So this was why Galen and Eros didn’t get along. They had history. I wondered if the rest of the Chios family knew about Galilea and Eros. My guess was that they didn’t since Eros had remained close to the family for so many years.
***
The shop was small and didn’t have the expensive styles that Eros liked to wear, but after shuffling through the clothing racks a few times, he settled for a few garments and headed to the dressing room. Galilea and I sat on a bench by the entrance, waiting for Eros to come out. Galilea wasn’t concerned with the dusty clothes she wore or with the holes in her shirt. She didn’t complain about the burns, but I watched as she hugged her stomach with one arm and rolled a cigarette back and forth between her thumb and forefinger with her right hand.
“There’s a bus station a few blocks down. I saw it on the way here,” I said to Galilea. “We could leave.”
“We can’t. We need Eros around until I regain my strength.” She raised a brow high on her forehead. “Are you scared of him?”
I shook my head.
“Then why do you want to go without him?” she asked.
“Because I think you’re scared of him.”
“A little, I guess. You can’t always believe Eros’ threats, but you also never know when he’s serious.” She stuck the cigarette in her boot. “Do you love Eros more than you love David?”
“What? N-no. I hate Eros.”
“Hate is a strange word to use for the person you just risked your life to save. Why did you leave Athens with him? Most importantly, why did you leave David for him?”
“I didn’t leave David for him. Sometimes, you have to do things you don’t like for a good cause.” I saw Claire’s face in my head. “Or causes.”
“I know a lot about that.” She nodded. “I’ve lived a long time.”
“How old are you?”
“7, 279.”
“Wow. You don’t look a day over nineteen.”
“Thanks.” Galilea smiled. “Galen tells me I look older.”
“I wouldn’t take a lot of what Galen says to heart.”
“I think Galen’s the sweetest, most charming man I’ve ever met,” Galilea said with a sparkle in her eye. “I take everything he tells me to heart.”
“You’re talking about Galen Chios, right?”
“Mhh hmm.”
Talk about love being blind.
“Are you ever going to tell me who sent you to find me?”
“Not yet,” she said. “But I can tell you that they’re the ones who will give you answers.”
That was something I’d been waiting to hear for a long time.
“When?”
“Soon. After we find your father and we ditch the tick.”
“The tick? Because he latches on and doesn’t let go?”
“There’s that, but mostly because he sucks. And speaking of parasites…” Galilea’s mouth pulled to the side as she saw Eros strutting through the clothes racks. “What a waste of a body, huh?”
The film of gray and black grime on Eros’ skin was gone. Now he was covered with scattered bright pink streaks. A round burn mark glowed like a red light on his forehead. He rolled down his sleeves when my eyes fell on the cluster of blisters that formed a demon’s handprint on his arm.
“You look worried,” Eros said to me as he buttoned the cuff of his sleeve.
“You got burned, too. But I didn’t. Why is that?” I asked.
“You did,” Galilea said. “Look there, on your hand.”
“That’s not a burn. Some dead skin peeled off earlier,” I said, noticing another peeling section on my hand.
“Then, I don’t know,” Galilea said.
“Maybe your father can clue us in.” Eros dug the car keys out of his pants pocket. “And now that I’m presentable, let’s go find him.”
***
My hands hadn’t stopped sweating since we got in the car, and Galilea pointed out that we only had an hour to go before we reached Kyparissia. What was I going to say once I was face to face with my father? Would he take me to the Council and put an end to all of this misery? I hoped that, unlike everyone else, he had the sense to know it was the right thing to do.
Eros slowed the car in front of a gasoline station. He turned on the hazard lights and pulled over on the side of the road in front of it.
“We’re here,” Eros said. “Where’s the address?”
“I don’t have one,” I said.
“Is that a joke?” He blinked, and I shook my head. “Were you planning on having me go door to door?”
“You don’t have to do anything, but if that’s what I have to do...”
“How were you going to find your father, then?” Galilea asked from the backseat.
“I know his last name,” I said. “I thought, maybe, he’d be listed in the phonebook.”
“That’s wishful thinking,” Galilea said. “He probably uses an alias.”
“Oui, she’s right.” Eros nodded.
“We won’t lose anything if we just take a look,” I said.
Eros shifted into reverse and backed the car up next to a gas pump.
“You two can ask the attendant for a telephone directory, while I fill the tank,” Eros said.
A man in a blue jumpsuit tapped on the car roof on the driver’s side. Eros rolled the window down and handed him a few bills from his wallet.
“That’s not very considerate,” Galilea said. “These burns hurt like hell, Eros. Why can’t you go ask for the directory?”
“You let me walk into a Turpis-infested building and didn’t give me any warning. They were going to kill me. Have you seen my arm? Do you think you’re the only one in pain?”
“Yeah, yeah.” Galilea pulled a cigarette from her boot and a lighter from her jeans pocket. “It wasn’t supposed to happen that way. Anyway, I went back for you.” She opened the car door. “You coming, Isis?”
