The King's War

9. Chase

AVERY

I woke up late the next morning and looked out the window to see the sun already high in the sky. I hadn't realized until then how much I missed it.

Lydia apparently let me sleep in. After a quick shower in the modern bathroom across the hall, I went downstairs to grab something to eat.

Mrs. Bell was sitting in the living room with her laptop and a bunch of folders opened on the coffee table in front of her. "Good morning, Avery," she said when she saw me. "Did you sleep well?"

"I did, thanks. Where's Lydia?" I asked.

"She's in the basement, training with Chase," Mrs. Bell answered. "We left some waffles for you. They're probably cold by now, so feel free to use the toaster or the microwave to warm them back up."

Touched by her thoughtfulness, I thanked her and bounded off towards the kitchen. Before I could locate the waffles, Aaron and Ashton rushed in, snickering to each other in that annoying way twelve years old boys do.

I spotted the plate of waffles and stuck a couple into the Bell's shiny toaster, then waited awkwardly for them to cook. The boys finally noticed me and exchanged a look that gave me pause. Ashton —or was it Aaron?— opened the fridge and got out two orange sodas, tossing one of them across the island counter to his twin.

"Hi," I decided to say. It would be rude of me to not acknowledge them, even if they did insist on ignoring me.

The boys exchanged that same private look once again. I frowned. "What is it?" Was something wrong with my hair?

One of them looked away, but the other narrowed his eyes at me. "Why is Lydia friends with you?"

My mouth fell open. Before I could ask him what the hell that was supposed to mean, Mrs. Bell stormed into the room.

"Aaron!" she hissed. "Where'd you get the idea that you can talk like that to people?" She turned to me with an expression of apology. "I'm sorry. They're not used to visitors."

"It's ok," I said shakily. It wasn't, but I didn't want to cause a huge scene.

Mrs. Bell sighed and turned back to the boys, who both pouted while refusing to meet her gaze. "Did you two finish your history lesson?"

"Yeah," they grumbled in unison.

"Then you must be ready for a quiz," she said.

The twins groaned in protest and stomped out of the kitchen, Mrs. Bell trailing behind. She paused to shoot me another apologetic look over her shoulder, then departed.

The toaster dinged. I got my waffles onto a plate, slathering them generously with syrup, and went down to the basement. Lydia had given me a tour of the house yesterday but hadn't actually shown me what the basement looked like beyond the entrance. I walked down a narrow staircase into a brightly lit, spacious room the Bells apparently used as a gym. Hell, they had enough exercise equipment to start charging for memberships. There were treadmills, workout benches, and weights of all sizes.

Lydia was in the boxing ring. She wore skintight turquoise spandex, sparring with a tall guy dressed head to toe in black. The two of them were locked in a deadly dance, him advancing and her dodging with expert ease.

The guy had to be the famous Chase I'd heard so much about. I came closer to try to get a better look at him, but he moved too fast for me to see his face. All I could tell that he was a graceful fighter with what looked to be a great body. His workout gear hugged his muscles tightly, leaving little to the imagination. Go Lydia.