“Of course. I will search until I find her. Even if it takes forever.”
“Thank you,” she whispered.
She curled up in my lap, and I ran my fingers through her hair. She didn’t speak for a long time but fought back the haggard breaths as the tears rolled long into the morning.
22
The wicked sun streamed in across my face. I rubbed my eyes and propped myself up on my elbows, still expecting to see Chloe at the edge of my bed, but the bunched-up comforter sat there instead. My ribs tightened around my lungs, my breath trapped inside and aching as I remembered oceans of her tears flooding onto my shoulder.
I flopped back down and turned my head to glance at the alarm clock on the dresser. 11:13 on the last day of my punishment. What did that even mean? When the end of the day came, would I simply disappear? Become dust that floated along forever in pieces? What if nothing happened, and I simply remained here in this world with no chance of returning home? There was no way I’d ever reach Raguel’s goals now. Griffin had deceived me, and I had deceived Chloe. The only two people I truly trusted. Maybe I could stay if Chloe would let me? Maybe I belonged in this house of broken hearts, three fools destined for sadness.
A little knock rapped on the door.
“Are you awake?” Chloe whispered as she pushed the door wider.
“Uh-huh.” I sat up and pulled my knees to my chest, giving her room to sit down. The marks on her face had faded, and her hair was the only thing still sopping wet.
She crept in and flopped on the end of the bed, leaning her back against the wall and stretching her legs over the side.
“How are you doing?” I asked as my arms trembled, fearing the answer.
“Better.”
“You know I never meant to hurt you, right?”
“I do.” She nodded and closed her eyes as a knowing smile fluttered across her lips. “So how are you doing?”
“Fine. I was just worried about you.”
“There’s nothing you can change now. You can only move forward. But really, I talked to Griffin last night and heard what happened. If I were you, I’d be pretty upset.”
I pulled my legs tighter, holding my body into itself, letting the grief of disappointing Chloe fade enough to let my disappointment in Griffin overtake it. “I guess I just wanted it to work so badly I didn’t realize that I was so wrong.”
“I’m not so sure about that. It’s entirely up to you, but I kind of believe him. I don’t really want to, because it sounds pretty bad, but he was a huge wreck when he showed up here last night, and from the way he looks at you, to him, I don’t think any other girl exists.”
“Maybe. But I’m sure it’s over now.”
“He asked me to give you this.” She reached into the pocket of her sweatpants and pulled out a folded sheet of paper. The ragged edges were curly from being ripped from a spiral notebook.
With shaking fingers, I unfolded it.
* * *
Ari,
* * *
I am so sorry. I swear to you that I am telling you the truth. I never kissed that girl. I barely even remember what happened, just leaving the dressing room then that look of disappointment on your face. I don’t know if you can forgive me, but if you can, I’ll be waiting. Call me, text me, whatever, but just let me explain. Also, if you’d still be willing to go to the homecoming dance with me, I would be the luckiest guy in the room.
* * *
Always your boy with the apples,
Griffin
* * *
I carefully folded the letter and placed it on the dresser, then hung my head toward my chest. “I don’t know.”
“For what it’s worth, I think you should at least hear him out, but it’s your choice.” Chloe slid onto her knees and crawled up beside me, resting her head on my shoulder and her arm around me, a mirror of not even five hours before when I was the one to comfort her.
“Either way, we can still go to the dance and have a good time. You definitely don’t need some guy to feel pretty and enjoy yourself.”
“But I wouldn’t want to interfere with your date with Brad.”
“You wouldn’t. Besides, if anything is gonna happen between us, it will. Right now I want to spend as much time with my friend before she leaves.”
“You’re a truly good person, Chloe Martin.”
“Aw.” She rubbed my shoulder, easing the blackness falling over my thoughts.
“Now, are you going to homecoming with me or not?”
“Well, I don’t think there’s a dress in that suitcase, so unless you want me there in sweatpants, I should probably stay here.”
“You can borrow something of mine. I doubt you’d want to hang out all night with my dad.”
