The Truth Will Set You Free-or Break Your Heart
I pulled Jack behind me, tripping down the stairs and barely able to see through my tears. I needed to get away from here, now.
"What happened?" he asked, frowning as he tried to open a door in the wall. "Did he hurt you?"
I shook my head, unable and unwilling to talk about it. People passed us on their way to the bathroom, but I didn't care about hiding the door to protect their precious little worldviews. Why should they get to lead happy, innocent, clueless lives? The world was a monstrous place. A monstrous place I had no place in.
Finally light traced a door into the wall. "Home?" he asked.
I squeezed his hand, closing my eyes against the claustrophobic dark of the Paths and not opening them until we walked through to my tiny room.
"Evie!" Lend jumped up from my bed, his face creased with worry. "Where have you been? Arianna called about the letter, said you didn't come home last night, and when I came, I found this"-he held up my iron necklace that I had left lying in the middle of the floor-"and I thought, I was so scared that Reth had-"
He stopped, looking from me to Jack, who was still holding my hand.
"You were with him?" Lend's face shifted and he swore softly. "I thought you were hurt or kidnapped. I've been calling everyone my dad knows, sick with worry. And you've been with him the whole time. Why? What were you doing that was so important you couldn't even call? And why didn't you come to me first when you found out about Georgetown?"
I shook my head, tears streaming down my face. "I couldn't, I-"
"You could tell him but not me? You promised me, you swore you were done hiding things. You lied." He looked so hurt. I hadn't thought my heart could break any more, but seeing his eyes killed me.
"I couldn't face you! Lend, that was our life-that was everything! And I failed. I didn't get in. I'm not good enough."
He took me by the shoulders, steering me away from Jack. "Evie, there are other options. This sucks, but it's not the end of the world. This doesn't change anything about us. I don't know why you think it would! We've still got the same future."
"No, we don't! We've never had the same future. I've tried my hardest to fix it, but we never will. I'm not-I'm not even human. And you aren't either, so we should quit pretending like this will ever work out."
His face fell. "We've always known we weren't normal. Why does it suddenly matter? So we're paranormal, big deal."
"You don't get it!"
"And he does?" Lend pointed angrily at Jack.
"No! I'm not paranormal, I'm nothing! Just another faerie experiment gone horribly wrong. And we don't have a future together because mine is going to dead-end into oblivion and yours is going to go on forever!"
He froze, his expression shocked. "What are you talking about?"
I closed my eyes. I couldn't stand to look into his face, not now, not ever again. I couldn't have him, and it destroyed whatever was left of my heart. I was stupid to ever think we could be together. So stupid. "You're immortal," I whispered. "Your soul is bright and shining and perfect and eternal. You aren't going to die. Ever."
Lend dropped his hands off my shoulders. I wouldn't open my eyes, couldn't see the look on his beautiful face. "How long have you known?"
"Since prom night. When I was filled with the souls, I could see straight through to yours, and-It doesn't matter. I'm sorry that I didn't tell you. I didn't want to lose you." I laughed bitterly, opening my eyes to stare at the floor. "But that was inevitable, wasn't it?"
"Evie, I-What am I supposed to say to this?"
"You'll figure it out. You've got an eternity to."
His voice was angry, desperate. "But we can still-"
"No!" I finally looked up into his water eyes, those eyes I once hoped held my entire future. His heartbreak mirrored mine. But unlike me, he'd get over it. "We can't. I'm not going to be like your dad, left behind, clinging forever to the one perfect love that could never work! I won't be that person. I love you too much to make you try to stay with me when I know you'll want to move on. You'll have to move on and become whatever it is you're supposed to be. I'm not going to stay here and wait for it to happen."
I turned to Jack, who opened a door in the wall and held out his hand. I took it, unable to resist a final look at Lend.
He took a step back, not meeting my eyes as he silently shook his head.
"It's for the best," I whispered, wishing, desperately hoping that he would disagree with me, stop me, do anything.
He just stood there.
And so I walked into the darkness with Jack.