Page 26 of The Guardian

I slowly nodded my head and said, “But it is not like it sounds.”

“Not like…” He shook his head again and leaned in. “Are you telling me that those two witches are…dead?”

I nodded my head and took another bite of pasta. It tasted like my grandmother’s and I really loved it. I grabbed some garlic bread and swabbed up some sauce with it. Taking a bite of the bread, I hummed in appreciation.

The silence from him made me look over.

He kept staring at me. He looked almost comical as the stunned surprise made him look like a young boy really.

I hid my smile and nodded my head. “I know I seem unbothered by this terrible event, but those two… They gave me no choice.”

Henry looked around in concern, then told me in a hushed tone, “I don’t want anyone to hear this.”

I shrugged. “Good, then we will just drop it.” I knew I’d made a huge mistake by telling him such a thing.

Silence again.

I kept eating my pasta and swallowed then looked over at him.

He slowly shook his head. “There is no way we will be doing that, Maya.”

I sighed then took a sip of wine and said, “Bene, I can’t tell you here. So eat your dinner.”

He chuckled dryly. “You are more of a surprise every hour that I know you. However, you need to be warned that we are not done with this conversation.” He then picked his fork up. He ate a bite full then nodded. “Crickey, that is good.”

I nodded back as I was busy eating the best Italian food I had tasted in three years. “It reminds me of home. My grandma made Carbonara just like this.” I set my fork down and added how I’d felt for all this time, “I never thought I would ever be free of them, Henry. That I would ever see my home again.”

Henry shook his head and scoffed. “I never had the misfortune of meeting them, but the horror stories I have heard for the last few days tell me that if someone could be evil, they were definitely a prime example. But if anyone told me…” He gazed around and murmured quietly, “… that you were the one to rid the world of them, I would have laughed in their faces.”

“Oh, me too. I am not like Selena or any of you. I cannot fight well at all. I have had a bare minimum of self defense lessons. My papa insisted that I…” I paused as my eyes teared up immediately with the memory of my father. “…take a self defense class before I left for university.”

He finished his bread and again looked at me. “I didn’t think you would wilfully do such a thing, Maya... Maybe after we eat, we can go to your room and you can tell me what really happened.”

I stared at him. Me and him alone in my room? “Did they give you a room?” I asked him.

He shrugged and replied, “Not that I know of? If you will remember, we came straight in, then to the kitchen.”

I looked up and spotted Henry’s brother across the table.

Looking a bit too interested in us, he glanced away.

I hoped he hadn’t heard our conversation.

Henry followed my gaze and saw what was bothering me. He raised his hand to wave at him then called out, “Hey baby brother, can you ask someone here and find out where my room will be?”

He nodded. “You have the same phone number?”

“Yes, and I bet yours is exactly the same, right?”

“It is. I will text you when I know.”

“Can you ask for a room in the same hall as the kids?” Henry requested.

Michael paused, looked at me and then back at Henry.

I lowered my head. He thinks… I hid my smile. Well, maybe?

Henry laughed. “Get your head out of the gutter, mate.”