My house was quiet. We had no intention of letting anyone else know we’d returned home a day early, so we stayed in camo as we crept through my bedroom window. It was Sunday evening. Everyone should be home. By the smells wafting through the house, dinner had probably just ended. My stomach wasn’t the only one gurgling. I glanced over at Blake’s silhouetted form.
“Hungry?” I whispered.
His stomach growled back at me, and I giggled.
“Dang, that roast smells good. Maybe I can sneak down to the kitchen while you interrogate Jocelyn,” he said quietly, his hand finding mine. “Dig us up some food. Feels like we haven’t eaten for days.”
“With the weekend we’ve had, I don’t think we’ve stopped long enough to eat,” I murmured in agreement. “Let’s go find Joc. If we’re lucky, she’s alone in her room.”
Blake didn’t answer, just silently turned my bedroom door handle. Ever so slowly, the door cracked open. I knew Blake was peering through the opening to see if the coast was clear. Even with being invisible, it wouldn’t do for my mom to see my bedroom door just fly open on its own.
“We’re good,” Blake whispered.
I followed him through my door, shutting it quietly behind us. Jocelyn’s room was at the end of the hall. As we moved past Krista’s room, I was grateful she’d left her door open and her stereo on. Though the music wasn’t loud, it helped mask the sounds of our movements.
Still, I couldn’t help holding my breath as we inched closer to Jocelyn’s closed door. I glanced over at Blake, and then realized he wouldn’t be able to see me looking at him. I leaned in closer to his ear. “What should we do? Just open the door and slip in?” I asked.
I felt him shrug. Turning to face me, his lips brushed against my cheek. “Maybe you should go first, in case she’s not dressed or something,” he whispered.
“Okay,” I agreed. My fingers had just wrapped around the door handle when I felt it turn on its own accord underneath my palm. The door swung inward, taking my arm with it. I gasped, my body falling into my sister’s.
Jocelyn’s eyes widened, her lips opening. Blake threw his hand over her mouth. Within seconds, he somehow pulled all three of us back into her bedroom. I shut the door behind us and then whirled to see my sister thrashing around, her eyes bulging at the invisible thing holding on to her.
Not sure what else to do, I ditched the camo. I held my hand out to her and said, “Jocelyn, it’s okay! It’s just me.”
Now I was sure Jocelyn’s eyes were about to pop out of her head. I’d never seen the whites of her eyes before. Maybe she didn’t know as much as we’d thought.
Blake dropped the camo too, and Jocelyn honed in on her captor, her eyes narrowing. As her body jerked about in Blake’s arms, she grumbled against his hand.
“Blake,” I said. “Let her go.”
“She’s going to scream,” he warned.
When Jocelyn growled into his fingers, I sighed. “You’re right. She might. We can’t talk here. We’re going to have to take her somewhere private.”
Jocelyn shook her head at us, her wailed ‘no’ heavily muffled by Blake’s fingers. I sickened. This wasn’t how I wanted this to go down, with my sister scared out of her mind.
“Jocelyn, we’re not going to hurt you, I swear. I just need to ask you some questions. I’m not sure how much you knew about this…” I paused, turning so my wings were visible. Jocelyn didn’t seem as taken with the wings as I’d thought she’d be. Maybe she’s seen these before. “But I have to know what you know.”
Jocelyn eyed me for a moment, her expression hard to read with half her face covered. I bit my lip, debating the best course of action. There was no turning back now since she’d seen me as a damsel. I had no guarantee she wouldn’t blab this to my parents the minute we left. I’m committed now. Better get this over with.
“It’ll be dark soon. We’ll have to just risk no one seeing us fly her out of here,” I said to Blake, realizing we should have come ten minutes later so the night could give us a way to hide my sister.
At my statement, Jocelyn stopped wiggling and said something into Blake’s fingers. It didn’t sound like a protest this time. I met Blake’s gaze, both of us debating if we should let her speak.
“Jocelyn, I’m sorry. Blake and I aren’t trying to scare you,” I said softly, moving closer to her. “I know you and Sammy were close. Trusted one another, confided in each other. Did Sammy ever tell you about us,” I pointed at Blake and myself, “being Dragon Fae?”
Jocelyn glanced at Blake, and then back at me. After a moment’s hesitation, she nodded her head.
“Okay, great,” I said, smiling. “That’s a start. So Sammy told you about how she, or we, became a damsel?”
Again, Jocelyn nodded her head. I hated to see Blake’s fingers still clamped across her mouth, but I wasn’t sure what she’d do if he took them away.
“So you knew Sammy was the one who orchestrated the abduction and the cabin? That she was the one who changed me? With Kate’s help?” A muffled, “Yes.”
“Did you always know?” I demanded. How could she keep that from me?
