Now it took all of my willpower not to bolt up and gasp. Kory? Jocelyn is dating Kory? I tried not to dwell on my own reactions. I needed to see how Sammy felt about this. I let her memory continue to play out. Sammy’s inner thoughts came with it.
----------------------
“Kory? Wait, is he the guy I used to go to school with?” I asked. I only knew of him because Samantha’s friend Jen had a huge crush on him. I’d been unhappy to take over a couple times and discover I was in Jen’s trap of never-ending school gossip. I couldn’t stand girl talk. From what I could tell, neither could Samantha. It was why Jen’s friendship had always been an anomaly to me. I shook this off.
“I thought he moved away a few years ago.”
“He did, but he’s back now. We stumbled into each other on campus. He was there signing up for some classes he’s going to take during his senior year. We got to talking and, well, one thing led to another.” Jocelyn grinned again, lighting up her pretty features. “I mean, he doesn’t look like he’s still in high school, but I haven’t really told anyone because it is embarrassing.”
I shrugged. “You just barely turned twenty-one, Jocelyn. Isn’t he eighteen? That’s not that big of a deal.”
“True,” she said, her grin turning a bit mischievous. “He doesn’t act like any of the guys I went to high school with, that’s for sure. He’s so smart, Sammy. He’s developed this stuff that makes you feel so amazing, at least that’s what he’s told me. It can…” She hesitated, her words fading.
Now my interest was piqued. “What kind of stuff? Hey, he’s not into drugs, is he? I know everyone thinks it’s so great that marijuana is legal here, but—”
“No,” she said, waving me off. “It’s nothing like that. He said it’s more like a diet pill, but it’s a shot. You know how so many people take those vitamin B shots or the hormones to help them lose weight.”
“Jocelyn, you’re crazy if you think you need to lose weight,” I countered. My sister was too skinny if you asked me.
“I wouldn’t use it to lose more weight,” she argued. “It would just be nice to be able to eat every once in a while and not gain a gazillion pounds.”
I wanted to say she should just quit modeling. That she should tell Mom to leave her alone about it all.
“Anyway, he hasn’t given me any of it yet, so stop stressing yourself, Sammy. I’ll make sure it’s safe. You act like I’ve never taken diet pills before.”
“Taking a little caffeine pill is one thing, Jocelyn, but taking something your eighteen-year-old boyfriend is concocting in his basement is quite another!”
Jocelyn wrinkled her nose at me. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you. You don’t understand. Kory’s been taking the stuff for a long time, and he said it’s totally natural. He said it only made him healthier and stronger.”
I gaped at her. Just what kind of shots is she talking about here? “I thought you said he’s still developing it? Now you’re saying he’s been using it for a while? This is sounding a lot like drugs to me.”
“It’s not drugs like the kind you’re thinking. I don’t do drugs, Sammy, and I’m not about to start now. Do you know how bad they age you? They make you look awful. Kory’s still perfecting my blend. It takes time to get it just right for each person.”
Now all I saw were red flags. Mysterious shots that made you strong and healthy? I couldn’t deny how similar that sounded to what Mack had just told me about what it took to become a dragon or damsel. There was no way Kory was mixed up in all that too, was there?
“I haven’t even told you the best part, Sammy. It’s an anti-aging serum too!” Jocelyn exclaimed, grinning again. “So I can stay young and wrinkle free for a very, very long time.”
I could only stare at her. Time to talk to Mack.
---------------
“Kory’s dating Jocelyn,” I blurted to Tonbo as the memory I’d been so immersed in snapped shut.
The red blur before my eyes stopped. For a second, I found it extremely satisfying to be able to focus on the red marble. It helped to clear my head even further.
“How much does she know? Has Kory revealed himself to her?” he asked, leaning in toward me.
“I don’t know. I didn’t see that part. Just her telling Sammy about dating Kory and how he has this magical formula.” I let my words sink in. “He’s going to give it to her to keep her from aging or gaining weight.”
