“Snollygoster,” I giggled. “Such a fun word.” I repeated it again and laughed harder.
“That is your takeaway from this?”
“Yes. I mean no. Sor—” I clamped a hand over my mouth and held back the next sorry for almost saying sorry, and then the giggles that ensued. I didn’t know why it was so funny. Was this what happened to crazy people when they snapped? Going crazy now seemed like a fun time.
“Focus, Calista.”
I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, but the grin spread over my aching face again. “I’m focused! Swear it!” If there was one thing I knew for certain, Astaroth would never allow me to be tricked or used by anyone else. He had that position onlockdown. I put my hands on my hips and stood tall. “Astaroth would never let them take advantage of me.”
“Astaroth would have no other choice. ‘Tis the way.”
Not feeling so sure of myself anymore, I looked up to the window, expecting it to be empty, and saw black eyes watching from the shadows within, waiting for me to call out to them and make it right.
“What’s rule number three?” It had to be just as important as the first two. The first three always were. I turned back to her when she didn’t respond and recoiled slightly from her penetrating gaze.
“Never ask for help, and never receive it.”
I thought I understood it before when she was talking about debts owed, but I fully comprehended now. Her anger toward me wasn’t only about owed debts. I broke cardinal rules, albeit unknowingly, and threw her existence into chaos, just like the man who killed my father. If she had come to Earth and impaled someone on the street to help me, I would lose my shit, be traumatized, even, along with any other witnesses, and I would be the one held accountable for her actions when she disappeared. There was a vast difference to our ways of life. Our moral ground was divided by a huge fork in the road. I crossed right over into hers and applied mine where they didn’t belong.
Because I don’t belong here.
I looked around at the leaning, hastily constructed buildings that would topple if one strong wind blew through. This was not my world. Astaroth didn’t share the same desires as the others here. The hidden hostile gazes penetrating me from all angles affirmed it.
A weird sensation crept over my skin and tingled up my scalp. I brushed at my arms as I checked them but found nothing crawling on me, only the eyes of the surrounding goblins watching and waiting, for what, I was too scared to find out.The fuzziness encroached on my vision again, except this time I couldn’t blink it away. I gasped for air as paranoia sunk its razor-sharp teeth into me.
“Calista?”
I focused on Jessandra’s mouth as she spoke, but her words were garbled.
The wishing stone warmed against my chest with a soothing pulse.
“Breathe.”
Annoyed and gasping for air, I said, “I am breathing.”
Jessandra’s brow furrowed into a deep V. She surveyed the area as I bent at the waist and rested my hands on my knees.
“Breathe.”
“Tell me to breathe one more time, and I swear to God—”
She squatted on the balls of her feet, face level with mine, and rested the back of her fingers against my forehead.
“What are you doing?” I shook my head when she tried to touch my cheek.
“Checking if you are well.”
“I’m fine.”
She rested her elbows on her thighs, hands dangling between her legs. “Fine people don’t talk to themselves.”
I wasn’t talking to myself. I was talking to her. Wasn’t I? The stone pulsed that soothing rhythm again. No. I refused to believe the necklace was talking to me.
“Did you get into the berries outside the kitchen?”
“Do what?” I shook my head and stood up, the world swaying around me. “No. Ziggy made me breakfast.”
She pushed to her full height and held me steady. “What did he feed you?”
