Page 23 of Colton

With a small laugh, I enter the car after her, and Dan immediately speeds off.

“Why do you think she’s here?”

The curiosity in Artemis’ voice matches my own. There’s no reason Avalon would come here. Sophia’s been here once, and I highly doubt the girl would come again. She didn’t have the most pleasant experience, but to give her card to Avalon? It’s reckless, and it’s dangerous.

If the system had been updated to show the person’s image, Avalon would’ve been taken to prison for theft of the card, and if it were proven that it was not stolen, both her and Sophia would’ve faced repercussions, and the Lennon girl, too. It’s not something to be taken lightly.

“I’m not sure,” I sigh.

“She asked me for some food recommendations,” Artemis admits. “Though I believe that was just to piss me off. Did you know people at the Academy call me the Founding girl?”

I smirk. “Yes, I did know that. Everyone else was called that, too.”

“It sucks,” she scoffs, folding her arms in front of her chest. “I hate the nickname.”

“You have a few months left. You’ll live.”

She laughs, throwing her head back. “You know, you having my back tonight was helpful. Blake was pissed.”

“I could tell. He’s not subtle.”

“Not at all,” she points out. “He hates that I’m a threat to him.”

“Listen, Artemis.” I look at her, a serious expression on my face. “Blake may be your brother, but I have known that man for a very, very long time. He will cross you if it means getting rid of competition. Be careful. Although he may care for you, he will not let his emotions get in the way, and he will do whatever it takes to come on top.”

8

The steak in front of me has to be the most perfect one I have ever laid my eyes on. Not that I’ve had the privilege to eat many good quality steaks, but this one? It’s off the charts. It’s medium rare, buttery, and it smells divine. Grace decided to treat us to a good lunch for making me go through five stages of grief by coming here.

“It’s so good,” I hum, swallowing the bite. The meat is tender, and my taste buds are definitely appreciating Grace’s peace offerings. She’s sitting across from me, and of course, she ordered a damned juice box. One of these days, I’ll be nosy enough to ask why she’s so obsessed with them.

“I know, right?” She chuckles, then leans back in her chair.

The restaurant looks luxurious. I didn’t even get to look at the prices before Grace snatched the menu out of my hands and ordered the steak for both of us. The service is impeccable, the staff is extremely polite, quick, and efficient. The ambiance is cozy enough to make me feel at ease, yet the interior looks like Gods themselves crafted it.

“When do you plan on leaving?”

Grace shrugs, swallowing a bite of the steak. “Tomorrow morning.”

The fork falls from my fingers, hitting the plate. The clinking sound echoes around us, though no one else pays attention — people are living in their worlds, minding their own business. My eyes snap to hers, only to see the sheepish smile she’s giving me.

“What do you mean, tomorrow? Grace, we were supposed to leave tonight! I was asking you about the time.”

“Okay, in my defense,” she pauses, trying her best to come up with a good lie, an excuse that I’ll buy. The bitch is terrible at stalling. “I just wanted to do some more sightseeing.”

I deadpan. “Really? We’ve seen everything there is to see, Grace. There’s nothing left.”

Thankfully, she didn’t push for us to go out at night. I think she was too tired even to attempt that. However, we did spend the rest of yesterday afternoon sightseeing. We honored the customs, and we did our best to be as respectful as possible. But we’ve seen it all — from the town’s square to the places the internet has recommended.

To be honest, this place is rather beautiful. The people are kind, everyone seems happy, but overall? Its mystery is what makes it special. We never ran into any of the supposed gang members who run this town, as the rumors say. Nor did we have the displeasure of being robbed in broad daylight.

“Well,” she scoffs. “I just want to do something else here.”

I blink. “Such as?”

“I can’t tell you yet,” she says, biting the inside of her cheek. “I promise you, I’ll tell you once we’re back at the Academy.”

The realization hits me, and I’m stunned into brief silence. Grace looks at me with genuine remorse in her eyes, and I suck in a sharp breath, then rub my temples.