The 52nd (The 52nd Saga Book 1) (23 page)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

Beguiled

I met Lucas outside Monday morning, feeling grateful that my torn palms had gone from stinging to peeling to pink so quickly. It was dawn, but dim, and the streetlights still cast their yellow halos on the street. I shoved the old journal hard into Lucas’s chest as he stood on the greasy snow lining the road, opening the car door for me. He didn’t budge as I got in, fuming.

A light song in Spanish played in the background as he backed out into the black slush. I watched my abandoned green wagon with longing as we left. It didn’t matter that Lucas didn’t have my exact schedule; I wasn’t allowed anywhere alone since the decision to “keep” me. My freedom was gone; I understood that, but did circumstances have to be this
bad?

“You do realize you’re going to have to talk to me sooner or later,” he said as we pulled onto campus fifteen minutes
later.

“I prefer the latter,” I finally answered.

“I’m sorry to hear that, because it looks like it’s going to be
sooner.”

I shot him a glare to cover my confusion, but he wasn’t looking at me. I started and banged an elbow against the door when I saw his family staring at us from outside the car. Gabriella had her apocalyptic bracelets of diamond-cut turquoise and jade and squares of onyx hiked up her arms. She wore a matte-gold sequined miniskirt and pumps in the low-forties temperatures.

Tita, whose head only reached Gabriella’s chest, wore the same warm smile she’d had at Lucky Pin. She had short, fine hair the color of coal and a duskier complexion, and a pale pink flush on the apples of her cheeks that made her innocently desirable. Over her neck, behind the small plastic binder pressed against her chest, was the black etching that marked her as one of
them.

Who was I fooling? Lucas could never be with me, and I could never be one of them. Why would I want to? Immortality had taken a toll on Lucas, clearly. And I wouldn’t want to be a miserable person moping around like him, even though he did it beautifully.

Lucas’s engine went soundless, putting a hum of stillness in my head. I expected Lucas to hop out, but he
stayed.

“We have an alibi,” he
said.

“There is no
we
in this equation,” I reminded. “
You
have an alibi that
I’m
obligated to
follow.”

He pursed his lips when I lifted my chin stubbornly. “If you desire to return to your normal life,” he said, “you will. But not until we close the portal. For now, you will cooperate.” His hand reached for the door but stopped abruptly. “It would be a lot easier if you acted like you didn’t hate
me.”

“No, it would be
easier
if you didn’t
exist.”

His whole body turned toward me ever so slowly, his disgust slithering over my skin, making me shiver. “What did you
say?”

I shrank in that instant, wanting to take it all back. “Look, I can’t forget about how I felt in the mountains. And I know you felt something too. So why are you ignoring all
that?”

His face was hard, his forehead furrowed in concentration. “Who said I was ignoring all that? I’m only ignoring you, and for good reason, which I told you in my room. You should be more careful whom you kiss if you can’t control your feelings.”

His words sucked the breath out of me and wrung my pride dry. I sulked in the seat as he fluidly exited the car, his expression changing to false cheer. I was stunned that he could act so happy while I felt incarcerated by all his rules. I was only human, and I deserved a human moment to adjust my attitude. I was living in
his
mythical world now, and feelings aside, I knew he was right. Which bothered me. He was only trying to protect me, or himself, as Valentina would
think.

I watched them. Their smiles lit up the frozen space around them, drawing wondering eyes from all around as they conversed in the golden tint of the sunrise. I wondered what Lucas had meant when he said Tita
helped
them to become worthy. She looked so
pure.

I grabbed my bag and muttered nervously under my breath as I let myself out. It was freezing, and worse, my friends pointed fingers in my direction.
I’ve been a bad friend,
ignoring their calls.
I pretended I didn’t notice and burrowed my chin into the collar of my red jacket, feeling the gazes of the unusually gorgeous immortals on me as I approached.

“Hi, I’m Zara,” I said
shyly.

Tita’s dark irises were powerful in the icy air. “I know who you
are.”

“Tita will be in all your classes. If you need to use the restroom, wait until class is over so Tita may escort you. If she tells you to leave class, you do it,” Lucas commanded. He put on a pair of black designer sunglasses and turned to the others. “Do we need to go over anything?”

