Valeria Torres and the Midas Vault

Chapter 23: Self Defense

Valeria found it difficult to focus during her afternoon classes. Erin's words kept repeating in the back of her mind, and she tried to separate truth from bullshit. The end of the world was coming, and only she - a savior and self proclaimed chosen one - could stop it. But she needed help. And while she had claimed they were on the same team, Valeria was still skeptical.

Every time she looked Erin's way during class, the girl had a stupid grin across her face. Valeria would let her eyes linger for a moment, as Erin's smile brought out the dimples in her cheeks and the sparkle in her eyes. But just when it felt like she might lose herself in that smile, Valeria forced herself back to reality.

Jada specifically directed her to report any information she learned about Erin. But Valeria knew she couldn't reveal everything the two discussed. If Jada asked how she knew about the Rogue Vault, Valeria didn't have a good answer for that question. She didn't know why she could hear the artifact inside the vault, and why it seemed to call out to her, incessantly calling her Anna. It appeared Frank and Jada couldn't hear it - she could, and it was driving her mad. She wanted to know if it was calling out to her, or someone else?

She would have to leave out their discussion about the vault or the artifact. It wasn't lying, but simply an omission, and would tell Jada that Erin is some sort of Celestial Savior. She would say their deal involved helping Erin learn more about her past. She hoped this strategy would keep her knowledge of the vault a secret, and would allow her to learn more about Erin's claims. She needed to know if that girl was legit or full of shit.

When the school day ended, Erin followed her as they exited class. Clutching her books against her chest, she said, "So, should we continue where we left off? Want to start scheming back at my tree?"

Valeria shook her head. "I promised Sai we would hang out after class."

"Oh," Erin said, her enthusiasm gone. "Maybe tomorrow then?"

"Sure."

Erin turned away for a moment, but then rounded back on her. "You like Sai? Don't you?"

"Yeah," Valeria said, shrugging her shoulders. "I guess I like him. I like you too. You two are my favorite people in this dump."

"Really?" Erin replied, her cheeks flushing bright red. "Even after I threatened you?"

Laughing, Valeria said, "Nah. That didn't make me mad. I was kind of impressed, actually."

"That's not surprising," Erin said, leaning closer. Her face was inches away as she whispered, "Because I'm frickin' impressive - and don't you forget it. See you tomorrow."

Valeria watched her run off and felt the odd mixture of emotions again. It was true; Erin's bravado had invoked admiration, and maybe something more. She tried to shrug the feeling off as she exited the school and found Sai waiting by the bike rack, looking as handsome as ever.

"Hey V," Sai said, unlocking his bike. "So where do you –"

"We're going bowling," she interrupted while unlocking her own.

"Uh...again? You really like bowling, don't you?"

Valeria nodded as she mounted her bike. She had a lot on her mind, and bowling would help clear her head. She was worried about her agreement with Erin under the white pine, but that wasn't the only problem. She couldn't explain why, but she felt the same way about Erin as she did about Sai. Questions swirled around in the back of her mind, most of them unanswerable. But she hoped going out with Sai would answer at least one of them - the one that mattered anyway. "Yeah. Come on, let's go."