Chapter 58
Skye
I stared down at my phone, shaking my head at all of my messages to River that had officially been ignored. The delivery status had changed to seen this morning. I had no idea why he’d taken so long to read them.
Was I that awful?
Maybe.
Probably.
My thoughts had taken a dark turn since that night in the woods. River gave me whiplash in a way I’d never experienced. Even Wyatt’s attitude hadn’t been this bad. Regardless of how he’d been feeling, he’d never tried to scare me away. Had never threatened to hurt me to scare me away.
I pressed my palms into my eyes, then groaned when I remembered I’d put on mascara this morning. I’d intended to go to class, but I just…couldn’t.
I moved to the bathroom, ignoring the shadow of Isaiah that trailed behind me. He waited outside the bedroom while I washed my face, then silently followed me back to the kitchen.
“Are you hungry?” I asked as I pulled open the fridge.
“I could eat,” he replied, glancing down at his phone.
“How’s Willow?” I asked, trying to sound nonchalant through I cringed.
Willow had completely locked herself away. She was hiding out in her dormitory, wanting nothing to do with anyone, not even me. Not even Zephyr. He was a little pissed at me about that, but what the hell was I supposed to do?
“I’m actually…not texting Willow,” Isaiah said slowly.
“Oh?” I closed the fridge after pulling out some cheese. “That’s cool.”
“Skye,” Isaiah started, his brow furrowed. “So…there’s something I need to talk to you about.”
“Okay?” I stuffed a piece of cheese in my mouth. “What is it?”
Isaiah blinked several times, staring at me like I was some weird creature for eating a single slice of cheese.
“You remember how we talked about my Link-testing?”
I nodded, mouth full of cheese.
Isaiah took a deep breath, opening his mouth to speak, and–
The elevator dinged.
I tossed the cheese back in the fridge as Isaiah stalked toward the foyer, and then a moment later I heard a shrill voice scolding him.
I’d barely made it to the edge of the kitchen when Willow appeared like a whirlwind.
“What is this? I’m not allowed in your dorm anymore?!”
I snorted, shaking my head. “No? What’s going on?”
Isaiah shook his head from behind her. “I told her she can’t just come and go as she pleases.”
“It’s not as I please!” Willow snapped. “I need to talk to Skye.” Her voice broke on my name, and my eyes widened as I really took her in.
She looked bad.
She wore one of Mia’s sweaters. It was a size too big, so it hung off her shoulders, revealing sharp collarbones underneath.
Fuck, she’d lost a lot of weight.
“Have you been eating?” I whispered as I moved toward her.
Willow laughed, sounding a little crazy. “Would you?!”
I pulled her into a hug, my arms trembling around her while she tried to stifle her sniffles.
“No,” I replied quietly. “What’s happening?”
Willow stifled a sob. “I can’t get a hold of my mom.”
I pulled back, pushing her greasy hair out of her face.
“Okay,” I said calmly. “When was the last time you spoke to her?”
“Yesterday. I’ve been calling her everyday. She doesn’t…really talk back, but–”
“Okay. So what’s wrong today?”
“I don’t know…something feels off, and…” Willow groaned, sinking down onto one of the barstools. “Skye, this is going to sound insane. But Lana sent me a weird text this morning and I can’t stop reading it.”
I looked down at Willow’s phone, my brow furrowing. I hadn’t realized Lana and Willow were speaking. I barely noticed Isaiah coming closer after hearing Lana’s name.
Weirdo Lana
Hi Willow
Is your mom okay? Have you talked to her today?
I had a weird dream
I stared at the messages, blinking several times.
“So?” Willow asked. “What do you think?”
“Well first of all, you’re kind of a bitch. Why do you have Lana listed as Weirdo Lana?” I snarked.
“Fuck you!” Willow squealed, shoving me so I stumbled into the kitchen island. “She’s been saying weird shit but…like…it’s sort of accurate? Anyway, I can’t get a hold of my mom, and that’s real.”
“Okay. So…what, you want me to take you to her?” I asked. “Should we call Zephyr?”
“No!” Willow shrieked, making Isaiah wince.
“No Zephyr, no Lana. Skye, I don’t know what to do.
Wyatt said he’d do something to get her out, but he hasn’t, and Mia–” Willow descended into blubbering sobs, and I pulled her to my chest, squeezing her tightly.
She trembled violently in my arms, clearly at a breaking point.
“Let’s get Zephyr,” I suggested again, making concerned eye contact with Isaiah, who nodded in agreement.
Willow shook her head, and when she pulled back to look at me, I noticed her makeup had been smudged. Luckily I was wearing one of Aiden’s black t-shirts. “We can’t,” she sobbed. “No one’s allowed to touch her except the doctors my dad calls.”
I stared at her, and she grimaced.