“Yes,” I said, and we walked toward a small wooden shack where we found an older gentleman sitting on a stool.
After Galilea lit her cigarette, she exchanged a few words with the man. He tilted the stool sideways, balancing it on two legs and reached behind the door. A few seconds later, he was holding out a dusty book with a torn cover. Galilea took it and set it in my hands. She stuck the cigarette in her mouth and opened the book.
“It’s not the most current directory,” Galilea said, blowing out a puff of smoke. “It’s about two years old. Do you know if your father’s been living here that long?”
“No.”
“What’s his last name?”
“Leumas.”
She took another drag, then turned the phone book pages with the same hand she was holding the cigarette. Her finger ran down one of the pages and stopped right before it reached the bottom.
“There’s a single listing for ‘Leumas’,” she said.
“Really?” My pulse quickened. “What’s the first name?”
“It doesn’t say. It reads ‘Dr. S. Leumas’.”
“The letters he sent me are signed ‘S. Leumas’. Could it be the same person?”
“It’s possible.” Galilea ripped the page from the directory. “Fingers crossed, yeah?”
“Thank you,” I said to the man as I handed him the book. I don’t know if he understood, but he raised his hand and waved.
The engine was already running when we reached the car.
“Well?” Eros asked, closing the visor mirror.
“There’s a listing,” I said. “See how easy that was?”
“But we don’t know if it’s the same person we’re looking for,” Galilea said.
“At least we have a lead.” Eros reached over the seat and took the folded paper from Galilea’s hand. “Which of these is the address?”
“It’s under ‘Dr. S. Leumas’,” I said. “I don’t think it’s a coincidence.”
“Isis,” Galilea leaned forward between the two front seats, “I know you’re optimistic, but keep in mind that
the directory listing is two years old.”
“What are the chances that he would be at the same address after that long?” Eros asked.
“Slim.” I sighed. “I know that.”
“Don’t worry, my sweet. Whoever and wherever he is, I’ll find him.”
I hadn’t even noticed his hand on mine, until Galilea glanced down and then up at me. I slid my hand out from under Eros’ grip.
“We should go. We’re wasting time,” I said, buckling my seatbelt. “And for the last time, stop calling me that.”
***
The muscles in my stomach burned like I was doing an intense set of crunches. The tension worsened when I tried to relax. All the buildings looked the same, and it seemed like we had driven up and down the same narrow streets for hours. For some reason, I counted the times the car stopped at each corner and red light—eighteen, like my age. I wondered if that was a sign, a way that the universe was telling me to stop and look back at each year of my life. I didn’t want to remember my past. It hurt too much to live through the memories. Instead, I focused on the sky.
The sun was centered high above. It had to be noon or past it. I wondered if Nyx or David would call Claire to tell her I was missing. I also wondered how much David hated me. Would he regret that he ever met me?
Right then, more than ever, I missed my mom—my Claire. I wanted her to hold me and reassure me that things would be okay, even if I knew they weren’t. If I were home, she’d whip up a towering stack of pancakes and tell a funny story to get me to smile. If the story didn’t work, tickling me would do the trick. Then, for an instant, I would forget whatever horrible thing I had claimed was the end of the world. Except this time, it—
“Hey.” Galilea tapped my shoulder. Her chin was resting on the back of my seat, and I could smell the cigarette she had smoked earlier on her breath. “Snap out of it. We’re here.”
“Already?” I looked out the driver’s side window. “This is where S. Leumas lives?”
“I don’t think so,” Eros said. “I think this is a clinic.”
“Well, so much for that.” I felt like disappointment had slapped me across the face.
“We should have a look inside. Someone may know him.” Galilea opened the backseat door. “Also, I’m dying for a smoke.”
“Smoking is the filthiest habit you’ve ever picked up,” Eros said. “You look cheap holding a cigarette.”
“And how do I look holding this?” She showed Eros her middle finger.
Eros glared at Galilea for a moment, and then turned to face me.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
I nodded even though my initial reaction was to shake my head and run away, to wake up from this horrible nightmare. If only I could.
Eros and I walked into the gray, brick building. At the reception desk, Eros spoke to a young woman wearing a white lab coat. I bit my thumb nail as I glanced through the glass doors at Galilea smoking a cigarette outside. When I looked back to the receptionist, she was handing Eros a card and pointing in the direction of the stairs.
Eros stared at the small piece of paper as we walked away from the clerk, and then motioned to Galilea to come inside.
“What did she tell you?” I asked.
“She said to go to the third floor.”
“What for?”
“Because that’s where we’ll find Dr. S. Leumas.”
My hands were shaking, and my legs felt like they were about to cave in as I took the first step up the stairs. When we got to the second floor, my head started to spin. For a minute, I thought I was going to pass out. Galilea put her hand on my shoulder to steady me.
“Should I carry you?” Eros asked.
“No. I’m okay.”
We reached the third floor and Eros looked at the card again.
“This way,” Eros said, turning left at the hallway. Galilea and I followed.
Eros stopped in front of a door with a poster of a family that was all smiles.
