Virginia’s eyes widened farther as she divided her stare between me and her brother. “You came with Neo?”
Nodding, I said, “I hope that’s okay.”
“Of course!” she exclaimed. “I just—Neo never brings anyone here!”
“Hey, that’s not true.” He admonished her.
“Fletcher, Beau, and Earth do not count.”
“It’s so lovely to meet you,” I said, moving into the room.
When she patted his shoulder, Neo moved to the wheelchair sitting in the center of the room to carefully place his sister on the seat. Once she was sitting, he reached down to tug the hem of her dress down to cover her thighs.
Her hair was so long it nearly reached the floor over the back of the chair. It was sun-kissed and shiny, not at all like the midnight strands on Neo’s head. Her eyes were brown, but they weren’t as dark and mysterious as his.
The chair moved soundlessly, closing the distance between us, and her arm stretched out. Placing my hand in hers, we greeted each other.
“You’re so pretty,” we both said at the exact same time.
Then we both laughed.
“I look a mess!” I said. “I mean, just look at me, wet, unwashed hair, borrowed clothes, soaked shoes…”
“Well then, I can’t imagine how beautiful you must be when you’re put together,” Virginia said kindly.
Neo made a sound. “She’s practically unreal.”
I felt myself blush, and Virginia’s mouth dropped open. Embarrassed, Neo scratched the back of his head and turned away.
“Your hair is absolutely stunning,” I said, reaching out to touch the silky strands but remembering my manners and pausing. “May I?”
“Of course,” she said.
“It’s like liquid sunlight,” I whispered, awed. “How long did it take to grow?”
“Forever,” she mused. “But I can’t bear to cut it. And it gives me lots of practice for braiding.”
“Oh, you braid it!”
Virginia nodded enthusiastically. “Oh yes, I’ve learned all kinds of braids. And I love to add flowers.”
“Oh, you have to show me.”
“Really?”
“Absolutely!”
“Okay, but first, I have to know. How do you know my brother?”
He coughed, and I paused. “Well, that’s a long story.”
“I have lots of time,” she said, gesturing to her room like she had nowhere else to be.
My gaze went to the far wall… which was filled with an incredibly vivid painting. Taking a breath, I faced it completely, feeling as if I were being sucked into a whole other world.
The sky was blue and filled with fluffy white clouds, the sun’s rays shone down over a beautiful valley filled with blooming flowers in vibrant shades of purple, pink, and yellow. Tall trees stretched up, their branches enticing any observer to climb to the highest point. Bluebirds flew and butterflies romped.
In the center of it all was a tall tower reaching up toward the sky like a giant birdhouse. The roof was thatched, the windows arched and circling the entire round form.
“This is magical,” I whispered, standing before it, trying to take in every detail.
“Since I don’t really get to go outside much, Neo brought it inside to me.”
It was Virginia who spoke but Neo that I turned to. Our eyes locked, and so many unspoken words passed between us. The pull to go to him was nearly undeniable, the heaviness in my heart and quickening of my breath all his fault.
“Makes you really feel like you are kept up in a secret tower and not locked away in a hospital.” Her words broke the tether between us, and I turned back to the girl.
“Have you been here a very long time?”
She smiled a sad smile. “It’s been awhile.”
“But not forever,” Neo said, going to her side, kneeling by her chair.
Virginia smiled, nodding at her brother with obvious affection in her eyes.
Emogen stepped into the room. “Knock, knock!” she called. “I found some scrubs for you, Neo.”
“Ah, you always come through.” Neo grinned, moving to take the offered garments.
“I didn’t do it for you,” she informed him cheekily. “I did it so the residents here weren’t traumatized from having to look at you.”
“You know you like me,” Neo teased, leaning in to give her a cheeky smile.
Emogen laughed lightly, pushing him back. “Go change. You doing good, girl?” she asked, turning to Virginia.
“Of course!” She agreed, smiling bright.
“Well, it’s about time for physical therapy. They’ll be up to get you in five.”
Virginia pouted. “But Neo just got here.”
“I’ll hang out ‘til you get back.”
Virginia turned to me. “You will too?”
“Of course,” I said.
Emogen went back to work, and Neo excused himself into the bathroom to take off the hospital gown.
The second he was gone, Virginia pounced. “What happened to my brother? Why is he dressed like that? What’s that bandage on his head, and are you his girlfriend?”
“Oh my,” I declared, sitting on the end of the bed. “Well, your brother had an accident and hit his head.” I began, thinking Neo might not like it if I told her someone tried to kill us. “He was at the hospital for stitches, and that’s why he has the gown on. We left in a hurry, so he didn’t get a chance to change.”
“And?”
“And…” I echoed.
She leaned closer, anticipating what I would say next.
Are you his girlfriend?
“I’m not his girlfriend. We’re just… friends.”
Virginia made a noise and grabbed a basket of flower clips off a painted dresser. The entire room was filled with hand-painted furniture that made the room feel a lot homier and a lot less clinical.
There was even a braided rug in the center of the room with all the colors of the rainbow. The bed was covered in pillows and stuffed animals and a blanket that looked soft and warm.
