by K. J. McPike
I wondered if Solstice was being spiteful because I forced her to help us or if she made a point to argue with whoever was around. There was no reason she should still be angry with Lali after the whole lip incident. I’d already explained what happened, and Lali had apologized as soon as she saw the woman again.
“Look, I have to get going,” Solstice said suddenly. “I’ve done all I can do.”
Hardly. I shot her a questioning look. Why was she so eager to leave? Then again, it didn’t matter. I was happy to get rid of her. I walked over, holding in the less-than-friendly words I wanted to shout at her.
“Back home?” I asked, hoping my falsely pleasant tone would remind her that my letting her stay in her apartment was still a privilege I didn’t have to allow.
“Yes.” She scowled as I took her hand, and I knew she’d caught on to my message.
“Thank you for coming over to help,” Lali piped up. Her words took me by surprise. Why was she being nice after Solstice had done little more than shoot her down all morning? I had to admit, even though she could be a little Mother Teresa at times, I admired Lali’s determination to be a good person.
But I wasn’t that nice. Just for spite, I decided I’d take Solstice to Delta’s house, where Cade was still camped out waiting in vain. Somehow it felt like irritating Solstice could be my way of standing up for Lali. Besides, the deal had been that I let Solstice stay at her apartment in exchange for her help, not her negativity. She’d brought it on herself.
She didn’t bother responding to Lali with more than a nod, which only annoyed me more. Delta’s house it is.
We appeared in one of the floral print covered bedrooms, and Solstice frowned. “Where are we?”
“Delta’s house,” I said. “Since you made every effort to discourage the one person who can help us, I thought you should hang out with Cade today. Maybe you two can swap stories of how you can’t go along with anything I want.”
I didn’t even feel bad when Solstice’s face twisted. “You can’t leave me here with him,” she hissed.
“Oh, but I can.”
“Nephew?” Cade called.
Solstice reached out, but I disappeared before she could grab me. I needed to show her that I was in charge, that I wasn’t going to let her take advantage of me. And it wasn’t like my uncle was actually going to hurt her. The night he threatened to, he was just drunk and upset. He wasn’t drinking now, and as far as he was concerned, they were both on the same team. Solstice needed to get over her fear of him.
I found Lali back at the hotel, looking lost in thought. “Want to practice some more?” I asked.
“I’d like to, but I should get home. It’s already almost three o’clock in Virginia.” Before I could ask what difference that made, she added, “I’m usually back by now when I spend the night at Paisley’s.”
“Oh.” I realized I hadn’t needed to be home by a certain time in years, and a dull ache spread through my chest. “Okay. Where should I drop you off?”
“I guess just far enough from my house that no one can see. I’ll tell my dad I stopped at Nelson’s for a bit.”
Ugh. Nelson again.
Still, I agreed to go along with Lali’s plan. I’d spent enough time creeping around the area when I was spying on her family to know a good place to drop her off.
She rushed to get her stuff, and I took her to a small patch of evergreen trees near her house in Browshire. Thankfully, she didn’t ask how I knew what her street looked like.
The second we appeared, Lali pushed her hands into her coat pockets, and I fought the urge to shiver. I’d forgotten how cold it was in this town. It didn’t help that I was in a t-shirt and shorts.
“Maybe I can find an excuse to leave the house later tonight,” she said. “So we can practice some more.”
My mouth twitched. “You want me around even though you don’t technically need me to practice?” I put my hand over my heart. “Why Lali, if I didn’t know any better, I might think you actually enjoyed my company.”
I hoped my teasing her would mask the fact that saying it made my insides squirm. No one had wanted to hang out with me in years. Cade didn’t have much of a choice—he got stuck with me, just like Grandma Naida did.
Lali blushed. “Or all this projecting is affecting my brain.”
“Nah, I’m just awesome. Call me later.”
She opened her mouth, but I vanished before she could mention how much she didn’t like me. As much as I hated to admit it, I really wanted her to.
Chapter 36
Compromise
I finally had a window of time to squeeze in a much-needed few hours of sleep. All the bouncing around with Lali and the constant need to stay on guard so I wouldn’t accidentally out myself had taken its toll on me, especially after back to back nights with limited sleep. It was hard to believe only two and a half days had passed since Cade and I got busted sneaking around in Lali’s hallway. So much had happened since then, I was sure I would need at least a week to recover.
When I woke, I immediately checked my phone. No calls from Lali, or anyone for that matter. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder how things were going with Lali’s permeating practice. If she hadn’t called me, I figured that meant she hadn’t been able to think of a good excuse to leave her house. That didn't exactly surprise me—dishonesty clearly wasn't her strong suit.
Maybe I could drop in to touch base. She’d bitten my head off for appearing in her room to get her phone number just before we’d met at the bowling alley, but that was before we had come to the understanding we seemed to have now. Not to mention, she said she wanted me around while she practiced. Just remembering that brought a smile to my face.
I previewed her and saw that she was sitting on her bed, glaring at her phone. No one else was around, and she was decent, so I showed up in her room.
