Huntsman by Cambria Hebert
7
Earth
Everyone has secrets,unspoken thoughts and feelings residing inside them. Hell, I had an entire identity no one really knew. From a very early age, I understood that when you looked at a person, what you saw was exactly what they wanted you to see. They used the more harmless parts of themselves to cover up the parts they wanted to remain hidden.
Some were better at this than others. Some were skilled at seeing beneath the façade all people wore to realize there was much more.
I prided myself on that skill. On seeing what wasn’t there. At feeling undercurrents buried deep. I observed, watched… learned. And when the information I wanted couldn’t be discovered that way, I hunted.
So this was an unexpected uppercut to the chin, snapping all my reflexes back, leaving them stunned.
I didn’t know.
How could I not have known?
Because I never doubted Neo. I never looked beneath the obvious love he had for his sister. I never questioned his motives. But now, watching this long-haired beauty sit quietly with her face turned to the sun, I began to question.
Why have I never done this before?
I was selfish. Blinded almost by my own secrets, knowing that if I dug deeper into others around me, they would react the same. How had I put so much effort into knowing my enemies, into knowing my victims, but put so little into my family?
Suddenly, there were so many questions I wanted to ask V. So much I wanted to know. I could ask Neo later. Hell, I definitely would. But it wouldn’t be the same.
Never had the saying, “There are two sides to every story,” ever strike so profoundly. I’d known Virginia for years now, but today, I realized that she was mostly a stranger. Everything I knew about her was told to me through someone else.
Could you really know a person through someone else’s eyes? It would be their version you met, which would be clouded by their own judgments.
While I respected Neo, I didn’t want that. Suddenly, knowing Virginia through him wasn’t enough. I wanted to know his sister on my own terms.
“Thank you for bringing me today. We should probably get going now so you can get back to whatever it is that you do.”
“What about you? What do you do?”
“Me?” Her brown eyes widened. I nodded, and the tip of her pink tongue jutted out to wet her lips. “Well, since therapy and my appointments are done for the day, I’ll probably, ah, read or watch Netflix. And play with Zilla.” Her eyes brightened. “Oh! I was hoping I could convince you to stop on the way back so I could get some crickets for her.”
“Crickets.”
Her head bobbed enthusiastically. “Zilla loves crickets.”
“Don’t most girls have cats?”
“I can’t have a cat or dog at the Tower.” She scowled. “Besides, what’s wrong with a gecko? They make wonderful pets!”
A light breeze kicked up, making a few loose strands of hair blow, and the petals on the flower clips decorating her braids ruffled lightly. She looks like summer. “How many?” I barked.
The smile on her lips faltered, shoulders drawing back. “What?”
My voice was strained, patience suddenly very difficult to hold on to. “How many times have you been told you won’t walk again?”
Her warm gaze became shuttered, then was taken away completely when she glanced down to her lap.
Anger forced a gruff sound out of my throat. Sliding forward on the bench, I grasped her chin, pushing it back up, forcing her to look at me. “Answer me.”
A stubborn glint sparked in the depths of her eyes. “Most people wouldn’t be so bold with their rude questions.”
“I’m not most people.”
“Around six.”
My hand fell from her chin, but her gaze stayed leveled on mine. “Is this where you pity me?”
One eyebrow arched. “Do you want my pity?”
“No.”
“Good, because I don’t pity anyone.” I cleared my throat, lapsing into silence.
Gone was the light mood from when we were talking about crickets, instead descending into an awkward silence.
“You like hot chocolate?” I asked abruptly.
“Hot chocolate?” she echoed, curious.
I nodded, flinging my hand out. “You know, like that kind Fletcher is always asking for.”
Her eyes lit up. “Oh, you mean Kismet!” She laughed, the sound sort of like the tinkling of bells. “Who doesn’t like it? Their frozen hot chocolate is legendary.”
“You’ve had it?”
Her nod was enthusiastic. “Of course. When Fletcher comes to visit, he brings it. And sometimes Neo does too.”
“Have you been to the café?”
The excitement in her eyes dimmed just a little as she shook her head. “I don’t really get out much. Neo is very overprotective.”
I made a rude sound, boots thumping on the pavement when I stood. “Well, Neo is trapped in Texas, and I can protect you no matter where we go.”
Craning her neck, she stared up wide-eyed. “You want to go to Kismet?”
“You don’t?” I countered.
A light squeal erupted, her hands slapping over the wide smile stretching over the lower part of her face. “Really? Can we?”
Enthusiasm and cheerfulness made me queasy, and I liked beer, not hot chocolate. But damn if I didn’t stand on the sidewalk, practically asking for it all. “Sure. Why not?”
“I heard it’s so beautiful inside! Very eclectic and fun. I’ve always wanted to go.”
Then why hasn’t Neo taken you?
“Keep your hands and feet inside the ride at all times,” I said in lieu of a curse toward her brother. Grasping the back of the chair, I pushed her in the direction of the car.
Partway through the parking lot, she gasped, rotating at the waist to look up at me. The sun was glaring harshly down, making her squint. Shifting easily, I used my frame to block the brightest rays. “Earth? I don’t think Kismet is wheelchair accessible.”
My footsteps stalled. “What?”
“I wasn’t thinking at first, but I’ve looked it up online before. I’m pretty sure you have to go down some stairs to get inside. And it’s a fairly narrow building. I don’t think they have a ramp.”
It never even occurred to me to think of something like that. Never once did I ever wonder if I was able to go somewhere because it wouldn’t be accessible.
This is what she lives.
“So, um, as much as I would love to go, I don’t think I’ll be able. But just you asking me means so much. Thank you anyway.” Her smile was genuine, the disappointment in her voice barely there.
How many places has she wanted to go but been unable to?
Bitterness splashed the back of my throat, only to be chased back by anger. That stupid café. I’d never even stepped foot into that God-awful place before, even though it was Fletch’s favorite. He had Ethan to drag there, and before Ethan, it was Ivory who indulged him.
But who would indulge Virginia?
“Can’t get in, you say?” I scoffed. Leaning down, my lips brushed against her ear. “Oh, sprite, you have no idea who you’re dealing with.”