Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

Interlude V - The Sister - IV

  Alden managed to fall asleep again after an hour or so. Meg felt like leaving him alone was a bad idea, so she grabbed up her homework and brought it into his room. Lucky for her, he kept a pretty clean desk—and he'd taken some of her classes four years ago. She could use his notes, since the teachers never came up with new assignments (to her parents' vocal disappointment in their coworkers).

  But she couldn't focus. Her thoughts kept drifting back to what Alden had said, both about the bar and about Hailey. It was one thing for Kelly to call Hailey reckless and dangerous—she didn't know Hailey, or anything. She was just talking about stuff she didn't really understand.

  Alden knew Hailey, and Alden had been there. It was a lot harder for Meg to dismiss what he'd said.

  Reluctantly, Meg dug her phone out and pulled up the video of the building fire. She watched it again, but this time she focused on Hailey's face, not the action or the looks on the people surrounding her.

  Hailey looked excited, but there was something else too. She was surprised. Almost like she hadn't expected anyone to be watching. When she looked right at the camera, she was scared. Meg had mistaken it at first, but it was obvious now.

  Hailey hadn't had a clue what was going to happen when she leapt out of that window.

  Still, it didn't prove anything. It was just an expression on her face—and besides, she did save those people. That was good, no matter what someone might say.

  "Number four is wrong."

  Meg nearly dropped her phone as she spun around. Alden was leaning over the desk and looking at her math assignment.

  "Number three, too. You're doing these wrong."

  Meg snatched the paper out of his hand. "I would have found out when I checked the back."

  "Want help?"

  "No, I got it."

  Alden shrugged and sat back down on the bed. He seemed a lot more awake than he had before. Come to think of it, he hadn't woken up once in the few hours of napping he'd managed. That was progress. "Where are Mom and Dad?"

  "Went to a movie." She put away her phone and tried to start working on her homework again. It was due on Monday and she really wanted to have Sunday all to herself, if she could. Something still nagged at the back of her head though. She'd been with him basically every hour since he'd got home, except for the game. He hadn't eaten once. "You hungry?"

  "No."

  "Come on, you haven't eaten at all. You gotta be hungry."

  "I'm not."

  She frowned. "Maybe try eating something anyway? Like when you're sick, right?"

  Alden smiled weakly, which made her feel both a little better and a lot worse. "When'd you get to be my older sister?"

  Meg rolled her eyes. "Someone's gotta be the smart one in the family."

  "...I'll go eat something."

  "Do whatever you want." She leaned in and went back to her homework, while Alden headed downstairs. He returned with a plate of microwaved leftover pizza, which he chewed through slowly while watching the clouds drift by through the window.

  Meg turned on some music after a while, plugging her phone into the speakers on his desk. He didn't seem to mind, and it was better than the total silence. He occasionally glanced at his phone, but never turned it on. Like he was waiting for something. For Hailey? For one of his other friends, back in Rallsburg?

  But it never lit up. Eventually, he went back to sleep, while Meg kept working. She had a lot of homework, since she'd put it off all week. Then Friday had been so busy, so she hadn't gotten anything done, and now it was piled up high. On a normal Saturday, she'd be working through it with Kelly.

  For a brief moment, she considered calling Kelly, apologizing and getting together for the night. At Meg's house, of course, so she could keep an eye on Alden.

  She changed her mind almost instantly. Kelly couldn't be forgiven so easily. Not until she owned up to what she'd said.

  Even if it might be a little bit true.

  As she finished another class's stack of work and set it aside, she heard Alden getting up, so she wasn't surprised when he suddenly spoke up again. "You don't have to do all that in here."

  "You've got nicer speakers and a bigger desk," she pointed out.

  "But you have a nicer chair."

  "I dragged it in here." She pointed at his own chair, shoved into the corner. Somehow, he hadn't even noticed. "I'm just taking advantage of you, don't worry."

  "Okay."

  She grinned mischievously. "And you have to show me more magic later. Deal?"

  "Sure."

  Meg raised her eyebrows. "That easy?" Alden didn't usually agree to it so quickly.

  He hesitated. "...I think I'm going to need to start doing a lot more magic."

  "Why's that?"

  "To get stronger." He didn't elaborate, but Meg got the message.

  He wanted to be able to fight.