The Gender End by Bella Forrest (the giving tree read aloud TXT) 📕

use of his left leg all the way to the hip, and his right leg all the way to the knee, but he kept active, and his chest and arms had grown significantly during his convalescence. With his enhancement, he could do pretty much anything with his upper body alone. What was even more incredible was how well he had taken everything, all things considered. “I stand next to him, and I can’t even get a hello!”

“You’re Tim!” Josefine chirped excitedly, a wide smile on her face. “Your speech has gotten much better than in the comics. Oh. Wait… Should I say hello?” Tim flushed bright red, looking mortified.

“No!” he said, clearly uncomfortable with the young girl’s faux pas. I bit my lip, trying not to laugh at his obvious embarrassment and subsequent backpedaling. “You’re too—I mean… What I mean to say is…”

“That he is looking for a girlfriend, but us injured guys get all the attention,” came Quinn’s voice, and I saw him turning around to face us, an eyepatch over one eye. His scars had faded significantly, but were still there, making his face resemble a patchwork quilt—and a messy one at that—but the impish smile remained. “Cry me a river, Bates. I’ll take whatever help I can get.” He squatted next to Josefine. “He might seem like boyfriend material, but trust me—you can do much better.”

“You’re a little old for her, grandpa,” I pointed out, though I couldn’t help but smile at the way they were all joking around just like ordinary boys… and how Josefine didn’t seem to be bothered in the slightest.

“Oh my God, you’re Quinn!” she exclaimed. “You’re…”

“The genius behind creating a linked network between Matrus and Patrus?” he asked, anything but humble. “Yes, I know. I built an informational bridge between our two countries, and gave everyone free access to it.”

“Settle a bet for us, Violet,” said Jay, ignoring Quinn’s bragging. “What do ladies like better—charm, smarm, or farm?” As he spoke, he pointed to himself first, Quinn second, and Tim third, and I cocked my head at him.

“Why is my brother the farm?” I asked.

“Because he’s just got that good ol’ farmer thing down, all shy and nervous. Not to mention, all of those speech classes go right out the window when he sees a pretty face. Goes right back to how he was before.”

Tim rolled his eyes theatrically behind Jay’s back, and Josefine’s hand leapt to her mouth as she covered her smile.

“I’m not answering that question,” I announced, fighting back a laugh of my own. “You three will just have to figure it out for yourselves.”

“Yeah, whatever, Violet,” Quinn quipped, his hands moving to his hair and mussing it slightly. “I just spotted the next target of my affections. Wish me lu—hey!”

“All’s fair in love and war,” Jay replied as he wheeled past Quinn, heading toward a pretty young woman wearing a soft coral dress—and not-so-accidentally running over Quinn’s foot in the process. I rolled my eyes. This was their latest pastime, competing for feminine attention, and I wanted nothing to do with it.

“I don’t know about you, but I think they need some alone time together,” I said to Josefine. “Maybe it’ll remind them women like more than confidence or arrogance—they like to be treated like people and not prizes.”

Quinn flushed bright red, stalling. “God, are we really doing that, Violet? Why didn’t you say anything sooner?”

“Because I love you and I know you didn’t mean any harm by it. But I really have to go—Morgan is waiting for me. Think you can tone it down some before we get back?”

“I’ll make sure they do,” Tim said, crossing his arms across his chest. “You and Josefine go. We’ll see you soon.”

I looked at my watch and cursed. I was now fifteen minutes late. Grabbing Josefine’s hand again, I began to push through the crowd. I spotted the small side tunnel that ran left of the fountain—the same one Elena had been in when we had supposedly thwarted the bomb meant to kill her—and moved into it, Josefine keeping up behind me.

It curved right and then left, ending in an archway that led into a smaller rounded cavern. I could hear Amber speaking softly as I approached, but I couldn’t make out what she was saying, just the tones she spoke in—calming and supportive.

“Is she freaking out yet?” I asked as I stepped in, Josefine in tow, and Morgan scowled at me through the mirror she was standing before.

“You’re… late…” she panted, and I realized the young queen was in the middle of an anxiety attack. Her hands gripped the wooden vanity she was hunched over—the mirror attached to the front—while Amber fanned her with a stiff piece of paper. Still, she looked beautiful. Her white dress was perfectly cut, cinching her waist and exposing her shoulder and collarbones. A simple black ribbon wrapped around her waist, forming a small bow on the front, while her skirt was full and voluminous.

“I’m sorry,” I said, letting go of Josefine’s hand and heading right over to her side. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. Something. Oh, mother… Am I really doing this?”

I smiled and placed a hand on her back, rubbing small, gentle circles.

“I understand. I felt the same way when Viggo and I were getting married.”

“Oh?” She looked up at me, her eyes glittering with curiosity as she fought to catch her breath. “Really? I thought… you were… pretty composed.”

I laughed and shook my head.

“Is that really how I looked? I could’ve sworn everyone could see the whites of my eyes with how I was feeling inside.”

“Why were you scared?” asked Josefine.

“It was just nerves,” I replied, turning to her. “I was second-guessing everything, and frightening myself in the process.”

“How did you fix it?” Amber asked, looking pointedly at Morgan.

“I didn’t. Viggo did. The instant I saw him walking into the room… everything just settled. My heart went still. Everything fell out of focus. Everything except him. And in that moment, I just knew what