Sky Ghosts: All for One (Young Adult Urban Fantasy Adventure) (Sky Ghosts Series Book 1) (16 page)

“Good night, boys!” she said and flopped on her bed without looking at the two scowling faces in two different corners.

“Good night,” two grim voices sounded, and she smiled to herself before closing her eyes.

The next morning Pain opened the door and came out of the room, dressed in skinny gym pants, sneakers, and a green T-shirt with a print of Bob Marley and a caption “No PMS, no cry” on it. She paused outside, stretching her arms over her head with a yawn. All of her muscles seemed to be out of place, as if somebody took her body and wrung it over and over, like a cloth, while she was sleeping.

The door to her right flew open, and Marco jumped back, spotting her.

“What the hell are you doing here, Pain’s evil twin??” He screwed his face into a horrified grimace and stared at her. He was wearing khaki pants and a yellow T-shirt with Rasta motifs on it.

Pain smirked.

“Look at us, all matching today…” She pointed at his shirt and closed the door behind her.

He assessed her tee, his expression skeptical.

“Nah… I think I’m missing my period for the last twenty-four years, buddy,” Marco mumbled, shaking his head with exaggerated disappointment, and she burst out laughing.

“Shut up, I’ve got nothing else to wear!”

She came up to him to slap his hand in a greeting. Marco beamed down at her.

“No, seriously, you should spend more time shopping. Aren’t you a girl??” He hooked her collar with his finger and pulled at it, trying to sneak a look inside. Pain smacked his hand. “Just checking! Don’t wanna find out you’re a dude, especially, with all that wrestling we do,” he teased her, pinching her stomach until she caught his hand and pinned it to his side. “So, what’s up? I thought you were still at that apartment.”

“No, it pretty much doesn’t exist anymore.” She made a face and started along the hallway with Marco walking cheerfully by her side. “We got attacked last night.”

“How was it??” he asked without a hint of sympathy, but with a lot of enthusiasm.

“As always,” she drawled, trying for boredom in her tone, “Small room, lots of Beasts, fountains of blood, and mountains of broken furniture,” she said, waving her hand. “Nothing out of ordinary, you didn’t miss a thing.”

“Like I would buy this load of crap…” he muttered, looking at her with accusation. “No, seriously, was it fun?”

She looked at him for a few seconds, and then her face stretched out from ear to ear in a dreamy manner.

“Yeeeeah, it was something. Crazy battle. We got the guys out in time – hey, Jane pulled them both! I didn’t even think it was possible, not for someone who isn’t like you or Skull! And the fight, I had it all to myself, and you know how I like space. Though I must say, I hate it when there’s a lot of glass around, you know, those teeny-tiny splinters everywhere in your clothes afterward…” Marco nodded with understanding at that. “But I can’t say it wasn’t awesome.”

“Oh, I’m so jealous right now! I feel like Peter’s pissed at me or something. He’s been giving me the most boring jobs lately! There was only one that was at least funny, but I haven’t used my sword even once this month. Even a knife!” he complained.

Pain gave him a wry smile.

“Yeah, well, maybe it’s all the weed in your room, Marco?”

He waved at her.

“It was just the leftovers, someone ratted on me. The man charged in like a fuckin’ Rambo. He threw everything out the window, even my iPod! And- ” he broke off, shifting uncomfortably as they stopped at the elevator.

“And…?” she prompted, her eyes laughing.

“And me, too. He threw
me
out the window and closed it,” he finished sourly, and Pain grimaced, holding back a laugh. “And I was only in my boxers! He’s so freakishly strong!” he groaned, and this time she chuckled, feeling her insides shake with laughter.

“You paraded in through the front doors like that? Damn, you should’ve been commando that day.”

“No, I got in through another window. It turned out to be Betsy’s.” He cringed, and Pain laughed out loud, unable to hold it in anymore.

“Betsy the Cook??”

Marco nodded with a bitter grimace.

“She kicked me in the ankle,” he said. “Is someone screwing in that elevator or something??” he complained and shot a glare to the elevator doors.

