The Golden Lily Chapter 8

GOING OUT once again didnt re exclusivelyy happen until the weekend. Brayden and I were some(prenominal) overachieving overflowing to coiffure weeknight tabuings and still finish home grow only neither of us handled to do it if we could annul it. Be typefaces, my weeknights usually had some other conflict with the gang, be it a feeding or the experi custodyts. Eddie had preparen his origination this week, and Id understand a point to no(prenominal) be around when it happened, lest Sonya try to pitch to me again.Brayden had wanted to go out Saturday, but that was the day Id promised to start Adrian to San Diego. Brayden compromised on breakfast, catching me ahead I hit the road, and we went out to a restaurant adjacent to wholeness of typewriter ribbon Springs many lush golf resorts. Although I had tenacious since withdrawered to pull my share, Brayden continued robing up the bills and doing all the driving. As he pulled up in anterior of my manse to drop-off me off later onward, I cut a surprising and non entirely experience sight awaiting me Adrian sitting outside on a bench, caseing bored.Oh geez, I state.What? asked Brayden.Thats my brother. I knew t present was no avoiding this. The inevitable had happened. Adrian would probably cling to Braydens bumper until he got an introduction. deal on, you poop meet him.Brayden left-hand(a) the car tick over and stepped out, casting an anxious glance at the NO PARKING sucker. Adrian jumped up from his seat, a whole tone of domineering satisfaction on his face.Wasnt I supposed to pick you up? I asked.Sonya had some errands to run and offered to drop me here small-arm she was out, he explained.Figured wed moreover you some trouble. Adrian had greetn what I was doing this morning, so I wasnt entirely sure his motives had been all that selfless.This is Brayden, I told him. Brayden, Adrian.Adrian move his hand. Ive realize so much nearly you. I didnt doubt that but wondered who ex actly hed heard it from.Brayden gave a friendly smile bum. Ive actually neer heard of you. I didnt even know Sydney had another brother.You neer menti bingled me? Adrian shot me a look of mock hurt.It n for eer came up, I said.Youre still in high school, near? asked Adrian. He nodded toward the Mustang. You must escort a side job to control those car payments, though. Unless youre one of those slackers who tho tries to buzz off money off of their parents.Brayden looked indignant. Of execute not. I work al closely e actually day at a coffee shop.A coffee shop, repeated Adrian, managing to convey a million shades of reprimand in his tone. I see. He glanced over at me. I suppose it could be worse.Adrian Well, its not standardised Im going to work there forever, protested Brayden. Ive already been genuine to USC, Stanford, and Dartmouth.Adrian nodded thoughtfully. I guess thats respectable. Although, Ive evermore thought of Dartmouth as the smorgasbord of school plenty go to when they cant get into Yale or Harv We genuinely need to go, I interrupted, grabbing postulate of Adrians arm. I attempted to tug him toward the student place green goddess and failed. We dont want to get caught in traffic. Brayden glanced at his cell phone. Traffic patterns should be relatively sort out going west this time of the day, but macrocosm a weekend, you never know how tourists might turn things, especially with the various attractions in San Diego. If you look at traffic models applying the Chaos Theory Exactly, I said. founder safe than sorry. Ill text you when I get bandaging, all right? Well figure out the rest of this week.For once, I didnt rescue to stress al virtually handshaking or snog or anything resembling that. I was too fixated on dragging Adrian away before he could pioneer his mouth and translate something inflammatory.Brayden, enchantment passionate close academic topics and me disagreeing with him, tended to otherwise be att ractive mild-mannered. He hadnt exactly been up score salutary now, but that was sure the most agitated Id ever seen him. Leave it to Adrian to work up even the most cushygoing people. actually? I asked, once we were safely inside Latte. You couldnt have just said nice to meet you, and allow it go?Adrian pushed back the passenger seat, managing the most lounging touch possible while still wearing a seatbelt. Just looking out for you, sis. Dont want you closed give birth up with some deadbeat. Believe me, Im an expert on that kind of thing.Well, I appreciate your insider knowledge, but Ill manage this on my own, thanks just the aforesaid(prenominal).Come on, a barista? Why not some business interne?I handle that hes a barista. He ever so smells care coffee. Adrian rolled big money a window, permit the breeze ruffle his hair. Im surprised you let him drive you around, especially considering the way you freak out if anyone touches the controls in your car. same the windo w? I asked pointedly. When the air conditionings on? Adrian took the hint and raised the window back up. He wants to drive. So I let him. Besides, I like that car.That is a nice car, Adrian admitted. Though I never took you for the type to go for status symbols.I dont. I like it because its an interesting car with a coherent history.Translation status symbol.Adrian. I sighed. This is going to be a long ride. In actuality, we made pretty good time. Despite Braydens speculations, traffic moved easily, plentiful that I felt I deserved a coffee break halfway through. Adrian got a mocha Can you spot me this one time, Sage? and well-kept his usual breezy conversation carriage throughout most of the trip. I couldnt protagonist but find, when we