Supernova

Chapter Forty Four - Nova's Treason For Living

By the time Easter rolled around, it was a welcome distraction. The Stronghold plane was waiting for me at the airport, and I was thrilled to find Jojo aboard, waiting for me, popping a bottle of champagne and pouring it into two glasses, announcing that Easter had officially begun.

He was brand new then, but we'd conversed a bit at Christmas, and I had taken an immediate liking to him. I mean, how could I not? Jojo was fun and had a good sense of humor and he was close to my age, plus he was replacing Calum, the dark eyed and silver haired staff member, who always seemed to stare at me a little too long, a little too hungrily, as if something sinister was sitting just beyond his consciousness, kept hidden by the motivation of job security and fear of his employer.

So, you know. What's not to like? I think my father liked that he was young and had a bit of a rebellious spirit, because I knew that his staff members were often tasked to casually speak to me and report back to my him if they suspected I'd had any treasonous inclinations. This had been Amy's initial purpose, or one of them anyways, but because of how little I ever had to say to her, that didn't exactly turn out the way he'd planned. Jojo was a much better bet. And like I said, I'd liked him right away, and he was just short of being considered a genuine friend, being on my father's payroll and all. I couldn't get drunk, of course, but I enjoyed sipping out of my flute anyways, so at my father's request, he indulged me. He asked me about The Academy in such a way that I knew he didn't mean the school at all. This question was both a genuine curiosity and a duty.

"I've made some good connections," I told him, mindful not to add a concrete number, or anything to go looking for.

"Good connections?" He probed.

"That's right."

"Anyone in particular?"

I then added a mischievous shrug. "I may have a potential prospect."

Jojo's eyebrows raised, but he said nothing.

"I'm still testing the waters," I said. "I want to make sure he fits with the type of future I want for myself."

This was both strategic and selfish. Jojo would report back to my dad that I was taking the idea of marriage seriously, and it would convince Heir Stronghold that his last chance at a legacy wasn't a flight risk and he'd lay off with the suitor pressure and watchful eye for the week. I also thought that if I didn't lift at least a fraction of the weight off my chest, it would collapse in on me. He didn't dare ask who it was. None of his business, that's who. That was between my dad and I.

"What's he like?" Jojo asked me, his face full of amusement. He leaned back, took a sip out of his flute.

"He's alright," I told him, shrugging.

I smiled at him, and from the look he gave me back, I could tell my face was doing exactly what I wanted. I started pulling little fragments out of my mind and weaving them together, presenting this nameless creation to Jojo with both hands.

He's smarter than me, I told him. Reads a lot. Teaches me things. He's beautiful and he's strong. Comes from a great family. He's kind of a dick, too, I added on, laughing a bit to myself. Princess Stronghold's kryptonite, he joked with me. I had told him lots of conquest stories from New York. Jojo had never been outside the California compound, but New York interested him. Most Califorinians are interested by the darkness and violence as long as they can peek at it from the sunny safety of being an outsider looking in. He'd liked the stories, and he'd also learned that due to my being indestructible and all, those with jagged edges fascinated me. But he has his moments, I assured him, and he's fun to fight with. Jojo asked if I meant with our words or with our hands, and I told him, both. We look out for each other, though. That's what matters, Jojo told me. Heavy, careful words, catering both to his almost friendship with me and his desire for job security. Don't I know it, I told him back.