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“Call me naïve, but I think people should be genuine the whole time.”
I meant it sarcastically, but he levels his gaze on me. “Youarenaïve, Willow. You spent half your life as President Nero’s princess in the Sky Tower. Everyone tripped over themselves to please you. And your parents in Elphyne... don’t get me started. Both were one-of-a-kind, unique,powerfulheroes. You’re not better than everyone anymore. Now that you don’t have magic, you need to learn how the rest of us survive. Can’t you see that I’m trying to help you?”
His words cut me to the core. This is the second time he’s mentioned me being sheltered by Nero. He obviously has a gripe about it. I guess the gloves are off in Burn After Reading.
“I’m telling you this for your own good,” he continues. “You’re not used to navigating the real world. You saw what Nero wanted you to see.”
The more he talks, the more he makes sense. My mother said something similar, didn’t she? That they’ve sheltered me too much. That I need to make my own mistakes so I can learn from them? The only problem is the thought frightens the Well out of me. Maybe that’s why I pretend he hasn’t just said the cruelest things.
“Fine,” I agree.
“Thank god.” Before he sits down, he whispers in my ear, “Do it for the Gold.”
For fun.
For adventure.
Fuck it. I won’t remember this tomorrow. If I can’t make a few mistakes now, when can I?
Chapter
Thirty-Three
WILLOW
Buzzed on Cait’s Screwdrivers, I follow the girls out of the tavern and onto the scented lawn. In the time we were inside, behavior has grown rowdier, more loose and wild, more debauched. Lanterns blow in the balmy wind. Trash litters the floor, and lost clothes roll like tumbleweeds.
Trust them in here, Alfie said, but not out there?
Dahlia notices my frown and shrugs. “Look, we’re all fucked up. But here we can pretend the fucking world didn’t end, and we’re just having fun. You should try it.”
“Yeah, I get that,” I return. “My mother and her friends were like you. I’m sorry for your loss.” I rub my fist over my heart, accidentally reverting to the hand-signing tradition.
She stops. Sways. “Your mom is from our time?”
“Alfie never told you?”
“No.” She pouts.
“He never said we’re from Elphyne?”
“Where’s that?”
Before I answer, Becky throws out her arms, pirouettes, and screams. When the others join in, going with the flow, I want to follow. It’s nice to be included and not always looking over my shoulder.
We receive dirty looks, and someone shouts for us to take it to the ring, but other than that, no one cares. At some point, another drink is shoved in my face. Then another. I can hardly walk straight by the time we stumble to where the primal drumming is loudest. I think there’s a flute somewhere in the mix, but my mind could be making up things. Bright buzzing fireflies swarm overhead, lighting a path to where a small crowd jumps and dances.
Becky’s round face appears before me, and she whines, “No offense, but Alfie won’t shut up about you. Since you got picked by the House of Shadow, it’s like Willow this, Willow that. Now we finally know why he’s so obsessed. You guys are getting married.”
“I don’t know why he keeps saying that,” I slur drunkenly. Maybe sway. Wait. Where are my shoes? Doesn’t matter. “I mean, wewereengaged. Five years ago.”
“Don’t worry.” She laughs. “People say shit in here. They get it out of their system so that out there, it’s easier to hide cos, I mean”—she scoffs and scrunches her nose—“he can’t exactly declare he’s going to marry a Nothing, right?”
“No need to be rude, bitch.” Dahlia pokes Becky. To me, she adds, “I think what she means is that it’s freeing to get shit off your chest. I fucking wanted tokillyou for embarrassing me in that class. Wanted to peel the Nothing-skin right off your face. But then I was like, you know what? If this bitch gets through the exhibition, I want her in my unit, you know? I want a crazy bitch who knows how to fight.”
“Yeah,” Irisa adds, coming up to my right side. “And when Dahlia told me about you, I was thinking,finally, some competition.”
Dahlia gapes at her. “What?”
