Page 97 of Lost

23

Other Kevin

“How’s this?” Kevin opened the driver’s door to the Hummer and held up four big bags full of tissue and clothes.

Aphrodite glanced at the bags. “Not bad for a novice. Get in.”

Kevin tossed the bags in the back seat and got behind the wheel. “Where to now?”

“Home.” Aphrodite made a show of holding her nose as he got in the vehicle.

“Home?”

“House of Night home. Sheesh. Promise me that smell washes off.”

“Yep, I promise. Want to see the dead blood goop I have to smear on myself to smell like this?”

“That would be a hard pass.”

“So, I’m going to drop you off?”

“Nope. You’re coming with me.”

“Where?”

“Oh, for shit’s sake—home.”

“What about the tunnels?”

“Do you want to go to the tunnels?”

“No. Absolutely not. They’re the worst.” He started the Hummer. “But what else am I supposed to do?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that. Your general is gone, right?”

“Yeah, like I said—he died in Zoey’s world.”

“Along with all of your flight, group, squad—or whatever they call it, right?”

“Almost right. Three of them are still alive, but they stayed in Zo’s world.”

“So, you’re really not attached to any general except Stark.”

“I suppose you could say that.”

“And he’s assigned you to me.”

“I suppose you could say that too.”

“Good. Then consider yourself my personal soldier.”

“Which means what exactly?” he asked.

“Well, for starters it means you’re not going back to the tunnels, and you need to dress better. Do you think lavender would help cover that nasty stink smell?” she said.

“I don’t know. It’d probably help, and I could smear less of the blood goop on me so that it’d help for sure. But you mean I’m going to stay at the House of Night?”

“Yep.”