I’m thrown back into the crisp night air, knees buckling from my crushing migraine.
“What are you doing?” Parker’s hands grip my shoulders, hauling me upright.
Saliva floods my mouth and I keel over, vomiting onto the grass. Parker supports my body as I heave until there’s nothing left inside my churning stomach. I catch my breath and straighten, blinking at him. Something’s wrong. My eyes can’t seem to focus. I squint through his translucent torso, to the illuminated elm trees beside the footpath.Fuck. FUCK.He looks like he’s about to travel. The blood rushes from my limbs.What am I doing?I lurch toward him and grab his forearms, snatching him back into this time with me. His body reappears and sharp bolts of pain tear through my head.
He hauls me against his chest, cutting off my groan. I almost let him go, sending him to his assured death. And that memory with Flame…What’s happening to me?
“Fuck,” I mutter, enveloped in Parker’s arms.
“You’re okay,” he says, holding me tighter. I breathe in his familiar woody scent and my stomach drops. I yank out of his hold.
Parker’s brows twitch as he slips his hands back into his pockets. “What’s going on?”
I square my shoulders. “Nothing.”
“Bullshit. The same thing happened outside the lecture hall this morning, didn’t it? Your eyes glazed over, and you were mumbling to yourself.”
I hold his stare. “It’s nothing. I—slipped into a memory for a second. It’s not a big deal.”
“By accident?” Parker scoffs. “Jesus, Rose. You nearly lost your hold on me. Another few seconds and I’d be gone.”
And there it is.“Of course you’d make this about you.”
Parker’s mouth drops. “He’ll kill me, Rose. If you don’t have this under control, I need to know.”
“It was an accident, alright?” I snap. “It won’t happen again.”
“It’s happened twice in one day. What if next time I can’t pull you out?” He drags a hand over his short hair. “When we meet with McGregor tonight, we tell him the truth. He can’t help us if he doesn’t have all the facts.”
I want to argue, but Parker’s right. Whatever just happened, I can’t control it. What’s the point in everything we’ve been through if Matthews kills Parker before McGregor’s even had a chance to help us? I draw in a deep breath. “Fine. We tell him the truth. But I want you to promise me you won’t see or talk toherwhile we’re here.” Parker nods his head, but it’s not enough. “Promise me.Say it.Tell me youknowyou can’t start anything with her.”
“I know,” he mutters, his gaze sliding to the dark river behind me. “I promise. From here on out, it’s just you and me.”
5Mariella
I turn onto my block, my shoes scraping along the concrete path. My house is midway down the street, nestled between grander, two-story homes with freshly painted picket fences and manicured front lawns. It may be old, with faulty electricity and peeling paint, but it’s the only home I’ve ever known.
The stairs groan as I climb to the porch. The bottom keyhole on my front door unlocks with a reassuringclunk; the three above sit rusted from neglect. Inside, I kick off my shoes and dump my satchel on the dining table, the wood marked from the week my mother dabbled in sculpting. She’s been gone for ten years, and yet most of the books on my shelves are her annotated classics, the throw on the couch she once wore as a shawl. Her memory clings to every crevice of this house.
My phone chimes in quick succession, Anna’s trademark messaging pattern.
you HAVE to come to bromley house tonight
pleaseeeee
it’s going to be the best. night. EVER.
I want to hang out with Anna, but the half-dozen friends orbiting her? Not so much.
Sorry, I have plans with Sarah tonight.
Have fun!! xx
I put my phone on silent and sink into the couch with a contented sigh.
My lungs are burning, every breath ripping through me like I’ve inhaled shards of glass. Coughing and gagging, I roll onto my side, and my hand grazes damp concrete. Cool night air bites at my bare feet. I’m… outside?
Not again.
