TWO

Chapter Nine

When we got back to the train my hair was dry, clumped with mud. Cato has mud all over his shirt and on his neck, his sweatpants as well. Paris was the first person who approached the two of us with an eyebrow raised, "Where were you two?" Her expression doesn't change and next to her, Marcus fidgets with his hands.

"We went for a walk. Studied for a bit, but then it started to rain." I answer, heading towards my sleeping bag. Cato ends up walking over to Marcus and his things.

"Oh," Paris leans against the wall after following and watches me. "You're covered in mud."

"Yeah we-" my voice gets cut off by a stern manly voice. Cato's dad approaches his son with narrowed eyes. The whole train goes silent.

"Cato Rauls," Jackson hisses. "where the hell were you?"

"Went for a walk." Cato answers, grabbing clothes out of his bag. His dad crosses his arms and looks around the train until his eyes meet mine.

"Your father has been looking for you," he snaps.

"Okay," I deadpan. The mud on my shirt I'm wearing is starting to itch my skin.

Jackson looks back at his son, "A walk with Clove?"

"We were studying," Cato drops a shirt back into his bag and glares at his dad.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, dad." Cato picks up the shirt again and starts to walk off.

"Then answer this," Jackson quickly responds before Cato walks into the bathroom. My dad slowly walks up behind him and looks at Cato and I. His eyes narrow right away and I sigh.

"Answer what?" Cato crosses his arms.

"Name two edible plants and two poisonous ones."

I look at Cato who glances at me before taking a deep breath, "Honeysuckle and Dandelions are edible. Nightlock and the leaves of Rhubarb are not."

So he has been listening to me talk.

Jackson looks at my dad for an approval on correct answers, "Is he right?"

"Yes, those were both correct." my dad nods at him then looks at me.

"Good." Jackson looks back at Cato and nods at him, "Get cleaned up and don't leave the train again without permission."

Cato nods then disappears into the bathroom. The room starts to erupt with conversation again and my dad calls me into the "conference" room to talk. When I walk in, Nixon is sitting in a chair sipping a cup filled with a brown liquid. I can tell by the way his nose scrunches up that it's whiskey.

"If you're going to lecture me about leaving the train, I really don't wanna hear it." I sigh, spinning one of the chairs around. As the time goes by my shirt gets even more itchy.

"No, I'm not." he glances at me as he walks around the room, pouring himself a similar glass of liquid Nixon has.

"Then what do you want?"

"Tomorrow we're going to be touring the garden they have here. I'd like you to be my helper."

"I'm a student, not a teacher." I snap.

"Clove," he takes a sip of the liquid, but doesn't make a face. "It would be nice to have the extra help. I'll count it as extra credit."

I pout a bit before letting out a big sigh, "Fine."

"Great, thank you. You're excused." he hums into his cup and watches me stand. I exit the room and head back out to our main cart with everyone in it. Pairs is seated on her sleeping bag, Marcus next to her and Cato leaning against the wall watching them. The closer I get the thicker the air between Cato and I gets. His eyes follow my movement as I grab my things and head to the bathroom.