I looked at my phone and reread the message.
Ajax:
“Taking Atalanta to the hospital.”
“Fuck!” I growled as I screeched out of the driveway.
Chapter Two
Atalanta
“Who’s Clint?” Ajax murmured as we stood as still as possible next to the door to the cabin. Right outside was a man wearing a dark tailored suit, his hands on his hips as he waited impatiently.
I gulped.
Clint was my family’s handler. I couldn’t tell them that though, so I threw out the first thing we were taught to say: random family member.
“Clint’s my cousin, and he is not a federal agent. He just, umm…he just likes suits,” I whispered, praying they would believe the lie that someone as dark as me would be related to someone as white as him. If they questioned it, I would just need to say he was from my mom's side and hoped they bought it.
I watched through the peephole as Clint leaned forward and knocked on the door again. Any second, he would be getting suspicious and trying to look through the window to see past the curtains.
I looked down at my scaly body. While most of it was hidden by clothes, scales still adorned my cheeks and mutant-like hands. I knew Clint couldn’t see me like this. As quietly as I could, I scrambled back into my father's room, taking Percy and Ajax with me.
“Do you think if we just ignore him, he will go away?” Percy asked. His body was tense, almost as if he were ready to spring out and attack Clint at any second.
I shook my head. “Not likely. He’s probably here because he couldn’t get ahold of my father.”
Clint would sooner pull out his gun and bash his way in to check if we were dead than just leave.
Percy and Ajax shared a look before Percy straightened and walked back into the living room towards the door.
“What are you doing?” I hissed.
“I’m going to answer the door. Stay in the back with Ajax. I’ll tell him you’re not home.”
Shit! I didn’t know what to do. If we didn’t answer the door, Clint would storm in, guns blazing. But if Percy answered the door, who knew what would happen?
I bit my lip and nodded, deciding to take the chance where the boys were less likely to be shot.
Ajax gently took my hand and guided me into the bathroom. I huddled down next to the toilet, against the tub, while Ajax stood by the door waiting. When I heard the front door open, that slow creak of the rusted hinges, I strained my ears to listen in. Surprisingly, I didn’t have to strain that hard. I guess my new DNA came with the enhanced senses package. Too bad the scales were nonrefundable.
“Hi, can I help you?” Percy asked.
“Um…my apologies. This is 876 Arcadian Lane, correct?”
“That’s right.”
My heart raced in my chest. I could just see Clint now, hands at his hips and his jacket concealing the standard issued 45 not an inch away from his gun hand. Ready to pull it out and gun down Percy if he suspected for even one second he was in danger.
“I’m looking for the North family. This was the address they gave me.”
“Yup, this is their place, who’s asking?” There was something different in Percy’s tone. Usually, he acted cool and proper, but right then he sounded like the twenty-something year old that he looked like. It was weird.
“I’m Titus’ brother. I haven’t heard from him or his daughters in a while. I got worried and came over to check on them.”
I winced. Brother? Fuck. Really, Clint? We really should have decided what he would be the last time he checked in. If the guys weren’t suspicious before, they would be now.
“Cool, guess you didn’t hear—”
“Hear what? Are they okay?”
“There was an accident. Titus is in the hospital.” Percy explained.
Clint swore. “What about the girls? Are my nieces okay?”
I had to hand it to him, at least. Clint was a good actor. I could actually hear the worry in his voice. Though, perhaps he was genuinely worried. I couldn’t believe it was about us, as more than likely he was going to get in trouble with his bosses.
“Atalanta was pretty banged up, and Cal…Well, why don’t I take you there? I’ll give you the rundown on the way.”
“…Okay. Yeah, I would be very grateful.”
“Let me just grab my shoes and keys.”
I heard hurried, light footsteps heading our way, and I tensed until I saw Percy poke his head into the bathroom. “I’m going to tell him you were discharged a couple days ago and that we are your friends watching over you. Cover up your scales with bandages and head to the hospital as fast as you can.”
And like that, he was gone, walking back to the front door, his tone chill as he said, "I’m Percy, Atalanta’s friend. Just stopped by to pick up the place while Atalanta is with her dad.”
“Oh, I’m Clint.”
“Nice to meet ya, Clint.”
All right, now I didn't know who should win the Oscar as their voices faded and I heard the sound of a car driving off.
Slowly, I stood from my spot on the floor and looked at Ajax. “We should go get me dolled up to play the injured victim.”
“You were injured. But not a victim,” He corrected as he hurried out of the room, quickly coming back with our sizable first aid kit.
I nodded, conceding his point. This time, I wasn’t a victim.
He gestured for me to sit down on the toilet before kneeling down in front of me. “Your cousin-uncle smelled like gun powder.”
I tensed and looked up at him, honestly surprised he could smell that on Clint. Trying to play it off, I chuckled. “Yeah, Clint’s a bit gun obsessed. Goes to the range all the time.”
“I’m sure he does,” he said, his tone skeptical, but his facial expression giving nothing away.
We sat in uncomfortable silence for a few moments as Ajax used the large bandages from the first aid kit to cover the scales on my face and the eye which was no longer brown, while I wrapped a few bandages up my arms.
I always wore long sleeves regardless, and was usually careful about keeping them from riding up, but while scars were one thing for someone’s brain to brush off, scales were probably hard to miss. I looked at my webbed, clawed hands. I needed mittens.
As soon as we were done, I shot up, scrambled into my room, and began to rifle through the boxes. Grabbing the first mitten looking thing I saw, I rushed out the door with Ajax by my side.
His dark green truck was parked off to the side of the cabin. Walking ahead of me, Ajax opened the door and helped me up into the high seats. When he hopped into the driver's seat, he pulled out his phone.
“I’ll tell the others.”
“I don’t want to pull them away for this,” I insisted, not wanting more people there making this situation more complicated than it already was.
“They would want to know.”
I sighed and slumped into the seat. This was a disaster. Granted, what in my life wasn’t a disaster right now?
I looked down at my lap and stared at the mittens I held in my freaky mutant hands. The pink material was soft, its wool worn and little fuzz balls pilled up all over the place. These weren’t mine. They must have been Cal’s, and somehow they had gotten mixed up with my stuff.
“I’ll have to give these back to her when I see her,” I mumbled.
“Give what back to who?” Ajax asked.