Midnight

‘My graduation party. Why?’

‘How did he seem to you?’

Katie huffed. ‘Honestly, I was surprised he even showed up. Something major’s been going on with him, and he’s been totally distant, in a really weird way. I don’t know, I guess it’s the trauma from the accident with his van or something, but whatever it is, Sebastian’s just not the same. I mean, we text sometimes, but he won’t talk to me on the phone, and my party was the first time I’d seen him in weeks. But he was acting all freaked out. And totally paranoid. He wouldn’t even come inside the fence.’

I paused to take a long breath. ‘You’re right Katie, something has been going on with Sebastian the last few months. But it’s not what you think.’

‘If you’re about to tell me he’s on drugs—’

‘No, it’s nothing like that.’

‘Good, ’cause I wouldn’t have believed it anyway. I mean, it’s Sebastian we’re talking about here. In case you haven’t noticed, he’s not really the rebellious type, which is why I always found it so hilarious that he wanted to be a tattoo artist.’ Her eyes widened. ‘Not that they’re rebels, I mean. His brother’s totally cool. They all are. It just never seemed like Sebastian’s thing.’

‘What did you picture him doing after high school?’ I asked. I was stalling, but I couldn’t help it. Talking about him made it feel like he was still here, waiting for me back at the Circe with that soft, apologetic smile of his.

‘Gosh, I don’t know,’ she said. ‘His brother wanted him to go to college.’

‘That would’ve been nice. He deserved that.’

‘Josie.’ Katie crossed to me and gripped my shoulder. ‘You’re talking about him like he’s dead, and it’s starting to freak me out. Is Sebastian okay?’

Her question shook me to attention. Without Katie’s help, I’d never be able to get away from the Circe. I’d be stuck here – trapped, with no way to help the person who mattered most. I still didn’t know how to define my feelings, if there were even words, but one thing I knew for sure: without him, nothing else made sense anymore.

‘He’s in trouble,’ I said quickly. Katie opened her mouth, but I kept going before she could interject. ‘He didn’t do anything wrong, and it’s not his fault, but he’s been sent to Savannah by my people.’

‘Savannah,’ Katie repeated, letting go of my arm. ‘What are you talking about? Is he okay, or isn’t he? You’re not making any sense.’

I felt stupid for thinking I could get away with only telling Katie what she absolutely needed to know. But this wasn’t my secret … it was Sebastian’s. I turned the dandelion pendant between my fingers, pressing the cold glass against my skin. He’d kept this from Katie on purpose. Once I crossed this line, there would be no going back.

‘Katie, there’s something about Sebastian, something that’s happened to him, but I don’t know how to say it without sounding like I’m insane.’

‘Too late for that,’ she replied. ‘So just spit it out.’

I saw the rising irritation in Katie’s eyes, but behind that, the fear. Suddenly, I hated secrets, more than I ever had in my life.

‘There are these creatures,’ I said quickly, before I could change my mind. ‘My people brought them to life a long time ago. He’s one of them. Hugo’s parents brought him here, and he looked normal, but he didn’t know the truth, and when my family came to Sixes, stuff began happening to him, and he’s different now.’

‘Creatures?’ Katie’s mouth quirked. ‘Seriously Jo, you’re making it sound like Sebastian’s not human.’

‘He’s not.’

‘Josephine,’ said Katie, drawing my name out slowly. Her expression turned hard and skeptical, and the tension between us instantly rose. ‘What’s really going on?’

My throat was so dry I couldn’t swallow. It was too late to stop now. This went deeper than just acquiring her help. This was about truth and trust. Katie was Sebastian’s friend.

But she was also mine.

‘Sebastian’s a gargoyle.’

For a moment, I didn’t think Katie had heard me. She just stared, blank-faced. I chewed on my fingernail. I couldn’t remember the last time Katie had been at a loss for words. I saw her jaw clench, and then she stood slowly from the bed.

‘I want every single detail. And you’d better not leave anything out.’

*

I told Katie everything.

Everything that had happened since the day my family had arrived in Sixes last autumn. How Sebastian was my guardian and how we were sealed the moment my pendant, my sclav, and his dandelion tattoo touched – and how we were now connected through that bond.

I’d never said so much about my life to anyone outside the Circe, but now I’d spilled my guts, and there was nothing to do but wait for Katie’s verdict. She paced back and forth across the plush rug in the middle of her room. At last, she stopped and faced me with a heavy, drawn-out sigh.

