Sebastian and Felipe took to monitoring the news online, giving us updates as we attempted to come up with a plan. By that evening, things had gotten worse.
“It’s bad, guys,” Sebastian said, looking up from his laptop. “I’m on some anti-shifter forums, and there are lists being exchanged of any woman named Maddison Sutton. Addresses, emails, phone numbers, and places of work. They aren’t even worrying about whether they live in Florida or not. Hell, most of these women are human. It’s open season on anyone with your name. I’ve got a Maddison Sutton in Montana, for Christ’s sake. There are hundreds, maybe thousands, of women in danger. This is bullshit.”
“Show me,” I said.
Sebastian turned his laptop to face me, and I saw three different windows open on different websites. Streams and streams of comments, posts, and pictures scrolled by. It was a disaster. Innocent people all over the country would have to run for their lives. It was playing out exactly how Viola wanted it.
My apprehension flared, and I was unable to pull my eyes away from the screen. I refreshed and scrolled and bounced between windows. My knee bounced with anxious energy. How could I fix this? I hadn’t understood how fast this was going to happen.
Nico slammed the laptop shut. “Enough. You’re gonna freak yourself out if you haven’t already.”
I straightened and rolled my shoulder. “I only want to see what’s happening.”
“No, you’re doomscrolling. It’s only making you more worried and upset.”
“But these women?— ”
“Are in danger,” Nico finished. “As of right now, there’s nothing we can do. All we can do is hope the authorities will do what they can for them. How can we help a woman in Maine or Colorado with your name? We can’t.”
I chewed my lip. I hated it, but he was right. “This is my fault.”
He narrowed his eyes. “No. Don’t even let that thought slip into your head. It’s Viola’s fault. Never forget that.”
“I keep thinking that if I go to Viola, it’ll all be over. I’m stronger than I was. Maybe if I give her what she wants, I can take her down,” I said, trying to convince not only Nico but myself.
“Enough,” Nico murmured. “We aren’t going there, and you know it.”
Before the argument could go any further, my phone rang. I was surprised to see Abi’s name on the ID.
“Abi?” I said when I answered.
“Oh my God, Maddy, I saw the news. Are you okay?”
“I’m… fine, I guess.”
“You’d better not be doing that thing you do. You aren’t gonna go be some martyr, are you?”
Was I that easy to read? “Are you reading my mind right now?”
“No, but I know you’re selfless. The first thing I thought when the report came on was: Maddy is going to want to sacrifice herself. Let me guess. You’re obsessing about all the women those people might attack because they think she’s you?”
“I know, I know. Nico’s already talked to me about it.”
“Good. Are you listening to him?”
“Abi, I promise, okay? I’m not going to give myself up for the greater good or whatever.”
The words made me sound selfish. They were right, but I couldn’t help but think I was doing something wrong by not following my instincts. When I mentioned this to Abi, she laughed.
“Yeah, that sounds like you. Except I’d rather you be selfish than dead.”
Wanting to get my mind off everything, I changed the subject. “How’s life in paradise?”
Abi gave a dramatic sigh. “Oh, it’s so rough. Sun, sand, endless cocktails, and food. It really is a burden to live life like a billionaire. But seriously, I think it’s doing me good. I’ve been doing a lot of thinking. Plus, this Donatello guy isn’t so bad to look at, either. I saw him swimming the other day in a speedo and… damn.”
I laughed. Long and hard. Even as I tried to catch my breath, I realized it was the first time I’d done it in quite some time. Abi and I talked for another twenty minutes before we ended the call. I felt immensely better. For one, it allowed me to talkthrough some things and get my head right. For another, it was the first time in weeks that it felt like I was actually talking to my friend. I thought Abi really was getting back to herself. That alone lifted my spirits more than anything.
Nico was still sitting with his friends, discussing plans, when I got his attention.
