“We clearly need to change that,” Henry stated softly.
“Why do all of you look upset?”
“Did you want to go on that date with Seth?” Anani asked seriously as I frowned.
“If you’re asking if I like him how I like you, of course I don’t,” I reasoned, “but I think he is nice. He’s never done anything to hurt me and, except for today, hasn’t caused problems.”
“Oh, he’s gonna be a fucking problem,” Ledger muttered.
I opened my mouth, “I really don’t think so, Malloy and him…”
It really wasn’t our day because Lorn interrupted my thoughts. This one actually made me angry. I frowned as he narrowed his eyes at the boys before tossing me a sick smile.
“I heard you’re a fugitive, killed mommy and daddy,” he snarled.
“Does your father know you’re looking through his files?” Henry snapped.
Lorn put his hands up. “Just saw it on the news.”
I believed that. As predicted, when we’d gotten home, the police had been there, waiting.
“Now Maya, we need to know exactly what happened.” It was one of the shifter cops.
Marco had told me to tell them the truth while he talked to the human ones outside.
So I told them. I told them everything from the moment I’d left the church until now. I trusted that I could because these were the same two men who kept me safe and watched outside my trailer. I had learned that one was named Richard and the other Steven. Both had little kids under the age of ten and I could see how much my story upset them.
They’d believed me though, and once they had the statement, they gathered the human cops, both leering at me. Something that Atlas snapped at them about before they left. Leaving me feeling exhausted and like memory lane was becoming my reality for the night.
Now I sat here, hearing about how the human version is spreading across the media. How I had run away because of their abuse but hadn’t seen them since Tuesday night after the police incident. How they were drug users and how Jed had a record. Connecting the evidence. So you have to imagine that Lorn was making me a tad upset.
“Listen Lorn,” I snapped, feeling frustrated, “you need to leave.”
He sneered, “yeah, Maya. Weird how you have so much confidence now, with six dragons backing you up.”
I stood and stepped closer to him feeling frustration and anger simmer under the surface. His eyes widened as I spoke carefully, “you’re a jerk, Lorn. I don’t know what your problem is, but you need to leave now.”
“Or what?” He bit out.
I lifted a finger and pressed it into his shirt, right as the man’s shirt sizzled like someone had pressed a cigarette into it. He jumped back and I watched him scoff but pale.
“Whatever,” he muttered with a snarl walking away.
“I don’t use the word annoying very often,” I pointed out, “but the man’s annoying.”
“Understatement, peanut,” Anani pointed out. Henry was looking at my finger in slight shock and Ledger had this big goofy grin on his lips.
The lunch room doors opened and it was like everyone had decided to be a problem today. A very human officer walked in and he immediately started walking towards us, my bravado fading. Lorn was scary, but he was starting to frustrate me. This guy had a gun and everything, it made me nervous.
“Maya?” An officer confirmed as everyone looked at us.
“You have absolutely no right to be here,” Henry pointed out his chest rumbling.
“I do, I have permission from the principal,” he stated and looked back at me. I heard Ledger get on the phone immediately and I swallowed as the man sat down across from me. His eyes were cruel and sharp.
“What do you need?” I asked quietly.
“I need to know what happened. You understand why it is hard for me to believe you had no idea your parents were dead until yesterday, right?”