“I know, okay!? I know I was stupid. But I trusted my dad. He just started getting weird last year, and I just ignored it because maybe I was doing something to provoke him, and–”
I cut her off. “Wait what? Provoke him? What is he doing?”
Willow shook her head, her expression almost petulant. “He’s been…he makes weird comments about what I wear.”
I stared at her.
Isaiah stiffened.
Willow covered her face with her hands. “He…okay, he sounds like he’s attracted to me or something. Like I look too much like my mom so I need to cover myself at all times or he’ll have weird thoughts.”
“That’s disgusting,” I whispered in horror.
“I know!” Willow shrieked. “But what am I supposed to do? He has my mom!”
“Then let’s get your mom,” Isaiah said. “Right now. Let’s go.”
“Willow, listen to me. Zephyr will be pissed at both of us if we don’t tell him about this. You know he can help her.” I said, ignoring Isaiah’s impulsivity. He should’ve been the one trying to convince us not to up and leave campus without my Links.
“So, what happens if my dad’s there?” Willow’s lip trembled. “Skye, he’s…” Willow looked away sharply. “He used to hurt Wyatt. He can make people crazy.”
I grabbed Willow’s cheeks, forcing her to look back at me.
“Not me,” I said firmly. “No offense, but there’s no way your dad is a match for me.”
Willow blinked away more tears, shaking off my hold. “Okay, but…I just…we can’t just take her.”
“Why not?” I fired back. “She’s not safe there. You’re not safe there. Something’s going on, and she’s not getting any better. What if he’s making her sick on purpose?”
“Stop!” Willow cried, covering her face. “Please, stop. I can’t think about that right now.”
“I’m sorry,” I whispered as Willow turned, throwing herself into Isaiah’s arms.
“There’s so much going on right now, but you’re right. Zephyr would be pissed, and I can’t lose him too. Not after Dani,” Willow whimpered.
“You wouldn’t lose him,” I said, and I mostly believed it. I no longer believed Zephyr was fucking my friends to get back at Wyatt. “But he can help us.”
Willow slipped out of Isaiah’s arms, heading for my bedroom. I followed her into the bathroom, watching as she began to wash her face. “I know, and…God, I almost told him. He knows I was keeping it from him, and he was just like, okay, whatever. But I know he was upset about it.”
“You almost told Zephyr about your mom?” I asked.
“Yeah,” she replied as she began to wash her face. “I just…I got scared.”
I chewed my lip as she rinsed her face. Isaiah stood at the doorway to my bedroom, watching anxiously.
“Wills,” I said softly. “Zephyr understands complicated parents better than you think.”
“Gee, I know that now, don’t I?!” Willow blubbered, splashing soapy water onto the mirror. Rafe was going to be pissed.
“Let’s get Zephyr and then go back to your house,” I said. “He can see about healing her, or…I mean, if we need to take her, we’ll take her. Okay?”
“And where will we put her?” Willow spoke through water rushing down her cheeks. Her voice muffled as she patted her face with a towel. “She can’t move unassisted, Skye.”
“Willow, I’m the goddamn Heir Presumptive,” I barely held back my snark. “I have access to the Crown Prince. We’ll figure it out.”
Willow turned to look at me, her face fresh and flushed without her makeup. Her eyes and tip of her nose were red.
“Are you sure?” she whispered. “Skye, I’m so lost without Mia. She’s trying to block me out, but…she’s so scared. I don’t want her feeling that I’m scared, too.”
I closed the distance between us, pulling Willow into a hug. She sniffled, her back shaking as she tried to hold in more tears.
Zephyr, I called.
Skyes? he answered quickly.
I need you.
What’s wrong? What happened?
Willow’s mom is…she’s in trouble. Something is wrong, I replied.
Come get me.
After what felt like hours later, we were now standing in the woods outside the Craig…Manor.
It was a creepy sort of mansion, dark and gothic and looking like it belonged in a horror movie. The torrential downpour Willow was holding off of us only added to the creepiness.
“God, you grew up in there?” Zephyr’s eyes were wide.
Willow only stared, her jaw clenched. She was wearing all black, mostly Mia’s clothes, as they were a little big on her. Zephyr had noticed the weight loss, sending me an evil glare like I should’ve been force-feeding her.
Isaiah stood behind us, quietly observing.
We didn’t have a plan. I’d grabbed my brother, then the four of us came here without telling any of my Links, and…
Yeah, I should’ve thought this through a bit more.
“How’d you end up all…” Zephyr waved his hand in the air, as if that told us anything.
Willow gave him a bored look. “Are you done?”
Zephyr grinned like he was happy to get a reaction out of her. Willow was still giving him a cold shoulder because she enjoyed his brand of groveling, not that I wanted to know what that was. Isaiah seemed anxious behind me, and I wasn’t sure why. He and Zephyr kept trading looks of concern.