Goddess Legacy Page 8

  Chapter Five

  “No,” Legacy breathed. No freakin’ way. No way!

  “Yes,” River said, nodding. “I don’t know how much you already know—”

  Yale walked hurriedly through the front door.

  “Sorry I’m late. I overslept,” Yale said as she quickly put on her nametag and unlocked her cash register.

  River looked at her. “No problem, my mom’s not here yet, but you should probably hurry up and count your drawer. I think she’ll be here any minute.”

  “Sure. Thanks!” she responded as she quickly counted the money and entered the information on a form that she pulled out from underneath the register.

  River looked back at Legacy. “We should get your nametag,” he said as he led the way to the break area. If he thought this was the end of their conversation, he was sorely mistaken.

  He fumbled around in a drawer and pulled out a readymade nametag. “Here, put this on.” His hands were shaking. She took the nametag and put it on her shirt. He was watching out the window on the door of the break room and spoke through hurried whispers. “I know you want answers, but now’s not the time. My mom will be here any minute.”

  “No, tell me what you know,” she whispered heatedly.

  Just then, the front door of the store opened and Ms. Gorgos walked in.

  “Later,” he said, and walked back into the lobby. She followed behind, reluctant to drop this conversation for now, but determined to get all the information she could out of him later as he’d promised.

  “Ah, Legacy, you’re here. Good. I hope River has been helpful,” Ms. Gorgos said as she walked in their direction.

  “Very,” she responded, trying to put a pleasant smile on her face.

  “Good. I need to take care of some things before we get started. River, why don’t you get the boxes out of my car? Legacy, you can sit with Yale at the register.”

  Ms. Gorgos walked toward her office with her keys in hand. River walked out of the store and into the parking lot to retrieve the boxes from his mom’s car. She obediently walked over to Yale and sat on the stool next to her.

  Yale showed her how to work the register and explained how things were done around the store. Legacy tried concentrating on what she was showing her, but she had some difficulty paying attention. She tried to keep her brain on the tasks at hand, but her thoughts were elsewhere. Like what the hell River had to do with her mom and just what he knew about this whole goddess business.

  After watching Yale with the first few customers, she had Legacy work the register. It did not require her undivided attention, so she hadn’t missed that after River had taken the boxes into his mom’s office, he hadn’t come back out. He was hiding from her. That tactic would only work for so long.

  “What year are you?” Yale asked.

  “I’m gonna be a senior.”

  “Oh, that’s cool. I loved being a senior in high school. Well, up until my dad realized I was going to a state college and not Yale like he had. Boy, was he hot.” She rolled her eyes. “You won’t believe the pressure he put on me all my life to go there. If I were going to go to an Ivy League school, I’d go to Harvard just to piss him off. Couldn’t you imagine…a lady named Yale going to Harvard? Priceless.” She laughed.

  Legacy smiled at her, but was caught up in her own musings to pay too much attention to Yale’s ramblings.

  “Do you have a boyfriend?” Yale asked.

  “No.” Did she? One date didn’t actually equal a boyfriend. And they were taking things slowly. Did that mean it’d be a while before they reached the boyfriend and girlfriend labels status? She didn’t know.

  “Well, I’m not sure if River has a girlfriend. Too bad he’s too young for me,” Yale said with a giggle. “He seemed really helpful to you this morning. When I first met him, it took him several days before he approached me.”

  “He was the only one here when I arrived. I assumed he was just filling in for his mom until she got here.”

  “Once you get to know him, I think you might like him,” she offered in an amusing tone.

  “I get along well with just about everybody.” Legacy shrugged and looked away from her.

  “I didn’t mean anything by that. I tend to blurt out things without thinking.”

  Obviously. “It’s okay.” Then it hit her. Maybe Yale knew some things about the family they worked for. Make the chick ramble about stuff that might be useful to her. “What do you know about the Gorgos family?” she asked, a little too eager.

