My heart cracked a little. “What do you mean?”
“You’re not the type to settle down, pidge. It was all too easy to convince myself it wasn’t real.” The color began to return to Charlie’s face. Inwardly, I felt guilty.
I’d never be homemaker of the year, that was for certain. I was adventurous, and liked exploring, and wanted the world at my feet. Once I got out of the Institute, I had a mind never to stay in one place too long. My biggest desire was to travel. I wasn’t the type to be waiting at home with supper ready when Charlie came back from his day job, that was for sure.
But Charlie had been tossed around from place to place all his life. It seemed wrong to ask him to keep doing that, for me. He wanted somethingsecure, and in my life, all I desired was something fluid. My lip wobbled, and I turned my head away from Charlie.
This isn’t going to last, Ava.
This relationship is doomed to fail.
He wants to feel safe, and you’re dangerous.
Oh, great. If possible, the venom made the voices in my head even louder. Just great. I wondered if I’d start hallucinating next, because that’s just what we needed.
“Who’s that?” Kallie asked. She didn’t recognize the next illusion ahead, which meant that whoever the spell was impersonating was probably for me. I didn’t feel like talking to whoever it was, and let my eyes drift closed, giving a light snore on Oberi’s back.
“Don’t let her fall asleep. We might not be able to wake her back up,” Kallie said.
Charlie jostled me roughly, and I batted him away. “Go away,” I moaned. “Wake me when we get there.”
“Ava, you need to make this illusion leave,” Charlie said firmly. He shook me again, which didn’t do much of anything to rouse me.
I didn’t care if the Great Spirit himself was blocking the way. I wasn’t moving for anyone. The venom was running thick in my head, making my thoughts incoherent.
An impish giggle rang across the tunnel, along with a teasing voice. “You always had a thing for broke-ass bums. He’s cute, though. Definitely your type.”
That voice was like a slap to the face. I jolted upward on Oberi’s back. A wicked chill permeated my bones as I took in the figure’s mass of dark curls, green eyes and mess of freckles. On her wrist she wore a red and green band— just like mine.
“Fuck no,” I breathed. “I’m not doing this.”
I yanked on Oberi’s mane, to get her to turn around. Forget the key— it could stay down here, for all I cared.
But Oberi didn’t move. She stomped her hoof, as if telling me to stay put, and I was too exhausted to get off her back and run. Marcus looked completely lost, although Kallie’s eyes flickered from me to the illusion, working out the details. Charlie rubbed the small of my back in tiny circles, like he’d guessed exactly what I was facing and was trying to comfort me.
“Leave me alone!” I shouted at the illusion. It remained where it was, the figure just as solid as the day I’d lost her.
Monica spread her arms wide, in a dramatic pose. “Surprise, bitch! You didn’t think I wasreallydead, did you? I was playing a prank. I can’t believe you fell for it.”
My eyebrow twitched. I barely held in a sob as I cried out, “Yeah, some prank, wasn’t it, dying in my arms.Sofucking funny.”
“Oh, don’t be that way. Itwasfunny.” Monica waved a hand, in that careless way of hers. “Aren’t you just glad to see that I’m alive?”
I couldn’t help the way my lip wobbled. “I’msopissed at you.”
Monica gave a quirky smile. It was then I let out a laugh. “Good one. I should’ve known you’d pull something like this.”
“Ava,” Charlie warned, but his voice was like a wisp on the wind. The illusion wasgood—very good. I believed in that moment, with all my heart, that Monica was really here with me and everything that had happened had been a bad dream.
I was floating. I was no longer with my friends, in this dark cave. I was back in my bedroom at home with Monica, and she was standing across from me like she’d never been gone. Colors changed and morphed until I could see the scene around me clear as day.
Monica smiled. “Don’t you see I never left? I could never leave you.”
“You wouldn’t,” I whispered.
I fell off of Oberi. Charlie let out a gasp behind me, but he was far away, basically on another planet. My legs wouldn’t support me as I began crawling toward Monica, reaching out a hand. I wanted to touch herso badly.
“Ava—” Kallie said. She grabbed my shoulder, but screeched as my skin burned her hand.
