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“The Halloween party?” I ask. Lo gave us bare details. It’s in the Hamptons at some famous singer’s house. He annoyingly forgot the singer’s name. I know this is Willow’s first “adult” Halloween party that’ll include more than just chaste apple bobbing.
She nods.
“Not really,” I tell her. “Are you?”
“Yeah, it’s just…” She rubs her arm. “Their bodyguards aren’t allowed in the mansion, and what if something happens?”
“Nothing’s going to happen,” I say, and I don’t add that if anything does happen, it’ll probably be to the people more famous than us. That’ll just make her worry for Daisy. “What are you nervous about specifically, anyway?”
“People. Lots of people. Being touched or not knowing where to go. Getting lost…lots of things.”
Fuck. “I’m not going to let anyone touch you.” Even thinking about it is like drilling nails into my skull. Not happening. It’s not fucking happening.
Willow and Daisy are gone.
They left us for the bathroom, and everyone thought they were “taking way too fucking long” so we all went on a search and rescue party.
It failed.
No surprise there. I told everyone we should have just stayed at the same spot they left us. The velvet-lined coffin. The probability of them returning was a million times higher than us finding them in this maze.
But this is what happens when you have Ryke and Lo together. They freak the fuck out. I don’t have a sister, so maybe I’d be the same. I don’t know.
I am worried.
Just a different kind of worried. I keep checking the doorway every five-seconds. On edge. Waiting impatiently for Willow. Her words from before keep cycling through my head. Being touched. She’s scared about all the roaming hands and bodies, and it’d be impossible not to bump into people here.
Every room in this mansion is packed except for the kitchen. Maybe because it’s the least decorated area in the house. Just tiny candles set along the granite countertops.
Lo, Ryke, Rose, and Connor all congregate near the kitchen bar, agreeing to the “wait it out” method. Connor is closest to me, watching me type on my laptop that’s propped up on the stool.
He’s dressed in an almost identical costume as Ryke. Except it’s all white. White robe, white tunic, white pants. Like he’s some ethereal fucking immortal. If he wasn’t carrying the lightsaber, I’d just think Lo dressed him up as a god.
In reality, he’s Luke Skywalker.
And right now, Luke fucking Skywalker is hovering. When six-foot-four Connor Cobalt hovers, it feels like you’re under the shadow of the tallest high-rise. It’s an intense, uncomfortable place to be. I’m trying to just ignore him, but he keeps watching my computer screen as I type.
I check the doorway again.
This time Daisy and Willow walk through it. I intake a breath, and before I can get a good look at my girlfriend, Ryke rushes to Daisy, blocking my view.
“Where the fuck did you go pee?” Ryke asks. “We’ve been looking for you two everywhere.” He sets a hand on the top of Daisy’s head, his cane in his other one. After Ryke married Daisy in Peru, he had a bad rock-climbing fall, and he needed surgery on his leg.
I don’t even like to think about the climbing accident. I’ve had bad days—but almost losing Willow’s brother…yeah, that ranks up there.
“To the moon and back,” Daisy answers Ryke. He looks to Willow for a better answer.
“Just the first-floor bathroom. No one was by the coffin when we came back.”
“Told you,” I say to everyone. Immediately I regret it because I sound like a douchebag yelling out told ya so! I’m a dick.
“You’re either really embodying this whole devil thing,” Lo tells me, “or it’s just in your soul.” He’s not even looking at me. He’s raiding the house’s pantry with Lily hanging on his waist, trying to pull him away with as much effort as she can muster. It’s not much.
“Lo, you can’t,” she pleads.
Lo retrieves a box of Cheez-Its. “I can. Maybe they should’ve thought about snacks, huh?” He opens the brand-new box in front of her face.
Lily whispers, “Should we write an IOU?”
“Lil.” He pops one in his mouth. “Think of it as their birthday present to me.”
“It could be worse,” Connor tells her, but he’s still glancing at me and my computer. “He could have broken into the liquor cabinet and consumed a forty-thousand-dollar bottle of alcohol.”
Ryke adds, “And had a bunch of Ninja Turtles chase after you down the street.”
“See, love,” Lo says to her. “My worst is over.”
I almost snort. That shit actually happened to him? Jeez.
Lily smiles and holds out her hand. He pours Cheez-Its in her palm, his own smile spreading across his face.
Rose sips sparkling water and paces between the doorway, hawkeyed. She’s been like that since we arrived at the party, even more so since Daisy and Willow got lost.
