by K. J. McPike
Before he could protest, I closed my eyes and projected to Mom. She was on her way out of the grocery store, her espresso-colored hair spilling around her chin as she carried more shopping bags than should have been possible.
“Mom,” I whispered, wishing I could run up and hug her.
Once she reached the car, she leaned one bag on the passenger door and balanced it on her knee. Gottfried barked through the half-open window as she jabbed a key into the lock. Grabbing the bag again and tucking it under her arm, she pulled open the door and dropped the groceries onto the seat. Gottfried nearly jumped out of the car, but she managed to wrangle him back inside.
Now was the time to go after her—before she started driving. Letting my astral form return to my body, I opened my eyes in time to see Kai vanish.
“Is he going after Mom?” I asked the group.
Oxanna nodded. “He said the coast was clear.”
The next second, Kai reappeared with our mother.
“Mom!” I cried, racing over to her with my siblings right behind me. We nearly knocked her down, all of us hugging her at once. I inhaled her mint and jasmine scent, fighting back the overwhelm of emotion trying to break me. I had to keep it together until we could decide what to do about Solstice and her army.
“What’s going on?” Mom asked, pulling away to look my siblings and me up and down. She took in our yellow jumpsuits and blanched. “Where did you get those outfits?” Her crystal-gray eyes found Kala, who had moved further up the beach in all the commotion. “Who’s that?” More lines joined the ones already creasing her forehead.
“We’ll explain everything,” I promised. “But first, we need to get Dad here, before he goes to the house.”
“What’s wrong with the house?” Mom asked.
I took a deep breath, seeing Kai vanish out of the corner of my eye. He must’ve gone after Dad. “Did you get our message?” I asked Mom.
“No.” She threw up her hands. “If someone doesn’t tell me what is going on—”
“Solstice found us,” I blurted out.
“What?” Mom’s arms dropped back to her sides like lead weights.
“She and a bunch of Astralii attacked us at the house,” Ulyxses explained. My stomach knotted at the memory of the aftermath. I knew I’d have to tell my parents what had happened to Salaxia, but I needed to do it when they were together and settled.
Mom started to respond to my brother just as Kai appeared with Dad. Our father did a double take, gaping as his gaze traveled around the beach. But then he spotted us. “Kids?” He shoved his square-framed glasses higher onto his nose and stumbled toward where we stood. “What’s going on? I was worried sick.”
We all ran over to hug him, and I got to him first. “I’m sorry, Dad,” I said, burying my face in his chest as my brothers and sisters bombarded him. “We didn’t mean to scare you.”
“How could I not be scared?” He pulled away to survey each of us for damage. “I got Kai’s message, and then when I tried to call you, none of you picked up. What’s happening at the house?”
“Solstice found it,” Salaxia informed him, keeping her arms around his waist.
Dad’s deep olive skin went pale. “What? How? I thought the block was supposed to stop anyone from finding us.” He shot Mom an accusatory glance, and she sighed.
“I told you there are ways to get around blocks,” she said. “That’s why I didn’t set one up before.”
Dad scoffed. “So there’s no way to keep our kids safe?” His tone was sharp, and I could tell where this was going.
“Please don’t argue,” I begged. “We need to figure out what to do. How do we fight them?” Could we fight them? We had managed to put our powers together to flee the lab, but when it came to pushing back to get rid of the threat altogether, I had no idea where to start.
“You’re not fighting anyone.” Dad’s voice was firm. “You’re staying as far away from them as possible.”
“But what if they keep coming after us?” Dixon asked.
Mom pressed her fingers into her temples, her usual thinking stance. “We need to go somewhere they can’t find us. At least temporarily, until we figure out our next move.”
“I can take you anywhere you need to go,” Kai offered. “And I can go back to your house and grab your stuff for you.”
“No way.” I looked up at him, his black eye a reminder that he wasn’t as invincible as he thought. “You don’t know if they’ll come back.”
