Omega(11)

                “Because,” Reed said, lowering his head from the top of his lanky frame as though he were trying to bring it into view for me because I was much shorter than him, “Fries had a bead on you. He would have killed you, no hesitation. But you? You didn’t fire, even though you could have.”

                “I was told to get him alive, so I got him alive,” I said with only a little hostility. Defensive much?

                “And if they’d told you to bring him dead?” Reed’s right eyebrow was higher than the other. He held eye contact with me just a second too long for my taste. When I didn’t answer, he spoke again. “Why are you trying to scare off the newbs with your frightening glare?”

                “I don’t like the way they look at me,” I said, turning back to the teenager who I’d caught staring. “Like I’m some kind of freak.”

                “Umm, no,” he said. “They’re not looking at you like you’re some kind of freak.”

                I frowned at him. “What are you talking about? They stare, they whisper—it’s a full-blown epidemic of gossip, just like it has been since the beginning—”

                “Wrong,” Reed said with a little more energy and a slight smile. “Some of that, yeah. But they’re staring at you because they’re teenage boys, and because you’re—”

                “What?” I let my voice rise and drew looks. “You’re way off.”



                             “Not so. You may be my sister—”

                “Half-sister,” I corrected.

                “—but yeah, I still know. And they’re not looking because they’re gossiping.”

                “Awkward,” I said with raised eyebrows. “But thanks for that.”

                He shrugged, but wore a smile. “I’m here to help.” His face shifted a little, expression almost pensive. “I never asked you this, but you really didn’t know I was your...?”

                I let my face scrunch up to show my incredulity. “How would I have known that? Do you think my mother gave me a lesson in family history?”

                “Just curious.” His eyes went back to the teenaged boys in line behind me, and I followed his gaze. All but the one with glasses averted their eyes before we caught them looking. The one with glasses, he didn’t seem to care, staring back at me, absolutely cool. “So you didn’t ever feel like...” Reed let his words trail off.

                “Like what?” I tore my eyes away from the teenager in line and looked back to Reed. “Like you were an awkward teenage boy?”

                “Hah! No.” He nodded toward the kid again. “You know...like he is towards you, but...towards me? Because you didn’t know?”

                A slow dawning came over me. “What? You mean like...” my voice turned hushed, “romantic? Ugh. Awkward much? No. No, never.” I watched his olive skin darken and his brow furrowed. “I mean, nothing personal, you’re a good guy, but—”

                “Yeah.” He held up a hand in a dismissive wave. “Friend zone. I got it.”

                “You’re my brother, for crying out loud!” I kept my exclamation to a low whisper, but I still drew some swiveled heads.

                “Yeah, but you didn’t know that,” he said, and nudged me in the ribs with his elbow. After a minute he grinned, and I shook my head, a smile of my own on my face. “Just needling you. You know, you should probably smile more often, Ms. Squad Leader. Maybe be more approachable. You might end up expanding your circle of friends.”