Odin's Murder

Trouble is right.

“He’s a better choice than last summer,” Julian says. “She spent the first two weeks glued to Marcus, and I spent the last two finishing his work on our project because he decided to sabotage it out of spite. I’d rather not have to repeat that situation.”

“Marcus? The one from my fight? They dated?” Jeremy said Marcus had had a ‘thing’ for her.

“Dated. Hooked up. Summer fling. Whatever you want to call it. My sister has an astounding memory. Give her an encyclopedia and she can recall every image. Take her to a museum? Each stroke on every painting. But a guy? They are used and forgotten in minutes. Marcus didn’t see it coming.”

“So she dumped him.”

He gives a tight nod. “Hard.”

“Why? What did he do to her?”

He looks at me, eyes hawk sharp, then shrugs. “They never really do anything. That’s the problem. She just gets bored.”

“So what do you expect me to do?” I stop him at the classroom door. “Be her damned babysitter or something? Her warden? I’m sure she’d really be into that.”

“Just keep her focused. I’m telling Faye the same thing.”

I stare at Julian. “So you’re telling me to keep Memory occupied on the project, not to touch her and make sure she stays out of trouble, right?”

“Right.”

“Isn’t that Jeremy’s job?”

“Yeah, it should be, shouldn’t it? She’ll use him up and spit him out just like the others.” Julian sighs, and rolls his eyes, same expression as his sister. “He’s alright. He’s a graduate of the program.”

My turn for eye rolling, but he stops me.

“His project article on comparative cultural archetypes got him a free ride to grad school. That’s money, dude. I have no idea why it’s so unimportant to you, or why you even came here, but this class is currency.” The kid is as naive as a first timer in the detention yard, but there is hard iron in his eyes. “Do not screw it up for me.”

I sigh and rub my hand over my head. “Fine. But you’re asking me to walk a fine line.”

“Just think of it as another fantastic challenge at SHP,” he grins, and slides into his seat.

I try to picture myself at a university, strutting around in a tie, toting a backpack full of books rather than swiped knives.

My social worker would pass out cold.

10.

Matter

“Guys, you’ve got to hear this,” I say, running into the room. I toss my bag on the table and flip through the book from Dr. A.

“What is that?” Julian asks, making a grab for the book. I twist out of his way.

“Just listen,” I say and begin to read out loud. “The often overlooked Fourth Edda portrays Odin in a less loving light—”

“Odin?” Ethan says. “Like Thor’s father? The guy with the hammer? I had those comic books.”

“The comics and the movies are based on the Old Norse poetic sagas,” I say. Faye nods.

“What Fourth Edda?” Julian steers us back on topic. “I’ve never heard of that—”

“Shhh! It’s not very well known. Now listen: ‘The All-Father had a fierce battle with his son Yvengvr, who, desiring a portion of his father’s power, seduced the witch Mimir, a paramour of Odin’s, in order to bargain for a higher throne in the Aesir.’”

“What’s the ayzeer?” Ethan asks. He looks rough, his eyes dark and tired over the soda can he sips from.