The Intuitives(23)

“Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that,” he quipped, smiling to show he wasn’t taking offense.

“Sorry?” she asked.

“The lion’s den,” he explained. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”

“Oh, right. Sorry. Nothing personal. I have trouble remembering names sometimes, so I try to think of associations. Like, you’re lions, and Roman here is the Coliseum, which is kind of funny when you think about it. You know, lions in the Coliseum.”

“Yeah, I get it,” Daniel answered. He really wasn’t sure what to make of this girl at all. She was definitely different.

“You can make one up about me if you want.”

“Pretty sure I can remember ‘Sam,’” he replied. He realized suddenly that he might be insulting her, since she had just admitted she couldn’t remember ‘Daniel’ without a catchphrase, but she only shrugged.

“Suit yourself,” she said. “How much time do we have before the next arrival?”

This last was addressed to Miss Williams, who smiled again.

“Seventeen minutes, according to the monitor.”

“Great,” Sam said, snatching up the bag that she had dropped on the floor and hoisting it back over her shoulder. “’Cause I need to use the bathroom.”

? ? ?

Fifteen minutes later, the gathering crew had migrated to yet another gate, and now Miss Williams was holding up a sign that said “Mackenzie Gray.”

The girl who emerged through the door this time was a bit taller than Sam, her slim but well-muscled torso clearly defined beneath a tight, brown T-shirt. Her blond hair was tied up in a simple ponytail, and her blue eyes narrowed in on their group immediately. She strode toward them with quick, purposeful strides.

“Mackenzie Gray, reporting for duty, ma’am,” she said, standing stiffly before Miss Williams.

“Mackenzie,” Miss Williams replied. “I’m very pleased to meet you. I’m Christina Williams, as you have obviously deduced. But there’s no need for formality here. You may call me Christina, and these are some of your classmates for the summer: Sam, Daniel, and Roman.”

Mackenzie nodded briefly at each of them in turn, repeating their names one by one.

“Sam. Daniel. Roman.”

“Reporting for duty?” Sam said, raising an eyebrow. “Really? We’re not in the military, Private Benjamin.”

“My name isn’t Benjamin,” Mackenzie replied neutrally. She had met enough new people in her life to recognize a personality test when she saw one, and she saw this one coming from a mile away. “It’s Gray. Mackenzie Gray.”

“It’s from a movie,” Sam replied. If she was expecting a comeback, it never arrived.

“Is it a good movie? I love movies.” Her voice was all innocence and sunshine, but something in her eyes said test me all you want, little girl—I eat civilians for breakfast.

Sam didn’t answer her, so Mackenzie held her gaze a moment longer and then moved on to Daniel.

“Hi,” Mackenzie tried.

But Daniel was tongue-tied. It wasn’t that she was beautiful, although she was. It was that she looked like she knew how to break at least seven different bones in his body before he could move a muscle. The lyrics of “Fighter” by Christina Aguilera came to mind, and he had the distinct feeling that she might head-butt him to the floor at any moment, despite her calm demeanor.

He nodded, acknowledging her greeting, but he didn’t say a word.

“OK,” she said, drawing the word out so that it sounded more like, “Ohhhhh kaaaaay.”

“How about you, Roman?” she asked, moving on down the line. “Looks like I could use a friend around here. You want to be my friend?”

Roman nodded vigorously. From the moment she had walked through the door, Roman had been mesmerized. In his mind’s eye, he saw her skeleton, every bone in her body glowing with soft, white light, but that skeleton stood within a giant golden bear with its own golden skeleton, standing on its hind legs to mimic her posture, its head towering above her, every one of its huge golden bones tied to her own, as though she were some kind of cosmic puppeteer.

When she walked, the bear walked. When she spoke, the bear spoke, mirroring her movements. Bears could be protective, or terrifyingly dangerous, depending on whether they considered you a friend or an enemy. Roman absolutely, definitely, no doubt about it, wanted to be her friend.

“Good. We’re friends then.”

Roman visibly sighed in relief.

So, Mackenzie thought, the girl’s going to be a challenge, but I know how to handle sarcasm. Eventually, if I can’t befriend her, I’ll shut her out. Her choice. That Daniel guy is shy, but that’s good. The shy ones always warm up to kindness. Roman will be a good ally. I’ll look out for the kid, and Daniel will end up in my camp. Not bad for the first few minutes.

? ? ?

Twenty-six minutes later, Kaitlyn Wright flew in from Detroit.

She had hardly been able to contain her enthusiasm throughout the entire journey, having ensured before she left that her grandmother was settled and happy in their new home. She had hesitated at the last moment, hugging Grandma Maggie at least three times while the driver waited politely, but her grandmother had finally held her at arm’s length and looked her in the eye, saying, “Go live your life, Kitten. I’ll be fine here. You don’t need to worry about me anymore. Go enjoy being young for once. It will be a wonderful summer. You’ll see.”