Yes
. Logan gives a firm squeeze.
“Maybe just one, or two,” I say meekly because I’m totally not listening to Logan at this point.
“Names.” She extends her hostile gaze from me to Logan.
Names? She wants names!
I’m panicked over this.
Morley and Arson?
Logan looks to me.
I know for a fact they orchestrate the pipeline of Celestra bodies that make their way into the tunnels.
I can’t torment Morley—not with Ellis still in pieces.
Ellis isn’t back yet?
I tip my head a notch at Logan. He knows Ellis isn’t back.
Holden is interning
, he says.
If you don’t want Morley then you could easily haul Holden’s ass to court. I’d still like to see him fry for what he tried to do to you
.
My skin crawls at the memory. I’ve pretty much put the boat incident out of my mind where Holden was wearing Logan’s skin and tried to get into my jeans uninvited.
“Arson and Pierce—who is actually
Holden
Kragger.”
I may as well fry faux Pierce for turning the island’s newly minted junior division into a ball of hate—including my sisters. Holden and Chloe are a pair of real assholes who share the uncanny ability to never go away.
“Very well,” my mother sighs. “The Justice Alliance shall look into the matter of contempt concerning Arson and Holden Kragger.” My mother’s gavel shines like a brilliant amethyst, vibrant and beautiful just like the sky over the ethereal plane.
A ball of fire erupts with a tremendous roar as the entire Justice Alliance is swallowed up in flames. Then in an instant the flames, the smoke, everyone seated in high court disappears, leaving only Logan and me.
“My mother really knows how to create a spectacle of herself,” I say, pulling him in.
A dart of lightning quivers from the sky, illuminating the vicinity bright as the sun.
“I’d refrain from the name calling.” Logan pushes out a slow-spreading smile as he takes me in. He tilts his head and gives way to a boyish grin. “So what’s new with you?”
“You mean what happened with Marshall.” I bite down on my lip uncertain of how long I can keep my mental armor up with all those pornographic implications running through my mind, then one by one they evaporate as if they were being erased. “Oh God, my mother really
is
going to kill Marshall.”
“Get the pendant back, Skyla. Not for Marshall, for
you
. There’s a very special reason you’ll need it. And if Marshall motivates you, then use that.”
“What’s the special reason?” I go to snatch him by the arm and push right through as if he were a ghost. “Nice trick. You’re always full of tricks and secrets. Open up to me for once, would you?”
The ethereal plane warbles and shifts, sinking the two of us into the landscape as if it were quicksand.
“Trust me, Skyla.” Logan pulls me in, rife with desperation. “I love you more than anything. I promise you, it will all work out in the end.”
“How do you know?”
“Your mother told me.” His eyes soften into mine, and, for a moment, I can see our entire future—Logan and I together briefly, then a dark place, then the light shines over us again.
The scenery fades to grey before I can contest my mother’s undependable platitude.
I don’t believe her.
I don’t know why in the hell Logan does.
The newly minted October sky peers down at us with its tangerine cast, its urine-soaked clouds ready to unleash a wall of disaster over the island. The haze sticks to the soil, viscous and humid, an odd combination for Paragon in general.
“Morning sunshine!” Giselle looks over at me from the bed.
She called once I got home, so I invited her to spend the night. I ended up hanging out in the butterfly room trying to collect my thoughts, which proved to be about as elusive as a butterfly in general.
“You always this chipper?” It’s more of a rhetorical question. “The bathroom’s all yours,” I say, sticking my finger in Snowball’s cage as the tiny creature launches an all-out assault against my defenseless digit. “Geez!” I say, barely plucking my hand out in the nick of time. “Not too friendly, are you?”
It strains out a whirring sound as if agreeing with me.
“She’s not a morning person. She’s nocturnal.” Giselle leans in, and Snowball goes on the attack. “Besides, I’m pretty sure they don’t make great pets.” You’d think it wanted to scratch her eyes out the way its talons were snatching beyond the bars. “Maybe it’s insane?” She taps the cage and enrages the tiny creature in the process. “I think you’re crazy.” She hisses at it before heading into the shower.
Snowball readjusts itself on its perch.
