But everyone has a part to play, and this is mine. Your dad is going to have a little accident tonight. Just like your mom did.”
“What did you say?” I knew Link was talking, but I couldn’t hear his voice. I couldn’t hear anything but what she had just said, replaying over and over in my head.
Just like your mom did.
“Did you kill my mother?” I started advancing. I didn’t care what kind of powers she had. If she killed my mother…
“Settle down, big boy. It wasn’t me. That was a little before my time.”
“Ethan, what the hell’s goin’ on?” Link was beside me.
“She’s not what she seems, man. She’s…” I didn’t know how to explain it so Link would understand.
“She’s a Siren. It’s like a witch. And she’s been controlling you just like she’s controlling my dad right now.”
Link started to laugh. “A witch. You’re losin’ it, man.”
I didn’t take my eyes off Ridley. She smiled and ran her fingers through Link’s hair. “Come on baby, you know you love a bad girl.”
I had no idea what she was capable of, but after her little demonstration at Ravenwood, I knew she could kill any one of us. I should never have treated her like she was just some harmless party girl. I was in over my head. I was only just beginning to realize how far.
Link looked from her to me. He didn’t know what to believe.
“I’m not kidding, Link. I should have told you sooner, but I swear I’m telling the truth. Why else would she be trying to kill my father?”
Link started to pace. He didn’t believe me. He probably thought I was going crazy. It sounded crazy to me, even as I was saying it. “Ridley, is that true? Have you been usin’ some kinda power on me this whole time?”
“If you want to split hairs.”
My dad let go of the railing with one hand. He extended his arm like he was trying to balance on a tightrope.
“Dad, don’t do it!”
“Rid, don’t do this.” Link was walking toward her, slowly. I could hear the chain from his wallet jingling.
“Didn’t you hear what your friend said? I’m a witch. A bad one.” She took off her shades, revealing those golden feline eyes. I could hear Link’s breath catch in his throat, as if he was really seeing her for the first time. But only for a second.
“Maybe you are, but you aren’t all bad. I know that. We’ve spent time together. We’ve shared things.”
“That was part of the plan, Hot Rod. I needed an in, so I could stay close to Lena.”
Link’s face dropped. Whatever Ridley had done to him, whatever she had Cast, his feelings for her were bigger than that. “So it was all crap? I don’t believe you.”
“Believe what you want, it’s the truth. As close to the truth as I’m capable of, anyway.”
I watched my dad shift his weight, his free arm still stretched outward, swaying up and down. It seemed like he was trying to test his wings, to see if he could fly. A few feet away, an artillery shell hit the ground outside and a spray of dirt burst into the air.
“What about everything you told me about you and Lena growin’ up together? How you two were like sisters? Why would you want to hurt her?” Something passed across her face. I wasn’t sure, but it almost looked like regret. Was that possible?
“It’s not up to me. I’m not the one calling the shots. Like I said, this is my job. Get Ethan away from Lena. I’ve got nothing against this old guy, but his mind is weak. You know, one biscuit short of a picnic.” She licked her lollipop. “He was just an easy target.”
Get Ethan away from Lena.
This whole thing was a diversion to separate us. I could hear Arelia’s voice as clearly as if she was still kneeling over me.
It’s not the house that protects her. No Caster can come between them.
How could I have been so stupid? It wasn’t a question of whether or not I had some kind of power. It was never about me. It was about us.
The power was what was between us, what had always been between us. Finding each other on Route 9
in the rain. Turning the same way at the fork in the road. It didn’t take a Binding Cast to keep us together. Now that they had managed to separate us, I was powerless. And Lena was alone, on the night she needed me with her the most.
I couldn’t think clearly. I was out of time, and I wasn’t going to lose one more person I loved. I ran toward my dad, and even though it was just a few feet, it felt like I was running through quicksand. I saw Ridley step forward, her hair twisting in the wind like Medusa’s whole head of snakes.
I saw Link step forward and grab her shoulder. “Rid, don’t do it.”
For a split second, I had no idea what was going to happen. I saw everything in slow motion.
My dad turned to look back at me.
I saw him start to let go of the railing.
I saw Ridley’s pink and blond strands twisting.
And I saw Link standing in front of her, staring into those golden eyes, whispering something I couldn’t hear. She looked at Link, and without another word, her lollipop went sailing over the railing.