Page 39 of Resolve
“Come on.” Rather than lie to her, I detangle from Portia and start filling my arms with food while Portia does the same. “Let’s go eat and relax. We’ll even close the door, and you can pretend they aren’t here.” I usher Alice to lead the way.
She makes a face but turns and complies, probably just to escape Jackson’s critical gaze. The bedroom is a decent size with a bed, a simple desk, and a sofa chair. There aren’t any knick-knacks or personal items, of course. Still, I see clothes on the floor and hanging in the closet, so at least she’s been given enough basic amenities to be comfortable.
Portia empties her armful of food onto the desk, grabbing a container and a pair of chopsticks before hopping onto the bed. “Finally!” She crosses her legs and digs in with a small groan. “Mmmygawd! I missed this. The chicken is so much better here.” She points her chopsticks at Alice, who’s still standing awkwardly in the middle of the room with her noodles. “Did you know they make the chicken different depending on which coast you’re on?”
Dragging the desk chair to the side of the bed, I sit and set in to consume my food as if it’s been days since I’ve eaten last.
“What is this?” Alice asks, ignoring Portia’s commentary on the food.
“What’s what?” Portia responds through a mouthful and stuffed cheeks. “Chinese food?” She swallows, then gasps, eyes growing wide. “Is this your first time?”
Alice rolls her eyes. “Not the food. This. You two. Is this some sort of interrogation technique to get me to open up and tell you what I know? Because if it is, you can leave right now. I’m not making the same mistake as Harvey. I’m not dying for you people.” Her face almost flinches as the words fall from her lips. She sucks them in and looks away.
I keep quiet, letting Portia take the lead since this is more her thing.
She laughs, and it’s such a bright and bubbly sound that I can’thelp but smile. “Oh, this is just girls’ night! I heard you were in here all alone and thought you might like some female company.”
The girl frowns. “Company to do what?”
Portia chews on her next bite and waves at us and the room. “This. Eat and talk about stuff.” When she sees Alice’s annoyed expression, she shakes her head. “We don’t have to talk about any ofthatstuff. You know, dumb, silly things. Like how one time I replaced Ethan’s body wash with latex-based glow paint on Wear White Night, and apparently, he’d layered it on thick enough that you could see his dick through his shorts all night. The worst part was that it wouldn’t wash off like I thought it would. He had to scrub a lot of it off, and even then, it took a few days. He had a date the next night, and I told him he should tell her that he had fallen into a pool of nuclear waste and now had glowing superpowers. Which wasn’t wrong!”
“Oh my god, Porsh!” I cackle.
“What?” She giggles. “How was I supposed to know he uses body wash on his dick?”
“You're a savage. Remind me to never get in a prank war with you.”
She beams. “He and I have been at this for two years now, and I still think all mine have been winners.” She swings her arm at Alice and the open sofa chair. “Sit! Sit!”
Surprisingly, she does. “I don't have any stories like that,” she admits softly.
Portia smiles. “That’s okay; they don’t have to be like that one.”
Alice grips her food. “No. I mean... I don’t have stories... at all,” she grits out like it’s painful to admit.
I nod, shifting my food around with the chopsticks. “I don’t have many, either. The ones I do have are actually from my time on theisland where we’d been kidnapped to. But I’m starting to make more here.”
“I just have my siblings. And Mom and Dad.” Her cheek indents. “They’re the only ones who know I exist.”
Portia stretches her leg out and pokes Alice’s knee with her toe. “Not anymore.” She draws it back and leans forward. “Let’s make lots of fun memories, Alice! We could go dancing together, go shopping, or just hang out eating and watching movies all day. Oh, and I could introduce you to everyone at the club, too! You’ll have loads of friends!”
“Or you could join the Guild,” I offer, and when Alice appears unconvinced, I shrug. “It’s just an option. You don’t have to be isolated anymore, not in here, and not by Charles. You could live here, pick the jobs you want, work with friends. I know they’d all be happy to have you. They welcomed me, after all, and it’s like I’ve been here all along with how they treat me. Once you’re in, you’re family.”
Chapter fourteen
Raegan
Portiakeepsthemoodlight with endless stories that have me gasping for air from laughing so hard. Even Alice caves, smiling and chuckling as much as she tries to hide it, while finally eating and then finishing her food.
“I have one memory...” Alice chimes in tentatively. Portia and I both perk up. She chews her lip and tucks a black strand of hair behind her ear. “It’s nothing funny, but... I remember playing hide and seek with Harvey and some of my brothers and sisters on the island. I must’ve been only seven or eight. Harvey was home for a bit and got all of us to play it together to practice with our gifts.” She smiles to herself. “We would have to be invisible, and he would try to find us. It was to make sure we could be quiet and not bump into things to give ourselves away.
“I went to the cliffs and to a small hole. Even though we weren’t supposed to hide like that, I really wanted to win. The rocks were slippery because it had rained earlier, and I fell in too deep. The sound of the ocean echoed in the hole, so no one could hear me cry for help. But Harvey didn’t stop looking for me.” She sniffs. “Hewas covered in dirt and scratches like he’d been checking every bush and tree for me. When he found me that night, he didn’t yell or get upset with me. He smiled and helped me out of the hole, then told me I was too good at hiding.”
A tear slips down her face. “He loved us more than our parents ever will.”
I reach for her hand and squeeze. “The first thing Harvey asked us to do when we found out he was working for Charles was to save his brothers and sisters. And I swear to you we will keep that promise.”
She nods, swiping the fallen tears from her cheeks and clearing her throat. “Just don’t get us killed for it.” Her voice is raspy yet hard, like she’s trying to put strength back into it after being so vulnerable.
