Page 24 of A Liar's Twisted Tongue

“Want some?” She holds both intoxicants up.

“Sure.”

“So, have you smoked before or not? I don’t have any guesses, seeing as I’ve never been to Utul,” she sings her last words with a smile.

“I have not,” I say and copy her movements when she hands me the joint. “What’d you mean earlier? About sharing a room with Calista?” I ask and hand her the joint.

“It’s my job to watch her.”She shrugs. “I’m her advisor.”

“Is she really that difficult?” I say with a small chuckle.

“Her parents think so.” She takes a drag from her joint. “But no, she’s not that bad. She’s almost all talk. So, what were you doing out here?”

“My mom was taken,” I say, thinking on my feet. “I think whoever took her brought her to the septic, but Headmistress Constance won’t do anything about it.” I lean into her and whisper, “I think they’re scared of the septic folk, but I’m not, not if I can get my mom.” I take a glance at Kai. “I was going to channel some of his powers to open a portal there.”

“Okay,” she says.

“Okay?”

“I’ll do Kai’s job. Channel me.” She holds out both her hands to me.

“Really?” I ask, playing the part of the grateful disbeliever. When I don’t come back she’ll be worried, probably think someone took me, might even go to the headmistress unless she’s scared of the consequences. “Thank you!” I squeal and take her hands. She says something, but I don’t hear her over the rush of her power. I have to shake myself out like a corenth after a bath as it flows into me. I visualize home, the mirror I left through, and then I touch my hand to my reflection in the water.

A piece of the river turns black, then into my dwelling. I’ve done it. I’ve accomplished my biggest goal. I’m getting my life back. I jump through before Aralia can see where it’s taking me.

I come through the mirror dry and I call for my mom again and again before I take in the state of the dwelling. Our clothes on the floor, the only clay flower vase we’ve ever owned shattered on the ground. Holes in the orange clay walls. No one home. I run out, run through the little village, run through my home, right to Damien’s house. I slam against the door, pounding over and over. Janice answers and wraps her arms around me.

“Des?” she says, and I hear tears in her eyes. “You’re alive.”

“Why wouldn’t I be alive?” The words spill from my mouth.

She rips her hands away from me, holding onto both my shoulders, her dark brown hair tangled around her and stray pieces stuck in her mouth.

“Des?” he says, his voice filled with emotion I’ve only heard from him when we talked about his dad. Damien runs to me and Janice steps out of the way. His arms wrap around my waist and he’s twirling me around in the small entrance of his dwelling. His head is burrowed between my shoulder and neck, and I can feel his breath trickling down me.

I’m home.

I’m home, I’m home, I’m home. So where is my mom?

I catch my breath and regain my dizzy composure when he puts me down. I look back at Janice. “Why wouldn’t I be alive?”

“Oh, honey,” she says. “There was a corenth attack in your dwelling. We thought it took you both.”

“What do you mean you thought it took us both?”

Damien is looking at me like I am some fragile, foreign thing. Like I’m the glass we were never allowed to keep, and I want to scream.

“Where is my mom?” I ask.

Janice’s bottom lip quivers and she takes a step back. It’s Damien who steps forward and says, “She’s gone, Des.”

My breath hitches, and then it stops entirely. Like the air is being sucked from my lungs.

“What do you mean she’s gone?” No one says a thing. “Was there a body?”

“Des—” Damien begins, but I don’t let him finish.

“Was. There. A. Body?”

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