“You’re not batshit, right Snowy?” I wiggle my finger in the cage, and a wild bite of pain rails through me. I extract my finger, examining the tiny ball of blood that rises over my skin.
“Damn bird.”
A pristine envelope snags my eye, and I head over to my desk to pick it up. My name is scrawled across the front with familiar penmanship, and I give a private smile.
“Gage?” His name fumbles from my lips as I pull the letter out.
Dear Skyla,
From the beginning I was mesmerized by you. You held my entire world in the palm of your hand. When you came to the island it was as if a dream had come to life, and in a way it did. All of those dreams, those visions, those waking fantasies that played on a loop were nothing compared to being near you in person.
You’re the air I breathe. You’re the universe encompassed in flesh, and I would die if you chose me to spend the rest of your life with. That’s probably true—it’d kill me, I’d be that honored.
I know you have a connection with Logan. He reminds me at least ten times a day. I’ve seen it with my own eyes. Logan’s a good guy and I know he feels as strongly for you as I do, but deep down a part of me doesn’t believe that’s possible. However, I’m not sure what you see in Dudley but as far as I can tell, he’s dead-set on protecting you. I still don’t trust him.
Anyway, I don’t want to talk about them—I want to talk about us. You’re amazing, Skyla. There will never be anyone else for me but you. I can envision a future with you, and it’s beautiful. I can envision a family with you, a home. I’m not trying to sway you—OK maybe I am a little, but I honestly want nothing more than for you to sort out your feelings. If you ever need anyone to talk to, I still hope you’d consider me that person. I’m still your friend. Our friendship means everything to me, and I’d love to be a shoulder you can lean on for the rest of our lives. Sorry if I’m coming on too strong. I’m really trying to give you space, but at the same time I’m dying to hold you again.
I’ve logged quite a few hours down at Rockaway lately. I kind of think of it as our spot. It’s empty without you, nothing but the shadowed sand, the angry sea. When you’re next to me, you light up the entire beach. You glow, Skyla. I never noticed what a dark place the world is, how hollow everything seems until now that we’re apart. But I believe in us, and that’s exactly what gets me through each day.
I’m writing this at Rockaway, in our hut under the coral tree. I remember when I put this thing together. I thought about how much I love you, how much I loved us together. And I still love you—more than ever. I still love us together. Just know that you’ll always have my heart. You’ll never lose it. Whatever the future brings—wherever your heart leads you, just know I’m yours forever.
Love always,
Gage
I clutch the letter to my chest and close my eyes. Gage. He has me in so many ways. I don’t think I could ever let go of him, nor would I ever want to.
***
Giselle and I make our way downstairs in hopes of pancakes, bacon, and an overall drama-free morning.
“It’s warm out. We’ve got that Indian summer,” Mom says as I walk into the kitchen with Giselle by my side. Mom’s got the baby nursing peacefully off her breast, which has Giselle looking mortified. But, sad to say, Mom’s extracurricular teat has lost its appalling effect on me.
I pull out a seat for Giselle at the bar, before taking off to ransack the fridge. I’ve had her spend the night more often than not, so everyone’s pretty much used to her as a permanent fixture around here. I’ve been trying to decipher the mystery to Chloe’s secret that lies in the recesses of Emerson’s grey matter like some bomb waiting to take Chloe’s world down.
Mom whisks by, sans the babe at her boob. “I can’t believe her father lets her spend the night when there’s school the next day,” Mom whispers as she gawks over at Giselle.
“I can’t believe a lot of things around here.” A part of me wants to fill Mom in on a few deets concerning my newfound bestie, but I don’t want to get too involved with the Emerson, Giselle body switch this early in the morning, especially not since the junior Counts-in-training just sauntered into the kitchen.
“Morning,” I sing over to them. “Whatever happened to creating wonderful meals to sell to your family at exorbitant prices?” I so wouldn’t mind an exorbitant price at this moment.
“It was stupid,” Melissa snipes, pulling out a cereal bowl from the cabinet. “You guys never paid. An IOU isn’t real money,
Skyla
.” She says my name like its dirt. “Besides, we’re in eighth grade. That was a sixth grade endeavor at best. Isn’t that right, Mia? I mean all of your ideas are pretty lame and juvenile.” She snaps at my little sis, and for a moment I want to smack Melissa. She’s really changed and not for the better. I’d say something, but this is Mia’s “lame” battle to wage.