  “Not much. Probably the same things you know. They’re ridiculously rich. Stores all over the place. Houses everywhere. They travel around a lot. River has been in boarding school overseas for several years, but since his dad is still in Greece, I heard him mention he’d be attending school here to help out with his mom.”

  “Greece?”

  “Yes. I’m not sure what he does there. I mean, they’re all from around here, but I think their ancestors came here from Greece. They go back several times a year, but I’ve never met his dad. Any time his name comes up, Ms. Gorgos says he’s working in Greece. They might even be divorced.” Yale shrugged.

  Legacy looked out the window, absorbing this information and wondering if it was relevant to the information about her mother. She looked at the sky and saw clouds rolling in. These were not the soft, fluffy clouds of a pleasant summer day. No, these clouds were dark and menacing.

  “Is it supposed to storm today?” she asked as she turned back to Yale.

  “Oh, yeah. Didn’t you watch the weather? There’s a front moving in and we’re supposed to have bad weather all week. They’re also talking about a tropical storm in the Gulf of Mexico, but it is hurricane season.”

  “Tropical storm? Where?” Adin’s family was at the beach this week, but he hadn’t mentioned where, and she’d been too awestruck to think clearly when he mentioned that fact.

  “I’m not sure, but I think they mentioned something about it making landfall in the Florida panhandle.”

  Forceful thunder rocked the building.

  “Maybe I should go to the break room and see if there’s anything about the weather on the news,” Yale said anxiously. “Will you be okay here by yourself until I get back?”

  Legacy nodded, and Yale slipped off the stool beside her, quickly making her way to the back of the store. Legacy turned to watch the clouds rolling in. She didn’t share Yale’s anxiety—storms never bothered her. But as she watched the trees across the street sway forcefully with the wind, she began to feel somewhat uneasy. She didn’t understand the emotion, but for some reason, she felt compelled to go outside.

  Without conscious effort, she silkily stood up and stepped to the door. She couldn’t take her eyes off the trees. With forceful determination, it seemed as if they were beckoning her. It reminded her of her dream, and then she saw something slide out from the edge of the trees. A snake? She couldn’t tell. She reached for the door and then jumped at the touch of someone’s hand on her shoulder.

  She turned around to see who it was just as a piercing alarm sounded outside.

  “Where are you going?” River asked, his hand still on her shoulder.

  “Er, nowhere. I was just looking at the sky.”

  “We’re under a tornado warning. We need to go down to the basement.”

  She looked back outside and stared at the sky. River locked the front door and the register before turning back to her.

  “C’mon. We need to go,” he said as he grabbed her hand and yanked her behind him.

  By the time they got into the basement, the others were already there. Ms. Gorgos sat in a chair at the far wall and glared at her as she came into the damp room. As soon as she saw her, she realized River was still holding her hand, so she gently moved her hand away from his. When she let go, Ms. Gorgos’ eyes softened. Overprotecting much? she thought to herself and then shrugged it off.

  She went to sit by Yale who looked like she was on the verge of freaking out. No,
not on the verge. She was already freaking out. She jumped at the slightest sound that came in through the walls and ceiling.

  “It’s okay,” Legacy said as she patted her leg, trying to console her.

  “Er, I know. Um, I’m sorry I didn’t come get you.” She jumped again as the thundered crashed. “River came in while I was watching the weather report and told me to take cover. That he’d go get you.”

  “He did,” she said, stating the obvious. She felt like she was talking to a five-year-old.

  River took a seat across from her. He leaned in toward her, placing his arms on his knees and clasping his hands together. He looked at the floor like he was uncomfortable being here, but he wasn’t scared like Yale was. In fact, no one looked scared except for her.

  Ms. Gorgos broke the silence just as it was becoming uncomfortable. “How’s everything going, Legacy? I’m sorry I’ve been too busy to show you things myself.”

  “That’s okay. Yale’s doing a great job showing me the ropes.”

  “Good. If you have any questions, please feel free to knock on my door at any time. Regardless of how busy I am, I will always make time to answer any questions you may have. And River, too. Right, River?” she asked as her eyes flashed at him.

