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VIOLET

“I know they’re mad mad.” Unfolding a clean top sheet over my new bed, Mei giggled like the mere idea of Alpha Team throwing a fit was the funniest thing ever. “I would’ve paid to see their faces when you told them about the room. I bet Nicholas growled.” She bent down to push the sheet under the mattress, eyes wide with excitement. “Was Quinn pouting like a mistreated puppy?” She clicked her tongue. “Forget it. I know he was.” When her eyes landed on me, they were glowing with a malicious light. “What about my brother? Did he raise an eyebrow to express his disagreement?”

“Theatrically” I confirmed. I didn’t want to discuss the whole room change situation, but mocking my boys a little was too funny to miss the opportunity. “Mind you, he also pressed his lips together.”

Mei slapped her hands on the mattress and got back up, shaking her head. Her hot pink bangs dangled in front of her eyes, doing nothing to hide her sly gaze. “Unbelievable.”

"I know, right?" I fluffed my pillow and set it on the bed. "What happened to him?"

Mei curled her lips into a knowing smile as she threw a plushie at me. “You happened. Holy crap, I can’t believe you’re even asking!”

I ruffled the stuffed bunny’s ears before settling it on the pillow. “It was a—You know I’m just joking, do you?”

“Well, I’m not” she replied, walking around the bed to reach me. “My brother is head over heels for you. The whole gang is! Like, can you imagine ?” She placed both hands on my cheeks and pulled me down to her height. “Three men so madly in love with you they’re willing to share. And you’re running away!” She threw her arms up and fell on her knees, distressed gaze up to the paneled ceiling. “Why not me, God? Why won’t you give this struggle to me?” She put a hand on her chest. “I could handle it! Just put me to the test. I wouldn’t be running away like Violet here.” She gave me a side look. “I’d be honoring your plan for me without a single complaint.”

I let myself plop down onto the edge of the bed, letting out a big breath to mask the laugh I couldn't suppress. "I don't know how much God would approve of a relationship with three men at the same time, Mei."

She raised her eyebrows as she got back up, rolling on the bed with a somersault that crinkled up the sheets. "No—uh," she said, moving her pointer finger left and right. "God is all about love. That's, like, his whole thing." She spread her arms out, hitting me in the process. "He'd be proud if I spread my love with multiple men instead of only one." As a smile formed on her heart-shaped lips, she tapped on her temple with a fingertip. "That's just basic logic."

I forced back a laugh as I lay down, letting my eyes close for a couple of seconds. The tiredness from the last twenty-four hours was just now catching up with me, making my limbs feel heavy, my mind a little hazy. I wanted to sleep and forget all about my disastrous life for a bit, but I didn't want to send Mei away—her presence, although a little invasive, was good for me.

“I don’t get why you’re keeping them at bay.”

Except for when she projected her reverse harem fantasies onto me. That was a little exhausting, truthfully.

“I mean, okay, I agree that making your men pine a little is good, but I feel like you’re running away.”

“I’m not running” I protested weakly. “I have to see them every day for Nucleus training.”

Mei kicked me in the leg. “I’m not saying you’re running from them, dummy. Duh! I’d be the one tying you up to prevent it from happening. No” she went on, sitting up, resting her weight on her elbows. “You’re running from your feelings.”

I scoffed. “That’s not true.”

That was absolutely true. But I kept that for myself.

“It is!” Mei laughed, rolling to the side to avoid being hit by my knee. “You’re scared of what you feel for them. I mean, understandable. Kind of.” She kept quiet for a moment, then she clicked her tongue. “Not really, actually. I know for a fact you like them.”

There was no point denying it, so I shrugged. “So?”

“So!” Mei raised her arms and let them flop back down, her pink chenille sweatshirt reflecting the warm light of the wall lamps. “What’s the problem? Why aren’t you throwing yourself at them? If you weren’t sure about what you feel, then fine, I might get the hesitation, but how do you justify this cowardly behavior?”

"Hey!" I protested. "It's not coward behavior. The thing is… You see how messy everything is. I've had so many things change in the shortest amount of time, and I—I need to adjust." I licked my lower lip as the truth settled heavily in my heart. "I need to get to know myself again."

Mei stayed quiet for a short while, her expression brooding, then the tiniest smile made her lips curl up. “I think I get what you’re saying. But nothing stops you from getting to know them carnally while you figure shit o—”

“Enough with the me talk!” I blurted out, sitting up with a jump. “How’s class going? Are you adjusting?”

Mei made a disgusted sound and melted on the bed, pressing her face against the mattress. “God, I hate it. Hate it! I disliked it before, don’t get me wrong, but it was somewhat okay. Tolerable, right?” She rolled on her side to look at me, the desperation clear through her long lashes. “Now it’s unbearable. Potentially lethal. I’ll say it: it’s a health hazard for me to attend school. The pity is palpable, let me tell you.” She pushed herself up, restless. “They feel sorry for me. Poor girl, kidnapped, tortured, and finally trapped in her own mind for all that time. ” She groaned and threw herself back, hitting the bed frame in the process. “Ouch. They don’t say it outright, but it’s clear. Too bad I don’t want their pity. I don’t want their special treatment.”

