The Golden Lily Chapter 8

GOING OUT AGAIN didnt re ally happen until the weekend. Brayden and I were some(prenominal) overachieving enough to manage weeknight kayoedings and compose finish homework solely neither of us homogeneousd to do it if we could avoid it. Besides, my weeknights usually had rightful(prenominal) ab come disclose of the clo aim other conflict with the gang, be it a feeding or the experiments. Eddie had inclined his broth this week, and Id put one over a point to non be still to the highest degree when it happened, lest Sonya try to pitch to me again.Brayden had wished to go fall out Satur day period, n everthe little that was the day Id promised to drive Adrian to San Diego. Brayden compromised on breakfast, roamching me in front I hit the road, and we went out to a restaurant adjacent to one of Palm Springs m all luxurious golf resorts. Although I had long since offered to pull my share, Brayden continued picking up the bills and doing all the driving. As he pulled up in front of my dorm to swan me off afterward, I saw a surprising and non entirely welcome sight awaiting me Adrian investting outside on a bench, ascertaining bored.Oh geez, I utter.What? asked Brayden.Thats my brother. I knew there was no avoiding this. The inevitable had happened. Adrian would credibly cling to Braydens bumper until he got an introduction. Come on, you can meet him.Brayden left the car idling and stepped out, casting an anxious glance at the NO putsign. Adrian jumped up from his seat, a look of supreme satisfaction on his face.Wasnt I supposed to pick you up? I asked.Sonya had near errands to run and offered to drop me here composition she was out, he explained.Figured wed save you some trouble. Adrian had sock what I was doing this morning, so I wasnt entirely incontestable his motives had been all that selfless.This is Brayden, I t aging him. Brayden, Adrian.Adrian move his hand. Ive heard so much active you. I didnt incertitude that scarce w ondered who exactly hed heard it from.Brayden gave a friendly smile back. Ive very never heard of you. I didnt fifty-fifty know Sydney had another brother.You never mentioned me? Adrian shot me a look of mock hurt.It never came up, I said.Youre still in high school, right? asked Adrian. He nodded toward the Mustang. You must take up a side job to entertain those car payments, though. Unless youre one of those slackers who besides tries to arrest money off of their parents.Brayden looked indignant. Of play not. I work almost every(prenominal) day at a coffee shop.A coffee shop, repeated Adrian, managing to convey a million shades of disapproval in his tone. I see. He glanced over at me. I suppose it could be worse.Adrian Well, its not like Im difference to work there forever, protested Brayden. Ive already been accepted to USC, Stanford, and Dartmouth.Adrian nodded thoughtfully. I guess thats respectable. Although, Ive al focusings thought of Dartmouth as the kind of school volume go to when they cant stick by into Yale or Harv We really use up to go, I interrupted, grabbing mince of Adrians arm. I attempted to tug him toward the student parking disperse and failed. We dont want to get caught in traffic. Brayden glanced at his cell phone. Traffic patterns should be comparatively light going west this time of the day, but being a weekend, you never know how tourists might alter things, especially with the various attractions in San Diego. If you look at traffic models applying the Chaos Theory Exactly, I said. wagerer safe than sorry. Ill text you when I get back, okay? Well figure out the rest of this week.For once, I didnt have to stress somewhat handshaking or kissing or anything like that. I was in addition fixated on drag Adrian a direction before he could open his mouth and say something inflammatory.Brayden, date passionate about academic topics and me disagreeing with him, tended to otherwise be clean mild-mannered. He hadnt exactl y been upset just now, but that was certainly the most agitate Id ever seen him. Leave it to Adrian to work up even the most diffuse slew.Really? I asked, once we were safely inside Latte. You couldnt have just said nice to meet you, and let it go?Adrian pushed back the passenger seat, managing the most lounging position possible while still dampening a seatbelt. Just looking out for you, sis. Dont want you ending up with some deadbeat. Believe me, Im an expert on that kind of thing.Well, I appreciate your insider knowledge, but Ill manage this on my own, thanks just the same.Come on, a barista? why not some business intern?I like that hes a barista. He of all time smells like coffee. Adrian rolled down a window, permit the breeze ruffle his h style. Im wonderd you let him drive you around, especially considering the stylus you freak out if anyone touches the controls in your car.Like the window? I asked pointedly. When the air figureings on? Adrian took the hint and raised the window back up. He wants to drive. So I let him. Besides, I like that car.That is a nice car, Adrian admitted. though I never took you for the type to go for spot symbols.I dont. I like it because its an interesting car with a long score.Translation status symbol.Adrian. I sighed. This is going to be a long ride. In actuality, we make pretty cheeseparing time. Despite Braydens speculations, traffic moved easily, enough that I felt I deserved a coffee break center(a) through. Adrian got a mocha Can you spot me this one time, Sage? and kept up(p) his usual breezy conversation style throughout most of the trip. I couldnt help but check, when we were about thirty minutes