The Similars (The Similars #1)(21)

Maude takes a turn into the brush. I keep a good ten feet between us, hoping she doesn’t turn and spot me. When she reaches the water’s edge, I hang back in the trees. I cringe as I take in Dark Lake. Less than two hours ago, I was under that opaque, heavy water, gasping for breath.

I watch Maude approach two figures, and my stomach does a flip. Levi and Jago. Maude takes Jago’s hand. He holds on to hers with an ease that says they’ve done this a thousand times. They are comfortable together. They’re an item.

My eyes flick to Levi, glad that it’s dark enough I can’t be seen and that the trees provide some coverage.

That’s when it happens. It’s so quick, I almost miss it. It’s like Levi flies through the air. It’s as if he has wings.

I watch, entranced, as Levi shoots up off the ground, twisting two rotations before landing on his feet with the gentlest bend of his knees, as if the move took no effort at all. He must be doing some kind of acrobatics, and it’s clear he’s a master of the discipline, whatever it is. I’ve never seen anything like it.

“Your form was a little off,” Maude notes.

“Thanks, Coach,” Levi responds, his voice dripping with sarcasm. I find myself simultaneously repulsed by his attitude and captivated by his abilities. I’m eager to hear what he will say next.

“So, have you started yet?” she asks.

“No,” Levi says. “I haven’t. It’s a terrible thing to ask of me—of all of us. What gives him the right?”

“Oh, I don’t know…everything? The fact that he raised us? Educated us? That we wouldn’t even be here without him?” Maude snaps at him.

Jago snakes his arm around Maude’s shoulders. “Maude’s right. And even if she weren’t, we have no choice in the matter.”

Levi paces, clearly disagreeing. He stops and stands in front of the lake, running his hands through his hair. Then he starts talking again. This time, it’s harder for me to understand what he’s saying. It’s like I’ve suddenly been plunged back into Dark Lake. Levi says something about a task. About not liking what’s been asked of him. But his words sound slurred.

But wait. He’s not speaking English. He’s speaking French. I can tell because it’s the language I study at Darkwood. I thought I was pretty fluent, but hearing Levi speak it, I can tell he’s mastered it far better than I have. And yet, I can make out most of what he’s telling Maude and Jago, and a lot of what they say back to him. Speaking French must be another way the Similars communicate with each other. I’m intrigued, in spite of myself.

They’re talking quickly now. I’m sure I’m missing some key details, but I get the gist of their conversation. Levi fumes, declaring the whole thing deplorable, saying that he wishes they hadn’t come. Jago stays silent, while Maude makes her opinions known every few moments, reminding Levi that their guardian loves them and only wants what’s best for them.

“We’re here for a reason, Levi,” she insists. “You might be the favorite, but that doesn’t mean you can do whatever you want, whenever you want!”

The favorite? Whose favorite? Their guardian’s?

“I don’t see how I can possibly begin!” Levi explodes, finally speaking in English again. “Forget it. I’m going back to bed.”

“Levi…” Jago says. “You know it’s more complicated than that.”

“I’m done talking about this,” Levi responds, his voice gruff. He starts to walk off, right past where I’m standing in the shadows. I take a breath, too loudly, and my heart races. Levi’s heard me. He meets my eyes. We see each other. I’ve been caught.

Is he going to call me out? Tell Maude and Jago that I’ve been eavesdropping? To my surprise, he doesn’t. He walks right past me, without any other acknowledgment.

I let out a breath of relief at Levi’s retreating form and try to make sense of what I’ve heard. Who is their guardian, and what does he expect of them?

“Levi’s going to ruin it,” Maude says. “For all of us, Jago! It would be one thing if he were acting alone, but he has the rest of us to think about.”

Ruin it? Ruin what, exactly?

“It’s harder for him,” Jago replies. “Accepting our heritage and our purpose. Who we are. Why we’re here. But in the end, he can’t deny it. It’s in his bones, his very lifeblood. It’s the reason he thinks and feels and is. And none of us can stop it, even if we do irreparable harm. Even if we regret it till the day we die.”

Maude’s response is too quiet for me to hear. She leans into Jago, and he embraces her. I step back into the trees, realizing I’ve overheard something private and sacred, and possibly even terrifying. Irreparable harm? Regret? Why are the Similars here? What are they planning? Without another look back, I run through the brush to the safety of my room.





Illegal Beings


The next morning, I drag my exhausted self to American history. I assume I’ll be the first to arrive, but Theodora’s already seated, and as I catch sight of her hair, pulled back into a tight knot and pinned with barrettes, my hand flies to my own head, where I’ve tried to even out the hack job I gave myself. I’m still ashamed of what I did to her, but if Theodora’s angry at me for chopping off her locks, I’d never know it. Like the other Similars, she acts stoic and calm.