She shrugged, still bubbling over with the happy surprise. ‘I can’t say for sure, I haven’t looked at it in years. I’ll check when I get home.’
I clutched the locket in my hand, careful not to close it completely again, just in case it got stuck. My mom had a locket with photos of herself and Alex Powell inside. Interesting.
‘That’s one mystery solved,’ Lydia said, sliding her sunglasses down as she lay back on her lounger. ‘For my next trick, I predict you will figure out your dad’s password, get a text from a non-comatose Wyn Evans and have the most incredible seventeenth birthday ever because I’m throwing you a party whether you like it or not.’
‘I figured as much,’ I said, happily defeated. No one other than my dad had ever thrown me a birthday party before. More importantly, no one had ever wanted to. ‘But just a small party.’
‘The smallest,’ she agreed, pinching her thumb and forefinger together until they were almost touching. ‘So tiny, you’ll barely notice it.’
I looked over at my friend, a walking, talking ray of light.
‘OK,’ I said as she whooped with joy. ‘And I hope you’re right about the rest of it.’
‘Bestie, I’m never wrong,’ Lydia replied, already madly tapping away at her phone. ‘Trust me.’
I lay back down on my sunbed, sliding the locket open and closed, open and closed. What other choice did I have?
Chapter Twenty-Six
‘This place is a shit heap.’
As usual, Ashley let herself into my room without knocking, giving me just enough time to close my dad’s laptop and cover it with a blanket. I really did not want to discuss anything of his with her. After Lydia left, I’d gone straight upstairs and doubled down on my efforts to figure out the password. Days had passed since I’d even looked at the laptop, too caught up in everything else, and I hoped fresh eyes might help.
‘Can I help you with something?’ I asked as Ashley surveyed the room. Shit heap was harsh but even I had to admit, it was kind of a mess.
‘You might want to clean this place up before my mother sees it.’ She picked up a long-sleeved shirt from a pile of clean laundry on the floor and folded it over her arm. ‘Catherine will flip.’
‘I’ll add it to my to-do list,’ I assured her in a voice that promised I’d do anything but. ‘What’s wrong, what do you want?’
‘An aunt can’t visit her only niece without having an agenda?’
I stared at her from the window seat.
‘Yeah, even I’m not buying that,’ she admitted, tossing the folded shirt back onto the pile of clothes. ‘You’ve been too quiet. I came to make sure you didn’t sneak out again because the last time that happened, I was in a world of trouble I don’t care to revisit. But here you are.’
‘So you can leave,’ I pointed out, gesturing to the door.
‘Could,’ she confirmed without moving. ‘Not gonna.’
‘Fine.’ I slid my laptop all the way under the blanket and gave her my full attention. ‘What would you like to talk about?’
‘You excited about your birthday?’ she replied, her eyes flashing dangerously. ‘The big Becoming?’
‘How much do you know about that?’ I asked. ‘Catherine really hasn’t told me any of the details.’
She picked up an empty soda can and dropped it in the trash bin under my desk.
‘No idea.’
‘None at all?’ I pushed. ‘You don’t know anything about what happens at a Becoming ceremony?’
‘If I say I don’t know, I don’t know,’ Ashley snapped. ‘Clearly I was not here when Catherine had hers and I didn’t even get a sweet sixteen, let alone a big ol’ ritual ceremony. Once again, I am forced to remind you, you can thank your asshole daddy for all of this.’
I picked up the blanket-wrapped laptop and held it close, the warmth of it radiating through the densely knitted fabric like a hug. Knowing why she was so mad at him didn’t make it any easier to listen to her vitriol.
‘Don’t you have any good memories of him?’ I asked as she flicked through my bag of hair clips and ties.
‘Not really. I’ve told you, he was too busy with his buddies to worry much about me.’
