Starcrossed

went there in spirit.”
    “But I was so hungry. So thirsty,” Claire whispered, suddenly terrified.
    She trustingly turned her face into Jason’s neck and he held her close to him. The bond they had forged in the dry lands still tied them to each other, and Helen had a feeling that Jason was reluctant to let it dissolve.
    “Don’t be afraid, we only walked along the edge of it, we never crossed the river and went in. Not even the best Healers can go all the way in and make it out alive,” Jason said reassuringly. He met Helen’s eyes as if to ask her to help him explain.
    “The place you went is just beyond the place you go when you’re sleeping. It’s not something you should be afraid of,” Helen said, putting her hand on Claire’s back and trying to comfort her. “Just think of it as an intense dream if that makes it easier, because that’s what it feels like.”
    “Nightmare is more like it,” Claire said as she pulled her face away from Jason and got ahold of herself.
    “Well, you almost died,” Helen said with a shrug. “That shouldn’t be fun.”
    “Helen?” Daphne asked, comprehension dawning on her face. “How many times have you been to this place you’re talking about?”
    “I’ve lost count,” Helen said softly, shaking her head.
    Daphne stared at her daughter with a hard look on her face. There was a knock on the door. Matt poked his head in sheepishly.
    “Sorry to interrupt,” Matt said with a slight grimace. “Hey, Claire. You okay?”
    “Come in,” Claire responded as she tried to sit up a little straighter. She reached out to Helen, who helped brace her. “I’m glad you’re in one piece,” she said gratefully.
    “Yeah, so am I,” Matt said with relief. “But there’s still a big problem that we need to fix. I noticed some people staring at us when we . . . uh . . .”
    “Hit Luke with your car?” Jason finished for him with a humorous glint in his eye.
    “Right. So I need to go take care of that. Before it gets out of control,” Matt said uncomfortably. “The longer I stay here, the more everyone will talk. If I start denying it, showing everyone that I couldn’t have been in an accident because I’m not injured . . .”
    “Then the whole thing goes away before it gets started,” Daphne finished for him. “Are you really willing to lie to your own kind for us?” she asked coldly.
    “I don’t see it as your kind or my kind. All I see are my friends and they need my help,” Matt said with narrowed eyes. He glanced over at Helen uncertainly, as if to ask if she was sure about this new mother she had acquired.
    “I’ll take you wherever you need to go,” Helen said as she stood. “I’ve got to go talk to my dad, anyway. I’ll drop you off on the way.”
    “You’re not going anywhere,” Daphne said, surprised that Helen would even suggest it. “It’s far too dangerous.”
    “I can’t just leave him,” Helen said. “That’s what you did, and I’ve spent my whole life cleaning up the mess you left behind. If I’ve learned one thing, it’s that I don’t want to repeat your mistakes. Not now, not ever.”
    “Well, I can’t tie you down every time we disagree, but I can tell you to be careful, Helen, especially when you use words like ‘never,’” Daphne replied, her eyes soft with understanding. “The gods know what it is to be eternal, and they love to toy with mortals who use absolutes.”
    Helen turned and half stumbled for the door, so shaken to hear an echo of Lucas in her mother that she lost all sensation for a moment.
    “I got you,” Matt whispered into her ear as he took Helen’s elbow and steered her through the door so she didn’t clip her shoulder on the frame.
    “Your mom’s a real trip,” he said with a touch of fear when they were outside and the door was shut safely behind them.
    “I haven’t decided if she’s right about everything that ever mattered to me, or if she’s just evil,” Helen said honestly.
    “That’s what everyone wonders about their mother,” Matt said with a smile as he rolled his eyes. “The thing is, nobody’s mom is entirely one or the other.”
    Helen smiled at Matt, hoping he was right, and led him downstairs. They went into the kitchen, looking for someone to lend them a car, but the only person they saw was Pandora, who was just coming back into the house from the garage.
    “Helen,” Pandora said, surprised. “You’re not leaving, are you?”
    “Matt needs to