Liv sighed in frustration. “Is this why Gemma doesn’t live with you guys?”
“Gemma prefers to live with her family.”
Liv shook her head. “I don’t get that. And I thought I was supposed to be Gemma’s replacement. Why is she still here instead of Lexi?”
“We already told you. Things changed. Penn’s priorities shifted. Gemma stayed, Lexi’s gone.”
The breeze outside picked up, blowing salty air in through the broken windows on the back of the house. During the fight last week, Lexi had broken out several windows and damaged a lot of their furniture. New windows were coming in later this week, but for now, Thea taped plastic over them if it got too cold or rained, but today it was nice, and Thea enjoyed the fresh air.
As for the broken furniture, Thea and Penn hadn’t replaced much of it yet, other than getting a new television. Everything else, they basically just fixed with duct tape and set it back in its place. The entertainment center was cracked, so the TV slanted to one side, and the stuffing was coming out from the cushions on the chairs.
“Can’t we at least do something fun?” Liv asked.
“No, we can’t. I’m already missing play rehearsal right now to babysit you. So you can watch TV or entertain yourself while I read my lines.”
“Babysit?” Liv scoffed. “Why would you even say that? I don’t need a babysitter. I’m eighteen.”
“I said it because it’s true.” Thea moved her knees to the side, so she could stare directly at Liv. “You need a babysitter.”
Liv’s mouth dropped, and her eyes were pained. “That’s so mean.”
“How is it mean?” Thea sat up and set her script aside. “You’ve only been a siren since Friday, and you’ve been nothing but trouble.
“We went to all the trouble of getting campus housing to move you, so you’d room with Harper,” Thea went on. “As was our plan. Before you even became a siren, Penn told you that we wanted you to keep an eye on Harper. But instead of doing that, you attacked her, then went on a spree and killed three people, including a psych teacher. Penn and I had to drop everything to come clean up your mess.”
“Oh, that’s no big deal.” Liv waved it off with a smile. “You guys can charm your way out of anything.”
“No, it is a big deal,” Thea said, trying hard to emphasize her point. “I don’t want to spend all my time disposing of your bodies and washing up your blood. You can’t control yourself, Liv. End of story.”
“I can control myself just fine. Right now, for example, I’m perfectly composed,” Liv said in her too-sweet voice with a perfect smile plastered on her face. She actually batted her eyes, which made Thea groan.
“If you don’t like this, it’s your fault,” Thea said. “You said you wanted this. You asked to be a siren. And then we trusted you and left you on your own, and you went batshit and almost ruined everything for us.”
Liv’s smile fell, and her eyes darkened. “I did not go batshit.”
“You threw a huge tantrum because you didn’t like the way Harper talked to you. Penn asked you to do one simple thing.” Thea held up one finger to demonstrate. “One thing. She gave you the gift that you wanted, and in turn, she just wanted you to keep tabs on Harper and help find out what Gemma is up to. That’s it. And you couldn’t handle it.”
“I could handle it,” Liv insisted. “I just didn’t think it was fair.”
“Well, life isn’t fair.” Thea shrugged. “Get used to it.”
“I don’t know how you can give me all this power and expect me to do nothing with it. I can change form, and I can control men with my voice.”
Liv had been getting louder as she spoke, and by the time she stood, she was practically shouting at Thea. Her eyes had changed from their usual dark brown to golden-eagle eyes, and Thea could see the beginnings of her fangs protruding from her mouth.
“I can kill at my discretion,” Liv said, her voice booming through the living room. All of its sugariness had dissolved. “I decide the fate of everyone I come in contact with. I’m practically a god, and you want me to sit on the couch while you read?”
Thea said nothing for a minute, almost in shock at the maniacal glint in Liv’s eyes, before finally whispering, “Penn made a terrible mistake with you.”
With that, Liv dove at her. Thea leaned back, her head resting on the arm of the couch, and Liv hovered over her. She was still mostly human, aside from the many jagged rows of teeth in her mouth. Her face was mere inches above Thea’s, and her eyes were filled with contempt.
“No, you’re the one who made a mistake,” Liv said, her voice mutated by the monster inside her, making her sound demonic. “I am not some little parakeet you can keep in a cage.”
“Neither am I,” Thea growled.