“What, is your dad a mobster or something?” Chessa scoffs. “Girl, please. You’re from the suburbs.”
That shouldn’t irritate me, but it does. “Well, he’s not running moonshine in the back of a Ford coupe, but something like that, yeah.”
“I said mobster, not time traveler,” she points out, rolling her eyes. But she comes into the room and sits down for the first time.
“So, some of these enemies of my father have decided to make a point about his strength and mine by attacking Beecher,” I say.
“By killing Lennie,” Carter says, speaking up for the first time, his face solemn.
“I think so, yeah,” I say, both relieved that he’s believing me and squeamish because I already know where this is going to go.
“You need to go to the police,” Chessa says, standing up and starting to pace. “You have to tell them.”
“She can’t,” Carter says. “They already suspect her—”
“So, get a good lawyer.” She stops pacing and bends down in front of my chair to be at eye level with me. “Jocasta, I’m serious, you can’t just let these people get away with—”
“It’s not just Lennie,” I say.
“What do you mean?” Chessa asks.
“Oh, hey, this is going to be fun,” Devon murmurs. He gets up and moves to stand by the water feature, leaning against the wall, as if hoping to move out of the range of fire.
“The attack on Daan. The sorority girl, Izzy, who jumped. It’s all connected,” I say, swallowing hard.
“I don’t understand,” Carter says after a moment. “What are you saying?”
Chessa shakes her head, the last of her anger evaporating under empathy. “Jo, no.” She pats my hand. “With Daan… it was carbon monoxide or something to do with the gas leak. And that girl jumped. There were witnesses. The school just hasn’t said anything because they don’t want all that talk about Beecher’s suicide rate again. It’s bad publicity, like the old rumors about the serial killer.” She shrugs. “I mean, you know. That’s what Dr. Kelleher’s always freaking out about at your job, right? Getting money from alumni?”
She looks over at Carter for support.
He clears his throat. “It’s true. One of the defining factors for a university confronting a potential scandal is always how it will play in the press and therefore affect donations. They hire and fire and expel based on that reasoning, no matter what the truth might be.” His gaze holds mine for a few seconds too long, and I know then that we’re not just talking about recent events on campus.
Oh. My heart aches suddenly. He means us. He meansme.
I want to stop right here. Just freeze this moment in time. Chessa’s not mad at me. Carter is admitting that it’s not his lack of feelings holding us back.
If I could just have more time, stay in this in-between space a little longer—
“Code Blue, Code Blue, Room 317.” The woman’s voice over the intercom is calm but clear.
Everyone tenses. But that’s not Daan’s room number. This time.
There is no staying in this moment, freezing time. Every second is precious and they are just slipping away.
“I’m sure you’re right, Chess,” I say. I’ve read studies in class that indicate that people are more receptive to listening after you’ve conceded that they have a point. “But it’s more complicated than that.”
She makes an exasperated noise. “Jo, you keep saying that, but it doesn’t have to be. If you just—”
“I’m not human. Not fully,” I say. “My other father is what’s referred to as an Old One. They’re… entities that have been around forever. They have powers. Magic.”
My words come out rushed, climbing on top of each other, and it feels like the equivalent of lighting a match on a big pile of dynamite and then running away to wait for the explosion. All the while praying you’ll gain safe distance.
Chessa’s mouth falls open, and I’m afraid to look over at Carter.
“I’m sorry?” she asks, pulling back from me. She shakes her head as if she’s misheard me. “What did you… what?”
I take a deep breath. “I did not intend to keep it a secret—I mean, everyone keeps it a secret. It’s kind of a life or death thing—”
