Toxic (Denazen #2)(27)

Kale sighed. He wasn’t defensive or apologetic. Just matter-of-fact. “I don’t like him.”

Looking from Kale to Alex, Ginger said, “I don’t like cabbage. Do you see me taking on the produce section of the food store?”

I couldn’t help the giggle that slipped from my lips. A mental image of Ginger beating down a horde of cabbage as a swarm of carrots parachuted down from planes circling above popped into my head.

Kale narrowed his eyes. “He’s irritating.” He stood and started to pull up the hem of his shirt. “And he stabbed me.”

Alex rolled his eyes. Grabbing another tissue, he dabbed the corner of his forehead. “And you’re still alive. Time to get over it.”

Kale held his hand out to Ginger. “Fine. Give me something sharp. If I stab him, then we’ll be even.”

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’m not dealing with this anymore. Detention. All four of you.”

“Four?” Jade whined. “I didn’t do anything. I never even left the building!”

“Detention? This isn’t even real school!” I cried.

Ginger ignored Jade and glared at me. “Oh, it’s real,” she said. “And so is detention. As for you—” She turned on Alex. “I allowed you to be here as a favor. So far, you’ve made me regret it. I suggest that for the rest of the day, you remove yourself from my hotel so I don’t beat you bloodier with my cane.”

Alex didn’t argue. He stood, flicked the bloody tissue into the trash next to Kale, and stormed out the door without a word to anyone.

Jade snorted. “Nice going, Dez. Can’t you get through one day without causing trouble?”

I stared. Was she kidding? “You’ve been here, what, like twenty-four hours? Already I wanna kill you.”

“Disappointed to find the world doesn’t revolve around you? I’m here, and I’m not going anywhere. Deal with it.”

I took a step toward her. “Wanna bet?”

“Enough!” Ginger boomed. “Do I have to chain you each to a different corner of the room?”

After a few moments of silence, she asked, “Was anyone hurt?”

“Sadly, no,” Kale mumbled. He folded his arms and looked toward the door with a sulky expression. “I’ll have to try harder next time.”

…

I was sitting in the dark when Mom came into the room.

“Ginger told me what happened,” she said, settling on the edge of my bed. “What were you thinking?”

“Please don’t lecture me. I—”

“No lecture,” she said, voice low. The lights flickered on, and I cringed against the sudden brightness. “Just a set of simple instructions that you are to follow no matter what.”

I blinked as my eyes adjusted. Her tone was a little scary, and the look on her face? If Dad had ever pinned me with an expression like that, I would have thought twice about stepping out of line.

“Listen carefully because I’m never going to repeat this. You are to stay away from all things Denazen. That means obeying the curfew Ginger has set for the hotel, staying away from all unknown Sixes, and most of all, no more stupid rescue stunts.”

It took me a moment to find my voice. Granted, we hadn’t known each other long, but I’d never seen this side of Mom. All business with an undertone of something else. Something dangerous. “I thought it was really you. I couldn’t just stand there—”

“Yes. You could. And next time, you will. It doesn’t matter if it’s me, or even if it’s Kale.”

I sucked in a deep breath and held it. It’d be way too easy to say the wrong thing here. On one hand, Mom was na?ve. On the other—and I loved her no matter what—I still wondered when she might snap. Living free from Denazen’s iron thumb didn’t sit as well with her as it did with Kale. She became easily stressed and moody over seemingly insignificant things. Suzie Homemaker one minute—last week she’d tried to get me to make cookies with her—then pacing the hotel room like a caged cheetah on crack the next. And her nightmares? Let’s just say we’d had the nightstand between our beds replaced three times already.

“Why were you sitting in the dark?”

“Seemed like a more productive use of my time than teaching goldfish to swim.”

She tilted her head, confused.

“I was told not to interrupt Kale and Jade.” It was going on eight p.m., and I hadn’t spoken to or seen Kale since I left him in the conference room with Jade. At dinner, Rosie left to bring them their food, cheerfully stating they were too busy to stop.

“Oh.” Mom hesitated, fidgeting with the corner of her bedspread. “Do you want to talk?”

“Nothing to say, really.”

The look of relief on her face almost made me laugh. Mom wasn’t in to the whole express your feelings thing. “So I think I’m supposed to say something here.”

“Something?”

“About fighting?”

“Technically, I wasn’t fighting.”

Her expression hardened. In a single beat of my heart, she was back to danger Mom. “Cut the crap, Dez. I’m trying to be serious.”

I sat up straight and flinched. “Ouch.”