He must be referring to Atlas, that this ishisstory. Didn’t Nate say that he was cured of his sickness?
“Alright,” I say softly.
“Atlas had a condition, and this is going to sound fucking insane, but to cure him, I had to jump from the cliff out back.”
I just stare at him, trying to sort out if this is an elaborate joke or not. But Julian’s face is serious, his black hair pushed back from his forehead, and his lips set into a thin line.
“That makes no sense,” I finally admit, sitting up to face him.
Julian sighs. “I know. But bear with me, okay? Basically, I jumped from the cliff, and it cured him, but I died.”
“Youwhat?!”I screech. “Are you a ghost right now? Oh my god, can you not even leave this castle?”
Every fantasy I’ve ever read or seen is circling my brain, and I reach out a hand to touch him, relishing the fact that I can.
“No.” Julian chuckles. “Barfred brought me back to life.”
“N-Nate did?” The information being thrown at me is making me feel crazy, and the idea of Nate saving Julian’s life is so comforting for some reason that I can barely stomach the sappy emotion.
“Yeah. He pulled me from the water and gave me CPR until my heart started beating again. It was a crazy day.” Julian is smiling like he’s looking back on something beautiful.
As if dying for Atlas was the best thing he’s ever done. It occurs to me that Julian might have a savior complex, and his entire life now revolves around making sure that boy stays happy and healthy.
“Wow, Julie,” I breathe out. “Youreallylove him.”
It’s contagious, this feeling he’s exuding. I can practically taste how committed and obsessed Julian is.
“I have never loved another person this much in my entire life,” he admits happily.
“That’s good. I’m glad.”
A part of me feels less horrible about keeping my own secrets now, becausewhat the fuck?I wonder if anyone here knows about Nate’s illusion.
And I am curious about this condition Atlas had and why the fuck Julian’s death was the solution. But I guess on some level, if there was something horribly wrong with me, I wouldn’t want everyone and their homeboy knowing about it.
Though it does sound a little magical, a little unreal.
“Well,” Julian says, standing from the bed. “I’d better get back up there. Atlas doesn’t like falling asleep without me.”
“That’s so sweet it’s disgusting,” I tease, and Julian just smiles. “Have a good night, Julie.”
“Yeah,” he says quietly, reaching over to ruffle my hair. “Night, Lan.”
Nathaniel
24
THE HOUSE I GREWup in is small and deserted now. The three-bedroom home is covered in graffiti, with the grass overgrown and the chain-link fence crumbling.
“This is where you grew up?” Landon asks from where he stands beside me.
Peering down at him, I am struck again by how incredibly lucky I am to have him here with me. I truly wondered if he’d manage to forgive me, and even though we have a ways to go before he’s healed and fully over everything that happened, I consider his mere presence a miracle.
“Yeah. Up until I found the EP, I lived right here with my parents and my brother,” I explain.
“How did you find the EP?” He turns his attention from the house and onto me, giving me those wide, curious eyes he gets whenever he is truly interested in a topic.
“I met a guy who worked for them. His name is Calum, and he was working as a repressor at the time, so when he came to investigate my family, I sided with him. Eventually, I became a repressor too.”