out, he grew much withdrawn and thoughtful. His banter dropped off, and he spent a lot of time gazing out the window.I could only assume the reality of his seeing his papa was setting in. It was certainly something I could relate to. Id be just as anxious if I was about to see mine. I didnt really call up Adrian would appreciate a shared psychotherapy session, though, so I groped for a safer topic to draw him out of his blue mood.Have you guys learned anything from Eddie and Dimitris blood? I asked.Adrian glanced at me in surprise. Didnt expect you to bring that up.Hey, Im curious about the science of it. I just didnt want to participate. He accepted this. not much to tell so soon. They sent the samples off to a laboratory one of your labs, I think to see if theres anything physically antithetical surrounded by the two. Sonya and I did pick up a oh, I dont know how to strike it. Like, a hum of spirit in Belikovs blood.Not that him having magic blood should surprise anyone. Most people seem to think everything he does is magic.Oh, come on, I said. Thats unfair.Is it? Youve seen the way Castile worships him. He wants to be just like Belikov when he grows up. And even though Sonyas usually the spokesperson for our research, she wont breathe without checking with him beforehand. W hat do you think, Dimitri? Is this a good idea, Dimitri? Please give us your blessing so that we can light down and worship you, Dimitri. I shook my head in exasperation. again unfair. Theyre research partners. Of course shes going to consult him.She consults him more than me.Probably because Adrian always looked bored during their research, but I figured it wouldnt help to bring that up. Theyve both been Strigoi. Theyve kind of got a unique insight to this.He didnt respond for several(prenominal) moments. Okay. Ill give you points for that. But you cant argue that there was any competition mingled with me and him when it came to Rose. You saw them together. I never had a chance. I cant compare.Well, why do you have to? Part of me similarly wanted to ask what Rose had to do with this, but Jill had told me numerous times that for Adrian, everything came back to Rose.Because I wanted her, Adrian said. Do you still want her?No firmness of purpose. Rose was a dangerous topic one I wished we hadnt weirdly stumbled into.Look, I said. You and Dimitri are two different people. You shouldnt compare yourself to him. You shouldnt try to be like him. I mean, Im not going to sit here and rip him apart or anything.I like Dimitri. Hes smart and dedicated, insanely brave and ferocious. Good in a fight.And hes just a nice guy.Adrian scoffed. You left out dreamy and ruggedly handsome.Hey, youre pretty easy on the cores too, I teased, quoting something hed told me a while ago. He didnt smile. And dont underestimate yourself. Youre smart too, and you can talk yourself out of and into anything. You dont even need magical charisma.So farthest Im not seeing a lot of difference between me and a carnival con-man.Oh, stop, I said. He could make me laugh even with the most serious of topics. You know what I mean. And youre also one of the most fiercely loyal people I know and pity, no matter how much you pretend otherwise. I see the way you look after Jill. Not many people w ouldve traveled crosswise the country to help her. And almost no one would have through what you did to save her life.Again, Adrian took a while to respond. But what are loyal and caring really worth?To me? Everything.There was no hesitation in my answer. Id seen too much backstabbing and calculation in my life. My own father judged people not by who they were but by what they could do for him.Adrian did care passionately about others underneath all of his bravado and flippancy. Id seen him risk his life to prove it. Considering Id had someones eye cut out to avenge my sisterwell. Devotion was definitely something I could appreciate.Adrian didnt say anything else for the rest of the drive, but at least I didnt get the impression he was brooding anymore. Mostly he seemed thoughtful, and that wasnt so concerning.What did make me a little uneasy was that I often caught sight of him study me in my periphery.I replayed what Id said over and over in my mind, act to figure out if thered been anything to warrant such attention.Adrians father was staying at a sprawling San Diego hotel with a vibe similar to the resort Brayden and I had eaten breakfast at. Businessmen in suits mingled with pleasure seekers in tropical prints and flip-flops. Id almost wear jeans to breakfast and was glad now for my choice of a gray frame in and short-sleeved blouse with a muted blue and gray print. It had a tiny ruffled trim, and the skirt had a very, very faint herringbone pattern. Normally, I wouldnt have worn such contrasting textures together, but Id liked the boldness of the look. Id pointed it out to Jill before I left the dorm for breakfast. Itd taken her a while to even find the contrasting textures, and when she did, shed rolled her eyes. Yeah, Sydney. Youre a real rebel. Meanwhile, Adrian was in one of his typical summer outfits, jeans and a button-up shirt though of course the shirt was untucked, with the sleeves rolled up and a few top buttons undone. He wore that look all the time, and despite its casual faade, he often made it appear dressy and fashionable. Not today, however. These were the most worn-out jeans Id ever seen him wear the knees were on the verge of having holes. The dark green shirt, while nice note and a perfect match for his eyes, was wrinkled to inexplicable levels. Sleeping in it or tossing it on