Peppermint

Chapter 14 - Believer

***ALEX***

"Well," Josh's dad laughs as he finally pulls his hand back, realizing nobody's about to shake it. "Way to leave me hanging."

I roll my eyes at him. I don't care if he really is quote-unquote "God," he sets my teeth on edge. "Believe me, we've heard enough about you."

"I can see that. I'm sorry you've got such a terrible first impression." He slides past me, managing not to lose his balance one bit while the train lurches and clatters on the city's elevated tracks. In this lighting, a combo of fluorescents and daylight filtered through heavy rain and clouds, he looks like a darker-skinned version of Colin Farrell, especially Colin Farrell as Graves in Fantastic Beasts. Or perhaps George Clooney, whom Mom thinks of as God's gift, if not God Himself. Or - and I'm just spitballing here because Josh looks like Tyler Posey and it crossed my mind the second he started talking about his dad - Matthew Del Negro.

I wonder, is Matthew Del Negro really Mr. Graziadei? That might explain why he's in almost every TV show. It's like an unspoken Hollywood law or something.

But back to the subject of Mr. G being out to kill me. "Whatever you're gonna try to say to convince me, save it," I tell him.

"Save it for whom?"

"Someone who cares, and isn't on board this train."

AK stands next to me, his arms crossed. "Sorry, big man, but Josh has told us enough about you. We're not about to change our minds on your say-so." He claps me on the shoulder. "Especially not this guy, I'm thinking."

I'm not sure if he's alluding to my autism or what, but if so, I'm glad for it.

Graziadei purses his lips. "Mmm. I should've expected nothing less." He lets out a loud, fake yawn - fake, I'm thinking, only because I highly doubt he ever gets tired, except maybe one day a week, and (in my family's religious tradition, at least), this isn't that day. "But put it this way - if you think I'm bad, Kristoff Scoville is worse."

Ahmad scoffs. "Hard to say who's worse - the corporate tool or the guy who wields him."

"Who are you again?" Ahmad and Firdaus both raise their eyebrows at Mr. G. "No, seriously, I wanna know. Josh tends not to introduce me to his friends. He must think I'm more judgmental than I really am."

"What do you think I think?" Josh glowers up at his father. "Don't answer that. Rhetorical."

"You think I'm the devil. You forget that the devil is your oldest brother."

I lean over to Josh and whisper into his ear. "That wouldn't be Michael, would it?"

"Michael's the second-oldest, but he's always had a soft spot for me," Josh whispers back.

"I remember he was kind of a dick."

"No offense to him, but he kind of is. Archangels usually are."

AK looks up in surprise. "Archangels? You guys are archangels?"

"No, just my oldest sons and daughters. All but Josh here." Mr. G sounds a little inordinately proud. Of what, I couldn't say. "But listen...while we're on the move here, so is Scoville. He's already blown up a few cars-"

"Mine," Firdaus chimes in.

"It was a rental, wasn't it? Not yours?"

"Still, I couldn't care for it like it was my own?" She glares at Mr. G, her eyes sparkling dangerously. Like she's Supergirl about to give him a good dose of heat vision. Do humans have heat vision? I used to think humans were entirely powerless, but I've heard tell recently of humans who prove otherwise. Like Gabe's boyfriend, for instance - his unique dual scriv powers, he had them as a human too, I believe. Then again, I don't know everything about Harris, especially since I've only met him once. Not counting that dream where we were all merpeople. I'd rather not repeat that, unless we pick up where we left off with the fight against Lava Man Penner.