Chloe bounded up to her feet, off the edge of the bed, and ran down the hallway. I stretched and stood, then looked myself over in the mirror. I looked like I hadn’t slept in a thousand years, but who knew after tonight if I would ever need sleep again.
Chloe rushed back into the room with a delicious smirk across her face. “I know I said you could borrow something of mine but . . .” She pulled her hand out from behind her back to reveal a short white gown hanging from a black velvet hanger.
“It’s beautiful.” I stepped forward and traced my fingers over the thin rhinestone belt and fluffed the layers of white chiffon.
Chloe shook the hanger at me. “My mom saw it in the store once and couldn’t resist buying it. She said she wanted to save it for a special occasion, but she never did get a chance to wear it. Try it on.”
“I couldn’t.”
“Of course, you can. I think it will fit you perfectly.”
“But it’s your mom’s.”
“And she would have loved to see someone enjoy it.”
Chloe undid the zipper on the side and I pulled it over my head. The white satin straps dipped to a stunning sweetheart neckline, pulling gently around my curves. The dreamy skirt hit just above the knee, like someone had hand-sewn this dress, waiting for me to come.
Chloe adjusted the straps down my back, her fingers brushing over my scars.
“Is this where . . . ?”
“Yes. I wish you could see them. They are magnificent.”
“I’ll bet. But, maybe we should keep your hair down, to avoid any questions.”
“Good idea.”
She swept my scruffy slept-on hair forward over the front of the dress, and I could picture how elegant I would look with the help of a hairbrush and maybe a little lip gloss. As she pulled her hands away, I spun around, letting the layers swish around me.
“Just what I said. Perfect. If you can’t be an angel, you might as well look like one.”
I pulled Chloe close and squeezed, her arms slowly squeezing me back. “Thank you. You’re probably twice the angel I ever was.”
“No problem. That’s what friends do.”
23
Chloe pulled open the back door of Brad’s Civic hatchback, freeing me from the back seat.
“Well, thank you, mademoiselle.”
She extended her hand through the doorway and I accepted as the night air pulsed in waves crashing over each other, again and again, as a synthetic electronic bass line pumped through the glass doors of the school.
“Are you ready?” Brad rushed around the side of the car, slipping his hand around Chloe’s waist. They looked charming together. Brad’s attempt at dapper, with a three-piece black suit, worked with his dark wavy hair and crooked grin. And Chloe—Chloe shone like the stars, dazzling in a long blush halter dress that floated around her when Brad twirled her in the parking lot. Her simple silver bracelet caught the light of the streetlamps and added unnecessary sparkle as her smile lit up the night.
“Yes. I can’t wait.” She slipped her arm in his and they walked toward the front steps of the school.
Part of me considered going back to the house and sitting on the back deck, waiting for whatever may come, but I promised her I would be here
, so here I was. Maybe if things didn’t go well, I could slip out the back and leave them alone.
“Hurry up, Arianna,” Chloe said as she turned and waved her hand at me. The soft curly tendrils that framed her face drifted in the evening breeze. She looked like a movie star who had just stepped down from the screen.
“Just a sec.” I closed my eyes and twiddled my fingers, letting out a huge breath. Now or never.
I rushed across the lot to catch up with them, wishing I had passed up Chloe’s offer of heels. They were a good inch shorter then hers, but for an angel I had the grace of a baby giraffe.
As I approached, Brad and Chloe stepped out of the way, revealing Griffin in a steel-blue suit sitting on the front steps, his fingers laced together in front of him.
“You came.” Griffin stood up and shoved his hands into his pockets, keeping his distance and staring down at his shoes.
I nodded, though I doubt he saw. The blood rushed to my temples as I looked him over. The jacket cut right across his broad shoulders and tapered gently to his waist, accentuating the strong muscular arms I knew were hidden underneath. His stark-white collar and sleek brushed-up hairstyle gave him an unexpected polish, elevating him from classically handsome to elegantly gorgeous. Just like the prince Chloe said he was that first day at school. But I shouldn’t care. It didn’t matter how he looked. What mattered was how he’d betrayed me.
