“He adores them, too,” Carina said. “And I am rather enjoying this quiet morning.”
“It’ll be even quieter when the Quillens are gone,” said Aaron. “Alex is going to start expanding the magical world soon.”
“I was at the meeting,” Carina said.
“Of course,” said Aaron, feeling awkward. “Sorry I didn’t see you.”
If Carina noticed Aaron’s awkwardness, she didn’t indicate it. “I would imagine the Wanteds and Necessaries can’t wait to go home,” she mused.
Aaron nodded. He understood the feeling.
Seth started to pile and pack sand into a large mound. Thisbe waited until he was almost done and pushed it over. But Seth didn’t get mad; he just started building it up again. Fifer played quietly by herself, singing a nonsensical made-up song.
“I guess she’s like me,” Aaron said, more to himself than to Carina. He looked up. “Thisbe, I mean. The one in red.” Suddenly he felt strange for saying it, as if he were admitting something that made him very vulnerable. He still had a hard time with that, especially with people he didn’t know well. Perhaps he always would.
Carina smiled. “Can you see their personalities emerging?”
“Yes. It’s interesting. They’re quite different from each other once you get to know them,” Aaron said. “Thisbe plays hard and sleeps hard. She puts all her energy into everything she does—see?” He pointed as she knocked Seth’s sand tower down again with her whole body, landing on the boy. Seth fell back, surprised, and laughed with Thisbe when she laughed. They got to their feet.
“Again?” Seth said to her.
“Again,” Thisbe agreed. Seth started piling sand.
“And Fifer,” Aaron said, shaking his head. “She’s very gentle and . . . I don’t know. Intensely musical, and thoughtful, I guess. Can a two-year-old be thoughtful?”
“I think so,” Carina said. “Seth is that way too.”
“Yet he puts up with Thisbe’s games so well.”
Carina nodded. “And the girls love each other, don’t they? They seem inseparable.”
“They are,” Aaron said, thinking about so much more than just his sisters. “They’re best friends. They couldn’t live without each other.”
Carina sipped her drink and watched the kids quietly. “You know,” she said after a while, “I used to think that twins were trouble. Marcus and Justine. You and Alex.” She swung her head to give Aaron a look of raw honesty. “Because it was really difficult with you for a long time, you know?”
“Of course.” Aaron dropped his gaze. “I know.”
“But you’re proving that it doesn’t have to be that way,” said Carina. “You’re showing your sisters something important, I think.”
Aaron pursed his lips. He hadn’t thought about that before. “Somebody wise told me that just because Alex was good, that didn’t mean I had to be bad in order to be distinct from him. I could be a different kind of good.”
“The man from the Island of Shipwrecks?” asked Carina.
“Yes.” A spear of longing passed through Aaron. He looked left, to the east, as if that would bring Ishibashi’s island closer. But then he turned his gaze back to the girls, his face clouding over. He’d miss them. A lot. “Once we have the Wanteds and Necessaries settled, I guess I’ll be free to go back there.”
“Is that what you want to do?”
“It doesn’t really matter what I want,” Aaron said. “It was part of the deal. Alex found me, brought me here, and I did my job. I was never meant to stay.”
Carina reached out, putting her hand over Aaron’s, and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Thank you for helping us,” she said. “You’re an incredible mage—I have no idea how you were able to do so much without training. And I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m very glad you came back. At least for a little while. If you decide to stay, well, I certainly wouldn’t mind. You’re all right, Aaron.”
Aaron stared at her hand on his. He wondered if he’d ever get used to people being kind to him.
? ? ? ?
Later, when Aaron was alone and thinking about the responsibilities he had to attend to here on this island before he could leave, he found his mind turning to Panther. He went inside the mansion, past Simber and Florence, whose broken leg was restored. He climbed the stairs to the balcony and slipped down the not-even-a-faint-secret of a hallway. He went past all the doors, not knowing where some of them led, and into the kitchenette.
He stood for a moment in front of the tube, feeling guilty. One thing he hadn’t told anyone about was his past visits to the jungle. He’d tell his brother eventually. He had to, so Alex could take care of the creatures once Aaron was gone. But he knew that when that happened, he’d have to confess to the rock and to Panther that he’d been lying to them. He’d have to tell them that he wasn’t Alex.