Page 48 of Torn Between Two Worlds

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Stepping through the doorway, she waved at the guy sitting in a desk chair and smiled. It was weird. He seemed so unconcerned about her arrival. His hair was a coppery color and awfully combed over. His build was lithe, but not muscular, and he had wire-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. He didn't bother to stand but thrust his hand out at her.

“You must be Ciara. Dale.”

She nodded and tentatively shook his hand. As soon as she did, he grinned and spun himself around in the chair to face his computer again.

“I've been waiting for you. Dude told me you were coming, apparently before he told you.” He pulled something up on the screen and nodded at it. “Take a look.”

Curious, she bent over him and gasped even as she read the words aloud,

“Everything you need to know about being a Word Speaker.”

Her jaw hung open a bit, and she turned the rolling chair around, so he faced her.

“What is this?”

He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Man, you can read, but really? It is what it says it is. It's a page of information on us I've put together over the years. I was told this was to be a trade off. I give you information, and you were supposed to rub off on me.” He shrugged as if he didn't altogether care very much what happened.

“Yes, but for some reason, well, I didn't expect you to be able to write information down like that and put it where it could easily be exposed. Couldn't someone, you know, find it?”

He actually snorted, and she was beginning to wonder how the man in the trench coat could think she could help him. The guy was clearly a self-absorbed jerk.

“It's not like I saved this anywhere. Don't be daft. I typed it up when the proposition was made to me. Plain and simple.” He kicked his legs up on his desk after spinning the chair back around.

“Not that I really mind offending you at this point in time, but what the fuck are you getting out of all of this, except apparently getting to act like a superior jerk?” Her voice had some bite to it, and she felt bad, but it had been a long fucking day. A plane ride, a massive miscommunication with Derrick and now him. Not wanted or needed.

“Well, supposedly we're supposed to hang out and help each other. Which means, at some point, my Guardian, Nessa, may come back. I fucked up with her. I told her if the people in her book caught her, it wouldn't be that bad. I'd meant I'd come get her somehow. Not that I didn't care. So, that, and you're supposed to be strong. I'd love to see what you can do.” He flicked his wrist, and the water cup next to his desk spilled over. “My current Guardian is a mermaid shifter, I didn't get too many cool powers, so I'd love to see yours.”

She nodded slowly, trying to take everything in. She had a good feeling the Nessa girl may have left him for being a jerk too. But she wouldn't voice that just yet. “Your attitude wouldn't perhaps be because you're not a strong Word Speaker would it?”

He scowled, and she saw it on the computer screen.

“I don't really like to talk about that.”

Bingo.She sat down on the bed corner near the computer. “So what you're saying is, yes?”

His head shake made her laugh, and when he turned to glare at her, she thought he resembled an angry puppy more than a terror-striking male. Her laughter got the better of her, and it was a few minutes before she could stop.

“Sorry, it's just, well, I think you're on the wrong side of the fence in whatever it is we are a part of because no one takes you seriously.”

He was quiet, and she thought he was ignoring her, but when she opened her mouth to speak again, he finally did.

“They make me feel powerful, the ones that aren't so pure and innocent. Alive.”

She couldn't say she understood where he was coming from, but she understood how nice it felt to be noticed. “But what if they're only noticing you because they want you to free them? What if they don't really care about you?”

“Well, they do okay. My first Guardian was one of the “bad guys” as you're so obviously thinking of them. Her name was Kyla and she wasn't evil. She'd just been brought into the world to do evil. So don't judge them or me.”

The water cup rose and slammed into the wall, and she mentally wondered if she could summon something other than fire. Fire against water seemed pretty stupid to her. Hands raised, she focused on sparks and smirked as she saw a few lone sparks leap off her left hand.

“Not a bad start, Ci.”

Her pride was cut when he laughed.

“Shit, you don't even know what you can do? Damn.” He grabbed the plastic up from the floor and set it on the desk again. “I'm sorry. Rough week. Nessa and I just met. It was um, intense, but I'm sure you understand. Then I misspoke, and she took off. I don't know how to get her back, short of getting into trouble, and something tells me that's a stupid idea.”

She chuckled and walked back to the desk, wondering if his attitude had just been a defensive barrier. Using the mouse, she scrolled quickly down the page. “You can't just go there?”

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