Pain reached out to press the button.

“You didn’t press it,” she noted. “I think you got off easy, that woman could’ve killed you. Or worse.” She gave him a serious look, doing her best not to grin. Marco raised his eyebrows at her, puzzled. “She could have… forced
things
on you,” she added, and he waved his hand, dismissing her fake concern.

“I seriously doubt that.”

“No, no, just think about it. She’s alone, and then BAM! You’re in her window, almost naked and sexily disheveled from sleep…” She nodded at him, looking him up and down in a playful manner. Marco looked back cautiously.

“Do
you
wanna force things on me…?” he asked, and she smacked him in the shoulder just as the elevator doors slid apart.

“Where are the others?” he asked, following her inside.

“Oh, they’ll catch up. Dave has drowned in the shower, apparently. Chad disappeared somewhere. In general, they’ve pretty much got on my nerves by this moment.”

Marco’s eyebrows arched.

“Shouldn’t you be watching them all the time…?” he prompted.

“Right, here’s Mister Thorough, forgot his ward in a desert two years ago.” She crossed her arms, looking at him with irony.

“I got confused!” he exclaimed. “Oh, whatever, just saying.”

Marco rolled his eyes, and she punched him in his huge bicep with a crooked smile. He grinned and punched her, too, so that she flattened against the elevator door.

“Hey!” She hit him again, this time with more force, and Marco returned the beating.

At that moment the doors opened, and Chad turned out standing behind them. He looked fresh in his white vest and gray pants, with his hair clean and fuzzy, his jaw cleanly shaved. And he stared at them with a curious surprise now.

“What the heck are you doing here alone?” Pain enquired, a little more irritably than she really felt.

“Actually, he isn’t alone,” Ryan answered her question, showing up from around the corner. His cheeks were reddened, and he had a light gym jacket on over his shirt and jeans, as if he had just been outside.

“Yeah, I just woke up early, came outside, and ran into Ryan,” Chad explained.

“Hm-mm,” Pain muttered, giving him a speculative look. She didn’t approve of him coming outside without her or Jane, but she wasn’t in the mood for arguing, really. It was always like this for her after a good battle: she felt lazy and sore, in need of time to restore her energies.

The four of them headed for the canteen, and since Ryan was quickly ahead of them, and Marco caught up to his pace, Chad and Pain were walking side by side alone. He glanced at her cautiously before saying,

“I wanted to talk to you.”

“Hm?” She didn’t even look at him.

“I…” Chad began, but at that moment they passed the canteen entrance and Marco turned to them.

“Wanna take a table by the wall or in the center?” he asked.

“By the wall, whatever,” Pain responded with an indifferent shrug. “Chad, get us a table, we’ll get something to eat.”

“I- ” he began again, but Pain and her two friends were already in the crowd of fighters that stood stomping impatiently in line by the counter. He stepped back, disappointed, but then changed his mind as some stubborn urge pushed him forward.

“Pain, wait!”

He shouldered the crowd and reached out for her arm, and she turned to him, exasperated.

“What?”

“I just wanted to give you this.” He took a rectangular package from behind his back and held it out for her.

She frowned, and he could swear it was her way of hiding her surprise. Her fingers felt the object inside the brown paper carefully.

“I heard you saying…” he broke off mid-sentence, seeing her expression as she unwrapped the package. “Uuh, whatever. I’ll go find a table.”

Swiftly, he strode out of the crowd while Pain stared at the object in her hands blankly: a shiny, brand-new volume of “One Day”. It was a beautiful hardcover with Emma and Dex on it, and it smelled of a new book, and the paper crackled as she ran her fingers through the pages, lost in thought and amazement.

“How did you…?” she murmured, but Chad was already gone. She followed him with her look, but was able to see only a flash of his white shirt among the black clothes all around her. “Oh…”

Stepping back into the line, she turned and caught a glimpse of a smile on Ryan’s face as he looked away hastily. She thanked God that Marco was too busy choosing bagels at that time and slitted her eyes at Ryan with suspicion, wrapping the book back in its package and tucking it under her tee.

