“Why didn’t you tell Detective Matthews everything you knew?” Serenity asked, heading inside Aldridge station. “What was the point of even going there then?”

“I don’t know, you tell me.” Odion rolled his eyes toward the ceiling. He dropped his coins at the ticket booth and headed down the escalator, the train just taking off from the sounds of it. “See, because of your nagging, we missed the train.”

Serenity shook her head as if missing the train was the least of her concern. “You never answered my question. I don’t even know what we’re doing here anyway.”

“I did answer your question, and you know exactly why we’re here.”

“Because you want to find some guy Apollo met down here?” she snarled. “Did he even describe to you what this guy looked like?” Serenity squinted her eyes with a look that could’ve pierced a hole through his forehead.

Odion glanced around the platform and saw some old crackhead reading a newspaper on one of the benches. “How about you stop criticizing me and trust me for once,” he said, pulling her over toward the wall beside the stairs.

“We don’t even know what this guy looks like. He could be anywhere in Toronno.”

Odion shook his head. “Apollo said he met him at this train station.”

“And that was how long ago?” Serenity looked at him as if there were a few screws loose in his head. “What makes you think he’s going to be here now? Did Apollo even tell you his name?”

Odion turned his face away. “Look, this guy Apollo mentioned is the only lead I got—”

“So why didn’t you tell Detective Matthews that when you spoke to him?”

Now she was the one who seemed to have a few screws loose. “You being for real right now?” Odion twisted his face.

“Does it look like I’m joking?”

Odion peered into both of her eyes, uncertain of whose side she was on. “Do I look like a snitch to you?” She sighed and folded her arms across her chest. “Even if I did turn into a rat, what’d you think the police are gonna do?”

“No, what are YOU going to do? What resources do you have that the police don’t? If you really wanted to provide closure for Toki’s family and justice for your foster-mother, you would’ve told the detective everything you knew instead of hanging on to your false pride.”

Odion grabbed one of her arms and was about to respond until he heard a wet, nasty cough take place behind him. He turned his head half around and watched as the crackhead rocked back and forth on the bench, beating his chest as he continued to infect the entire station with whatever it is he had. He didn’t even cover his mouth properly as he coughed. Nasty old fart.

“Let go of me.” Serenity pulled her arm out of his hand and shoulder bumped him to the side, turning her attention toward the old crackhead who entered into a coughing fit. “Are you all right?” Serenity asked, reaching into her purse for a few napkins.

“The fuck you doing?” Odion muttered. She never responded. Now all of a sudden, she’s a nurse? He scowled, cautiously making his way toward the bench. Up close, this old bum was even more sickly and unsightly than previously thought. Drool and mucus hung from his long, shaggy gray beard. His poor excuse of dreadlocks hadn’t been re-twisted since God knows when, and he clearly hadn’t seen a bathtub in his life. Not to mention the potential diseases this crackhead carried with him.

“Oh, thank you, my child,” the crackhead said, adjusting his overly large trench coat over his small body. “Not too many children these days are as kind as you are.” He smiled, wiping the mucus that drizzled off his beard. Odion looked away, his stomach curling at the sight of it.

“I do whatever I can,” Serenity said. “I can’t say the same for some other people I know.” Odion turned his head, and Serenity took a glance over to make sure Odion knew she was referring to him. You little …

“It’s okay, my boy,” the crackhead said, folding his newspaper. “I promise you I’m not contagious.” Like I’m gonna believe that. Odion scoffed at his remark as the old fart wiped his lips and cleared his throat. The crackhead laughed. What did he find so funny? “You look very familiar,” the crackhead said, sticking his face out. “Ah yes, now I remember.” He chuckled to himself like he was hiding a secret. “You’re the identical twin of that boy I met a few weeks ago. A proper head on that one. Very analytical.”

Odion widened his eyes. Surely he couldn’t have been talking about …

“Apollo!” The crackhead looked to the ceiling, wiggling his mouth like he wanted to say more. “I think that was his name ….”

