Fated

shift the balance of everything I’ve worked so hard for, and I couldn’t allow that to happen. Then, when I saw the way Cade looked at you, and the other boys too…”
    “So what changed? You spot me on the cover of a glossy tabloid and decide to give me a chance?” I ask, having no idea where she’s going with this, but hoping she’ll get to it soon. I’ve got a job to do.
    “Yeah.” She nods. “Only not for the reason you think. I mean, even though the cover wasn’t all that flattering, it made me realize just how small my world is. So small I perceive everything new as a threat.” She shakes her head. “I don’t want to be like that. I’d much rather we try to be friends.”
    “Me too,” I say, surprised by how much I mean it. I’ve never had a friend before—not one that lasted for more than a few months anyway. And now between Dace, Xotichl, Auden, and possibly Lita and company—well, that’s pretty much a record. Though I’m guessing it’ll require tolerance, understanding, and, especially in Lita’s case, a whole lot of patience—but I’m willing to try if she is. “But if we’re going to be friends, then you have to believe me when I tell you that I’m not into Cade,” I say. Going one step further when I add, “In fact, I can’t freaking stand him.”
    She shakes her head and laughs, blond polyester curls bouncing on her shoulders, assuming it’s a joke—I couldn’t possibly be serious.
    Her laughter halting when I say, “But you were right about one thing—I am looking for him. Just not for the reason you think.”
    Her face grows dark, her voice suspicious when she says, “Yeah? And what reason might that be?”
    “It’s about his brother.”
    “Dace?” Her eyes widen, the name spoken so loudly Xotichl turns, Crickett and Jacy stare, while Lita slaps a hand over her mouth, shakes her head, and says, “I mean, I guess he’s hot too—but I’ve always thought of him as like a fake Cade. Like a knockoff, poor man’s version of the real thing, you know? But seriously—you’re serious?” She stares hard at me, waiting for the punch line that never comes. Still in a state of disbelief when she says, “Okay, whatever. I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt on this one. Cade’s in his office. As for his twin—it never occurred to me to keep track.”
    I turn, reminding myself to not be annoyed. Like everyone else in this town—well, everyone but Dace, Xotichl, Auden, and a few others—she’s totally brainwashed where the Richters are concerned.
    “Oh, and Daire…” She grabs hold of my arm, her eyes meeting mine, fingers circling my elbow when she says, “If you play me for an idiot, I’m going after you.”
    “I wouldn’t do that.” I yank free of her grip. My tone softening when I add, “Trust me, you have nothing to worry about.”
    “I don’t trust anyone,” she says, her gaze changing until it becomes empty and vacant, leaving me to wonder if Cade’s been harvesting bits of her too.
    I turn to Xotichl, about to tell her I’m taking a walk, when she says, “Wherever you’re going, I’m going with you. But we better hurry; in case you didn’t notice, your mom’s here, and I get the feeling you’d rather avoid her.”

forty-eight
    I follow Xotichl, her glow-in-the-dark skeleton suit making her movements seem odd, almost eerie. And sure enough, it’s not a second later when I spy Jennika across the crowded room. As the only one not wearing a skull mask and costume, she’s easy to spot.
    “This is the only show in town,” Xotichl says, trailing alongside me as I duck around a corner and pause. “It was just a matter of time ’til she showed.” She makes a show of sniffing the air, as she tucks her hand into my jacket’s front pocket, fishing around until she finds the pack of cigarettes I swiped from Leftfoot on my way out the door, and dangles them before me.
    I swipe at the pack, telling her it’s not at all what she thinks, when she tilts her mask high on her head, her gray/blue eyes seeming to find me when she says, “Oh, so you’re not going to use them as an offering for the demons that guard the Rabbit Hole’s vortex?”
    I gape, having no idea what to say.
    “I read energy, Daire. I know all about the vortex.” She shakes her head and frowns. “I know about all the vortexes in this town. I also know that there are some extremely unnatural beings that lurk inside this place, and I’m not just referring to the