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Three
I staredup at Luca’s house from my driver’s seat on Friday night. Noah and Skyler’s cars were parked in front of me, but Gavin’s was missing. Was he not coming? Luca told me at school that he confirmed everyone planned to be here, but maybe it was easier for Gavin to go along with it and not show up than try to get out of it in person.
Dodging the issue was a cowardly thing to do, especially to your friends, but I wouldn’t put much past him at this point. He’d gone out of his way to be around me as little as possible. Weren’t guys supposed to be less dramatic and more direct than girls? I was quickly learning that wasn’t necessarily the case.
Since my options were to go inside, go back home to an empty house, or go to my grandparent’s house alone, I decided not to be a coward myself and headed to the door. I debated knocking but heard laughter and let myself in.
I sloughed off my jacket and hung it up next to Noah’s before stepping out of my shoes and walking in the direction of the noise.
“Oh, Avalon.” Luca’s dad, the chancellor of the North American branch of the Society, stepped out of his office just as I reached the double doors. “Good to see you.”
I forced a smile. “You too.”
He was never mean or rude, but he exuded an authority that intimidated me even after months of knowing him. I felt like I should call him “sir” or use his title whenever speaking to him, even though the guys usually called him Bruce.
As I scooted past him, he spoke. “I haven’t seen you around recently.”
The guys and I didn’t usually hang out at Luca’s house, and since there hadn’t been an emergency, there’d been no need for me to see him. I would have thought he’d be happy with that. “I’ve been training quite a bit. Hopefully I’ll be able to start working through the list too.”
The corner of his lip twitched like he was nearing a smile. “Oh right. I’m glad to know Luca took my advice.”
His advice? About what? Before I could ask, he continued.
“Come in here for a moment,” he turned and headed back into his office and I glanced down the hall hoping one of the guys would appear before following him. “Luca mentioned you eventually want to meet all the members in our area, but for now, it’s best that they don’t know about you. The anonymity gives you an advantage, which we plan to use soon.” None of his words made sense, but he was talking as if I should understand. “The kids your age can be a bit . . . competitive, but they can be great allies. So once you finish the training we can reevaluate to determine if you’re ready to meet them.”
“Ready?” My throat dried, and I could only manage the one word in a near squeak.
His brows furrow. “Well, yes. I told Luca there was work you needed to do in order to be introduced to the rest of the Society. He’s been keeping me updated on your progress. I’ll be honest, I expected you to be moving through these faster, but with a bit more focus and effort I’m sure you can catch up.”
He offered a small nod before walking past me toward the master bedroom.
I inhaled slowly and closed my eyes. What was Luca thinking not telling me about this sooner? How was I supposed to complete training or make progress when I didn’t know the secret checklist until this week? This was what was preventing me from meeting the rest of the kids in our area and I had no clue.
Vince had said they were competitive, and that it was best I stay away for now, but it had made little sense then and even less now. The chancellor made it seem like he thought I wasn’t trying. Like something was wrong with me.
I marched into the kitchen and straight up to Luca.
He smiled at me. “Hey, you’re here.”
“What the hell, Luca?” My rage was simmering just below the surface. One wrong word, and I was going to lose it on him.
“Ooh,” Sky dragged out in a low tone.
“Shit, Luca. What’d you do?” Noah asked in a teasing tone.
Luca shook his head, still looking at me. “I have no idea. What’s wrong?”
I was almost shaking. “I just saw your dad.”
There was no flicker of realization or guilt. He didn’t know why I was so upset.
“Really? Nothing?” I fumed.
“What is she talking about, Luca?” Noah asked from behind me. I didn’t turn around, but I knew he was close from the way Luca’s eyes bounced between us.
Luca ran his hand through his hair, messing up the perfect style. “I’m not sure.”
“I was supposed to be working on that list of requirements. Your dad seems disappointed I haven’t made any progress. He made it seem like he told you to tell me about it a while ago.”