“That’s right.” Mia bites out the words and startles me with her overeager agreement to the insult. “I’m way too juvenile.
Gee,
I wish I were grownup like Melissa, but then again I’d have to find a boyfriend that likes to hand out hickies to ten different girls.”
Mom and I suck in a simultaneous breath.
“Melissa!” Mom shrieks so loud the baby seizes in his playpen. “It’s OK honey…” She trots off and swipes him up. “You are the light of the world!” She barks the strange proclamation over his amber-feathered head. “You are a prince among men!” The walls vibrate with my mother’s abrasive verbal assault.
Melissa steps into Mia with a rabid aggression. “You’re such a stupid shit. Just because Gabriel rejected you doesn’t mean you should ruin it for the rest of us.” She speeds off for the stairs.
“
Melissa
,” Mom calls after her to no avail. “Emerson, I apologize. Our mornings are usually much more demure.”
“Oh, that’s all right.” Giselle is quick to put my mother at ease. “They’re pretty wild at my house, too.”
I bet, especially since half of the people that live there aren’t who they’re supposed to be.
“Listen, Skyla”—Mom reverts her attention back to me—“Demetri called and said you haven’t been doing your community service. He says, Wednesday after school is fine with him. I’ll be there planning the party, so you won’t have to be afraid. The last thing I want is for you to fear him.” She strokes my hair like petting a kitten.
“Why would I fear him? It’s not like he makes it a practice to set members of my family on
fire
,” I snap. “Oh, wait, he
does
.”
“This isn’t the time.” She closes her eyes as if I were a lost cause.
I’m pretty sure there’s a lost cause around here, and it isn’t me.
Tad waltzes in with Isis who looks as if her closet has just been hijacked. She’s sporting a pair of Daisy Dukes with her blouse tied off just under her boobs. Her feet are noticeably bare as if she were allergic to shoes, and she’s made the unfortunate decision to pull her hair back in pigtails.
Pigtails
.
I lean into Mom and whisper, “What’s the farmer’s daughter doing here?” More like the devil’s daughter.
“She’s apparently an expert on finance.” She rolls her eyes as if wisely not convinced. “She’s going to teach us a few tricks to save a dollar here and there. Every little bit helps.” Mom makes her way to the table, ready and willing to swallow all the bullshit Isis, the barefoot wizard of Wall Street, is ready to dole out, mile after fictitious mile.
“Come on, Giselle,” I say, ushering her out of the room. “I’ll take you to breakfast.”
Mia looks to Giselle and winks. “I’ll see you tonight at the council meeting.”
I pluck Mia back by the elbow. “You can’t seriously align with them. I’m your sister—your own flesh and blood.”
“Yes, I can,” she snarks, yanking her elbow free. “Pierce says there’s big news tonight, and I don’t want to miss it. Plus there’s always a mixer after, so I get to meet hot new guys and eat pizza. The Counts are totally badass.”
“
Mia
. I won a war for Pete’s sake. What could be more badass than that?”
“Not according to Pierce, you didn’t. Chloe stood in your way and saved all of Countenance from permanent Celestra rule.”
“Oh, so she’s the hero?”
“She’s not only the hero”—Mia holds up her wrist and exposes a scab in the form of a thin line—“she’s my soul sister.”
“Oh shit.” Leave it to Chloe to mark Mia as her own flesh and blood like this is eighth grade, well, for Mia it sort of is.
I watch as she bolts upstairs.
“We have to get her back, Giselle.” An unexpected spring of tears floods my vision. “I can’t lose her to the Counts.” That pendant flashes before my eyes like a warning. “I can’t lose Marshall either. Whatever you’ve got stopped up in that brain of yours, we need it to use against Chloe. The sooner the better.”
“That reminds me, I almost forget to tell you”—Giselle breaks out in a giant dimpled grin—“I asked Arson if there was anyone I could see about these memory problems I was having, and he said there is one person on the island who could figure this out.”
“Really?” I bet its Dr. Booth. I don’t know why I didn’t think of that. “Who is it?