Endeca (The Escapism Series) by Maria Dee Page A

searing of my own, but I quickly subdued my traveler’s scorching, yet justifiable rage.
    “Fine. I’ll figure something out. Just go, before my friends arrive,” I cautioned, anxiously.
    “See, that wasn’t so hard, now was it?” He disappeared stirring the air around me. I wondered about his creepy eyes; why were they so different from the others? Why did he think I worked for the E-SOM after all they had done and what they would have done had I not escaped from the dome? I thought of Nurse Betsy and her bravery. She put her life on the line by releasing my predecessors and me. I closed my eyes and wondered if one day I would see her again, what would I say? Thanks for setting me free. I owe you one? I played that over in my mind not once, but what seemed like hundreds of times, each time sounding more ridiculous than the last.
    As for tracking the new spy on our tail, I still felt Orion was somehow involved. Although he kept quiet about my whereabouts, that did not necessarily mean he was fully reformed. With a rap sheet like his, Orion still posed a threat. His recent actions, for one, supported my theory. However, Sebastian was convinced otherwise.
    “Edric!” I cried in hopeless pursuit. I searched the house quickly but he was gone. I wondered where Sebastian had sent him. The doorbell rang and I jumped, quickly grabbing my book bag before opening the door.
    “You’re ready for once—quelle surprise,” Marla chirped.
    “I had an early start. Come on, let’s go.”
    “Where’s your hunky friend?” asked Calliope, lowering her designer shades. She wore a straw hat to protect her alabaster skin from the harmful ultraviolet rays. Evidently, she was inflicted by the Nordstrom charm.
    “I-I think he left already—something about a job interview.” It wasn’t a far stretch from the truth because he did leave, granted it was forcibly. Technically, I was the one interviewed by Sebastian for a job I wasn’t too thrilled about. I wrapped my arms around Marla’s and Calliope’s shoulders, pulling them with me swiftly. With Edric’s disappearance, I wanted to vacate the premises before he eerily reappeared.
    “Why’re you so antsy?” Marla asked, suspiciously.
    “Too much coffee and no food makes me a little crazy,” I said, playfully.
    “Ou! Breakfast at Blueberry Hill? I’m dying for pancakes,” she said, quickly halting in her tracks. “I forgot my lip gloss, can I borrow yours?” she asked as Calliope hopped in her car, revving it, signaling time.
    “I forgot it inside. It’s a lip plumper and it burns—very unpleasant,” I explained, attempting to deter her from the house.
    “But I really like yours. I could quickly run in and get it,” she persisted.
    “You don’t need it. Your lips are plump enough, honestly,” I said, nudging her to the car once again.
    “Xenia, really. I’ll only be a second,” she furrowed her brow, questionably.
    “No food and no coffee make Cal a big bitch. What’s the hold up?” An impatient Calliope hollered.
    Just as Marla crossed me heading for the front door, I grabbed her, kissing her smack on the mouth. “There,” I said, blotting her lips with my finger thoroughly.
    Marla stood frozen as I dashed to the car. “Thanks…I guess.” She pressed her lips together before frowning. “It does burn!”
    “I bet it’s not the lip gloss either,” Calliope jeered, snickering. I shot her a scathing glare of resentment.
    “Ah! This is termed ‘projecting’. Calliope is extending her promiscuity onto you, entailing you’re dirty when in fact it is her,” analyzed Marla, grinning proudly.
    “Interesting observation, M. I’m also fond of the literal meaning of projecting. Particularly from a moving vehicle.”
    Marla winced, looking down at her cuticles.
    I snickered, wildly entertained. I had managed to forget Sebastian for that brief moment up until what happened next. Calliope drove down a few blocks, whereby Edric reappeared, dead center on the