Page 15 of Dead Wrong

“Not yet,” I replied, pausing as my eye was drawn to a particularly beautiful rose—a deep and sultry orange. A bumblebee hovered over the open bud, its body covered in yellow specs of pollen. I watched, transfixed, as it disappeared, only for a moment, into the petals, then resurfaced, perching atop the edge of the flower. It watched me, too, with large bulbous eyes staring up at me like it knew I didn’t belong there.

Then again, perhaps that was a bit much to infer from an insect.

With a gentle buzz, the bee took flight, circling me lazily before changing trajectory upward and becoming a streak across the sky. As I watched it go, a sudden chill settled around me. The bee illuminated, bursting to life as a pinprick of light across the now-darkened sky. The sun had fallen impossibly fast, and the garden had come to life around me with lamps of swirling green fire suspended over the paved walkways. The bee flashed again, and I realized that it wasn’t a bee at all but a glowing firefly dancing on the gentle night breeze. There were more of them now, fluttering between the rows of flora and shedding their candescence across the ground below, each a burning star against the backdrop of deep purples and blues.

The fireflies weren’t the only thing to move amongst the darkness. Figures draped in clothing made from shadows stalked around me, drifting on soundless steps as they went, seemingly undisturbed by my presence.

“What’s going on here?” I asked, turning to where I expected to see Bastien, only the sidewalk was empty. Lorelei had vanished, too, which did little to quell the panic rising in my chest.

“Hello? Can anyone hear me?”

The shadows paid me no mind, continuing on their way without hesitation. One drew near, but when I reached for it, whispers brushed against my mind, soft as a caress but unintelligible.

I spun in place, grasping for anything recognizable. If I could get back to the gate, perhaps I could find the others. But dusk had robbed me of my bearings, and even though I was certain I was heading in the correct direction, it didn’t take me long to become lost among the winding paths.

My thoughts raced. Had my mind fractured, like Bastien warned? Had I been sent into the shadows of madness?

Panic swelled in my gut.

“Come along, Tobi! Mother is going to mount my head if I keep her waiting any longer.”

The words shredded through the shadows around me, coming from another figure that moved in the distance. Where all of the others had been ghostly apparitions, this one was an ethereal being haloed in golden light. As she approached, she smiled at me, hesitating long enough for recognition to kick in.

“Lenny?” I choked on her name.

She snatched my hand, dragging me alongside her. Her lavender dress billowed out from her waist—an antiquated silhouette popular amongst the Adored—with layers of ruffled fabric lending her the illusion of a physical presence far larger than reality.

As she pulled, I felt my body snap into place—as if something orsomeonewere controlling it—and I followed her lead, clutching her arm.

“Let her squawk.” My lips moved along to the words. “Her days of tyranny are nearly over. What can she do now?”

Lynette weaved us through the faceless crowds, squaring us on the path up to the looming stone building at the top of the hill. The windows glowed with an inviting, soft amber light. “Just because she’s giving up her title doesn’t mean she can’t still make our lives a living hell, Tobi.”

My lips moved again, my voice sounding like it was coming from somewhere behind me in a fashion most disorienting. “And how would that be any different from the last twenty-some-odd years?”

Lynette looked back at me, her blood-red painted lips spreading wide. But something touched her eyes then. Melancholia appeared like a stranger in the dark, then slipped away as she turned from me, the mask of her smile firmly in place once more.

“It won’t be that way much longer, Tobi. I promise.”

Her words struck me like a sour note in a chord. What did she mean by that?

We passed others as Lynette moved us through the garden, weaving our way towards the observatory. Shadowy figures went by, illuminated briefly by the shimmering golden light that radiated from us. As the light washed over their features, they came into sharp detail, and it took me only a few moments to put things into place.

This was my memory from the night Lynette disappeared. The shadows hid the details I couldn’t recall—the faces of those I didn’t interact with or objects that didn’t capture my attention. But the golden light brought illumination—both literal and figurative—to all of the details Ididremember.

How clever of my fractured mind to lay things out so cinematically.

“You’ll never guess who decided to show their arse at the bar earlier,” my lips continued to move while my body dodged a floating silver tray of hors d’oeuvres. My hand snatched one of the puffed pastries as they went by. “And after everything I did to show them a splendid time last fall?—”

A strong grip on my shoulder yanked me backward, and I was blinded by a sudden flash of light. I raised my arm to shield my eyes.

“Tobias!”

I blinked, Bastien’s features seeping through the brightness that assaulted my senses. He was panting, a droplet of sweat beaded on his dusky brow. Gone were the murmuring voices of the faceless shadows, the shapeless figures, and Lynette. I was standing in the sunlit garden once more, the memory of that night fading with each second, sifting through my grasp like the details of a dream.

“What happened?” I asked, still regaining my bearings from the whiplash of the changing scenery. “How did I get back?”

“Back?” Bastien repeated, his brow furrowing. “What are you talking about?”

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