  “Of course,” River said, looking up at her. He didn’t look long, though.

  They all sat quietly, listening to the weather radio. Legacy looked over at Yale, and she was still on edge. “It’s probably almost over,” she whispered. “I’m sure it’s already past us by now.” Her comments didn’t seem to help her, so she looked away. She was surprised to see River staring at her again, but this time, his smile was gentle.

  “That’s very kind of you, trying to make her feel better,” he offered.

  She shrugged, but smiled back.

  Yale looked over at him and smiled halfheartedly. Then the radio announced the all clear, and Yale sighed in obvious relief.

  Ms. Gorgos got up first and led the way out. Yale followed next, and Legacy followed. River turned out the lights as he followed her out of the basement.

  “Legacy,” he murmured, and she turned to look at him. “Would you like to go out with me tonight?”

  Oh no! What did he mean by that? Like go out on a date or just get her alone to talk about what he knew?

  He saw the confusion on her face and saved her from any embarrassing comment she feared she was about to make. “I would just like to be alone to talk about things.”

  “Um, sure.”

  “I’ll pick you up at seven. I can get your address off your application.”

  “Okay,” she said as she turned around and walked back toward the lobby.

  She finished the rest of her shift in a haze, trying to think of reasons why River would know, or at least know of, her mom. She came up empty. It didn’t make any sense, but if she wanted to be honest with herself, none of this made any sense. At least she found some who could corroborate what Lissa had said.

  She left work feeling confident that this job would be an easy one for her to do with the added bonus of working with someone who knew her mom. She slipped out without seeing River again, but she was eager to see him tonight.

  Once she got home, she dashed upstairs and picked out an outfit for her non-date. She selected her favorite jeans and a cute shirt. She took a shower and tried to relax. It didn’t work. She was sure the nerves she felt were due to the impending news she would be getting.

  She got out and dried her hair before returning to her room. Once in the hallway, she heard some noise from downstairs.

  “Is that you, Lissa?” she called down from the top of the stairs.

  “Yes, but I’m on my way out.”

  “I thought you had to work late.”

  “I still do. Olive is staying with a friend, so I needed to get her some clothes.”

  “Oh, okay,” she said as she started to turn back toward her room.

  “Legacy, can you see if you can stay with Calli for a few days?”

  “Er, yeah. Why?”

  “I have to go out of town. I need to leave in the morning.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “Yes, I have a conference to attend and want to make sure everything is set up before it starts.”

  “All right. I’ll see you later,” she said, and heard Lissa leave.

  She closed the door to her room and got dressed. She played with her hair, but decided to leave it down. She put on some fresh makeup and sat on the corner of her bed, lost in her thoughts again. When Lissa mentioned Calli, she realized she needed to tell about her plans with River and explain. Maybe she could use this casual time to find out about his personal life. She would have to make a conscious effort to do that since she was more worried about finding out what he knew about her mom than she was worried about what he looked for in women. But she knew she needed to tell Calli. Now.

  She grabbed her cell and tapped Calli’s name.

  “Hello?”

  “Hey, Calli.”

  “Oh hi, Legacy. How was your first day?”

  “Very interesting.” Hmmmm . . . River and she used the word interesting when they explained their weekend. Amazing how fitting this description really was.

  “What was interesting about it?”

  “Well, River apparently knows my mom. Or he knows of her.”

  “What?”

  “Yeah, he didn’t realize she was my mother at first.”

  “How does he know her?”

  “I don’t know. We’re going out tonight so he can explain. He didn’t want to talk about it at work, and he knew I wasn’t going to let it go.”

  “Where are you going?” she asked, sounding a little sad.

  “I’m not sure, but he’ll be here in a few minutes, so I need to go. I’ll call you when I get back.”

  “Okay.”

  “Oh, Calli?”

  “Yes?”

