“I did. From your friends. But they didn’t have a lot of strength to lend, and I didn’t want to weaken you with a borrow, given you were still standing, and I wanted you to be able to fight back, if needed.”
“You weaken those you borrow from?” He nods. “So… you borrowed and still, the bokor won. He put a serious whammy on you,” I say. “Are you honestly alright?”
“Physically? Yes.” He pulls the bike from the trunk and drops its tires to the sidewalk. “Mentally? The verdict is still out. Listen, Belle.” He leans the bike against the side of the car and grabs my arms. “It’s time to be safe and stay clear of that man’s business. What happened the other night is no joke.”
“Yeah.” I drop my head. “I got that message loud and clear.”
“And stay away from anyone who may work with him or Caleb, for that matter. None of them are healthy for you,” he adds.
I nod. “Like that toothy girl who wanted me to deliver that message.”
“Exactly. Avoid that vamp and any talk about Caleb’s boss or soul-generated batteries. I want you to drop it all.” His gaze is stern, and he cuts his hands through the air as if slicing through any ties between me and the subjects mentioned. “Got it?”
“But what of the souls? Doesn’t that mean they’re killing people to access their energy?”
“Not necessarily. But whether they are or aren’t, you aren’t strong enough to take them on so don’t even try.” He straightens and drops his fists on his hips. “That fight is for others of greater strength.”
I suck back a breath. “You know where it is, don’t you?”
“Where what is?” He jerks.
“Where they are stashing all the souls to create their high energy battery.” I cross my arms.
“I don’t.” His shoulders droop. “I only have suspicions, and that alone is enough to be dangerous… for me and for you. So, I recommend we drop the matter.”
“Mike!” I lean forward, sense the sidewalk swaying up to meet me, so I slam my hand upon the car to steady myself. “If you know something and we do nothing, then we are as bad as those who are committing the crime.”
“Are we really, Belle?” He tilts his head. “Does it make us bad people because we want to stay alive, and because we want to keep our loved ones safe and well?”
“I.” My mouth drops open and I stare at him. What if doing the right thing means we might die? “I. I,” I stammer and shake my head. I don’t know how I feel.
“I want you to go inside and rest. You’re still recuperating from the other day.” He jerks his head, motioning to me.
“Hey, you two,” Mom calls from the front door. “Are you going to come in or stand beside the car all day?”
“Fine,” I say and sigh. “I’m giving you a pass for now,” I say to Michael. “But this is not the last time this matter will be discussed.”
“We’ll see,” he replies and grabs my bag from the backseat, hands it to me, then rolls my bike to the backyard. I join my mom inside.
I’m on edge for the rest of the weekend, watching for any sign that there’s something not right with my mom. She now understands everything that happened to her, even the things she doesn’t remember. A long discussion at Grandma’s, followed by a more intimate one with just me and Michael at the Algiers house, got her caught up on pretty much everything. And I do mean, everything. By Monday, she feels confident enough to return to normal living, grocery shopping, laundry, job.
I hate watching her go back to work. I think she should take some time off, but she tells me we can’t afford that, plus she’s on the boss’s bad side, having recently missed so much work without word. “In fact,” she says. “I’m lucky to still have a job.”
I should have called mom’s boss and made some sort of excuse for her after we confined her at Grandma’s and began working to remove Caleb’s influence. All the should-haves are always so much clearer in hindsight.
Returning to school is well… the days roll by at a forever slow pace. I’m listless, irritable, and tired. James and Jeanna are quieter than usual and half of James’s face is a large, painful reminder of our defeat at the hands of the bokor and his men. Something James’s brother is a part of. Our Monday meetup is cancelled, but we agree to gather on Friday for the new moon.
I’m unable to get ahold of Luna on Monday, and so I am left to wonder and speculate. I find myself obsessing over all the things that happened. All the things we did. And all the things we didn’t do but could have. And our kiss. It plays over and over in my thoughts.
Tuesday brings rain and a return call from Luna in the evening.
"Sorry I didn’t call you back yesterday,” she says. “It was beyond crazy. But I think we’re somewhat settled now.”
“How’s your mom doing?” I ask, pulling the phone cord across the room and taking a seat at the table.
“She’s physically better.” There’s a strange hesitancy in Luna’s voice, and my skin tingles. “She’s been acting different, though. Kind of weird.” Luna falls silent for a moment. “Is that normal?”
“Weird in what way?” I ask.
“I don’t know. It’s just, she looks like my mom, and she knows all the things my mom would know, but…” She takes a deep breath. “She just doesn’t feel like my mom, if that makes sense.”
“I get it,” I say and think of the way my mom was when Caleb was controlling her. “Do you want me to come there and help?”
“No. It will be fine. Her sister should be arriving later this evening. She’ll help me,” Luna says, then asks me several questions about my own mom. Our phone conversation ends far too soon with a
