With All My Soul
Page 82

Em took another bite from her apple and slid her cell into her pocket. As I followed her into the hall, the front door opened.
Kaylee? Emma? Nash called. We stepped into the living room as he slid his keyId given him an extrainto his pocket and Sabine pushed the front door closed. Oh, good, you got her. Is she...okay?
I deferred to Em, who shrugged. Okay is a relative term at this point.
Tell me about it. I dropped onto the couch again next to Styx. My head felt like it weighed fifty pounds, and my heart was even heavier. They mistook her for Lydia and put her in Lakeside.
Oh, shit. Sabine sat on the arm of my dads chair. That complicates things. She just escaped again, I assume?
I nodded.
And now they know they can track her through the school, Nash added.
Im not going back. Ems hand clenched around her apple. Im not crazy. Swear youll get me out over and over, if thats what it takes.
I swear. But it wont come to that. My dad can fix this. Surely he could, with the whole eye-color defense, plus the forged paperwork. Sometimes completely unrelated people look a lot alike, and its not like they have your fingerprints on file. Though they may have blood samples.
I decided not to worry her with the extremely unlikely possibility that the court could order a DNA analysis if Lydias parents pressed the issue. Which they wouldnt, because my dad would talk them out of it. He was good at talking people out of things.
So, what the hell happened? Nash helped himself to a bottle of water from the fridge.
I think she was possessed.
No shit. Sabine leaned into Nash when he sat in the chair shed claimed the arm of. We could have told you that from what she was shouting.
What was I saying? Em looked like she wasnt sure she really wanted to know.
Mostly you kept yelling that you wanted to talk to Kaylee, and that you werent Emily. Nash fidgeted with the cap of his bottle but didnt open it. Then, when they let me try to calm you down, you grabbed my hand and said ticktock.
Ticktock?
Yeah. He finally cracked the lid. The creepy thing is that you said that part in Avaris voice.
That would have been good to know from the beginning, I said, scowling at Sabine.
The mara shrugged. You left before I could tell you. If you want the whole story, stick around until the end.
I think, Hey, Kay, your best friends been possessed by a hellion would have been the ideal way to start thatconversation. I pushed Styx out of my lap and stood. I suddenly needed to move, to combat the feeling of helplessness. The certainty that there was nothing I could do to prevent...whatever else was coming. And something was definitely coming. I could feel it crawling like flies beneath my skin. So, he spoke in Emmas voice until you got close enough that no one else would hear, then he said ticktock in his own voice?
Nash nodded. I assume thats a warning intended to light a fire under us....
Warning us about what? Em said as Styx curled up next to her, following my apparent abandonment.
That time is running out, obviously. Sabine took Nashs water bottle and drank from it. But...time for what? To find Brendon and Harmony? To rescue Aiden?
No. I leaned against the half wall between the kitchen and living room, rubbing my forehead, thinking how unfair it was that dead girls could still get headaches. He doesnt expect us to do either of those. Hes warning us that times running out for me to turn myself in. Thats why EmmaAvariwas asking for me.
Wait, why can he use my voice? Em frowned. I thought he couldnt do that very much. Didnt you say he could only use Alecs because he knew him so well?
That was my theory, yes. Thinking about Alec and how hed diedhow Avari had manipulated me into killing himmade me angry all over again, on Alecs behalf and my own. But for all we know, he possessed Lydia once a week. We know he was familiar with Lakeside because Scott was there, and he regularly possessed Scott. So he probably knew who and what Lydia was. Or...maybe hes getting better at that in general? I shrugged. Who knows?
Where were you? Sabine asked, and everyone turned to look at me. Where were you during third period, when we were all looking for you?
I stared at the floor for a second, then made myself look up. I kind of...summoned Ira in the kitchen of the empty doughnut shop down the street from the school. I held my arm out so they could see the fresh bandage near my elbow, which was visible since Id taken off the cardigan.
Again? Nash said. Sounds like its getting serious. Does Tod know about this?
Sabine elbowed him, and I nearly threw my own water bottle at his head. Ha ha. It was a total waste of time, though. Except I did confirm that he was the one who tied Sabine to the ground with crimson creeper. Which we were already virtually certain of. And that he may or may not know where my uncle and your mom are.
Nashs hand clenched around his bottle. He may know where my mom is?