Clio,” she said. “I was … afraid. I wanted to keep you safe, at almost any cost. I’m not sure if I did the right thing or not. But you have to believe that I never intended to hurt you.”
“That wasn’t even all, though,” I went on. “Even after all of that came out, and you barely explained it, then you go away and I hear about this whole Treize thing. It’s… unbelievable. And I heard about it from a bunch of strangers. They were telling the truth, right?”
“Pretty much,” Nan said quietly.
I let out a breath. Some part of me hadn’t fully accepted it as real until that moment, hearing her confirm it. “You’re not even my grandmother. We’re related so far back I can’t even figure it out!”
“Thirteen generations,” Nan said, her long, slim fingers curled around her glass. “But we are related—I still am your nearest relative, besides Thais. And I wanted to tell you so many times, but I truly didn’t know how. I just didn’t want the Treize to touch your life.”
“Too late,” I said.
“I know. And I know they’re putting their grand plan into action. You and I and Thais have to determine where we stand on that and on other things.”
“Yeah, like whether we want to live
forever,
” I said, and consternation crossed her face. I told her about Axelle and how we knew about the rite and had met everyone and had a circle.
“So you met Luc, did you?” Nan asked, as if picking up on something.
I shrugged. I’d never told Nan the details of my plunges into the dating pool, and now I felt even less close to her, trusted her less.
“Clio—did Luc hurt you? And Thais?”
There was no way I would admit how bad it had been to anyone. It was too embarrassing and made me feel like my heart, pumping and bleeding, was hung on the outside of my chest.
I shrugged again and met Nan’s eyes. “Not really.” I sighed. “But what a jerk. He dated both me and Thais. Luckily, we found out almost right away. We both screamed at him, and then when we saw that he was also part of the Treize, we froze him out.”
Nan looked at me, weighing my words. I wondered if she’d heard anything different, from someone else, and decided it didn’t matter. That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
“So it wasn’t any worse than that?”
“No. I mean, we’re still majorly pissed. But we’re dealing.”
“Um-hmm.”
I had to change the subject. “So where were you all this time? Why didn’t you call?”
“I was in Connecticut, fixing Michel Allard’s will.”
I frowned. “Thais’s dad?”I paused, feeling something weird in my stomach. “My dad?” I added, the words sounding funny. “Why? What do you mean, fix?”
“Somehow, right after Michel died, either Axelle or Daedalus changed Michel’s will so Axelle would get custody of Thais.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Yes. So this time I went up and changed his will myself.”
My head was spinning. “And they don’t have phones in Connecticut? I didn’t realize how backward they were.”
Nan looked at me wryly. “I was extremely busy the whole time, and I didn’t want to be in touch until everything was worked out. I knew you’d have so many questions…. The phone didn’t seem the right way to do this.”
“You changed the will back to how it was? Is Thais going back to Connecticut to be with that neighbor?”
“No. I changed his will so I would have custody,” Nan said, her eyes very clear and calm, looking into mine. “I’m Thais’s legal guardian now, and she’s going to come live with us.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. Another huge change in my life. I did feel a quick rush of gladness that she wasn’t going back north, yet—
“Do I have to share my room?”
Nan smiled at me, so familiar, and despite my anger, I was relieved she was back. “No,” she said, with an amused look. “I’ve thought about it, and I’m going to move myself to the little alcove room under the stairs. Thais will have my
“That wasn’t even all, though,” I went on. “Even after all of that came out, and you barely explained it, then you go away and I hear about this whole Treize thing. It’s… unbelievable. And I heard about it from a bunch of strangers. They were telling the truth, right?”
“Pretty much,” Nan said quietly.
I let out a breath. Some part of me hadn’t fully accepted it as real until that moment, hearing her confirm it. “You’re not even my grandmother. We’re related so far back I can’t even figure it out!”
“Thirteen generations,” Nan said, her long, slim fingers curled around her glass. “But we are related—I still am your nearest relative, besides Thais. And I wanted to tell you so many times, but I truly didn’t know how. I just didn’t want the Treize to touch your life.”
“Too late,” I said.
“I know. And I know they’re putting their grand plan into action. You and I and Thais have to determine where we stand on that and on other things.”
“Yeah, like whether we want to live
forever,
” I said, and consternation crossed her face. I told her about Axelle and how we knew about the rite and had met everyone and had a circle.
“So you met Luc, did you?” Nan asked, as if picking up on something.
I shrugged. I’d never told Nan the details of my plunges into the dating pool, and now I felt even less close to her, trusted her less.
“Clio—did Luc hurt you? And Thais?”
There was no way I would admit how bad it had been to anyone. It was too embarrassing and made me feel like my heart, pumping and bleeding, was hung on the outside of my chest.
I shrugged again and met Nan’s eyes. “Not really.” I sighed. “But what a jerk. He dated both me and Thais. Luckily, we found out almost right away. We both screamed at him, and then when we saw that he was also part of the Treize, we froze him out.”
Nan looked at me, weighing my words. I wondered if she’d heard anything different, from someone else, and decided it didn’t matter. That was my story, and I was sticking to it.
“So it wasn’t any worse than that?”
“No. I mean, we’re still majorly pissed. But we’re dealing.”
“Um-hmm.”
I had to change the subject. “So where were you all this time? Why didn’t you call?”
“I was in Connecticut, fixing Michel Allard’s will.”
I frowned. “Thais’s dad?”I paused, feeling something weird in my stomach. “My dad?” I added, the words sounding funny. “Why? What do you mean, fix?”
“Somehow, right after Michel died, either Axelle or Daedalus changed Michel’s will so Axelle would get custody of Thais.”
“Oh yeah.”
“Yes. So this time I went up and changed his will myself.”
My head was spinning. “And they don’t have phones in Connecticut? I didn’t realize how backward they were.”
Nan looked at me wryly. “I was extremely busy the whole time, and I didn’t want to be in touch until everything was worked out. I knew you’d have so many questions…. The phone didn’t seem the right way to do this.”
“You changed the will back to how it was? Is Thais going back to Connecticut to be with that neighbor?”
“No. I changed his will so I would have custody,” Nan said, her eyes very clear and calm, looking into mine. “I’m Thais’s legal guardian now, and she’s going to come live with us.”
It took a moment for that to sink in. Another huge change in my life. I did feel a quick rush of gladness that she wasn’t going back north, yet—
“Do I have to share my room?”
Nan smiled at me, so familiar, and despite my anger, I was relieved she was back. “No,” she said, with an amused look. “I’ve thought about it, and I’m going to move myself to the little alcove room under the stairs. Thais will have my
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