Luck (8 page)

If this ever ends.

As we drive through the suburban neighborhood, the houses keep getting bigger and bigger. Finally, he turns into a cul-de-sac and pulls to the biggest house in the neighborhood, the one right at the dead end.

My mouth falls open as I look at the huge house in front of me. I only thought Kaiden’s beach house was big. This thing is
huge
. Like, mansion huge.

“Your parents are rich,” I say. It’s not a question.

“You’re one to talk, Miss My Dad’s A Billionaire,” he says, unbuckling his seatbelt. “The stores are probably closed tonight, but we can go get you some clothes in the morning. There’s a mall close to here.”

“Okay. But I’m not wearing those stupid skinny jeans,” I say. “Can I wash this?”

“Yeah,” he says. “I have some pajamas you can borrow.”

“Oh,” I say. “I guess there is no way for me to get around wearing pajamas today for some stupid reason.”

“What is the deal with you
not
wanting to wear pajamas in front of other people?” he asks. “You’re legit crazy.”

“I wear them in front of Savannah,” I say.

“Weirdo,” he says, getting out of the car.

I follow him up the front sidewalk to the house. Everything here is well maintained. There is even a fountain with water spraying out of it. Not as big as the one at the school. And this one has cement mermaids with water shooting out of their mouths. It’s kind of… weird.

Tristan catches me looking at it.

“My mom has a thing for mermaids,” he says, opening the front door.

I walk through the double glass doors into a huge foyer. There is a staircase on the left and right, both leading up to a balcony on the second floor. There is a huge chandelier hanging down that looks impeccable.

“Wow,” I say. “I’m going to be scared to touch anything.”

“Why?” he asks.

“What if I break something?”

“I’ve never seen you break anything in your life. You’re the complete opposite of clumsy,” he says.

It’s true. Eduard was the clumsy one.

“It could happen,” I say. “I seem to be fainting a lot lately. I mean, I’ve always fainted at the sight of blood, but that doesn’t happen that often.”

“It’s just anxiety,” he says. “And this is a happy house. Nothing bad is going to happen here.”

“Famous last words.”

He laughs. “Don’t worry, nobody knows we’re here.”

He’s right. I don’t have anything to worry about here.

SIX

Twin Thursday.

Today, Savannah and I were going to dress alike for
Twin Thursday
. It’s shocking that her and I could actually come to an agreement on an outfit, but sadly I was going to be missing the rest of spirit week. And most likely, homecoming.

I just wish I could be at homecoming.

Better yet, I wish I could see Damon.

I wake up extra early on Thursday morning, probably because I spent most of the day yesterday sleeping. So I put my dress in the dryer, hoping that it’ll be dry before Tristan gets up. Surely he’s extra tired from driving all day yesterday.

I get a quick shower, blow dry my hair and start to fix it. Then I remember the stupid wig that I have to wear. I am not sure why I have to wear it since we’re so far from New Hope. I forgot the name of the state we’re in—Ten-something. I don’t know.

I put the pajamas Tristan loaned me and head to the kitchen to get something to eat. I am starved. When I walk in there, Damon is standing by the stove.

Huh.

He cooks.

Well, of course he does. He’s an adult. It’s pretty much a requirement for all adults to know how to cook. And I can tell by looking at him that he doesn’t eat much take-out. Because American take-out makes you fat, and there is not one ounce of fat on his body.

“Were you just checking me out?” Tristan asks.

I start to lie, but know I shouldn’t. I hate lying.

“Hey, I’m sixteen. I’m stuck in school with guys who are almost as skinny as me,” I say, stealing a piece of bacon off the plate by the stove. “You’re kind of hot.”

“And what do you think Damon would think if he heard you say that?”

“He’d probably agree with me,” I say, knowing that I’m right.

“Don’t call me hot,” he says. “It’s
really
weird.”

“Whatever,” I say.

I walk towards the laundry room to see if my dress is dry. Right as I walk in, the buzzer goes off scaring me half to death.

“Geez,” I say, holding my frantic beating heart. “I’m paranoid.”

I grab my dress and go to the bathroom. I quickly change my clothes and put Tristan’s pajamas into the laundry hamper. I walk back into the kitchen where Tristan has set two plates on the bar along with a couple glasses of orange juice. I take a seat beside him.

