Star Gods, стр. 5
Ashe follows and leans on the counter while Tyce swivels the recliner, placing his hands behind his head. “Zeke, let me help.”
“You’re the one who doesn’t want to lie about how I’d heal so fast.” I take a sip of my soda, trying not to choke on it as it fizzes in my throat. I place it back in the fridge and skirt around him. “We lie every time we talk about Mom and Dad. No one questions us about it. I can’t tell anyone what really happened to me or even that I’m half-alien.” I turn down the hallway suddenly remembering I was supposed to vacuum today. “I’m tired, I need to change my clothes, and my head hurts. I’m going to lie down and take a nap. You two can argue for a while.” I walk into my room and close my door harder than I intended.
2
Wednesday, April 13, 2039
I stretch, rolling onto my back, my hands hitting my headboard. Sunlight filters through my blinds, and I glance at my digital clock, surprised at the time—10:26 in the morning. Crap, I’m late for school!
I jump out of bed, my clothes wrinkled, but at least they’re clean. I mean, seriously, it’s just school. I open my door to run into the bathroom but instead almost run right into Ashe, who’s leaning against the wall outside my door.
“Whatcha doin?” he asks, sipping from a coffee mug.
“I’m late for school. Have you seen my backpack? There’s something you have to sign.”
Ashe lifts an eyebrow. “Sign?”
I huff out a breath. “If you’d tell me where my backpack is, I could show you.”
Ashe brings his mug to his lips again, and his eyes do the smiling.
“Come on, Ashe,” I plead. “Do you know where it is or not?”
“Nope.” He turns down the hall heading toward the kitchen. “You’re not going to need it today anyway,” he calls over his shoulder.
“Why not?” I ask, doing a little jig as I follow him. I suddenly need to use the bathroom pretty badly.
“I called you in with a concussion, remember? You won’t be going back for a week.”
“Oh, yeah.” Sweet! I dart into the bathroom.
I come out feeling much better than when I went in, and find Ashe sitting at the kitchen table looking at the morning paper. A plate sits off to the side with scrambled eggs, toast, and five slices of bacon. A glass of orange juice sits above the plate, along with strawberry jam already opened with a knife sticking out of it. Steam’s lifting off the food and my mouth waters.
Ashe reaches over, taking a slice of bacon. “You going to eat the rest of this or should I?”
I plop into a chair, grabbing a fork and scooping in some eggs before going for the toast and slathering on jam. “Who’s at the garage today?”
“Closed for the morning—it’s Chuck’s day off. I’ll go in when Tyce gets home.”
I stop my toast inches from my mouth. “Why?”
Ashe closes the morning paper and lets it slip from his fingers to flutter onto the table. “I'm staying home with you today. Now, eat your breakfast and slow down, will you? I don’t want to perform the Heimlich maneuver when you choke.”
I snort. “You sound more like dad every day.”
“Sometimes I’m sure I feel like him.” He pops the rest of the bacon into his mouth and goes to pour himself more coffee, leaning back against the counter, looking sad and tired. He’s only twenty years old, no girlfriend, he doesn’t drink or hang out at bars, and he’s raising his sixteen and eighteen-year-old brothers. I have to remember that for my report. I’d probably get an A.
“How’s your head?”
I scrunch my eyebrows together. “Actually, pretty good.” I touch the bandage and wince. That still hurts.
“You were whimpering in your sleep. I took a chance and was able to heal only the concussion.”
I lift my eyebrows in shock. “You were able to do that without healing the cut?”
“Apparently.” His expression turns perturbed. “Stop playing with the bandage. We don’t need any germs getting in there. When you’re done eating, do up your dishes and plant your butt on the couch like a good half-human.”
I laugh. “Sure thing, alien master.”
I jump awake when the side door squeaks open. Someone really needs to oil those hinges.
“Nah,” Tyce says, placing his backpack onto a hook by the side door. “Craig says he has a girlfriend, but I know he’s lying.”
“How do you know?” Claire asks, coming in behind him.
“He’s secretly in love with Tisha.”
“If it’s a secret, how do you know?” Claire steps around the side of the couch and smiles at me. Her mahogany hair is in a ponytail showing off her pretty face, and her eyes, almost the color of her hair, twinkle at me. “I’m sorry. We woke you, didn’t we?”
“It’s okay.” I stop my movie and wipe the sleep from my eyes while glancing at the clock doing a double take.
“He’s been out for over an hour now,” Ashe says, putting on his work shirt, and stepping up behind the recliner I’m stretched out in. “You might as well get up, Zeke. Mr. Peterson called, and his wife’s car sprung a leak and needs it fixed pronto. They’re going out of town tomorrow morning and need to leave it for their son. I need Tyce to give me a hand, so you’ll have to hang out in the office for a while.”
“I can hang out with him here,” Claire says, stopping me from shoving in the footrest. “I was going to be here anyway.” She hands off my backpack. “The EMT gave it to me when you were put into the ambulance. It’s been at my place.”
“Thanks.” I can smell homemade bread as I take it from her and set it in my lap. Claire’s dad owns a bakery, and they live in the apartment upstairs; it’s the only bread we have in the house.
“Might as well take out