My eyes flick across the page over and over, scanning for a missing line.
“This is a misunderstanding.” I suck in a shallow breath. “You faked his handwriting.”
“I wish I could say thatwas true.”
“When did you find this…”
“The night before last when the moon was full. He left his notebook on my desk. I admit, curiosity got the better of me…”
My stomach twists. This is what he was writing? Brainstorming ways to break up with me? I think of all the times back home he sat up in bed, and I’d listen to the sound of his pen scratching against paper…
How long has he been wanting this?
“You have helped him pass the time. He has given you the gift of flight. Do not make him stay out of obligation—let him go.”
“You’re full of shi–” I have every intention of cursing her out, but I can’t, not when I watch Moth get pulled into a dance. He tries to resist at first, but the crowd has him; within moments, he’s smiling, dancing with a woman the same way he danced with me. Oak joins in the mix, then Pepper, followed by Ruby. The four of them spin and bow, lightly touching their wings before throwing their heads back inlaughter.
“He deserves a conversation,” I say, unable to stop watching the growing happiness on his face.Home.He has my friends—but here? Here he has an entire community— people who admire him. This whole time I thought that, among all of them, I was his biggest fan—and that’s still true, but looking down at the letter, it’s clear he’snot mine.
How can I exchange a golden crown with a simple band of flowers?he wrote.
He can’t. Who would?
“He deserves freedom,” Holly counters. “Only you can give that to him.”
Freedom…
As if the home we’ve shared has been a cage.
“You keep him like a bug with its wings pinned to a frame. Do you really think he’s worth so little?”
“Of course not!”
Holly places her hands in mine. I twist my head up at the warm gesture.
“He turned you into one of us.” Her eyes are wide and sympathetic; she’s just the messenger here. Moth is the one who’s unhappy. “It makes sense that he would not want to leave you alone in your world.”
“So, I’m supposed to leave him alone in his?”
Her hands move to my shoulders, so I’m forced to look at him standing in the middle of the lively ballroom—the centerpiece of the perfectpainting.
“See, that’s where you’ve got it wrong. He’s not alone, notanymore.”
The terrible thing is she’s right, and Iknow it.
It’s easy to slip away unnoticed—well, almost.
With every step toward Queen Plume’s quarters, Sprout follows. Apparently, nothing gets past the world’s largest sentient pillow.
Every once in a while, he grabs the hem of my gown and tries to pull me backward, but after I press on, he has given up and opted to trail at my heels. Sprout hesitates when I reach Queen Plume’s tower but follows after me regardless until I’m up the stairs to the tower. Walking through the museum of broken clocks, I stand in front of the mirror.
Can I reallydo this?
I cringe, reaching out a hand; the glass-like surface ripples like the water of a pool in the middle of summer just begging me to jump in.
No, this is awful. We should at least try to talk things out. Right?
But, I mean, if Holly is right, then Moth will follow me no matter what he wants, out of obligation…
