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Strong arms pulled her up and into his side. She clung to him to prevent herself from passing out. The room swung madly, like a thousand colorful horses spun on a possessed carousel. Candles burned behind her eyelids.
And then her mother was there.
“Lillian,” she said. “Listen to the man, sweetheart.”
ChapterEight
“Mama? How did you get here? We all thought you were…”
“Dead? Oh, baby. I’m not dead, I just haven’t visited in a while.”
Her mother stood in the doorway, a bouquet of daises in her hand. Lillian gazed at the familiar pink rose wallpaper of her bedroom at her dad’s house. Her mother loved flowers. How had she gotten here? She felt the sheets to make sure they were real. The crisp white cotton creased under her fingertips.
Her mom had on her favorite turquoise dress, her dark hair straight and shiny and pulled into a bun. Her cheeks were pink, like she’d been out in her flower garden and had come inside to check on Lillian. Her lips tilted up in quiet delight.
Lillian pulled one hand from under the sheets to beckon her mother to her side. “I’m so glad you’re here, Mom. I’ve missed you. My head hurts. I think I overdid it.”
Her mother leaned over her bed and placed a cool hand on her forehead. She smelled like lemon verbena. “You’re not running a temperature.” She smoothed Lillian’s hair, brushing a stray piece from her cheek. “Listen closely, honey. I’ve something important to tell you.”
“Sure, Mom. What is it?” Her mother’s touch soothed the jackhammer pounding at her temple.
“You will not be able to run from Kinetica forever.”
Her breath caught in her lungs. “They will catch me?”
Cool fingers stroked her cheek in a soothing swirl. “They will steal your happiness if you let them. It’s not your job to cure everyone.”
Lillian frowned. “Hannah’s not everyone. Do you want me to let her die?”
Her mother’s eyes took on a faraway expression, as if she saw sights Lillian could not hope to understand. Then she shook her head, giving Lillian a soft smile. It radiated love and concern and motherly wisdom. “You’re merely an instrument, Lily. Whether Hannah lives or dies is not your decision.”
“What are you saying? This virus will kill her?” Lillian could not disguise the trembling fear in her own voice.
“No, honey. Your sister is strong. But death comes to us all eventually. You won’t be able to save the ones you love every time. I couldn’t.”
“But you sacrificed your life to warn me about Kinetica. You knew they’d kill you, but you managed to write me a letter. After you died, I found it tucked inside the secret compartment in your suitcase. That’s how I learned the car accident was a setup—that they’d murdered you and made it look like an accident. That they infected people with deadly viruses and made you try to heal them. That they were using your DNA to create super healers. If I hadn’t received your letter, they would have captured me, too, and who knows what they would have done to Hannah and Dad.”
“I did what a mother must do. But my fate does not have to be yours.” She bent, kissed Lillian’s forehead, and whispered. “Feel better, sweetheart.”
“No, wait.” She stretched her arms in the air, but her mother evaded them. “What should I do to save Hannah?”
“Follow your heart, my Lily.”
Strong hands gripped her shoulders, giving her a slight shake. “Zoey, Zoey, can you hear me? Wake up.”
Pain crashed into her skull, robbing her of breath. Lillian opened her eyes and squinted at Tristan’s face, trying to make sense of his wide pupils and the creased lines indenting his brow. A low moan tumbled from her lips. She was in the hospital, of course. She must have passed out after attempting to cure Hannah.
“Hannah…” She tried to rise, but Tristan held her down.
“Is off the ventilator and resting. No need to worry. The doctor thinks she is past the worst. The nursing staff is keeping a careful eye on her. There’s nothing you need to do or worry about. When’s the last time you had something to eat?” Tristan raised one eyebrow, demanding the truth.
Lillian wrinkled her nose, trying to remember. She’d had a snack on the airplane. But that had been many hours ago. She’d been so keyed up about her plans to go to Tristan’s home and her fear of Kinetica, she’d only eaten a bit of her grilled cheese sandwich.
“I had a small bite before I came to your party.”
Tristan turned to Maryanne, who’d entered the room. “Can we get a meal?”
“Absolutely. I’ll take care of it.” Maryanne smiled at Lillian, her manner confident and efficient. “The cafeteria’s closed this late in the evening but we keep meals in the fridge. How does breakfast sound?”
