Split by A.M. Bryker (good books to read for beginners .txt) 📖

absolutely no way I can let him figure me out. He’s already tried once, and look where that led. If he did get lucky and found out what kind of a person I am and what I’m capable of, he would probably run away, screaming as he went. Then again, maybe that would be good thing.

     On the other hand, he might think my abilities cool and unique. I don’t wanna think about that though.

     He leads me to the parking lot, where his black Porsche Spyder 918 sits. I blink. It's still there.

     "You like it?" Justin asks as he opens the passenger door for me.

     "Nope," I reply, sliding into the plush seat.

     "No?" He asks, sounding disappointed. "Why not?"

     I smile up at him. "Because I love it."

     He laughs and shuts the door, hurrying to the other side.

     "Where'd you get this one?"

     "My dad gave it to me for my birthday last month. He's a wicked cool guy."

     And obviously rich, I muse. Out loud I ask, "Will I get to meet him?"

     He glances at me, his grin widening, and answers, "You bet'cha."

~*~

     As Justin pulls into his driveway, I stare. My mouth opens slightly, but I quickly close it again, suddenly aware of his gaze on me. Looking for a reaction.

     Turning toward him, eyebrow raised, I ask, "You expect me to go in there and study?"

     He grins. "Yup. Why wouldn't you be able to?"

     Giving him a sarcastic look, I reply, "Gee, I wonder."

     "Come on, you'll be fine," he says, laughing. "Nothing you'll do will be something someone hasn't done already. I can almost guarantee that."

     I'm not very reassured, but I allow him to coax me out of the car and to the front door of his mansion. Because that's what it is. A tall, tan-colored mansion surrounded by dozens of different flowers that sweeten the air with their fragrance. A fountain spouting water rests in the middle of the small courtyard. Glancing back at the gate we had driven through, I see trimmed trees, bushes, grass, and even more flowers on either side of it. Strange how I didn't notice them before.

     Two columns guard each side of the two tall oak doors. Justin opens one door and gestures for me to go inside. Hesitantly, I do.

     The walls are the color of cream, most of the furniture black—in the front room, anyway. Across the room is a winding staircase leading to the second—and possibly third—floor. A rectangular coffee table sits in the middle of the room, and two sofas rest on either side of it. A mirror hangs on the wall to my right and a chandelier swings gently on a breeze above.

     A bookshelf captures my attention and I walk over to it. I tilt my head to the side and read the titles. The Middle Ages, The History of the Roman Empire, and other history books grace the first shelf. The lower shelves hold more modern novels and fiction.

     "You enjoy reading, right?" Justin asks, appearing beside me.

     I nod. "I like reading fiction whenever I have the time and motivation, which is quite often. But I’m sure you knew that. I remember you telling me that you don’t like reading."

     He shrugs, and answers, "Not especially. It's my younger sister Jennifer who likes to read. She'll read anything she can get her hands on, including school books. That's probably why she always gets A’s in every subject except for PE."

     At that moment, a girl glides into the room, her brown hair pulled back into a ponytail. When she sees me her brown eyes light up and a large smile spreads across her face.

     "Hi," she says.

     "Hey," I reply, smiling back at her.

   She strides over to us, and Justin states, "This is my sister Jennifer, the bookworm I was telling you about. Jen, this is my biology partner, Jade."

     Jennifer smacks him playfully on the arm. "I know who she is. I go to school, too. Plus, she's mentioned so often around he—"

     "Jennifer," Justin quickly interrupts. "Who brought you home?"

     She points at the front door and, as if on cue, a guy walks in. A tall, broad guy. And kind of intimidating. Heck, anyone a foot and a half taller than me is intimidating if they feel so inclined to be. But his face looks friendly enough, with brown eyes, blond hair, and a bigger smile than the other two. How could I not have met him already?

     He joins our little group—making it seem bigger—and rumbles, "You must be Jade. I'm Sam."

     Unexpectedly, Sam wraps his arm lightly around my shoulders. "So how do you like the place?" He inquires.

     "Never mind that," Jennifer says before I can answer. "Are you staying for dinner?"

     "Yes," Justin answers, surprising me.

     "I am?" I ask uncertainly.

     He smiles. "Yup. I asked your mom if it was okay when I called her earlier and she said it would be fine."

     What the heck is he doing? I ask myself.

     After a few more inquiries from Jennifer and Sam, they finally feel obligated to leave so Justin and I can study. Justin leads me to one of the sofas and I sit down gratefully.

     "Sorry about that," he says, settling down beside me. "We don't have many Stones over that often."

     I laugh a little at how funny that sounded, then say, "It's okay. I found their reactions amusing. They seem fun."

     For the next hour and a half we sit there and study. When I finally glance up at the clock on the wall I'm surprised at how much time has passed.

     He looks up at me, then follows my gaze. "Wow," he breathes. "Time flew."

     Suddenly, he snaps his book shut and stands, grabbing my hand to drag me through the doors beneath the stairs, onto the patio overlooking the backyard and pool.

