Rubbing my hands on my pants, I work up a smile, but Kaz speaks before I can. “Maybe we should talk about this somewhere a little more private.”
Eyes wide, Rafe nods, and the three of us slip outside and head toward a secluded bench a little beyond the tree line. Rafe sinks down onto it, gripping the edge and looking up at us through his shaggy hair. His lips press together in a thin line. I’ll definitely be editing the details I found out from Karen about his parents.
When Kaz gives me another nod, I crack my knuckles with a thumb and choose my words as wisely as I can. “Your dad had your remains cremated and took them home in a special urn he made. A woman who works at the funeral home said he wanted to honor you in his own way.”
Tears immediately fill Rafe’s eyes and he rubs the back of his neck. He opens, then closes his mouth again. It takes a few more tries for him to find his voice. When he finally does, he stares off into the woods as he speaks.
“My dad…” He sniffs and drops his head.
I sink next to him, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.
Rafe takes a heavy breath. “I think I know where he might have taken it.” He looks from me to Kaz. “I need to talk to him.”
“You do,” Kaz says. “Though maybe not tonight.”
Rafe runs the back of a hand over his face. “Definitely tonight. It’s not that late and he’s a night owl. And I can almost guarantee he’ll be alone.”
“I can go with him,” I say, giving Rafe’s shoulder a squeeze. “With my mad skills I can protect him in case we get into trouble.”
Arms crossed, Kaz paces a few feet away from the bench, then turns back to us. “Let’s clear it with Mr. Qureshi first.”
“That’s fair,” Rafe says. “Thanks.”
He laces his fingers through mine and I ignore the pinch of guilt as we follow Kaz to the front of Locklear. No matter what, Rafe needs me right now. There is absolutely no valid reason to throw any extra stress his way. Even Landon couldn’t possibly fault me for doing this.
When we reach the front, the main doors bang open seconds before we reach Mr. Qureshi’s office. Theo stumbles in, his shirt torn, blood dripping from various cuts all over his body. Kaz, Rafe, and I all scramble for him at the same time. The boys catch him under the arms and help him limp to the bench in the lobby.
Theo gasps, his massive chest heaving, skin a few shades paler than I remember. “Ran into a little trouble.”
“Sounds like an understatement,” Rafe says.
Head swimming, I crouch in front of him. “What happened?”
“Xers. Been hiding out from them for almost a week. Had to make sure they’d lost my trail before I came here.” Theo leans the back of his head against the wall.
“I’ll get one of the Healers,” Kaz says, slipping down the hall.
Rafe rocks back and forth on his feet. He has to be antsy to leave, to speak to his dad and find out what happened to his ashes. I hate that this is delaying his mission. Maybe whatever Theo has to tell us won’t be super pressing and we can take care of it after I help Rafe.
Ms. Alvarez zips down the hall seconds later and takes Theo by the shoulders. “Tsk. Such a mess. Come now. I’ll get you fixed up.”
Theo allows himself to be guided to his feet, but touches my arm before he’s dragged away. “I think I found the home you shared with your brother and sister…” His speech disintegrates into mumbles like he’s fading out of consciousness and he stumbles a little.
Ms. Alvarez keeps him steady, directing him toward the Healer ward without a word about this massive piece of information. I watch them disappear through the door with my mouth hanging open and my brain whirring until someone places a hand on my back. Looking up, I meet Rafe’s eyes and my stomach clenches.
“Go with him,” Rafe says. “I have some idea of where my body is, but you’ve got nothing. This is more important.”
It’s my turn to fight off tears. Everything in me strains to run after Theo and find out whatever it is that he’s discovered. Visiting my childhood home could trigger a massive life flash that fills in so many details I’m missing about myself, could even lead me to my sister.
But I already promised Rafe I would help him, and I’m not going back on that just because there is a small chance I could possibly explore a house I might have lived in. One the Xers might know about and be watching.
I cross my arms. “None of that more important nonsense. Theo needs time to recover before he can tell me much anyway. You heard all that mumbling. Let’s deal with your dad first.”
Rafe’s lips twist to one side. “Are you sure?”
Lifting my chin, I smile and stuff all my anxiety into a ball in my stomach. “Absolutely. Let’s go talk to Mr. Qureshi.”
“Okay, but before we leave we can talk to Theo too. If he’s awake enough. Maybe we can strategize.”
Warmth flushes my chest at his megawatt smile. I lace my fingers through his, then tug him toward the headmaster’s office.
After only a little resistance from Mr. Qureshi and a glowing recommendation from Kaz about my work at the funeral home, Rafe and I head to Blacksburg. Theo hangs out at the back of my mind. We land in the exact same spot we did together before, but my brain tugs back to Locklear and the injured witch in the Healer ward. Before we left, he provided a few disconnected details, still half-conscious after the trauma he’d been through.
Mostly what I found out was that he’d gotten attacked outside of Dallas and spent the better part of three weeks zigzagging across multiple
