Love Lines

18: The Illusionist

Chapter Eighteen

No matter how hard I tried, my father remained tight lipped concerning how he knew Janus. I even asked him why he didn't look very surprised when my self-appointed grandfather disappeared into thin air. He told me it was a topic better left for another time and I was starting to wonder if maybe he wasn't as ignorant about the goings on in the Elite world as I'd once thought.

By the time we reached the country club, it was well passed lunch time and there was no sign of Andrzej anywhere. I suspected he heard something about what happened after he left that morning and knew it wouldn't be much longer until he came to collect me. But as the day wore on, there was no sign of my assigned partner and I began to think he'd abandoned me completely. Along with Cecil, who I hadn't seen hide nor hair of since he left my house.

I guess now that I was Elite and I'd picked a side, I wasn't as important as I once was.

Schylar stayed with me most of the day, only leaving when he got a call from Brittany, saying they needed some "quality time" together. I just laughed at him and told him good luck with that. I didn't hear from him for the rest of the evening until the traditional good night text he sent me around the usual time I headed to bed. Unlike what they told me to expect, I found myself falling into a rather deep sleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. I didn't wake up again until my alarm clock was blaring in my ear, telling me it was time to get up and get ready for school.

High school.

It seemed like such a foreign concept to me after everything that happened over the weekend. Just as I was heading out the door, I got a text from Dreama letting me know the Triplets were getting a ride from Union. A sound of irritation made its way out of my mouth. The last thing I needed was Union making a splash or pouring poison in the ears of my friends. But I was going to be ok with it because even before I had my small, insignificant blow out with Union, they'd been my friends. Mine.

I wasn't going to let this damper my day even as the feeling it was going to suck started to creep up my back. It was affirmed as I got stuck behind the trash truck on my way to school.

It was so mundane, I thought I was going to die.

Seriously this time.

I pulled into my assigned parking space and jogged passed the teacher who was assigned to make sure all students were in the building by first bell. He just happened to be one of my favorite science teachers so he didn't give me much a hard time other than to say, "You're late, Ms. Abernathy."

"I know! I'm sorry! Got stuck behind..."

"Don't rightly care." He smiled in order to soften the words. "Get to class before the tardy bell."

"Yes, sir!"

I raced to my locker, thinking now would be a good time for my supposed new Elite abilities to come in handy but I was moving at the normal human speed as I maneuvered my way around a few other stragglers in the hall. I grabbed what I needed, changing out the stuff I didn't, and then headed to class. I managed to cross the threshold as the bell rang. The teacher still shot me a look, however, one I ignored for the most part.

"Cutting it close this morning, aren't we Ms. Abernathy?"

"I'm sorry. I was just..."

"No need for explanations. Take your seat so we can start the day."

I cringed and went to my seat, catching the smile Caroline shot me from one chair over. That was pretty much how my day went. Union ignored me all through AP History and Gym. They'd switched my third period class now that I was Elite so I now had second lunch. He pointedly ignored me during that time as he sat across the table from me, surrounded by the Triplets. We apparently were pretending the other didn't exist which was just fine with me.