     "Where are we going?" I ask as he pulls me around the pool and over to a garden of flowers. And not just any flowers. These are all… tulips. Everywhere except for where a tall willow tree stands, sheltering a small wooden bench, on which sits a man and a woman holding hands, talking. The woman looks to be in her early thirties. Shoulder-length, straight brown hair frames her beautiful face, and chocolate-brown eyes gaze lovingly at the man, who looks a few years older than her, with blue eyes that gaze back at her in adoration. His blond hair is cut to a bearable length, and I can definitely see the resemblance between him and Justin.

     The woman spots us first, mutters something to the man, and they both rise from their seat to come stand before us.

     "Good evening," the woman says, smiling.

     "Mom, Dad," Justin says. "This is Jade, my biology partner."

     "She's just your bio partner?" Mr. King probes, winking.

     Justin rolls his eyes, replying, “Yes, as of a month and a half ago.”

     "I believe it's time for dinner," Mrs. King announces. "And you are accompanying us, correct?"

     I nod and we head back into the house—er, mansion—and are bombarded with the smell of food cooking. My stomach growls softly, and I hope that it wasn't audible to the ears of those around me. Then again, my hearing was enhanced (though it's not quite as bad now as it was during art class), so it's more likely that it wasn't heard by anyone else.

     Justin and his parents guide me to the dining room and we settle in on the luxurious seats around the table. Justin occupies the seat to my left, while Jen sits on the chair to my right.

     I try not to fidget. Dining with this particular wealthy family is going to be nerve-wracking. Then a thought comes to me: what if they are eating fish? Or something exotic that I have no idea how to cut properly? What if I make a fool out of myself…?

     Geez, I think to myself. Get a grip. Do you honestly believe that they'd have something exotic for dinner?   I pause. Yes.

     Trying to relax, I turn to Justin and ask, "So, what's for dinner?"

     He smiles and, winking, replies, "You'll have to see."

     Oh, great. That doesn't sound good.

     As soon as everyone is seated, people with platters start to file out of a side door that I hadn't noticed before. I sniff at the air and am surprised to smell… everything. The food, the table, the floor… Mrs. King's hairspray—and she is sitting at the far end of the table!

     I blink. When I turn to Justin again I'm attacked by the smell of his cologne. I quickly turn back around.

     What the heck is going on? Why have I been suddenly infused with the ability to smell everything? To hear insanely well? To—

     Wait a minute. Mental facepalm. Duh. All of this must coordinate with my glowing hands and my capability of making vines grow from walls to defend me from bullies in orphanages, like I did when I was younger. But why now? I don't understand why I'm a freak, but that is what I officially think of myself at this moment.

     I take a deep breath through my mouth. Big mistake. I taste everything I had smelled and almost gag. Talk about bad timing. Hastily, I close my mouth and take short breaths through my nose.

     "Are you okay?" Justin asks, looking at me with concern.

     I nod. "I'm fine." I try not to sound freaked out.

     "Are you sure?" he persists as a servant places covered platters in front of us. "Do you want to step outside?"

     Heck no. Not unless I have to.

     "I'm fine," I insist. "Really."

     He drops it for now, but I know that if I continue to act as weird as I have been he'll insist we go outside. I'm not sure if that would be a good idea.

     Looking at my platter, I inhale tentatively. I smell salad. A predictable appetizer.

     The servants behind me and everyone else at the table synchronously lift the platter lids to reveal the salad. It looks better than it smells.

     Everyone begins to eat their salad and I imitate them. For a few minutes the only sound in the room is the clinking of our utensils as they stab at the salad on our plates. Mr. King is the one who speaks up first.

     "So, Jade," he begins, and I look up. "How long have you been Justin’s biology partner?"

     I open my mouth to speak, but Justin answers, "Not long. A few weeks, I think."

   I glance at him quizzically. Why is he answering questions directed at me? Our eyes meet and he smiles, shrugging slightly.

     "What are your interests?" Mrs. King asks me. There's something I can answer for myself.

     "Well, I enjoy reading, for one thing," I begin, and Jen smiles at me. "I also like to hang out with my friends and listen to music."

     "What's your favorite subject in school?"

     "Does art count as a subject?" I ask with a smile.

     Mrs. King laughs. "I think so. In my opinion, everyone should learn how to express themselves on a canvas." She sighs. "Unfortunately, in this day and age, children don't seem to appreciate art as much as they used to."

     Silence envelops the room again, until servants from the side door come in to remove our salads and replace them with another round of covered platters. Deciding to try out my smelling abilities again, I inhale through my nose. What I smell this time is mashed potatoes and gravy, steak, and peas.

     Sure enough, when the lids are removed I find myself correct once again. This ability could prove to be extremely useful in the future, along with my excellent hearing. I smile.

     "Something funny?" Justin whispers, leaning toward me. Sheesh, is he always looking at me or something?

     "Yeah,"