Layla had acted impulsively. Hadn’t even considered the fact that she wasn’t a Luna, which also meant she wasn’t allowed to see Valentina. She’d just finished rubbing antibacterial gel onto her hands and adjusted her mask, when the nurse promptly stopped her from entering.
“I’m sorry,” she said. “Immediate family only.”
Layla looked at Mateo, tempted to lie and say they were siblings, cousins, husband and wife, but the skeptical nurse had heard it all before and was already turning her away.
“The waiting room is down the hall,” she called. “You can wait for Mateo there.”
“This is exactly why I want to move her.” Mateo scowled at the nurse’s retreating form. “Valentina needs to be around people who care, whether or not they’re related.”
“I doubt it will be any different wherever you go, and I’m sure they have their reasons.” Layla pulled off her mask, rolled it into a ball, and tossed it into the trash. “Listen, don’t mind me. Go see your little sis, and tell her I said hello. Take as long as you need.”
Mateo shot her an incredulous look. “That’s it? Since when do you give up so easily and cave to the rules?”
A moment later, Layla was donning a new mask, pulling on a fresh set of gloves, and following Mateo inside to where his little sister had fallen asleep watching TV.
They settled into the two available chairs and stared blankly at the screen. While the Nickelodeon channel wouldn’t have been Layla’s first choice, it was better than some depressing news station where the reporters gleefully chronicled all the various ways humanity was going to hell. The pediatric oncology wing was depressing enough on its own; she didn’t need further proof of just how bleak the world really was.
Surprisingly, the canned laugh track proved to be oddly soothing, and Layla spent a few blissfully empty minutes staring mindlessly at the show unfolding before her.
Layla had the worst poker face of anyone she knew, and so she’d been secretly relieved to find Valentina asleep. She needed a moment to adjust to the sight of Mateo’s little sister—a perennially upbeat and happy girl who was always bursting with energy—looking so sickly and pale.
God, she couldn’t even remember the last time she’d seen Valentina. She’d blown off her last birthday party with the excuse of needing to focus on winning the Unrivaled contest, which, looking back, she’d never really stood a chance at. Then again, she could see all sorts of things now that she’d refused to acknowledge back then. Hindsight truly was a bitch.
The show faded to commercial, and Layla scrolled through her Twitter and Facebook feeds, though she didn’t bother with checking her Instagram or Snapchat accounts, having abandoned them as soon as she became ensnared in the Madison fiasco. She was tired of people hijacking her personal pics and using them for derogatory memes that had quickly gone viral.
She skimmed through her emails, half expecting to see one from Emerson chewing her out for leaving the launch party early, but finding that wasn’t the case, she figured he was holding out for Monday. She was just about to click over to her blog when she noticed an unsent message sitting in her drafts folder—the sight of which gave her pause.
It had been a hectic few weeks, but Layla couldn’t remember drafting a single email she hadn’t yet sent.
Clicking on the folder, she blinked in confusion when she found an email message addressed to her that she definitely hadn’t written.
I know you think you’re running the show
But here’s a tip you really should know
It’s all too easy for me to hack your life
And the things I’ll do will cut like a knife
If you’re thinking of alerting the cops
Then let me remind you, I’m prepared to pull out all the stops
If you think you should forward this message to someone who cares
Let me assure you, I’ll unleash some big scares
While you don’t see me, I can see you
And I’m telling you now, here’s what you’re going to do
Very soon a surprise will appear
It’s your job to claim it without causing too many tears
Somewhere deep inside awaits yet another surprise I know you’ll enjoy
Either way, it’s time you do what I say, cuz I’m done playing coy.
Just after reading the message, Layla watched as it vanished from her screen and disappeared from both her drafts and trash folders as well.
Someone was watching her, electronically, remotely, up close and personal, or most likely, all of the above.
The thought caused Layla to spring from her chair so quickly it slammed back against the wall and caused Valentina to wake with a start.
“Layla?” Valentina’s brown eyes went wide as she struggled to sit up in bed.
“Sorry. I’m so sorry,” Layla whispered, feeling like an idiot as she watched Mateo rush to his sister’s bedside.
“Are you guys back together?”
The sight of Valentina’s pale and drawn face lighting up at the thought of them reuniting almost convinced Layla to lie and say that they were. She loved the kid so much Layla would do anything for her, but even though it broke her heart to tell Valentina the truth, Layla couldn’t bear to lie to her.
Layla shook her head. Then, realizing she was still clutching her phone to her chest, she placed it gently onto her chair and joined Mateo at Valentina’s bedside. “But we’re still good friends.” She swallowed hard. Good friends. Why’d she feel the need to qualify it? Maybe the fact that they were standing there together proved it wasn’t a total lie, but things between them were still strained enough that it felt like a stretch.
Valentina granted them each a hard stare. “Please. You sound like a celebrity press release.” Adopting her version of an adult voice, she went on to say, “We’ve decided to end our relationship. This is a very painful decision, but we remain fully committed as friends. We ask that you respect our privacy during this difficult time.” She rolled her eyes and went on to add, “RIP Mayla.”
“You’ve been reading way too many tabloids in here.” Mateo frowned.
At the same time, Layla asked, “Who’s Mayla?”
“You.” Valentina wagged a finger between them. “You’re Mayla. Only not anymore.” Her sad puppy-eyes look tugged at Layla’s heart. “Just because you got tired of my brother doesn’t mean you can’t still come see me, you know? I thought we were friends.”
