"I ruined my dress," she said. "Bigmomma's gonna have a spell when she sees it."
"Haven't you thrown up before?" I asked.
She nodded. "When I was first learning magic. But I haven't done it for a long time." She smirked at me. Took a cloth and stood on her tiptoes to dab at my face. "I got it all over you." A giggle escaped.
I couldn't help but smile. "Are you feeling okay now?"
She nodded. A sad look clouded over her smile as she looked back to Morgana's still form. "I couldn't help her. I don't know how." Her lower lip trembled, and tears spilled from her eyes. "I don't like feeling like this, Justin. She's sick, and she might die. I have all these powers, but I don't know how to save her."
I touched her shoulder. Squeezed it gently. "I know the feeling. To have all sorts of abilities, but no matter what I do, I can't save the ones I love."
Her tear-stained eyes looked at me. "I feel that way about you, brother. I want to save you from the dark."
"I want to save you from the light," I said.
"No matter how hard I try to convince you, you won't believe me," she said.
Despite all the battles I'd fought. The times I'd been captured, tortured, and otherwise molested. I'd never felt so helpless as I did now. Ivy was so close, but still a million miles away.
The clinic golem walked up to us. "I noticed you regurgitated. Here are some sanitary spells to clean up the mess." It handed us tiny scrolls.
We opened them, and the cleaning spells sparkled around our clothes, removing the puke the washcloths hadn't gotten. After saying our goodbyes to Morgana, we went into the hallway.
"Still feel like ice cream?" I asked.
Ivy nodded. "I feel super hungry now."
"Will they notice you're gone again?"
She shrugged. "They're busy looking for Mr. Bigglesworth. He never reported back yesterday. I think he went"—she shuddered—"on a feeding binge again. He can be so gross."
We got ice cream, but the shop was so crowded, we decided to walk outside. I looked toward the road leading to the mansion and wondered if I could convince her to go there. Bella told me since the drain ward was already carved, she was able to reset it last night. That meant it was ready.
"You ever walk along Greek Row?" I asked Ivy.
She shook her head. "No, Bigmomma won't let me go near that pit of Satan spawn—at least that's what she calls it. I've always wanted to see what was so bad."
I winked. "I'll take you up there. If you want, I'll even take you inside one of the houses."
Her mouth formed an "O." "Really?" She looked around with a conspiratorial look. "Are they really awful? Full of drunk naked boys and girls who worship demons?"
I wondered what in the world Eliza Conroy had been telling the poor girl. "No, it's not bad. They just like to party and act stupid."
"Well," Ivy said, still licking her gelato. "I guess maybe you could show me. It'll be our secret, okay?"
I smiled. "Cross my heart."
We walked along the road, passing drunk fraternity boys and girls, some of them swerving on brooms as security golems chased them down for intoxicated flying. The closer we drew to the mansion, the more my heart pounded. I wasn't sure I could do this. Ivy seemed to trust me. She was walking with me, talking and having fun like siblings should. Why would I ruin that?
What if she trusts me enough to help me?
The question lingered in my mind. I saw the driveway to the mansion coming up on the right. Cinder stood outside watching the revelers, his face mimicking expressions. He glanced over, eyes locking onto Ivy. Without another word, he walked back toward the mansion, probably to tell the others to be ready to spring the trap.
Sweat broke out on my forehead. If I did this, I would ruin any chance of my sister ever trusting me again. It would be a complete betrayal. She would hate me. I pause at the end of the driveway. Ivy looked down the road.
"Oh, that's a spooky looking house," she said. "I think I remember hearing it was haunted or something. Bigdaddy said he used to live there a long, long time ago."
"What?" I said, my mind distracted. "Was he in a fraternity?"
"Can we go inside?" she said, finishing off her cone. "Pretty please? He's never taken me inside, and I want to see where he lived."
I took a hesitant step down the driveway.
"You look scared," Ivy said.
My heart thudded. My guts clenched. This feels wrong. So, so wrong. But I had to do it. We could trade Ivy for Mom, save Nightliss and me, and maybe even those sick kids if Meghan's plan failed. But I felt so close to making a breakthrough with Ivy. I felt as if I'd won some small battle for her trust, and that I might be able to win the war if I just didn't betray her.
