The Old Jackson Twins Book 2

Chapter Six

The next few days passed in a blur. Aria slept on the floor, spent her days hanging out with Jordan and Connor or drawing, and argued with Leah every time she came by. The day Reyna would be in Miami, Aria sat out in the courtyard, trying to draw but too busy looking for her. Jordan sat on one side of her, watching her draw, and on the other side, Connor and Leah were talking in hushed voices. She refused to budge for four hours, scanning the crowds of students for braided black hair. Twice she thought she saw Reyna, but she was sorely disappointed.

She saw Steve first. He was wearing a crappy disguise that somehow worked: a baseball cap and sunglasses, but she figured out who he was, because he was wearing the same jacket he had on the day Aria and Reyna cornered them, and also he was in his early thirties. Next to him was Wanda, Sam, Bucky, and...

Reyna.

In the three days it had been since they'd been able to talk, her hair had been cut to her shoulders. Aria didn't have time to wonder about this, because she jumped up from the bench faster than light and ran across the courtyard.

Reyna saw her as soon as she stood and started forward, and when they crashed into each other, Aria could finally breathe.

"You made it ok," she whispered through tears. Now that she was closer, she could see how unevenly chopped Reyna's hair was. "What-"

Reyna shrugged, a little nervously. "An empousa set it on fire yesterday. After I got it put out, it was so badly charred I just took a knife to it."

"I've got scissors," Aria scolded. "I'll fix it tonight." She kissed her for a long time, ignoring everyone around them. When they finally came up for air, Aria tilted her head. "I like it short," she decided. "You look so gorgeous this way."

Reyna might have blushed, but before Aria could tell whether she was correct, Reyna was kissing her again.

"It's been, like, six days," Sam complained. Wanda elbowed him in the ribs.
"Ow! I'm just saying, they're acting like it's been a year."

"Don't you remember what Reyna said? They haven't been separated since May," Wanda scolded. Aria laughed.

"So you're leaving?" Leah asked, a little too hopeful for Aria's taste.

"I guess." Aria hesitated, then looked at Connor. "Please stay safe, okay?"

He hugged her. "You'll be in more danger than I ever will."

She followed Reyna to the bus station. She couldn't help feeling like something wasn't quite right.

----------------------------------------------------

Valkyrie stared out across the ocean. Being the queen of New Asgard wasn't easy on a normal day, but she couldn't help feeling like lately, something wasn't quite right.

When the Asgardians had been on Earth thousands of years ago, she'd heard stories of other societies who worshipped other gods. She'd never heard of a planet with beings like the Asgardians, so she'd assumed that the legends were wrong. But maybe they weren't.

Maybe the gods were real.

Because the Asgardians weren't causing all of the weird weather in the US. They weren't responsible for the Avengers being spotted in New York. And they sure as hell (Valkyrie had recently discovered and fallen in love with Midgardian swearing) didn't send the hellhound to New Asgard.

----------------------------------------------

Bucky had had one hell of a week.

It still seemed weird that Aria had flown from New Hampshire to Florida, but there she was. It seemed weird that they'd been attacked by donkey-legged vampires, but Reyna's hair still bore faint char marks before Aria neatened it. And it seemed weird that he wasn't the only cyborg in the world, but there was Aria's hand, the pinky finger of which seemed to be a dog whistle. But instead of beagles or black labs, it summoned a hellhound.

"Guys, this is Mrs. O'Leary, my dog," Aria said, giving the massive dog a hug.

"You have a hellhound named Mrs. O'Leary," Wanda observed.

"That's pretty much word for word what Hazel said," Aria remembered. "But she can get us to New Asgard, and Will won't yell at us for it." Bucky didn't get it, but it made Reyna laugh, which seemed to be Aria's #1 goal in life.

Aria wove both hands into the dog's thick fur, then Reyna did the same. Bucky and his friends did the same, and then the shadows swallowed them whole.

They appeared on a coastline that was cold and wet, and Bucky immediately puked into a bush.

Aria gave him a sympathetic look. "Yeah, shadowtravel is pretty much the worst."

The dog shook itself blearily. "Woof!"

Aria rubbed between its ears. "You're such a good girl, Mrs. O'Leary! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!"

The dog barked again, then settled down and closed its eyes. "She'll wake up in a few hours," Reyna said. "We'd better get moving. Mrs. O'Leary probably only got us within a few miles of New Asgard."

Sure enough, about a two-hour hike later, they got to New Asgard. They heard it before they saw it: sailors and fishermen shouting at each other, seagulls cawing, and laughter from the bars, now that it was getting closer to sundown. And at the gates was their queen, waiting with an unreadable expression.

"So," she called. "The Avengers."

Bucky wasn't sure when, but somehow, Aria had ended up at the back of the group. She didn't meet Valkyrie's eyes, but instead longingly looked out to sea. Reyna noticed, too, and touched her arm, whispering something in her ear.

The queen beckoned to her home. "Come on, then. It seems we have much to discuss."