"Oh, sorry, Mom. I didn't realize I had to ace a test on a boy before I could date him."
"You don't. I just thought we agreed there's a lot we don't know about his past. What if—"
Lucy spun on him with her stick, anger ablaze in her eyes. "What if what? He did something horrible? What about my past? What about how from the age of six Rent-A-Kid trained me to spy on people and kill them if I had to? What about the assignments where I helped the corrupt avoid jail and screw each other over? What about how I helped an organization that rents out kids to the highest bidder, then uses them as baby factories?"
The fire next to them flared up, as if in response to her rage. How dare her brother hold anyone else's past in judgment over them?
Whatever Luke had been about to say, he wisely changed gears. His voice softened and he put his hand on her shoulder. "We didn't know those things at the time. It's not our fault."
That argument failed to impress her. "We should have known. Maybe instead of sitting around, spending all of our assignment money, we should have noticed who we were helping. We should have asked more questions about why we were helping them, too."
"We did ask, Luce. We asked, and we escaped and we helped free the others. It took a while, sure, but they drugged us so we'd believe their bullshit answers."
Blah blah blah. She crossed her arms and pulled away from his touch. "Another reason. Another excuse. I'm tired of them, and I'm just plain tired, so goodnight." She stood and walked to her tent, then paused. "And regarding Hunter, I don't have to explain myself to you. You're not responsible for me."
Luke's voice trailed after her. "Then who is? The teachers back at Rent-A-Kid? Our parents? Wait a second, we never knew our parents, except for that one conversation with our now-dead mother. Yeah, that relationship lasted long. So tell me. Who's been watching your back all these years?"
Lucy ignored him and kept walking, but her heart ached. He wasn't wrong, but he wasn't right either.
"Fine. Whatever," Luke said. "I'm tired of looking after you, anyways." The wind carried his final words to Lucy. "I'm tired of seeing you get hurt."
Like the story of the princess and the pea, Lucy couldn't get comfortable on her bed of leaves. She tossed and turned and tried to fight the sadness that plagued her. Why did Luke have to ruin such a perfect night?
She'd finally found a guy who understood her in a way no one else had, someone who made her feel strong and beautiful and alive, someone whose kisses set her body on fire. And her brother had to stick his damn nose in and suck all the joy from her experience. Her twin was only looking out for her, and yes, he'd always had her back, but she'd grown up and could make her own decisions. She didn't need his approval to date a guy. Granted, she didn't know a lot about Hunter, but that was the point of dating, right? To get to know someone better? Besides, her instincts were rarely wrong about people, and her para-power confirmed that he hadn't lied to her. Hunter was the kind of guy Lucy wanted to be with—strong, smart, sexy, caring and committed to his work.
Her mind drifted back to the kiss, to the feel of his lips and his arms wrapped around her. She couldn't wait to see him again tomorrow. Hopefully Luke would go back to normal. They'd had such fun today, and she didn't want to lose him to his brooding, mopey double. Why couldn't he just trust her and give Hunter a chance?
A soft pulsing filled her body with warmth. She reached into her pocket and took out the sphere. It glowed with a comforting light and immediately calmed her—until her argument with Mr. K popped into her mind. Did he remember what she did to him? If so, why hadn't he said something?
Damnit, I have to talk to him. She hated this guilt and unease.
With the sphere secure inside, she strapped the pack to her shoulders and made her way to Mr. K's mini Garden of Eden.
Mr. K smiled as she approached, but his branches slumped and wilted. He looked tired. "Lucy, I'm glad you came over. Sorry about earlier. I shouldn't have given Hunter such a hard time."
His apology made her feel even worse. "You were both upset. It's understandable."
"Just because it's understandable doesn't make it right."
She nodded. "You're right, it doesn't. Look, Mr. K, I'm sorry about last night. About... what I did to you."
Mr. K looked into her for several long seconds before he spoke again. "You did what you felt you needed to. I understand."
Lucy's lips twitched into a wry grin. "Just because you understand, doesn't make it right. I lost control and compelled you to lie. That's not me."
His branches shook as he chuckled. "Let me tell you a story, Lucy. Take a seat. This is a long one."