“What are you talking about? We are
just
going to a couple classes,” I pointed out. Dylan and Lucas snickered, and Lucas slid an arm over my shoulders, saying slyly, “Don’t hate me, Miss
Moss.”

Then he flicked two fingers, and Dylan, Gabriella, and Tita were off, gliding east over the slippery white powder toward
school.

“I am going to regret this, aren’t I?” I said into Lucas’s shoulder as we started after
them.

I’d never fully acclimatized to his exotic scent. It brought warmth into my joints, making it a little easier to walk. But I was so focused on the glares my friends fired at me that I slipped. As if it was second nature, Lucas grabbed my shoulder and supported me, so tightly his fingers began crushing my shoulder.

“Ouch!” I shouted.

“Sorry.” He winced as I rubbed my shoulder.

He stopped rushing as we approached the snow-covered tables in the courtyard where Tita waited. Soft snowflakes fluttered past Lucas’s nose as he lifted his glasses.

“Don’t deviate from the schedule. I will be waiting for you in the cafeteria at noon. If you’re not there by five after, I’m coming to look for you,” Lucas said to Tita, angling his back so that I couldn’t see his face. She nodded, and he walked away without another
word.

I stared balefully at him until Tita grabbed my
arm.

“Come on, we’ll be late for class,” she warned
kindly.

A sudden sharp pain wedged into my ribcage. It stabbed anew with every breath I took for the rest of the day. When Tita and I arrived at lunch, Lucas was waiting in the cafeteria. As he sat down by me and watched me eat, he never stopped moving: his fingers ran through his hair again and again or picked at the fringe of his shorts. I couldn’t read gods, but I could read men, and Lucas was doing what every normal man would do if he was nervous around a girl. I didn’t want to believe it because it only hurt more; I looked away, pretending I didn’t know, and finished my
meal.

“Zara!” Jett called in the parking lot after school, sloshing toward me through the
snow.

Tita was at my side, and Lucas had a fair ten paces on of us, but I was positive his cocked head was listening.

I ignored his rules and turned to Jett. When Tita did too, I was suddenly slightly jealous of Jett’s freedom.

“Yes?” I
asked.

His eyes wavered back and forth between Tita and
me.

“Some of us are hiking on Saturday—backcountry snowboarding before the lifts open. Wanted to know if you’d want to
join.”

“I can’t,” I lied. “I have plans.”
This
was why I stayed home for college.
THIS
, and I couldn’t
go.

“Well, then how about the next Saturday?”

“Busy.” I turned before my
help me
face gave everything
away.

The snow crunched behind me as he followed. “And the next?” There was a hint of anger in his desperation.

“Busy,” I repeated blandly.

He rushed in front of me, glanced at Tita, then spoke angrily. “Can I have a word with you, alone?”

I was surprised when she backed away, even if it was only five feet, to where Lucas had joined her. Tita was pushing against his chest, shushing him as he tried to push past her hands. I wondered at that moment if she was as strong as the others. My answer came when Lucas’s brow furrowed as he pushed against her, but she didn’t budge. Her feet were planted in the snow as she whispered something to calm him down. I let him notice my glare before turning my back to him, delighting in how little I had to do to make him
mad.

“Yes?” I said, demanding attention when Jett didn’t remove his eyes from
Lucas.

He looked back finally, concern evident in his gaze. “So, are you and Mexico . . .?”

“Lucas?”

“Yeah. Are you and Lucas . . .?”

“Are Lucas and I
what?”

“A
couple?”

The answer was already rising to the air before he finished, and I said it as loudly and harshly as I could. “No.”

What I would give to see Lucas’s face.
Jett loosed a relieved smile and settled the prescription glasses over his
eyes.

“Well then, what are you doing Saturday?” he asked curiously.

“Something. But you don’t have to worry about it. It will all be over once the new year starts. Promise.” And at that, I patted his shoulder and
left.

The drive to Fallen Leaf was especially slow. I was paranoid about what Lucas was thinking when he drove only forty miles an hour. I imagined it was about the Jett incident earlier. I felt ashamed that I was the only one addicted to our connection. I couldn’t stop thinking of his lips on mine or the way his hands softly held my
head.

