Soraya

 

Humming to myself, I danced across the living room and plunked myself onto the couch, ready to reread everything King had given me. I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything I had missed. But I kept getting distracted, flipping through my phone absently or staring off into space.

Then the phone rang and I yelped.

Laughing at myself, I answered Piper's FaceTime and her wry face appeared on the screen.

“There you are, Sora,” she said.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” I demanded.

“You’ve been impossible to get a hold of lately,” my cousin replied. “Also, why do you sound so happy? Oh, is it a boy?”

I heard Kai hoot in the background and then his grinning face edged out Piper’s. “Who’s the lucky guy, Ray-Ray?”

“No one,” I said, getting into a more comfortable position. “I’m just happy it’s the weekend.”

“Gonna party hard?” Kai said, moving around the room and making me dizzy. Then he stopped and sat down next to Isla, who was holding a gurgling Leo. “Look at him.”

“Oh my gosh,” I breathed, “Hi Isla, hi Leo. I miss you.”

“We miss you, too,” Isla said, waving one of Leo’s balled up fists.

“Hold on, look at this stud," Kai whispered, as he ran across the room and held the phone up to a sleeping Balt, Kalea on his chest and one of his big hands cupping her back.

“Kai, I have a free hand I can still throw you with,” Balt said. His beard and hair were unusually long, as though he hadn’t gotten it cut in a while. “Hey, Sora.”

“Hey, Balty, you’re looking very caveman these days,” I teased.

A dark eye slit open at me. “Why are you so fluttery?”

“What?” I asked.

Balt opened both eyes and stared at me. “What’s his name?”

“Oh my God, you guys are so annoying!” I said in a higher-pitched voice than I meant to. There’s no guy! I’m stuck on undercover work in an undisclosed location, remember?”

“Since when has that stopped you?” Talori’s voice asked and the phone was taken away from Balt’s face. My mother and Talori waved into the screen. “Hi, we miss you.”

My heart was melting and I smiled at both of them. “I miss you.”

“Balt is right, you do look different, Sora,” my mother commented, squinting at me. “You seem much more like your usual self. If it is a boy, I want to shake his hand.”

“Thanks, Ma,” I said dryly. “Just healthy eating and working out. Where’s Enele?”

My sister and mother looked at each other. “No idea. And your father got shipped out yesterday.”

My heart dropped. “I thought he was retired!”

“So is Uncle Elias,” Talori said, making a face. “They went together somewhere.”

I bit the inside of my lip and nodded. For a moment, I’d allowed myself to forget the chaos of the rest of the world and focus on the happiness in that room. But now I could feel it stealing back over me and anxiety danced along my skin. I hated the thought of Uncle Eli and my father getting caught up in all of this. We were supposed to be the ones handling the fight now.

“It’s nothing dangerous, merely informational,” my mother said, sounding more like she was reassuring herself than me. “Don’t worry, Sora.”

We talked for a while longer, the phone getting passed around the room, then I reluctantly told them I had to go. I’d just put the phone down when it rang again.

“Guys, we just talked for an hour,” I answered.

“Soraya?” asked a voice and I found myself smiling.

“Oh, sorry, I thought you were my family calling back,” I said. “Hi, Dez.”

“Ah, right,” Dez sounded distracted. “Listen, I hate to bother you, but I got invited to the last-minute faculty reception and I am struggling to put together an appropriate outfit. It says winter casual-formal? I don’t know if the person made a mistake, but I for the life of me can’t figure it out.”

“Are you at home?” I asked.

“No, at the store. It’s not too far from you – Brooks Brothers on Newbury. We walked by it a couple of weeks ago. I don’t want to spend an arm and a leg, but I need it for tonight…”

“Say no more, I’m calling a ride and I’m on my way,” I said, gathering up the papers and shoving them away. Then I raced to my room. “Gotta change real quick. Bye.”

“Thanks, bye.”

Shedding my pajamas so fast, I almost knocked over a chair, I dragged on a pair of flannel leggings and a loose top. Then I pulled a hoodie on and stopped, staring at myself in the mirror. Why was I freaking out? I had time.

It was just that the night before, there had been a moment at the end of the night.

But then it was over before it could get past being started.

So, was Dez calling me a sign? Was that why I was getting accused of being starry-eyed?

I laughed outright at that, although it was more forced than I wanted to admit.

I’m just excited to help out my friend! That’s all!

Grabbing my phone and bag, I hurried down the stairs before I could dwell on it further.

 

Once at the store, Dez greeted me at the door with obvious relief. “Thank you, I’m sorry–”

“Sh, don’t worry about it, let me see that invitation,” I said.

He pulled out his phone and scrolled around before handing it over. I squinted at it. A faculty gala for the acquisition of some funding for projects that advanced the school and involved them, yadda yadda yadda. Huh, it really did say winter-casual-formal.

Looking up, a navy-blue suit caught my eye. “This way,” I ordered.

After getting Dez’s size, I began grabbing shirts, jackets, and pants, piling them in his arms and then mine. More than one associate tried to help us, but I sent them running errands instead.

