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CHAPTER SIXTEEN
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CHARLOTTE
The den isn’t what I expected.
I guess from the word ‘den,’ I thought I was headed into the lair of a bunch of animals, but this is far from it. We don’t even go inside the caverns, Reyes and Mateo taking me into the farmhouse instead.
It’s actually pretty home-y inside, with picnic tables laid out in what looks like a common area, a kitchen off to the right. There’s no one here besides the three of us, and a girl with curly red hair busy cooking in the kitchen. I can smell onions, and hear sizzling from the griddle.
“Hey, Peaches!” Mateo calls as we walk in.
She starts, her shoulders bouncing, her eyes wide when she turns around. “Oh—hey Mateo! Was just getting some final preparations for tonight’s full moon…and I see we have a guest!”
She puts down the spatula in her hand and waves. “Hi guest!”
I raise my hand, a little weirded out, but at least more comfortable seeing another woman here—a woman whoisn’tArden. My grandparents are nowhere in sight as Reyes pulls out a chair for me, Mateo taking the seat next to me.
“They should be here any minute,” Reyes says. “I think Suyin went to get them…”
A moment later, a door on the other side of the building opens.
And there they are.
Gran and Pa.
The people I’ve been looking for this whole time.
I can’t help myself; I get up and race toward them, flinging myself into Gran’s arms when she holds them wide. Pa joins in on the group hug, and I feel Gran’s shoulders shake as we embrace.
Then Reyes gets closer…and I feel them both tense.
There is something going on here, and I don’t like it one bit.
“Hannah,” Reyes says with a polite nod. “Abraham. If you’d like to take a seat, I think we have some things to discuss.”
My grandparents freeze, Gran’s eyes wide.
“Actually, I think we’ll be going now that we have Charlotte,” she says. “She’s why we’re still here and not in the city.”
Reyes’ lips thin into a grimace, and he glances at me. “It’s up to you, of course,” he says. “But Charlotte—would you like to ask us any questions first? I bet you have a lot of them.”
I look from Reyes to Gran, but I nod despite her look of fear. “Yeah…I think I do.”
“Let’s have a seat, then,” Reyes says. “And I’ll answer anything I can.”
I return to the table, but Gran won’t let go of my arm as we walk. Her grip is almost too tight, starting to ache by the time I sit down next to Mateo once again. I pat her hand, trying to set her at ease, but she doesn’t budge. Pa sits on her other side, his jaw tight.
I’m surprised when Reyes sits down opposite the four of us, his hands clasped in front of him…and doesn’t say anything. For some reason, I thought he would be the one leading this conversation, but now I realize that all these people are here for me.
And there’s too much to ask…and a lot of hurt that I didn’t recognize right away.
“Um,” I mutter. “I guess I want to start with asking why you lied to me?”
I look at Gran as I say it, and her eyes close as she bites her lip. She’s still got tears in her eyes from our reunion, and they get worse when she looks over at Pa.
“Sweet pea, we were always just trying to protect you,” she says.