He lifted one shoulder, as if the thought didn’t faze him in the least. “I can be in and out of there in seconds. And I doubt they’d expect us to go back after the attack.”
“No,” Dad said. “If Solstice knows where the house is, no one is going back there.” He turned to Mom again. “Would they go after our neighbors?”
Neighbors!
Nelson! He came into our house without warning all the time. If he walked at the wrong moment—
“Dad,” I gasped. “I need to borrow your phone. I have to call Nelson and warn him about our house.”
Dad dug his phone out of his pocket and handed it to me. My fingers shook as I dialed my friend.
Nelson picked up on the second ring. “Mr. Yavari?”
“Nelson,” I breathed, the sound of his voice nearly stealing my own. “It’s me.”
“Lollipop? You lose your phone?”
“Yeah. Listen. Sorry to freak you out, and I’ll explain everything later, but don’t go to our house. No matter what, don’t go over there, okay?”
“Um, okay…”
“It’s not safe.” Glancing at my family, I sighed. “I’ll fill you in later, I promise. Can you meet me at the mall in a couple hours?”
“Of course.”
“Okay. I’ll call you when I head that way. I have to go.”
“Alright. I’ll talk to you soon.”
“Bye.” Ending the call, I handed the phone back to Dad. “Thanks.”
“Now, does someone want to explain how Solstice got to our house?” Dad looked at us one by one.
My eyes flickered to where Kala sat up the beach, staring out at the water. Dad hadn’t even seemed to notice she was there. “It’s kind of a long story,” I said. “We should go somewhere a little more comfortable to talk.”
“Delta’s?” Oxanna suggested. “We could stay there for a while, right?”
I swallowed hard, remembering that this timeline’s version of Salaxia was there. Her body was still in the back bedroom of that house. Though we’d been gone for weeks, we’d come back to this timeline right where we left it. And I had to tell Mom and Dad the truth. The thought made my stomach twist, but I owed them an explanation.
“Kai, can you take my parents and me to Delta’s living room?” I asked, meeting his gaze. “Just so we can talk for a bit.”
Kai seemed to catch my meaning and nodded. “Of course. I’ll drop you guys off there and give you some space.”
“Thanks.” My voice hardly came out above a whisper. I turned to my brothers and sisters, not wanting them to have to sit through what I knew would be a painful confession. “We’ll be right back.”
Oxanna, Dixon, and Ulyxses nodded, and I knew they had put together what I needed to tell our parents.
Salaxia frowned. “Why can’t we come?”
“I just need to talk to Mom and Dad alone for a bit,” I said.
She pouted, and Mom and Dad exchanged nervous glances.
“I’ll explain once we’re at Delta’s house,” I told my parents. I reached for Kai’s hand and held out my other arm, gesturing for Mom and Dad to join. They did, and Kai projected us to Delta’s house. Mom let him take her phone so we could call him when we wanted him to bring my brothers and sisters over.
Once Kai was gone, Dad crossed his arms over his chest. “Okay,” he said. “Start talking.”
“I will.” I took a deep breath and gestured to the rose-print sofa against the back wall. “But you’re going to need to sit down.”
> Mom gripped the arm of the couch so hard her knuckles turned the same ghostly shade as her face. Her mouth stayed open in a silent cry, but no sound came out.
Dad ran his hands over his face, then over his thinning hair, and then down the back of his neck—like he was trying to wipe away the horror of what I’d just told them had happened to their youngest daughter.
Shame heated my face. Growing up, the constant refrain I’d heard from my parents was “look after your brothers and sisters.” What if they hated me for letting something happen to Salaxia? I couldn’t blame them. They knew it was my job to keep my baby sister safe just as much as I did, and now they knew I’d failed her.
“I’m sorry,” I whispered, biting down on the tip of my tongue and bracing myself for backlash.
Mom’s eyes finally met mine, pleading, as if I alone held the power to take back what I’d said and make it untrue. I fought back a sob. I tried, I wanted to say. I tried to take it back, but I couldn’t.
