8

STRANGER FORESTS

Lux ran back and forth between Henry’s and Cassandra’s rooms, searching for someone to play ball with. In the end he wound up playing by himself, letting the ball drop and bounce and chasing it down with stomping paws. The sound of dog toenails skittering across the bathroom tile was so loud it broke through the music in Henry’s headphones.

He leaned back from his desk and called the dog. Lux was restless. So was he. Cassandra had been gone for three days already, and the house felt empty. Especially since no one else knew she was gone. He’d told their parents she was at Athena’s, keeping her company until Hermes got back from having treatments in Arizona. They kept asking how Athena was, and how she was doing. Their mom talked about the whole thing like a girly sleepover.

Lux put his head on Henry’s leg and chewed his soggy tennis ball, hoping to have it thrown. It was so much better when people did it.

“This is nasty,” Henry said. “Where’s your tug rope?”

Lux whined and rolled the ball into Henry’s lap. Despite the plea in the dog’s brown eyes, he had no time to play. A half-finished history paper glowed on his laptop, due fourth period. His phone buzzed on the desk, and Lux snatched his ball back and whined.

It was Andie.

“Hey,” he said. “What’s up?”

“Nothing, I guess, from the tone of your voice.”

“Yeah. I haven’t heard anything. I didn’t really expect to.”

“Me neither.” The line went quiet for a few seconds. “Maybe we shouldn’t have let her go. So far, and so cut off from everything.”

“Like we had a choice? She dragged Cassandra out of here. And she said she’d take care of everything.”

“She has a name,” Andie said. “And that doesn’t really make me feel better. I can’t focus on anything. I can’t sit still.” She paused again. “Do you … want to hang out or something?”

Henry looked at his unfinished paper and closed the laptop.

“Sure.”

“Good. Because I’m just pulling into your driveway.”

Henry leaned over his desk and looked out the window. Andie’s silver Saturn flashed in the sunlight.

“Park behind the Mustang,” he said. “My parents took the Jeep to the movies.”

Andie chuckled. “Aww, that’s cute. Was it a drive-in? Think they’ll go parking after and make out in the backseat?”

“Why don’t you just turn around and go home,” Henry said.

Andie scoffed and hung up on him. Lux could barely contain himself, watching her approach through the window. When the front door opened he almost knocked Henry off his chair in his haste to get to the entryway.

“Lux, calm down,” Andie said, then shouted, “Your dog’s trying to kill me!” Moments later, she slung herself into his doorway, cheeks flushed from the cold and from wrestling her way up the stairs. “Whatcha doing?”

“Homework.” Henry jerked his head toward his shut laptop.

“Oh. It’s a good thing I called, then.”

Henry snorted.

“So, what do you want to do?” he asked. “We could watch a movie.”

Andie’s eyes glittered. “Gave you ideas about making out, did I?”

“Shut up.” He swiveled in his chair and unplugged his computer.

“I don’t think I could sit through a movie. All week I’ve felt like I should be doing something. Can’t we do something that’ll help me work off this jittery energy?”

Since they’d learned of their shared, married past, Andie never missed a chance to be a smartass about it. Asking if he knew how she could work off jittery energy was the perfect opportunity to get her back. Or get her on her back. Henry closed his eyes and rubbed them hard. She was his kid sister’s best friend, and she was annoying. What was wrong with him?

“What’d you have in mind?” he asked.

Andie searched the room for an answer, settling on the dog. “It’s not bad out. We could go for a walk. Throw the ball for Lux a little. Back through the woods?”

*   *   *

They were here. They are here. Somewhere. I can feel them.

Athena paused in the jungle. She felt them, but what was she feeling? Not their heartbeats. She couldn’t hear their footsteps or sense the weight of their thoughts. Hermes’ presence registered as a dull flicker in her chest, barely strong enough to home in on. They were still too far away.

Or they were dead, and what she felt was the ebb of a bloody ramshackle of bones and not much flesh.