“It’s Iri fucking Dium, Sin!” she whines. “Seriously, I couldn’t say no. Do you know howcoolit was to be talking to Iri Dium when I was that weird kid who grew up half human and half demon? He was my fucking idol when he showed up on the scene.”
“No, Elara, I don’t,” I reply tersely. In fact, I didn’t know until this exact moment that she was part demon. And somehow she’s still my closest... and only, friend.
“I killed you off, so you can go free and fulfill your dreams of being a rockstar, or a rockstar groupie, whichever works,” she says.
“Neither of those are my dreams, Elara.”
She mumbles something that sounds a lot like, “Well, fulfill my dreams for me instead, then.” I just roll my eyes again, even though she can’t see me.
“Anyway, you’re not, legally dead, because that’s way too messy. Tons of paperwork. But you don’t need to beofficiallydead, just for the right people to think you are, right? So there you go. No more Saint. RIP, baby.”
As weird as it might be, she’s right. It’s kind of like a weight’s lifted off my shoulders. No more Saint. To the Herald, I’m dead and gone. However, the timing strikes me as being a little too convenient.
“Remember, you can’t catch diseases or get pregnant when you’re two different species. You can play fast and loose, baby.”
I let out a sigh. “Thanks Elara.”
As annoyed as I might be with her, I’m pretty sure her heart was in the right place and she seriously thought she was doing me a favor.
“You’re so welcome, Sin. I know exactly how you can repay me. Free tickets and maybe a backstage pass.”
“Don’t push it Elara.”
MY MIND HAD BEEN MOSTof the way made up before Cal and Dorian’s surprise visit to the shop. Then, with the news of my untimely death, another shackle loosened. That, plus the way Julia was asking around yesterday and the attention the band is no doubt getting while they’re here in Willow Ridge, which will likely have brought way more focus to me than I’d ever want.
I can’t stay here. That much is clear.
I don’t want to, either.
I’ve wasted enough of my life in this town, in this crappy little shop with the endless ticking wall of clocks.
By the time Cal reappears, I’m mentally going through my stuff, working out how long it’s going to take me to pack it all up. Imomentarily get distracted rewatching the Herald’s latest video, and then Cal’s suddenly in front of me.
He’s a big guy, but he has the kindest eyes I’ve ever seen.
“I’ll do it. I’ll come on tour with you,” I tell him.
“Yeah?” He peers down at me before his face breaks into a small smile. “Iri’s gonna be pleased as hell. He’s driven us all crazy with his obsession over finding you.” He pauses. “Do you need help, uh, packing or anything?”
I eye his thick arms and momentarily lose myself in my imagination as I picture exactly how many bags he can easily carry.
Cal clears his throat. “Or a lease to get out of, a resignation letter to write?”
Dammit, he’s right. I do have a ton of shit to do.
“An hour, that’s all I need. I don’t have a ton of stuff to pack and it should be pretty quick to quit my job and let my landlord know I’m not renewing my apartment lease for next month.”
He nods, then insists on joining me back at my shitty little apartment and helping me pack. There’s zero judgment in his eyes over the state of the furniture and the carpet. Or the fact I pack my life away into a suitcase, my trusty duffel bag, and a bunch of boxes that are filled with my tools.
Exactly an hour later, he’s loaded up like a packhorse while I’m carrying a single box as we head over to the café to meet the others. It still feels kind of surreal that I’m actually doing this, taking a step forward into the unknown.
As soon as we step inside Daily Grind, I’m hit with a wall of silence as everyone’s attention fixes on the two of us.
If people’s attention hadn’t been drawn my way already, turning up with all my stuff and with a rockstar in tow has definitely put paid to that. I spot Ally and Lila in one corner of the café, both clutching huge mugs like lifelines while staring openly from me to the table of rock stars in the corner.
I give them an awkward wave and all I get is a slow mouth drop and a blink in return. I don’t think we’re gonna be besties anytime soon. The way they ditched me with no way of getting home was a pretty shitty move on their part. If I were a pettier bitch, I’d go over to them and say hello.
Instead, I just go straight to the rockstar table in the corner.
