by Belle Malory
“My ah”—I looked down, trying to come up with something believable—“my stomach! That potion the Curse Breaker gave me is getting to my stomach again.”
Xander shook his head. Then he bwaked at me. The infuriating jerk actually bwaked like a chicken.
“I’m not afraid.” As much as I tried to hide it, I couldn’t help but sound a little hysterical.
“Prove it.” He tried pulling me forward again.
I stayed right where I was, refusing to budge. “I’m serious. Unless you want me to barf grilled cheese and popcorn all over the place, I can’t go in there. It’s not safe for anyone.”
Xander turned around to face me. He sighed and pulled me aside, moving out of the path to the entrance. “Sheridan, sometimes the terrifying moments are the most worthwhile. Your life is already one big question mark. Aren’t you tired of watching everything happen to you? This can be a moment you choose. Something you decide for no other reason but for the thrill of it.”
I stood there, at a loss. He might be crazy, but it was hard to argue with that logic. I bit my lip, watching the mages fall from their bubbles, enjoying themselves. They didn’t worry about hard landings—they simply enjoyed the fall.
“Those bubbles are enchanted,” I pointed out. “I don’t trust anything under a spell, including myself.”
There it was, the real reason for my fear. The revelation took us both by surprise.
He nodded. “I can see why you would feel that way.”
My vision blurred as I considered everything magical that had backfired on me so far. The Curse Breaker, my own magic, my sister’s magic, and the school in general. I didn’t fit into Ares or Aphrodite, and even simple things like pretty bracelets turned out to be poisonous. I wasn’t sure what or who I could trust anymore.
Xander gripped my shoulders. His handsome face crystallized. “Sooner or later, you have to trust someone,” he said, and I knew he was right. “Have I ever lied to you?”
I thought back, remembering the way he used the ollodipher to prove I could trust him. I didn’t always like what he had to say, but the guy had never lied.
“No, I don’t think so.”
“Then let me be your anchor. Even if you can’t trust yourself, trust me.”
I pressed my lips together, looking over at the bubble pit. The mages inside seemed so happy and carefree. I wouldn’t mind experiencing some of that joy.
“Come on, damsel,” Xander said, sweet-talking me into it. “I promise when you’re up there, it’s impossible to think of all the bad shit that’s happened. Wasn’t that the point?”
I groaned, knowing I was caving.
God, why did he have to be so charming? He knew exactly what to say to change my mind. I glanced up at the bubbles again, wondering if I could pull this off without killing myself. Probably best to not get caught up in my head and just go for it.
“Okay, okay. Let’s go before I change my mind.”
As we made our way to the gated trampoline area, I started hyperventilating. My heart beat at a rapid pace. Everything would be fine, I told myself. This would be fun.
“No shoes,” said an attendant in a neon vest.
We quickly ditched ours, tossing them in the giant pile outside of the gate. After that, Xander and I were practically shoved through the entrance, and before we knew what hit us, we were standing on the trampoline as bubbles flew up around us.
“Watch out,” Xander said, shoving me to the right. A guy landed beside us, rebounding off the trampoline into another bubble. When the floor dipped, I lost my balance. A giant bubble came up from beneath me, sucking me into its middle. Oh crap.
“You’ll be fine,” Xander said, moving out of the way.
I wasn’t ready. There was no time to prepare myself, which was probably for the best, but it didn’t stop me from freaking out. The bubble closed around me, lifting me off the trampoline. My legs trembled, and I leaned against the wall, trying to keep my equilibrium. Down below, I watched Xander hop into his own bubble, afraid of nothing. He was excited.
The bubble’s wall was wet and thicker than I anticipated, but it acted like quicksand. When I stayed still, my arms and legs steadily sunk through. The trick was to not stay still. Sliding back and forth on my knees kept me from falling out. At one point, I looked around, noticing my bubble had floated pretty far up into the air, and I grinned, taking in the views. Look at me go. I was Glenda the Good Witch, soaring over Oz—all I needed was a fluffy pink dress and a magic wand.
