when I could go invisible using the necklace, I thought that was really cool. But this is…different.”
“It’s still kind of cool,” Theo said softly. “Maybe you’ll grow wings or something.”
“Wings would be a bonus. But I just feel like all it means is that I’m the only one who can go up against some great big evil, and that’s scary. I don’t mind dealing with supernatural creatures, but I don’t want to be one.”
There was a pause as we both sat in silence, listening to faint country songs coming out of the radio.
“I’m really sorry about your mom, Ariel,” she said, biting her lip, her large green eyes widening further.
“Thank you,” I said. There was so much I wanted to say, so many feelings I wanted to express. “I’m sorry about…everything.”
“It’s okay,” Theo insisted. “I know I overreacted when I found out about you and Henry…”
“You didn’t overreact. I totally get why you reacted. Everyone saw him treat me like garbage. I’m still not totally fine with how he handled the situation, if I’m going to be perfectly honest, even if I understand why he did it.”
“Why did he do it?” Theo asked. “Not to pry, but I’ve always been curious.”
“Phillip threatened him. He was abusing him for a while on a regular basis. Like not just pushing him around; Henry had actual bruises and scars. Phillip has this whole plan for Henry’s life, but he’s not on board.” I grasped her hand, squeezing it firmly. “I really do want you to know how much you mean to me.”
She smiled, blushing, and pushed up her glasses.
“You mean a lot to me, too. I had a lot of time to think on my trip, and I didn’t realize what a huge, huge deal Thornhill is. How dangerous this all was. I can see why you and Henry would want to keep it a secret. I just don’t understand why you would still want to be with him.”
“So, we’re okay?” I asked hopefully.
She smiled at me. “Yeah, we’re okay. But don’t keep secrets again.”
“Never. I’m done with secrets.”
She let out a deep breath, looking me over. “Don’t blame yourself for being overwhelmed. This is like a fantasy come to life.”
“Being psychic, I could deal with. But this…” I stared out of the window at the rushing road. “I don’t know how to do this. I guess I just thought we could pull the plug on Thornhill no problem. It’s like just when I think we’ve reached the bottom, there’s farther to go down the rabbit hole.”
“Was it weird to see your mom?” Theo asked.
I thought about it before answering. “Weird and sad. I definitely want to stay away from any painful memories. The temptation is pretty strong.”
We continued talking the rest of the way through Tennessee, making up for our lost time. They’d spent Christmas at a really bad motel that played Elvis tunes.
“I kind of missed Alex,” Theo confessed after a minute. “I ended up quitting Dollar Daze and I know I’ll have too much time on my hands.”
“Do you want to get back together with him?”
She rubbed her hand on the seat. “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know if I want a serious relationship right now.”
“You should talk to him when we get back,” I said.
“You think?” she asked.
“Yeah. Talking isn’t a commitment. And obviously he misses you.”
###
Outside of Tennessee, we stopped at a motel. I still hadn’t had a real text from Henry, and I kept thinking about Roger’s creepy picture that I had since deleted. I didn’t like the silence, and I was worried about him. He was recovering well from his injury, but who knows what had happened while we were gone. And I wanted to update him. I hoped he hadn’t lost his phone for good.
The room Theo and I shared was tacky, with paint peeling from the walls, but comfortable. I nodded off finally, although I kept waking up every five minutes, my muscles knotted up and visions of glorious, destructive angels in my head.
Finally, I fell
“It’s still kind of cool,” Theo said softly. “Maybe you’ll grow wings or something.”
“Wings would be a bonus. But I just feel like all it means is that I’m the only one who can go up against some great big evil, and that’s scary. I don’t mind dealing with supernatural creatures, but I don’t want to be one.”
There was a pause as we both sat in silence, listening to faint country songs coming out of the radio.
“I’m really sorry about your mom, Ariel,” she said, biting her lip, her large green eyes widening further.
“Thank you,” I said. There was so much I wanted to say, so many feelings I wanted to express. “I’m sorry about…everything.”
“It’s okay,” Theo insisted. “I know I overreacted when I found out about you and Henry…”
“You didn’t overreact. I totally get why you reacted. Everyone saw him treat me like garbage. I’m still not totally fine with how he handled the situation, if I’m going to be perfectly honest, even if I understand why he did it.”
“Why did he do it?” Theo asked. “Not to pry, but I’ve always been curious.”
“Phillip threatened him. He was abusing him for a while on a regular basis. Like not just pushing him around; Henry had actual bruises and scars. Phillip has this whole plan for Henry’s life, but he’s not on board.” I grasped her hand, squeezing it firmly. “I really do want you to know how much you mean to me.”
She smiled, blushing, and pushed up her glasses.
“You mean a lot to me, too. I had a lot of time to think on my trip, and I didn’t realize what a huge, huge deal Thornhill is. How dangerous this all was. I can see why you and Henry would want to keep it a secret. I just don’t understand why you would still want to be with him.”
“So, we’re okay?” I asked hopefully.
She smiled at me. “Yeah, we’re okay. But don’t keep secrets again.”
“Never. I’m done with secrets.”
She let out a deep breath, looking me over. “Don’t blame yourself for being overwhelmed. This is like a fantasy come to life.”
“Being psychic, I could deal with. But this…” I stared out of the window at the rushing road. “I don’t know how to do this. I guess I just thought we could pull the plug on Thornhill no problem. It’s like just when I think we’ve reached the bottom, there’s farther to go down the rabbit hole.”
“Was it weird to see your mom?” Theo asked.
I thought about it before answering. “Weird and sad. I definitely want to stay away from any painful memories. The temptation is pretty strong.”
We continued talking the rest of the way through Tennessee, making up for our lost time. They’d spent Christmas at a really bad motel that played Elvis tunes.
“I kind of missed Alex,” Theo confessed after a minute. “I ended up quitting Dollar Daze and I know I’ll have too much time on my hands.”
“Do you want to get back together with him?”
She rubbed her hand on the seat. “I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. I don’t know if I want a serious relationship right now.”
“You should talk to him when we get back,” I said.
“You think?” she asked.
“Yeah. Talking isn’t a commitment. And obviously he misses you.”
###
Outside of Tennessee, we stopped at a motel. I still hadn’t had a real text from Henry, and I kept thinking about Roger’s creepy picture that I had since deleted. I didn’t like the silence, and I was worried about him. He was recovering well from his injury, but who knows what had happened while we were gone. And I wanted to update him. I hoped he hadn’t lost his phone for good.
The room Theo and I shared was tacky, with paint peeling from the walls, but comfortable. I nodded off finally, although I kept waking up every five minutes, my muscles knotted up and visions of glorious, destructive angels in my head.
Finally, I fell
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