“What are you talking about?” James asks. “In case you forgot, Michael—Itook that pill too.”
Realm’s expression darkens. “And how are you feeling?” Realm asks him. Sloane darts her gaze to James again, and her lips part when he doesn’t immediately say he’s fine.
“Headache,” James says quietly. “In my ears, too. I...” He glances at Sloane apologetically, and her chest begins to rise and fall quickly. “I had a nosebleed earlier,” he says quietly to Realm.
“You didn’t think to mention this?” Sloane asks him, her voice tight.
“I didn’t want you to worry.”
“Oh, because I’m certainly not worried now,” she says. James tilts his head like she’s overreacting, but he reaches out his hand to her anyway. Reluctantly, she squeezes it before letting it drop to his side.
Sloane turns on Realm, looking him up and down. He flashes his teeth in a smile.
“You don’t get to die either,” she tells him, pointing in his face. “And if Marie can fix whatever’s going on, then we have to talk to her.”
“Marie,” I interrupt, immediately self-conscious when they all turn to me. “She isn’t entirely trustworthy. We should be careful what we tell her.”
Sloane presses her lips into a smile. “That’s the general rule around here,” she says. “We don’t trust anyone but each other.” She gives Realm a quick side-glance, and I’m not sure if he’s part of her circle of trust at the moment.
Realm rests his head back on the siding of the house, and Sloane watches him, concerned.
“We took a pill to get our memories back,” Realm tells me, blinking heavily. “We survived it, which, let me tell you, was no small feat. I began to worry when I saw the other returners crashing back, but I thought James and I were safe. We remember everything—what’s there to crash back? Apparently, our nervous system.”
“Then what are we waiting for?” Sloane demands. “Let’s see what Marie has figured out.”
“Marie’s not known for her ethical experimentation,” Realm says, looking sideways at her. “If she sees me like this, I could end up with my skull cracked open on the table somewhere.”
“Yeah, well,” Sloane says, brushing her hair over her shoulder. “If anything happens to James, you’ll be missing more than your brain.” She turns to James, whose blue eyes have grown uneasy.
“Stay with him,” she says, motioning to Realm. “I’ll grab the keys.”
James nods that he will, but he doesn’t even look at Michael Realm. He watches Sloane go into the house, waiting for her to come back. Concerned only with her.
Realm turns to me, and I meet his eyes. He lifts one side of his mouth in a sad smile. “You might be the cure for all of us,” he says quietly. “But whatever happens, once this is over, leave. You and Wes... just leave. Never let anyone mess with your memory again. No more—” He starts to cough, and this time he gags on the blood in his mouth. He stumbles over to the railing, his entire body racking.
James curses and crosses to him, helping Realm to the edge of the porch, where he spits blood into the bushes. James holds him up, his arm wrapped tightly around his shoulders. Their heads close together.
“You should have called,” James says to Realm privately. “Let me know how bad you’d gotten.”
“Would it have mattered?” Realm asks, looking sideways at him.
“Yes,” James replies simply. “You matter, Realm.”
Sloane rushes out of the house, closing and locking the door behind her. “How far is it?” she asks Realm, taking stock of his condition but not letting it deter her mission.
“Twenty minutes,” Realm says, spitting again before letting James straighten him.
“Have you got that long?” she asks.
Realm laughs. “I hope so.”
James helps Realm off the porch, and Wes walks beside them even though he can’t do much to assist. Sloane suggests we use her SUV, and we start that way. I’ll leave my grandfather’s car here for now.
“Thank you for bringing him,” Sloane says. “I know he can be difficult.”
“He is... something,” I say. “But I guess if there’s anyone who’s in the know, it’s usually him.”
“Yeah,” Sloane replies. “Whether he shares that information is a different story.”