‘Seriously, Josie, I don’t know what you expect me to believe.’ She shook her head fiercely. ‘I mean, yeah, I remember how weird Sebastian got during the school play, and him getting sick, and then, there was that thing with his hair.’ Katie pulled a face before continuing. ‘And you’re telling me it’s all because he’s some creature from your people’s fairy tales. You get how that sounds, right?’

‘Yes.’

‘Do you, really?’

‘I’m not making this up, Katie.’

‘Okay.’ She walked to her desk and studied the same photo that had held my attention. ‘If he’s really this … shadow creature you say he is, then show me a picture of him.’

‘It’s not something I’d put on my camera roll, Katie. No Gypsy would ever risk exposing the existence of the shadow world, the good or the bad. It’s for gadje protection as well as our own. Besides, Sebastian would never have let me take a picture of him.’ I winced. ‘He hated … hates … the way he looks.’

Katie flopped on the rug. ‘That night at my party, I was talking to Sebastian about his back brace, you know, the one he was wearing because of his car accident.’ She saw my look and frowned. ‘That’s what he told me. Anyway, I tried to look at it, and he jerked away from me, like he was totally scared of me getting close to him. But I swear, I saw something.’

‘What?’

‘I’m not sure.’ She rolled her eyes. ‘Maybe it wasn’t anything.’

‘Katie—’

‘Listen, I’m way ticked off right now,’ she snapped. ‘Okay, so maybe I can forgive you for not telling me because it’s like your people’s rules and everything not to talk about stuff, but why would that idiot not say anything to me?’ Katie’s eyes turned an icy shade. ‘I thought Sebastian and I were friends.’

‘You are,’ I said. ‘But he couldn’t—’

‘Couldn’t tell me he thinks he’s a gargoyle? Yeah, I can see why not.’

‘He doesn’t think he is,’ I said.

She grimaced through a bitter laugh. ‘Yeah, okay.’

‘Katie, I don’t blame you for not believing me.’ I sat beside her. ‘I wouldn’t believe me, either. But I still need your help. Hugo and the Corsis are leaving for Savannah tonight. I have to get there, too. But I don’t have a car. My father only let me leave the Circe because he thinks I’m spending the weekend with you.’

‘So you want me to drive you to Savannah.’

‘It’s four hours away. You could be back before morning. After I testify, I can find my own way home.’ I started to reach for her hand, but held back. ‘Please, Katie. I have to do this.’

She drummed her fingers rapidly against her leg as her gaze went around the room. ‘But I’m … whatever it was you called me.’

‘Gadje.’

‘Yeah, that. I thought you weren’t supposed to associate with us.’

‘It has nothing to do with hanging out with you. It’s about not telling gadje all about us. My father trusts that I will do what I’ve always done – keep my heritage a secret.’

‘Well, you obviously suck at that.’

Katie didn’t smile, but the iciness melted from her eyes.

‘I guess I do,’ I said.

We sat in silence in the middle of Katie’s room, surrounded by stuffed animals. I closed my eyes. Memories immediately sprouted to the surface. The kris, my uncle, Sebastian locked up. If Katie didn’t agree to this, I didn’t know how I was going to make it to Savannah without my father finding out.

A door suddenly squeaked. I opened my eyes to find Katie rummaging in her massive closet. She began tossing clothes into the center of the room and then dragged out a small piece of luggage.

‘What are you doing?’ I asked.

‘Look,’ she said, stopping long enough to glare at me. ‘This does not mean I believe your ridiculous creature story, because I don’t. But if you think Sebastian’s in trouble, then I want to help.’

‘But you don’t have to—’

‘Yes I do. Your father can still think you’re staying with me for the weekend. But I’m not leaving you in Savannah alone, not after everything you’ve just told me. So you’re gonna have to deal with that.’

I really smiled for the first time all night. ‘I’ll help you pack.’

3. Josephine

‘Hey mom,’ said Katie, knocking on the door. ‘You awake?’

‘Yeah,’ came a muffled voice from inside.

Katie motioned for me to follow her into her mother’s bedroom. Nicole Lewis walked out of the bathroom wearing a fluffy bathrobe, her face covered in a green-tinted facial mask.

‘Hey, Josephine,’ she said pleasantly, opening the top drawer of her dresser as she smiled at me. She was an older, mirrored image of Katie, right down to the bright blue eyes. ‘I haven’t seen you in a long time. How’s everything going with the Circe?’

I smiled back. ‘It’s been busy.’

