Transcendence Read Online Free Page A

“Owen. Seriously?”
    Kat takes a step closer to Owen. Griffon is obviously American, so he’s off her radar, but Owen’s accent is so thick you can barely understand a word he’s saying. “Oh, it’s totally her fault,” she says. “Not looking where she’s going again.”
    Griffon looks embarrassed but says nothing, glancing away quickly as if the whole scene is making him uncomfortable too. His gestures are quick, like he’s nervous about something. “I’m not so sure,” he says quietly. “You might need a trip to the infirmary.”
    I brush off the back of my jeans and try to slow my racing thoughts. “No, I’m sure. It’s probably just jet lag. And maybe dehydration. No big deal.”
    “Are these young men bothering you, ladies?” Our tour guide appears behind Kat. “I’ve had my eye on them all day as the trouble-making sort. I can get them tossed off the property if you wish.” The guard has a smile on his face, but I can’t tell if he’s kidding or not.
    “No, no,” Kat insists. I can tell that she wants Owen to stick around. “My sister passed out a little and they were just helping.”
    “Oh, I’m so sorry,” the guard says, with a look of concern. “Are you all right, miss?”
    “Yes. Really, I’m fine,” I say, the images from before flashing through my mind. I need to get out of here and clear my head. Enough communing with history—I just want to get back to the hotel. “Come on, Kat, let’s go.”
    “If you won’t go to the infirmary, at the very least allow this young man to buy you a cup of tea at the café,” the guard says. He pulls out some colorful bills. “On me.”
    I know my face is beet red by now. This is all getting way out of control. “I couldn’t do that,” I say. I manage to walk a few yards toward the green and am starting to feel a little better. I find a bench and sit down hard on it. “I just need to sit down for a few minutes.”
    “As a Yeoman Warder of the Tower of London, I insist that you get some tea,” he says, handing the bills to Griffon. “As this young man’s father, I insist that he accompany you.” I almost miss the look that passes between them. Griffon shakes his head slightly as if to answer an unspoken question.
    “I’m leaving you in the boys’ capable hands. If you need any further assistance, please do not hesitate to ask,” the guard says, and with a tip of his hat, he walks toward the waiting tour group with long strides.
    “Wow, is that guy really your dad?” Kat asks as she watches him resume his duties.
    Griffon nods slowly. “We, ah … we don’t look that much alike.” With his curly hair and dark skin, that’s the biggest understatement I’ve heard in a while.
    “But he said on the tour that all of the guards actually live at the Tower.” Kat looks at him with growing interest. “Do you live here too? Right up next to the Crown Jewels?”
    “Sometimes. During school I live in the States with my mom,” he says. “But during breaks and summer I come over to visit.”
    Kat looks around at the buildings of the Tower. “So, which onedo you live in? Is it haunted? Doesn’t it freak you out? Oh my gosh, what’s it like around here at night?”
    Griffon smiles slightly, revealing deep dimples on each side of his mouth. “That round tower by the front entrance. That’s where Dad lives and where I stay when I’m here.”
    “Isn’t that creepy?” Kat asks.
    “Depends on who you ask,” Owen says, smiling at her. “The door to the bedroom is the same prison door that’s been there since the fifteen hundreds. Late at night you can still hear the echoes of the prisoners pounding on the heavy wood.”
    “Knock it off,” Griffon says. He turns to Kat. “There’s no pounding, no bloody heads. Just a little wind through the leaky windows on a cold night. It’s really no big deal.”
    Kat shivers and looks toward the building, obviously enjoying Owen’s story more than Griffon’s.
    “Now let’s go