“What? No!” Ava cried.
Ez started down the hall, stomping away from Ava and me. “Leave me alone.”
“Ez, please!” Ava started after him, and I followed. “I want to help.”
“Help?” Ez stopped again. “You’re half the reason this is a problem in the first place! Do you know how hard it is to have a bipolar sibling? Everyone made everything aboutyouall the time! I had to tiptoe around you, so you wouldn’t break. Well, guess what? I was sick too! Hell, I wasn’t even allowed tobesick, because that wasyourthing. You sucked up all the attention in the room, and there wasn’t any left for anyone else. Nobody was ever worried if I was going to break!”
“Do you think we didn’t care about you?” Ava asked. “Of course we did. Always, Ez.”
“You’re lying,” he accused.
“Ez, please,” I cut in. “Let us help.”
“This has nothing to do with you,” Ez growled. “Just go away, Ava. I don’t want you around me anymore.”
He stomped away, and we were too stunned to go after him.
“I’ve never seen Ez like this,” Ava said in a hollow tone.
I reached out for her. She had her arms wrapped around her stomach, like she was trying to hold herself together. “I’m sorry, Ava. What he said must’ve really hurt.”
She sighed. “Yeah, but he’s hurting more. I just wish I could help.”
She was downplaying it. I could feel the sting of his words through our bond. Ava felt responsible for Ez’s pain now more than ever.
“You can’t help him if he’s not willing to accept it right now,” I told her. “He’ll come to you when he’s ready.”
“I hope so,” she said in a sad tone. Her shoulders slumped when I wrapped an arm around her. We started walking, though we weren’t headed anywhere in particular.
“Do you want to talk to your dad?” I asked.
“It’ll just turn into another fight,” Ava said with a sigh. “Daddy needs to focus on Ez right now. I’ve done enough.”
I stroked her arm. “I’m here for you and your family, pidge. Whatever you need, just say so.”
“I think we all just need some time,” she admitted.
Chatter spilled into the hall, and the sounds of the air hockey table came from up ahead. I could hear Reid and Felicity arguing over their foosball game. A few other Elves laughed and joked with them.
“Let’s go sit down,” I suggested.
Ava led me into the Villain’s Den. The room was so packed that we had to push past people to get inside. I heard our friends talking near the TV. It sounded like everyone we knew was there— except Ez and Opal. We didn’t know where he’d run off to.
“I’m glad you and Scarlet broke up,” I overheard Alistair say. “You were too good for her.”
“Wait, back up.Whathappened?” Marcus asked— a bit too eagerly.
“It sounds like we got here just in time,” Ava said in a brighter tone. She needed some gossip to take her mind off her family. Ava found us an empty spot on one of the couches. She guided me to it, then sat on my lap. Oberi padded over to us. I sensed his mood through our bond, and he seemed happier than earlier.
Kallie groaned. “It’s notthatbig of a deal, guys. I just walked in on Scarlet and Zayne, okay?”
“Walked in on them… doing what?” Eddie asked innocently.
“You know,” Ivy said coyly. “It.”
“Ooh,” Eddie replied in realization, dragging the word out. “I’m sorry, Kallie.”
“Don’t be,” she insisted. I detected both bitterness and relief in her tone. “Scarlet and I were bound to break up eventually. She was so jealous of—”