Odion shared a glance with Serenity. This was the man Apollo was talking about! “You’re—”

“I am many things, but an old fool, an old fart and a crackhead I am not.” He laughed again. “And please stop calling me a bum. Believe it or not, it does hurt my feelings.”

Odion took a deep breath to compose himself. He didn’t want to look down at his hands, but he felt them trembling at his sides. So many questions flooded his mind. Odion didn’t know where to begin.

“Perhaps its best you start from the beginning.” The old man chuckled.

“So … you know Apollo?” Serenity asked, her voice fluctuating as if nervous.

“Well … I wouldn’t say I know Apollo, but we’ve met before.”

“When you saw him did he tell you where he was going?” Serenity asked, the upper half of her body leaning toward him with her hands firmly placed on her lap. Why was she so enamored with this old man’s presence? He could’ve been … no, no, be careful of your thoughts. He can read my mind.

“Yes, yes!” The old man’s golden-green eyes lit up like the Toronno Sky Tower on New Year’s Eve. “A fast learner, I see.” The way he looked at Odion was like he was looking through his soul. “He was heading downtown, I think.” He looked up to the ceiling again, stroking his beard, mumbling unintelligible words to himself. “Mmm, yes, it was downtown because I told him that’s where all the youngsters congregated when they come here.”

“Did he tell you the reason why he came here?” Serenity asked.

The old man tilted his head side to side, screwing his face a little. “He didn’t need to. I already saw it in his eyes.” You probably already knew where he was going anyway. “That I did.” The old man looked at Odion and nodded.

“What’s going on between you two?” Serenity pointed back and forth between the two of them.

“Oh, it’s nothing—”

“He can read my mind,” Odion said, his voice fluctuating. “And yours.” He looked at Serenity. “Apollo told me when they’d first met, he was able to read him like an open book.”

“Well, we are cosmotans after all.” The old man looked at them with a grandfatherly smile.

“So you guys really do exist.” Serenity exclaimed, looking to Odion afterward.

“I know for some people it is hard to believe,” the old man pierced a thorough look at Odion, “but we do. Which is why I am here.” His face turned serious.

“Why did Apollo come here?” Odion asked the question like it was stuck down his throat. “And what sort of demonic powers did you give him?”

“Demonic powers that I gave him?” The old man’s grayish brows loomed over his eyes like he was disappointed with the question. “I can assure you I did no such thing. You two were born with these gifts. They are not demonic by any means despite what others say about us. Sometimes, cosmotan’s won’t truly manifest their power until their mid to late teens.” He pointed to Odion. “Other times they’ll manifest their power long before they hit puberty—which is what happened with Apollo. Only in extreme cases will a cosmotan manifest their power right from birth, which at that point there’s a great chance they possess what I like to call ‘Divine DNA,’ but that’s a story for another time.”

“You never answered my question.” Odion didn’t appreciate the way his voice sounded so shaky.

The old man smiled. “Forgive me. When you reach my age, your memory isn’t as fresh as it used to be. What was your question again?”

“Why did Apollo come here?” Odion asked again, putting more emphasis on his voice.

“Well,” the old man paused for a moment as if he were having a debate in his mind, “he was trying to get away from you.” Serenity turned and cut her eyes at Odion. “You’re the one who drove him away. I must admit that I was surprised you never noticed this at first, but then again, I suppose you never cared to begin with. After all, you’ve always wanted him out of your life. Interestingly enough, now that he is, you choose to seek his whereabouts.” The old man laughed until he coughed. “Funny how life works, eh? If this were a theatrical play, I’d entitle it ‘Irony at Its Finest.’” His slender hand glided across the air as he said each word.

For him to sit there and make a mockery of the situation was nauseating. Did he not understand what was at stake here? He obviously didn’t care. Hindsight’s twenty-twenty, and Odion had no one else to blame but himself for allowing Apollo to become the monster that he is, but for this old crackhead to blatantly take him for a fool was unacceptable.

“You know where he is right now, don’t you?” Odion asked as a pang of anxiety circulated through him.

