Resistance (26 page)

Fi looks around the room then, trying to see it
through someone else’s eyes. Eventually she nods and looks at me
again. “My grandparents built it. Took them a month, but they
cleared out a local library and my Granddad custom built these
shelves and installed them all according to Gran’s specifications.”
She stops and a dumbfounded look crosses her eyes, like she can’t
believe she shared something like that. “I love to read, too.
There’s nothing like it.”

“There really isn’t,” I answer and smile, then take
another look at the shelves. They’re all perfect, not a splinter or
weird curve in sight, and each is stained beautifully. “He made
these all by himself?” I ask. “Pure talent.”

“He did,” Fi says with a huge smile. “I don’t
remember him. He passed away when I was really young.”

“I’m sorry,” I tell her. I reach forward, grab the
thermos of coffee and fill one of the mugs about halfway up before
passing it to Fi. “Sometimes it’s easiest not to know them well,
but it’s never fun to lose someone.”

Fi nods and looks down at her own mug of coffee;
dumping a heaping teaspoon of sugar into it and stirring
methodically. “It was harder with my Gran,” she shares. “She and I
were close, and she taught me so much.” A sad look comes over her
and she shakes her head. “Have some of this cake. It’s
amazing.”

I smile a little sadly and reach for a piece of cake.
It’s obvious she doesn’t want to share a whole lot right now, but I
can’t help but ask, “Your paternal grandmother?”

“Yes,” she says with a small smile. “Dad’s mother. I
was nine when she passed, and I was right there with her. I was
reading to her…” She stops, a misty look in her eyes, and shakes
her head. “I try not to think about it, honestly. I still miss her
every day.”

“You poor thing,” I say, and have to force myself to
stay seated and not hug her right on the spot. “I’m so sorry.”

“I’m okay, but I feel bad for Eir,” she says. “He
didn’t get to know her nearly as well as I did. She really was
amazing.” Fi lets out a measured breath and shakes her head. “Let’s
talk about something else.”

“Yes,” I agree, but nothing comes to mind. I shift
the book over in my lap and take a bite out of the cinnamon coffee
cake. Is a conversation about the awesomeness of brown sugar odd?
I’m about to say this when I look up and see Fi is staring at my
arm — again. It isn’t the first time I’ve caught someone looking at
it over the few days I’ve been here. Eir glares at it like it
personally offends him and Flint always looks baffled, whereas Fi
and the rest of her family look flat-out confused. No one ever
asks. “You can say it,” I blurt suddenly, needing to know what
she’s thinking.

“I’m sorry, Lu, I didn’t mean to stare,” she says;
flushing in embarrassment and looking down at her lap. “What…I
mean… Do you want to talk about it?”

“Don’t be sorry,” I remind her. “I’m willing to talk
about it, yes.”

Fi watches me for a moment and I look down; my eyes
locking on the brand. I’m thrown back to the center of town for a
moment and taste bile, but Fi’s whispered words shock me back to
the present. “What happened?”

“Depends who you ask,” I say bitterly, startling even
myself. I shake my head and clear my throat before looking up and
meeting her eyes. How do I even begin to explain this? “Um…the
short of it…” I start, not sure she’s interested in hearing all the
seedy details, “…is that my brother set me up and my father saw
this as a fitting punishment.”

Fi’s eyes widen so large it’s almost comical. She
gapes at me for a few seconds; her mouth opening and closing like a
fish out of water. Then she blurts, “Your brother set you up?” so
loud it has to be heard on every level of the house. I wince and
she exhales. “God, Lu…I’m so sorry. I can’t even imagine not being
able to trust my own brother.”

I’m stunned by the dark look that crosses her
features, and can’t figure out what to say in response. I am trying
to collect my thoughts when Fi says, “I am so sorry we didn’t get
you out of there sooner, Lu.”

“No!” I blurt, and mentally pat myself on the back
for making my mouth work. “Don’t be ridiculous, you have nothing to
be sorry for.”

