Absolute Zero Read Online Free PDF Page B

didn’t say that, but still, I knew how much it sucked to see her dad hurt.
    “He told me they’d been talking divorce for a while, but that he thought things were getting better. He had no idea she’d leave.” She eased away from me, and Scott and I loosened our grip. “I asked him if I was adopted.”
    Okay, that stalled out my heart. “You did?”
    She nodded, then slid her forearm beneath her rose-colored nose. Black streaks of mascara-stained tears rolled down her cheeks. With my thumb, I wiped them away. I hated seeing her so sad. So broken.
    “He admitted to me that I was adopted and I asked if there was anything specific about the adoption he was supposed to tell me, but he didn’t have a clue.”
    “What’d you say?” Scott descended back into his chair. “How’d you ask it?”
    “I sat next to him on the bed and asked him. He looked at me funny and asked what I meant. I just told him that I always felt like I didn’t belong to them. I mean, they’re both blond, way bigger and fatter than me. No facial features matched.”
    “Nice thinking.” I petted her hair.
    “He said sorry for not telling me, but that he had no clue what I meant about him supposed to be telling me anything.” Georgia held out her hand and a flame flickered above her open palm. “But it’s not like I could show him this and ask, right?”
    “True.”
    “I wasn’t sure if I should tell him about the safe and the disc, though. So I kept my mouth shut.”
    “I’m glad you didn’t say anything,” Scott said. “At least until we have time to talk about it. If you just told him, well, I’m not sure why, but I think it’s good you didn’t.”
    “But I want to, Scott. Let’s show him the part about my real mom telling me she was going to send me this disc.” She doused her flame. “Then maybe he’ll get honest. We don’t have to show the part about our powers and stuff.”
    I glanced at Scott. “She has a point. If he’s lying, we need to call him on it.”
    “He didn’t even know his wife was going to leave. I bet Georgia’s mom knows everything—or something that made her run. Her dad’s probably clueless.” Scott ran his fingers through his hair and tugged. “The timing—everything—just feels off.”
    I didn’t know what to think. We’d ended The Center by burning it to the ground, along with everyone and everything inside of it. Well, except stupid Andrey. He got away. And now, right before a family dinner where we thought her mom was going to tell her something important she up and leaves?
    “You think your dad could be connected to The Center?” I asked.
    “No.” Georgia shook her head.
    “But if he knows anything about the experiments, he might be too scared to say anything,” Scott said. “Or he could be in on everything .”
    “He would have snatched Georgia right away.”
    “Not if he doesn’t know I have powers. I’ve hidden them from him, he has no clue I can do this crap.”
    “God. This sucks.” I stomped out of the kitchen. The temperature dropped several degrees as I entered the dark living room. Got even colder by the time I reached my room. I slammed the door shut and flopped onto my bed on my stomach.
    Everything sucked right now. Zach. Georgia’s mom. Nate. College. I thought since Georgia, Jasmine, and I destroyed The Center things would turn around for the Hillman family. Georgia and I were wicked strong, and getting more so each time we practiced. We had this cool apartment we were going to move into. College was starting soon.
    Now everything was all messed up.
    The hinges to my door creaked, and I glanced back. Georgia stole through the doorway. She clicked it closed behind her and moved toward me.
    “Scoot over.”
    I rolled to my side, back to her, and the bed indented behind me. Her warm arm wove beneath my cold one and around my waist. Felt like a warm, electric blanket.
    “What’s wrong?” she asked.
    My head tilted back she settled so close to me.