Lapidary

I didn’t have time to wonder how this was possible, who had the White Crystal, or why they were opening these full rifts, because a serpent had appeared. First, I saw two small eyes and flaring nostrils. She had two big ears and spikes running from her forehead down the ridge of her back. Her head was long and oval shaped, with a huge mouth, filled with rows and rows of sharp teeth. She sailed through the rift and into the ocean, creating a wave. The wave pushed me away, and I slid off my surfboard. Once I had swum to the surface, I could see just how big the serpent was – like a house. The rift has closed, she was swimming in Deftones Deep Ocean, and she was hungry.

She approached me, mouth agape, with incredible speed, and I cried out. We were in her territory, and there was no way I could swim away from her. She was inches from me when Devton grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into the air. He had abandoned his surfboard and spread his wings. As we emerged from the ocean, my surfboard, still tied to my leg, followed. The serpent opened her mouth and bit. Her teeth closed around the surfboard before she sank back into the water, pulling me with. I was ripped from Devton’s arms and quickly hit the water. Moments later, Devton dived down and untied the cord. I swam for the surface where Devton pulled me out. We took to the skies, and the serpent followed. Her mouth snapped shut inches from our feet before she disappeared into the waves.

I clung to Devton as we soared higher and higher. I felt sick. My fear of the serpent has been replaced by my phobia of heights. Ryker had fallen and splattered, like a raindrop. I gripped Devton’s arm tightly.

“Put me down.”

“I need to get to Ocelos first,” he responded calmly.

“Put me down! Put me down! Put me down!”

I wriggled in his arms, and he gripped me tightly enough to bruise. He increased his speed. “Calm down, Nat! I can’t drop you in the ocean – the serpent will eat you!”

I closed my eyes but, instead of black, I saw Ryker falling. We landed, Devton put my feet down onto solid ground, and I stumbled away from him. I leaned against the nearest building for support and slowly opened my eyes.

“How the fuck did a portal open?” I asked.

Devton looked away from me and toward the water, which appeared still and calm. The serpent had disappeared beneath the waves.

“I don’t know, but I have to warn Rhinsel and Neron of this serpent.”

“Do you think it will harm us?” I wondered.

“I don’t know if it will come onto the land,” he said, “but it will certainly eat the merfolk.”

I shuddered and slowly pulled on my pink dress. I had hoped the whole underwear thing would be sexy, but now I was too shaken to even think about it. Dev was, too, because he barely paid me any attention as I got dressed. I didn’t bother with the heels or gloves.

“Can I take you home first?” Devton’s attention slowly returned to me.

I shook my head. “No. Go warn everyone.”

He observed me a moment longer, as if debating whether he should leave me, then he took to the skies. The sun has risen, and the city was quiet, but I didn’t feel like traveling all the way back to Sword Fish Chain. I went to my family’s house instead. Once I was there, I felt like an idiot for going there. They owed me nothing, and I couldn’t just go to them when I was feeling down – especially when I was the one who had abandoned them. I hadn’t been there for them during their good or bad times, and I didn’t deserve their comfort. I turned around then jumped because my sister was standing there. She was frowning.

“Hi,” I managed to say.

She looked at me, and I could only image what she must think. I was dripping wet, barefoot, and my face must have betrayed my horror.

“What happened to you?” she asked.

“A rift opened and let a sea serpent in,” I told her.

She raised her eyebrows and grabbed my hands. “Oh, gods, are you okay?”

I nodded, and she squeezed my hand. Ava ran her fingers over my ring, and she looked at it, but it was not the ring that left her gaping. I tried to pull free my hands, but her grip was firm, and she yanked me back. She stared at the two brutal scars running down my wrists. Slowly, she traced the scar with a finger. When she met my eyes, there were tears in hers.

“What the fuck, Nat?” Such angry words, yet her voice sounded small and broken. She was shaking, and this time I gripped her arms. Okay, so Ace had never told my family I tried to…to…

I wanted to say something, but I couldn’t find the words. I opened my mouth and closed it again before dropping my hands to my sides.

