Clockwork Twist : Dreamer Read Free Page A

softly. “If you two need to be alone...”
    “What does that mean?” Twist asked her sharply.  Jonas seemed to be having trouble catching a breath now, while Tasha was also smiling a little evilly.
    “Have they both finally gone mad?” Niko asked as he stepped up beside Tasha.  His practically luminous blue eyes didn't look at all amused in his pale, young, angular face.  Standing tall and thin beside Tasha, Niko's fully black attire made him appear to be more of a shadow than a man.
    “Possibly,” Tasha said, nodding.
    “No, they're just being silly again,” Myra said with a long-suffering sigh.  She took the empty seat beside Twist and looked at him seriously. “Now, darling, what's all of this got to do with you being cute?”  Tasha and Niko took their seats as well.
    “Isn't he though?” Jonas said, gazing wistfully at Twist for a moment.  The mask broke into a quiet laugh before Twist truly needed to hit him.
    “Yes, of course,” Myra said, staring at Jonas curiously.
    “Wait, what?” Twist asked her, his anger shattering into shards of sudden confusion.  He felt his face warm up slightly when she looked to him.
    “Oh!  Well, I mean...” she trailed off quickly, looking away to hide her face from him.
    “All right, now that really is cute,” Jonas said, pointing at Myra's blush-proof copper face.  Tasha nodded.  Niko gave a silent sigh.  He pulled a penny dreadful out of a pocket and opened it to the bookmark.
    “Anyway, how was training?” Myra asked, her voice higher than it should have been.
    “He hit me!” Jonas said happily, pointing to the faint bruise on his face. “A good solid blow too.  Isn't it glorious?”
    “Oh, how lovely...” Tasha said uncertainly.
    “Now that I think about it,” Jonas said to Twist. “Have you ever actually hit anyone before?  I mean, not with a weapon or anything, but just a good punch or an elbow to the face.”
    “Not that I remember,” Twist said, trying to think back. “I learned to stop touching people at all when I was pretty young.  Actually hitting anyone, except for you of course, wouldn't be worth the vision.  My Sight would definitely pick something up.”
    “Wow,” Jonas said, looking at him with pride. “First blood.  You should be celebrating too,” he said, and gestured to the cake in front of him.
    “You know I don't like sweets.”
    “Freak.” Jonas smiled fondly at him before he took another bite of his cake.
    Twist gave a sigh, already getting accustomed to the new friendly insult that Jonas had begun to use in the oddest situations.  For reasons well beyond Twist's power of understanding, Jonas got quite angry if anyone else even got close to calling Twist a freak.
    “I wish I'd been there to watch,” Myra said to Twist. “I'm sure you were quite dashing.”
    “Well, I was dashing,” Jonas said around a bite of cake. “And Twist fell down a lot.”
    “Did you have fun shopping?” Twist asked Myra, turning his full attention on her.
    “Oh yes!” she said, smiling to him. “There are so many beautiful things in this city!  I think I like America.”
    “I'm glad to hear it,” Twist said back, his face taking on a soft smile as he looked at her bright, happy, blue jewel eyes. “We're going to New York next, so we're going to be in America for a little while yet.”
    “How nice!” Myra said brightly.
    “Ah, I see your friends showed up,” the waitress said as she walked up to the table. “And what can I get you?” she asked Tasha and Niko, before her gaze fell on Myra.  She didn't seem nearly as surprised by her appearance as people usually were.  Instead, she seemed merely thoughtful.
    “Just some coffee for me, please,” Tasha said to the waitress.
    “Is that any good?” Niko asked Jonas, glancing to the cake.
    “Quite good,” Jonas said, nodding. “And it tastes rather like victory.”
    “I'll have a slice too, thanks,” Niko said, returning his eyes to his book.
    “I'm fine,