“Hey,” I said. “How’s practicing going?”
She pressed a finger to her lips and turned on her radio. “Kai,” she hissed, careful to keep her voice just under the volume of the bad music blaring around us. “I need your help.” In ten seconds, she flew through an explanation of how Nelson had come to her house to drop off her backpack last night after she left it in his truck. Now her dad had grounded her because he knew she lied about where she was, and her friends were upset because of her lying, too.
I shook my head. Of course Nelson screwed everything up. I knew I didn’t like that guy.
“And everyone hates me because I can’t explain what’s going on,” Lali continued without taking a breath. “I can’t prove anything with my stupid invisible astral form. I need you to help me show them the truth. If you disappear in front of everyone once, they’ll have to believe me.”
Oh, great. Now she wanted to blow my cover, too? No way. I didn’t want to upset her, but what she was suggesting was dangerous, even if they were her friends.
I adjusted my stance, bracing myself for her rage. “That’s not a good idea, Lali.”
“Why not?”
“It’s just—” How could I put this to make her understand? I felt like an idiot for not making it clear immediately while we were on the beach. “The fewer people who know about us, the better,” I told her. “If word got back to the Eyes and Ears, we’d be in danger. You, me, your brothers and sisters.” Maybe I was being paranoid, but that was better than being stupid and getting caught.
“They wouldn’t tell anyone,” she insisted. “Especially not if we explained that it would be dangerous.”
Yeah, right. Whoever opened up to the scumbag that leaked the underground community’s location to the Eyes and Ears probably thought the same thing.
“People slip up,” I said. “And I’m sorry, but that’s not a risk I’m willing to take. Besides, even if the Eyes and Ears weren’t a threat, it’s still dangerous to out ourselves.”
“But—”
I shook my head, and she stopped before she got out her thought. Not that anything she said would have ma
de a difference. I wasn’t budging on this.
“Think about it,” I pleaded. “People feel threatened by what they don’t understand. And they do crazy things when they feel threatened. I’m not trying to be killed or hunted down by some crazy scientist.”
“What do you care?” The line between her full eyebrows was becoming all too familiar. “No one would ever be able to catch you.”
“But they can catch you. They can catch your whole family.” Her eyes widened, and I hoped that meant she would at least consider keeping things under wraps for the sake of the people she loved most. “And a well-timed bullet will kill me all the same,” I added, jabbing a finger toward my heart. “Don’t forget, I’m still human underneath this freak show.”
She slumped onto her bed and huffed. “Why do you get to make the decision here? What happened to being a team?”
“I’m just trying to do what I think is best.”
“Well, what about what I think is best? Don’t I get a vote?”
“Not with this.” Even if she was mad at me, I couldn’t do what she was asking—not for the sake of appeasing her friends and helping her avoid being grounded. Both were such small problems in the grand scheme of things.
“Kai!” she whined.
“I’m sorry. It’s too risky.”
“But—”
“I’m not going to argue about this.” I put up my hands in surrender and projected to my room before she could lunge for me. I could see in her eyes that she wanted to claw my face off. And we just started getting along.
I paced beside my bed, frustrated questions swirling through my mind. How could she be mad at me for trying to keep both of us safe? Why was it that every time I tried to do something good, she bit my head off for it? And what was the big deal about being grounded, anyway? Had she never been in trouble before?
Actually, knowing her, probably not.
Still, it wasn’t like being grounded would really mean anything. It was just a technicality—I could take her out of her house whenever she wanted. That was, if she could tolerate my company now that she was upset with me again.
I let out a sigh. Maybe I’d jumped the gun with Lali. Could I put all my hopes of getting my sister back on a girl who was so up and down all the time?
Well, it’s better than chasing dead ends with Cade.
Speaking of my uncle, I wondered if I should have gone back for Solstice by now. Admittedly, I felt a little guilty for leaving her with him. I figured if she started hyperventilating or something, Cade would have called me to get her out of there. I hadn’t heard anything from him, which I hoped meant they had gotten over their little drama. But there was only one way to find out.
When I appeared, the two of them were sitting side by side on the rose-print sofa. They jumped apart as soon as they saw me, like two teenagers who’d been caught making out.
I arched a brow. “Glad to see you two made up.”
“Some of us didn’t have a choice,” Solstice grumbled, getting to her feet.
Cade shifted, resting an ankle on his opposite thigh to form a wide triangle with his legs. “Solstice and I have been talking,” he said. Obviously. “And she tells me things are a bit of a struggle with Lali.”
I set my jaw. Solstice would tell him about my working with Lali. I was sure she was trying to get back at me for leaving her with Cade. I should have realized she’d find a way to make me pay for it.
“Things aren’t a struggle,” I lied. Except for the fact that she’s mad at me right now. “She’s just learning to permeate, and she already made more progress than I expected.”
“Listen, nephew, I get that you think she’s our best chance at getting to Alea, but we can’t give up on our other plan.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not hard to give up when your ‘plan’ consists of sitting around here twiddling your thumbs and waiting for Delta to show up.”
