I touched the back of my neck, thinking about the prickle and how I hadn t felt it in a while. Maybe because I d felt everything. But that wasn t true. There was one thing I still didn t understand completely.
Love.
It s like you re molting,
Aislin observed with a smash of the spoon.
I glowered at her.
I m not a bird.
I know,
she said
But you do have wings.
I plucked another feather and flicked it to the floor.
How long is that going to take?
Another crush.
Not too much longer, but I still have to steal a witch s power.
I motioned at the boarded window.
Well, there s a ton out there. Take your pick.
We can t find one there. When I take their power, whoever they are, they re going to try to kill me.
But they won t have their power,
I pointed out.
So you could just run.
She sighed, exhausted.
It d be better if I just took it from someone far away from here, so they can t track me down.
Have any place in mind?
Yeah &
she trailed off, staring at the red X on her hand.
Is this some kind of revenge plot or something?
I wondered, rubbing the dust off the candle.
Are you going back to Vegas to steal Amelia s power?
Who s Amelia?
She swished the bowl around.
I plugged my nose at the smell of her potion that reeked like rotten eggs and public bathrooms.
She s the witch who put that X on you.
Good to know.
She got this wicked look on her face.
I pointed a finger at her, rising to my feet and kicking up feathers.
This is a revenge thing.
She branded me from the witch world,
she said, her voice piercing with a grudge.
She deserves it.
Okay, have your revenge.
I waved my hand at her.
Am I coming with you?
Her green eyes moved to my wings.
You d draw a lot of attention.
Fine.
Usually I was an arguer, but it was better if I stayed behind,
I ll stay and build my nest.
She laughed. I laughed. And we had this weird, normal moment.
After she brewed her potion, she rinsed out the bowl in the kitchen sink and was on her way.
If you re not back in a half-an-hour,
I said, pointing at the wall clock.
I m coming to look for you.
She thought this was funny for some reason.
I ll be back sooner than that.
Then she poofed away and it was just me and my empty house. For some reason I felt like I was back to square one, that I drifted back through time, to the old Gemma life. Only I had wings and was wearing a stupid leather dress and high-heeled boots.
I got up, deciding to scrounge through Marco and Sophia s room, for no reason other than I was bored. I flipped open the trunk and took out the photo s Sophia kept, wishing that I belonged in them even just one. But every photo had the same similarity none of them included me.
I pried out the bottom board and looked at my birth certificate. I thought of my father, trapped in his own mind, perhaps with the Death Walkers. Then my mother snuck into my thoughts; a life spent in The Underworld something she did to herself. And now she was dead. Another thing done by her own hand.
Mom,
I called out to the empty room, but only my heart answered me. I tore the certificate up into tiny pieces and watched them float to the carpet. If I survived this, I would no longer be this girl. If I survived this, I would finally start my life.
I curled up in a ball, domed my wings around me, and cried in the silence of my own shell.
Chapter 30
(Alex)
It felt like I d taken a giant step backward. I was back in the City of Crystal and honestly, I was hoping I d never have to come back here again. Being strapped to that enormous fire ball was more painful than getting stabbed in the arm with a knife.
I d never been a fan of the City of Crystal. The crystal walls and ceiling made it feel like I was trapped in an ice cave. Then, of course there was Dyvinius. He creeped me out. I mean, the guy knew everything; what would happen with our lives, when we would die.
I suddenly had this urge to make a right instead of a left and head over the bridge, through the silver doors, to Dyvinius and demand to know if we made it if Gemma and I would live. But instead I made a left, followed Nicholas up the crystal path, and to the door that sealed the crystal ball.
So we re back here again,
Laylen commented as Nicholas opened the door.
I was actually hoping we d never have to come back.
Me too, man.
I stepped inside, glancing around, trying to disregard the energy flowing from the ball.
Why s she even here?
Who?
Nicholas asked.
Oh, you mean your mother.
I rolled my eyes.
Who else would I be talking about?
Nicholas strolled up to the crystal and stared at the bodies, lifeless, chained, barely even human.
It really is a fascinating thing,
he observed.
Drain the life of humans, to feed the crystal.
It s a pointless sacrifice,
I said, blinded by the blue glow.