I met Tonbo’s heavy gaze and said, “I think we both know what the magical formula is, but I don’t know if Jocelyn knows. What I saw must have happened right before the cabin. Sammy didn’t know Kory was a dragon then, so I’m guessing she talked to Mack about all of it after this.”
Tonbo nodded. “So the question still remains. What side of the fence is Sammy on? With her sister in the picture, maybe her allegiance was swayed toward Kory a bit easier.”
“Maybe,” I said, “But if she did side with Kory early on, why didn’t she go to him to be changed? I’m sure when she talked to Mack and he told her Kory was a dragon, the thought must have crossed her mind. That she could ask him for the special stuff he was telling Jocelyn about, I mean. Especially since Mack wouldn’t do it himself.”
Tonbo leaned back in his chair and folded his arms. “You’re right. There must have been a reason she didn’t. Do you think she mistrusted him?”
“I don’t know. The one thing all this has shown me, though, is that Sammy really did believe she had to put us back together again, for us to be happy. She didn’t want to take over when she became a damsel. She thought becoming a damsel would finally make us one.”
Tonbo seemed to consider my words. “And perhaps it did. You are not the same person you were before, Samantha.”
I stared at him, taken aback by his statement. I would know the difference, wouldn’t I? When I remembered things as Sammy, it felt like I was thinking and feeling those things.
“No, I’m not the same,” I answered thoughtfully. “But I’m not her, either. I don’t have free access to all her thoughts and memories unless I’m doing this.” I pointed at the wand Tonbo held.
“If we were finally one person, shouldn’t I remember what Otto and I talked about in his office? Or what was in that padded envelope Jaxon saw her give Jocelyn? I should know what she dropped in the woods when Jaxon picked her up.”
Tonbo moved forward, leaning his elbows on his knees. “Maybe you are still separated. Or maybe she’s not letting you see those memories. I guess, at this point, we don’t know for certain.”
I wanted to argue how wrong he was, but my mind had gone in so many different directions, my emotions tugged along with it, that I felt too exhausted to think about whether Sammy and I were truly one now. The only thing I could focus on was the fact that Jocelyn and Kory had been, or were still, together. I needed to know what my sister knew.
“I think it’s time I talk to Jocelyn.”
“Probably a good idea. Perhaps after that, we can resume this. I feel there’s much we can still learn from her memories. If you are comfortable doing this again, that is.”
I felt myself flush. Too much of this was just that—uncomfortable. Every memory seemed to dig me deeper into something I wasn’t sure I’d be able to get back out of.
“Of course. I’ll try to get back here as soon as I can, Tonbo.” I stood up, pushing away the lingering effects of deep relaxation. I needed to feel my feet underneath me.
Tonbo walked me to the door, his hand patting my arm as we went. “Just remember the Chinese proverb, Samantha. A diamond with a flaw is preferable to a common stone with none.”
I glanced at him, unsure what he was getting at.
He opened the door for me. Giving my arm a gentle squeeze, he said, “You may feel having Sammy there within you makes you broken. But you aren’t seeing how truly magnificent the two of you are together. What you’ve both created. There’s no one quite like you now, Sam.”
I stared at him, wondering if he could be right. Should I embrace who I was? Both sides? Accept that Sammy might take over at any moment and trust that it was just fine? That she wouldn’t put me in jeopardy? That she truly had my best interest at heart?
I leaned down and hugged Tonbo. “I’ll try to remember. Thank you for everything.” Surprised to feel another hand fall on my arm from behind, I straightened up quickly. Turning around, I fully expected it to be Blake.
I failed to hide my shock. “Mack.”
His quickly dropped his hand. “Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you.”
“No, no. You’re fine,” I flustered to recover, feeling my face redden. “Just jumpy from my session.” It wasn’t entirely untrue. I wasn’t about to admit to him how his touch fired up Sammy’s old memories a bit too much for my liking.