  “Lissa has to go out of town for a few days, so she asked me to ask you about staying over at your house until she gets back.”

  “No prob. You know my parents won’t care,” she said with more pep in her tone.

  “Thanks. I’ll talk to you later.”

  The knock at the door caused her stomach to flip. She casually went downstairs to answer it.

  River was standing under the porch light when she opened the door. He was wearing jeans and a cotton v-neck shirt with a short-sleeved, buttoned-down shirt layered on top. He looked and smelled like he just got out of the shower. His hair was still slightly wet with fresh gel scrunched through it. He looked great. If she wasn’t head-over-hills for Adin, she would definitely have some serious butterflies in her stomach.

  It took her half a second too long to respond and he began to smile.

  “You’re early,” she managed to say, keeping her composure.

  “I wasn’t sure how to get here, so I left a few minutes early.”

  “That’s fine. I’m ready. Just need to get my purse and keys.”

  She got her things and turned around to follow him to his car. Oh wow. He was driving a silver Mercedes coup. She should have known he’d have a nice car. He lived in Calli’s neighborhood, for crying out loud. But she just hadn’t considered that.

  River turned around when he heard her audible surprise and gave her a puzzled look. She shrugged and continued walking. He walked to the passenger door to open it for her. Men in the south were taught to be chivalrous, so this really didn’t surprise her. She tried, unsuccessfully, not to watch as he walked around to the driver side. He moved gracefully for a guy that looked athletic. Once inside, he started the car and turned down the radio. After they were out of her driveway, he glanced over at her.

  “You look very pretty.”

  What? “Thanks. You look nice too.”

  “Thank you,” he said, fighting a smile.

  “So where are we going?”

  “I made reservations at the Italian restaurant downtown. It has intimate seating. We should be abl
e to talk freely there. You know, get to know each other without interruptions.”

  “What’s wrong with talking now? We’re alone.”

  He shook his head with a serious look on his face and put his finger to his mouth. “How long have you lived here?” he asked in a casual manner.

  “All my life.” She wasn’t sure what else to say. Was his car bugged or something?

  “Do you like living here?”

  “Yes. The heat is horrible this time of year, and we get a lot of storms, but they never really bother me.”

  “I noticed,” he said with a short laugh.

  “How about you? Do you like living here?” She figured that was a safe question.

  “Yes. Things are definitely looking up.”

  She didn’t know what to make of that, nor did she know what else to say.

  “I stayed up too late watching baseball last night. What did you do?”

  Why was he trying to fill the silence? “I, er, had a date.”

  “Really? With who?” He tried to sound passive, but his eyes betrayed him.

  “A guy I went to school with. We’re going out again when he gets back from vacation.” She didn’t know why she said this.

  He was staring at the road, but now his eyebrows were furrowed. River wanted to ask her something, but what?

  “So, did you have fun?” He tried to sound causal, but she got a sneaking suspension that that wasn’t the question he wanted to ask.

  “Yes.” She wasn’t going into any specifics with him about her date.

  “So is this guy your boyfriend?” There was the question he wanted to ask.

  She avoided the yes or no response. “Last night was our first date,” she qualified.

  “Oh.” He seemed pleased by this, which took her by surprise, though she hid any reaction.

  Since he asked her if Adin was her boyfriend, she figured she should use this opportunity to inquire about his personal life, for Calli’s sake.

  “What about you? Anyone special in your life?” she asked as she leaned back in her seat and folded her arms against her chest.

  River chuckled. “As a matter of fact, there is.”

  She frowned at his response. Calli wouldn’t be happy about this.

  River let a short laugh slip out before he could compose himself. “You look sad. Were you hoping I was going to say no?” he teased.

  She scrambled for a response that would let her off the hook while not betraying Calli in the process. She realized that wouldn’t be entirely possible, but she would say what she could. “Well, I have this friend who is interested in you.”

  “You have a lot of friends.”

  Not really. She figured he knew exactly who she was talking about. “I’m not giving you anymore than that. It doesn’t matter anyway. You’re not available.”