“Easy now.” Cade exchanged a look with Solstice, who had moved to one of the chairs at the kitchen table. An understanding seemed to pass between them before my uncle went on. “We’ve come up with a couple leads to follow.”
I huffed. “The following the leads game got old a long time ago.”
“Just hear me out,” Cade countered. “Spend this weekend trying things our way, and if nothing pans out, then I’ll support your teaching Lali what she needs to know. Solstice says she’ll explain everything about how to get to the transposer, where to find the portal—everything.”
I eyed him cautiously. “Seriously?”
They both nodded, though I didn’t like the sneaky look in Solstice’s eyes. Not to mention, after this morning, I wasn’t sure I wanted her explaining anything else. But it wasn’t like Lali would listen to Cade—she still had issues trusting him.
“I can compromise.” My uncle offered a smile so tight his scar barely shifted. I knew this had to be killing him; he was so used to being in control of everything. Up until recently, I’d never questioned him. Deep down, I might have been afraid he’d get tired of me and decide it was a mistake to take me in. But mostly, I felt I owed it to him to make every effort not to be difficult after he had upended his life for me.
Even now, the gnawing feeling returned. If he wanted to compromise, the least I could do was cooperate—especially if that meant he was finally willing to explore the possibility of going to Alea with Lali’s help.
“Fine,” I said. “I’ll give you this weekend.”
Cade shifted his leg to the floor and leaned forward, his eyes fixed on my face. “Well, it’s not just this weekend.” Before I could ask what he meant, he held up a hand to stop me. “We figure it’s only fair to alternate. If this weekend doesn’t pan out, we’ll focus on Lali for a week. Then, if we haven’t made any progress, you’ll give me another week of doing things my way.”
I let my head drop to the side. “Isn’t that a bit much?”
“Not at all. I’m trying to be fair here, and to take your wishes into consideration, too.”
I couldn’t deny that his heart was in the right place. And if he was willing to help me navigate Alea when the time came, what did I have to lose?
“Okay,” I said.
Cade steepled his hands in front of him. “Does that mean we have a deal?”
I nodded, glancing at Solstice again. Why was she so quiet?
“Good,” my uncle said. “Then let me tell you what we have in mind for this weekend.”
Chapter 37
Friends
The weekend was a waste. Cade and Solstice had gotten their hopes up about an address book they found tucked under Delta’s mattress. Solstice recognized one of the names listed in the book as Ori’s fake name, but the phone number listed beneath it was disconnected and the address was no help. After we spent the better part of a day searching for a landmark and renting a car to drive to the house from that landmark, the family living there told us they had no idea who Ori was. Using her fake name didn’t work, either.
We then tried tracking down the other people listed in the book to ask about Delta in case she’d resorted to staying with a friend, but none of them had any guesses as to why she wouldn’t be home. Not that it was surprising—after all, it was our fault she was too scared to return to her own house.
By the time Monday rolled around, I had made up my mind that I was done stalking XODUS. Even the members of the group that we’d already found were more trouble than they were worth. Knowing Xiomara was stuck in the basement in-law all day because of the block wore on me, and for my own peace of mind, I’d let her go for walks at night—after previewing Lali to make sure she was sleeping, of course. I just unlocked the basement door, told Xiomara to be back within twenty minutes, and waited in my room to make sure Lali wouldn’t see me with her mom on the off chance she projected to Xiomara in her sleep.
Other than those quick previews, I didn’t have any contact with Lali all weekend. As much as I hated to admit it, I did kind of miss her company. At the very least, she kept
me on my toes.
But she hadn’t called or texted me, and I assumed that meant she was still upset. I’d hoped giving her a little space and time to think would make her more likely to reflect and realize that I was right about keeping our secret, but clearly that hadn’t happened. Maybe it was a good thing—I wouldn’t have been able to see her even if she did call. I had every intention of sticking to the compromise I made with Cade and Solstice so my uncle wouldn’t have an excuse to back out of his promise to help Lali and me. When the time came, I would hold him to it.
After two wasted days of doing things my uncle’s way, I was chomping at the bit to see if Lali had made any progress with permeating. I tried waiting until the end of her school day, but by the afternoon, I was ready to explode. I figured there was no reason I couldn’t pay her a lunchtime visit just to see how things were going.
Using my usual bathroom stall, I projected to the school and took the back way to the cafeteria to avoid passing by the office. The last thing I needed was for the nosy principal to stop me en route. I was sure she knew by now that I hadn’t gone to any of my scheduled classes, and I didn’t want to deal with her interrogating me about it.
The cafeteria was flooded with people when I walked in, but I quickly spotted Lali by the vending machines. She was talking to Nelson.
Of course.
I scowled, studying him from a distance. What was so great about this guy? His ridiculous hair made him look like the poster child for cowlicks, and he was actually wearing tie-dye.
I didn’t get it.
He had his gangly arms crossed over his chest, and I thought I heard him shout about something being illegal.
