It really didn’t.
“Oh, ignore him—he has a suspicious mind, that’s all,” said Reggie with a grin, throwing a look at Silas, who only shrugged and continued to look up at the apples.
“I think Iknowyou, actually.”
We all turned to Cook—andhewas looking at Silas, too.
The Spade was surprised, his hand halfway up to the apple over his head when he stopped and turned our way again. “You do?”
“Yes. You lived in Ribitt, too, didn’t you? For a while. We went to school together, too, for a year or so.” Cook flinched. “I think.”
Silas turned his head aside as he analyzed him. “Yes, I did live in Ribitt. Where exactly didyoulive? Which house?”
I had no idea where Ribitt was, but it must have been in the Court of Spades. Normally, three people were chosen from three different areas in a court to avoid two people forming alliances of some sort, but I guessed if one moved from one place to the other, that changed things.
“The green house in Tenth Street. The one at the corner?” Cook said.
“The Tenth S…” Silas’s voice trailed off when realization hit him—he knew exactly the house Cook was talking about. His eyes were wide and…changedwhen he looked at the boy now. Almost like he was suddenly…sorry.
Which made me madly curious.
“I remember the green house,” Silas finally finished.
“Yeah.” Cook cleared his throat. “You used to live with your mother and grandmother down on Eighth. Yes—it’sdefinitelyyou. I thought you looked familiar.”
Pressed lips curled at the corners slightly, but Silas wasdefinitely not smiling. “It’s definitelyyou,too,” he said, then turned to his apple.
Silence for a beat.
I couldn’t exactly put my finger on it, but something happened there. Something was said—not with words—and I completely missed it.
So did everyone else.
“Hey.”
March was suddenly in front of me, sitting down very close to my legs. He must have dragged himself closer while I wasn’t looking.
Heat on my cheeks. “Hey.”
“I want to show you something.”
His eyes were wide, and though it was dark out here in the garden, barely a few lanterns on these low posts here and there, I saw the colors in them clearly. All the reds and browns, and the shades in between.Beautifuldidn’t even begin to describe it. For the first time in my life, I had a gnawing need to add color to my drawings, just to try to replicate what Time had created in him.
“Something like what?” I said, as a smile slowly crept over my lips—so naturally.
Just that nothing seemed to matter at the moment, even the things I felt very strongly about minutes ago.
“Something like a place I was just in. I think you’ll like it. It’s?—”
“You wouldn’tdare!” Reggie suddenly shouted—and he was pointing his finger at March, too.
March seemed to know exactly what he was talking about because he was grinning ear to ear when he stood up. Offered me his hand.
I put mine in his without really thinking.
Electric.That’s what it felt like to touch him before he pulled me to my feet.
“Iwould,” said March.