were virtually thirty minutes out, he grew more retreat and thoughtful. His banter dropped off, and he spent a deal of time gazing out the window.I could only larn the reality of his seeing his dad was setting in. It was certainly someth ing I could relate to. Id be just as anxious if I was about to see mine. I didnt really call in Adrian would appreciate a divided up psychotherapy session, though, so I groped for a safer topic to draw him out of his blue mood.Have you guys acquire anything from Eddie and Dimitris blood? I asked.Adrian glanced at me in surprise. Didnt necessitate you to bring that up.Hey, Im curious about the science of it. I just didnt want to participate. He accepted this. not much to evidence so soon. They sent the samples off to a lab one of your labs, I think to see if theres anything physically different between the deuce. Sonya and I did pick up a oh, I dont know how to describe it. Like, a hum of spirit in Belikovs blood. non that him having magic blood should surprise anyone. Most people seem to think everything he does is magic.Oh, come on, I said. Thats unfair.Is it? Youve seen the way Castile worships him. He wants to be just like Belikov when he grows up. And even though Sonyas us ually the translator for our research, she wont breathe without checking with him beforehand. What do you think, Dimitri? Is this a good idea, Dimitri? satisfy give us your blessing so that we can fall win and worship you, Dimitri. I agitate my head in exasperation. Again unfair. Theyre research partners. Of course shes going to consult him.She consults him more than me. in all likelihood because Adrian forever and a day looked bored during their research, but I figured it wouldnt help to bring that up. Theyve both been Strigoi. Theyve kind of got a strange insight to this.He didnt respond for several moments. Okay. Ill give you points for that. But you cant argue that there was any aspiration between me and him when it came to Rose. You saw them together. I never had a chance. I cant compare.Well, why do you have to? portion of me also wanted to ask what Rose had to do with this, but Jill had told me numerous times that for Adrian, everything came back to Rose.Because I wa nted her, Adrian said. Do you still want her?No answer. Rose was a dangerous topic one I wished we hadnt weirdly stumbled into.Look, I said. You and Dimitri are two different people. You shouldnt compare yourself to him. You shouldnt try to be like him. I mean, Im not going to sit here and rip him apart or anything.I like Dimitri. Hes smart and dedicated, insanely brave and ferocious. Good in a fight.And hes just a nice guy.Adrian scoffed. You left out dreamy and ruggedly handsome.Hey, youre pretty easy on the eyes too, I teased, quoting something hed told me a while ago. He didnt smile. And dont underestimate yourself. Youre smart too, and you can conversation yourself out of and into anything. You dont even need magical charisma.So far-off Im not seeing a lot of difference between me and a carnival con-man.Oh, stop, I said. He could get along me laugh even with the most serious of topics. You know what I mean. And youre also one of the most fiercely loyal people I know and c aring, no matter how much you pee-pee otherwise. I see the way you look after Jill. Not many people wouldve traveled across the country to help her. And roughly no one would have done what you did to save her keep.Again, Adrian took a while to respond. But what are loyal and caring really worth?To me? Everything.There was no hesitation in my answer. Id seen too much backstabbing and calculation in my life. My own father judged people not by who they were but by what they could do for him.Adrian did care passionately about others underneath all of his bravado and flippancy. Id seen him risk his life to prove it. Considering Id had mortals eye cut out to avenge my sisterwell. Devotion was definitely something I could appreciate.Adrian didnt say anything else for the rest of the drive, but at least I didnt get the impression he was brooding anymore. in general he seemed thoughtful, and that wasnt so concerning.What did make me a gnomish uneasy was that I practically caught sig ht of him studying me in my periphery.I replayed what Id said over and over in my mind, trying to figure out if thered been anything to stock warrant such attention.Adrians father was staying at a digressive San Diego hotel with a vibe similar to the resort Brayden and I had eaten breakfast at. Businessmen in suits mingled with pleasure seekers in tropical prints and flip-flops. Id closely faint jeans to breakfast and was cheery now for my choice of a gray ring and short-sleeved blouse with a muted blue and gray print. It had a tiny ruffled trim, and the skirt had a very, very faint herringbone pattern. Normally, I wouldnt have worn such contrasting textures together, but Id liked the spunk of the look. Id pointed it out to Jill before I left the dorm for breakfast. Itd postn her a while to even pass off the contrasting textures, and when she did, shed rolled her eyes. Yeah, Sydney. Youre a real rebel. Meanwhile, Adrian was in one of his typical summer outfits, jeans and a button-up shirt though of course the shirt was untucked, with the sleeves rolled up and a few top buttons undone. He wore that look all the time, and despite its casual faade, he often made it appear dressy and fashionable. Not today, however. These were the most worn-out jeans Id ever seen him wear the knees were on the sceptre of having holes. The dark green shirt, while nice type and a perfect match for his eyes, was wrinkled to insoluble levels. Sleeping in it or tossing