“Well,” Chloe glanced at Brad with a warm smile, “we’ll see you guys inside. If you need anything, Arianna, just come get me.”
Griffin watched them walk away, leaning back on his heels then swinging forward to his toes and back again. “I wasn’t sure if you got my note. You didn’t call, so I started to think you weren’t going to show.”
“You aren’t keeping your other date waiting?”
“No. I told you there is no one else.” He reached forward to take my hand, but I stepped back and dug it into the chiffon near my leg.
“I’m serious. I am so sorry for what happened, but you have to believe me. That wasn’t something I would do. After all I told you about my dad and how betrayed I felt, do you honestly think I would do something like that?”
I didn’t. In my heart I didn’t believe he would do something like that, which was probably why it burned in my lungs like the sting of drowning—unable to escape no matter how hard I swam, the dark murky depths closing in around me.
“How can you explain what I saw then?”
“I can’t. All I remember is leaving the locker room and coming around to the back of the school. Then your friend told me to meet you by the bleachers, and the next thing I knew you were standing there staring at me with tears in your eyes.”
“My friend?”
“Yeah. That Seth guy that’s always hanging around you. The one who told me to meet you.”
Seth. What did he have to do with this? For some reason something didn’t seem right. Could Griffin really be telling the truth?
“I really want to believe you.”
He stepped closer, his endless stare locking on mine. It was the first time he dared to look at me. “Give me another chance. I swear to you nothing like this will ever happen again. I don’t know how it happened in the first place, but I will do whatever I can to make it up to you. The moment we first met, there was something about you. I can’t shake you no matter how hard I try. I didn’t want anyone in my life. It was too difficult—too much for me to handle—but I can’t think about not having you around. You’re amazing, Ari, and I think I might be falling in love with you.”
My knees quivered beneath my skirt and my blood raced through my veins, sparking energy through my limbs, waking up every cell, every nerve. This wasn’t just a test. Somewhere along the way I had actually fallen for him too. Now, I didn’t know where to go from here.
“Maybe I can give you another chance. Maybe not right away, but I’ll try.”
He nodded. “I can work with that. I know who I am, and what I stand for, and I will prove that to you.”
I pulled my arms tighter to my body, rubbing my palms over my exposed arms as the night breeze intensified. “Can we go inside now?”
“Of course.” He stepped aside, letting me lead, and rested the palm of his hand on the small of my back, sending sparks up my spine. I reached behind and grabbed his hand, pulling it beside me and threading my fingers through his. He smiled and lifted our hands to his lips to place a slow, warm kiss on the top of mine.
“Thank you,” he whispered. “You won’t regret this.”
24
We stepped into the gym, or what might have been the epicenter of a glitter bomb. Twinkling white lights and silver stars hung between strands of tulle streamers, transforming the sweaty athletic center into something almost beautiful. The music pounded into the front of my chest and burrowed its way through the other side.
Griffin leaned toward my ear. “I can already tell that I’m with the most beautiful girl here.”
“Stop trying so hard. Just be you. That’s all I’ve ever wanted.”
“Okay. But it’s still true. Did you want to dance or something?”
“Sure, that would be—”
“Griff!” Alex yelled from the corner, waving his hand at us. “Over here.”
Griffin ignored him and kept leading me toward the dance floor.
“Griff!” he yelled again.
Griffin’s arm sagged as he sighed. “Do you mind if I go talk to the guys for a minute? Then I’m yours for the rest of the night. Promise. They won’t let up unless I acknowledge them.”
“Sure. Go ahead.”
His eyebrows turned up and he grabbed my hand again. “You can come with me.”
“Actually, I want to try to find Chloe and let her know I’m here. If I don’t, she might come after you.”
He laughed. “I wouldn’t want that. I’ll just be a minute.”
I scanned the gym. Even in heels and pushed onto my tiptoes, I still couldn’t see over all the heads in the room. I should have been able to pick her out, but there were just too many people.