The old man reached into his pocket and took out a case to store his glasses in. “You wouldn’t believe me even if I told you,” the old man said, his case making a clicking sound when it closed.

“Please, sir,” Serenity pleaded. “We would really like to know before he does anything reckless.”

“It is much too late for that, I am afraid.” The old man turned to grab the cane that rested against the wall beside him. He let out a long groan as he gingerly rose from the bench. “You only have yourselves to thank for creating that monster, as some of you like to call him.”

“That’s why I need to find him,” Odion said with a lot more energy this time. “If I don’t find him quickly, he’ll go on another killing spree.”

“On another killing spree, you say.” The old man stopped and turned around, leaning all of his weight onto his cane. “Is that a fact or a belief?”

“What?” Odion twisted his face into confusion.

“Is what you say a fact, or is it a theory you have told yourself enough times you have started to believe it?”

Odion narrowed his eyes at the old man, locking his teeth together. Why was this old man so damn enigmatic?

“You are under the impression Apollo mercilessly ended the lives of those students at school, particularly your best friend.” Odion clenched his fist painfully tight at the comment. “I can assure you he had nothing to do with that incident.”

“That’s a lie!” Odion said. “Apollo had everything to do with that incident. The evidence was written on pieces of paper for everyone to see. He even told me himself. For you to suggest otherwise is stupid!”

“If you insist.” The old man shrugged, heading toward the stairway. His cane tapped on the ground with each slow stride.

No, you will not walk away from me without giving me some answers! Odion walked ahead of him to block his path. “You will tell me where Apollo’s hiding!” He pointed at him.

“Odion, show some respect!” Serenity yelled from the bench.

“You have no idea what these past couple of weeks have been like for me!” Odion’s lips quivered, his hand shaking more noticeably now. “You don’t know what it feels like to lose your home, to bury your best friend, to see your mother in the hospital recovering from an assault caused by a psychopath! And then to be told you’re just a freak like your brother, you don’t understand any of it!”

“And whose fault is that?” The old man looked at him with an expressionless stare. “I send my deepest condolences, but I have been called many names, have lost many homes in my lifetime, and buried more friends and family than I care to remember,” the old man said. “What you are experiencing at the moment is the same type of pain Apollo’s been experiencing since the unfortunate events regarding Margaret and Hubert Watkinson.” Odion almost choked on his saliva. He really does know about our childhood! “Now you understand what it feels like to be all alone. You claim you seek Apollo because you want to avenge your friend’s death. And for what he did to Marcella Rosenbaum,” he tilted his head sideways, “but you and I know there’s something far deeper troubling you. Something so frightening that if it came to fruition, it would shatter the foundations of your reality as you know it.”

Odion’s knees suddenly became like wet noodles. Irrespective of the old man’s mind-reading capabilities, how could he know so much about Odion’s past when they’ve never met before? No, this man was a liar! It was all psychological manipulation, nothing more.

“It’s not easy believing in something and then finding out all of it was a lie.” The old man walked past Odion and paused on one of the steps. “But, you need to stop running away from what you are and accept that you’re not like the rest of humanity.”

“There ain’t nothing to accept,” Odion said, stumbling over his words. “You, Apollo, and I ain’t alike in any way, shape, or form. You got that?” he said with more emphasis, though it still didn’t sound convincing enough.

“If you continue to go down this path,” the old man paused, “your deepest fears will manifest themselves into reality, which by then you would have already jeopardized the lives of yourself and those who are just like us.” His tone was ominous. “There are far more powerful people coming … for all of us. So whether you accept it now or later isn’t any of my concern. But you will accept it.”

Odion’s ears twitched. “Wh-what do you mean? Who’s coming for us?” His voice quavered.

“In a few days, your brother will be on every news station across the world, attracting the attention of some of the most dangerous entities residing in it.” Odion felt something dire growing out of the man’s eyes. “There are events that have been set in motion which will lead to another war. One that I am not certain we are capable of winning. You and Apollo have a significant role to play in it, as does she,” he said, turning his eyes to Serenity. “Make sure you take great care of her.”

