Page 50 of Blood Currents
The joy drained from her face like water from a broken cup.“Tomorrow?But, Mari, it’s Christmas.We have plans…”
“I know.I’m so sorry.I tried to get out of it, but it’s a huge opportunity.”The lies tasted like ash in my mouth.
“For Christmas,” she said quietly.“You’ll be working for Christmas.”
“I’ll make it up to you,” I said desperately.“When I get back, we’ll have our own Christmas.Better than this one.”
Mom was quiet for a long moment, staring at her hands folded in her lap.When she looked up, I saw something in her eyes I’d never seen before—resignation mixed with fear.
“You’re in trouble.Aren’t you?”she said softly.
My breath caught.“Mom—”
“I can see it,” she continued, her voice steady despite the tears beginning to form.“The way you’ve been since you got home.Looking over your shoulder, jumping at sounds.You’re scared, and that terrifies me.”
“I’m not—”
“Don’t lie to me, Mari.”Her voice cracked.“I may not understand what’s happening, but I know my daughter.And I know when she’s in danger.”
“I’m not in danger,” I lied.
“Don’t.”Her voice was sharp.
The truth hung between us, heavy and unspoken.
“I can’t tell you everything,” I said finally.“But I promise I’ll be careful.And I promise I’ll come back.”
“I can’t lose you too,” Mom whispered.“I won’t survive it.”
We held each other on the couch, surrounded by the remnants of the perfect Christmas I’d just destroyed.The cookies we’d eaten, the movie we’d watched, the normalcy I was about to shatter completely.
“I have to go,” I whispered.“People are counting on me.”
“I know,” she whispered back.“You’re just like him.Too good for your own good.”
The next morning came too soon.Mom made breakfast, but neither of us ate much.We moved around each other carefully, both trying to pretend this was just a normal goodbye.
When I finally stood to leave, she hugged me so tightly it almost hurt.
“Be careful,” she whispered against my hair.
“I will,” I lied, the same way I always did.
The December air bit atmy cheeks as I stood on the street corner two blocks from our apartment, my backpack resting at my feet.I’d told Mom I was meeting my study group at the train station—another lie for the growing pile.At least this way she wouldn’t see portal magic tearing open reality outside our building.
The guilt from our goodbye clung to me like a second skin.Her face when I told her I was leaving—the careful smile, the way she’d tried to be strong for me even as fear flickered in her eyes.She knew.Maybe not the details, but she knew I was walking into danger she couldn’t protect me from.Scout shifted under my scarf, his skeletal claws tightening briefly against my collar as if sensing the weight pressing on my chest.
I let myself glance back at the apartment building one last time.The tiny life I’d left behind where I didn’t quite fit anymore.My throat tightened.This was still home, but Wickem had changed me in ways I couldn’t undo.
Silver light shimmered at my side, and Keane stepped through a clean-edged portal, Wisp curled around his shoulders.He looked stronger every day—straighter posture, steady movements, his magic bright and uncorrupted.
“Right on time,” he said softly, scanning the quiet street.Even his voice carried that calm confidence I’d missed when he’d been drowning in corruption.
For a moment, the weight in my chest eased.Keane felt like a steady point in a world that wouldn’t stop spinning, and when his hand closed gently around mine, the warmth of his magic steadied me in a way I hadn’t realized I needed.
But guilt still pressed heavily.Mom’s face rose in my mind—the fear she’d tried so hard to hide.
“Any trouble getting away from the academy?”I asked, hefting my bag onto my shoulder.