No one needs to see what happens in the future. If it hadn t been for a Foreseer, we wouldn t even be in this mess.
He rattled the chains tied to one of the bodies.
Oh your father would have found another way.
No, he wouldn t,
I said, my eyes hunting for my mother
Because he d never found out about the star to begin with. It was a Foreseer that told him.
Hmmm &
Nicholas tapped his lip.
It really does sound kind of pointless. Perhaps one day someone will free all of them and destroy it.
So where s your mom?
Laylen asked, staring at the bodies implanted with tubes. He leaned forward, getting a closer look.
It s hard to tell who they are.
I shrugged, heading to the left of the crystal.
You wanna take the right?
Laylen nodded and disappeared around the other side.
What about me?
Nicholas yelled.
Do whatever the hell you want.
I called over my shoulder. My eyes scanned each person, questioning if Nicholas was just full of it, or if this was just another one of his games.
When we were kids he used to pull crap like this all the time. I d always hated when he d visit the Keepers castle. Everything was a joke to him and he d constantly tease Gemma. There was this one specific time where he almost convinced her to go swimming in the lake. That s when I lost it and made a plan to get rid of him. Gemma and I had stolen the Cruciatus diamond the Queen of The Underworld s diamond, and when my father went looking for it, I d blamed it on Nicholas. My father was so furious he never let Nicholas back into the castle.
And he had been holding a grudge against me ever since. But it was a mutual feeling.
I was about to give up on my searched and leave, when I thought I spotted her. It was hard to tell for sure because it had been so long since I d last seen her. Her skin was much paler, her dark hair thin, and her head hung lifelessly. I quickly yanked out the tubes and snapped the chains, supporting her weight as she slumped against me.
Her eyes opened and I knew this time without a second guess that she was my mother.
Is it time?
I assumed she was delusional.
I ll get you out of here. Just hang on.
She clutched onto my arm, her hands bleeding from the tubes.
But it s time right? Time to take Gemma to the Afterlife?
I almost dropped her on the floor.
You know about that? How?
Of course I know about that,
she said weakly.
That s what I ve been waiting for.
Laylen came running over and flopped her other arm around his neck. Then we lead her to the front of the crystal.
Alana,
Nicholas said, nodding his head.
Are you ready to go?
I glared at Nicholas.
How long have you known she was here?
Since I died.
He answered with a shrugged.
Because that s when you were supposed to know,
my mother said wearily.
Now can we go?
I balanced my mom and we followed Nicholas. Her feet dragged across the crystal floor, like she was barely alive. Once we got far enough down the hallway, Nicholas took out his little traveling ball.
He raised his eyebrows.
Do I need to ask where we re going?
You already know,
my mother said.
To Gemma. Take us to Gemma.
I wasn t sure what she knew, but I wasn t going to pry until we were far away from faerie boy.
Laylen went through the crystal first. Then my mother took her turn and I followed, wishing that was it.
Finally,
Nicholas said, dropping into the living room. He put the crystal away and dusted off his hands.
My work is done.
My mother lowered herself into the couch.
Would anyone mind getting me a drink of water?
I started for the kitchen, but Laylen cut me off.
I got it. You should stay here.
Thanks.
I sat down on the couch, cracking my knuckles.
Alex relax,
she said, patting my hand.
This is how it s supposed to be.
Why were you down there?
I asked.
Because it s where I was supposed to be,
she explained, cleaning some blood off her arm.
Waiting for the day you came to find me, so I could take Gemma to the Afterlife.
I hated being out of the loop, but with this I definitely was.
But how did you know that s what you re supposed to do? It just doesn t & it doesn t make any sense to me.
It doesn t have to make sense to you.
She rested back and her eyes drifted shut.
It just has to happen. It s the way it works, Alex. Everything that s happening is because of the vision.
I ran my hands through my hair and grinded my teeth.
Why does it always come back to the visions?
Because it has to.
She sighed.
Visions are our pathways through life. And there had to be one told where we all ended up here, at this very moment, otherwise we wouldn t be here.
I have no idea what you re trying to say,
I said.
I mean first we re told that a vision was tampered with and Gemma needed to fix it. And now you re saying that a vision led us all here.
Because it did,