We closed to within twenty feet of the door. I froze in place unable to take another step.
"Are you okay?" Ivy asked.
I couldn't answer her. I think I'm going to throw up. One way or the other, I had to make a decision. Whatever I decided could determine the fate of everything. Betray my sister, or try to win her heart, and pray I did it in enough time to save my friends.
"Justin?" she asked.
I flicked my gaze to her. "Let's not go in," I said. "I don't like haunted houses."
"But, I've never seen one. Please, please, please?" She clasped her hands together and gave me such a sad look, I felt even worse than before.
"Oh, crap," I said, widening my eyes. "I saw security golems in the windows. We gotta go or we'll get in trouble."
She gasped. "But I can't run in these shoes." She looked down at the ruby-red slippers she wore.
"I'll carry you," I said, scooping her up in my arms, and running at top speed down the driveway back to the main road.
She squealed with delight the whole way. "Again! Again!" she said as I set her down.
I laughed. "Maybe later."
"You're so fast," she said, giggling. "And that was so much fun." A little sigh escaped. "I really like having you as my brother."
My eyes misted. I wiped them. "I like having you as my sister," I said.
She touched my hand. "Maybe you're not so bad after all. Maybe…" she trailed off, eyes lost in thought. "Maybe you're right about some things."
"Sometimes you have to stop listening to what other people say and listen to your heart," I said.
"Do you still want me to meet with Nightliss?" she asked, a shudder working through her shoulders.
"Yes. She's very sick, Ivy. Daelissa did something to her, and I think she's going to die."
A troubled look crossed my sister's face. She looked at the ground for a moment. "If she's sick, she couldn't hurt me, could she?"
I shook my head. "But you might be able to help her."
"Why would I do that?" Ivy said, looking at me with horror.
"Because she's my friend, and I love her. I don't want her to die, just like you don't want Morgana to die." I got down on my knees. "Please, Ivy. Can you help her?"
Her mouth dropped open a fraction and she just stared at me. "I don't know if she's brainwashed you. I don't know if she's done things to make you love her, and your feelings are fake." She looked down again, shuffling a foot on the pavement. "Do you love me, Justin?"
I couldn't stop the tears from trickling down my face. "Yes, Ivy. I love you. I would never want to put you in danger. Do you believe that?"
She wrapped her arms tight around me, squeezing desperately hard. "I love you too. I know you've been through bad things, and evil people have tried to take advantage of you. But my heart tells me to help you."
"You'll come see her?" I asked.
"No. But if you bring her to the healer's office, I'll help her there." She put her arms akimbo. "If she tries anything bad, I'll have to hurt her, okay?"
I nodded. "I understand."
Her gaze wandered to the ground again, and a sad look pinched her brow. "I'm really sorry about what I did to you. About tricking you with Maximus. They told me it was the only way to save the world."
I took her hand and squeezed it. "I forgive you," I said.
She grinned. "This is a perfect day."
"It is," I said.
Something slammed into my back. Ground and sky tumbled in my vision until I came to a stop, dazed and warm blood trickling across my lips. I sat up in time to see Jeremiah Conroy, eyes blazing with anger, his staff aglow, coming right for me. Students scattered out of the way like scared rabbits.
"Please, Bigdaddy, no!" Ivy said.
Jeremiah flicked his staff, and an invisible force hauled me up by the front of my shirt. He glared at me. "I told you not to talk to him, girl."
"But—"
"Did you know he intended to lead you into a trap?" Jeremiah said. "That at this very moment, there are people waiting to ensnare you inside the mansion right down the road?"
"The haunted one?" she said.
His lips curled with anger. "The very same."
Ivy's blue eyes, clouded with disbelief met mine. "How do you know, Bigdaddy?"
"I used to live there, girl. I have ears everywhere."
Does he know about the rune? Dread welled in my chest.
Ivy looked at me, as disbelief morphed to denial. "It's not true, is it, Justin? Please, tell me it's not true."
I thought about lying. I thought about playing dumb. But what if Jeremiah really knew somehow? And how had he managed to overhear it even with the wards? "I planned it a long time ago," I said. "But I decided not to do it, Ivy. I changed my mind."
"You lied to me!" she shouted. "You told me"—her voice grew very quiet—"you told me you loved me." Tears poured from her eyes.