All but shoving a protesting Dez into the dressing room, I paced as I waited. “Aren’t you done yet?” I called out, huffing.

“Almost,” Dez called out, before appearing in the navy suit with a crisp white undershirt. He was in his socks, which for some reason made me want to laugh. “What, all wrong?”

“No, I like this look,” I said, coming up to him and straightening his collar. “Do you?”

Up this close, his eyes were flecked with umber and his lips were soft. “Yeah, thank you Soraya. I didn’t realize you’d find it so quickly,” he said. “Maybe I should have sent you pictures.”

“No, they can be discolored,” I said seriously. “And you have more to try on.”

Again, I waited and waited, while Dez tried on all of my outfits. In the end, he bought the blue suit but would wear a dove-gray tonight. “Very old-school,” I commented.

“This is not a color I would usually wear, but I do like it,” Dez said, glancing at himself in the mirror. I’d persuaded the staff to let him wear it out of the store. “Thank you again, Soraya.”

I smiled at him. “It was my pleasure. Wasn’t like I had anything else going on tonight.”

“Oh,” Dez said, then his face fell. “Ah, sorry I can’t help remedy that further.”

For a second, my heart acted strangely and I looked away. “Don’t worry about it.”

But I couldn’t help wondering – was he thinking about inviting me along?

Too bad I’m a fake student, I thought ruefully.

“Have fun,” I said, deciding to make my exit and feeling Dez watch me go.

Back at my apartment, I made dinner, watched a little TV and then donned my Anubis gear. Hopefully, Dez would forgive the small white lie I’d told him about going out. I wasn’t quite sure how to explain King to him or really if I should.

I was supposed to be casing another building in Charlestown on my own tonight, but no sooner had I gotten inside than I heard a board creak and whipped around.

King was standing there and he tilted his head. “You’re late.”

“I didn’t think you’d care since I’m supposed to be working alone tonight,” I said.

“I’ve been waiting for you. Something has come up and my plans have changed.” He grabbed my arm and hauled me forward. “Come on.”

“You can let me go,” I said, jerking free as he led me upstairs and outside. Then he was off and running towards another building. “Hey!” I said as I realized where he was going.

But he paid me no heed, easily breaking into the building before I could utter another word. This place wasn’t part of the TLO warehouses. It was part of a medical campus for a local hospital.

“What are you doing, King?” I hissed as he slunk through the empty halls and then ushered me into an ordinary looking office. A cheesy calendar with a snowy farm hung on the wall and house plants lined the windowsills. “Are you interested in this secretary or something?”

“Look at this,” he said in a grim voice, pulling out a silver flash-drive and plugging it in. I hadn’t even seen him turn on the computer, but I came to stand next to him as an icon for a movie player came up. A second later, I was falling into the office chair, staring at the screen.

This is Laos, I thought. The Order was there two months ago, but didn’t find anything…

I made a noise when I saw the hybrid’s collar. “Frost is a monster.”

“It gets worse,” King said and I glanced at him. He seemed unnerved tonight, not his usual calm and growly self. “Look.”

On the computer screen, a man was kneeling and I almost knocked the chair over as I stood up, hands over my mouth. “What-what – no, that’s impossible, he’s too old, he…” I trailed off.

She’s figured out a way to circumvent the sacred rituals that bind a shifter’s power.

“Without the rituals, a shifter might be stronger – but it comes at a cost. Their life is shortened and eventually, they will succumb, not unlike how the Kazans did.”

“They should be too old,” I said in a whisper. “Early twenties…”

“She’s moved past that and she’s now weaponizing these people, Shadow,” King said sharply. “I trust you know what to do with this – get it to the right people so the traitors in the Order don’t have a chance to warn the TLO.”

“Traitors?” I asked dazedly.

He played it again and my stomach lurched. I didn’t want to re-watch it, but this time he paused and pointed out several people in black gear I hadn’t seen the first time.

“Shifters of Anubis,” I said in a strangled voice.

It was one thing to know there were traitors, but it was another to watch it play out on the screen in front of you. My fists knotted at my sides.

King unplugged the hard-drive and handed it to me. “I trust you know what to do with this.”

“Yes,” I said heavily. “I have to get it home.”

“And you’ll deliver it personally?” he asked and I realized what was in his voice. Worry. Fear. Anguish. “I’ll miss you, but I’ll have to make due. This is too important.”

“Who are you kidding?” I tried to joke. “You’ve been trying to get rid of me for the last month and a half. But,” I said with a swallow. “Yes, I suppose I’ll have to go.”

King nodded heavily. “You don’t have to worry. I’ll take care of everything here.”

"Uh, alright," I said flatly. "I suppose this is goodbye."

He stuck out his hand, which was a bit odd, but I took it and we shook quickly. I watched him walk out without a word and then looked down at the flash-drive in my hand.

Dez.

My fingers curled around it. We were just starting to become good friends. Even though I knew I had to go, the thought of leaving Boston hit me like a blow to the stomach.

Nothing about this assignment was turning out like I thought it would.