the floor wouldnt achieve that state. I was pretty sure someone would have to actually crumple it into a ball and sit on it for it to look that bad. If Id noticed it back at Amberwood (and hadnt been so distrait getting him away from Brayden), I wouldve insisted on ironing the shirt before we left.He still looked good, of course. He always looked good, no matter the condition of his clothing and hair. It was one of the more annoying things about him. This rumpled look made him come across as some pensive European model. Studying him as we took the elevator to the second floor lobby, I inflexible it couldnt be a coincidence that th e most disheveled outfit Id ever seen Adrian in had fallen on the day he had a father-son visit. The brain was why? Hed complained that his dad always found fault with him. Dressing this way seemed like Adrian was just providing one more reason.The elevator opened, and I gasped as we stepped out. The back wall of the lobby was almost entirely covered with windows that offered a dramatic view of the Pacific. Adrian chuckled at my reaction and took out his cell phone. stock a closer look while I call the old man.He didnt have to tell me twice. I walked over to one of the applesauce walls, admiring the vast, blue-gray expanse. I imagined that on cloudy days, it would be hard to tell where flick ended and ocean began. The weather was gorgeous out today, full of fair weather and a perfectly clear azure-blue sky. On the lobbys right side, a set of doors opened up onto a Mediterranean style balcony where diners were enjoying lunch out in the sun. Looking down to ground level, I caught sight of a sparkling pool as blue as the sky, surrounded in palm trees and sunbathers.I didnt have the same longing for water that a magic user like Jill possessed, but I had been living in the desert for almost two months. This was amazing.I was so transfixed with the yellowish pink outside that I didnt notice Adrians return. In fact, I didnt even notice he was rest right beside me until a mother calling for her little girl also named Sydney made me glance aside. There, I saw Adrian only inches away, watching me with amusement.I flinched and stepped back a little. How about some warning following time? He smiled. I didnt want to interrupt. You looked happy for a change.For a change? Im happy lots of times.I knew Adrian well enough to separate the sign of an incoming snarky comment. At the last second, he changed course, his expression routine serious. Does that guy that Brendan guy Brayden.Does that Brayden guy make you happy?I looked at Adrian in surprise. These kinds of questions were almost always a setup from him, but his achromatic face made it hard to guess his motives this time.I guess, I said at last. Yeah. I mean, he doesnt make me unhappy. That brought Adrians smile back. Red-hot answer if ever there was one. What do you like about him? Aside from the car? And that he smells like coffee?I like that hes smart, I said. I like that I dont have to dumb myself down around him. without delay Adrian frowned. You do that a lot for people?I was surprised at the bitterness in my own laugh. A lot? Try all the time. Probably the most important thing Ive learned at Amberwood is that people dont like to know how much you know. With Brayden, theres no censoring for either of us. I mean, just look at this morning.One minute we were talking Halloween costumes, the future(a) we were discussing the ancient Athenian origins of democracy.Im not going to claim to be a genius, but how the hell did you make that leap?Oh, I said. Our Halloween costumes. Were dre ssing Greek. From the Athenian era.Of course, he said. And this time, I could tell the snark was about to return. No sexy cat costumes for you. Only the most dignified, feminist attire will do. I shook my head. Feminist? Oh, no. Not Athenian women. Theyre about as far from feminist as you can well, forget it. Its not really important. Adrian did a double take. Thats it, isnt it? He leaned toward me, and I nearly moved back but something held me where I was, something about the intensity in his eyes.What? I asked.He pointed at me. You stopped yourself just now. You just dumbed it down for me. I hesitated only a moment. Yeah, I kind of did.Why?Because you really dont want to hear about ancient Athens, any more than you wanted to hear Brayden talk about Chaos Theory.Thats different, said Adrian. He hadnt moved away and was still standing so, so close to me. It seemed like that shouldve bothered me, but it didnt. Hes boring. You make learnedness fun. Like a childrens book or after sch ool special. declare me about your um, Athenian women. I tried not to smile. I esteem his intentions here but knew he really wasnt up for a history lesson. Again, I wondered what game was going on. Why was he pretending to be interested?I tried to compose an answer that would take less than sixty seconds.Most Athenian women werent educated. They mostly stayed inside and were just anticipate to have kids and take care of the house. The most progressive women were the hetaerae.They were like entertainers and high-class prostitutes. They were educated and a little flashier.Powerful men kept their wives at home to raise children and then hung out with hetaerae for fun. I paused, unsure if hed followed any of that. Like I said, its not really important.I dont know, said Adrian thoughtfully. I find prostitutes vastly important.Well. How refreshing to see that things havent changed, a new utterance cut in.We both flinched and looked up at the scowling man who had just joined us.Adrian s father had arrived.