Page 40 of Tear of Destiny
I shake my head decisively. “I don’t want to have anything to do with her, so I’m just going to steer clear of her. She’s dead to me.”
Alex doesn’t look satisfied with this answer. I guess she’d rather hatch some plans for revenge warfare. But after thinking for a while, she nods.
“You’re probably right. You don’t want to sink to her level. It’ll probably drive her even crazier when she realizes she can’tget under your skin.” She flops back on the bed and stares thoughtfully at the ceiling. “Some women can be so vicious. And it sucks how many of them are like that. Maria’s cut from the same cloth.”
I doubt I’ll forget my former classmate at the Urban High School anytime soon. She did everything she could to make my life hell. But it didn’t take long before she had to accept that I wasn’t an easy victim.
“Boy, does that cow get on my nerves,” says Chrissy, rolling her eyes. “I wish I didn’t have to see her at school every day. She kind of calmed down for a while after Ayden left. That really seemed to bum her out. But now she’s set her sights on this other guy, so she’s prancing through the corridors like a queen again.”
Alex flips through her vinyl collection and then goes to the record player. “Oh, the best strategy with Maria is just to ignore her. It annoys the hell out of her. And you can’t reason with her anyway. Remember that time she clashed with Kate?”
Chrissy nods. “Oh yeah, that was hardcore. And all because Kate supposedly looked in her general direction when she was talking to Ayden. So sad.”
Alex responds to my questioning look, saying, “Oh, that was before your time, so maybe you didn’t hear about it. The way she talked to Kate, she sounded totally off her head.”
We look expectantly at Kate, waiting for her to comment, but she just shrugs. “Honestly, I don’t really remember.”
Alex’s eyebrows shoot up, and she stares at Kate incredulously. “You’re kidding, right? How could you forget something like that? She was so aggressive, practically jumped down your throat. I thought she was going to smack you one.”
Kate looks like she’s trying to remember the incident, but in the end, she just shakes her head in resignation. “I really don’t remember. But why would I hang onto nasty memories like that? It’s best to keep looking forward.”
I can’t be sure, but her voice sounds strange. As if she’s trying to reassure herself. Or maybe I’m just imagining it.
Music rings out as Alex starts the record player. Some AC/DC album. The room is instantly filled with loud guitar riffs and a shrill voice. But I have to admit there’s something about the song. We listen for a while, continue talking, and I’m glad when we finally leave the topic of nasty bitches behind us.
Chrissy is telling us about a club that she says we absolutely have to check out when Alex suddenly jumps up.
“I love the start of this song. My absolute favorite progression. If you ask me, the whole song could just be this part. It totally rocks.”
I listen to the heavy sounds, and suddenly something flashes through my mind.The beginning of a song, I think, and I jump up too. My friends look at me doubtfully because I’m suddenly standing in the middle of the room, probably looking agitated. But if I’m right, this could be the answer: In every beginning dwells magic. What if it’s about the beginning of a piece of music? The inscription is on a flute, so it makes sense.
I walk a few paces and feel my friends’ inquiring stares. I’m tempted to run off and tell Noah my idea and make my way to the Odyss now. That alone is unusual: me wanting to go to the Odyss. But I have to be patient. I can’t just run away. And anyway, I have no idea where to find Noah.
“I just thought of something,” I say apologetically, taking my phone out of my bag and sinking back down on the bed.
“It must have been a pretty stupendous idea,” says Alex, searching my face for some clue.
I play it down with a wave of my hand. “Just math homework. I think I figured out the solution.”
That’s not what she was expecting, and I don’t think she totally buys it. The expression on her face alternates between disbelief, disappointment, and dismay.
“And here I was thinking we were supposed to be relaxing and catching up. And you’re stewing over math homework this whole time. There must be something really wrong with my hospitality.”
I put my arm around her shoulder, and her dismayed look makes me laugh. “It’s all good. I’m having fun, honestly. And I won’t think about school anymore, I promise.”
“Okay, I’ll forgive you just this once.” Alex leaves the room and brings back bottles of cola and bags of snacks. “It’s easier to relax on a full stomach.”
We lounge around on her bed and quickly find ourselves in an animated conversation again. After a while, I risk taking out my phone and sending Noah a short message.
“I have an idea about the riddle. Maybe the inscription means that we have to play the flute. It’s worth a try, right?”
I send the message and sip my cola. I’m supposed to be spending a relaxing afternoon with my girlfriends, and I do enjoy their company, but I can’t stop thinking about this puzzle.
After a few minutes I get a reply.
“That’s not a bad idea. We should definitely test it out. I don’t suppose you have musical training and happen to be an orchestral flutist?”
I shake my head in amusement, but I know what he’s trying to say. Even if we’re right, we have nobody to play the instrument. That’s kind of a problem.