As I was looking around, Xander’s bubble caught up to mine. “Hey, how did you do that?”
“Like this.” He jumped, and without the extra weight, his bubble lifted higher.
I bent myself into a squatting position, mimicking him, and jumped. My bubble rose, and quickly caught up to his again.
“Nice!” he said, giving me a thumb’s up.
I tried doing it again, but when my feet hit the bottom of the bubble, they broke through. Oh no. This was the part that terrified me.
Limbs flailing, I reached out and grabbed onto an empty bubble rising up. The surface was so slippery, I rolled onto its side, falling again. I reached out for the next available bubble and stayed as still as I could. With my arms and legs spread, I held fast, steadily rising back up into the air. I did it. I stopped myself from falling.
“Hey, good catch!” Xander called out from above me. Somehow, he had escaped his own bubble and was riding the top of a new one.
“How do we get back inside?” I was afraid to move for fear of the bubble tilting.
“You have to push through,” he said. “But be careful. Sometimes they pop.”
I made the mistake of punching the bubble with my hands instead of using my whole body to sink through. Just as Xander said, the bubble popped. I spiraled straight for the trampoline.
Dear God!—There were no other bubbles around to save me. I closed my eyes, hitting the net at full force. It sprang me back into the air, and I rebounded a few more times before landing still.
Xander hopped his way off several bubbles, then dropped beside me, reaching to help me up. “Are you okay?”
I felt my mouth spread into a wide grin. “That. Was. Amazing.”
He laughed, sounding relieved. “Told you.”
“Let’s go again.”
Xander stood, holding out his hand to help me up. Another rider, a mage with neon pink hair, shouted, “Look out below!” She dropped beside us, dipping the floor.
We both toppled over, and I landed on Xander’s chest. Our foreheads banged together, but instead of groaning, we both laughed. Something about the atmosphere here made everything funnier.
“Sorry,” I said, lifting up.
“Don’t be.” He stopped me from rolling away from him, and for several long seconds, we stared into each other’s eyes. His face was only inches away from mine, his lips getting closer by the second. “Sheridan,” he breathed, and it sounded like a question.
I held my own unsteady breath. “Yes?”
Another mage toppled to the trampoline, sending us bouncing. I flew off of Xander’s chest, catching another bubble in the process.
Xander brushed himself off and jumped into his own. “Last one to the top is a loser,” he called out, as if two seconds ago we weren’t about to make out right there on the trampoline floor. Awkward.
Or would it have been amazing?
I don’t know. I fell back against the wall of my bubble, sighing. I couldn’t help feeling a little disappointed.
29
“Red,” Xander said, once we both made it to the top. We had both lost our bubbles, both riding the tops of new ones.
“What?” I said, confused.
“My favorite color is red.”
I smiled, remembering the way he refused to answer that question back on the beach. “Any particular reason?”
He tilted his head to the side, thinking. “It invokes the most emotion. Anger, love, passion—they’re all shades of red. Wha
t’s yours?”
“Silver,” I said, thinking of the stars. “I like anything shiny.”
Up here, all of Twilight Island looked like one glittering giant mass of people and lights, surrounded by darkness and palm trees. We could see the ocean out in the distance, the big moon glowing overhead.
“Hey, are you hungry?” Xander said, looking over at me. “Do you want to go find one of those street carts?”
I wasn’t that hungry, but I also wasn’t ready to go back to the cottage just yet. “Sure.”
But…it meant we would have to pop our bubbles.
I looked down, swallowing nervously, because this was higher up than I’d been last time. If I caught onto another bubble, I could break up the fall. Maybe.
Xander didn’t even hesitate. “See you on the ground,” he said, right before leaping out.
Good grief.
