The Similars (The Similars #1)(86)

“Half brothers,” Johnny says carefully. “We’re half brothers.”

My father looks from Johnny to Albert, and back to Johnny. The impish smile creeps over his face.

“Brothers!” he says excitedly. “Why didn’t you say so, you big dweebs?”

“We aren’t that close,” Johnny says quietly.

Albert grimaces, collecting his notebook and papers from the floor. “We’re close enough.”

“We didn’t grow up together, is what I meant.” Johnny walks to the window and stares out. I see a hint of Dark Lake through the glass. It’s twilight.

“We have different mothers,” says Albert matter-of-factly.

“Different lives,” Johnny adds, his back to Colin and Albert.

“Well, I think it’s neato,” says Colin. “You should’ve told me you’ve got family here, Johnny. It’ll make Darkwood homier, won’t it?”

Johnny turns on his heel, his eyes flashing as he stares down Colin.

“Didn’t I just tell you that Albert and I didn’t grow up together? That our lives, up until this point, have been as different as they could possibly be?”

Colin stares at Johnny, taken aback by the sting in his voice.

“You don’t have to freak out on me, man. I was only saying…”

“I should get back to the lab,” Albert says evenly. “It’s good to see you, Johnny. I’ll look for you at dinner, okay?”

Johnny shrugs. “Sure. See you later.”

Albert leaves as quietly as he came.

“I take it your brother—sorry, half brother—didn’t grow up on a cemetery?”

“No,” says Johnny Underwood. “He didn’t.”

*

The scene in front of me changes, and I have to remind myself that none of this is real. It was real, but it’s not actually happening right now, and not to me. That was my father in his dorm room, years ago, with his roommate. And not just any roommate: Johnny Underwood. Now Augustus Gravelle—Oliver’s biological father. It’s all so surreal.

Before me, the scene shows the Darkwood cafeteria. It’s dark outside, so it must be dinnertime, the first dinner of the semester. I can tell from the “Welcome Back” banner hanging over the entryway. It must still be the same day.

My father—Colin—sits at a table with a polished-looking crew. An overly confident brown-haired boy flips some playing cards on the table, slapping them down like it’s part of a game. A thin girl joins in, and she reminds me of someone else I know. That’s when I realize it’s Bianca Huxley—Madison’s mother. She was Bianca Kravitz back then. I focus on the brown-haired boy playing with the cards and decide it’s Zeke Choate—Jake’s father. Another kid sits across from Zeke. He’s on the scrawny side but has striking features. It takes me only a moment to figure out it’s Jaeger Stanwick, Pru’s dad as a younger man.

I don’t know why I’m so surprised to see them all here, sitting together. I knew they were all part of the Ten. I guess I didn’t realize they were good friends too.

“Half brothers?” Zeke jeers, slapping down another card. I can see more clearly now. He and Bianca are playing war. “And here I thought the most interesting thing about Albert was the potion he made that helps me lie without giving myself away.”

“How does it work?” asks Bianca.

“Don’t you want to know.”

Bianca doesn’t take her eyes off the cards. “When you lie, you sweat like a pig, Zeke, so I’ll have to assume the ‘potion’ Albert gave you was a good old-fashioned stick of antiperspirant.”

Zeke laughs. “Too bad you’ll never get close enough to find out. I win, by the way. Look at my pile. Way more cards than you.”

Bianca frowns. “Cheater.”

Zeke howls with laughter.

I focus on Jaeger, who clearly isn’t interested in this conversation. He looks like he’s still thinking about Colin’s news.

“All this time, Albert never told us he had a half brother,” Jaeger says. “Are you sure you heard right?”

Colin shrugs. “They have different mothers. It was all very clear.”

“Didn’t you say this new boy’s on scholarship?” Bianca asks, spitting out the words like they might contaminate her tongue. I feel my blood boiling.

“I didn’t say that,” Colin snaps. “And what’s it got to do with anything?”

Bianca nudges Colin in the ribs. Johnny approaches their table, awkwardly balancing his tray and his school satchel.

The four teens stare as he approaches, not one of them saying a word in greeting. When Johnny reaches the table, he stops, unsure of whether or not to sit.

Finally, my father speaks. “Johnny Boy! I was just telling my friends about you. This is some of the crew. Zeke, Bianca, and Jaeger.”

“Hi,” Johnny says, still frozen.

“I’m gonna let you in on a little secret, Johnny Boy.” Colin leans in conspiratorially. “They’ll never actually invite you to sit down.”

Bianca pops a fry in her mouth. “If we invited everyone to sit with us”—she gestures, indicating the rest of the dining hall—“how would anyone be able to tell who’s actually important?”