Black Bird of the Gallows(23)
11-the harbinger
The moment I hit the sidewalk on Dredge Street, it’s a struggle not to break into a flat run. But that might draw unwanted attention. Every step puts distance between me and Reece. Me and answers.
Me and the entrance to a rabbit hole I may not find my way out of.
I let out a few ragged sobs once I’m back in the safety of my parked car. My forehead tips against the steering wheel as I pull in long, deep breaths. The familiar smells of Jolly Ranchers and the vinegar potato chips stuck between the seats unwind my nerves. My car. Safety.
I should drive home right now. I shouldn’t be sitting here, waiting for Reece. Hell, he might not even show up.
The minutes tick by and collect. Ten. Fifteen. Twenty. I’m beginning to think he ditched me until the passenger door wrenches open, and he throws himself inside. He slams the door and turns to me with hot, furious eyes.
“What the hell are you, a stalker?” he asks without preamble.
Why, yes I am. “No, I just—”
“What were you thinking, Angie?” he snaps. “You could have been killed tonight.”
It takes me an extra second to respond because—whoa, he’s in my car. “What were you doing there? Don’t tell me you were sightseeing in The Dredge.”
“Maybe I was. It’s none of your business.”
“I’ll tell you what’s my business.” Fury curls through me like a ribbon of heat, squashing good sense like a bug. “Seeing my mother’s features on that-that thing’s face on Friday night. You know what he is.”
There. Done and done.
He draws back. “What did you say?”
My vision tints red. My stomach clenches to a tight knot. I hadn’t known I was going to show my hand like that—I hadn’t intended to—but there’s no walking it back. The truth is out, and I will find out very soon if the biggest risk I’ve taken in my teenage life will also turn out to be the biggest blunder. “You know very well that was me in the parking lot with the purple hair and the glasses. I’m Sparo. I’m the girl you ‘rescued’ Friday night from that guy with the-the…” I circle my hand impatiently. “Changing face and the bees.”
The corners of his mouth lift. “Yeah, I knew that was you.”
“You did?”
He rolls his eyes. “How could I not?” He leans toward me, crowding my space. I press back into my seat. “I was this close to you, Angie. Makeup and wigs don’t change your face.”
“Why the pretense, then? Why not just call me out on it?” Good grief, why does he have to be this close? “Why be all manipulative and fake about it?” I ask with full knowledge that this is not the question I should be asking right now, but my thoughts swirl like dry leaves in the wind. My cheeks burn at the thought of all the times we spoke and he knew the truth. He probably had a few good laughs over it.
His gaze dips to my lips. “I was curious why you seemed so determined to hide such an amazing part of yourself.”
“It’s none of your business,” I say, tossing his words back at him.
“Touché.” He nods. “You’re amazing up there. Powerful. So beautiful it’s impossible to look away from you. So completely different from the quiet girl in school.” His thumb brushes my cheek, unleashing a spray of tingling nerves. “I wanted you to admit it was you,” he says quietly. “The only question is, why the disguise?”
If he’s trying to distract me, he’s doing an epic job of it. “Sparo and I are separate.” For reasons too complicated and fragile to explain to you. “I want it to stay that way.”
He frowns. “I have no choice but to keep a part of myself hidden, but I don’t understand why you do.”
My defenses rise into full protection mode. Deno and Lacey—my dad, too—have asked me why. I’ve never said. “My music is separate. It has to be.” I say it again with finality. “Reece, who was that man?” I whisper. “And what is with the bees?”
Reece lets out a long breath but doesn’t pull back. “Angie, that’s not an easy question. The answer is…”
“What?” I counter. “Too much for me to handle? Me and my little, simple human mind can’t grasp it?”
He blinks at me. “Angie, it’s a lot for any mind to grasp. That man you saw isn’t a human being—not anymore. Not for a very long time.”
My fingertips are ice cold. I curl them on my lap. “What do you mean, ‘not anymore’? How does someone stop being human, Reece?”
“I mean, he was changed into what he is by powers in the world that are now dormant, but once wielded incredible destruction.” He watches my face closely, maybe to see how much I can grasp. “He’s one of the last remnants of a time when people lived under a very different set of rules. When certain people possessed powers that no one could comprehend now.”
“What kind of…powers?”
He sighs. “This was a bad idea.”
I turn toward him in my seat. “Look, just give it to me straight. Don’t take it down to a kindergarten level or be all evasive. That makes it worse. Just…tell me. I promise, I can deal with whatever. I just want the truth.”