?You have a beautiful voice! Is there anything you?re not good
at?? she asked with exasperation as she hit his arm playfully.
?Apollo also happens to be the god of music. Now quit complaining
and sing along with me,? he said, turning up the volume until
the bass was rattling the car windows.
Helen?s voice was not nearly as pretty as his, but she made up for
her lack of skill with sheer enthusiasm. They finished the song together,
and even stayed in the car after they had parked to play the
instrumental ending. Lucas was on steering-wheel drums, and
Helen was lead air guitar.
?God, we sound amazing! My guitar solo was just inspired!?
Helen enthused as she hopped out of the car.
?We should tour,? Lucas agreed as he took her hand and led her
into school.
They were getting stares, but Helen didn?t care. She didn?t feel
stomach pains anymore. She could relax now that she knew the
Curse Cramps would only come as a result of her using her powers
in front of mortals and not from any other kind of attention. She
began to wonder how many of her past episodes had been real, and
how many had been brought on by the fear of them. It was a relief
to know that she had some control over the curse, and for the first
time in her life, Helen felt like it might actually be okay to be a little
bit different.
?Aren?t we old news yet?? she asked him with a sly glint in her
eye.
?I don?t know. Let me check CNN,? Lucas said, pulling out his
phone and pretending to open a browser. Helen gasped and
clapped a hand to her mouth.
274/395
?Oh no, my phone! I forgot to tell my dad it?s broken again!? She