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I don’t. I wasn’t kidding when I told Dada that I need this to end. If she’s the traitor, this will force her to make a move. A move I’ll be ready for.
34
JUSTICE
It’s been a long day, as evidenced by the squirming line of four girls and one boy on the dojo floor before me and Bridget. If Cee is adopted and added to this unit, it’ll be the biggest one ever.
My unit, the Spice Girls—so named by the class above us—wouldn’t have survived another member. We had enough drama all on our own. But this class, Vampire Academy, they’re… I guess the best word is unshakeable.
Even so, they’re not paying attention to Bridget. Probably nervous about dinner. If you aren’t on time, you skip dessert. And they still have to go upstairs, shower, and get dressed.
Bridget claps her hands, a sound that is all Momma. “The three moves Justice and I demonstrated are for quick defense, and only part of what you need. Remember what I said about keeping your eyes open, your spirit open, always noticing the world, even if it’s uncomfortable. In fact, if it makes you uncomfortable, pay even more attention.”
That’s good advice—good advice that no one absorbs.
Bridget doesn’t understand that not everyone has her limitless patience. Most eyes are on the door.
I give her a let-me-in-coach raise of my brows.
She sighs, giving me the go-ahead.
Yeehaw. “Sisters!”
All heads snap up. Rome’s eyes, a tapered edged, amber brown—as if somewhere buried within his Slavic ancestry was a long-gone relative from China—narrow. Huh. Sensitive. With a too-high opinion of himself. Probably because of his good looks.
“All for one and one for all isn’t just a motto. Trust us. If we hold you here longer than necessary, it’s because this matters more than dessert.”
They quiet, but across their faces plays a range of emotions: anger, embarrassment, and defiance. A difference in skin tone, eye color, height, weight, and yet, they all have the fire that marks them as part of this family.
Bridget takes over again, meeting each of their eyes before bowing at the waist. “Namaste.”
With those words, five teens tear up and out.
Bridget frowns at their exit, but I smile. I remember being a teen in training and waiting impatiently while an older classmate went on and on about stuff that seemed irrelevant when compared to the fighting itself.
Bridget watches them go with that frown still on her face. She’s usually a ray of positivity.
I try to ease her out of her mood. “We should get the Troublemakers to rename that unit.” I incline my head toward the stampeding teens. At the landing, one of the girls uses the banister to slingshot herself up the next staircase. “They’re more Fast and Furious thanVampire Academy.”
“True.” Her Bambi-brown eyes crinkle at the edges. “But we nailed the Troublemakers. Those three need meditation.”
I pick up my towel and cell. “Or a bonfire of sage.”
Bridget laughs, a forced sound that ends quickly as we exit into the foyer. Her gaze goes to the stairs. “Whoever started the idea of letting the older unit name the unit directly below them?”
Hmmm. “I’m not sure. Momma’s been adopting lost girls since she was twenty-three, for over forty years, so she must’ve named the first unit, the Fantastic Five. Our unit’s the third of seven, and we have the A-Team to thank for our awful name, Spice Girls.”
Bridget shakes her head. “God, Tony hates that.”
“You mean Sporty Spice? Yeah, he does. But I still think the youngest unit has it the worst. Really? The Lollipop Guild?”
Bridget frowns. “I’m not sure. Lost in Translation has always struck me as kind of a mean name.”
“Mean? It’s funny as hell. None of them spoke English or even the same language when they were adopted. Lighten up. It’s all a normal part of having a big family. Teasing.”
“I’m not sure. Things have gotten more contentious in these past years. More fights. More issues. What worked for the older groups isn’t working for the younger ones.”
More discontentment is what she’s getting at, but I think it’s the natural evolution of our family. Things started out smaller, more manageable. The Fantastic Five was the first group of adoptees. They’d honed their skills and developed the program. When Momma added another unit, things got complicated, but she’d managed the older groups by pitting them against each other. The A-Team had worked furiously to outdo the Fantastic Five and that had kept things productive. But then came our group, and we developed our own way of doing things.
