Page 31 of The Order

“Look how red you are! I was just taking a guess you two were getting handsy. I thought I had imagined his hand in yours!” Rae says louder than I’d like.

“Rae, respectfully, shut up,” I whisper, covering my ears to ignore her pursuit to taunt me.

“I know we aren't supposed to speak on matters as egotistical as looks, but I can see the appeal.”

“I’m not getting into this right now,” I say, pushing closer to the door she has decided to block.

“Did you two kiss?” she questions eagerly.

“No,” I say, reaching for the door.

“Did youwanthim to kiss you?” she questions further, only making my face grow redder.

The door swings open before I can get to it. Max and Kai waltz into my room, sporting their leisurewear. The pair throw themselves onto my bed. Raegan continues poking me, whispering Xavier and my initials in my ear, humming small children's rhymes meant to antagonize.

“What are you doing to her?” Max questions after a moment of undoing my neatly made bed.

“Just interrogating her on her wants to explore a certain someone's lips-”

I cut her off with a shove away from me as I groan.

Max's interest looks peaked. I try suppressing his next words with a cutting motion to my neck, already able to tell his train of thought and his sister’s are not the same.

“You told her about our kiss?” Max questions. His twin's face drops immediately.

Raegan moves toward me, ready to hit me with a new line of questioning. Surprise hides behind her expression, filled with countless questions I am unprepared to answer. I shake my head at her, spilling into my hallway through the open door, not giving any of them a chance to continue pushing me on the matter of Xavier and his lips, as lovely as they might be. The last thing I need is another reason for Max to take out his anger onto Unfortunates.

“Forest!” my mother yells from the kitchen. I seize the opportunity, pulling away from the god-awful conversation that was no doubt about to take place.

She stands in the kitchen, examining my bag, fumbling through the pockets. My dad leans into the counter, trying to speak to her about her day, getting nothing but brief responses. Her focus is not on him.

Her eyes move up as I enter the room, motioning me over with a nod. My friend's bodies exit the room, only motivating me to get away from them and closer to my mom’s stern look. She shows me the bag and its contents, waiting for me to speak.

“What are you looking for?” my dad finally asks.

“Where is your Cure-All?” my mom questions, running her fingers through the now empty pocket it usually resides in.

Shit.

“It must have fallen out during my interaction with Josh,” I whisper, looking back at my friends waiting in the hallway.

“You didn't think to pick it up?” my mom questions. My mother is pushing harder than usual to pick apart my story. She's trying her best to find a hidden truth.

“Katiana,” my father says, placing a hand on his wife's upper arm to calm her. “We can just get her another. Don’t stress. Her friends are waiting on her,” my father says, trying to calm her down.

She sighs, lowering the bag and running her hand through her hair.

My father's phone screen flashes red, indicating an urgent message that requires his attention. A red screen almost always means he misses dinner and only returns in the early morning.

“Deviant Unfortunates spotted in our sector again outside of their work hours,” my father clarifies, answering the call now coming in on the other end. I see Xavier's name flash over the screen. My dad's frustrations grow the longer he is on the phone. He turns away from us, covering his mouth with his hand to speak more clearly. My friends stay back, waiting for me to give them the okay to come closer.

"Handle it,” my dad says sternly, ending the call with a brutal hit to the screen.

I can't stop my hand from flying to my head, putting pressure on my temple in an attempt to ease the sudden pain behind my eyes. My father's eyes watch the action, looking down toward my hand clutched on my torso. My father reaches toward my mom, easing her tense body with gentle squeezes up and down her arms.

“It was a long day for everyone,” my mom says, as she finally sinks into my father's arms wrapped around her. “Please be patient with me, both of you. I had to deal with many meetings with upper leadership and hearing thatoneof your children got into an altercation does not make anything better,” my mom says. Disappointment clouds her words.

I scoff, backing away from my mother with a slow nod. My dad gives me a warning look, silently trying to command me not to continue with whatever I'm about to say.

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