P.D.’s Reviews > My Name is Anastasia > Status Update

Fifteen minutes later, they sat in a small booth in a hole in the wall diner, looking over the menus Anastasia was pretty sure were older than she was. It didn’t help that she couldn’t decide if the menus had been wiped down by a rag or if someone had licked it.

“‘Competent’?” JD repeated, eyeing Anastasia, who forced herself not to squirm under his dark gaze. “That’s rich. If you were actually competent, I’d be dead right now.”
Smiling, Anastasia stepped closer to him. “Well, if we have a second, I can always rectify that.”
JD snorted. “You’d need a whole lot more time than that, Sparky.”

Snorting, JD dropped his feet back to the ground as he shook his head at her. “Are you normally this gullible or is this just your way of coping with everything that’s happening?” he asked, and Anastasia fought the urge to smack the smug look off of his face.
“Do you have something actually useful to say? Or is saying stupid things your coping mechanism?” Anastasia snarled.

She tossed her luggage onto her bed and began rummaging through it.
Ugh.
Why did Jenny pack so many gaudy things? Anastasia would rather die than wear several of the things in her bag.
She almost given up hope of finding anything for stealth when she found a pair of black pants and a deep brown jacket.
It would have to do.

Anastasia’s ears were ringing as she slowly came back to herself. Pain radiating from several parts of her body as she slowly opened her eyes, coughing on the smoke filled air as she tried to breath.
Slowly, she was able to lift up her head, and her gaze flickered around her then she looked at herself.
Yep. Her dress was a goner.

“I’m probably not supposed to repeat what he just said, but I’ve got to agree,” Anastasia said turning toward JD. “Who the heck thought you how to drive?”
“Miss Conway.”
Before Anastasia had a chance to ask who ‘Miss Conway’ was, JD hit the brakes again as he yanked the car to the left and did a 180 into a parking spot in front of the house they were currently staying at.

“Okay, this has gone on long enough,” JD said. “You need to get in there and grab your father, and preferably the Healer too.”
“What are you going to do?” Anastasia asked, frowning as she eyed him and crossed her arms.
JD smiled at her. “Isn’t it obvious? I’m going to distract Monroe for you.”
For a second, Anastasia was pretty sure her hearing was going. Because there was no way he just said what she thought he said

“Here,” she said. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
“Where are you going?” JD asked, scowling at the plate.
“Somewhere where it would be creepy if you followed me,” she huffed.
“Just hurry up, or I’ll send Jenny in after you, понял?”
“Да поняла, mama."
“Так неуважительно,” he muttered, and she had a feeling by the time she got back, her plate was going to be empty. What was it with teenage boys anyway?

“You alright?” JD asked under his breath as he picked up his own plate.
“Peachy,” Anastasia growled, stabbing a fork into one of the little sandwiches. “Why wouldn’t I be? I mean, I just work for one of three groups trying to pull one over on my father, and he has no idea. He’s worked all these years to help people, but… I can’t help thinking he’s a bit naive to believe others have the same pure intentions.”

“Sometime tonight would be nice, Popsicle!”
Popsicle? Seriously? She was pretty sure he was just grasping at straws with his stupid little nicknames now. “Hold your horses!” she called back, fiddling with the bracelet the Grimly Family apparently thought was necessary to finish off the outfit.
Gah…!
She could pick a lock behind her back, but these stupid little clasp were always such a pain!