“This is why you told me I can talk to you if I’m depressed or having suicidal thoughts,” Ava said.

I nodded. She threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly. I hugged her and choked back the tears that threatened to roll down my cheeks.

“Please don’t tell Mom and Dad,” I said.

I’d been disappointed enough in myself. It would kill me if they were even more disappointed in me, than they already were. The final talk we’d had, before I had decided to leave, haunted me, and I hugged my sister tighter.

“I won’t tell,” she said.

We slowly released each other but her hands remained on my shoulders. She offered me a smile. “Come inside. I’ll make us some warm tea.”

I followed her and waited in her bedroom while she made the tea. I heard my parents leave the house, oblivious that I was in my sister’s room. I was not ready to face them after everything that had happened. I touched my scars while I waited for Ava.

I had wanted the pain to stop, and it had, slowly. But I would never fully recover – not until I found out what had really happened to Ryker. I had talked to so many people who knew him, but I hadn’t found any answers. The only person I had never spoken to about his passing was Bellevue. I swallowed hard as I imagined facing her.

Ava entered the room, carrying two cups of steaming tea. I took mine from her before she sat down, next to me.

“How’s Quinn?” I asked.

“She eventually came down from the high,” Ava said. “Then she began crying and confessed that she had feelings for me but was scared to tell me. She didn’t want people to know, because I am human, and they would look down on our relationship.”

I swallowed. “And what did you say?”

She shrugged. “I’m into her as well. I decided to forgive her.”

I raised my eyebrows. “Forgive her? After everything she’s done?”

Ava nodded. “Isn’t that what we do? Forgive the ones we love?”

All those things Ryker had kept from me – smuggling diamonds and taking drugs – and I realized I had forgiven him. Ace hadn’t told me about the letter Lakelyn had written to Ryker, and I had forgiven him, too.

“You love her…” It was more a statement than a question.

Ava nodded. “And she loves me, too.”

“What about your studies?” I wondered.

“Quinn promised to go speak to the head of the school and clear things up,” she said. “She said we can fix things.”

“That’s good, although I am not sure if I believe Quinn.”

Ava put her cup down on the bedside table before going to her cupboard and taking out dry clothes.

She handed them to me. “Here.”

I undressed in front of her, and it wasn’t weird because, when we were younger, we had bathed together. Her eyes lingered on the archangel’s feather between my breasts. “Who gave that to you?”

“Artemis Highstar,” I said.

“Wow! How did you get the emperor of angels to give you a feather?”

“I promised that I would help him with something.” I pulled her T-shirt over my head. I had promised to help find the White Crystal, and I hadn’t even almost succeeded.

“With what?”

“It doesn’t matter.” I didn’t want to tell my sister about the White Crystal because I didn’t want her getting involved. I didn’t want her hanging around dangerous people, although she probably already did, and I didn’t want her to ever get hurt. “How’s Mom?”

“She’s painting a lot,” Ava said. “I’m not supposed to tell you, but she has been working on something special for you.”

I thought of my mom, covered in different colors of paint. What could she be painting for me? “That’s kind of her.”

Ava nodded then yawned. She lay down in bed, after placing her cup on the counter. I lay down next to her and decided to close my eyes for a short while. But then we fall asleep, next to each other, like we used to when we were little girls. I woke before Ava did and quietly got out of bed. I stretched before making my way downstairs and left the house. It was early afternoon, and with that came the realization that since My Night Habit had burnt down, I was out of work. As I found a crab to take me to the opposite side of Ocelos, I decided to ask Dev if I could work at another one of his bars. I needed the money to survive because I was too stubborn to use the gold coins.

Once I dismounted the crab, I took a taxi to Swordfish Chain and walked to my house. I expected to find it quiet and empty, but when I arrived, I saw two big, feathery white wings. I froze in my steps and looked into Artemis’s furious eyes.