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He glances up while his fingers still work at the pods. “What’s that?”
I can barely contain my excitement. “Amell’s agreed to release you back to the First Dimension.”
Will’s head snaps up and his eyes actually glaze over. “Don’t joke around about stuff like that.”
“I’m not joking, Will. I asked him to, and he said he would. His daughter is visiting, but I’m sure after she’s gone, he’ll do it.”
I expected a wide smile, but Will’s expression looks haunted. “And what exactly did you have to give up for my freedom?”
I know what he’s insinuating, and I rush to reassure him. “Nothing I didn’t mind giving up.”
Not exactly true. I didn’t want to divulge anything about my life, but if it was to buy Will’s freedom, I was very happy to give it to Amell.
Will frowns, his hands going still. “I hear you saying you didn’t mind, but why do I get the vibe that it was something big? He didn’t make you do something… um… gross or painful or—”
I wave my hand at him. “It was nothing like what you’re thinking. He simply wanted a truth about me. Something personal. It was no biggie.”
Will stares at me a good long while, but then a smile breaks out across his face as if he’s just now understanding what I’ve told him. “You mean… I’m going home?”
“You’re going home,” I say.
I know Will would like to scream out in joy or dance around the table or throw his arms around me in a hug of thanks, but he’s been in servitude long enough to know that would earn him a beating. Instead, tears pool in his eyes. “I can’t… I don’t even know what to say, Nyssa. I thought I’d die here.”
“Well, now you won’t.” I keep my voice cheery and bright, hoping to dash those tears. “Now… what’s the first meal you’re going to have when you get back?”
Will closes his eyes a second before pinning them on me, and the tears are gone. “A huge, greasy cheeseburger with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, and a fried egg on top.”
“Oh damn, that sounds good,” I say, my mouth watering from the thought of it. The food here is edible, but it’s nothing I’ll ever crave.
“Nyssa… I’m shaking,” Will says, holding out his hands. And sure enough, he’s trembling hard. “Am I really going home?”
“Yes, Will. You’re really going home.”
Rhynda walks through the doorway, giving Will and I the evil eye. I polish hard and Will keeps shelling. We work in quiet until she moves to the other end of the kitchen. The silence is dispelled when Will asks, “Tell me something personal about you, Nyssa. Give me something to take back with me that you don’t share with anyone.”
My heart twists so hard, it’s actually difficult to breathe. I suck in air through my nose and let it out slowly as I look up from the goblet. Will’s eyes are on his task, his face stretched in a dopey smile.
I’ve never had friends before, and Will’s only been in my life a few weeks. I won’t ever see him again, so I could give him a truth to remember me by.
And he’d be gone, so I don’t have to think about it anymore.
“I have a brother,” I say quietly.
“What’s his name?” Will asks, eyes still glued to the peas.
“Samuel, but I used to call him Sammy.”
“Were you two close?”
I rub hard on a rosette. “I haven’t seen him in fourteen years… since he was a baby.”
“What?” Will says, his brow furrowing as he looks across the table at me.
“He’s my half brother, actually. He was just a baby when our mom died. Both our fathers were deadbeats and out of the picture.”
Will’s eyes soften. “What happened?”
I focus back on the goblet, but the rest of the story pours out. “We went into foster care. Sammy was a baby and easily adopted out. A twelve-year-old is a lot harder to find a home for.”