An arm wrapped around my waist as an odd sinister shadow fell over me.
“Do I get a dance?” a deep raspy voice whispered in my ear.
The arm gripped my hip and swirled me around. My balance wavered as I fell forward, face to face with Seth. I stiffened at the sight of him as my brain tried to reconcile the version of Seth I thought I knew with the one that might have tried to sabotage Griffin.
“Hey. I didn’t know you were coming.”
“Of course. Wouldn’t miss a chance to see everyone acting like idiots.”
“Is that why you dressed up?” I eyed his carefully slicked-back hair and pressed-black dress shirt, casually unbuttoned at the collar. It seemed out of place for him yet exactly his style. Blending in, but just a bit different from everyone else.
He leaned over and whispered in my ear. “No. I did that for you.”
My pulse quickened and I stepped back, but his arm caught my waist again, his right hand sliding into mine.
“I better not. I’m here with Griffin.”
“Just because he’s your date doesn’t mean he owns you. Besides, I’m sure it wouldn’t be hard for someone like him to find another date. Oh wait—isn’t that what he was doing last night with that hot girl dangling from his face?” He frowned then tried to turn it into a playful smirk, but the malice still curled at the edges of his lips.
“Watch it, Seth. I don’t think this is a good idea.” I tried to pull my hand from his, but he clamped on tighter, my knuckles pinching against one another as his other hand dug into my lower back.
“I’m serious. Let me go or I’ll scream.”
“Now, why would you go and do something foolish like that? Haven’t you caused enough drama since you’ve been posing as a human? Besides, I’ve sent demons after you, spelled your witless beau into kissing another girl right in front of you—yet you still hopelessly believe that Heaven will save you. You are way o
ut of your league here.”
My throat dried—all of the moisture suddenly sucked out of the air. “You did this to me. I thought you said you wanted to help me.”
Seth tossed his head back and laughed. More of a cackle, dark and wicked. “Isn’t that sweet. I know you’ve felt off since you met me, and your instincts weren’t wrong. If you’d just let yourself accept them. I’ve been watching you since the second you hit the earth. Planning. Waiting. Angels don’t fall every day, you know.”
I wriggled in his grip again, but he held firm. I glanced over my shoulder. Griffin stood across the room, still talking to his football friends, oblivious to what was happening.
“I tried to make this easy on you. But you just kept refusing to give in.” Seth’s stare burrowed into my skull, and for the briefest flash his eyes glowed red. Bright as fresh blood. “I serve a different power. One that can free you from all of these ridiculous divine rules. Your master may have abandoned you, but mine never would. He has bigger plans. Plus, he seems to have a special interest in fallen angels. Maybe because he’s one himself.”
Breath left my body in a loud gasp that no one could hear over the pounding music. I grabbed Seth’s wrist with my free hand and dug my nails in as hard as I could.
“Ow! You witch.”
I swung my foot forward and dug the stiletto heel into the fleshy part where his ankle met his leg. His grip relaxed enough for me to pull myself away. I turned and ran toward the door, kicking off my shoes for an extra burst of speed.
I peeled down the hallway. Seth’s heavy footfalls echoed behind me, but I refused to look back. It would only slow me down. I hit the main doors and flew over the front steps toward the parking lot, grit and gravel digging into the soles of my feet. But I kept running. To where, I didn’t know.
As I neared the far end of the lot, a crow flew at me. I ducked my head so it wouldn’t slam into the back of my skull. It landed on a dumpster and turned to stare, its glowing red eyes stopping me in my tracks. It squawked then jumped off the side, floating down to the concrete. As its clawed feet touched down, its oil-slick wings spread larger and larger, extending up into the sky. A wisp of smoke swirled around its bird body as its feathers fell and disappeared. The smoke thickened so I couldn’t see through it, then vanished in a strong gust. Instead of the crow, Seth stood before me, his eyes still burning crimson.
Kingdom of Salt and Sirens Page 104