‘Mom, can we switch cars this weekend?’ asked Katie.

Nicole sat on the edge of the bed and proceeded to file her nails. ‘Why, is something wrong with yours?’

‘No, it’s just that Josie and I just decided to take a girls’ weekend to Savannah. They’re having a food and craft festival tomorrow, and Josie’s in serious need of a break from the Circe for a couple of days. You know your car’s a lot more reliable than mine on long trips.’

I glanced sideways at Katie, but I didn’t say anything. Nicole finished one hand and turned the emery board over to start the other. ‘When are you leaving?’

‘Right now.’

Nicole paused and looked at her nightstand clock. ‘It’s 11:30.’

‘We want to get an early start in the morning,’ I jumped in, still smiling. ‘I have some family in Savannah that don’t mind us staying with them for a few nights.’

‘Please, Mom,’ said Katie. ‘I promise I’ll bring your car back home with a full tank. This is the only weekend Josie’s free all summer.’

Nicole looked at me for a few seconds, and then puckered her lips in a sympathetic way. ‘Well, I suppose so. My keys are on the kitchen table. Just don’t forget to leave me yours.’

Katie rushed forward and hugged her mom. ‘Thank you!’

Nicole laughed and wiped a smudge of green facial off Katie’s cheek. ‘As long as you promise me you’ll call when you girls get there. And let me know when you’re coming home. Okay?’

‘I’ll make sure she does,’ I replied.

We backed out of the room quickly and retrieved our things. Katie swiped the keys off the table on our way to the garage, rolling her suitcase behind her. I threw my duffel bag in the back seat of her mom’s Lexus and slid into the passenger seat.

‘Why are we taking your mom’s car again?’ I asked.

Katie adjusted the mirrors. ‘Because Hugo knows my car.’

I felt a surge of surprise. ‘I hadn’t thought of that.’

‘Which is exactly why I’m coming with you.’

The tension in Katie’s tone was palpable. She pulled the car out of the garage and headed down the long driveway. We didn’t say anything as we drove through town. Katie was even quieter than Francis had been. I felt a knot form in my stomach. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore.

‘Katie—’

‘You know,’ she said, stopping me with a wave of her hand. ‘All these months, I thought Sebastian was the one who’d gone completely nuts. But you’re telling me a man was killed at the Circe, and then some crazy guy hauls Sebastian out of Sixes in a cage, and no one even called 911?’

‘You know we can’t do that,’ I said slowly.

‘Why, because you’d have to explain your monster story?’

I leaned back in the seat and stared out the window. ‘Katie, maybe I shouldn’t have told you …’

‘No,’ she said. ‘I asked for it. I did.’

‘Okay,’ I said, and left it at that.

Maybe I’d crossed the line by telling Katie the truth, but I couldn’t help feeling grateful she was here with me; relieved not to have to pretend with her anymore – whether she believed me or not.

Katie put on her blinker as we waited to turn into the small strip mall that housed the Gypsy Ink Tattoo Parlor. ‘So, what’s the plan?’

‘Park on the far side of the lot,’ I replied. ‘There’s a convenience store that’s still open. We can watch the shop from there. We’ll wait for them to leave, and then we’ll follow behind.’

‘Can’t you just map out the directions on your phone?’ asked Katie as she turned into the parking lot. ‘Why do we have to follow Hugo?’

‘It’s not about directions. I want to know what the Corsis intend to do when they get there. I haven’t been to our Haven in years. I’m not even sure the High Council still meets in the same place. I need the Corsis’ help, but this time, they won’t be able to push me out.’

Katie chose an empty parking spot near the road, but one that faced towards the tattoo shop. She turned off the car, and we settled in to wait. I glanced down to check my phone. It read 11:50.

‘Hey, isn’t that Ms Lucian?’ said Katie suddenly.

I peered through the shadowy lights of the parking lot. A woman was making her way quickly across the empty space, carrying a small bag. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt, and her red-tipped black hair blew across her face as she walked in the direction of the Gypsy Ink.

‘Yes,’ I said. ‘That’s her.’

‘What’s our drama teacher doing here, and this late at night?’ Katie leaned over the steering wheel, watching with narrowed eyes as Esmeralda Lucian walked into the shop and closed the door behind her. ‘Oh, do you think she’s getting a tattoo?’

I glanced over my shoulder at my duffel bag in the back seat. I could just see the outline of the small, leather-bound book, where I’d placed it in the side pocket. If Ezzie was here, it could only mean one thing: she was going with Hugo and the Corsis to Savannah.

