Beni asked for another round of numbers, and Castor moved up again. Then again.
“Who’s cheating now?!” Eva scoffed at Castor as he grinned at her and Lila from the nearest tile. “Beni, you’re doing that on purpose. There’s no way he got that many numbers in a row!”
“Stop complaining. You’re still ahead of me. Besides, Lila’s up there. Maybe it’s the halves of our soul forcing us together.” Castor directed his smirk at Lila, but she glanced away.
“You’re weird.” Eva wrinkled her nose.
“Well, in that case,Eva…a little help here,” Adrianna demanded.
“If Lila wins, I win. I’m calling it,” Castor said.
“Well, then, if Eva wins, I win,” Adrianna shot back.
“Nuh-uh!” Eva cried. “If I win, I win! Win your own game!”
“Beni!” Lila called out. “Let’s just finish, please!”
“Beni, you better not let Castor get up here. There’s not even room!”
“Quit your whining, Eva. Hey!” Castor spun around, rubbing his head. Adrianna had taken a handful of aluminum balls out of her pocket—she’d made them from the thin sheets she’d stolen from the lessons room—and was rolling them around in her palm.
“No one bosses Eva but me, wingless.” Adrianna pelted Castor with another ball, then another.
Castor contorted his body; he tried to dodge the crumpled silver balls, but he could go nowhere without giving up his position.
“Hey! This is cheating! Beni, look! Cut it out!”
Adrianna cackled. Eva laughed so hard she teared up.
Lila cracked a smile, but Castor shot her a scathing glance.
“Lila! Quit standing there and help me!”
She sobered, the corners of her mouth returning to their usual level position. She bet if Castor was on the tile with her, he’d be cowering behind her while she got battered with aluminum.
Not that she could complain. Castor was her responsibility.
Her responsibility. Right.
With a deep inhale, Lila scolded, “All right, that’s enough. Stop it. Let’s just continue the game. Beni’s not going to cheat anymore. Are you, Beni?” She shot Beni a look.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Beni chuckled.
“Beni.”
“Uh, right. Okay, I’ve got a new number! Lila, you can go first. Let’s go in order.”
“Thirty-one.”
Beni pointed at Eva.
“Eighteen.”
“Fifty,” Castor replied.
“Nine.”
“The number was thirty-eight. Lila’s turn.”
