Free Eden by Kate Wrath

talk.  Not even a greeting.  Straight to
the point.
    For an instant, I'm confused.  Did he hear about the chip? 
Does he even know?  I haven't had time to tell him about any of it, but rumors
travel fast.  But of course he's not talking about the chip.  Apollon is
fixated on one thing right now.  "Uh..." I say, helplessly.
    "Oh my god, Eden." His voice is incredulous. 
"You didn't tell him."
    I shake my head, opening my mouth to explain, but no words
come out to defend myself.  "Apollon," is all I manage before he
starts walking away.
    "Then I will," he says, heading toward the stairs
that go up to the apartment.
    I watch him disappear inside, my mouth still open, still
wanting to get an explanation out, and yes, wanting to stall him.  This is the
worst of all possible times to drop this information on Jonas.  What if he
thinks I've engineered it this way?  What if he thinks I—
    My mouth snaps shut as Kobee, Harlan, and  Moses move toward
me.  I stick my hands in my pockets and smile at them.
    "Who's that?" Moses asks, looking casual.  They
all do, but I can see the wheels turning, and it's not good.
    "One of the friends we travelled with."  I shrug
and lean against the railing.  Surely they know we didn't come here alone. 
"His name's Apollon.  He and... Jason have been friends since they were
erased."
    They flinch at what I speak about so easily now—though
admittedly most of it is false bravado.  For an instant, I scan their faces and
wonder how close they were to Jason before it happened.  It's been nearly four
years, and it still affects them.  And what about me?  It's been only a year
since I left them.
    Kobee's eyes shift to the doorway, then back to me. 
"So, what's he going to tell Jason that you don't want him to?"
    I bristle, about to snap at him for sticking his nose where
it doesn't belong.  My second instinct is to lie.  To make something up. 
Something benign.  I'm good at bluffing.  I could carry it... for a while, at
least.  But Kobee knows me better than I know him.  That puts me on losing
ground.  Chances are, he would guess I'm lying, even if he wouldn't know it for
sure.  That would mean he'd just keep poking around, and eventually, he'd
uncover the truth.  No.  Lying to them is a bad start if we ever mean to
rebuild trust.  And as dangerous as Kobee seems—whatever his shortcomings—Lily
trusted him.  She left him in charge.  She maybe even counted him as a friend.
    The sigh drags itself out of me.  Words follow, unbidden. 
"Damn you, Kobee.  You always think you need to know everything."
    His eyebrows flick upward.  He crosses his arms, but he's
hiding his alarm, trying to stare me down.
    "Look," I say, sweeping my gaze across the three
of them, "it's complicated."  I fold my arms across my chest, too. 
"Jonas—Jason—whoever he is—didn't know me.  And I didn't know him.  All
this boyfriend-girlfriend stuff is confusing for us both.  OK?"
    They stand there, considering me.  Kobee chews on his lip. 
"So that guy," he finally says, waving one hand in the direction of
the door, "he's—"
    "My friend," I say before he can spit out any
other ideas.
    "Your friend," he repeats.
    Moses and Harlan exchange a look.
    "Yes," I say calmly, then swallow.  "Just...
Jonas has this idea that there's something between us.  But there's not."
    Glances fly around between them, possibly at my use of the
name 'Jonas'.
    Harlan mutters something to himself.
    Moses rubs his face.  "He has an idea, huh?"
    I groan, looking away from them and flouncing.
    "Just give us the gist of it," Kobee says, and I
have to admit he sounds reasonable.
    "It's complicated," I say again.  My voice has
gone quiet.  "I've been confused.  Jonas has been confused.  Apollon's
been trying to protect both of us."  My eyes flick to Kobee.  "I
don't think you have any idea what it's like to not be sure who you are."
    He flashes me a wicked, wicked grin.  "So here's the
part where I get to