“That sucks” I agreed with a sigh. “How long before you can take your Team exam?”

Suddenly Mei seemed to be at a loss for words. She avoided my gaze, too, which was the weirdest thing—she always made eye contact, even in uncomfortable conversations.

I cleared my throat before asking, “Is everything okay? Did I… I’m sorry if I said something wrong.”

She slowly shook her head, a small, uncertain smile forming on her lips. She was still looking away. "Nothing wrong. The contrary, actually. I'm not miserable just because they treat me like I could break into a million pieces if they look at me the wrong way." She finally turned to face me. Her expression was a combination of fear, excitement, impatience. "I don't want this."

I frowned. “You don’t want what?”

“This.” She spread her arms, pointing around us. “Becoming part of a Team. Having to follow the stupid rules the Coven set up a million years ago. All of the restrictions and protocols and bans.” She shuddered. “No. Not for me.”

I took a couple of moments to let her words settle in, then tilted my head. "Okay. What do you want to do, then?"

Her smile was genuine this time. “Become a bounty hunter for magical criminals.”

“Is it a thing?” I asked, feeling myself smile back. I was so glad she opened up to me—I hadn’t expected it. It settled deep in my chest, a warmth I wasn’t sure how to hold, but I knew one thing for certain—I wanted to keep it.

“Of course it is!” She jumped on her knees, hands gesticulating wildly as she explained. “They’re, like, totally independent. They can team up if they want to, but they don’t respond to the Coven, so everything they do is a free choice. I mean, they do work for Covens around the world, but as separate entities. They can turn down jobs, and they earn a lot because they don’t have to split with other teammates, and also, the Coven doesn’t retain anything from their pay.” She shrugged. “Of course, the downside is that it might get a little unsafe at times, but it’s not like what you guys do is any less dangerous.”

I had a feeling she was lying, but I kept it to myself. "Then why are you studying to become part of a Team?"

She cleared her throat, pushing pink strands back. “Well. Let’s say bounty hunters don’t exactly have the best reputation in the community.” Biting her lower lip, she raised her head to send a guilty look in my direction. “Their ways aren’t always the most legal.”

“I see” I murmured, as a tiny smile pulled the corners of my mouth up. “You’re not forced to go the illegal route, though. You can be an honest bounty hunter.”

She shrugged. “I mean, yeah. That would be the plan.”

“Then what’s stopping you?”

“Everything.” Mei let out a humorless laugh, plopping down on the pillow, arms spread out wide. “I’m already the black sheep of the family. If I told my parents I wanted to be a bounty hunter, they… Ugh.” She shook her head. “I don’t even know how they would react. They’d probably disown me.”

It was my turn to shake my head as I reached to pat her bent knee. “Your parents love you, Mei. They were by your side every day while you were in a coma.”

“That doesn’t mean anything” she mumbled, although I could clearly see she was fighting a smile back. “All my life, I’ve been compared to my brother. Like, all the time.” She stared at her nails, pink, glittery, and coffin-shaped. “You know him. You know how infuriatingly perfect he is. Perfect warlock. Perfect son. Perfect student.” She bent her fingers into a fist and swallowed. “You should’ve seen my parents when he got selected to become part of Alpha Team —three years earlier than he was supposed to take the exam.” She scoffed. “They were ecstatic. Gloating. They kept saying how thankful they were Kenji was the way he was, how wonderful of a son he was…” She sighed, and when she spoke again, her voice trembled slightly. “They wanted me to be like him. All my life, I was encouraged to follow in his footsteps, but I could never hold a candle to him. Not that I actually want to” she was quick to add. “I don’t want to be like mommy and daddy’s stiff, perfect robot. I want to be me.”

"I agree" I chimed in, hiding a smile caused by how she'd described Kenji. "That's why you shouldn't force yourself to do something you don't like. That's why you should tell your parents the truth."

Her eyes grew twice in size as she put a hand over her heart. “No. They’d hate me.”

“I don’t think they would ever hate you, Mei.”

I'd seen how they'd acted when she was unconscious, when she'd woken up. They both loved her dearly, and I doubted they'd change their mind just because Mei didn't want to be part of a Team.

“You don’t really know them, and besides, I know what you’re trying to do.” She jumped on her knees and pointed at me with her index finger. “You’re changing the topic so that you don’t have to admit you want to get fucked by three men at the—”

“Look how late it is!” I exclaimed, jumping off the bed. “Curfew is about to start. You better get back to your room before they fine you!”

“Curfew is in more than an hour” Mei protested as I pushed her toward the door. “Liar! You’re trying to avoid the topic again .”

“Just like you weren’t so eager to talk about the possibility of being sincere with your parents.”

“It’s not the same thing, this is a fun topic—”

“For you” I interrupted her, gently pushing her out of the room. “I really need to sleep right now. Talk again tomorrow?”

She hesitated for a moment, holding onto the doorframe as if her whole life depended on it, and then she let go with a sigh. “Fine, you bummer. I’ll let you sleep just because in no time you’ll be too busy getting pounded by three men to actually rest at—”

“See you tomorrow, Mei.”

I closed the door and rested my back against it, drawing in a deep breath.

God. She was a handful, wasn’t she? Maybe that was exactly why my mind stopped racing whenever she was around.