Now that we’re sitting here, I’m feeling thoroughly awkward about calling him hot. I mean, he is. But I shouldn’t have said it like that. It’s weird. I don’t want him thinking that I have a crush on him or something.

“Just so you know, I don’t… have feelings for you,” I say, trying not to sound weird. “I mean, you’re cool, and… nice looking…”

Tristan looks at me, like he’s about to bust out laughing at any second.

“I just don’t want things to be awkward,” I finish.

“Relax. You’re a kid,” he says. “There will be zero awkwardness.”

I ignore his
kid
comment. “Thanks.”

He grins as he takes a bit of his toast.

Yeah, I’m pretty sure Tristan was really amused with the conversation we just had.

Ugh.

“Don’t look so smug about it,” I say.

He starts laughing. “Sorry. It’s just… you’re really funny sometimes. If it makes you feel any better, you’re not so bad looking for being only sixteen. When you’re my age, guys will be lining up to go out on dates with you. Not like they don’t already, but still.”

“They don’t. The only guy that’s showed interest in me at school is Damon,” I say.

“Not even. That Kaiden kid always drools over you. It’s kind of humors to watch. I feel bad for him. And that Asher kid is always staring at you,” Tristan says.

“Asher Arrington?” I ask. “As in Savannah’s cousin?”

“That’s the one,” he says. “That guy is kind of a creep though, so I wouldn’t go out with him.”

“He’s a creep?” I ask. “How so?”

“Just trust me on that,” he says. “The kid has a new girlfriend every other week. I personally don’t see the appeal. What is it they see in him?”

Asher is kind of cute. But he’s weird. So I don’t see the appeal either.

“You’re asking the wrong girl,” I say. “But if you are looking for your next girlfriend, my advice would be to loosen up. You’re always so serious. But I get to see the fun side of you. Maybe you should let other people see it too.”

“I don’t want a girlfriend,” he says. “Besides, who says I don’t have one.”

Huh. I hadn’t thought about that.

“Well, you never talk about her,” I say.

“You don’t talk about Damon that much,” he says.

“Damon’s not my boyfriend.”

“Yet,” he says. “He will be. In fact, he would be if you’d let him. Why are you holding back?”

“Because I want to be his friend first.” Though I’m not sure why I’m explaining it to Tristan. He’s a boy. I don’t think he could understand. “What if I agree to date him and then find out he’s annoying?”

“Duh, you break up with him,” he says.

“I want my first boyfriend to be a good one,” I say. “Something special that I can tell my grandkids about one day. Or maybe I want the first guy I date to someday be my husband. I haven’t decided yet.”

“You have to date to find out what you like.”

“I’ll figure it out,” I say, shrugging. “Hopefully I’m better at picking out guys that my mum was.”

Tristan chokes on his toast. “Sorry. I didn’t mean to laugh. But that was funny.”

“It’s funny that my mum married a terrorist?” I ask.

“No,” he says. “Look, I’m just saying, you should date around. Just because somebody isn’t a terrorist doesn’t mean you want to spend your life with them.”

“Thanks for the dating advice. Have you ever even had a girlfriend?” I ask.

“I’ve date plenty of women,” he says.

“Dated. Have you
dated
any of them longer than two weeks?”

“No. But that’s because they’ve all annoyed me,” he says. “Constantly texting and calling…”

I cut him off. “Tristan, that’s what a girl does when she likes you.”

“Well, I guess when I find a girl who does those things but it doesn’t annoy me, I’ll know that I’ve found the right one,” he says.

I roll my eyes and jump down from the stool.. “You’re such a guy. And if you want to find a girl, you should do it soon. All the good ones will be taken.”

“This isn’t Russia. It’s America,” he says. “We don’t get married when we’re still teenagers here.”

“I’m sure some do,” I say. “And what if the one you are meant to marry, marries somebody else because you were too busy dating your way through the alphabet?”

He laughs. “Not that it’s any of
your
business, but I haven’t dated my way through the alphabet,” he says. “Besides, I don’t believe that there is just one person out there for everybody.”

“I do. I believe in soul mates. Though, I don’t believe many people find theirs. But what if she’s getting tired of waiting for you? What if she decides to just marry somebody else because she thinks you’re not coming?” I ask.

