“Yeah, he’s pretty good,” I lied, but I wasn’t that hungry anymore. My stomach had tightened, and I was amazed that I could even force a smile at them both. “Come on. Let’s get some food.”
Rhys thought that talking nonstop would make up for his small blunder, and neither Matt nor I contradicted him. We walked down to the kitchen, with Duncan tagging along as soon as we’d left Matt’s room.
Duncan’s constant presence irritated me far more than Finn’s ever had, even though Duncan hadn’t really done anything. Maybe it was simply because he was there and Finn wasn’t.
I pulled up a stool at the kitchen counter and watched Matt and Rhys interact. Rhys kept playing up his cooking skills, but once Matt saw him in action, he realized that he’d better take the lead. I propped my chin up on my hand, feeling all sorts of conflicting emotions as they talked and laughed and teased each other.
Part of me was thrilled that they got to have each other in their lives, the way they should’ve from the beginning. Depriving Rhys of a wonderful big brother like Matt had been a very cruel side effect of the changeling process.
But part of me couldn’t help but feel like I was losing my brother.
“Do you mind if I have a water?” Duncan asked, pulling me from my thoughts.
“Why would I care if you had a water?” I looked at him like he was an idiot, but he didn’t notice. Or maybe he got it so often, he thought that was just how people looked at him.
“I don’t know. Some Trylle don’t like when trackers use their stuff.” Duncan went over to the fridge to get a bottled water, while Matt attempted to teach Rhys how to flip blueberry flapjacks.
“Well, how do you eat and drink if you don’t use their stuff?” I asked Duncan.
“Buy our own.” With the fridge still open, Duncan held a water toward me. “Do you want one?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, sure.” He walked over and handed it to me. “You’ve been doing this for a long time?”
“Almost twelve years, I think.” Duncan unscrewed his bottle and took a long drink. “Wow. It’s weird it’s been that long.”
“Are you really the best they have?” I asked, trying to keep the skepticism out of my voice.
He seemed a little too amazed by Matt’s ability to make pancakes. He didn’t exude any of the confidence or formality that Finn had, but then again, it was probably better for him to be as different from Finn as possible.
“No,” Duncan admitted, and if my question shamed him, he didn’t show it. He just played with his bottle cap. “But I’m pretty close. My appearance is deceiving, but that’s part of why I’m good. People underestimate me.”
Something about the way he said that made me flash on to Scream. Maybe Duncan had a bit of that clumsy, unassuming boyish charm.
“Did anybody ever tell you that you remind them of Deputy Dewey from the Scream movies?” I asked.
“You mean David Arquette?” Duncan asked. “But I’m better-looking, right?”
I nodded. “Oh, yeah, definitely.” I could never see myself being attracted to him, but he was kinda foxy. In his own way.
Rhys swore as a flapjack landed on the floor with a splat. Matt patiently tried to explain what he’d done wrong and how to correct it, using the same tone of voice he’d used to teach me how to tie my shoes, ride a bike, and drive a car. It was so strange seeing him be the older brother to somebody else.
“Wendy!” Willa shouted from behind me, and I’d barely turned around when she came running over. She threw her arms around me, shocking me with a fierce hug. “I’m so glad you’re all right!”
“Um, thanks,” I said, untangling myself from her hug.
Willa Strom was a few years older than me, and the only Trylle other than Finn who actually called me “Wendy” instead of “Princess,” so I guess that made us friends. Her father, Garrett, was Elora’s only friend, and Willa had been insanely helpful and kind after Finn left the first time. Without her, the christening ceremony would’ve been a disaster even before the Vittra broke in.
“My dad was telling me that the Vittra had kidnapped you, and nobody knew for sure what was going on.” Willa could be snobby, but the concern on her face was sincere. “I rushed over here as soon as I heard you were back. I’m so glad you’re here.”
“Yeah, me too,” I said, but I wasn’t sure if that was true or not.
“Duncan?” Willa looked at him, as if noticing he was here for the first time. “You’ve got to be kidding me. There is no way Elora would let you be her tracker.”
“See? Underrated.” Duncan smiled. He seemed to take some pride in it, so I let him have it.
“Oh, my god. I’m gonna talk to my dad.” Willa shook her head, tucking her perfectly tamed light-brown waves of hair behind her ears. “There’s no way he can do this.”