Robin said.
“Yes, it’s me,” Phoebe spat, standing. She flung the black cloak to the floor, and one of her knees buckled. She grabbed the wall before she could fall again. I wondered if it had given out or went numb on her, but Phoebe glared at me when I raised my eyebrows at her in question.
“What the hell is this?” Joel kicked the cloak as Read and Cody stepped up around Robin.
“We found it back there,” Robin replied. “We heard you guys thinking maybe you weren’t really you and threw it at you just in case.”
Upon closer inspection, I saw the tiny hairs along the outside and recognized it. It was Neive’s cloak. I’d used my powers with the ghosts, I thought. Damien said something about it had changed. Was Neive paying for my mistake again? I thought of the missing patch of hair behind her ear.
“Because a cloak would stop a monster,” Phoebe snapped. She rotated the ankle of her buckled leg.
Read’s calm rational voice replied. It was the first time I had heard him speak since the first Challenge. I should have been delighted to see him doing well, but I couldn’t pull my mind away from Neive’s laugh. Why laugh if there was a punishment?
“No,” Read said, “but throwing it at a monster would delay it enough to give us a head start.”
“Did you guys find anything?” Joel asked Robin specifically. I noticed he didn’t even glance at Cody or Read. His tone was even polite rather than snarly.
Robin frowned. “Other than the cloak, no. Only clue is that someone might be running around the castle naked.”
“Castle?” Phoebe began. “How big is it?”
“Nora,” Read whispered, sliding closer to me, his hooded grey eyes shrouded in concern. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head; I couldn’t help myself. The others talked about where they had been, and I whispered, “It’s nothing.”
They didn’t know about Neive. They didn’t know about my partial demon blood. None of them knew any of it. Revealing it now didn’t feel right . It wasn’t their cross to bear; it was mine. Besides, I didn’t want to see Joel’s accusing stare or hear Phoebe rant or see Robin’s sympathetic glances. I didn’t want any of them to stop trusting me. I was still me.
Read eyed me. “Are you sure?”
Hugging myself, I attempted a smile. “I should be asking you that. You were barely awake when they got you out of the door.”
“You and Phoebe were worse off, I think,” Read pointed out. “You both had us really scared.”
My eyes shifted toward Robin and Cody. Robin smiled and, oddly enough, seeing her happy lit the fire of betrayal again. Then there was Phoebe. She had burst amongst the ghosts without talking it over with anyone. She always barreled into situations without thinking. It’s what killed her , I thought.
I avoided Read’s eyes; I feared he might see my dark thoughts. I reached down and plucked the cloak from the floor. The ache in my chest grew heavier as I draped it over my arm.
“What are you going to do with that?” Robin asked.
I restrained myself from snapping at her. “You never know,” I replied coldly. “We should get moving.”
“To where?” Joel asked.
“I don’t know, Joel,” I muttered, turning my back on them all. I was alone after all. All alone in this crowd of people I should trust. I should have been brave enough to go it alone in the first place. I hated that I was such a coward. “We have to face something here. We won’t find it just standing around.”
I wasn’t sure if it was my voice or the fact that I didn’t wait, but they’d fallen in behind anyway.
Phoebe didn’t stride up next to me as I half expected. She still didn’t trust me. And why should she?
I wished Aidan were here. He’d understand. He knew about my aunt and my twin, and I knew about his grandfather. I would have given anything in that moment to have him at my side.
As we passed the strange doll, I cast a sideways glance at it. The child-like figure
“Yes, it’s me,” Phoebe spat, standing. She flung the black cloak to the floor, and one of her knees buckled. She grabbed the wall before she could fall again. I wondered if it had given out or went numb on her, but Phoebe glared at me when I raised my eyebrows at her in question.
“What the hell is this?” Joel kicked the cloak as Read and Cody stepped up around Robin.
“We found it back there,” Robin replied. “We heard you guys thinking maybe you weren’t really you and threw it at you just in case.”
Upon closer inspection, I saw the tiny hairs along the outside and recognized it. It was Neive’s cloak. I’d used my powers with the ghosts, I thought. Damien said something about it had changed. Was Neive paying for my mistake again? I thought of the missing patch of hair behind her ear.
“Because a cloak would stop a monster,” Phoebe snapped. She rotated the ankle of her buckled leg.
Read’s calm rational voice replied. It was the first time I had heard him speak since the first Challenge. I should have been delighted to see him doing well, but I couldn’t pull my mind away from Neive’s laugh. Why laugh if there was a punishment?
“No,” Read said, “but throwing it at a monster would delay it enough to give us a head start.”
“Did you guys find anything?” Joel asked Robin specifically. I noticed he didn’t even glance at Cody or Read. His tone was even polite rather than snarly.
Robin frowned. “Other than the cloak, no. Only clue is that someone might be running around the castle naked.”
“Castle?” Phoebe began. “How big is it?”
“Nora,” Read whispered, sliding closer to me, his hooded grey eyes shrouded in concern. “Are you okay?”
I shook my head; I couldn’t help myself. The others talked about where they had been, and I whispered, “It’s nothing.”
They didn’t know about Neive. They didn’t know about my partial demon blood. None of them knew any of it. Revealing it now didn’t feel right . It wasn’t their cross to bear; it was mine. Besides, I didn’t want to see Joel’s accusing stare or hear Phoebe rant or see Robin’s sympathetic glances. I didn’t want any of them to stop trusting me. I was still me.
Read eyed me. “Are you sure?”
Hugging myself, I attempted a smile. “I should be asking you that. You were barely awake when they got you out of the door.”
“You and Phoebe were worse off, I think,” Read pointed out. “You both had us really scared.”
My eyes shifted toward Robin and Cody. Robin smiled and, oddly enough, seeing her happy lit the fire of betrayal again. Then there was Phoebe. She had burst amongst the ghosts without talking it over with anyone. She always barreled into situations without thinking. It’s what killed her , I thought.
I avoided Read’s eyes; I feared he might see my dark thoughts. I reached down and plucked the cloak from the floor. The ache in my chest grew heavier as I draped it over my arm.
“What are you going to do with that?” Robin asked.
I restrained myself from snapping at her. “You never know,” I replied coldly. “We should get moving.”
“To where?” Joel asked.
“I don’t know, Joel,” I muttered, turning my back on them all. I was alone after all. All alone in this crowd of people I should trust. I should have been brave enough to go it alone in the first place. I hated that I was such a coward. “We have to face something here. We won’t find it just standing around.”
I wasn’t sure if it was my voice or the fact that I didn’t wait, but they’d fallen in behind anyway.
Phoebe didn’t stride up next to me as I half expected. She still didn’t trust me. And why should she?
I wished Aidan were here. He’d understand. He knew about my aunt and my twin, and I knew about his grandfather. I would have given anything in that moment to have him at my side.
As we passed the strange doll, I cast a sideways glance at it. The child-like figure
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