“We are friends,” Layla said. “Actually, no. We go deeper than that. I consider you family.” She was barely able to eke out the words. As an only child, Layla considered Valentina the little sister she never had. But the girl was right. Layla really had abandoned her. And sadly, it began long before she and Mateo broke up. “Also, just so you know, I’m not tired of your brother. He’s a . . .” She needed a moment to ward off the sob that threatened from the base of her throat. “He’s a really great guy.”
“And yet, you still broke up.”
“It’s complicated,” Mateo interjected, clearly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation had taken. “Life is complicated.”
Valentina shook her head and stared stubbornly at the TV. “I don’t believe that. Life is easy. It’s all about breathing, and doing, and making a series of choices that lead you to the next step. It’s people who muck it all up by losing focus, creating drama, and making it more difficult than it needs to be.”
“When’d you get so wise?” Layla asked.
“I read a lot of tabloids.” Valentina laughed.
Though Layla laughed with her, she couldn’t help but wonder if Valentina was right. Like her brother, she had a firm grasp on the things that mattered most—friends, family, and home. While Layla was out chasing dragons and myths and the sort of things that led one farther and farther from home, without any real proof they even existed.
And yet, she couldn’t imagine living any other way. Maybe contentment was for other people, not her. Maybe it just wasn’t part of her genetic makeup. All she knew for sure was that while she’d always love Mateo and his little sister, and would always be there for them in whatever way they might need, at her core she was guided by a restless soul, willing to chase her dreams all the way to the edge of the world if that was what it took.
And then, of course, there was the issue of Tommy. But the thought left her feeling so disloyal she marched it quickly out of her mind.
“Are you keeping up with your homework?” Mateo asked. “Do you need any help?”
“Homework?” Layla feigned like she was aghast. “They’re making you do homework in here?”
Valentina shrugged good-naturedly. “It was my choice. I didn’t want to get too far behind. Besides, it didn’t take long for the thrill of watching TV all day to wear off.”
Layla was about to respond, when the same nurse who’d forbidden her from entering barged into the room, took one look at Layla, and said, “I’m going to pretend you’re not here.”
“What, her?” Valentina nodded at Layla. “She’s my first cousin once removed.”
“Yeah, yeah.” The nurse deposited a beautifully wrapped package on the bed and said, “Seems you have a secret admirer. There’s no card attached.”
That was all it took to send Layla’s pulse rocketing. But shy of snatching the box from Valentina’s fingers, which she hadn’t completely ruled out, she didn’t know what else to do but stand back and wait to see what happened next.
Would the box contain another diary entry?
Would she be forced to leap on top of the poor sick child and wrench it free before Valentina could see the horrible thing it most likely contained?
With a frantically beating heart, Layla watched Valentina work through the layer of wrapping paper and tape to reveal a plain brown box underneath that bore no identifiable markings of any kind. Though Layla had no idea what it was, she knew without a doubt it wasn’t good. They’d reached the part of the poem where she was supposed to claim it without causing too many tears. And she needed to act fast.
She rubbed her lips together, wondering how best to handle it. With the nurse and Mateo both watching, her position was an awkward one.
Valentina had just started opening the box when Mateo moved in to help, but Layla, in a rush, beat him to it.
“Here, let me!” Fingers trembling, she ran a nail under the tape, unfolded the flaps, and held her breath in her cheeks as she looked inside. It was a bear. An adorable stuffed bear—the kind with hinged arms and legs and soft, plushy fur.
“Uh, are you going to let me see it?” Valentina asked, as Layla became aware that everyone was now staring at her.
“Yes. Um, of course!” Trying to sound cheery and upbeat, which was always a stretch even on a good day, she freed it from the box and gave it a quick but thorough inspection before Valentina pretty much demanded she hand it over.
Layla’s stomach churned. She watched Valentina grin as she lifted its arms, patted its fur, and made its legs kick back and forth. Would she be forced to wait for the nurse to leave and Valentina to fall back asleep so she could slice it open and get to the surprise that was waiting for her?
She was contemplating doing exactly that, when her gaze dropped to the bottom of the box and she saw an envelope bearing her name in the familiar curlicue script.
Somewhere deep inside awaits yet another surprise . . . Did that refer to the message hidden deep inside the box, as opposed to something far more sinister lurking deep inside the bear? Layla could only hope.
Valentina continued to play with the bear. It was amazing how one moment she was like some ageless sage—a dispenser of wisdom—and the next, an average ten-year-old girl who’d received a lovely new toy from a secret admirer.
“Who do you think sent it?” Valentina asked, barely able to take her eyes off it.
“Probably some cute boy in your class who misses you and wants you to get well soon,” Layla said, laughing when Valentina responded by crinkling her nose in distaste.
At that moment, Layla wanted nothing more than to place Valentina in a bubble and keep her safe from the world.
But the world was patient, and in the end, there was no good way to avoid it.
“I think that’s enough excitement for one day,” the nurse said, giving Mateo and Layla each a stern look.
“Don’t be a stranger,” Valentina said as they were preparing to leave.
Layla looked from the bear to Valentina, hoping she’d done the right thing by letting her have it. But what choice did she have?
“I won’t,” Layla promised, shooting a questioning look toward the nurse, who refused to respond either way.
With the door closed behind them, Layla tossed the box in the bin, shoved the envelope in her bag, and told Mateo to hurry.