate the royal family of the yellow tribe in hopes of a complete takeover of the nation. The royal family caught wind, fled the planet, and according to the Ilotus, sought refuge here. One child of this family lived, had a full life, and married into our tribe. We are the Nassalmvan, or gold tribe. A wise choice since our nation is actually far from the land the yellow tribe controls. For the most part, our country doesn't like to be involved in the conflict of others. We hold no official stance on the war.”

“But you're involved anyway,” he observed.

“Yes, because we are ambassadors to Earth. It's our job to be in the know of what is happening and keep our government on Altura informed,” she said. “Now that word is spreading of the lost royal family intermingling with our tribe, we'll be dragged even further into the mess.”

He let out a sigh. “Why fight so hard? And why…why leave the planet to do it?”

“When you're pushed, you either fall down or push back. The green is pushing the yellow. While they believe in peace, they're not going to just let themselves be overrun and destroyed.”

It made sense, but it still didn't explain why the violence was needed in the first place. But he could say the same of a lot of Earth wars. Most were started because people couldn't seem to get along due to their differences. “So why are they not fighting on Altura?”

“At first, they were, but the Alturan Unification Committee put a stop to it and demanded diplomacy on the planet. Negotiations weren't going well, and there was some kind of a fight out in space involving the two tribes. Alturan law is only valid in Alturan territories. Those don't extend far into space.” She gave him a pointed look.

Orlando let out a sour chuckle. “A loophole. And all of the other tribes followed because?”

“The one you work with wants to keep change from happening. As an ambassador, we informed all of the governments of the war spreading here and what they desired to do about that. They had to decide just how much humans could handle.” She lowered her gaze to the bedspread.

“And I suppose they need locals to show them the lay of the land and teach them to mix in with the culture.” He stroked his chin. “Also, we make good minions. This should make me mad, but the more I think about Alan dragging me into all of this, the more I'm glad I get to take a stand. How long do you think it will take for the truth to get out? That aliens and super powers are real?”

She drew his head in so she could kiss his forehead. “Longer than you might guess. Please, be careful.”

“I will. I am.” With some hesitation, he moved in to hug her. “Thank you.”

“You don't need to thank me, but you're welcome.” She moved back to gaze at him for a moment. “As for your girl troubles, you need to be yourself again before you can give your heart to anyone else. Whoever you might be.”

He rolled his eyes. “Thanks for the input. Everyone else has an opinion, so I suppose you're allowed to have one too.”

“I'm not going to tell you what to do because I think you already know and are planning to do it. So much is changing in your life right now,” she said softly. “The one who loves you most will be patient and ready.”

Sighing, he pulled his knees to his chest. “Is it all so obvious?”

“You're in love. I can feel it. And yet your heart also breaks. Take your time. You're an adult, but you're a young one.”

“Okay, I get the picture!” Though he acted annoyed, in truth he held onto those words. They applied to so much more than just love.
Having a parent around doesn't suck as much as I thought after all.