Alex remained on her knees, head in her hands, arms shaking like she had just bench-pressed three hundred pounds, and all the weight had landed on her throbbing head. The whispers commenced, but in shock now instead of curiosity. Everyone turned to gawk at her.
As the dust cleared, there was a figure walking towards her, his shoulders thrown back in a familiar stance of confidence. A moment later, his arms were around her. But something didn’t feel right. His grip was too tight, and his build was too bulky. Alex realized then that it was Jonas Lasalle, and not his brother, who was burying his face in her hair.
6
Jonas Lasalle had never been speechless in his life. He was actually quite proud of his big mouth. But when he saw Alex, it took him a few moments to find his voice. He had known she would join them eventually; the girl had been a walking corpse since birth, but it still didn’t prepare him. There she was. Alive. Prettier than ever. Alone. Without Chase around to distract her, to hover over her like a canopy, hell-bent on preventing her from having any fun in life.
Who the hell had thrown that bench? Usually when new kids arrived someone would throw a rock or a book at them. It was a barbaric form of initiation, but it was also hilarious. Most boys ran away while the girls screamed like their lives were ending all over again. But not Alex.
He smirked, listening to the kids around him.
“Who did that?”
“How did it explode?”
“Forget that, who threw it?”
“How did she do that?”
He strutted forward, blinded by the dust that stubbornly hung in the air alongside his anticipation. When she saw him, her face twisted into such an expression of joy that Jonas supposed Chase had appeared right behind him. But that was impossible. Chase was gone. For the time being, at least.
He forgot himself and wrapped his arms around her. Her shock was tangible. He could feel it emanate from her. The fact that he was hugging her was certainly uncharacteristic. Of all the Lasalles, Jonas knew he was considered to be the least likeable, especially in Alex’s eyes. As a child he had ridiculed her. He’d kicked her shins, pulled her hair, hid her belongings, and once even locked her in an old trunk. Now he was hugging her. This PDA went against the image he’d tried so hard to maintain his whole life. He was a desperado of a boy who was acting like he needed a place to rest his reckless head, and he knew it.
He hated to admit it, but he could get used to it.
Alex’s arms hung stiff at her sides until Jonas finally let go.
“You look like you’ve seen a ghost.”
Bad joke, he thought to himself, cursing loudly in his head. None of this was funny. But Alex’s face broke into a smile, and they both began to laugh. And they kept on laughing until they were practically holding each other for support.
It felt good.
Alex composed herself. “And your brothers? Are they here too?”
Annoyance tasted like a mouthful of salt. Jonas tried to keep it from showing on his face. Before he could answer, the door of the Brigitta building swung open. Ellington Reynes emerged, looking antsy.
Oh, not this guy, Jonas thought with a roll of his eyes. Ellington was way too serious for his liking.
“I’m so sorry, Alex,” Ellington said, nodding to acknowledge Jonas. He didn’t seem surprised at all to see Jonas standing there.
Ellington had been the one to greet him at the gates of Eidolon, and he had access to various milestones in Jonas’s former life. How did Ellington interpret his odd history with Alex? Judging by the knowing look on his face, he’d seen enough. Damn it.
“I’m afraid the Brigitta director is detained at the moment.”
“That means you can’t get in the building,” Jonas informed Alex before turning to Ellington. “I’m willing to bet that Romey will be gone the rest of the day. She had to take care of my brother.”
Ellington groaned. “Not again.”
“Yep.”
“Where?”
“No idea.”
“Which brother?” Alex demanded, interrupting them.
“Your favorite one.” Jonas tried to wipe the salty taste from his lips. He watched Ellington begin to bite his nails. “At least Chase didn’t get anywhere this time. He was caught pretty early.”
“Any other newbury would have been expelled by now.”
“Newbury?” Alex cut in.
“Newly buried, like you.” Ellington paused, noticing the large slabs of granite scattered throughout the courtyard. He cringed at what was left of the bench. “Is this what I think it is?”
“If you’re thinking that a bench the size of a standard midsized sedan came flying at Alex’s head, then yes,” Jonas replied.
Ellington huffed. “They didn’t waste any time, did they? I take it you were forced to run for your life?”
“Actually,” Jonas said, “she diverted it.”
“She what?”
“You heard me.”
Ellington closed his eyes tightly, as if some secret was out of the bag. “She can’t just stay out here until Romey returns.”
Jonas sensed the opportunity. “I’ll just take her with me. I’m heading to Lazuli Street now, and then we’ll be back for curfew.”
Ellington looked wary. “That is probably the last thing she should be subjected to on her first day here. It will probably scare her a bit.”
“Might as well rip off the Band-Aid.” He glanced at Alex, satisfied to see that she was stepping closer to him.
“What’s Lazuli Street?”
“If you come along, I’ll show you.”
Ellington didn’t look convinced. “I’d feel better if I could join you.”
A chaperone was the last thing Jonas wanted.
“But I have a meeting in the city at the Dual Tower.”
Score.
“You’ll probably find Romey there,” Jonas said eagerly. “I think that’s where they took Chase.”
Alex opened her mouth, but Jonas held up a hand to shush her. “Cool it,” he warned. Alex crossed her arms in frustration, and the way she stuck out her lower lip was kind of adorable. He did his best to ignore it. “It’s a masque. She’ll be fine.”
“That’s true. I’ll meet you back here before curfew, just in case,” Ellington said. “Alex, will you be okay?”
“Don’t worry,” Jonas said. “She’s tougher than she looks.” He took Alex’s arm and she followed obediently.
As they departed, Jonas heard Ellington mutter under his breath, “She’ll need to be.”
Wrong, Jonas thought. Alex would finally be able to make her own choices. She wasn’t made of glass anymore.
7
Alex didn’t care where Jonas led her. He was a piece of home. She’d rather be in the company of familiarity than be left alone.
They crossed through the courtyard, and Alex thought the scene was like something out of a dream. The rain had stopped, but several spirits formed circles around the dark puddles. They held their hands above the water, which rose and fell like a solid object, morphing like putty. Near them, a mob chanted for what appeared to be an unorthodox race. Two spirits sprinted towards each other until, in the split second before collision, one disappeared, like a game of invisible chicken. Jonas called it “child’s play.”
Though the sun had not decided to show itself at all that day, it appeared the moon was much more curious as to what was going on below. As the day died, the sky darkened in mourning, and the clouds parted for the moon to peek through.
“Jonas,” Alex began. “Was that normal?”