Framed photos of Neo and Virginia sat everywhere, as well as photos of the siblings with two older people who I assumed were their parents.
Where are they? Why aren’t they here too?
“I’ll do pigtails today,” she said, parting her hair perfectly on the first try. “It will keep it out of the way in PT.”
I couldn’t help but glance down at her legs, which were thin and unmoving. Remembering what Neo said about not staring, I glanced away quickly.
“It’s okay,” Virginia said, her voice soft. “Neo probably didn’t tell you anything.”
I shook my head. “Are you in pain?”
Virginia paused her braiding. “That’s not usually the first question people ask.”
“It’s not?”
“Most people want to know how I got like this.”
“I’d rather know if you’re in pain.”
Virginia went back to work. “I’m not. I can’t feel anything at all from the waist down.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, knowing it was the wrong thing to say and my apology really meant nothing, but I was sorry just the same. She was such a beautiful, cheerful young woman, and it made me sad to think of her being limited to that chair.
“Neo thinks I’ll get out of here someday. He works so hard to make it happen.”
“But you don’t think it will?”
She glanced at the bathroom door, then back at me. “It’s not that I don’t want it to happen, but I don’t want to get my hopes up.”
“So.” I paused, then went on. “There is a chance you might walk again?”
“A slim one,” she said. “Ta-da!” She smiled brightly, gesturing to the completed braid on the one side. It was a gorgeous fishtail style that she loosened a little so it was fluffy and perfect.
“You did that so fast!” I exclaimed.
Pawing around in the basket of flowers, she came out with a few purple
ones and clipped them into the braid. Finished, she went to the next side to begin.
“You’re that girl, right?” she said after a minute of braiding.
“What girl?”
“The one on the news. Ivory White. The missing heiress.”
“I—well, yes, I am.”
“Something bad happened to you, right?”
“Nothing I can’t overcome,” I told her confidently.
She nodded. “You must be really special.”
“How do you mean?”
“Because my brother brought you here. He’s been helping you.”
Ah, so Virginia also knew what a big heart her brother hid inside him.
“Yes. You’re right.” Then I felt myself blush. “I meant you’re right about him helping me. Not that I’m special.”
Virginia smiled brightly. She really was so beautiful. And trapped inside this tower. Inside that wheelchair.
“Well, you must be because I saw how my brother looked at you.”
I was about to ask how he looked at me, but the bathroom door came open and Neo strolled out wearing a pair of black scrubs.
The color only made his midnight hair and eyes seem much darker.
“Who’s ready for some PT?” A man also dressed in black scrubs entered the room.
He did not wear them the way Neo did.
“Hey, Jake,” Neo greeted. “Take care of my little sister.”
“Always do.” Jake agreed, giving Virginia a wink.
“Can’t I skip it today?” she grumbled, clipping the last of the purple flowers into the other completed braid.
Both braids fell over her shoulders and curled into her lap.
“‘Fraid not, sprite,” Jake announced, going to the back of her chair to smoothly push forward.
The nickname was cute, and it made me smile.
Leaning down, Neo kissed her forehead. “I’ll be here when you get back.”
She nodded. “Bye, Ivory,” she called, waving.
When she was gone, the room was silent, and Neo and I stood staring across the distance between us. I wanted to ask so badly, but I could tell that whatever he said might change the dynamic between us.
Still, I wanted to know. I wanted to step forward no matter where the path led.
“Thank you for bringing me to meet your sister,” I said, my bravado still not giving me enough courage to ask.
“Just ask, Ivory. Ask, and I will tell you.”
Pressing my lips together, I nodded, feeling nerves bundle at the bottom of my stomach.
“What happened to her, Neo? And where are your parents?”
The pain that flashed through his eyes struck my heart, but I didn’t call back the question. I just let it hurt while I waited for his reply.
40
Neo
* * *
Freedom. The first taste of freedom was sweet when that small plastic card was handed across the counter and placed into my proud hand. Smiling as satisfaction filled my body, I carried it out to where everyone was waiting, holding it up the second I cleared the door.
Mom and Dad both cheered, and Mom waved me to stand beneath the giant DMV sign so she could get a photo.
I was still smiling when a small finger pointed at the card, which was now my most prized possession, and the irritating laugh of my little sister rang out.
“Is that the best picture they could get of you?”
Spinning I pinned her with a glare. “Hey,”
Virginia shook her head and snickered. “Not good, Neo. Not good at all. Better not let any girls look at that.”
Her shriek filled the air when I lunged, and of course she hid behind Dad because he’d block any attempts I made at payback.
“Leave your sister, alone,” Dad mused as if he thought his daughter were precious.
Precious, my ass. She was a menace!
“Let me see,” Mom said, reaching out for my newly printed driver’s license.
I held it out, and she beamed down at it.
“Your sister is right,” she deadpanned.
My jaw dropped.
Her light laugh floated along with the spring air. “You shouldn’t show this to any girls because then you’ll have a line of them to choose from.”
It took a second, and then her words sank in. I felt my cheeks heat.
