The Curse and the Camazotz (2.2)

Soon the whole secret society is together again. It’s hell being around them all at once like this. They all have their own feelings and their own problems, and I have to decide what to react to and what not to, what to clamp my grubby little hands onto and what to let sit there at the back of my mind like a ticking bomb. It’s bad enough being around any four normal people. Every sniffle, every time someone licks their lips, every scratch of the head, it’s like glass breaking or alarms blaring for me. I’m never gonna get used to the slurping sound of Jimin spitting that freaky slime into his water bottle.

Yeah, I knew something was up with him before everyone else. No, of course I didn’t say anything. What am I, a cop? Some things you just leave be. Freaked me the hell out when he actually showed it off, though. Not proud of that reaction.

“We’re going after another of O’Hagan’s cases?” Jimin says. It’s just barely not a whimper.

“Yeah, dude, it’s not our fault you slept through the vote. Or that Shay abstained.” Sylvia says.

Everyone nods but me. Poor Jimin.

It doesn’t take long to get the rundown. Something weird’s going on in Snowdon, pets disappearing or something, and Cell’s cousin’s friend’s sister saw a certain bloodthirsty Irish narc down there snooping around. Hey, where is Cell?

“He almost got caught, dude. Sorry. Not dude.” Sylvia tells me when I ask.

“Yeah. I felt bad about it, but our deal is enough to keep him from slipping into a coma, and he’s kind of a habitual worrier, so I figured maybe it was best if we just stay track teammates and nobody else gets dragged into the detective crap. Especially not him.” Jet explains.

Ouch. If I was Cell, I’d be pissed, but honestly, he’s so nervous for such a perfect-looking guy that I almost get it. The type that never had to work to be accepted because he’s… y’know, and now his fit, agreeable, six-foot-one ass has no idea who’s really a friend and who isn’t.

And so he has no idea whether we’re actually going to stop O’Hagan from hurting someone else or not. And he personally knows that something is going down in Snowdon. And…

“Guys, are you serious!? Why are we holding votes and jerking Jimin around over this? We need to get on top of this right now.” I insist.

Everyone asks ‘why’ in various tones of annoyance.

“What if Cell thinks we’re not gonna beat O’Hagan to the mark?”

Blank stares.

“He’s gonna go after it himself! He thinks he’s invincible! He’s a track jock and he’s friends with you, Jet, and nothing has ever gone wrong in his entire life until the vampire thing. Which, based on what we saw, made him even tougher. We have to show him we actually are… superheroes, or he’ll do something stupid.” Red creeps into my cheeks as I realize I’m actually saying all of this crap out loud, that I’m going on one of those rants just like Sylvia with her bullshit detective vision, but I can’t stop myself.

“Ouch, Shay, that’s… kinda mean.” Antoine starts.

“No, no, they’re right.” Jet cuts him off. “Cell’s an idiot. He’s my boy, but he’s so stupid. He absolutely… would do that.”

Multiple sighs. Jimin sits down and stares into space, contemplating his life choices. Sylvia starts barfing up ridiculous ideas for how we can beat O’Hagan to the punch. I know how we can. It’s easy. But I don’t say it. Getting these guys to do anything the way I would is like trying to put a river in a headlock. It’s hopeless and it’s exhausting and it makes me want to cry and even if it works I end up feeling like my head is full of chili powder. It’s stupid and being psychic is stupid and Jet’s plan is always good enough. It’s why I stick to him like a barnacle.

Well, that and I totally have an unexamined, unresolved crush on the guy, like everyone sane and appropriately oriented who lays eyes on him, but who the hell has time for that? Really. My life’s complicated enough and video games are better than making out anyway.

“So, split up?” Antoine says. I stop scrolling through my phone and flashing the occasional thumbs-up gesture and actually come back to planet Earth.

“Yeah, that sounds good. I’ll take Jet.” Sylv says.

“I also want to be on Jet’s team.” Jimin adds as fast as he can.

I look around at everyone’s faces and realize, in dawning horror, that our shiny new plan is to go down there by ourselves and hope that whatever-it-is kills another household pet tonight.

Dammit.