I watched him dive all the way to the trampoline, like he was born for crazy stunts like these. Trying to summon my own courage, I pressed my palms and knees through the bottom and slipped through. I fell about fifty feet or so, then caught the top of another bubble. I let out a little sigh of relief, then glimpsed the floor. If I jumped now, it wouldn’t be so bad. I leapt and closed my eyes, waiting to feel the impact of the trampoline.
A strong pair of arms caught me midfall. I looked up, noticing the way Xander’s eyes glinted. “You made it, damsel. Let’s get some food.”
After getting our shoes, we left and headed back toward Folly. “That was fun,” I said, smiling.
“See? And you almost chickened out.”
“My stomach was hurting!” I insisted. “If anyone ever asks, that’s the story I’m going with.”
Xander frowned, and my words suddenly hit me. No one would ever ask, and I could never tell anyone. What happened here was supposed to stay here.
I cleared my throat uncomfortably. “Not that anyone—”
“Hey, look. Gelato,” Xander said, pointing up ahead. I didn’t blame him for cutting me off and changing the subject. I was stumbling over the big-ass foot in my mouth.
The gelato cart on the corner offered a variety of options. Xander chose pistachio, and I ordered the chocolate covered cherry. Tables and chairs were set up along the sidewalk, across from a jazz band and dancers in sparkly clothing.
“Do you notice how the temperature here is perfect?” I said, sitting down. “Not too hot or cold.”
“Everything is a little too perfect.” He sat beside me, scooping a giant bite of gelato into his mouth. “The whole island is an escape from reality.”
How could I forget? Soon we would have to get back to our own.
“Sometimes, I feel like Arcadia is an escape from mine,” I admitted, thinking of home.
“What do you mean?”
“My dad. Riley. What I did. We can’t exactly move forward if we don’t all face each other.” Images of that night flashed through my mind. “It’s almost like…like we’re frozen in that moment. I’d rather just hash it out.”
He shook his head, as if that was the worst idea. “Trust me, you don’t want to see your sister right now. Tension would build, the need to destroy one another strengthened by close proximity. Better she stays in the human world, and you in this one.”
I touched my wrist at the spot where the bracelet used to be and sighed. “I guess so.”
“Were you guys close?” Xander asked.
“When we were young.”
As teenagers, it felt like Riley tried to outshine my every move, and she always succeeded. But I remember a lot of happy days as kids, just playing and laughing, without being weighed down with the burden of growing up.
“I’ve always looked up to her,” I said, thinking back on our relationship. “And I’ve always admired her, even during the times I hated her most. If that makes any sense.” I smiled, but it physically hurt inside. It hurt because Riley was someone I loved so unconditionally, and I was pretty sure she had never felt that way.
Xander watched me, reading between the lines. “Ione and I went through a lot of shit with my dad, but it only made us closer. I can’t imagine not having her.”
He was giving me a private glimpse of his childhood. “You should know, she explained about your dad.”
He nodded. “I figured she would.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I said, licking my spoon. “When you were under the ollodipher, I mean.”
He shrugged. “It’s not something I want anyone knowing.”
I absently watched a pair of street dancers. “You have nothing to be ashamed of—you’re not the monster in your family.” When I looked over at him, Xander was staring at me more intensely than before. “What?”
“Neither are you, Sheridan.”
“I know that.”
Or at least, I tried to believe it.
He set down his gelato cup and stood. “Come on,” he said, holding out his hand. “Let’s dance.”
Once again, I stared at him like he was crazy.
“What happens on Twilight Island stays on Twilight Island,” he reminded me, grabbing me by the wrist. With one swift tug, he had me upright.
I set my cup down on the table, looking around nervously. Only the performers were dancing. But Xander didn’t care. He led me out to the middle of the street and swung me around so fast it made my head spin.
Whoa.
Dude had some moves.
A guy playing a trumpet tipped his head, circling around us as we danced, and I couldn’t help but laugh. It all felt silly. Suddenly, I didn’t care who was around. I let loose and enjoyed the dance.
