Chapter 15 Waking Up To See The Devil
Chapter 15 Waking Up To See The Devil
Odessa's Pov
I stare at Hades, disbelief flooding through my chest. "How's that even possible? He stole my bloody thesis."
"Apparently, it wasn't approved, so he's also staying back for another year." Hades sighs from the passenger seat, his shoulders slumping like he's just as tired of this news as I am. "To make it easier for repeat students, they've been pairing them up. Nikolai got the email that he would be working with you two days ago."
"You don't get it, do you?" I fist my hands in my hair, pulling at the strands as they watch me, both confused while the car sits idle outside my dorm. "This second thesis was the key research to saving MAM the last time. A major determinant on our plans. And now I'm paired with Nikolai? My former partner was anonymous. Someone I never met, someone who just sent me documents through the portal."
"What if it was him?" Rowan asks the question that I don't want to believe in, his voice quiet like he knows he's poking at something sensitive.
I shake my head immediately. "He stole my thesis. If he could write something that life changing, then he wouldn't need to steal it in the first place. That doesn't even make sense."
"His minor is in Mythical Orthopaedics." Rowan turns in his seat to face me fully, his expression thoughtful. "It could be something that could be meaningful regardless." He sighs, running a hand through his hair. "Maybe in this timeline, there are a few alterations to what we think is our reality. We have an edge with our memories, but we should make plans anticipating any switch like this. I'll look for ways to get people into MAM, start building a network on the inside."
I sigh, the weight of everything pressing down on my chest. My seemingly perfect plan was faltering because of him. Nikolai De Luca, the wild card in all of this mess, the one variable I didn't account for.
I bade them goodbye, offering a quick wave as I stepped out of the car, and headed into my dorm. The familiar scent of lavender and old books greeted me again, but it didn't bring the same comfort this time.
At the staircase, my phone beeps with a text from Nick.
\[@nickbyrde: You liked the flowers?\]
I'm smiling before I even realise it, my cheeks hurting from the sudden shift in expression as I head upstairs. My fingers move across my keyboard, typing my response before I can overthink it.
\[@odessamontgomery: Loved it. Thank you. And the movie too, I've really wanted my hands on it for like a while now.\]
\[@nickbyrde: Anytime. How's it going with everything though... the De Luca brothers, Damien?\]
I pause on the landing, my thumb hovering over the screen. I can't tell him about the rebirth theory or my plans. It's not that I don't trust him, I do, more than almost anyone, but my phone could easily get hacked or accessed by the wrong people. I can't take that risk. Not now. Not when everything is so fragile.
\[@odessamontgomery: The De Luca brothers? Okay, Hades and Rowan aren't such jerks like before. I think the rejection made them soft or something. But then there's you know who.\]
I roll my eyes when I get to the hallway, remembering how Nikolai had secured my hair and called me an old blind lady afterwards. The audacity of that man. I'm so caught up in my annoyance that I don't hear my phone chiming with another notification from Nick.
\[@nickbyrde: Who? Nikolai?\]
\[@odessamontgomery: Such an annoying jerk. I hate him. I hate him so much.\]
I type the words with more force than necessary, then walk into my room and close the door behind me. The message is marked as seen, but I don't get a response. His profile shows him going offline. Probably the service again. Ireland has spotty connection, he's mentioned it before.
I sigh, then shower and change into my pajamas, the warm water doing nothing to wash away the frustration. I pull out my old CD player, the one I've had since high school, and pop in the disc Nick sent me. Father of the Bride starts playing, Elizabeth Taylor's face filling the small screen, but my mind is mainly focused on how I was going to fix all of this.
The thesis. Nikolai. Damien. The company.
I'm probably going to have to strike for the steak directly. Skip all the middle steps and go straight to the source. Get Yellow Leaves' endorsement myself, without waiting for the crisis to hit. Build the relationship now, plant the seeds, so when everything falls apart, I'm already there with a solution.
I doze off after this proud thought, just as a scene rolls to Elizabeth Taylor smiling. She's probably proud of me for finally thinking straight.
I sleep with the same smile on my face, feeling almost hopeful for the first time in days.
I wake up with a heavy frown at the sight of Damien sitting by my desk.
He's just there, in my room, in my space, like he belongs there. Like he has every right to be here.
"Damien, what the hell?" I get up immediately, pulling off my eye mask completely, my heart hammering in my chest. "Get out. Now."
He sighs like I'm being unreasonable, then motions to the roses on my desk, the white ones Nick sent. "They're sending you flowers now, huh?" His voice is dripping with something ugly. "Let me guess. It's that bastard, Nikolai."
It's crazy of him to think that way. Nikolai would never in any timeline send me flowers. He'd rather hang my body on a basketball hoop and set it on fire than waste a single petal on me.
"You must be insane." I tighten the drawstring on my pajama pants, keeping distance between us. "You got into my dorm room without my permission and you're making that crazy assumption?"
"It could be him." He shrugs, like it's the most logical conclusion in the world. "With how he eye-f-cks you in the hallways. He's always looking at you!"