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“Calm down?!” she snaps at him. “This pathetic little girl, who has no business in our world, now has Gray. This can’t be happening.”
“Kate is not pathetic,” I interject. “You don’t know her at all – unlike Ty. He and Kate were close, and that’s why his key chose Kate. If you actually cared about your friend, then controlyourself for once in your life.”
For a moment, Vicky actually shuts up and just stares at me. But her look speaks volumes. “You are so presumptuous! You knew Ty for a few weeks, and you have the audacity to tell me what he was like, what he thought, and what he wanted?! Ayden and I were his best friends for years. So don’t talk to me about him. In fact, don’t even say his name. You’ve done enough. It’s your fault he’s dead, and I hope you’ll never forget that.”
“Vicky, that’s enough!” Ayden snarls at her. He looks really angry.
Vicky sees this too. “You’re defending her? Really? After everything she’s done?! I don’t understand you. You never even wanted her here – you said from the start that she didn’t belong in our world. If your initial assessment was taken seriously, then none of this would have happened, and Ty would still be alive. Don’t you get that? You’re making a mistake with her! She’s a mistake!”
“Control yourself, dammit! Teresa is no mistake. I was wrong back then. She’s much stronger than I realized. She has enormous potential. Ty’s death is not her fault. And if you’re honest with yourself, you know that. You just miss Ty, and you’re looking for someone to blame.”
Vicky shakes her head and fights back the tears. “No, that’s not true. You know... you must realize that...” She breaks off and Ayden puts his arms around her and holds her against his chest. He rubs her back, and she clings to him as if she’s afraid she’ll sink into a bottomless abyss without him. It hurts to see them like that. They’re so familiar; they know each other inside an out. And something else becomes clear to me: nobody can ever take Vicky’s place. She’ll always be a big part of Ayden’s life.
His words echo in my head and stir up feelings that I try to keep locked away deep inside me. I’m grateful to him for sticking up for me. But in the end, it’s Vicky who he holds and comforts. Itwill always be her, no matter what she says or does. Vicky can hurt other people, and he’ll always forgive her.
“Come on, let’s go,” I say to Kate. “There’s nothing left to say.”
“Tess, wait!” Ayden calls after me.
I turn back, but Vicky is tugging at his arm.
“It’s better this way, trust me,” I hear her say.
Ayden and I lock eyes for a moment, then his expression becomes cold and dark. I nod and continue on my way. It’s hopeless, I finally understand that.
I spend the rest of the evening with Kate in her room. After ranting exhaustively about Vicky and venting her anger, she calms down a little. My thoughts constantly return to Ayden and Vicky, as much as I wish they wouldn’t. He actually stood up for me at one point tonight, but generally, he’s always trying to protect Vicky. Ty used to do the same. And it’s not as if she needs anyone to defend her.
We watch a movie on Kate’s laptop, but it doesn’t take my mind off things. Around eleven o’clock, I make my way back to my room. So much has happened today, and my mind is spinning to the point where I feel like my skull will explode. Frida, Charles’ girlfriend, Ayden, Vicky. It was all too much, and I wonder how I’ll ever get any sleep. Maybe I should go outside and get some fresh air. But it’s pretty cold, and I’ll need to grab a jacket anyway. I’m still undecided when I turn into my corridor and see a figure sitting on the floor beside my door.
Ayden stands up when he sees me. “I was waiting for you,” he says, looking into my surprised face. “I hope that’s okay.”
I nod. “Sure.”
“Sorry about the thing with Vicky earlier. She doesn’t mean it. She’s just...”
I interrupt him. “Yeah, I know. Vicky’s messed up over Ty’s death. She’s not really like that; she’s normally a kind-hearted,cheerful person, who’s incredibly nice to everyone.” I risk looking up and losing myself in the deep green of his eyes. “Stop defending her. I’m tired of it.”
“That’s why I’m here,” he says without taking his eyes off me. “I actually wanted to talk to you about that.”
I expect to hear the same spiel as always:she’s a friend; she doesn’t mean to be like that. We’ve known each other a long time. Don’t take it personally.But the way Ayden is looking at me makes me think there’s more. Or am I mistaken? I guess I’m about to find out.
“Fine, come in,” I offer, opening my door. I’m not exactly comfortable being alone in here with him. It’s too intimate somehow; it’s my domain. But if this really is about something serious, then we can’t discuss it in the corridor.
I sit in the chair at my desk and nod at Ayden to take a seat too. He does, and I wait in silence for him to begin.
“I’ve thought a lot about this, and it wasn’t an easy decision. I mean, it’s about Vicky, and I don’t like spilling her secrets.” His expression is grim. “But Ty was right when he wrote you that letter. He figured you should know.”
I’m a little surprised because I was assuming Ty wanted to tell me about Vicky and Ethan’s relationship. Was there something else?
“Okay, I’m listening,” I say brusquely, folding my arms in front of my chest. I find it hard to imagine that there’s anything that could explain or justify Vicky’s rude behavior.
“You already gathered that Vicky and Ethan were a pair and that they decided to turn their backs on the world of the key carriers?”
I nod. “The way that her parents discussed it with Mr. Cunningham at the charity dinner made it clear that the news hit them pretty hard at the time.”
“You can say that again. We were all surprised,” Ayden admits.“But we could also see how happy Ethan and Vicky were with their decision. Still, they were met with a lot of resistance, which wasn’t exactly great for their relationship. They started arguing because Vicky didn’t want to rush into it and wanted to give things time to blow over. But Ethan was impatient to start a life away from the hunters and the fighting as soon as possible. Nothing and nobody could hold him back, not even Vicky. And she sensed that, obviously, and it hurt her. One day, they had this fight, and Vicky was really pissed and wanted to do something to distract herself. So she invited me and Ty to a late screening of some horror movie. It was the perfect way to blow off steam. We agreed. She had to go home first to talk to her parents, so we agreed to meet outside the theater.”
I can see that this is not easy for Ayden and that he has to force himself to go on. His eyes are as dark as I’ve ever seen them, and I suspect he’s reliving the whole thing as he speaks.
