Dust

XLV

The first thing Gael says to me when he and his family get back inside is nothing less than what I expected: "Are you okay? Did he hurt you? Are you in pain?" I don't how long I spend telling him that I really am fine, but I know it's not a short amount of time. I can't help wanting to laugh; Gael gets stressed easily, and it's difficult to get him un-stressed.

The two of us stand in the foyer, the rest of his family tired from dinner and a movie. As for Kip, I haven't seen him since nearly breaking his arm, which is a good thing. I don't need his obnoxious questions or rude interruptions; the fact that he knows is bad enough, and I can't have it getting any worse. "I'm fine, Gael," I say again. "What you should be asking is if Shi is okay."

Gael blinks. "Well, is he? Should I be concerned?"

"Nope," I say, taking Gael's hand and dragging him up the stairs. It's almost ten and I'm on the verge of exhaustion, both because of the effort I put in earlier and the sudden headache pounding away at my temples. I have to get up early, anyway, to make sure I get to Shi before anyone else does. Explaining why he spent the night in the ballet room and is tied to the barre he broke off the wall would not be easy, and let's just say I'm not up for the challenge. Plus, he'll be disoriented, half-dead, as he said. "Shi's fine. Everything went as planned, except..."

Gael grabs at my arm, and we come to a sharp halt outside the guest bedroom. His eyes burn into mine, intense and demanding. "I don't like the except. Why is there an except?"

"Kip knows."

For a moment, all Gael can do is sputter, as if he doesn't believe me. He releases my arm, stepping back and shaking his head. Nearly stumbling, he has to catch himself against the wall, staring down at the floor as if it holds the answers to all his questions, which I imagine must now be quite a lot. "Kip...he can't...how the heck—I thought—"

"It was you that let him out of your sight, Gael," I say, and Gael's eyes flit up to mine. He at first looks like he's going to counter that statement, but drops it, so I go on. "He came up on me just after I'd taken care of Shi. He saw Shi's bite heal, Gael—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gael shakes his head again, waving his hands in the air. Standing upright, his eyes narrow. "You're telling me that Shi bit you? That son of a—"

"Hey, hey," I say. "It's not like he knew what he was doing. It doesn't matter. It healed. I'm fine. You're missing the point, Gael. The point is Kip knows and we don't know if he's going to keep his mouth shut."

"He must have left when we were in the movie theater," Gael muses, dropping his head into his chin. I can't help but think that's a rather attractive position for him: his studious eyes on the ground, curls hanging down over his forehead, one leg bent with his foot against the wall. He looks intelligent but sorrowful, a healthy mix of the two that makes my heart flutter in my chest. It's funny to think that I am well aware of my love for him and so is he, and yet it's still just like a little girl's crush. "It was dark in there. Of course I didn't see him leave."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. He knows, he knows; we just have to deal with it. I think I threatened him well enough."

Gael's eyes lift to mine, one eyebrow raised. "You threatened him?"

"How else was I supposed to keep him from hurting Shi? Hurting me?" I reply, then, because I can't take another second of standing around in the hall, reach to open the guest bedroom's door. I amble inside, crawling atop the bed and lying on my back. I watch the fan whirl around above my head, stretching my arms up. "I mean, you should have seen the pain in the guy's face." I roll my head to the side to see Gael, leaning back against the door. "I get the feeling he'll be leaving us alone."