“I was being sarcastic. And the truth is, it’s getting less simple. For me, it used to be easy. I wasn’t anybody.”
I shrugged. That’s what happens when you’re an orphan wandering the streets of Rome. But recently, I began to learn about my family.
“I told you I saw the name Donnelly on Eliza’s family tree.”
“Have you asked her about that yet?”
“No.”
I saw the surprise in his eyes. I’d seen that paper months ago. “I don’t think I really want to know,” I said, answering the unspoken question. “Ever since I first heard of Father Donnelly from Eddie, I’ve thought of him as wrong. An off priest who somehow went rogue. Maybe trying to do right, but doing it in the absolute wrong way. But now I don’t know.”
“What do you mean?”
“I don’t know. I guess I’ve seen so much. Maybe he is rogue. And maybe that’s bad. But maybe it’s not. I hate what they did to you as a kid. But we have Allie because we survived the Cardinal Fire. And we wouldn’t have survived if you weren’t who Father Donnelly and your parents made you.”
He shook his head slowly. “We can’t go down the what-if road. You play that game and nobody ever has to take responsibility for anything.”
“I guess.” I closed my eyes and I rested my head against his chest, relief flooding me as his arms pulled me close. Right then, I didn’t want to think anymore. I just wanted someone to comfort me.
And as my husband lay unconscious a few feet away, I let my formerly dead husband hold me in his arms and make me feel safe.
6
About the time that Rita and Nancy returned, Marcus texted that he was fifteen minutes out in the van with the kids.
Eric signaled that he was going downstairs, but I lingered to tell Stuart what was going on. It was probably silly—I doubt he could understand what I was saying—but I went into his room and gave him a quick update anyway.
Then I kissed him lightly on the forehead, told him I loved him, and headed out of the room with a smile to Nancy, who promised to text me immediately if there was any change whatsoever in my husband’s condition.
The PA system wasn’t set up yet, so there wasn’t a way to tell Allie that Marcus was on the way. He sent a group text, though, so I hoped that she and the others were on their way to the entrance hall. I hurried down the hall from Stuart’s room toward the stairs, but when I peered over the railing, I saw only Mindy and Eliza.
“Where’s Allie?” I called down. They both looked up at me, then giggled.
I got the picture.
Allie was off with Jared, and I doubted either had checked their phones.
I signaled to Laura that I was off to look for Allie, then headed to the primary training facility on the second floor. But it was completely silent. Considering their shared love for kicking and fighting and throwing knives, I didn’t give up. Instead, I crossed to the back door, intending to step through it and onto the balcony to see if they were training outside.
Instead, I heard them through the partially open door.
I was hidden in the space between the window and the door, and I let their conversation wash over me, soaking in their words. I knew I should leave, but I stayed anyway.
So sue me. I’m a mom.
“You can’t hold back during training,” Jared said. “That’s not fair to you or to us. If we’re going to be a team, you have to work at full strength.”
“Full strength means everyone is going to know about me.”
I winced. I thought that she had come to terms with the fact that she had additional strength and speed. But that was when it was just us. Family and close friends. Now, new students were getting mixed into the game, and Allie was, despite everything, a typical teenage girl. She wanted to fit in.
“That’s who you are,” Jared said, and I wanted to high-five him.
“Yeah, but I don’t have to shove it in their faces.”
“If you don’t train with everything you’ve got, then you won’t have everything you’ve got once you’re in the field. And I can’t risk that. I really don’t want to be staked. And beheading doesn’t sound too good either. For that matter, I don’t want to be captured and put into a crystal room.”
I could hear the pain in his voice, and I could imagine Allie’s reaction.
