“Locklyn?” I ask, even though it’s obvious.
“Locklyn, Rose, whatever you want to call her.”
I cut her a quick look. “Haven doesn’t really go with Rose.” Not to be rude, but it’s just an observation that came to mind earlier.
“That’s because Haven isn’t my birth name. It’s Lily. My parents changed it when we went on the run.”
Lily. For some reason, it feels like it fits her. People think lilies are fragile, delicate, but they grow back year after year.
“Nice,” is all I say, keeping my thoughts to myself.
“So anyway, I already know we look alike, but that’s it.”
“What do you want to know?”
I catch her shrug out of the corner of my eye. “You said you were best friends, so you must know her really well.”
I nod, because it’s certainly true. Up until Chaos, I’d say I knew her better than anyone, but I suspect Talon has taken that place in her life now.
Surprisingly, the thought doesn’t make me sad anymore.
“How did you meet?”
I smile.
“I have a sister too,” I start. “And I’m a twin as well.”
Her brow lifts at that.
“Ensley. She was the other girl in the photo,” I explain, and Haven nods. “So the first year of elementary school, a girl was picking on my sister during recess. I caught it going down, but I was on the other side of the playground. I ran over to stop it, but before I could get there, this tiny little slip of a girl had stepped between them and popped the bully square in the face. Gave her a bloody nose that sent her running off crying.”
I chuckle at the memory, remembering how shocked I was that someone so small could do so much damage.
“I couldn’t have been more impressed. The three of us were inseparable ever since.”
“She sounds fierce.”
“She is. But she didn’t have an easy go of things. Locklyn’s human side is strongest, so she doesn’t have any powers.”
“She doesn’t?” Haven asks.
I shake my head. “No. That was hard for her in the creature world. Some creatures, well, most of them actually, equate magic with value, and once everyone’s magic started to come in, and hers didn’t, she was bullied a lot. It made her tough. Tougher than she should have had to be. I always did my best to protect her, but I wasn’t there around the clock.”
“She probably didn’t expect you to fight her battles for her,” Haven says, and a bitter laugh shakes my chest.
“No, she certainly didn’t. But that doesn’t mean it didn’t stop me from trying. Even when maybe I shouldn’t have.”
Giving Locklyn her independence, not believing in her strength, was one of the things that put a wedge between us.
“You love her,” Haven says, and the car jerks a little when I whip my head toward her.
“What?”
“It’s obvious you care about her a lot,” she clarifies. “She’s lucky to have a friend like you.”
Oh, she just means friendship love.
“I’m the lucky one,” I say honestly, and a sad smile appears on Haven’s face, making me wonder what she’s thinking.