“Where is she?” Dad rasped.
My mind flashed to the memory of Salaxia’s body, her terrified little face and the bloodstain around the arrow that had taken her from us. A weight settled onto my chest, pushing all the air out of my lungs. I didn’t want my parents to see her like that. No one should see her like that. But I couldn’t deny them. She was their daughter.
I lifted a shaky finger and pointed toward the hallway. “In the bedroom on the left.” My voice came out so tight I barely recognized it.
My parents exchanged a look, and the tears finally spilled down Mom’s face. She shook her head, still not letting go of the sofa.
Dad stood up slowly, his mouth weighted down at the ends. He helped Mom stand, and they walked toward the hall clinging to each other.
My feet felt nailed to the floor as I listened to the creaks that came with their steps. Should I follow them? Give them space?
I heard the sound of a door opening, and the feral cry that followed made me sink to the floor. Mom’s wails twisted my stomach. I’d put so much energy into getting back to our proper timeline that I hadn’t considered this moment, the reality of it.
Maybe I shouldn’t have told them. Maybe it was better to let them think Salaxia was the same one from this timeline. Having one version of her back was a relief, but losing my baby sister from this timeline—I didn’t know how to sort out the guilt that accompanied the gratitude.
This Salaxia still mattered. She would always matter. I knew my parents would feel the same way. We all would. I hated that they had to go through the hurt and the confusing mix of emotions, but they needed to know. Our family couldn’t take more secrets. Now that we were finally together, I refused to let anything tear us apart again.
Chapter 33
Family
I spotted Nelson’s cowlick-ridden hair and tie-dyed shirt from across the food court and raced toward him. I only caught a flash of his confused expression as I threw my arms around his neck. He let out a shocked laugh, but he returned my hug. I inhaled the peppery smell of him, pressing my cheek against his chest.
“To what do I owe this warm greeting?” he asked with a smile in his voice, all traces of his earlier concern gone.
I squeezed him tighter, not wanting to think about the reason I’d asked him to meet me at the mall. “I’m just really happy to see you.” I knew it must have sounded crazy to him; as far as Nelson knew, we’d seen each other just a handful of hours ago. But I didn’t care. I’d missed his gentle presence, his humor, his comforting touch. I’d missed my friend, especially after explaining the truth to my parents and seeing it tear them apart.
They were still at Delta’s house, processing everything. Kai had taken my siblings over, too, but I had to make sure my friend stayed safe before going back to talk with everyone.
“Well, I’m happy to see you, too, Lollipop,” Nelson said. “Just a little confused.” He pulled away, his deep brown eyes studying my face. “Is everything okay?”
I looked down at my feet. I wanted to tell Nelson the truth—why my family and I couldn’t return to our house, everything that had happened with Salaxia and going back in time, all of it. If anyone in my life deserved to know, it was him. But as usual, all I could offer him was a watered down version of the truth.
“What is it?” Nelson dipped his head so that his face was level with mine.
I opened my mouth but closed it again without speaking. Should I make him sit down before I said anything? It wasn’t like I would never see him again. Honestly, things weren’t going to change that much. I just had to make sure he promised not to drop by our house, and that he knew he wouldn’t be driving me to school anymore.
School. The concept felt like a distant memory. I could barely picture going back, let alone pretending that none of this had ever happened. But that was exactly what I was supposed to do.
Though we were going to stay at Delta’s house in Arizona for the time being, Kai had promised to project my siblings and me to and from school until the year was finished. He also offered to take my parents wherever they needed to go for work until we had a long-term plan in place. Mom told us that Astralii didn’t attack people in this realm in public—apparently they were determined not to give away their existence—so we planned to try and make things look as normal as possible from the outside. If it weren’t for the fact that Nelson dropped by our house all the time, I might not have asked him to meet me here to talk at all.