Odion’s mouth dropped open, his brows twitching.

“If you and Apollo don’t get your acts together, our lives will be forfeit,” the old man said.

Odion watched him gingerly climb the stairs, one step at a time until he disappeared out of sight. What did he mean by war? He had half a mind of running up the stairs, asking him what he meant. If you continue to go down this path, your deepest fears will manifest themselves into reality, which by then you would have already jeopardized the lives of yourself and those who are just like us. What exactly did he mean by that?

“Who’s coming for us?”

#

There are far more powerful people coming … for all of us.

“Odion.” Serenity waved her hand to get his attention. “You’ve been quiet ever since we left Aldridge station. What’s on your mind?” She took another bite of her submarine sandwich.

Odion looked around the crowded food court of the Toronno Shopping Center. “I don’t … I don’t know what to do anymore.” He massaged his temples. “I don’t know what to do, who to believe, who to trust, where to look, where to go … I just don’t know anymore.”

“What did that gentleman say to you when you were both near the stairway?”

“A lot of things.”

“Like what?” Serenity asked, sipping on her sugarcane juice.

“He told me there were events set in motion which will lead to another war, and that if Apollo and I didn’t get our acts together, he wasn’t sure if we’d be capable of winning it.”

Serenity arched both of her brows. “Another war?” she said, using a napkin to dab softly against her lips. “Well, did you ask him what he meant by that?”

Odion shook his head. “Nah, but he did say …” you and Apollo have a significant role to play in it, as does she. Make sure you take great care of her. Odion looked at Serenity sideways. Why would he say that? What sort of role could she have played in all this when she was—as far as he was concerned—only human?

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Serenity asked. “Is there something on my face?”

Odion took a deep breath and exhaled. “Nah … I was just thinking about the way he was able to read my mind, choosing to focus on certain parts of my past.” He curled his mouth, thinking of Apollo. “Of our past,” he said, correcting himself. “I mean, how did he know Apollo and I were foster children? I ain’t never seen this man in my life, and yet he knew almost everything about me.”

“Well, of course, he did,” Serenity said before taking another bite of her submarine. “You just said he was able to read your mind, so of course he’d know.” She covered her mouth as she chewed.

“But there were certain events that happened in my life I wasn’t thinking of at the time, and yet he picked them out as if they were stamped on my forehead.”

“Or were you?” Serenity lifted her eyebrows. “You may not have been thinking about them consciously, but subconsciously you were.” Odion took a moment to evaluate her comment, eventually nodding his head to her point. That might’ve been the case, but only the old man knew for certain. “In any case, he did confirm what I was trying to tell you the other night.”

“Which was?”

“That you and Apollo were classified as cosmotans.”

“Don’t call me that,” Odion said, bitterly.

Serenity looked at him with that same judging expression in her eyes whenever they were about to get into an argument. “Are you still going to sit there and deny what you are?”

“Deny what I am?” Odion exclaimed. “I know what I am, and I know who I am. I don’t need anybody to tell me that, least of all some old fart I just met a half hour ago.”

“Why does it anger you so much, knowing you possess abilities the majority of us only wished we had?” Serenity tilted her head and squinted her eyes. “You’re acting as if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness, and the doctor gave you only so many days to live. Explain it to me.”

Odion sat back in his seat and looked away. “You wouldn’t understand.”

“Try me,” Serenity said. “You’re always assuming things you don’t know. Try me.”

“Forget it.” Odion shook his head, folding his hands on top of the table. “I don’t wanna talk about this no more.”

“This has clearly been troubling you for quite some time, so talk to me.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.”

“Yes, there is.”

Odion stared into her eyes. “When was the last time you heard from Donovan?”

Her face changed to one of confusion. “What?”

“Not that I really care, but out of curiosity. When was the last time you heard from him?”

Serenity sat back and folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t know,” she said, knitting her brows together. “I deleted his number and removed him from all of my social media accounts a long time ago. Why?”

