Steadfast(57)

19


DESPITE HER MISERY, DESPITE THE NEARBY CDC WORKERS taking blood samples as she, Mateo, and Verlaine waited their turn, Nadia almost had to smile as she saw Verlaine gaping in shock. “Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Wait the what the how the?”

Nadia repeated, “Elizabeth told me that my mother didn’t just leave. Apparently she traded our family away for some kind of magical power; I don’t know what. But I have to find out.”

“Traded you?” Mateo held up his hands like he was trying to stop that information in its tracks; Nadia knew how that felt. “You mean she gave you away to get power of her own?”

Nadia nodded. “Gave up her kids, gave up her husband. All this time I thought Elizabeth was the only dark witch I ever knew, but now I’m wondering. Because who does that? What kind of person does that?”

Her voice broke, and Mateo took her hand in his. That simple touch did her in. Tears sprang to her eyes, and it took her a moment to get her composure.

“You okay?” Mateo said.

“No.” Nadia tried to laugh, but it came out strange.

Verlaine finally found her voice. “I don’t get it. You said she traded you guys.”

“Right. I don’t know what for.”


“Yeah, I understand that but, Nadia—who did your mother trade you to?” Verlaine glanced around the crowded gymnasium, making absolutely sure nobody was paying any attention; they weren’t. Everyone was too tired and freaked out to notice what was happening right in front of their noses. Verlaine continued, “That’s what a trade is, isn’t it? An exchange. If she gave you guys up for something else, did she maybe swear you over to someone else?”

“That couldn’t be true.” The response was automatic, and as soon as it was out of Nadia’s mouth, she began to doubt it. Was this situation somehow even worse than she’d thought?

Counting off on her fingers, Verlaine said, “You meant to stop Elizabeth on Halloween. Not only did you not stop her, you inadvertently wound up helping her. You’ve tried to kill her twice now. Most people wouldn’t look at their attempted murderer and say, ‘Hey, that’s exactly who I want on my team.’ Elizabeth’s still trying to recruit you. She knows something you don’t. Do you think—maybe—your mom traded you to, well . . .”

Verlaine pointed down at the floor. Nadia and Mateo both stared.

“By that I mean hell,” Verlaine said. “In case it wasn’t obvious.”

“It was.” Nadia’s head had begun to spin. Maybe that was sleepless nights and stress messing with her, but she didn’t think so. “I didn’t even think that was possible.”

“We don’t know that it is.” Mateo shot Verlaine a dirty look; she responded by shrugging, like, Just saying. “Listen. Your mother can’t have traded you to the One Beneath. If she had, He’d already have you. Instead Elizabeth keeps trying to get you to join her. So you can’t belong to Him.”

She clutched at that fragile hope. “You really think so?”

“Yeah. I do.” Mateo’s hand tightened around hers, and Nadia managed a smile for him.

Verlaine just said, “Wait. How are you going to confront your mother? She’s nowhere near here.”

“I’m going to have to get out of town.”

Mateo gave her a look. “You noticed the quarantine around the town, right?”

“Okay, yeah, that makes it harder, but still—I have to do it,” Nadia insisted.

“I thought you didn’t even know where she was,” Verlaine said.

“I didn’t. But after Elizabeth said that—I kinda went through my dad’s stuff. Got an address. She’s still in Chicago, actually. Twenty minutes from where we used to live.”

“Which brings us back to where you’re trying to get out of a town under quarantine.” Mateo’s eyes shifted sideways, toward the nearest set of medics from the CDC; they’d worked their way to a table not far off.

“I’m a witch. I have ways around barricades.”

“Yeah, but after the barricades, you have to travel all the way to Providence, get on a plane, get a hotel room in Chicago, all of that. You’re going to need cash. Do you have a credit card?”

“Oh. Right.” Magic couldn’t solve every problem. “No credit cards—Dad won’t let me get one until college. I have a few hundred bucks in my checking account.”

“Won’t be enough,” Verlaine said. “I can swing you some, though, no worries.”

“Me too. Dad pays me the same as any other server.” Mateo took a deep breath, as though preparing himself for a needle stick or something else that would hurt. “Don’t worry. We can do it.”

It was too much. Nadia hadn’t realized how fragile her hold on her emotions was until that moment, when her throat choked up and her hands started to shake.

Verlaine leaned closer to her. “Hey. Are you okay?”

“I don’t deserve you guys.”

Mateo’s fingers closed around hers. His touch anchored her again, as though she could once more feel the ground beneath her.

Verlaine said, “Well, no kidding. We are pretty awesome.”

At least she could still laugh.