"Oh My Gods" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tera Lynn Childs)

out of nowhere. As in she wasnтАЩt there and then she was. She, like, shimmered into place.

ThatтАЩs the kind of proof thatтАЩs hard to ignore.

тАЬStella,тАЭ Damian says, a serious hint of warning in his tone. тАЬWhat have I told you about materializing?тАЭ

тАЬPlease, Daddy,тАЭ she coos. тАЬI just had to see them for myself.

TheyтАЩre like a new exhibit of rare animals at the zoo.тАЭ

Her voice is sickly sweet, like those sirens in The Odyssey who used their beautiful singing to attract men to their deaths. There isnтАЩt a trace of sincerity in her. Not from the brown roots of her overhighlighted hair to her bright red painted toes. And I donтАЩt think itтАЩs a simple case of overenthusiastic tweezing that makes her look like a biтАЩatch with a capital B-I-A-T-C-H.

тАЬWe will speak about this later,тАЭ Damian says. And he does not sound happy. тАЬI apologize for my daughterтАЩs . . . rude behavior.

Barbarian is a term applied to non-Greeks.тАЭ He shoots her a sharp look. тАЬIt is not meant in a derogatory manner. Not only is it misap-plied, since Phoebe is half-Greek and Valerie is now Greek twice by marriages, but, as Plato once said, the term is absurd. Dividing the world into Greek and non-Greek tells us little about the first group and nothing about the second.тАЭ

Stella looks completely unfazed, like she pisses him off every day.

Why do I think she excels at getting herself out of trouble with her dad? I have a gut feeling that sheтАЩs going to enjoy making my life miserableтАФand probably wonтАЩt get in any trouble at all.

тАЬI never thought of it that way,тАЭ Mom says, taking DamianтАЩs hand, тАЬbut thatтАЩs also true in modern psychoanalytic theory. If one 34



defines their world in terms of тАШobjectтАЩ and тАШotherтАЩ then one only knows what the object is and what the other is not.тАЭ

Stella rolls her eyes. Damian nods. I have learnedтАФafter many years of theoretical nonsense talkтАФto ignore the psychobabble. Trying to follow along only ends in headache.

тАЬBesides,тАЭ Damian says, giving Stella one last disapproving look before smiling at me, тАЬyou are not the only non-Greek to attend the Academy. We are primarily a boarding school and many, if not most, of our students are from abroad. Our ancestors were not, shall we say, confined to a particular geographical area.тАЭ

Right. I remember all those stories about Zeus and Apollo and the other gods jumping around from one seduction to the next.

There are probably little mini-gods all over the world.

Stella smiles tightly, as if saying, Whatever.

тАЬYou must be Phoebe,тАЭ she says, stepping forward and offering me a hand. тАЬIтАЩm Stella . . . your new sister.тАЭ

Now, IтАЩve always wanted a sister, but not one like this. In my mind I picture a little girl with ringlets and dimples who follows me everywhere and copies my every move to the point of driving me crazy. Stella is not a follower. That much I can see in the icy gray shallows of her eyes. She crushes those foolish enough not to fall into place behind her. I am not that foolish.

тАЬYeah,тАЭ I say, taking her hand and letting her pull me up. IтАЩm shocked when she doesnтАЩt let go halfway and send me falling back on my butt. тАЬNice to meet you.тАЭ The words choke out around the gagging sensation in my throat.

Then she shocks the living crap out of me by pulling me into a 35



hug. Over her shoulder I see Mom take DamianтАЩs hand and look at me with pride, like they can already see us having sleepovers and sharing secrets and painting each otherтАЩs toenails. She thinks weтАЩre halfway sisters already.

Only she doesnтАЩt hear what Stella whispers in my ear.