“See how quickly your body language changed when I mentioned his name?” Odion asked. “Just the thought of him irks your soul.” He pointed to his head. “That’s how I feel anytime someone mentions Apollo and brings up this bullshit about being a cosmo-whatever the hell you call ’em. It irks my soul having to be compared to those people or beings or whatever they consider themselves.”

“But—”

“And that ain’t even the half of it,” Odion said. “What’s gonna happen once Marcella finds out I’m one of these freaks? Then what? You really think she’s gonna wanna live with someone like that? She’s gonna throw me right back into foster care!”

Serenity rubbed the back of her neck. “She … she doesn’t have to know. You could keep a secret.”

“Keep it a secret?” Odion threw his hands to the side. “And how long do you think that’s gonna last?”

Serenity turned her face away.

“Sooner or later, the Ontario Association of Children’s Aid Societies are gonna get suspicious and probably incite an investigation as to why I keep going back into their foster program. Do you not see how royally fucked I am?” His hands started to shake along the table. “You remember what you said that day you told me Apollo nearly killed Donovan at school?” Odion saw her eyes twitch for a second. “Do you?”

Serenity looked at him briefly before taking another sip of her sugarcane juice. The guilt was bleeding out of her eyes.

“Do you remember?” Odion closed his fist, tempted to bang it against the table. Serenity looked away toward the escalators. “Answer me!”

“I was scared,” Serenity barked, looking around the food court to see if anyone heard her. “My intention wasn’t to hurt you, but I was scared … all right. I said I was sorry.”

“Scared of what exactly?” Odion stuck his face out and turned his ear toward her.

Serenity ran a hand over her hair, brushing it back a few times. “I told you already,” she muttered.

“That I possessed whatever Apollo had and that I was capable of doing the same thing, right?” Odion stared at her for a long moment before shaking his head, chuckling out of disbelief. “And this is coming from somebody I’ve known basically all my life. So if you can say that, what’d you think people who don’t know me are gonna say?”

“Since when do you care about the opinions of other people?” Serenity unfolded her arms and rested them on top of the table.

“This stretches deeper than just the opinions of other people. This is about how society will react. How’d you think the public will react if every time they log onto social media or watch through the news, these cosmotans committing such deadly acts of murder?” Odion waited a moment to let his question sink in. “They’re gonna have the same response you had toward me. ‘Stay away from me! You could be dangerous!’” He imitated her voice. “Society’s gonna believe all cosmotans are criminals. They’re gonna fear ’em, which means they’re gonna fear me, which ultimately means they’re gonna hate me.” Odion threw his hand in the air just as Serenity was about to respond. “I already have people look at me funny ’cause my skin’s too dark. What’d you think’s gonna happen once they find out I’m a nigga with superpowers?”

Serenity frowned at him. “Stop talking like that. You’re starting to sound like Donovan.”

“But is it not true?”

Serenity finished the last bite of her sandwich and folded her submarine paper into her tray. “Look … let’s focus on your foster-mother first and see to it she’s okay before worrying about what’s going to happen to you. I think you’re a bit paranoid, if I’m being honest.”

Serenity stood to her feet, and Odion reached to grab hold of her arm. “I don’t think you fully understand what’s going on here,” he said, darting from one of her eyes to the next. “You’re the only true friend I have left. I don’t got no one else. All my other homies are either dead or in jail, and once Marcella regains her full memory, there’s a chance I’ll end up living in another foster home. I need your help, and badly.”

Serenity stared at him for a few seconds before slowly pulling her arm away, dusting off her tray into the garbage. “I … I need to use the restroom.”

Odion watched as she headed down the center aisle of the food court and into the restroom. He smacked his fist against the table and pursed his lips together. What am I gonna do now? Odion lifted his head and rested his chin in his palm, bouncing his knees. How the hell did he manage to find himself in this mess? An upcoming war, people whom he didn’t even know coming for him, or them, or whatever the hell was going on. Serenity’s reluctance to help him, the possibility of being sent back into a foster home. What the fuck am I gonna do! Odion took out his iPhone to check the time: 2:17 p.m.

