He sighed. “Okay.”
“I won’t be home until later so why don’t you and Rosa eat lunch on campus today? Be back in time for dinner though.”
“Okay. We will.” He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and led me out to the hall.
“Be ready in like ten minutes?” He smiled.
I glanced down at my rumpled clothes. “Uh. Maybe I should shower first?”
His eyes took in my messy hair and clothes. “Yes. Please. And wear something nice.”
“Like what? I don’t have to wear a dress for this tour, do I?”
He shrugged. “No. I don’t know. Wear some nice jeans and maybe not so much… black.”
I scoffed. “I’ll wear what I want, Javi. Isn’t it bad enough I’m being forced into this?”
His hands came up in an appeasing gesture. “Okay. Okay. Sorry. You can wear whatever you want.”
I stared at him. He opened his mouth, but snapped it shut quickly, deciding not to say whatever it was he wanted to. Flashing another smile, he walked me toward my room and continued past to his own.
Throwing my backpack onto the bed, I took a deep breath. My head was still spinning with all the past events. I did want to see the school. My curiosity was piqued. Maybe I could learn more about my mom and her past. Find out a way to keep the witches away and escape my tío.
“I can do this. Right, Papi?”
Steeling myself, I went to the bathroom to shower. It was by far the nicest shower I’d ever stepped foot in, and I spent way more time under the hot water than was necessary, but I couldn’t help myself.
Apparently forcing me to follow basic hygiene on a daily basis wasn’t part of the curse my tío had placed on me. Maybe he assumed I wouldn’t need to be prompted to do the bare minimum to take care of myself.
After dressing in some fresh clothes and brushing my teeth, I felt better. I applied heavy makeup and smiled at my reflection. The tight, black, long-sleeved shirt with metal studs along the collar went perfectly with my ripped, black skinny jeans.
Javi was going to flip.
As if on cue, a knock sounded on my door. I swiped on more mascara and put it away before I went to answer.
Javi’s eyes bulged at the sight of me. I smiled.
He stood, gaping. “I… uh… you sure you want to wear that?”
My eyebrow arched. “Yes. Why?”
He shook his head and muttered something under his breath as he turned away. Something that sounded suspiciously like ‘my cousin is a freak.’
My smile widened. “Yup.”
I learned long ago people were going to talk about you behind your back no matter what you looked like, so why not give them something exciting to talk about?
Javi led me down the hall and stairs and back to a part of the house I hadn’t been in yet. When he opened the door, the outside greeted us. I glanced up at the blue sky and breathed in the sweet, beachy air.
Freedom.
I scanned the area. A basketball hoop stood on one end looking strangely out of place against their giant mansion. We crossed the long driveway and walked toward a separate building. Garage, probably. In the distance, their massive, meticulously sculpted yard stretched out. A high black iron fence surrounded the property.
My shoulders sank. There was no way over that. Not unless I sprouted wings and flew over, and given the craziness of my current situation, I almost believed that could be a possibility.
“This way.”
I picked up my pace and walked with him to the white building. He punched some numbers on a pad outside and the door opened for us. I followed him and blinked in the darkness.
“Lights. On,” Javi shouted.
Bright light flooded the room. My eyes widened at the sight before us. So. Many. Cars.
Not just any cars either. No. I didn’t know much about autos, but I knew that these were hella expensive ones.
“Jeez. You really are like freaking Batman.”
Javi frowned. “What’s wrong with Batman? He’s awesome.”
I scoffed. “He’s a fictional character, Javi.” I whipped back toward him. “Wait… isn’t he? There’s not really like… superheroes, right?”
He broke into a grin. “Yeah, Rose. All of them are real.” He laughed.
My cheeks flamed. “Shut up. It was a plausible question.”
Still chuckling, he led me toward a red sports car in the middle of the room. His eyes lit up as he patted the hood lovingly.
I snorted.
He ignored me and went to a lockbox where he punched in some numbers and took out a key. I peered over his shoulder, trying to get a look at the code, but couldn’t see anything.
Besides, even if I did manage to steal one of their cars, they probably had GPS or some way to track it that would lead them right to me.
“Are you coming?” Javi’s voice snapped me to attention.
I shoved down my disappointment and climbed into the passenger seat.
Javi flung himself into the driver seat and shut the door. He opened the middle compartment and pulled out a pair of sunglasses. He took his time putting them on and checking his appearance in the mirror.
It occurred to me then, that on the outside, my cousin was the stereotypical rich and arrogant guy. I wondered if he showed others his more sensitive side or if he reserved that only for family. There was still a lot we didn’t really know about each other, but we were close at one point. When we were younger.
A loud beeping interrupted my thoughts. I covered my ears and winced as the garage opened, letting sunlight pour in. Javi glanced at me and flashed a smile before turning the car on. The engine roared to life, startling me.
His smile deepened.
Great. My stomach rolled with unease.
“You… you actually have a license, right?”
He gave me a flat look and pushed a button. Music blasted—loud and jarring. I covered my ears and scowled at him. The music lowered as
