Daughter of Zeus ✔

14.2

Although the awkwardness had yet to fully fade, Moretz and Ada moved into a more comfortable space in their relationship. She questioned him about his encounters with Sammies, and he shared stories of flight, daring, and death. Aware of his manipulative intent, she listened with great caution. She refused to return his smiles, which never quite reached his eyes.

During this time, Ada spent days with Phennell, but found herself returning to Darcy again and again.

It mattered little that Darcy was not the friendliest of siblings, because neither was Ada. Their third meeting at the Moretz estate had been one of verbal insults and near threats. Through Phennell's interference, the two met again for a fourth time, sealing an unsteady friendship between them.

It happened while in Darcy's bedroom, sharing bursts of half-interested sentences before the silence swallowed up their words again. A roach crawled across the floor, and Ada found relief at the disruption from the stillness. 

At the sight of the bug, Darcy screamed and begged Ada to kill it, who had trouble taking steady aim as she shook with laughter. Before frying the bug, she stopped. Darcy knew nothing of her abilities, and to reveal them might sever their budding relationship.

Instead of a light show, Ada smashed the bug with her shoe. Darcy cheered on the small act of murder, and Ada became her hero for a few hours. The incident broke some of the tension, and they relaxed, shared secrets, and laughed at each other.

Again, Darcy tried to warn her away from being with Phennell, but Ada waved off the warnings.

"I can handle him."

And she was handling him. To an observer, it might've seemed like he was taking advantage of her. In fact, Ada was the one taking advantage. She needed someone to touch, someone to lose herself in, and then afterward, she wanted to forget about them. Phennell came close to fulfilling her needs. But only close.

A few mornings out of each week, she and Darcy began jogging together. They followed the marked path snaking around the Moretz property. Sometimes they didn't talk at all. Sometimes they would talk about music, television, or Darcy's homework. She bragged about how Moretz helped her with most assignments, which made Ada frown. They often kept the same steady pace with one another. This particular jog was a silent one, with Darcy sneaking occasional peeks at Ada.

"Do you wanna ask me something?"

Darcy blushed. "Um, I guess."

"Well?"

"How is it you're not...tired?"

"You mean, how can I run with Black Lung?"

Darcy nodded.

"I see. I told you about my house, about the roaches, and you assume I'm too poor for a Clean and Clear. Well, you assumed correctly. After my mom got sick, I found one hidden in her room, and I've been using it ever since." She pounded her chest lightly. "Never felt better."

"I didn't mean to, I don't know. I think they should be free." Darcy fumbled to move the conversation along.

Normally, Ada would have been insulted to hear such statements and assumptions from anyone else. However, Darcy was young, and she had been conditioned as a Prominent. The girl didn't know any better, and probably meant no harm with her statements.

She cut her sister a break by saying, "Yeah, I think they should be free, too."

They ran the rest of the way in silence, though it was now a comfortable one. Rather than lament the stillness, Ada reveled in the company of her sister. It was hard not to imagine what their life would've been like had they grown up together. Ada had played board games, Barbies, and hopscotch quietly and by herself. Darcy was loud and always smiling. Ada envisioned the raucous games and memories they'd been denied. The lies the sisters had no control over had caused years of silence and loneliness.

The kiss of cold air on Ada's face gave way to stinging pain. As she ran, tears streamed down her cheeks, burning in the frigid air. She grabbed the sweat rag from her pocket and swiped it across her eyes. If Darcy noticed, she stayed quiet about it.

When they returned to the Moretz estate, Darcy went to shower. Ada recovered in the living room to wait for Moretz and Kressick. They had planned on a training ritual she knew little about.

Unfortunately, the wait included alone time with Phennell. He lounged on the couch long-ways, swiping at images streaming on his arm from his wristlet.

He ignored her, and she reciprocated. They'd screwed twice, and it had been all right. However, talking afterward had been a problem. Their physical intimacy seemed to have destroyed their camaraderie, and she flashed back to Darcy's warning about him.

Stay away from my brother.

Ada had seen the logic in following rules once. But not anymore.

Moretz and Kressick entered the living room.

"Ready to go?" Kressick asked.

She gave a last look at her mediocre lover. Part of her regretted severing their familal relationship with something as simple and as complicated as sex. Another part of her assured her she wasn't missing out on much. Phennell was more interested in holographic images than her face.

"Yeah, let's do this thing," Ada said.