‘There was something I left out when I was telling you everything,’ I said, turning to Katie. ‘Ezzie sort of works with the Corsi clan.’

‘Ezzie?’

‘Ms Lucian … Esmeralda Lucian … is a former gargoyle.’

Katie shot me another suspicious look. ‘What is that supposed to mean?’

‘I don’t know all the details,’ I said, looking back towards the tattoo shop. Everything was still quiet. ‘A long time ago, when she was a gargoyle, Esmeralda had a charge. His name was Markus, and he died. Apparently it was her fault, and she was turned human as punishment.’

I could see Katie processing. I assumed it was about Ezzie, but her question caught me off guard. ‘So, does that mean that Sebastian could be cured of whatever this is?’

‘It’s not a disease.’

The words snapped free of my lips harsher than I’d intended. But I didn’t regret them. My stomach turned over again as I saw Sebastian’s face in my memory and heard my name as he said it, gentle and full of warmth.

‘I didn’t mean—’

‘I know,’ I said quickly, studying the flashing neon sign of the Gypsy Ink. ‘Ms Lucian still has a lot of shadowen abilities,’ I continued, preferring to switch the subject back to Ezzie. ‘And her senses are really good. Plus, she’s still really protective of the Corsis.’

‘Why do the Corsis need protecting?’ Katie asked.

‘We all do,’ I replied.

‘From what?’

‘I told you, from the shadow creatures.’

Katie slumped in the driver’s seat with a heavy, exasperated sigh. ‘Yeah, yeah. The monsters that have been after your people since the Dark Ages. I heard everything you said back at my house.’

I didn’t have the energy to reply, not that there was anything else to say. After listening to my outrageous story, Katie had still chosen to come with me. Could I really expect anything more?

The shop’s neon sign went dark.

I checked my phone again. It was five minutes past midnight. After a few moments, three motorcycles rounded the side of the building from the back of the strip mall. It was easy to make out the figures of James, Kris, and Vincent, even underneath the sickly light of the street lamps. An old pick-up truck followed them through the empty lot. As the vehicle slowed to pull out into the street, I caught a glimpse of the occupants: Hugo driving and Ezzie in the passenger seat.

‘Okay,’ I said, buckling my seat belt. ‘Let’s go.’

Katie kept a considerable distance from the Corsi caravan as they took the main road leading out of Sixes, just enough to keep Hugo’s brake lights in view. Neither one of us spoke as we turned onto the Interstate. I leaned against the window, staring at the darkened road and the occasional white lights from oncoming cars.

‘So, what are we going to do when we get there?’ asked Katie.

‘I’m still working on that.’

I massaged my temples with my fingertips. I would testify before the High Council on Sebastian’s behalf. I would do everything in my power to make sure he walked free. But my head ached with uncertainties, questions that went deeper than his being framed at the kris.

What information did Karl’s books contain that was so important Augustine would be willing to murder for it? And why was he still after Sebastian, as Hugo believed? But there was one question that bothered me the most: what had happened to Sebastian when he was in that cage to turn him so wild?

‘Josie, did you hear me?’

I jumped in the seat. Katie threw a sideways glance at me as she drove.

‘I’m sorry, I was thinking.’

‘About Quentin?’ she asked. Her tone was level and pointed. ‘You do realize you haven’t said one thing to me about him this whole time.’

I felt cold again, and I wrapped my arms around my stomach. ‘He went with Augustine last night, on my father’s orders, to make sure Sebastian was delivered safely to the High Council. I’m sure he’s probably on his way back home by now.’

‘You don’t know?’

‘He hasn’t texted. But he usually doesn’t when he’s working.’

Katie’s curious stare burned into me. But I didn’t look at her. I knew Quentin had been pleased with how things had turned out in the kris, despite the sweet words and consoling hugs he offered me. He’d never liked Sebastian, never even gave him a real chance. And I knew I was going to have to confront that head on. But right now, I had Sebastian’s trial to think about.

*

‘We have to stop for gas,’ said Katie.

‘What?’ I bolted out of my half-slumber and yanked out my phone. We’d been on the road nearly three hours. I stared at the black road stretching out before us. There were several red taillights, and I wasn’t sure which one was Hugo’s anymore. ‘No, we can’t. We’ll lose the Corsis.’

