[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

hands.
Devyn rubs little circles on her back.  There was an attack. Issie saw it. There was a
bus and pixies attacked it.
I try to put his words together with what I know about Gram and the lights I saw on the
road when I flew by with Astley. It still doesn t make sense.  They attacked an entire
bus?
 It was an ambush. One stood in the middle of the road. Her clothes were dirty and
ripped, Devyn explains.
 She looked like she d been hurt, Issie whispers.  She was waving for help. The bus
driver pulled over. She keeps her head in her hands.  I keep seeing it over and over
again. I was coming from the other direction. It was on that long, straight part of Route
3.
Her voice shakes.
 Do you want some water? Let me get you some water. Devyn gets up and walks
without canes to the kitchen.
 The bus stopped. The door opened. A couple of people came out to help the pixie. She
had fallen to the pavement. And that s when it just It was bad. They came out of the
woods. They came from everywhere. And the screaming& I could hear it even though I
was in my car. She starts sobbing.
 Did you stop? I ask.
 Of course she didn t stop! Devyn yells. He calms down and says,  I have some water
for you, Is.
She looks up and takes it. Issie s hand shakes so much that she might drop the glass.  I
called 9-1-1 and said there was an accident and I called Betty, but I kept driving. I kept
driving.
Devyn takes the glass out of her hand and puts it on the floor.
 It was so bad, she whimpers.
 Shh&  He soothes her.  I know. I know.
She cries for a minute and then her sobs get a little quieter. Eventually, she hiccups.
 I m sorry.
 Nothing to be sorry about, Devyn says. He stares at me and pulls me aside.  One sec,
Issie.
We stand by the kitchen sink. There are stains on the shiny metal.
 What is wrong with you? he squawks,  You aren t even comforting her.
I swallow hard.  I m sorry. I& ..
Now it s my turn to lose it. I don t know what to say. My mouth moves. Nothing comes
out.
Issie walks in and turns on the faucet to fill her glass up.  Wait. Where s Nick?
 And why are you blue again? Devyn s voice is an accusation. I close my eyes for a
second, pull in a breath, and tell them. It takes a while, but I do it. I tell them about Nick
being taken away, about how I couldn t save him, not then.
Devyn s skin pales and he sways. He puts his hands through his hair, frantically, over
and over again like a madman. His phone gives a text alert. He doesn t check it. Instead
he just keeps at it with his hair.  You mean he died?
 He was almost dead. I don t She took him. She said there was no way to save him, I
try to explain. Each word pains my mouth.
Issie shakes her head.  But Nick can t be dead. He s our hero. Our alpha male. Our 
 Issie! Devyn tries to interrupt her.
She glares at him.  What? He was! Am I not allowed to be upset? She crumples,
wraps her arms around herself.  I can t believe he s gone. Oh, Zara, I m so sorry.
She tries to hug me but I don t want hugs right now. I want plans and action.  There s a
chance to bring him back if I turn pixie.
 What? Issie s mouth drops open and I begin the long explanation. As I m talking,
tears stream down Issie s and Devyn s faces. I just can t let myself go there now.
When I m done, Devyn groans.  He ll hate that.
 I don t care, I insist.  I don t even care if he ll hate me, but I have to do it. I have to
get him back here.
Issie brushes her hair off her face and wipes her eyes.  Oh, Zara, you ll be a pixie.
That s what you ve been so afraid of.
I nod so much that it s like my whole upper body is bobbin up and down.  I know.
They stare at me and give me all the objections I already know. I m hurt. I could die if
the kiss goes wrong. If it goes right I ll be forever changed.
 We don t know what it means, even, Devyn insists.  I ve read you ll be beholden to
the king.
 Like his slave? Issie asks.  Creepy.
 He won t do that, I say.  Astley s not like that.
Devyn leans back into the couch. His voice fills with frustration.  You don t know him.
He could be tricking you.
 He could, I agree. But my mind is already made up. They know that.  I have to try.
You know I have to try.
 But--, Devyn starts.
 It s Nick. My voice breaks.
Issie s hands grab mine.  I know, but Zara? How do you know you aren t fooling
yourself that  that it isn t impossible?
 I don t. We meet eyes. Hers are full of so much worry, so much sorrow.  We ll have
to call his parents, I say.
Devyn and Issie exchange looks.
 What?
Issie gulps. She leans forward and says,  Zare, Nick s parents are dead.
 No they aren t. They re photographers. They re in Africa on some extended shoot for
Animal Planet or something. I zip my hoodie all the way up to my neck. Nick would
say I m in  geek mode.
 No, sweetie. That s the lie. Is pats my leg.  The truth is that they re dead.
 But but  My brain can t wrap itself around what she s saying.  We ve talked about
them talked about them coming home and how Nick feels with them being gone. I
point at Devyn.  You ve talked about it too.
Devyn cringes.  He wanted us to play along. So we played along.
 But why? That makes no sense. I look from one to the other.
 Well, it s what he tells everyone, Issie starts to explain.
 I m not everyone! I pull my knees down, slam up off the couch.  I am the love of his
life. I mean  I totally lose my composure  I m supposed to be the love of his life.
 Aw, Zara, honey&  Issie comes after me, wraps her arms around me.  You totally are.
You are the love of his life.
 Then why did he lie to me? My words grump into the air, angry and hard and confused.
She looks to Devyn for help.  Because you weren t always the love of his life and he
didn t trust you at first. So, he just gave you the same line he gave everyone else.
 And then he never trusted me enough to tell me?
 People become trapped in their lies, Devyn explains.  He was trapped. I m sure he
wanted to tell you. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

  • zanotowane.pl
  • doc.pisz.pl
  • pdf.pisz.pl
  • moje-waterloo.xlx.pl

    •