  He shook his head, and with a smile, said, “No…no, I’m not.”

  She didn’t say anything. She still felt bad for Calli. Hopefully, she wasn’t too invested in any particular fantasy about River. She would just have to wait until he was available. Boys their age tended to change girlfriends more often than they changed their shoes. She would get her chance, eventually.

  “So…do you like this mystery man who took you out last night?” he said when Legacy didn’t comment.

  “Yeah,” she said, and shrugged her shoulders.

  River liked that. He just grinned and said, “Hmmm…”

  She wanted to get the focus off her. “Do you like that special person in your life?” she asked, throwing his question right back at him.

  “Of course.” He nodded and smiled. No, that wasn’t really a smile. It looked more like a smirk. Smirk? What had he meant by that?

  Luckily, that was a nonissue since they were pulling into the parking lot of the restaurant. River shut off the engine, and she started to get out. He walked around to her side to get her door, but she had already stepped out of the car.

  “You should’ve let me do that,” he chided, but shut her door once she was clear of it. He led the way into the restaurant and approached the hostess. “I have reservations for two.”

  “Name?” She sounded detached, but her eyes popped when she looked up.

  “Rysaor.”

  “This way,” she announced, and they followed her to a table at the end of the restaurant.

  Once they were safely seated and had placed their orders, she figured now was the time to start. “So what do you know?” she bluntly asked.

  “Look, I really don’t know how to do this,” he stalled.

  “Just start at the beginning,” she encouraged.

  He took a deep breath and leaned toward her. “Okay, when I saw you on Saturday, I noticed the resemblance. But I didn’t understand why.”

  “Is that why you looked at me funny?”

  He laughed. “I didn’t realize I had. I apologize if I came off as a jerk.”

  “You didn’t,” she lied. “Go on.”

  “Well, when I saw you, I figured you were probably related to Dora, but I really had no idea she was your mother.”

  Legacy waited for him to continue. She wanted him to tell her everything he was willing to before she started with specific questions.

  “Had I known you were her daughter, I wouldn’t have said anything.”

  “Why?”

  “Because I really don’t know her.”

  “But you know of her.”

  “Yes.”

  Ugh, this was like pulling teeth. “What do you know?”

  “Maybe I should tell you about my family. That may help explain things.”

  Good idea. She could compare what he told her to what Lissa had told her the other day. “All right.” She waited for him to begin again, but he hesitated.

  “I’m really not supposed to talk about this,” he finally said. “As much as I want to tell you everything I know, I’m not going to be able to. It’s not that I don’t want to—I want to help. Really, I do, but there are some things that are too private and too involved to tell just anyone. I need to get some things straight myself.”

  “Jeez. First, Lissa tells me cryptic things, and now you.”

  “Lissa?”

  “My guardian. It’s a long story. One I’d be happy to tell you all about after you tell me what you know.”

  River took a deep breath and then started. “What do you know about Greek mythology?”

  Apparently not as much as everybody else. “Not much.”

  “My family came over from Greece, and they still have many connections. My dad still lives there.”

  “I heard about that,” she said in encouragement for him to continue.

  “This is going to sound crazy, but the story is my family descends from the Greek gods.” River put his elbow on the table and let his head fall into his hand, covering his eyes.

  Oh gods, he believed the same things Lissa had told her. “I see.”

  “No, you don’t. The thing is, we have certain abilities that the average person does not.”

  “Abilities?”

  “Yes. They seem to be linked to puberty or adolescence and manifest to a complete state by one’s eighteenth birthday.”

  Eighteenth birthday? She felt her face turn white and her breathing accelerated. He heard the change in her breathing and looked up.

  “Don’t worry. I’m told it’s nothing too scary.” He misunderstood her expression.

  Neither one of them realized how close they were leaning toward each other until the waitress returned with their food. They both sat upright in their chairs and smiled at the server as she put their pasta dishes in front of them. They both began eating, though Legacy really didn’t feel like it. She felt a little queasy, actually. Once the waitress was several feet away again, she continued.