Just as he restored his iPhone into his pocket, a girl wearing a white undershirt and brown khakis gawked at him as she walked down the aisle, and into the open center area of the food court. Odion questioned whether or not he may have known her from somewhere, but he couldn’t recall exactly. The way she was staring at him he would’ve sworn they were past lovers.

“Apollo?” she called out, her face oozing with shock. “Is that you?” She cupped her mouth with both of her hands, slowly shuffling her feet toward him. How does she …

She stuck out her face and squinted her eyes as she got closer, a heart-shaped pendant dangling from around her neck. “Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she said, placing one hand on her chest and the other one outstretched in front of her. “You look exactly like somebody I’ve met before.”

Odion contemplated whether or not he should’ve said anything. She may know where Apollo’s hiding. “That’s ’cause he’s my brother,” he said, cringing on the inside. “How do you know him?”

“Oh … he never told me he had a twin,” she said. “He came to my workplace a few weeks ago … and we kind of just hit it off. I heard something happened at the hospital he was admitted to and I haven’t heard from him since.”

Odion held eye contact with her and felt his stomach muscles tighten. “How’d you know he was in the hospital?”

“Are you ready to go?” Serenity’s voice emerged from behind. She smiled courteously at the girl standing in front of him.

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, I’m Joy.” She extended her hand toward Serenity, and both of them exchanged pleasantries.

“Odion,” he said, shaking Joy’s soft hand.

“When you see Apollo again, could you tell him I said hi? He’s been on my mind ever since I saw him at the hospital. I only hope he’s okay.”

“Wait, what?” Serenity’s face drew long. “You know Apollo also?”

Joy ran a hand through her blond dyed streaks. “I wouldn’t say that, but we met at my workplace a few weeks ago. I was just telling your boyfriend—”

“Oh, we’re not dating,” Serenity said. “We’re just friends.”

Odion wiggled his mouth, nose burning. He felt his eyes twitch a little bit but surprisingly managed to keep his composure.

“Oh … I’m sorry,” Joy said.

Odion watched the pity grow in her eyes as they both glanced at each other. This is fucking awkward. “When was the last time you saw or spoke to Apollo?”

“The last time I saw Apollo was the day before the explosion took place,” Joy said.

“Wait, so did Apollo tell you he was in the hospital?” Serenity asked.

“No, actually, I received a phone call from the hospital.” Joy looked away to the side, her mouth pursed. “I was worried because I’d thought something happened to one of my parents, but they’d told me to come in because the police wanted to ask me a few questions.”

“The police?” Serenity sounded surprised.

Odion closed his eyes and waved his hands in the air, shaking his head. “Hang on a minute, ’cause this ain’t making any sense. You said you met Apollo at your workplace, right?”

“Correct.” Joy nodded.

“Where is it you work again?” Odion asked.

“I work at the Digitronics on Dulligan St.”

So you mean to tell me you drove all the way from Toronno to Sauga just to visit Apollo? This girl isn’t serious about life. “How did the hospital get your number, and why did the police wanna talk to you?” Odion narrowed his eyes, awaiting her answer.

Joy looked toward the ceiling, her face straining from thinking. “I’ve asked myself that question many times. The only thing I can think of is the day after he came to my workplace, we’d coincidentally bumped into each other at this food court. I remember giving him my number before he left.” Joy’s eyes looked off to the side again. “We … sort of had an impromptu lunch date.”

“Aww, that was sweet,” Serenity said. Odion rolled his eyes.

“Mm-hmm, but aside from that, I’m not sure how else they would’ve gotten my number,” Joy said.

“What’d the police ask you?” Odion said before Serenity had the chance to open her mouth again.

“The usual.” Joy bobbed her head casually. “Name, date of birth, where we met, how long we’ve known each other, if I knew any of his friends or family members that they could contact. Things like that.”

“Did Apollo say anything to you at all while you were there?” Serenity asked.

“Unfortunately not.” Joy shook her head, frowning. “The doctor looking after him told me he’d been in a coma for over a week.”