“Over here, Zara,” Dylan called from the back corner when we entered the basement.

Niya and Malik were pacing near him, but I felt comfortable. Their bodies seemed relaxed. Dylan had changed into basketball shorts and training shoes. Of course he had to look like a sports model. The tips of his fingers lightly bounced together and apart as he waited for me to reach
him.

“Demons and gods have supernatural senses and abilities. Immortals have preternatural ones,” he said. “This means that your lover boy over there could never do
this.”

I only saw Dylan’s hand rise after I heard Lucas scream behind me. I turned and found him rubbing the side of his head. A dark leather ball rolled on the floor at his feet. My spirits
lifted.

“A god can do supernatural stuff like controlling things without physically touching them, a type of telekinesis. Lucas, though, cannot. He’s only exceptional, that’s
all.”

“Only exceptional?” Gabriella laughed as she came down the
stairs.

Dylan winked at Gabriella, then turned to me. “My point is that it is vital you break this connection with the Underworld. Right now, your blackouts are a side effect of the connection. Imagine if the Xibalbans found out: you would experience much worse than blackouts. And it worries me that it could be more powerful than your connection with Lucas. So, are you ready to begin round
two?”

My nod was feeble. They trusted me too much. What if I wasn’t
enough?

“Good. Let’s start with the rope
net.”

I looked over my shoulder to a third platform almost as high as the ceiling. It was discouraging, but so was the way to get up it. I stepped in front of Dylan and placed a foot on the first tier. It wobbled uneasily beneath my feet. I waited an eternity, it seemed, to steady myself. I glanced once more at Lucas, unable to resist. He barely looked at me, and when he did, his eyes were
stone.

I started to climb. I was wondering how far Dylan would let me get when my calves caught
fire.

“You can do this, Zara!” Gabriella cheered below as I reached the halfway
point.

Suddenly, cold poured into my head and hardened, freezing knives of ice in the right side of my head. A new image began forming. It webbed out like crystals until it shattered, bringing blackness to envelop
me.

Once again, I was in Lucas’s cradling arms. But this time I was grateful his gaze wasn’t on me—it glared at Dylan with almost tangible disgust.

“What is your problem?” Lucas yelled, though he set me down
gently.

I backed
away.

“Don’t be weak, Lucas,” Dylan said, glancing over his shoulder. “You ready, Zara?”

Lucas stepped in front of me and blocked Dylan’s view. “No, she’s not. Quit being so hard on her. You have to ease into things, and you are not easing into
things!”

As they argued, I timidly retreated to the steps and took a drink of
water.

“Don’t worry about him,” Valentina said, sitting down next to me to watch the two
argue.

“What do you
mean?”

“I see what’s going on between you two. He’s
afraid.”

“Afraid?”

Her dark eyes met mine. “He is distancing himself from you because he is afraid what the prophecy foretells about you destroying our side. He is only protecting himself.”

“Protecting himself from me,” I corrected. The ball of hope that we’d ever be together detonated, leaving me empty and scared. “Does he think I would choose the other world over
him?”

“Perhaps,” she turned to Lucas. “Or protecting him from himself.”

“Himself?”

“Mm-hmm. He’s never cared for anyone. I think you may be the first. Perhaps he’s afraid he’ll hurt himself if things go
wrong.”

“Is this your supernatural
sense?”

She smiled tenderly with a slight parting of her lips. “No, honey. It’s my motherly sense. Don’t be too hard on yourself. Lucas cares for you more than he lets
on.”

My head cranked back to Lucas when her shoulder nudged me softly. “Best get back to
work.”

As I returned to the rope climb, Dylan and Lucas continued to quarrel. My thoughts were stuck on Valentina’s expression. She thought I was strong. She believed I could do this. My breathing was jagged as I clenched the rope, thinking about Lucas’s fear of me choosing the other side over him. I would not be the one to bring the world to destruction. It would rot and die before I had anything to do with such abandonment. I would prove him
wrong.

As I climbed up the thick twine of hemp, my determination made the cold penetration muted, barely noticeable as Dylan’s image surfaced. Dimly, I saw him standing with me in a tropical forest, barefoot. The leaves were luscious and green like pillows beneath my feet until something pricked my heel, bringing my focus back to
home.