“Hm.” That’s what I think about that answer. It’s not that I need Nick to do anything. I can do everything myself. But that’s not the point, is it?
We were supposed to go together. And now Chek just shows up out of nowhere and plans get erased?
It’s like… what the hell?
I’m annoyed.
Life with no Lauren? That I would not mind too much. I mean… she’s cute and all, but she’s a little brat. And she has so many opinions. And a lot of the time, Nick lets her have those opinions. But she looks like me. And people, when we’re out places, they think we’re sisters because we both come from that Zero bloodline. All of us have blonde hair, but Nick has brown eyes and Lauren and I both have blue eyes. Sometimes they think Nick is my dad, but he’s not really old enough to have a kid my age. So I think they probably assume he’s my brother. Or uncle, maybe.
The point is, we look like a family.
Chek and I don’t look alike at all. He’s bald. Well, he shaves his head. And he’s got all those tattoos. When people see us together, I’m pretty sure they think he kidnapped me. But he’s too scary-looking—and I’m too creepy—for people to care enough to start asking questions.
When I’m with Nick and Lauren, people always want to talk to us. They want to stop and coo in Lauren’s face. They want to smile at Nick because even though they should be afraid of him, no one is afraid of him. If these strangers are young women, they want to flirt with Nick. And they want to talk to me too. They ask me things. Things like where do I go to school, and how old am I, and what is my name.
And then I get to tell them. I say, “I’m homeschooled, I’m nine—until today, now I’m ten—and my name is Wendy.” I’m not creepy when I’m with Nick and Lauren. I’m just Wendy.
No one thinks I’m creepy when I’m with Nick.
I’m just a little girl to them. Like every other little girl.
And I have to say, I’ve gotten used to that over the past however many months we’ve been on the road together. So this is what I tell Nick Tate on my tenth birthday. “Maybe I don’t want to work for Chek anymore?”
Nick picks Lauren up and turns to face me. “What?”
“You heard me. Maybe I want to stay with you.”
Nick sucks in a deep breath. Then he comes over to my bed and sits down. Lauren squirms out of his arms and begins crawling over me, which momentarily makes me smile. “I don’t think I’ve told you thank you, Wendy.”
“Don’t thank me,” I snarl. “I don’t want to be thanked. When people say thank you it means something is over and I don’t want this to be over.”
His hand reaches for me. He slides my messy hair away from my eyes. “Don’t worry. You’re not getting away that easy.”
I push his hand away and sit up in bed. “What’s that mean?”
“It means I still need you. And I told Chek that. I mean…” He sighs a little and looks at Lauren. “I can do it.” He nods his head, like he’s talking himself into this idea. “But I think I do it better when you’re helping me.”
I wrinkle my nose at him. “I barely do anything.” Which is the truth. I do not change diapers unless Nick is not here. He does all of it, really. Unless he’s not here. “Wait,” I say. “You’re going back to work too? Is that why you’re worried? You need me to babysit?”
Nick actually laughs. “No. I’m not going back to work. I just think… we’re just…” He sighs again.
I point my finger at him. “You like me.”
“Sure. I like you, Wen. I know you’re just a kid, but we both know you’re not really just a kid. And you have good ideas, and good opinions, and great instincts.”
“Hm.” I think about this for a moment. “We’re friends.”
“Yeah,” he says. “We’re friends. But you have to go back to Chek.”
“Because he owns me.”
Nick doesn’t answer right away. But he doesn’t have to. I know that Chek owns me. I was only five when he came and rescued me from that horrible place far away, and that was half my lifetime ago. But I remember what he said. I remember the part about ownership, and duties, and jobs, and training, and listening. And all of that came true. It’s not like I even mind much. I love Chek. And I know that once we’re back together I will never think about Nick and Lauren Tate again until we’re face to face one day and I don’t have a choice.
But if I could pick, I would stay here with them.