Chapter 235: Reconnection
My trip to Liam's to track him down turned out to be a total bust. Yeah, story of my life. The house was dark, not a soul answered the door and I started to worry maybe he and his mother had picked up and moved again. I ran home, tried calling him, but without any luck.
Crap. Galleytrot took off without me in search of him, or if that failed, his grandfather, and I let him go. I was tired and stressed out as it was. As soon as the black dog found Liam and/or Fergus he'd let me know.
Dad was still out when I arrived home, but Meira had locked herself in her room with Sassafras. At least she was talking to him. The computer beckoned and I went to check for messages.
It seemed like the moment I sat down Quaid was there and everything else went away.
How are you?
Awful. So happy you're around. I dumped everything on him in the next few minutes of furious typing. And now I can't find Liam and I need to find him so we can get to the damned Gate.
You should be able to find it yourself, shouldn't you?
Did he not read what I just wrote? I need a Gatekeeper.
He must know what's going on, then. Sounds like a douche.
Did Quaid just call Liam a douche?
He's not, I wrote. I don't think his grandfather told him. His father died when he was little.
Quaid was quiet for a long time. I'm just saying. He knows now there's something big going on. And where is he?
I sighed. I wish I knew.
So you could run right to him? Oh. My. Swearword. Was Quaid jealous? What was wrong with the people in my life? First Alison, now him. Seriously. They all needed a good dose of grow the hell up.
What's that supposed to mean? A twinge of guilt did hit me since I'd been flirting after all.
Nothing. I have to go. And he was gone, just like that, leaving me fuming and in a worse state than I had been before we spoke.
Thanks a lot. Jerk.
I reached out to Galleytrot.
Anything?
Not yet. His mental voice yawned. I'll let you know.
It was Friday. Which meant they could be gone for the weekend. I groaned. That would literally be a disaster. Not that me showing up in the middle of the night if they did get home would be much better. Yeah great, Syd, walk up to the front door and tell Liam's mom there's a Gate he has to protect or the whole world will be overrun with fairy magic.
I threw myself on my bed and let my brain run on and on and on while my stomach just grew tighter and tighter and tighter...
***
The knock. The knock! My body is in pieces, fragments, the world dissipating under me as an army of blackness marches forth-
***
Someone was screaming and it wasn't me for once, though as I emerged from the Gate dream I was sure at first I had to be wrong. Within a moment I understood the truth and found myself racing from my room in a panic and through Meira's door. Hearing my sister scream in the middle of the night triggered memories of her kidnapping by the evil vampire Nicholas. And the way my luck was running, the way my whole life was running, there was no way I was letting anyone or anything come near my baby sister.
I slammed my hand against the light switch, the bulbs overhead flickering on as I flew through the door and to her bed. Sassafras sat next to her, paws on her shoulders where she sat, sobbing, while he gently licked her face. She gathered him into her arms and swayed with him held tightly against her, just like she always used to.
Could my sister be back?
I sat gently on the side of the bed, reaching out to touch her hand. She looked up from the sodden wreck she'd made of Sassy's fur and lunged forward, releasing him and clutching at me as if she'd never let me go.
I rocked her softly, stroking her hair, tears rising in my eyes. Not because she had a nightmare, obviously the case, but because I missed her so much and could only hope this was the end of the train wreck we'd created between us.
"S-s-sorry," she snuffled, pulling away. "I had a bad dream."
"Happens," I said with a soft shudder. "I've been getting those a lot myself lately."
"Really?" She wiped at her nose with the corner of her sheet, eyes wide.
"Yup." I held still, not wanting to make any fast moves and choosing my words carefully so I hopefully wouldn't trigger some kind of full reversal in her attitude. "Kind of sucks."
"Kind of." She sighed deeply then hiccupped. Sassafras turned, amber eyes flashing. I saw his fur shudder as a glass of water floated toward Meira, as if the shape of a young man tried to emerge. He glared at me as he turned away. I so rarely got to see Sass use magic, it was weird to watch his demon soul try to escape the prison of his cat body.
