Starcrossed

the way Cassandra and Ariadne were reacting, but she could barely stay awake, let alone participate in the conversation.
    She kept thinking about flying. Well, really she kept catching herself thinking about Lucas, but as soon as her thoughts slid down that hot knife, she shuffled her imagination over to the side and thought about flying instead. Maybe she would try it again on her own later, she decided, but this time she would do it inside her house so she wouldn’t be in danger of floating away. Although the prospect of blowing away on the breeze didn’t seem like such a bad idea right about now.
    “Lennie! The bell’s ringing,” Claire said, her bag already over her shoulder. Helen jumped up and got her things together while her friends shot each other looks behind her back.
    Claire tried to talk to Helen during track, but eventually gave up when Helen kept turning the conversation around to ask how Claire was instead. Helen didn’t want pity, and she didn’t want to talk about herself. She just wanted to switch her brain off and float.
    Eventually, Claire got the hint and started talking about the bonfire party on the beach that night. She was having trouble deciding if she was going to get a ride with Ariadne or not.
    “On the one hand I want to get to know her better, but it would mean I would have to go with her and Jason, and he always finds a way to start an argument with me. Are you sure you can’t take the night off from work? We could get a ride with Matt together,” Claire said optimistically.
    “You know I can’t.”
    “If you asked Kate, I’m sure she’d let you,” Claire coaxed
    “Gig? I really don’t want to spend the night sitting on cold sand watching everyone make out,” Helen said with finality. “But you should go and have fun. And who knows? Maybe you and Jason will get along tonight, for once.”
    Claire launched into a tirade about how annoying Jason was for always disagreeing with her. Only half listening, Helen finessed the air currents around her, practicing flying with the gravity on. She couldn’t wait to get home after work that night and give it a try.
    Hidden behind a sand dune, Creon counted the minutes that passed while his cousins Hector and Jason stayed submerged. He hadn’t known about this talent, and he was happy that circumstance had led him there to witness it. He had lost track of Lucas earlier, which happened often considering his little cousin could fly, and he had to settle for following Jason and Hector to this ridiculous beach party. As he watched his cousins breach the waves and stroll out of the thundering surf, he seethed with resentment. All that talent wasted on cowards who were too frightened of the gods to challenge them, and too interested in their own pleasure to consider the implications that flirting with human girls could have for their entire House.
    Jason spent most of the evening talking to a tiny Japanese girl. He seemed to be able to control himself around women, but Hector was a different story. It wasn’t even midnight yet, and Creon had seen him rolling around in the sand with two different girls already. Didn’t Hector know how easy it was for Scions to impregnate women? Did his idiot cousin really want his firstborn to be from some foolish child with no character? Obviously, Hector didn’t care about their House, or he wouldn’t waste his time with such silly girls. It rankled so much, Creon had to look away and grit his teeth. There was only one girl on this island who was equal to any of them in status. Only one girl worthy of his attention.
    Helen. But Lucas wouldn’t leave her for a moment, and it forced Creon to keep his distance from her. He couldn’t confront his cousins directly or his undercover mission would be spoiled, but there had been a few times when Creon had considered it. Helen’s face had stayed with him. He thought back again to their confrontation out on the moors. The fear and anger in her eyes while she chased him had been pure, so passionate it was almost too much to resist. She was powerful, and yet so unaware of her potential she was nearly helpless. His hands shook at the thought of conquering her, but he had to be patient.
    His mother had begged him to wait until she could quietly ask around and find out if there was a possibility someone in the family had left a bastard in Massachusetts. Creon had reluctantly agreed to wait a week on her reply, but he knew what the answer would be. Even