“Katerina, you’re an awesome girl. Don’t ever lose the spark that you have,” he says, not answering my question. He gets off the stool. “Leave the dishes. The maid will get them.” And then he walks out of the room.

I’m pretty sure that was a compliment.

I’ll take it.

Change of plans.

Tristan takes me shopping.

I can tell it makes him uncomfortable to stand with me while I look at girl clothes. He can’t exactly leave me to do it alone, so I try to hurry.

“How many changes do you think I need?” I ask.

“Maybe five days, just to be safe. You can always do laundry if it’s not enough,” he says. “You wouldn’t even have to do it. The maid will wash anything you leave in the hamper.”

Tristan’s phone starts ringing. I figure it’s somebody updating him on Damon.

I so wish I could talk to Damon.

“Hello,” he answers, and then listens to somebody on the other end for a second. He holds out his phone. “It’s for you.”

I get excited.

Yay! Damon!

“Hey, Damon. Oh my goodness, I miss you,” I tell him.

“Who is Damon?” I hear my father speak back.

“Dad?” I ask, feeling confused. “Why are you calling Tristan’s phone?”

“I tried calling you but couldn’t get through. The school said I could call you on this number. Who is Tristan?” Dad asks. “Katerina, I hope you’re not dating. I didn’t send you to America so you could date American boys.”

“Don’t worry, Dad. American boys are weird,” I tell him. “Tristan and Damon are my… friends.”

Tristan gives me a thumbs up.

“Though, I might bring Tristan home with me for Christmas,” I say. “I think you’ll like him. He’s kind of cute. For an American.”

He rolls his eyes.

“Katerina, that’s not funny. Do you want me to have a heart attack because I’m worried about you?”

“Of course not, Daddy,” I say. “What’s up?”

“I just wanted to check on you. I know there was an explosion at your school,” he says.

Crap.

What do I say? I can’t exactly deny it.

“Yeah, about that. The president’s son is kind of my best friend,” I say, leaving out the dating part. I’m supposed to be dating Tristan at Christmas, so I can’t tell him that part. “And they think he was a target. So they kind of took me to a secure location away from the school until they catch the person. Was is Kazimir?”

Tristan gives me a panicked look. Apparently I wasn’t supposed to say anything about that.

“I’m afraid so,” he says. “The president’s son is your friend, huh?”

“Yes,” I answer.

“That’s cool,” he says. “Look, I am coming to America. Is there anyway you can get back to your school? I have a plan to catch Kazimir, but I need your help.”

“Um… maybe,” I say. “I’ll have to ask. But are you sure you want to do that? He seems really dangerous. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

“I’ll be fine, Katerina. Don’t worry about me,” he says. “Can I reach you on this number again?”

“Yeah,” I answer. “That won’t be a problem.”

“Good,” he says. “I will see you soon.”

“See you soon,” I say, as the line goes dead.

Tristan’s eyes get big.

“What do you mean by see you soon?” he asks.

“Change of plans,” I say, smiling.

I really hope I didn’t just do something bad.

“What?” he asks.

“My dad wants to meet me at the school,” I answer. “I mean, we know he’s in America already, but he told me he’s leaving for America. And he says he has a plan to catch Kazimir.”

“Okay,” he says. “But we need a plan first.”

“Sure. Yeah. That’s probably a good idea,” I say. “What’s the plan.”

“I don’t know yet. But we will figure it out on the way back,” he says, grabbing my hand. “Come on, Katerina. It’s going to be a long drive.”

Ugh.

Not another long car ride.

Shattered heart.

We get back to New Hope really late, but Tristan doesn’t let me take off my wig. We get a hotel room and sleep away from campus. He tells me we aren’t going to campus until I hear from my dad.

We have a plan—sort of.

I thought the plan would be to get my dad while he’s here, but Tristan says that’s a bad idea. If my dad gets arrested, it will just cause more problems than we’re ready for. So, for the time being, we have to be happy capturing Kazimir. I think now Tristan is convinced that my dad won’t hurt me, but he’s not taking any chances. In fact, he refuses to leave my side. For some reason, right now I don’t mind. After everything that has happened, I’m a little scared to be alone.

“Does Damon know?” I ask Tristan, as I lay in bed that night. “That we’re going back? About my dad?”

“No,” Tristan answers. “I didn’t figure you’d want me to tell him.”

“I don’t,” I say. “I’m glad he’s safe.”