it on the radical wouldnt achieve that state. I was pretty sure someone would have to actually crumple it into a clod and sit on it for it to look that bad. If Id noticed it back at Amberwood (and hadnt been so distracted getting him away from Brayden), I wouldve insisted on ironing the shirt before we left.He still looked good, of course. He always looked good, no matter the condition of his clothing and hair. It was one of the more annoying things about him. This rumpled look made him come across as some contemplative European model. Studying him as we took the elevator to the secondment floor lobby, I decided it couldnt be a coincidence that the most disheveled outfit Id ever seen Adrian in had fallen on the day he had a father-son visit. The question was why? Hed complained that his dad always found fault with him. Dressing this way seemed like Adrian was just providing one more reason.The elevator opened, and I gasped as we stepped out. The back wall of the lobby was almost entirely covered with windows that offered a dramatic image of the Pacific. Adrian chuckled at my reaction and took out his cell phone. shine a closer look while I call the old man.He didnt have to reveal me twice. I walked over to one of the glass walls, admiring the vast, blue-gray expanse. I imagined that on cloudy days, it would be hard to tell where sky ended and ocean began. The weather was gorgeous out today, full of sun and a suddenly clear azure-blue sky. On the lobbys right side, a set of doors opened up onto a Mediterranean style balcony where diners were enjoying lunch out in the sun. Looking down to ground level, I caught sight of a light pool as blue as the sky, contact in palm trees and sunbathers.I didnt have the same longing for water that a magic substance abuser like Jill possessed, but I had been living in the desert for almost two months. This was amazing.I was so transfixed with the beauty outside that I didnt notice Adrians return. In fact, I didnt even notice he was standing right beside me until a mother affair for her daughter also named Sydney made me glance aside. There, I saw Adrian only inches away, watching me with amusement.I flinched and stepped back a little. How about some warning side by side(p) time? He smiled. I didnt want to interrupt. You looked intelligent for a change.For a change? Im happy much of times.I knew Adrian well enough to recognize the sign of an incoming snarky comment. At the last second, he changed course, his grammatic al construction turning serious. Does that guy that Brendan guy Brayden.Does that Brayden guy make you happy?I looked at Adrian in surprise. These kinds of questions were almost always a setup from him, but his deaf(p) face made it hard to guess his motives this time.I guess, I said at last. Yeah. I mean, he doesnt make me unhappy. That brought Adrians smile back. Red-hot answer if ever there was one. What do you like about him? deflection from the car? And that he smells like coffee?I like that hes smart, I said. I like that I dont have to dumb myself down around him. straightway Adrian frowned. You do that a lot for people?I was surprised at the bitterness in my own laugh. A lot? Try all the time. Probably the most important thing Ive learned at Amberwood is that people dont like to know how much you know. With Brayden, theres no censoring for either of us. I mean, just look at this morning.One minute we were talking Halloween costumes, the next we were discussing the ancien t A consequentlyian origins of democracy.Im not going to rubric to be a genius, but how the hell did you make that leap?Oh, I said. Our Halloween costumes. Were dressing Greek. From the Athenian era.Of course, he said. And this time, I could tell the snark was about to return. No lascivious cat costumes for you. Only the most dignified, feminist swot up will do. I shook my head. Feminist? Oh, no. Not Athenian women. Theyre about as far from feminist as you can well, forget it. Its not really important. Adrian did a double lend. Thats it, isnt it? He leaned toward me, and I nearly moved back but something held me where I was, something about the intensity in his eyes.What? I asked.He pointed at me. You stopped yourself just now. You just dumbed it down for me. I hesitated only a moment. Yeah, I kind of did.Why?Because you really dont want to hear about ancient Athens, any more than you wanted to hear Brayden talk about Chaos Theory.Thats different, said Adrian. He hadnt moved aw ay and was still standing so, so close to me. It seemed like that shouldve bothered me, but it didnt. Hes boring. You make learning fun. Like a childrens book or after school special. Tell me about your um, Athenian women. I tried not to smile. I look up to his intentions here but knew he really wasnt up for a history lesson. Again, I wondered what game was going on. Why was he pretending to be interest?I tried to compose an answer that would take less than sixty seconds.Most Athenian women werent educated. They for the most part stayed inside and were just expected to have kids and take care of the house. The most progressive women were the hetaerae.They were like entertainers and elegant prostitutes. They were educated and a little flashier.Powerful men kept their wives at home to raise children and then hung out with hetaerae for fun. I paused, unsure if hed followed any of that. Like I said, its not really important.I dont know, said Adrian thoughtfully. I find prostitutes v astly important.Well. How refreshing to see that things havent changed, a new voice cut in.We both flinched and looked up at the scowling man who had just joined us.Adrians father had arrived.