Page 47 of What did you do?

“Calypso, please. I’m certain you have a thousand questions. Please let me stay with you,” Eli said, grabbing hold of my arms.

“I have all the answers I need,” I bit out.

“Remember, no one but Eli, myself, and our mother knows you are Artemi. Do not tell a soul, or you put your life at risk,which means you put my brother’s life at risk. The three of us in this room right now are the onlyones that know about the tie. Keep your mouth shut,” Tarani snarled as she turned and walked out of the door.

“When you are ready to talk, I will be here for you with answers and a trip to town for lots of books,” Eli said. “If you are open to a longer trip, we could also go to the town of books in Parable? That might be safest once your heart is whole though.”

The town of books?

“You are undetectable as Artemi to other fae without your whole heart. Mother must have taken the part with most of your powers. It keeps you safe, Caly. And you were the one who freely gave it to her. How long has Mother known you are Artemi?” he asked gently.

“Queen Saracen has known I was Artemi since the first day she saw me,” I stated.

“I wish you would have been able to tell me who you really are. It could have made this so much easier for you,” Eli replied softly.

“I know,” I said, nodding slowly before closing the door and sliding to the ground.

13

THE PAST

Calypso

The stars sparkled over our heads like magic dust sprinkled through the black sky. It was a warm summer night, but the heat had receded, leaving the perfect temperature. I loved nights like these.

“I need to go. I was supposed to be back in Seelie this morning. Mom’s going to be mad at me again,” Eli said from his side of the blanket.

Frustration tensed my body, and it took everything not to grab our blanket and pillow pile and throw them off the roof, where we stargazed. I realized then just how much I liked him. My jaw tightened and my fists balled as I laid there.

When Saracen started bringing Eli around, everything had changed. I wanted to hate him so bad. I hated all of them.

I wanted Mom and Adrianna back.

My nails dug into the skin of my palms, taking away some of the anger. I was trying so hard to hold my anger in, but most days it felt impossible.

“Things worth having are things worth waiting for,” I whispered.

“What?” Eli asked, leaning up on his elbow.

“Nothing. It’s this thing my mom used to say to Adrianna and me all the time. Why can’t you just stay a bit longer? My science teacher told me there is supposed to be a meteor shower tonight.”

“I’ll be back the day after tomorrow so we can try out the new crawfish traps in the stream. Don’t put them in without me, okay?” the boy said as he folded up his share of the blankets. He stacked them neatly by the attic window we crawled in and out of.

“Okay, tell Saracen I said hi,” I grumbled in response.

He didn’t bother going back inside my house, instead climbing down the trellis against the back of the house before jumping to the ground with a grace I wished I possessed.

He turned back around at the edge of the forest and waved goodbye.

I could never do anything to hurt him.

Which was really saying something, because I wanted to hurt everything else right then.

Ever since Mom and Adrianna died, it had been like something inside of me had snapped into a million pieces. I wanted everyone else to hurt as much as I did—and they would.

I decided right then and there that Eli couldn’t be part of the plan. He just couldn’t. Maybe that made me weak, but he was the only person I’d wanted to be around since Mom and Adrianna had left me. Not only did I want to be around him, but I couldn’t stop thinking about him. He was so cute. I knew he only thought about me like a friend—and that was okay.

I laid back down on the blanket with my hands behind my head.

---