  “What do you mean exactly by abilities?”

  “I’m not sure.” He shrugged as he placed his fork on his plate and then looked up at her. “I don’t turn eighteen until the fall, so I ca
n’t speak from personal experience. But if you read up on Greek mythology, you’ll learn about the abilities of those gods, or mythical figures, and get a pretty good idea.”

  “Are you saying that I might have some special abilities?”

  “No, I’m not saying you might—I’m saying you will.”

  Wow. Just, wow. Hadn’t Lissa told her she would be going through changes? Gods, was this what she’d been talking about? Was Legacy going to have some magical abilities? She couldn’t even think about that right now. “And what about my mother?”

  River sighed. “I saw her in Greece when I was there last year. I didn’t speak to her, but she was visiting my dad.”

  Her brain was churning. River saw her mom? Just last year? She really was alive, but why would she be in Greece? She ignored the obvious answer.

  He put his hands in his lap and leaned closer to her like he’d done before the waitress delivered their food. He cocked his head to the side and smiled. He responded as if the questions in her head were clearly displayed on her face.

  “I don’t know for sure, but I was under the impression they knew each other really well.”

  “Why do you think that?” She was barely able to speak. Her words came out in a whisper, but somehow, he heard her.

  “Because I heard my dad tell her not to worry, to not lose hope, that he’d take care of it. I don’t know what they were talking about, but she seemed relieved by his support in whatever it was.”

  She stared at him in total shock, but was determined to get as much information as she could. She needed to tell him what she knew. Maybe something she said would trigger something for him.

  She put down her fork and took a deep breath to prepare to spill what she knew.

  “I just turned seventeen this past Friday. Up until that night, I was under the impression my parents died in a car accident when I was a baby. Lissa told me my mom didn’t die back then, that she left to protect me because I was turning, er, changing into a goddess. And now you’ve told me the same thing.” She looked down and shook her head at the strangeness of the whole situation, struggling to find some sense in all this.

  “You’re ascending,” he said so matter-of-factly.

  Her head flew up to meet his gaze. “How do you know that? Why do you know that? What does that even mean? This is all just so crazy.”

  “Because I am too. Only my ascension will be happening sooner than yours. October fifteenth to be exact.”

  “Your eighteenth birthday?” she guessed. She could hardly believe what she was saying, what she was accepting. Her body felt numb, but as she stared at River, his body seemed relaxed.

  “Yes.”

  “Is that all you have to say about it?”

  “For now. I think I should take you back home.” His mood seemed to shift before her eyes. His relaxed façade transformed to one of concern, if she was reading him correctly.

  “I want to hear more about you, about this.”

  “In time. I’ve said enough for one night.”

  “Don’t be ridiculous! You’ve only scratched the surface!”

  “Look, Legacy, when I told you earlier that I knew everything, I was being honest. I do know everything. About me. Which apparently involves your mother on some level. But I don’t know everything about you. What little I did know about you didn’t prepare me for how you fit into all of this. I realize now that I know much more than I thought I did, and I’m not ready to tell you.”

  “That’s not fair!” she exploded, and then looked around the restaurant to make sure no one had heard her.

  “I didn’t say I wasn’t going to tell you. I just think this is something that’s going to have to come out in stages, and of course, we’ll have to be careful where we talk.” River smiled as he said this, and she didn’t understand why.

  “Why didn’t you want to talk about this in your car? Is it bugged?” she asked with heavy sarcasm.

  “Er, no, my car’s not bugged. I didn’t want to talk about it then because we were still close to your house.”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “It’s too complicated to explain now, but long story short, you’re being watched and listened to.” He stood and looked down at her. “I will tell you this, though. Lissa was right. You’ll be a goddess one day. You need to prepare yourself for that.”

  She stared at him incredulously, unable to speak.

  “And while I’m handing out advice, stay away from my mother. She’s evil.”