“There are three things I don’t do. Hormones, germs, and homework, and this place is rife with all three,” Nexus responds with a visible shudder.
“And yet you make us come here every day,” Jinx points out.
“Yes. I thought you could do with learning that the world revolves around the sun rather than you, Jinx,” Nexus says.
“What is it, Nexus?” Grace interrupts before Jinx can respond. “Spit it out so this poor man can have his body back.”
“Poor him? What about poor me? Do you have any idea what Raymond feels like?”
Ya-Ya nods sympathetically. I am starting to understand why the team always talks in circles and takes forever to deliver information. With Nexus as their leader, it’s almost inevitable.
“Just tell us what you know, Nexus,” Grace prompts her.
“Alright, alright,” Nexus says. “Remember the Slip Demons you encountered in the woods?”
I nod. How could we forget those?
“It seems that the barrier protecting Whisper is getting weaker. You know what that means, right?”
I shake my head, pleased to see I’m not the only one. The others look as puzzled as I feel.
“Honestly. It’s like I talk and talk and no one listens. It means at least one member of the Boundless lives in this town. There’s talk of the Boundless getting closer to finding one of the seven stones. One of them having one of the stones would give them far too much power. You guys have to find out who it is and stop them.”
“Because we don’t have enough to do with training Clueless here,” Jinx says, nodding at me.
Grace frowns at him.
“Screw you, Jinx,” I say.
“Look, I wouldn’t have worded it that way, but Jinx is right, Nexus. We need to train Sailor, not to mention find the dagger and take down the first of the horsemen. And now you want us to go off on some wild goose chase to find one of the Boundless members as well?”
“It’s almost like it’s not fair, isn’t it?” Nexus says.
Ya-Ya makes the mistake of agreeing with her.
“I’m standing here in Raymond’s overalls with the worst comb-over I’ve ever seen and nails that haven’t seen a manicure in like twenty years. Life isn’t fair, honey. Get over it. Now get your asses in gear and find the Boundless, find the dagger, and kill the horseman. Damn, you guys go on like it’s hard or something.”
The janitor coughs loudly and looks at us in confusion as the yellow bubble melts away and the hallway comes back to life around us. I don’t know how long Nexus was talking to us, but it’s clear that not a second has passed in real time. The poor janitor is probably wondering why the hell he’s suddenly surrounded by a group of students who all look ready to kill him.
“You’re doing a great job,” I say lamely, patting him on the shoulder.
“Umm, thank you?” he says.
We start to move away from the janitor. Jinx looks back at him with a grin.
“For the record, I like your hair. Ignore what she says. It’s very 1940s sexy,” he says.
“Stop it,” I hiss.
Jinx just laughs and hurries ahead.
***
I try to focus as Sunday patiently explains the evolution of the gods to me for the third time. It’s like he’s moving his mouth but no sound is coming out. Or if it is, it’s in a language I just don’t understand. I feel bad for Sunday. He must have gotten the short straw to have the job of teaching me Avo history. I rub my hands over my face and through my hair. I am frazzled, a total mess.
“What is, Sailor?” Sunday asks.
I am horrified when his gentle tone almost brings me to tears. I swallow hard, making sure no tears can leak out. I shake my head.
“It’s this. All of this. I just don’t get any of it. And none of it is going in,” I say, gesturing toward the ancient book that sits between us. “It’s so much to take in and the more I try to concentrate, the less I seem able to grasp any of it.”
“Hey, it’s okay,” he says. “Just relax and breathe, okay?”
I nod and take a few deep breaths.
“I just don’t think I’ll be able to remember all this,” I say, feeling a little calmer.
“As long as you know the basics, we’ll be fine,” he tells me.
I wonder if that’s true or if he’s just trying to be nice. I hope for all of our sakes it is true, because what I said is definitely true. This just isn’t sticking. I’m pretty sure I know why, and it has nothing to do with the material or Sunday’s teaching methods. It’s Rye. It’s always Rye. Why can’t I just let him go like I promised myself I would?
“I’m sorry,” I say. “Can we try again?”
“Sure.” Sunday smiles.
He points to the first line of the text again, but before he can speak, we’re interrupted by a cacophony of noise as the rest of the team bursts into the games room of the cabin. The rest of the team except for Rye. I guess he’s avoiding me every bit as much as I’ve been trying to avoid him at school.
“We’re kind of in the middle of something here, guys,” Sunday says, clearly pissed off at the team for interrupting us.
“I know. Sorry for the interruption but this is important,” Grace says.
Sunday nods and she goes on, although now I feel like she’s addressing me rather than him.
“We found a possible location for the dagger,” she says.
I feel my heart start to beat a little faster, adrenaline coursing through my body. I am filled with nerves and, dare I say it, excitement.
“Where is it?” I ask.
“There’s an abandoned bus station on the edge of town. And if my sources are correct, then there’s a damn good chance that’s where the dagger is. We’ll have to go and search the place. Tomorrow night.”
“Why not now?” I ask.
“Because it’ll be easier to wait for nightfall. The darkness will help