“Is this it—his office?” I stared at the door.
“Oui,” Eros said. “Will you go in alone, or should I go in with you?”
“Alone.”
Galilea and Eros sat on chairs that lined the wall. It took me a moment before I raised my fist to the door and knocked. The door cracked open. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me. No one was sitting behind the small black desk in the office. It seemed like there was no one there at all. I was just about to leave when I heard the sound of running water coming from a room in the corner.
“Hello?”
“One minute,” a man’s voice answered. “Make yourself comfortable.”
I didn’t know whether to stand or sit as I waited. At last, I chose to stand because every time I tried to sit down, I had trouble breathing.
The light in the corner room turned off and the door opened. A tall man—maybe in his thirties—walked out. He wore a long white lab coat. His five o’clock shadow made him look too scruffy to be a doctor.
“I’m sorry about the wait,” he said. “I’m Dr. Leumas. How may I help you?”
“Dr. Leumas,” I stared at his green eyes and light brown hair as I shook his hand, “my name is Isis Martin.”
The doctor’s hand froze in mine. He blinked at me and opened his mouth, but no words followed. After a moment, he released my hand.
“Are you my father?” No response. A moment passed, before I said, “I really need to know the answer to that question.” Still, he said nothing. “Listen, I don’t have a lot of time, and I think I might be confusing you with someone else, so I better go.”
“No, don’t—don’t go. I’m sorry. I’m just surprised. Speechless. I wasn’t expecting you—my daughter—to walk into my office today.”
“Should I have made an appointment for a routine checkup?”
He looked at me with a confused expression.
“That was a joke,” I said. “Bad timing?”
“Bad joke. I’m a gynecologist.”
“Oh.” I felt my ears burning. I couldn’t have made the moment more awkward even if I tried.
“Would you like to sit?” he asked.
I nodded and took a seat on one of two chairs in front of the desk.
“This isn’t how I imagined our first meeting. I had planned…” He raised a finger. “Just a second.” He walked behind his desk. He bent over and opened one of the desk drawers. He looked up at me before he brought up whatever he had in his hand, and then showed me a small plush bear with a pink bow.
“I was planning a trip to America within the next month.” He walked around the desk and handed me the plush toy. “This is for you.”
I stared at the bear as he held it out to me. I hoped he didn’t think that giving me a cute stuffed animal was going to make me dive into his arms and call him “daddy”.
“I know it doesn’t make up for anything—especially not for lost time,” he said, taking the chair next to mine.
“No, it doesn’t.”
I took the bear and placed it on my lap. I felt myself start to tremble. But it wasn’t nerves I felt. I was angry.
“You must have a lot of questions.”
“I do.” I looked him up and down for a second time. “I want to know why you didn’t go back for my mom.”
“Somehow, I knew that would be your first question.” Leumas ran his hand through his already tousled hair. “It wasn’t because I didn’t want to. It was all so complicated.”
“Oh, I see—things were complicated—for you? Do you even know what you did to my mother’s life? Do you know how much she struggled to raise me?”
“She didn’t do it alone. You had a good man as a father.”
“Yes, he was a great dad. He accepted me even though he knew I wasn’t his. And then you know what happened? He died, and my mom had to do it all alone.”
“I know that. I should’ve gone—”
“But you didn’t. You sent a big check and you expected things to be okay.” I d
ug my nails into the bear in my hand. “Money doesn’t buy happiness, Dr. Leumas.”
“Don’t call me that. I’m your father.”
“My father?” I narrowed my eyes. “My father died six years ago. You’re not him.”
“I deserve that. I was expecting it, to be honest.”
“That’s not even the half of it,” I said.
“Then keep going. Get it off your chest.”
His calmness irritated me.
“You know what? Just forget about it. There are things that are much more important right now.”
“Like what?”
“The reason I’m here. I need you to take me to the Council.”
“I—I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You don’t have to pretend. I know what you are.”
“I’m not sure what you mean by that.”
I looked over at his desk and saw a bronze letter opener. I picked it up, and without giving him time to react, I jabbed him in the stomach. He didn’t even flinch. I raised the bent piece of metal for him to see.
“You were saying, Dr. Leumas?”
“I hope that was to prove a point and not because you were trying to kill your father. And you don’t have to call me ‘Dr. Leumas’.”
“If you think I’m calling you ‘Dad’—”
“Call me Samuel, then.”
“Alright.” I dropped the bent letter opener on the desk. “Samuel, you need to take me to the Council before I really do kill you, along with anyone else that comes near me.”
“Are you—mutating?”
I nodded. The color drained from his face.
“Do you have a craving for raw flesh?” he asked.
“Only when I dream.”
Samuel rose and raised a hand to his head. I watched as he took a few paces with his back to me.
“Does your mother know?” he asked at last.
“No.”
“Is she here with you?”
“No.”
He turned to look at me. “You’re here alone?”
“No. Can I ask the questions now?”
He nodded.
“You had no idea that I was changing?”
“I was hoping that by some miracle you wouldn’t. You were born human.”