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“Do you read a lot?” Artie asked me a little while later.
I don’t know how much time passed. I had been in front of their bookcase for a long time, pulling books out one by one, reading the covers and maybe a few pages from the beginning.
“Yeah. We were always on the road and cell phones don’t always survive our, uh, adventures. Stephen made it a point to find bookstores for me whenever he could,” I said and slid a book back into its place. There didn’t seem to be a system but I didn’t want to assume either.
“Cell phones don’t really work here,” Artie said.
I put my hands on the spines of the books for a moment before I turned back to him. He really didn’t seem like a super powered up warlock. He seemed just like me, another kid without parents in this weird world.
Everyone knew what happened to Teresa and Sebastian Ortega.
“You’re looking at me like that,” Artie said.
“Like what?” I asked.
“Like you’re expecting me to burst into magical flames or turn you into a frog or something like that.”
“Sorry.”
Artie remained silent and shrugged.
“Stephen says I can get weird around people my age because I grew up with just him and not like, around people my own age,” I blurted out.
“Well, you are going to have to go bigger than just looking at me to make me think you are weird. We have high expectations on weird here in the Lock,” he added sternly.
I smiled.
“Celia is calling me to start the bonfire,” he said and stood up.
“Oh, okay,” I said and stepped back. I could stake a vampire through the heart, no problem. But put me around someone my own age and suddenly, I’m five years old again, on the playground, with no friends.
“Come on, weirdo. We’re going to go play with fire and scare my brother,” Artie said and shook his head.
“I’m not the weirdo here. You are!” I protested.
“We need to work on your comebacks,” he said and laughed.
He led me out to the backyard where everyone but Dante and Stephen was hanging out. Eli was stretched out on a lawn chair and Lou sat between his legs, excitedly telling him something. I couldn't tell if Eli was actually listening or if he was just watching Lou. The look on his face was one of rapt attention, memorizing every gesture Lou made.
“They’re so gross,” Artie whispered to me.
Eli raised his hand behind Lou’s back and flipped him off.
We both laughed at him.
Artie led me over to where Celia was standing by a pile of wood surrounded by a circle of rocks.
“After what happened last time, I wouldn’t think you would want to do this,” Artie said.
“What happened last time?” I asked and immediately wished I had kept my mouth shut. Artie opened his mouth but closed it and furrowed his brow. Celia stared hard at the wood pile in front of her and Marcus crossed his arms over his chest.
“The Ascendancy, led by my sister, tied Celia and Eli to stakes and tried to light them on fire. Artie was bound and gagged. I was beaten and shot. Marcus was in the hospital. Dante was held hostage by my sister pointing a gun at me and Artie. Lou was forced to use a magic he could barely control to save us all,” Savannah told me cheerfully.
I blanched and turned to Celia.
She gave me a small smile. “You didn’t know. Don’t worry about it.”
“I will never speak again,” I whispered to Artie.
He raised his eyebrows. “Why do I doubt that?”
I glared at him and he laughed at me.
In front of us, a fire flared to life and I jumped back.
“Quit scaring the guests,” Celia told Artie before turning away to get chairs.
“Sorry,” Artie said.
“Liar,” I told him.
He shrugged.