“Yeah,” she says and smiles. “They live in a small lake on Gula. It’s pretty far away.”
“You didn’t tell me you were leaving.”I’m not mad at her. I mean, how could I be when there’s so much I’m hiding?
“You didn’t ask.”
Ouch. I deserve that one. “I’m sorry, I feel like I haven’t been the greatest friend.”
“I’m not upset. You seem to really care, or at least you’re curious about all of us, but you’re stuck in the past. Constantly asking about people’s history or things that happened long ago. You might make more friends at the carnival if you started asking about the present. What are people’s dreams and aspirations, our skills and hobbies. Stuff like that, you know?”
She’s right. And it would likely help my overall goal here, too.
“So what do you do for fun?” I ask, giving her advice a shot.
“I like weaving. I have this tool called a loom; it helps me make large things, like blankets and tapestries. I know it doesn’t really translate well into the water, but I enjoy it all the same,” she says, and I can’t help but smile.
“I’d love to see it sometime. Maybe you can teach me.”
There’s some rustling in a nearby bush, and Yasmeena pops her head around a corner. “Hey, sorry. I don’t mean to interrupt, but Absinthe is looking for us.”
“Go on. We’ll catch up more later,” Taryn says, and I smile and nod as I follow Yasmeena back towards camp.
We walk up the river bank, back towards the fence line, the tents all in view, and enter into the main part of camp. The lights of the carnival, and the sounds of children playing and people laughing, are all present in the near distance.
It’s overwhelmingly calming, the way this place is beginning to feel like home, but it also terrifies me. The ephemeralness of it all. And I want to leave. I want to be home with my pack. I wantto hang out with Zuri and Clio. I want to run The Cathedral, and most importantly, I want to take over as Alpha.
But I also want to take pieces of this place with me when I go. The ring Absinthe made me. A rock from the river I spoke to Taryn beside. The feeling of Yasmeena’s body pressed against mine?—
“Princess,” Yasmeena says, breaking me from my thoughts.
“Yes, nuisance?” I respond, and she squints at me as we continue walking through camp.
“Thank you for being patient with me after Roxanne’s death. It shook me to my core, but I appreciate that you gave me time to grieve and didn’t push me about rehearsals.”
It’s a level of vulnerability I didn’t expect, and warmth floods my chest. “Of course. Besides, you’re a fantastic aerialist. It’ll be fine.”
“I know we will,” she says, and places a hand on the back of my arm, giving it a light squeeze. Her touch sends shivers down my body. “But I still wanted to thank you. This agreement isn’t easy for me, so I can’t imagine how it feels for you.”
I nod. “It’s fine. Let’s just make the best of it.”
A disheveled Una storms down the walkway, followed by Rowan, whose whole body is tense.
“Una, go back and apologize to your mother right now,” he says, and she stops in her tracks.
“Dude, she was being a bitch about me not cleaning my room, I told her I’m an adult and I’ll do what I want. It’s not that deep.”
“What did you just call her?”
I don’t know Rowan personally, but he’s been nothing but chuckles and smiles since I’ve arrived. He’s clearly a family man, and he’s Taryn’s performance partner, so I’ve developed a mild respect for him.
I have never seen him this mad. I have never seen him mad, period.
They continue arguing as they pass us, the father-daughterduo clearly up in arms as Rowan goes over her consequences. Yasmeena and I continue walking as well, both of our eyes as wide as saucers.
“You will never speak about my wife like that again,” is the last thing we hear him say before we round a corner until we’re outside Absinthe’s workshop.
“Remind me to never piss him off,” I say, and Yasmeena shakes her head, shock still radiating off of us.
“She’s in such a mood lately.” Yasmeena crosses her arms and rolls her eyes, upcurling her lip and nose into the best impression of Una imaginable.
