When the Sky Fell on Splendor(68)

The four of them blinked at me. I was a stranger, speaking an unfamiliar language. I was a living ghost, standing in their periphery as their problems and fears took center stage.

“What are you talking about?” Arthur said.

“I have to turn myself in. It’s the best way, probably the only way out of this.”

I expected Remy to lie, to say that we weren’t out of options yet, that we hadn’t reached our last resort.

I expected Arthur to argue we couldn’t just turn everything over to the FBI, that we were the ones destined to save the world.

I expected Levi to insist the world deserved the truth and we needed to stick together indefinitely to deliver it.

And I expected Sofía to admit I was right: that turning me in was the only reasonable course of action we could follow, given Remy’s visions of world-ending peril and the total collapse of our plans to prevent those visions from unfolding.

Instead, she looked right at me, heat flaming in her cheeks and sparking in her eyes. “No.”

“No?” A humorless laugh went through me. “What do you mean, no?”

“I mean no.” She took a deep breath. “It’s time for you to accept that you’re not in this alone and to stop acting like we’re just some people from your math class who misspell your name when we sign your yearbook. Nick was right. We all lie and keep secrets, and act like we’re doing one another some big favor by not talking about what’s happened to us in the last five years, but we’re not, and I’m sick of it. You didn’t even tell me about this Black Mailbox guy even after you knew I’d started seeing through your eyes and could bust you.”

I opened my mouth to explain, but she cut me off: “And that’s okay. I forgive you. I know it’s hard for you to trust people.”

My eyes prickled. An uneasiness jostled in my stomach. I started to argue, but she forged on.

“I know you think I’m going to let you down, and I probably should’ve given up on this friendship a long time ago, but I can’t, because I know you too well—even the parts you try not to share—and I love you.

“If we’re going to survive this, we need to stop lying to each other and keeping secrets. I’ll start: It sucks loving someone who doesn’t want to be loved, who won’t let you care about them—who doesn’t even want you to notice or care when they’re hurting.”

Tears brimmed in my eyes, the knot in my chest dangerously loosening, threatening to let my body come apart. I didn’t understand where all this was coming from—what she was saying, what I was feeling. I didn’t understand why I kept picturing the hospital parking lot or why this conversation felt like it was cutting into me, deeper and deeper. “Sofía.”

“No,” she said again, sharply. “Admit it: You didn’t tell us that thing went into you because you were afraid we’d fail you. You’re always afraid we won’t choose you, so you don’t even give us a chance to. But of course I would. Of course we do. You’re my family, Fran.”

“It doesn’t matter now,” I choked out. “There’s nothing you can do. Turning myself in is the only answer.”

Levi shook his head. “No.”

I looked to Remy for support, but he shook his head too. “You already know, Fran. I’d trade this whole stupid town for you.”

“That’s morally indefensible,” Sofía said. “But same.”

I was trembling, barely keeping a lid on the buzz running through me. “What if it’s not the whole town?” I managed. “What if it’s the world?”

“Either way,” Levi said, “we’re going to save it.”

“We’ll find a way,” Remy agreed. “We’ll get through this together.”

I looked to Arthur. He hadn’t moved or spoken. His hazel eyes were narrowed and his mouth pressed closed. There was something uncomfortable, maybe even perplexed, in his expression, and he looked away quickly, running his forearm up his hairline to catch the sweat beading there. He cleared his throat, but his voice still came out thick, sort of overcome. “Thanks,” he said quietly, his eyes darting low across the others. “Thanks for watching out for Fran.”

Sofía rolled her eyes. “Just to be clear, Franny’s my favorite, but I would have the same opinion if it were you with an alien parasite, Arthur.”

“Same,” Remy agreed.

“I don’t play favorites,” Levi mused. “But I would lie to the FBI for any of you, and for Nick.”

“Either way . . .” Arthur didn’t look at them, didn’t look at me. He took a few more seconds to gather himself, nodding. “Thanks.”

I tried to say it too, but I couldn’t. I turned away, trying to discreetly wipe tears off my cheeks. I felt arms come around me and smelled Sofía’s rosewater as she tucked my head under her chin, the itch of the power slowing in my veins. “You’re my sister,” she said.

I closed my eyes tight and nodded into her shoulder until I’d gotten control over myself. I pulled back finally, sniffling, and looked at the ground. “What about Bill? Do I e-mail him back?”

For once, Levi, Arthur, Remy, and Sofía were in complete agreement.

“No way.”