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“We’ll check on the cats and bring you clean clothes in the morning,” Talia offered.
“Be careful,” I told her.
I didn’t sleep well that night. I should’ve felt safe now that we’d won our trial, but I didn’t. If anything, I felt more in danger than I ever had before.
I dreamed Lucas and I were being marched to the gallows. When we reached the hilltop in my dream, half a dozen people swayed lifelessly from the trees. In the distance, a scream tore through the night. The bodies spun in the wind all at once, until each of their faces came into view.
My friends.
My heart leapt, and I startled awake. My whole body was covered in a sheen of seat, and I forgot where I was.
“Nadine.” Lucas placed a gentle hand on me. I calmed as I snuggled closer to him.
I could barely move, and I didn’t feel like getting out of bed. I was really fucking sore. Grammy’s potions helped speed up healing, but we weren’t like other supernatural races that could use magic to heal instantly.
We must’ve lain there for hours after sunrise, but I didn’t know how much time had passed as I dipped in and out of consciousness. Grammy came in to check on us a few times. She made us sit up in bed and eat soup, then forced us to drink a few more cups of healing tea. She turned on the TV, and the meteorologist spoke of a huge storm traveling across the country. No one bothered changing the channel. Grammy gave us a homemade salve that I rubbed on Lucas’s open sores. It was a good thing that we’d waited another day, because without the healing herbs, I didn’t think Lucas nor I could’ve gotten out of bed.
It was late afternoon before either of us felt well enough to get up. We dressed in the clothes Talia had left us, then drove Grammy to her house so she could pack the last of her things. We borrowed her car to say our final goodbyes.
Lucas’s parents lived in a small apartment complex. They’d been living there ever since their house burned down last semester. His mom greeted us at the door wearing an apron. It didn’t quite suit her.
“Lucas, Nadine,” Margo said brightly. “It’s so great to see you. Come in.”
Lucas shoved his hands into his pockets as he looked around the apartment. “Where’s Dad?”
“He’s setting the table. Please, have a seat. It’ll only be a few more minutes.” She quickly returned to the kitchen.
Lucas turned to me and lowered his voice. “Dad never helps my mom cook or clean.”
“Maybe he’s mellowed since you moved out,” I suggested. I hoped. I knew it wasn’t true. They were putting on a charade and trying to look good for once.
“What is this?” we heard his dad say from the kitchen.
Margo cleared her throat. “It’s clam chowder.”
“Why’s it so thick? It needs more cream.”
“No, Jay—” Margo started to protest, but I heard the sigh in her voice saying it was already too late.
“You don’t think I know how to cook in my own house?” Jay demanded harshly.
“I wasn’t implying that,” Margo said gently.
My eyes widened, but Lucas looked oddly at ease. He noticed my expression and said lowly, “This is why my dad doesn’t help cook. He always takes over and ruins it. And yet he still somehow thinks he’s better at it than my mom.”
“Your dad is an ass,” I whispered.
Lucas shrugged, like it was normal. I didn’t think he had any concept of how not normal his parents were. Not all parents beat the shit out of you.
Jay entered the living room and opened his arms out wide. “Lucas, my boy! You wanna give me a hug?”
His question sat wrong with me. On the surface, it seemed like an innocent question, but he wasn’t asking for consent. He was making it Lucas’s responsibility to show him affection, rather than giving it to his son freely. I could see why Lucas despised the guy.
Lucas hesitated, like his dad had never once hugged him in his life. Finally, he leaned into his father. I’d never seen him look so uncomfortable.
“Hi, Dad,” Lucas said, in a voice that wasn’t quite his own. “It’s, uh, good to see you.”
Jay clapped him on the back, and Lucas winced. “Come, have a seat before the food gets cold.”