“Okay, you’re starting to scare me.” Nelson took my hand, leading me past a pretzel stand that reeked of butter and through a cluster of middle school girls to get to one of the benches against the wall. I sank onto the hardwood seat, and Nelson sat down slowly beside me, studying me without saying a word.
“Things have gotten complicated,” I said finally. “I promise, I’ll still see you, and I’m going to finish out the school year, but my family has to move. At least for a little while.”
“What? Why?”
I studied the floor, reaching for the closest explanation to the truth. “Someone tried to attack my family at the house.”
Nelson blanched, his fingers flexing between mine. “Is everyone okay? Are you okay?”
I nodded, but I couldn’t stop my brain from screaming at me that we weren’t okay. How could my family be okay after what they’d done to Salaxia? Though we had another timeline’s version of my baby sister with us now, it didn’t change the fact that they killed the one I’d grown up with. And that could never be okay.
“We just need to hide out for a bit,” I said. “Until things settle down.” If they ever do.
Nelson ran his free hand over his face, and I did my best not to break and blurt out the truth. I could tell he was already suspicious enough as it was, and there was no way I could keep trying to rationalize the supernatural elements of my life without him snapping or pulling away. Lately he had made an effort not to push me to share details, and while I appreciated that he gave me space, it also made me feel even worse for keeping things from him.
I knotted my fingers in my lap, glancing up at the group of girls giggling just across the food court. Their bundles of shopping bags and huge smiles made a bitter taste form in my mouth. That was how I was supposed to spend my free time—shopping and laughing with friends at the mall. Instead, I was too busy trying to keep my friend safe from a threat I couldn’t even tell him about.
“I’m sorry, Lollipop. Your family has been through so much already, and now this? I just wish there was something I could do.” He leaned in to give me a hug, and I clung to him like he was my lifeline. He was the only piece of normalcy I had left, and I couldn’t handle it if he slipped away, too.
“I need you to promise me you won’t go over to our house,” I pleaded. “Not until we’re sure everything is safe again.” If it’s ever safe again. Nelson bounced his knee, and I knew he was trying to figure out a way to get rid of the threat. I pulled back to give him a hard look. “Promise me,” I repeated.
He blew the
air out of his cheeks. “Fine. I promise I won’t go over there until you give me the all clear.”
“Thank you. I couldn’t handle it if something happened to you.”
We shared a long moment of silence before he asked, “Where are you going to stay?”
“Um, at my mom’s friend’s place.”
“Maybe I can come visit you there.”
Crap. I should have anticipated that. “It’s pretty far away,” I muttered, fidgeting on the bench. “And we’re trying to lay low for a while.” Every word tightened the invisible band around my ribs until I thought I might suffocate. Why did all of this have to hurt my friendships, too? Wasn’t destroying my family enough?
Nelson chewed his bottom lip, his gaze roaming over my face for seconds that seemed to extend for hours before he spoke. “I know you’re going through something that you don’t think you can share with me, and I’m trying to respect that.” I started to reply, but he held up a hand to stop me. “You don’t have to deny it or try to make me feel better. It is what it is. I want to be there for you, but I’m not going to pressure you to let me in. I just hope you’re leaning on someone. You can’t handle everything on your own, and I don’t want to see you implode from trying.”
My chest collapsed. Though he kept his expression neutral, I could see the hurt behind his eyes. “Nelson, I’m sorry. It’s all just really complicated.”
“It’s alright. I’ll let you deal with it however you need to. And if you need a shoulder, mine’s always open. No matter what.” He gave me a forced, flat smile. “I’ll always be here for you. I hope you know that.”
“I do. And it means the world to me.” I pulled his hand into my lap, as if that might keep him from slipping away. “I wish things were simpler.”
“Me, too.” He glanced around the various lines of people waiting to order from the food stands and swallowed. “Will I get to say bye to your brothers and sisters?”
“You don’t have to say bye to anyone. Like I said, we’re still going to finish out the school year, and we’ll still see you. We just won’t be staying at our house for a while.”