A few minutes later the others caught up with them, and they pulled up two tables, as always. Pain dropped the book on her chair and sat on it quickly, not wanting to explain to her sister what it was in front of Marco and the others.

“Now that we’re all here, I wanna know the whole story. How did your little mission go? Must I say, we missed you sisters really bad.” Marco nodded with his usual sly grin. “Ryan was worrying about you like a girl.”

“No, I wasn’t,” was all Ryan said, frowning a little, but not raising his look at the others.

“Yes, he was!” Marco said. “But did you have a good time out there, huh?” he asked, obviously eager to hear the details.

Jane shrugged.

“Well, the apartment was good. It was nice at first, but got boring with time, you know. Hanging out in four walls all day.”

“Bet I could keep you better company there – no offence, guys,” he waved his hand at Chad and Dave, who only glanced at him shortly, not really paying attention to what he was saying. “What about the place? Tell me, tell me everything! Was it expensive, was it big? I wanna know every improper detail of that mission of yours,” he said, ignoring Ryan’s sharp glance.

“There was nothing improper about it,” Jane said a little indignantly, her look stiff and disapproving. “The apartment was really gorgeous. With a fancy bathroom, Jacuzzi and stuff.”

Marco was nodding with satisfaction as she confirmed his ideas of a corporate apartment. But then he realized Pain was silent all this time, so he smacked her shoulder, making her fork fly out of her hand and land on the floor along with a piece of potato.

She watched it go and then turned to Marco, her face uncommonly expressionless.

“I’m just gonna use yours now, thanks.” She reached out and grabbed the fork from his tray.

He only waved his hand at her, interested more in her comment on the topic in hand, apparently.

“Would you say at least something? I asked about the mission!”

She looked at him, chewing and thinking over her answer. Finally, she swallowed and said,

“The apartment was nice. Then we came and turned it into a huge heap of wrecked crap. The end. I liked the couch, though,” she added the last sentence as an afterthought and shrugged.

Marco sighed loudly.

“Okay, fine. You don’t wanna give me dirty details, I’ll come up with my own,” he said with a threat, “And when I do – God, you better not know anything about them.”

Pain only scoffed at that.

“You never told us about your job,” Jane noted. “The one you had after we left, remember?”

Marco clapped his hands sharply at that, making Dave jump in his chair. The fighter grinned the biggest grin at the sight of it, genuinely happy about the unexpected effect. Dave only swore through his teeth, pulling his chair closer to the table and sitting back down on it.

Chad glanced at Marco and Pain – he’d expected her to look irritated, but even when Marco was being annoying, she still waited for his next words. Her eyes rarely left his face, the kind of attention Chad could never expect from her for himself. He watched her peer into Marco’s tray, looking for a spare piece of bread. She took a bite out of it and glanced at Marco with expectation.

“It was something! Listen! We get to the place, and there’s this- ”

“Hey, may I just say that you forgot one important detail in the very beginning?” Ryan suddenly broke him off, and for a change, his voice sounded stiff and serious.

Marco looked at him incredulously.

“What??”

“It’s confidential,” Ryan snapped and returned to his meal.

“Oh, maaan!” Marco threw up his hands with disappointment. “I totally forgot about that, and it’s such a good story!”

He hunched his shoulders over the table, his eyebrows knitted together. Seeing his frustrated look, Pain pinched him on the nose.

“Don’t be upset, big guy!” she mocked him. “What can I do to make you happy again?”

Marco cocked one eyebrow, his expression changing in a split second.

“Well, you can get on this table, undress, and- ”

“Oh, shut up! I knew it, I knew you’d spoil everything!” She smacked him on the shoulder, though Marco seemed only happy about it.

Chad watched them bicker with a frown. Something was bothering him, and he couldn’t put his finger on it. It was the worst frustration of all, gnawing on the back of his soul, making him edgy and in need to beat on something.