Keeper(64)

I smiled. “You walk and I’ll talk.”



“So let me get this straight,” Maggie said, brandishing her celery stick like a wand. “In the mere twelve hours since I last saw you, you played chicken with a train, made out with Pretty Face, and became Storm from X-men?”

“Yep.”

“And,” Maggie continued, gesticulating wildly, “you also pulled a Time Lord and somehow traveled back in time to see your long-lost grandmother get murdered by her resurrected lover?”

“It’s true,” I confirmed. “Don’t forget about the part where I found out my uncle was a Faerie.”

Maggie was silent for a moment, celery stick paused midair. “Holy crapkittens, Styles!” she finally squealed, sending the stalk flying behind her.

“Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too.” I chuckled, then winced. The headache I’d woken up with had become a massive migraine, and every time I moved or turned my head, the dull ache behind my eye sockets throbbed.

Resting my head on my arms for a second, I tried to block out the noisy cafeteria. I’d already taken some ibuprofen, but it had had little to no effect, and the noisy commotion of lunch wasn’t helping either.

“Um, excuse me, ladies?”

I lifted my head to see Ty standing beside me, Maggie’s celery stick in his hand. “I believe this belongs to you.” He smirked.

I smiled up at him, warmth spreading through my body. Maggie leaned over, grabbed the celery stick from his hand, and pointed it at him. “You. Sit,” she commanded.

Ty chuckled. “Yes, ma’am.” He sat beside me, his shoulder brushing mine. A warm shiver skipped down my back.

“Just so we’re clear,” Maggie said, leaning across the table. “You’re Wolverine. Got that?”

Ty looked at me, his brows scrunched. I was equally puzzled. “Uh, Mags?”

“Oh, good gravy,” Maggie said. “Don’t you people read?” She pointed at me. “You’re Jean Grey, and I’m Scott Summers. He,” she indicated Ty, “is Wolverine.” She looked expectantly at me and Ty, as though things were suddenly crystal clear. When neither of us showed any sign of comprehension, Maggie groaned and shook her head. “Look, most people assume that Jean Grey and Wolverine were the ’it’ couple when it comes to X-men, but in reality, Scott Summers was the true love of her life. Do you get what I’m saying?”

I was still confused, but Ty leaned forward and nodded his head. “Absolutely.” He smiled. “You’re the best friend and I’m . . . just Ty.”

Maggie raised her arms above her head in the touchdown sign. “Yes! Well done, Pretty Face!” She winked at me. “He’s quick too! You picked a good one, Styles!”

“Maggie!” I hissed. Beside me, Ty chuckled and nudged my shoulder.

Maggie and Ty continued to chat, but I couldn’t concentrate on their conversation. My headache was getting worse, and all I really wanted to do was find a nice quiet spot where I didn’t have to think.

I glanced around the cafeteria, watching my classmates interact with one another. A bunch of football players were throwing balls of wadded-up paper at one another, and a few kids from the drum line were tapping out beats on their lunch trays with pencils. There was a group of mathletes working on what appeared to be advanced calculus, and several cheerleaders were hanging neon posters advertising the upcoming Halloween carnival. It was exactly the type of scene you would expect to see in a normal high school cafeteria.

It was strange to think that, only days ago, I’d been just like them—completely oblivious to the fact that the world was home to an entire realm of people only believed to exist in fairy tales and bedtime stories. A realm I belonged to.

The cheerleaders moved closer, hanging a large banner on the wall near my table. Their cheerful chatter seemed to amplify the pounding in my head. The other sounds—the rhythmic tapping, the thwack of the paper balls, the rustling of pages turning—all seemed to be getting louder. Every single decibel grated against my nerves. Groaning, I put my head down on the table.

I just need it to be quiet. I flipped the hood of my sweatshirt up over my head, and immediately I noticed a difference. The sounds were slowly fading away. “Just a little peace and quiet,” I murmured.

“Uh . . . Lainey?”

“Yeah?” I replied, not moving from the sanctuary of my hoodie.

“I think you need to see this.” There was something in Maggie’s voice that made me sit up. Ty and Maggie were both staring at me.

“What?” I demanded. “What is it?”

That was when I noticed that the entire cafeteria had gone silent. The students were still moving around, laughing and talking, but it was as if someone had pressed a gigantic mute button.

“What the . . .” I looked around, watching as a tall, lanky boy tripped on his own shoelaces and dropped his tray to the floor. Where the loud clatter should have been, there was nothing but silence. I turned back to Ty and Maggie, my mouth hanging open. “What happened?”

Maggie shrugged. “We were hoping you’d tell us.”

“I didn’t—” I sucked in a breath. “Oh . . . it’s because of my head. I just wanted some quiet.”

“Well, I’d say you got your wish. Nice job, Styles.”