Immediately, she shook her head.
Slightly pacified, I asked, “Do you know anything about Kate’s disappearance now?”
Jocelyn’s eyes narrowed, but she didn’t respond.
“Alright. Well, let’s talk about Kory then,” I said, switching tactics.
Now Jocelyn’s eyes were slits. If her mouth weren’t covered, I had the feeling her lips would be scowling at me right now.
“I know you’re dating Kory,” I said, my voice flat. Seeing the way her eyebrows shot up, I added, “Sammy told me. Anyway, I know Kory’s been promising you a shot that makes you not gain weight or even age. Guessing you know now this is what he’s really been peddling, right?” I turned again, letting my wings flutter.
When Jocelyn didn’t respond, I threw my hands up and growled, “We need answers, Joc. Too many lives are at stake.” I glanced at the window, relieved to see it was finally growing dark. “I think we can risk it now, Blake. Let’s get her out of here.”
Jocelyn shook her head, muttering something into Blake’s hand. He lifted his fingers ever so slightly and asked, “What was that?”
“I won’t scream, I swear,” she said, her words rushing out, “You can’t take me. Not tonight.”
My eyes narrowed at the way she said tonight. “Why? What’s happening tonight?” I asked.
She bit her lip, Blake’s hand still hovering inches from her mouth. She grimaced. “Nothing. Fine. I’ll talk. I’ll tell you everything I know, but you need to promise me you’ll leave me alone if I do.”
Blake and I met eyes, and then he turned to look at my sister. “Wish we could promise that, but you’re involved in something a lot bigger than you realize.”
She scowled. “I know more than you think, Blake,” she spat back at him.
“Great,” Blake dryly said. “You won’t mind sharing it with us then.”
She seemed to consider him for a moment before meeting my gaze. “To answer your question, yes, I know what Kory’s serum will do to me, that I’ll be like you, but I didn’t always. Sammy didn’t know either, but she found out through Mack. Of course, she didn’t bother to tell me then.” She frowned. “She decided to keep all of that to herself. I had no idea what really happened at the cabin. I swear, Samantha. It wasn’t until that dance, when I saw your wings, that I knew something was definitely up with you. But Sammy didn’t seem to be around anymore, and the last time we spoke before the cabin, she just kept warning me to be careful around Kory.”
“Why?” I asked.
“Because she’s a freaking hypocrite,” Jocelyn muttered. “Warning me that Kory’s serum might not be safe, while planning on taking it herself.”
I could see how she would see it that way. Sammy had been plotting how to transform herself.
Jocelyn swatted Blake’s hand away from her face. “Do you mind? I’m not going to scream.”
Blake relented and gave her a little bit more space. Knowing how fast Blake could move, I wasn’t too worried.
“If you ask me,” Jocelyn continued, folding her arms, “they’re a lot more alike than she thinks.”
“Who? Sammy and Kory?” I asked, not liking that idea.
“Yeah. They both wanted to change, to become more than just human. That’s all that Kory wants too. To improve humanity, make it better.”
Blake and I exchanged glances. How much Jocelyn knew of Kory’s real designs, we had yet to determine. But this is good. Jocelyn is talking freely with us. For some reason…
“So if Sammy never showed you what she was, how did you find out?” Blake asked.
“Oh, I didn’t say she never did, just not then,” Jocelyn admitted. “But it was Kory who showed me. He transformed for me.” A smile tugged at her lips, despite us being there to see it.
“When?” I asked.
“It wasn’t long after that Halloween dance you went to. In fact, I’d been the one to bring it up to him. I couldn’t get over how real it looked on you. There was something about it, I just couldn’t let go. And well, one thing led to another with Kory, and then he was transforming before me. Telling me what you both were now. He kept asking me who’d taken you to the cabin. Like I knew then.”
My mind tried to put the pieces together. I’d gone to the dance. Blake had left for what I’d thought had been California. It’d been during his absence that Kory had stolen away to my bedroom. He had insisted that Blake had been the one to change me, so much so that I’d been scared to death of Blake when he’d returned from Tonbo’s Island. I guess Kory really did suspect Blake.
“So when did you learn it was really Sammy and Kate, and not me?” Blake asked.
Jocelyn shifted her weight, her eyes darting to her window. “Sammy told me,” she answered, wringing her hands together. “Now, I’ve answered all of your questions. Will you please go, now?” Her eyes darted to her window again, and a wave of understanding hit me.
“What’s the rush, Joc?” I asked, forcing a smile. “Worried you might miss something?”
“No, I’m not worried, just annoyed. As fun as this is, I have other things to do.” She tried to scowl at me, but there was no hiding how pale her complexion had become.
“You haven’t answered all our questions,” I said evenly. “Not even close. Like for starters, when’s Kory coming over?”