Keeper of The Lost Cities: Book 9: Showdown

Chapter 38 - Keefe's POV

Ro closely examines the seal on the thin scroll of paper. "I'd think that this bursts with poison when I open it, but..."

"But?" I prod.

"It smells like paper." Ro scowls at the letter. "I like the smell of paper." she glares at the paper as if it's smell and her liking it offends her. "Should I open it?"

I shake my head yes and then no.

"Make up your mind, Hunkyhair." Ro reaches a compromise point. "How about I open it and read it aloud?"

"Don't- don't read it aloud." my voice trembles. "I want to read it on my own terms."

"Suit yourself." Ro uses a claw to delicately and carefully break the seal. Her face is impassive as she unfurls the scroll, and indifferent as she reads the words. It's a surprisingly long letter, and I watch Ro's eyes trail the lines as she reads.

I can tell when she's finished reading, but she reads it again.

And again.

And again.

"What is it?" I ask before she can read it a fourth time.

Ro clears her throat. "It appears to me that your mother was either a person of the arts or very confusing." She looks at me. "Does the phrase 'Moonlight drowns out all but the brightest stars' mean anything to you?"

It sounds relatively familiar, but I can't place it. "It sounds familiar."

"Okay, and 'and so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past'?"

This one I know. "That's The Great Gatsby. By F. Scott Fitzgerald." to Ro's confusion, I add, "It's a human book."

"Then I was right," my bodyguard says. "She was a woman of the arts. Though Literature is hardly considered an art."

"There's something magical about the way authors weave words together, no?" I wait for her to agree. "That seems to be art enough."

"Whatever rocks your boat." Ro shrugs. "Do you want to read it?"

I find that suddenly, I'm scared. Not of the letter itself, but of what's written inside. I'm scared that maybe I'll see another side to her, something more of what my father's already told me.

I'm scared that maybe I'll find myself with something there isn't any more of.

Ro senses my hesitation. "Maybe if-"

"I don't want to read it."

"Would you like it to be read aloud?" Ro contemplates the paper in her hands. "I mean, I could always burn it, or rip it to shreds -"

"Don't do that either."

Ro shakes her head at me. "You, sir, are a real piece of work."

I look at her indignantly. "I haven't done anything!"

"Your thought-process seems to indicate otherwise." Ro lays out the 'facts' in front of me. "You don't want to read it, you don't want to hear, and you don't seem to want to do anything with it, yet you don't want to destroy it. That's a lot of contradiction."

"I want to read it on my own terms." I reiterate.

Ro spreads her hands. "No one's forcing you!" a wicked smile comes on her face. "Would a certain blonde help you out?"

"No, I think I'll decline my own services," I snark at her.

"You're not the blonde I was talking about," Ro gives me the you're-kidding look.

Or is it the duh look?

I get those two messed up a lot... I should probably get used to Ro's faces, now that she's going to be around a lot.

I sigh. Life wasn't normal in the Lost Cities. I liked not-normal. Now, I'm back where I started, the only difference being time spent and... abilities.

"I wasn't joking," Ro says lightly. "Maybe your Blondie can help with deciphering whatever... this is." a smirk aligns her face. "Maybe it'll sound better coming from her."

I feel a hot flush creeping up my neck, and I'm glad for the black turtleneck I decided to wear today.

I'm also glad that no one has thought to force me into any atrocious elvin clothing yet.

"What with her previously... misdirected anger towards me," I say warily, "I doubt -"

"Well, don't." Ro scoffs. "You know your Blondie. I know your blondie."

"She's not mine."

Ro continues as if she hasn't heard me. "She can't stay mad at you, not for long." her body language practically screams what-are-you-waiting-for. "If you ask her for help, she won't decline."

I grit my teeth. "She should."

"I will never understand why you think that way," Ro shakes her head. "'She should push me away.' or 'I don't deserve her.'"

"It's true."

"It's not!" Foster bursts into my room. "We are having this conversation. Right now."