‘My refuel light’s been on for the last twenty miles,’ said Katie. ‘We won’t make it there on this tank. Besides, I really have to pee.’ She glanced pleadingly at me. ‘I promise, we’ll be really quick. But I’m seriously going to wet myself if we don’t stop now.’

‘Okay,’ I said, trying to manage my frustration. ‘Just hurry.’

We took the exit ramp and stopped at the first gas station. I filled up the tank while Katie went inside to use the facilities. She came out a few minutes later carrying two sodas. I finished paying, but as I reached to take one of the bottles from her, a cold breeze whipped across my face.

The garish white lights from the gas station only reached the edges of the parking lot, leaving everything beyond in shadowy darkness. The air felt warm, but the breeze was noticeably colder – a sensation I’d felt before. Goosebumps sprouted up my arms.

‘What is it?’ Katie asked, frowning at me.

‘This was a bad idea,’ I said, moving towards the car. ‘We aren’t anywhere near an Outcast Haven. We don’t have any Marksmen with us.’

‘What are you talking about?’

I opened the back door and reached for my bag. I retrieved the diamond-coated knife Quentin had given me – the one I’d used on Matthias when Sebastian and I had been attacked on Copper Mountain. The blade caught the light and glittered. Katie stared at it as though I’d pulled out a jar of scorpions.

‘It’s a Marksman knife,’ I said as I surveyed the parking lot. It was empty and still. Poster advertisements covered the front windows of the tiny convenience store, preventing me from seeing inside. ‘Diamond-coated weapons are the only things that can kill shadow creatures.’

Katie’s shock morphed into irritation. ‘And we’re back to monsters.’

I ignored her comment as I eased cautiously around the front of the car. I’d gotten so used to having Sebastian by my side the last few weeks, that I’d almost forgotten what it felt like to be afraid, genuinely afraid. But he wasn’t here, and all I had to defend us was one small knife and my limited fighting experience.

The cold breeze swirled bits of trash across the concrete.

‘I should’ve known,’ I said, peering upward. ‘It can smell me.’

‘Smell you?’ Katie took a step backwards, her jaw hung open in disbelief. ‘Okay, you know Josie, I’ve been giving you the benefit of the doubt all night, but this is just too much to swallow. I’m starting to think you might be delusional or something.’

A dark form swooped through the air, just over one of the streetlights. I heard the leathery flap of wings. Fear worked its way up my throat with prickly fingers. I brandished the knife, though I couldn’t see anything against the cloudy, starless sky. Why had I been so reckless?

‘We need to get in the car,’ I said.

Suddenly, a vehicle came screeching into the parking lot from the road. Katie sprang back, and I spun on my heel as Hugo’s truck roared up beside ours and slammed to a halt. Hugo and Esmeralda flew out of the truck. I didn’t like the look on either of their faces.

‘We’re being tracked,’ said Hugo.

Three motorcycles rumbled in behind him. James, Vincent, and Kris leapt off. Their faces were tense as they spanned out and searched the sky. Hugo scowled at me.

‘How did you—’ I began.

‘A discussion for later,’ said Ezzie. She tilted her head and sniffed the air. ‘We must get out of the open.’ She gestured to a thin line of trees running parallel to the parking lot, just outside the glow of lights from the station. ‘It will reduce their advantage.’

‘Can’t we just outdrive them?’ asked James.

‘Only to have them follow us to the next stop and attack there?’ hissed Ezzie. Her eyes glittered dangerously. ‘No, we must deal with them here.’

Katie suddenly chucked her soda into the trash and whirled on us with a half-crazed expression. ‘Are you serious? You guys believe all this stuff, too? I can’t even … it’s like some freaking shared delusion!’

‘There is no time for this, Katie Lewis,’ snapped Ezzie, flinging open the door of Hugo’s truck. Her hazel eyes flickered silver. ‘You are not Roma. They will leave you alone. Stay here and do not open these doors.’

The color faded from Katie’s cheeks. ‘Josephine …’

I grabbed her hand. ‘Just do what Ms Lucian says.’

‘But—’

‘And stay low,’ I said as I closed the door after her.

We hurried into the trees, Esmeralda leading the way and the Corsis bringing up the rear. My heart pounded. Marksmen were the ones equipped to kill these things, not us. And Esmeralda, though intimidating, was human, not gargoyle. I said a quick prayer under my breath.

We crouched behind a group of shrubs. Ezzie sniffed the air again, and I sensed her frustration. I knew she retained bits of her old shadow creature abilities, but I didn’t know how well they worked.