closed and I pulled out into the Las Abs rush–hour of school–letting–out.
“You suffered distress today,” said Christian. “During the lesson which the biology master taught. Are you recovered?”
I swerved the car around Main Street’s large pothole. “How did you know … what I was feeling?” It was true, the discussion of creating life in test tubes had me pretty upset.
“I felt it,” said Christian. “Like an assault almost physical in its nature.”
“You felt … my feelings?”
“Indeed.”
“Can you do this with other people or just me?”
Christian shrugged. “The thoughts of others I catch easily. Feelings, I am less accustomed to…overhearing. But I think that your feelings were of a strong nature. And we are both of the family de Rochefort.”
Okay , I thought. Super–freaky that Christian has a window into my soul .
“I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself in the future,” I said.
“Just as you wish,” said Christian. After a brief pause he added, “Perhaps you felt it inappropriate that I ‘listened’ to you?”
I pulled the car down our long drive. I didn’t want to appear impolite. “It was nice of you to ask how I was doing.”
Inside the house, Sylvia had left a note on the fridge white–board. “Shopping,” the note said.
“Samanthe?”
I closed the fridge. Whatever I needed right now, it wasn’t in there.
“I have been considering our wisest course of attack whereby to remove the egg from the possession of our enemies,” he said.
Half my mouth curved up into a sad smile listening to his funny turns of phrase. “What did you come up with?”
He frowned. “I am unsatisfied on all counts. To go alone would be the wiser course, but I cannot allow myself to be parted from you again.”
“I thought I might go on my own,” I said.
His eyebrows raised; the lines furrowing his forehead made him look older than a high school boy.
Which he was.
“That would be unthinkable,” he said. “I beg of you, Mademoiselle , place me not in the position of being unable to account for your wellbeing.”
“Yeah, I didn’t figure you’d go for that,” I said.
The hard part of having Christian around all the time was just that: he was around all the time.
Chapter Sixteen
----
BESETTING SINS
· WILL ·
Mick and I were good at packing up quick, and we left Rome before the sun had risen. Sir Walter led us invisibly towards the outskirts of the great city where we stopped briefly at a car dealership, with really sweet rides like DeLoreans and Mercedes and Alfa Romeos. Sir Walter bought a midnight blue Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the world’s smallest Mercedes, paying cash.
“If we’re splitting up,” said Mick, “I think it needs to be you two who stick together.” Her eyes held back tears.
“No, no,” said Sir Walter. “The Mercedes is to compensate our landlady for the loss of her vehicle.” He arranged to have the car delivered to her.
“The Alfa Romeo’s for us?” I shook my head. “Flashy, much?”
Sir Walter shrugged. “It is considered the safest compact car on the market.”
We piled in the car and Mickie started crying. “It’s all my fault.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t.”
“No, it’s the truth. And I’m not just talking about yesterday. I never should have taken the work Pfeffer offered all those years ago.”
“That work kept us in shoe leather and groceries,” I said, trying to turn around the Mickie–guilt–fest.
“But I took the job because I wanted … what’s the word?” She paused, sniffled. “I wanted glory , Will. I wanted to do great research and become known and respected.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Mick.”
Her sobbing got a whole lot worse. “I was willing to endanger you to get what I wanted. I brought you into the lab so Pfeffer would be sure to keep me on.”
I made a small snorting sound. “Well, you can quit beating yourself up on that one. You think I would have
“You suffered distress today,” said Christian. “During the lesson which the biology master taught. Are you recovered?”
I swerved the car around Main Street’s large pothole. “How did you know … what I was feeling?” It was true, the discussion of creating life in test tubes had me pretty upset.
“I felt it,” said Christian. “Like an assault almost physical in its nature.”
“You felt … my feelings?”
“Indeed.”
“Can you do this with other people or just me?”
Christian shrugged. “The thoughts of others I catch easily. Feelings, I am less accustomed to…overhearing. But I think that your feelings were of a strong nature. And we are both of the family de Rochefort.”
Okay , I thought. Super–freaky that Christian has a window into my soul .
“I’ll try to keep my thoughts to myself in the future,” I said.
“Just as you wish,” said Christian. After a brief pause he added, “Perhaps you felt it inappropriate that I ‘listened’ to you?”
I pulled the car down our long drive. I didn’t want to appear impolite. “It was nice of you to ask how I was doing.”
Inside the house, Sylvia had left a note on the fridge white–board. “Shopping,” the note said.
“Samanthe?”
I closed the fridge. Whatever I needed right now, it wasn’t in there.
“I have been considering our wisest course of attack whereby to remove the egg from the possession of our enemies,” he said.
Half my mouth curved up into a sad smile listening to his funny turns of phrase. “What did you come up with?”
He frowned. “I am unsatisfied on all counts. To go alone would be the wiser course, but I cannot allow myself to be parted from you again.”
“I thought I might go on my own,” I said.
His eyebrows raised; the lines furrowing his forehead made him look older than a high school boy.
Which he was.
“That would be unthinkable,” he said. “I beg of you, Mademoiselle , place me not in the position of being unable to account for your wellbeing.”
“Yeah, I didn’t figure you’d go for that,” I said.
The hard part of having Christian around all the time was just that: he was around all the time.
Chapter Sixteen
----
BESETTING SINS
· WILL ·
Mick and I were good at packing up quick, and we left Rome before the sun had risen. Sir Walter led us invisibly towards the outskirts of the great city where we stopped briefly at a car dealership, with really sweet rides like DeLoreans and Mercedes and Alfa Romeos. Sir Walter bought a midnight blue Alfa Romeo Giulietta and the world’s smallest Mercedes, paying cash.
“If we’re splitting up,” said Mick, “I think it needs to be you two who stick together.” Her eyes held back tears.
“No, no,” said Sir Walter. “The Mercedes is to compensate our landlady for the loss of her vehicle.” He arranged to have the car delivered to her.
“The Alfa Romeo’s for us?” I shook my head. “Flashy, much?”
Sir Walter shrugged. “It is considered the safest compact car on the market.”
We piled in the car and Mickie started crying. “It’s all my fault.”
I wrapped an arm around her. “Don’t.”
“No, it’s the truth. And I’m not just talking about yesterday. I never should have taken the work Pfeffer offered all those years ago.”
“That work kept us in shoe leather and groceries,” I said, trying to turn around the Mickie–guilt–fest.
“But I took the job because I wanted … what’s the word?” She paused, sniffled. “I wanted glory , Will. I wanted to do great research and become known and respected.”
“There’s nothing wrong with that, Mick.”
Her sobbing got a whole lot worse. “I was willing to endanger you to get what I wanted. I brought you into the lab so Pfeffer would be sure to keep me on.”
I made a small snorting sound. “Well, you can quit beating yourself up on that one. You think I would have
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