Sirens (Theo Raeken) [1]

Concealment

"Hey, lizard girl and Violet Parr, get out of my way."

Tracy Stewart and Corey block the doorway, scolding at me, as if saying, Did you just liken us to a reptile and Incredibles character? "Theo didn't say you were coming," Tracy says.

"And I didn't know Theo put you in charge," I say sourly.

"I can't let anyone in," Corey says.

"I'm not anyone, little boy," I scoff. "Think of me as your...First Lady."

"Yeah, okay," he laughs. "Nice try, your highness."

With a fluid, quick motion, I pull the pistol out of my belt and hold it to his head. I tilt my head to the side. "Let's try this again, Corey."

Theo sits on a musty armchair covered in cracked amber leather. He raises his eyebrows when he sees the chimera with a gun to his head. "Arden," he says, grinning casually. "You have a gun." He says this as if it's the simplest thing in the world.

I shove the smaller boy out of the way and sheathe the handgun. "Get back to the door," I say. "And make sure that I don't have to pull a gun on you again."

He looks at Theo for permission and once Theo nods, he leaves. "What's wrong, sweetheart?"

"I'm going to see my mom's lawyer and then I'm leaving town," I announce.

"Why?" he says, furrowing his brows.

"I need to see the lead you gave me," I say. "I need to see Isaac."

"Why are you leaving now?" he asks, toying with a lock of my hair.

I cock my head to the side. "Why am I leaving? Because it's more important to me than your little pack of fifteen year old lab creatures."

I turn on my heel and make start towards the door. "Wait, Arden," he says. "I thought this is what you wanted."

I purse my lips. "I wanted you, Theo," I say softly. "And if this is what it costs then I'm going to have to deal with it, won't I? We all want different things, Theo. Answers, power, revenge. But all I want is for you to stay. I want you to remember that I'm here and I sacrificed everything to be here."

"I know," he says softly, his face centimetres from mine. He brushes a strand of hair out of my face. "And I love you. You remember that, yeah?" I nod slowly, pressing my lips together in a firm line. "I need to go see Stiles. We need to find Lydia."

I stand up straighter, shifting from foot to foot uncomfortably. "Why do you need to find Lydia?"

"Because I'm going to go get myself a hellhound," he says. A hellhound? "Come with me to Stiles before you leave, please."

"Theo, I really ha —"

"Please, Arden," he says. "I need backup and you're the only one that he's comfortable around."

"Maybe that's because I don't have a three foot tail coming out of my ass," I mutter. "But yeah, whatever."

"Thank you," he says. "I mean it."

"Now, come on," I say, walking towards the exit. "I think I've had enough chimeras for one day."

"But —"

"Yeah, yeah. I know you're a chimera. But the difference is, I enjoy your company."

"How adorable," he says, his voice thick with mockery.

"I have a gun under here, asshole."

We get to the car and I unlock the doors. "Huh, new car," Theo comments.