Mom laughed again and patted me on the cheek. “My Neo could never take a bad photo. He’s as handsome as a prince.”
“Gross.” Virginia gagged, still hiding behind Dad.
“See if I ever drive you anywhere,” I shot out.
“How about me?” Mom asked, bumping her shoulder against mine. “Will you drive me out for ice cream?”
I smiled.
“Everyone in! Neo is driving. I’m paying, and the ladies will just make us look good,” Dad declared, motioning us all toward the car.
I’d driven a lot over the last year while I had my permit. But this would be the first time I drove as a full-fledged licensed operator. As a man who passed his driving test. Freedom was definitely in the air today. I could feel it at my fingertips and tickling at my toes.
“So can I borrow the car tonight?” I asked once we all had some ice cream and were seated at a white table outside the shop.
Dad laughed. “Already making plans?”
I held up my phone. “I want to catch a movie with David.”
“Just David?” Mom asked, her eyes sparkling.
I licked at the ice cream cone in my hands and suppressed a smile.
“He wants to show off his license to Sarah,” V teased, ice cream on her lower lip. “He thinks it will make her like him more.”
Well, she said it. Not me. “I’m the first one in my class to get my license.”
“So it’s not just David?” Mom pressed.
“It’s a group of people.”
“Well…” My parents shared a look. “I guess it would be okay,” Mom said slowly. “But no goofing off in the car, and be sure everyone wears their seatbelt. And home by eleven.”
“Eleven!” I practically choked on the ice cream.
“Do you want the car or not?” Dad intoned.
“Fine,” I muttered, then texted my friends.
After finishing up the ice cream, V dragged us all into some nearby shop with a bunch of frilly clothes and music that made my ears feel like they were bleeding.
“I can’t believe my baby is old enough to drive,” Mom said before I climbed into the driver’s seat to take us home.
Pausing, I smiled down. Even though I was sixteen, I was taller than her.
“I’m bigger than you.” I reminded her. I reminded her of that a lot.
Her eyes crinkled around the corners when she smiled, and her fist went lightly into my stomach. I doubled over, pretending to be hurt.
“Who’s taller now?” she mocked.
“Ha-ha,” I retorted, standing back up. Suddenly, she hugged me. Normally, I would have cringed because we were in the middle of a parking lot and she was my mom.
But today I didn’t. Today, I hugged her back.
“I’m proud of you, Neo. I love you.”
“Love you too, Mom.”
“Dad! Mom’s playing favorites again!” Virginia called from inside the car.
“You are my favorite son.” Mom agreed.
“I’m your only son.”
“That too.”
The drive home was pretty quiet with the music my sister chose filling the car. “Ugh, V. Not this song again. For the love of God, play something else.”
“It’s my favorite!”
I reached for the volume, turning it way down. “You have crap taste.”
“Turn that up!” she demanded.
I glanced in the rearview mirror to where she was in the back seat. Our eyes met, and she began to say something—
SLAM!
The impact was sudden and drowned out all other sounds. It was as if the gravity binding us to the ground was suddenly void, and the ent
ire car floated upward, rotating around and around. A sudden queasy feeling ripped through my chest, but other than knowing it was there, I couldn’t comprehend. It happened so fast, but each second felt agonizingly slow.
Pavement, trees, the sky… it all blurred together until all I saw was white, until all I heard was deafening silence and the hum of sirens somewhere far away.
My eyes were the first to flutter open. Everything hurt. Everything hurt so much I almost tried to go back to sleep.
But then I remembered. An instant replay of what just happened stole over everything else. Adrenaline shot through my veins like a dose of epinephrine, and I blinked furiously, trying to focus.
The world was upside down. Everything was twisted and bent.
There was blood. So much blood.
The eyes of my mother were open and staring in horror as if death were not nearly as peaceful as we had been led to believe.
Death.
“Mom,” I tried to yell, but my voice was a weak whisper. “Mom!”
I prayed and clung to the hope that her pained expression would shift. That her open, horrified eyes would blink and reflect pain instead of a moment frozen in time.
She didn’t move.
Crimson matted her hair. Her body seemed frail.
“No.” I choked.
Turning my head, ignoring the pain, I looked for my father… who was nowhere to be found. In the place he should have been was nothing but shards of glass.
“V,” I moaned, trying to glance past our mother who I realized was partially twisted around my little sister, a mother who wanted to protect her child even in death.
“V!” I roared, this time my voice a little stronger.
The seatbelt I was wearing kept me in place. Blood rushed to my head… or maybe out of it. I couldn’t tell whose blood was whose anymore. I couldn’t tell what was happening.
A small whimper from the back seat was like another shot of adrenaline into my heart.
“Virginia,” I croaked, trying to reach back to where she was.
“Mommy,” my sister called. Then again.
Our mother didn’t answer.
“Wake up!” she yelled. “Wake up right now!”
“V,” I said, struggling with the seatbelt, trying to get back to where she was.
“I can’t move, Neo!” She panicked. “I can’t move!”
Ivory White : A House of Misfits Standalone Page 21