“In a coma?” Serenity echoed as if the very thought seemed impossible. The real tragedy was Apollo woke up from his coma.

“Mm-hmm.” Joy nodded. “It was only on the Friday morning when he opened his eyes, and even then, he still wasn’t all that conscious. At least when I was there. I had to leave earlier in the afternoon because of work in the evening, and you know what traffic on the highway can be like on weekends.”

Odion watched the both of them frown, sigh, and shake their heads. Had Apollo died in the hospital, Toki, along with the other students he murdered, would’ve still been alive right now, and Marcella would’ve been at home watching television in the living room. Instead, she was the one cooped up in some fucking hospital, looked after by a cunt who claimed to be a physician. Odion wasn’t about to join their pity party. “All right, it’s time to bounce.” Odion stood from his seat, bowing his head gracefully at Joy. “Nice speaking to you.” He forced a smile.

“Oh yes, likewise!” Joy said. “Please,” she pulled out an iPhone from her back pocket, “take my number and keep me informed on Apollo’s status. I really do hope he’s okay, wherever he is.”

“Ugh—”

“Certainly.” Serenity stepped in, pulling out her iPhone from her purse. Odion looked on in disgust as they exchanged numbers. “We’ll definitely keep in touch,” Serenity said, waving goodbye. “That was sweet of her to check in on Apollo, especially driving from all the way down here. But in a coma? Did you know anything about this?” Odion pretended as if he hadn’t heard her, scrolling through his iPhone. “Odion, I asked you a question.”

“Sorry, what?”

“Did you know Apollo slipped into a coma while he was in the hospital?” Her tone was sharper the second time.

“Nah.” Odion shook his head almost to an exaggeration. He could feel her eyes piercing the side of his head with that look she had every time she suspected him of lying. “What I do know, is it proves my theory correct yet again.”

“Which is?”

“That a lot of weird shit happens whenever Apollo is involved.” Odion turned his iPhone off and shoved it into his pocket.

“You just never seem to give up, do you?” Serenity stopped and looked at him for a moment.

“Miss me with that nons—”

“You keep telling me I’m the one who’s in denial, but clearly, it’s you who’s in denial.” She poked him hard on the chest. “Your hatred for Apollo has become so toxic that anytime someone sheds light on him, you automatically disregard their information, believing that your judgment couldn’t possibly be wrong.”

“Listen here and listen well.” Odion leaned into her face, eyes darting from one to the other. “You, that girl, or anyone else for that matter, have no idea what that monster’s capable of. You saw what he did to that hospital room, and you saw what he did to everyone at school.”

“Oh, stop it—”

“I’m trying to prevent a cataclysmic event from happening here, and if I don’t stop him now, all of our lives will be in danger!”

“You sound ridiculously paranoid,” Serenity said. “And conflicted.”

“How so?” Odion twisted his face.

“Don’t give me that all of our lives will be in danger bullshit because you know that’s not true. I know what Apollo’s capable of because I’ve seen it firsthand, but if he were as big of a monster as you make him out to be, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Odion grabbed hold of her arm and pulled her back in just as she was about to walk off. “Don’t you dare walk away from me,” he said. “You believe all these disasters happening around Apollo are merely coincidences: what happened at school, my foster-mother, the explosion he caused at the hospital. You believe what you want to believe, but God forbid something happens don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Serenity briefly glanced at her arm. “That’s the second time you’ve grabbed me like that today, and then you wonder why I’m reluctant to be around you,” she said. “Don’t plead and beg for my help one minute, then turn around and order demands the next. You should consider yourself lucky my parents were thoughtful enough to offer you a room while your foster-mother recovers from the hospital, you ungrateful asshole.”

Serenity ripped her arm away and walked off. Odion felt a pang of fury twist his face into something ugly. She was right, though. Marcella always used to say, ‘Never bite the hand that feeds you.’ At the moment, Serenity and her family were more than feeding him. I can’t afford to overstep my boundaries, or else I’ll be living on the streets. Odion sighed and began to push himself forward. Life was shit when you had no options.

The sooner all of this was over, the better.

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