I flop onto the bed when my door slams against the wall. Considering the door had been open, that's a bit excessive.
Rolling over, I spy a seething Bay.
“You went and harassed Zoth? Why? What is your deal, Rosemary? What did he ever do to you? What did I ever do to you?”
I sit up. This is not going to be a good conversation, not at all. “Bay—”
“I have never been anything but supportive of you. Do I think you’re crazy at times? You bet I do. Do I ever think you bite off more than you can chew? Yes. Do I—”
“I don’t eat like a pig,” I protest. “Why are you insulting me?”
"Oh, fire and brimstone! Fuck, you're so naïve at times! It's an expression. You try to do everything by yourself even if it puts you in danger. Do I yell at you for it? Do I try to stop you? No, no, I don't. I let you live your life and make your own mistakes. I—"
"So, you admit that Zoth might be a mistake then?" I pry.
She flies over to me, and although I want to stay sitting, having her loom over me makes me feel tiny and small. That’s ridiculous. We’re the same size. Inhaling deeply, I fly so that we’re staring each other eye-to-eye.
“I admit nothing of the sort,” she snaps, “and if you think you can twist my words around—”
"You don't have to worry about my doing that. I wouldn't do that to you or Zoth, but I wouldn't put it past Zoth."
“Why? Why do you hate him so much? If you had a problem with him, why didn’t you just tell me? Talk to me? Why did you have to go to his house and harass him?”
“I didn’t harass—”
"You came to talk to him as a friend? No. You didn't. You went with an agenda, and I am so sick of this! You pretend to not judge me. You pretend to be on my side. I know you've defended me at times, but was that through gritted teeth? Do you think I'm evil? I’ve made mistakes, yes, but so have you, Rosemary. You aren’t the lightest fairy here, not by a long shot. In fact…” She closes her eyes for a long moment.
“In fact what?” I snap.
“In fact, I think you court danger.”
My nostrils flare. “It’s funny you should say that because Zoth said those exact same words to me.”
“Did he?” she asks coolly. “Then I guess he and I are a lot alike.”
I cross my arms. We’re so close that I bumped her as a result. “Or it means you’ve been talking about me behind my back.”
“Maybe because I’m concerned about you!”
“About me? You’re the one sneaking off to see your demonic boyfriend all the time! How are your—”
“He’s a demon, but he’s not demonic!” she says hotly.
“Oh, is that so?” I ask, my tone as cold as ice. “Because his jokes aren’t funny.”
“You have a terrible sense of humor.”
“That’s mature.”
“You are so infuriating! Why don’t you just admit it, Rosemary? You love me, but you just tolerate me. You love me because we’re sisters, but if we weren’t, you wouldn’t even want to be seen in the same air space as me.”
“That’s not true,” I protest.
“Isn’t it, though? Think. Deep down. You don’t like me.”
“Bay, how can you say that?”
“Oh, don’t act all indignant,” she snaps. “If you would just focus on the truth, you would recognize it. Instead, you’re too caught up in this idea that you have to be perfect.”
“That’s not—”
“You can claim that everything I say isn’t true, but that’s not the truth.”
“I can’t lie!”
“You’re delusional,” she retorts. “You didn’t tell Sage about me because you were afraid he would want me over you. You saw me as a competitor instead of as your sister.”
I say nothing.
“You wanted me to be with Damon before you even knew the guy. Isn’t that right? You thought, hmm, a half-demon. Perfect for Bay. Why? Because I’m dark? Guess what, Rosemary? You’re dark too! You’re contaminated!”
“How am I dark?”
“You’re hurting Sage and Damon! Both of them! You have them on leashes, pulling them close just enough that they think they stand a chance, but you won’t actually give in and pick one. You want to keep them both close, but you won’t let either one of them go. You’re selfish and manipulative and—”
“Stop!”
“What’s wrong? You’re feeling attacked? Good! Because that’s how Zoth and I feel. You attacked us out of nowhere!”
“I didn’t attack you.”
“You went and talked down to Zoth, didn’t you?”
“I talked to him. I wouldn’t say I talked down to him.”
She just glares at me, her own arms crossed.
“I didn’t!”
“You have to stop,” she insists. “Don’t ruin my happiness because you can’t handle a little romance in your life. You need to do what you need to do, and I get that, but you have a bit of a reputation.”
I gape at her. “I do?”
“Yes, and it’s not that you’re the lightest fairy here.” She blows out a breath.
“What are they saying about me?”
Bay shakes her head and back down, even drifting closer to the ground so I’m above her.
“Just tell me!” I plead.
“They’re saying…”
“What?”
“They’re saying you’re darker than I am,” she whispers.
Chapter 15
That’s the end of our conversation, and I try to go to sleep, but I can’t. I toss and turn all night long, and when dawn finally breaks, I snap. I just need to get away from this academy, to get away from all of them—Bay, Damon, and Sage especially but all of the gossiping students here too.
But where can I go? I think frantically as I debate over the gates of the academy before classes start. Not home, for obvious reasons. Besides, I’m hoping that my parents’ treehouse won’t be my