Fi doesn’t seem to hear me, though. Her eyes are
locked on the brand now, but instead of mild puzzlement and
curiosity she scowls at it in shock and irritation. “What in the
world could have been so bad that your father felt that was
justifiable?”

This is embarrassing, I think. This is just a
flat-out embarrassing story on my part. I should have known not to
trust him. After so many years, you’d think I would realize he
wasn’t my friend. Fi wouldn’t say that though, right? “Khan took me
to a party. Didn’t tell anyone and didn’t take any guards, so it
was just him and me.” I feel cold even thinking about this. “The
majority of the people there were humans who had given up on life
and just wanted to get drunk and laid. Someone must have seen we
were missing, because some of our guards showed up. I happened to
be closer to the door and they grabbed me.”

Fi’s jaw is tight, and part of me thinks I should
stop talking. Fi isn’t stupid, though, and I know she will realize
if I cut off abruptly. I don’t want her to think I don’t want to
share with her, so I puff out a breath and say, “Khan, though… He
saw them before they saw him, and…he ran.”

Fi is silent for a minute and I get nervous. When I
look up she is choking on her tongue again, shaking her head. “He
left you there? Just took off to save his sorry hide, and left you
there to get persecuted?”

After centuries of being told Khan is always in the
right, I am honestly stunned by Fi’s anger over this topic. I
swallow past the lump in my throat and say, “It’s not an unusual
occurrence.” The look on Fi’s face suggests this does not make her
feel any better, and I rush on. “He took the horse and got home
before we could. Khan told our father he wasn’t with me, and Father
believed him.” The brand begins to itch as if it’s a brand new
scratch, and I scowl at it. “It, um…it wasn’t the first time I’d
been caught out past curfew, and this…was so he didn’t have to send
his guards out to try and find me. I would just be returned like
wandering humans are when someone noticed me—”

I stop abruptly; remembering Fi is human and probably
doesn’t want to know any more details about how the other humans
are treated in the Courts. Her face is deep red, but it doesn’t
appear that I’ve offended her. She shakes her head. “Lu…I honestly
don’t know how you managed to stay so sweet. I…I’m so sorry they
did that to you. Eirnin and I might have our differences at times,
but he’d never let anyone hurt me. And I feel the same with him.”
She clears her throat and rolls her eyes heavenward for a moment,
so distraught over this. “My dad would never have put a mark on me.
I just…I’m so sorry, Lu. You deserve better than that.”

I keep myself from telling her not to be sorry again.
Instead I scoot closer to the edge of the chair and nudge her knee
with my palm. “Well I’m with you guys now, right?” I ask. “This
is…This is way better.” I find it’s the truth. The Dolans have a
much different arsenal of rules and beliefs than my family does—for
example, Fi’s father would never hurt her and her brother loves her
to death. This is new to me—but I have found I don’t go to sleep
shaking in fear that someone will come up with another thing I’ve
done that I need to be punished for, because in this house, eating
one pea too many isn’t something you get smacked for. I am enjoying
the peace.

A smile splits her face and she puts her hand on my
shoulder. “Yes. You’re here now, and I hope you know we won’t let
anyone harm you — ever, Lu. You’re part of our family now.”

Warmth collects in my chest and I let out a sigh of
relief. The insanity of this whole situation is hard to digest, but
I refuse to question it. I love this place, I love these people and
I get the feeling they feel the same about me too. Something about
that makes me want to laugh and cry all at once, and the only thing
that stops that is Fi quietly asking, “How are you doing?”

I blink the moisture from my eyes and smile. “I…I’m
awesome, actually. Your brother is a sweetheart, and you and Flint
have been amazing.” A laugh bubbles up in my throat and I add,
“Honestly, I’ve had more fun in the past few days than I’ve had my
entire life.”

Her mouth curves into a huge smile and she
straightens a little with pride. “I’m glad you’re happy here, Lu,
and I hope you’ll consider this your home, too. No matter what,
you’ll always have a place here.”

