CHAPTER 67: [67] SO MUCH FOR NORMAL

Xavier and Aurora stepped out of Café Leblanc into the evening air. The temperature had dropped while they were inside, and Xavier could see his breath forming small clouds in front of him. The dull throbbing in his head had subsided somewhat, though it still lingered at the edges of his awareness.

"You know," Aurora said, falling into step beside him, "I think I needed that."

"Same here," Xavier said, adjusting the takeout bag in his hand. "Though I’m not sure I’d call that ramen normal. It was exceptional."

Aurora laughed. "Fair point. I’m definitely going back there. My mouth is still on fire, but in the best possible way."

They walked in comfortable silence for a block, passing under the glow of crystal-powered streetlights that cast everything in a soft blue tint. Xavier noticed how the light caught in Aurora’s crimson hair, making it look almost like it was smoldering.

"So," she said finally, "you planning to ignore me again next week?"

Xavier glanced at her. "I wasn’t ignoring you specifically. I was—"

"I gathered." She bumped her shoulder against his arm playfully. "But now that we’ve broken bread together—or slurped noodles, whatever—you don’t get to pretend I don’t exist anymore."

"Of course not," Xavier said.

As they approached their apartment building, Xavier’s headache continued to recede. The pain that had felt like a vice grip around his temples was now just a faint pressure, barely noticeable.

Aurora stopped abruptly outside the building entrance. "Phone," she demanded, holding out her hand.

"What?"

"Your phone. Hand it over." When he hesitated, she rolled her eyes. "I’m not going to steal it, I promise."

Xavier pulled his phone from his pocket and placed it in her outstretched palm. Aurora immediately navigated to his contacts and began typing.

"I’m adding myself," she explained, fingers tapping rapidly on the screen. "And..." She held the phone up, positioning it to capture both their faces in the frame. "Smile!"

Xavier managed a small smile just as she snapped the picture.

"Perfect," she said, attaching the photo to her new contact entry. "Now you have no excuse. If you ignore me for a week straight again, I will spam you with messages until you respond."

She handed the phone back to him. The selfie showed Aurora beaming at the camera, her golden eyes bright, while Xavier looked slightly caught off guard but not displeased.

"Is that a threat?" he asked, pocketing the phone.

"Absolutely." Aurora pushed through the building’s front door. "Consider yourself warned."

They rode the elevator in silence, but it wasn’t uncomfortable. When the doors opened on their floor, Aurora hesitated before stepping out.

"Hey," she said, turning to face him. "You should work out with me tomorrow morning."

Xavier raised an eyebrow. "Is that another demand?"

"More like a challenge." A competitive glint appeared in her eyes. "Unless you’re worried about getting shown up by a redhead like me."

"I think I can handle it," Xavier said.

"Great!" Aurora’s face lit up. "Seven AM okay? Don’t make me come get you."

"Seven’s fine. But wait—weren’t you supposed to work out tonight?"

Aurora shrugged, already backing toward her apartment door. "I’ll just work twice as hard tomorrow with you." She flashed him a grin. "See you in the morning, Xavier!"

She disappeared into her apartment, leaving Xavier standing in the hallway with a takeout bag and the lingering sense that he’d just been expertly maneuvered.

He shook his head, a small smile tugging at his lips as he walked to his own door. The headache was almost completely gone now, replaced by a strange lightness he couldn’t quite identify.

Xavier unlocked his door and stepped inside. "I’m back," he called out, kicking off his shoes. "They didn’t have gyoza, but the ramen there is killer. You should try—"

The words died in his throat as he rounded the corner to the living room. His brain registered two things simultaneously: Calypso sitting on the couch, looking uncharacteristically nervous, and beside her—Elaine Valentine.

His mother.

The takeout bag slipped from his fingers, landing with a soft thud on the floor.

Elaine’s red eyes locked onto him with laser-like focus. Her snow-white hair was pulled back in a practical bob, not a strand out of place despite the late hour. She wore scrubs, suggesting she’d come directly from her shift at Mercy General.

"Hello, little X-Ray."

"Mom," he managed. "What are you... I didn’t know you were coming."

"Clearly," Elaine said. "Since you’ve been vague in your calls and messages for days. Did you really think I wouldn’t come check on you?"

Xavier shot a glance at Calypso, who gave him a helpless shrug in return. Her expression said it all: I didn’t know what to do either.

"I’ve been busy with classes," Xavier said, trying to recover. "And my phone—"

"Works perfectly fine," Elaine finished for him. "Your cousin Calypso has been telling me all about your first week. Quite the adventure you’ve had."

"It’s been... intense," Xavier said, carefully picking up the dropped takeout bag. "Let me just put this in the kitchen."

"Don’t bother," Elaine said, rising from the couch. "I’ve ordered dinner for us. It should be here any minute."

"You’re staying for dinner?"

"I’m staying the weekend," Elaine corrected, her red eyes gleaming with what might have been amusement at his discomfort. "I’ve taken two days off. Plenty of time for us to catch up and for me to get to know your... cousin."

The emphasis on that last word made Xavier’s stomach drop. Calypso looked equally alarmed, though she was trying to hide it behind a pleasant smile.

"The weekend," Xavier repeated, feeling like he’d stumbled into some bizarre alternate reality. Which, in a way, he had. "That’s... great."

"Isn’t it?" Elaine approached him, closing the distance between them. Despite being several inches shorter, she somehow managed to make Xavier feel like he was looking up at her. "We have so much to talk about."

She reached up and patted his cheek. "Starting with why you and your cousin are sharing a one-bedroom apartment and why neither of you can keep your story straight about how you’re related."

Xavier opened his mouth, but no words came out. What could he possibly say? That he was a reincarnated assassin? That Calypso was a goddess bound to him by divine magic? That Elaine herself wasn’t real in any meaningful sense?

"But first," Elaine continued, turning away to check her watch, "dinner. I hope you still like Thai food. I ordered enough for an army."

The doorbell rang, as if on cue.

"That’ll be the delivery," Elaine said, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. "Calypso, dear, would you mind getting the door? Xavier and I need a moment alone."