Haunt (Regenerate #5)

Chapter 5

I think that no matter how many of these fancy events I go to with Mark and Lorna, I'll never feel like I fit in. Because looking around, I can tell I'm the only one here who had a childhood on the streets.

That is until I see Anthony. He's here as Mark Hall. He totally lied about scanning the perimeter as Mantis, that cheeky little...

He starts walking towards me and Lorna. When he reaches us, he turns to Lorna and says, "Your date for tonight?"

"It's Thalia," Lorna says, practically rolling her eyes.

I want to strangle him because it's so ridiculous that he's pretending not to know who I am. Of course he knew that I would be with Lorna. He would have recognized me the minute I walked through the door with her, no matter what face I was wearing. But he has his stupid pretenses to keep up.

Instead of strangling him, I plaster a wide smile on my face. "Dance with me."

He looks confused, but he offers me his arm and we go out to the dance floor. As we spin in circles, I can see Lorna watching us from a distance, no doubt annoyed that she has no idea what we're saying to each other. That is, if we were saying anything to each other.

Mark clears his throat. "Look, I know we haven't talked since Lorna's pool party and the incident with Siryn."

"Has it been that long?" I ask.

"I should have called to say I was sorry," Mark says. "It was wrong of me to bring her. I know it wasn't exactly my fault, but I should have apologized all the same."

He spins me, and when I come to a stop again, I say. "Apology accepted. Siryn is a piece of work, to be sure."

Mark nods, clearly uncomfortable with Siryn as the topic of conversation. Though, to be fair, he's seemed uncomfortable ever since I asked him to dance. Good.

He should feel uncomfortable.

"You seem in good spirits tonight," he says after another awkward beat.

"I am," I say. "I'm glad to be working a mission again. You don't seem quite so eager to be here. In fact, you seem downright uncomfortable."

He bites his lip and then says, "I'm fine, thanks. I just... even before Siryn, things were a little strange between us."

"Were they?"

"A little on and off again," he says. "You're a little fickle."

I nearly step on his foot for suggesting that this is somehow my fault. I manage to maintain my composure and say, "Maybe I am a little fickle. I don't see why we can't still be friends."

He gives me a hard look. "Friends? That's what you've decided you want?"

"I don't see why we shouldn't be," I say. "We're on good terms, aren't we?"

He spins me one more time. Then he says, "I'm not sure I'm interested in that. Excuse me."

He drops my hand and starts walking away. And for some reason, even though I pulled him out on the dance floor because I wanted to mess with him, I feel like I'm the one who's been played.

I march angrily back to a table where Lorna is eating hors d'oeuvres. I'm still annoyed that he seems to think that it's my fault that we're not in a proper relationship. If he really wants to be more than friends, he could start acting like it.

"That looks like it went well," Lorna says, not trying to hide the sarcasm in her voice.

I ignore her, pulling my phone out. "Doesn't matter. Mantis wants me to meet him upstairs."

"Oh brother," Lorna says.

"I couldn't agree more."