The Demon Inheritance

NINETEEN

In the end, Mun and Fango were the ones to go and fetch my sword. Apotropaic and Extant retrieved it without much fuss, considering the thief was at the party the entire time. Soon, we were ready to move on again, closer to Los Angeles, California.

Dillan got us onto a boat.

Oliver carried my bag as we crossed over across the plank that connected the boat and land. I kept slow to let him keep up with me, and everyone else seemed to completely bypass us. Ace carried the boys' things with less effort than Oliver, being a well-muscled faerie. Not that Oliver was fighting too hard to keep it off the ground.

The white-haired Apotropaic cast me a happy glance. Although his left eye was covered by the silky curtain of his hair, the eye I could see was wide open and kindling with joy. His thin lips were brought up in a smile, a cigarette between them.

It was hard to imagine what could make a tortured person like him so happy. Even when I had first met him, he was very monotone and lacked emotion. Like a zombie turning human again, if that was possible, life was gradually returning to him. What could possible change that scared, broken boy that had been that way forever? Unless...

"What's got you so happy?" Even my curiosity came off angry, but he seemed to ignore it.

"You finally like me a little, Em." His beam widened now that he had voiced it. He shifted the ruffle awkwardly in his hands. "After all this time, finally. I guess you were too scared to really bond, huh? That's okay, though. We are going into Arizona now! I have the whole journey with you, Extant."

I turned away from him as I followed everyone else on the boat. Someone lifted the plank, and Oliver led me somewhere on deck that was virtually empty. The rest of the Extants and Apotropaics seemed to like to stay in a crowded place, being much more social than me. And more keen to like people.

Oliver set my bag down on an empty seat. "You seem nervous."

I glared at him. I wasn't nervous, but if I was, I would swallow it. "I'm not nervous. Just..." I looked him over. "I don't understand what's going on with everyone. How can you be so... fine? I..." Don't want to start a fucking argument about Mary, that's what I want, even if it is bothering me. I sighed and crossed my arms over my chest, eyebrows knit. "Nothing. I can learn to be fine, too."

His brow dipped as he gave me a worried look-over. "If you don't want to talk, I can make you forget." Oliver smiled and grabbed my hand. "This should be the least stressful trip we have, alright?"

I snatched my hand away from him, curling my lip. "Yeah. Okay. Thanks. Don't touch me again." I honestly didn't mind, but I didn't want to let Ace or Carter see and get the wrong idea. Besides, Oliver seemed to be a person with no respect of personal boundaries. He needed to learn that for me, there was a limit. No touching.

"Sorry, Extant." He brought his hand through the back of his hair to straighten it out. "What do you want to go do? We can go swim around the boat, if you want, or find a sunning spot or whatever."

"Swimming around the boat would be nice," I answered gruffly. "Then again, I don't have a change of clothes that isn't torn unexplainably." Of course, however, they could be explained, considering the cannibals' truck had been in poor condition and probably had some metal sticking out, along with all the peril we had been in since we left Millton.

Oliver smiled. "Maybe we can just sit near the water, then? It's very calming."

I rolled my eyes. Like I can be calmed. "Sure. Okay."

As soon as the two of us turned to walk off towards the outer part of the boat, I stumbled into Fango, who fell back after connecting his chin with my collarbone. I shoved him off, curling my lip. If I had a quarter for every time I physically ran into one of my friends, I would buy a jet so I wouldn't have to anymore.