She reaches forward and grabs my hand when she says
this and gives it a squeeze; her eyes locked firmly on mine. I
return the gesture and say, “I appreciate it, Fi.” She nods and I
add, “Really. It means a lot.”

She smiles. “Good, that’s settled then. Now tell me,
what’s your favorite book?”

I don’t know if it’s the randomness of the question
that throws me or what, but I can’t seem to settle on just one book
to save my life. A few come to mind — mostly consisting of
storylines in which the main character runs away from home — but
are any of them really my favorite? “That’s just a cruel question,”
I tell her. “I have several. What about you? Do you have a
favorite?”

Fi laughs and nods her head, amused by my answer. “My
very favorite book is Little Women, but I love so many more.”

“I haven’t read that one yet,” I admit, blushing a
little. “I borrowed it from you, I hope you don’t mind. Eirnin
brought it up to me a few nights ago. It’s fantastic so far.”

She seems to light up from the inside at the concept
of someone else reading her favorite books and she nods her head
again. “Oh, I can’t wait until you finish it! We’ll have to talk
about it.”

“I’ll keep you updated.” I giggle. “No one has ever
been interested in what I’m reading before. It’s cool,” I marvel
aloud.

“There is no one around here who loves reading as
much as I do,” she says with a hint of disappointment. “Except Eir,
and honestly, he doesn’t really enjoy the same type of books I do.
He once accused me of trying to ‘sissify’ him.”

I throw my head back and laugh. If anyone could look
at Eirnin and have the moxie to call him a sissy, they must be
itching to be smashed. I shake my head, overwhelmed by giggles. “I
highly doubt that was your intent. What book did he think was going
to make him a sissy?”

“It wasn’t my intention, but I honestly didn’t think
much about it until after he threw a fit.” She giggles. “It was
Jane Eyre. Oh, well — he survived and he’s still very much a boy,
so, it’s all good, I suppose.”

“Yes, I don’t think anyone with a brain would be
brave enough to call him a sissy,” I tell her. “Very, um…large
young man, he is.”

She laughs. “Yes he is. If he gets any taller, I’m
going to have to start altering tents for him to wear as pants.”
She’s quiet for a moment and then asks, “What sort of music do you
like?”

Now that I can answer. “Depends on the day…or the
decade.” I laugh. “I love the strong female voices… Joan Jett,
Florence + the Machine—” I stop. Those people haven’t been around
and popular for almost a full century now. Surely anyone born after
the war began wouldn’t have heard of them. “They’re both about a
hundred years before your time,” I say nervously. “How about
you?”

Fi’s eyes light up. “I know them both! I love
Florence!” Shock must show on my face because she elaborates her
history wit. “Gran had a very extensive music collection, and there
are tons of abandoned stores still half-standing throughout the
city. So over the years I’ve investigated a few of them. I even
have an old stereo system. I’ll have to show you my music
collection sometime.”

“That would be awesome!” I say, smiling brightly.

She pauses. “You know, we might have another stereo
type thing up in the attic. Would you want it in your room? Eir is
always in need of another project.” An almost evil grin takes over
her face.

Something like warmth settles in my chest and I
almost squeal in excitement. Something to define I have a distinct
personality and character in the bedroom I’m staying in? Something
to say the room is actually mine? To say I belong here? I don’t
know if I want to scream or faint, but I find myself laughing
again. “Your poor brother! If it’s not too much trouble I would
love that! That would be so much fun.”

Fi smirks at me. “It’s not any trouble at all. Plus,
if he finds out it’s for you, he won’t even complain about the
cobwebs.”

Chapter 18—Flint

July 2102

Fi doesn’t know, but since we returned from the
Winter Court with Lumi I’ve been acting as a sort of guard against
possible treachery from Sean. Tonight my plan was to go in my room,
stick my clothes in the hamper, morph into a fox and go outside her
door as I have been. There is a crack in the plaster just beside
her door, revealing a small gap between the walls, separated by
wood. It’s a tight fit, but I pull it off.