Meira took a sip. "I miss Mom."
"Me too." I snaked out my hand, took her free one in mine.
"I'm sorry, Syd." She was crying again, little face crumpling. "I was so mean to you, I'm so sorry."
I let her cry herself out, fat tears falling into her water glass.
"Did you want to talk about it?" Seemed like a safe approach.
But I didn't have to tiptoe around it anymore it turned out. Meira nodded. "I was just trying to fit in, that's all."
"You're ten," I said softly, "with really awesome friends who adore you."
She shrugged, sloshing a little water over the rim of the glass. Sassafras cleaned it up instantly, swishing it back inside. "It's just... at camp. The girls. They were all just so mean." Her deep sigh came from the bottom of her, like it was a relief to say it. "They teased me, about my skin. My horns." Her amber eyes met mine, brimming with fresh tears. "They said I was ugly, an abomo... abomo..."
Bitches. "You are not an abomination," I said firmly and with anger. "You are not a monster, a freak or a weirdo. You are Meira Hayle, daughter of Miriam Hayle and Haralthazar, Demon Lord. And you are very, very special to me."
She hugged me again, soaking the front of my T-shirt as the glass tipped forward, but I ignored it and the trickle of wetness that continued down my stomach. A little water wouldn't hurt me.
"I had to wear my disguise," she said, voice muffled in the fabric of my shirt. "It was really hard, but when I did they were nicer." Meira sat back again. "I thought if I could just fit in they would like me."
Thus the makeup and hair and all that stupidity. "You could have called us," I said. "I would have come and picked you up." Would I. Stupid witch's camp. I hated that place with a passion.
"I know," she said. "But I'm a Hayle witch." Right. Hayles and our ridiculous pride.
"So when you came home," I said. "How come you didn't just forget those stupid heads?"
She shrugged. "They said really mean things about us, Syd." Meira bounced the half empty glass on her knee, eyes locked on the swishing water. "I guess I started to hate us."
Tumblers rolled over a clicked inside my head. "Who were these girls?"
"A bunch of them," she said, "but the leader was the worst. Daniella Dumont."
Naturally. Why didn't I see it?
"She started in on me the first day," Meira said, her anger at the offense driving her tears away. "Like she was queen of the world or something." She snuffled, back straightening. "Like she knew anything. You're right, Syd. She's just a stupidhead."
An evil little stupidhead from a family of the most vile, most despicable witches who ever lived. And the moment I had the chance to pay them back for hurting my sister, I would do so with a smile and a ball of demon fire.
They did not mess with my Meems.
"Okay," I said, fighting my temper. I had to fix this for her, somehow. "Here's the thing. That girl, Daniella? She did it on purpose. Her family hates ours. So you're none of the things she said and so much better than her."
Meira nodded, eyes locked on me.
"Next up, you need to dump those girls you're hanging with. Seriously."
Her shoulders sagged. "I can't."
"Why?" No way was my sister staying one of the mean girls.
"My other friends won't talk to me anymore." She looked so forlorn, so tiny, lost and hurt and embarrassed, I wanted to rend something.
Rending would be good.
"I bet," I said while my brain invented new and fabulous ways to tear the Dumonts into itty bitty pieces, "if you apologized to them like you are to me, they will forgive you."
"You really think so?" She sounded a bit more chipper.
"I do." I took the glass from her and set it on the end table while Sassafras just sat there and watched me, amber eyes glowing. "They miss you, did you know that?"
She shook her head, hair swinging. Her curls fought for freedom from the straight look she'd been sporting.
I tucked the blankets around her as she sank back into her pillow. Sassafras curled up next to her, head on her shoulder, soft purr rumbling through her to me. "I spoke to Jolie's mom. She said she's really lonely and wishes you were still her friend."
One last shining tear. "I'll tell her I'm sorry tomorrow."
"Okay." I kissed her forehead, pressing my cheek against it after I was done.
"Syd?" Her whisper tickled my ear.
"Yup."
"I really hate makeup."
So sweet of her to make me laugh.
***