This was exactly what we needed. To fall from bubbles, fill up on ice cream, and dance as if no one was watching.
Part of me wished it could last forever.
30
The next morning, I woke to the smell of brewing coffee. Blinking through the fog of sleep, I stretched and went to leave the bedroom but stopped at the sound of Ione and Xander arguing. They were trying to be quiet about it, but I knew anger when I heard it, and Ione sounded angry. “Screw you and your secrets, Xander!”
“Keep it down, Ione.” he whispered back.
I let my fingers drift away from the doorknob. Listening would be an invasion of privacy. I should just stay in the bedroom—
“Just admit it. You’re toying with Sheridan.”
Hearing my name, I stiffened. Now I was curious. Quietly, I slipped through the door into the hallway.
“I told you about the oath, Ione.”
“That doesn’t explain why you were out all night,” she whispered heatedly. “This isn’t just about protecting her. Something is going on—”
“Leave it alone.”
“I will when you tell me the truth, Xan.”
Dishes rattled, sounding like someone hit the countertop. “Dammit, this doesn’t involve you!” I flinched at the harshness in Xander’s tone.
The two of them stayed silent for several moments. The next time Ione spoke, her voice softened. “Oh my god. You like her.”
I blinked. What did she mean by that?
“For Apollo’s sake, stop this—”
“Don’t bother denying it. I was born with Aphrodite’s blood in my veins, and I can’t believe I didn’t see it sooner. You have genuine feelings for the fire-blood.”
“It’s not like that,” Xander quickly said, but even I noticed the tremble in his voice.
“I should have known. The way you look at her, the way you freaked out when you found out she went to the Curse Breaker, it all makes sense now. Wait, does she not like you back?—Never mind. Of course, she likes you. She looks at you like a smitten little puppy. This is a problem, Xander, for all of us.”
He let out a breath. “Ione—”
“It’s not like you’re going to ask her out. You haven’t bothered dating anyone since Chloe.”
I raised my brow at that. He never dated?
“Unless, am I wrong? Do you plan to do something about your feel
ings?”
If I didn’t already know the answer to that question, his silence spelled it out.
“I didn’t think so,” Ione continued. “In that case, you need to stay away from her.”
“I can’t do that.”
“Yes, you can. You’d be keeping your oath. Staying away offers her more protection than involving us and our family.”
“It also leaves her vulnerable.” I heard the sound of the chair slide back. “You know what—mind your own business, Ione. I’m done with this conversation.”
The back door opened and slammed close.
Oh man. I wasn’t sure what to do. Climb out the window? It might be a better option than facing either of the Arius siblings. I could literally feel their anger radiating throughout the house.
I waited a couple of minutes until I heard the sound of a sizzling frying pan, then left my hidden spot in the hallway.
“Good morning,” I said, trying to sound cheerful.
Ione’s cheeks were flushed. She didn’t look up from the eggs she was scrambling. “How much did you hear?”
I winced. “I don’t know. All of it—I think.”
She nodded. “Better that you did. The girl I mentioned, Chloe, dated Xander shortly after he returned from the Underworld. I was so happy to see him find some happiness, some normalcy again, but it was ruined. The Hollows made one threat against her life, and he broke up with her on the spot.”
“Neither of you should let fear control you,” I said, point-blank. “But that’s just my opinion.”
“I wholeheartedly agree,” Ione said, divvying up the eggs between three plates. “But he doesn’t feel that way, and if you’re going to involve yourself with him, you deserve to know.”
I poured a mugful of coffee, shrugging. “Like you said, it’s not a good idea. We’re both trying to gain the respect of our chosen houses.”
She looked up at me, brows raised. “That’s the first logical thing I’ve heard you say in a while, fire-blood. Surprising too, considering it’s about my brother. Most girls fall at his feet, acting like brainless little twits.” She crinkled her nose.
