“You realize I could’ve skimmed a bit of Water over the floor and nobody would’ve known the difference, right?” Genie leaned on a mop, having just finished up the last corner. She didn’t have to help me out, but she always did, and she always whined about it. Secretly, I think she got something meditative out of it, too. The lady doth protest too much, as Shakespeare would’ve said.
I chucked the big yellow sponge that I used for thoroughness into a clean bucket. “That would be missing the point of the punishment, and Marcel would definitely know the difference. I think he’s addicted to the smell of this lemon stuff.” I was pretty sure the scent of citrus detergent would bring my mind back into this room for the rest of my life.
“Whatever floats your boat, I guess.” She gathered up the mop and broom, tiptoeing like a cartoon spy across the damp floor toward the storage cupboard. I joined her, locking away the supplies until I’d have to haul them back out again on Monday. She flashed me a wicked grin as she snapped the cupboard shut. “Does this mean we’re ready to get our weekend on?”
“I don’t know about you, but I’ve got a hot date with my bathtub and Mr. Epsom,” I said as we hopped from dry spot to dry spot on our way out of the training room. Obviously, Mr. Epsom was a hefty bag of bath salts; as far as romantic interests went, I’d only received one offer… and that came with a hell-crown that I definitely didn’t want, despite him being in my good books for the time being. I hadn’t mentioned much about my session to Genie, in case it freaked her out, but she seemed to sense something had gone on and had amped up her cheer to make up for it.
She gave a low whistle. “Saucy minx.” A visible hint of excitement bristled through her, like she’d licked a battery to test if it worked. “But first, pixie time!”
“I was thinking about skipping tonight,” I lied. I had a theory that I wanted to kick the tires on.
Her mouth dropped in surprise, but then her eyes narrowed. “Ooh, you almost got me there.”
“What?” I acted coy, glad to be distracted from what had happened with Victoria. “I thought you’d jump at the idea of a night off from my pesky Purges. Unless… there’s another, taller, lion-ish, handsome reason you want to spend your Friday evening at the Repository?”
In terms of Genie’s romantic interests, she’d received a slew of love confessions, proposed dates, and secret cards left outside her bedroom door from a bevy of hunters who’d watched her meteoric rise through the first-year ranks, her talents giving older students a run for their money. But she only had eyes for one man. Frankly, I was sick of waiting for them to get their act together, waiting for that slow-motion, strings-coming-in-on-the-soundtrack moment that still hadn’t happened. It had been six months since Fergus and Lorelei, and even that heart-wrenching tale of star-crossed love hadn’t been enough to light a fire under either of them.
“Tobe? He’s a peach, and I’m sure there are plenty of folks with a Beauty-and-the-Beast-fantasy, but he’s just not my type.” She grinned wolfishly, looping her arm through mine as we headed for our rock-and-roll Repository Friday. “Now, tell me you’re not going to bury your nose in books all day tomorrow. I was thinking we could have a little jaunt into town, or a walk on the beach.”
“I know Nathan hasn’t asked you out yet, but I’m not much of a substitute,” I teased, refusing to drop the subject until they shouted from the rooftops that they were crazy about each other. I’d probably be ribbing her about it until graduation.
She feigned shock. “You’re not a substitute! You’re the MVP. No one I’d rather spend a Saturday afternoon strolling with.” Her expression softened. “I mean that. Even if Nathan were to ask me out—which I’m not saying I want—it’ll always be sisters before misters.”
“Can I get that in writing?” I asked, smiling, before the memory of a stack of textbooks diverted my attention from her love woes. “I’ve got a paper to finish for Monster History, and a couple of anatomy sketches for Monster Biology. I also thought I might… uh… hit the gym, so I’ll have to see how much I get done before I agree to anything.”
Genie skidded to a halt and whirled me around. “Did you say ‘gym?’”
“I might have.” My cheeks flushed a little. “I thought I’d string a load of weights around my neck to thicken it up so Marcel can’t choke me out anymore.”
She chuckled. “You were awesome today, Pers. Everyone’s improving, and you’re no exception. I saw you land that sneaky kidney punch, and you hit him with a knee kick. I bet McCarthy is feeling it now. If he didn’t have those headlocks and legs like flipping steel girders, you’d have floored him ages ago.”
“I appreciate the pep talk, but I need to push harder in the physical classes. The rate I’m going, I might as well get my name inscribed on that broom. I’m way behind in Hunting Technique and Martial Arts, and I swear Johannes is actually going to use his bullwhip on me if I mess up the chimera simulation again.” I got us walking again, our footsteps echoing in the empty corridors. By now, everyone would be in the Banquet Hall or the rec room, relaxing after another killer week of training. A few would be getting bruises and cuts seen to in the Infirmary, or begging for a revitalization tonic from the medics, while those lucky few who’d struck up a romance would be meandering in the orchard, making the most of these last warm(ish) days of Irish summer. Honestly, I’d been surprised that Ireland even had a proper summer, and even one with enough sunshine to coax out the inkling of a tan.
Ah… bring back August. I’d had some incredible weekends down at the Institute’s private cove during the summer’s best days, along with the rest of our classmates. We’d dared each other to be the first to dive into the freezing sea and cooked up a storm on disposable barbecues, the coals lit by those with Fire abilities. Naturally, with a bunch of magicals, there’d been some Chaos displays, too. Genie, after a bit of coercion, had put on a stunning Water show as the sun went down, manipulating liquid formations of gamboling sea creatures, dancing mermaids, stampeding Kelpies, and a few sneaky scenes of the Atlantis cityscape.
Genie crinkled up her nose. “I think you’re being too hard on yourself. McCarthy said you were getting better, and he’s not one to blow smoke up anyone’s ass.”
“I have to be tougher on myself,” I replied firmly. “Sure, I’ve progressed by leaps and bounds when it comes to capturing my monsters, but there’s more to hunting than that. I need to be able to defend myself on missions, against anything—monster or otherwise—or I’ll always be the weakest link. And that starts with overhauling my fitness. That’s the foundation of my weakness.”
“You could come running with me to increase your stamina?” She grinned.
I groaned involuntarily at the mere thought. “Chaos, no. I’d rather bench press a rock golem.”
“Do both. I could set up a circuit for you.” She cackled. “Sprint 400 meters, twenty reps with a rock golem, jog a mile, thirty reps with a gargoyle trying to smooch you, then finish off with a bit of electric muscle toning by lying down on a raiju.”