The Stolen by Celia Thomson

Author:Celia Thomson
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Simon Pulse

It was, in fact, the exact same hatchback he had stolen before from the senior running back at school. Igor and Valerie went with the two guards, muttering something about Alyec’s proficiency at driving.

“This is your car?” Kim asked, getting into the backseat without being asked.

“Don’t ask,” Chloe recommended. “And buckle up.”

“It’s … very nice,” she said doubtfully, unconsciously imitating Valerie’s earlier comment.

Chloe checked the rearview mirror a couple of times to see how the girl was handling it, but Kim looked steady no matter how fiercely Alyec took the turns; she had one hand braced on each side of the car and swung between them, bouncing.

“This is great.” Chloe sighed. “This is just what I need.”

“I’m glad.” Alyec leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. Except for their occasional sort-of dates, they had actually been far less physical in the last week than … well, ever. Sergei never said anything aloud about his feelings toward Alyec, but it was obvious there was a tension between them and some invisible line her boyfriend could not cross. But it didn’t feel like a normal “don’t date my daughter” scenario; Chloe got the feeling that if it were anyone besides Alyec, it might have been okay. She made a mental note to ask someone about that sometime—maybe Olga.

“Hey, Kim,” Alyec yelled to the backseat, trying to be sociable. “You ever see Star Wars?”

“Of course I’ve seen Star Wars,” she snapped; the you idiot was understood.

There was a long pause.

“Who’s your favorite character?”

Chloe caught the girl’s eyes widening.

“The … ah … furry one. Not only do his physical characteristics set him apart, but the … obvious subservient dynamic between him and the … uh, protagonists indicate his role as either a hero-ally or comic-mentor archetype.”

“So what you’re saying,” Alyec said philosophically, squealing around a corner, “is that you’ve never seen Star Wars.”

Kim glared at him. Chloe was glad their cat abilities didn’t include anything like shooting lasers from their eyes. If they had, Alyec would have been fried.

“No. I have not seen Star Wars,” Kim admitted, then looked out the window so she wouldn’t have to look at them.

Chloe laughed.

In the theater she wound up sitting between Kim and Alyec, since he and Igor and Valerie all insisted that since Chloe had brought the other girl, she had to sit next to her. Actually, it wasn’t so bad. Kim was inordinately pleased with the popcorn, another humanlike thing Chloe had a hard time comprehending. But the girl with the hidden cat ears relished every bite, using her claw to spear one kernel at a time and carefully deposit it on her tongue, never taking her wide, unblinking eyes off the screen.

Igor and Alyec shouted lines with the characters and other lines at the beloved heroes with the rest of the crowd. Valerie and their two guards watched it in silence. Chloe had to answer a lot of whispered questions from Kim but didn’t mind; she knew the script by heart and found it kind of fun to initiate a newbie.

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