The Hourglass Door (36 page)

“To apologize,” I repeated.

“For the horrible way I’ve treated you lately. For ignoring my best friend in her time of need.”

“My time of need.”

“Of course. Everyone knows you’ve been dating Dante—and I mean
seriously
dating. You’re probably bursting with great gossip to share but haven’t had anyone to talk to.”

“Actually, I’ve been talking to Natalie—” I lied, wondering if Valerie would take the bait.

“And Natalie was the one who told me I could find you here. She said you and Dante had had some fabulously romantic outing for your first date—way back after opening night of the play. Can you believe it’s been that long since we’ve talked? Anyway, Natalie said Dante took you someplace out of this world. She said it was some great secret and that I’d have to ask you about it.”

Oh, Valerie,
I thought sadly.

“So, come on, Abby. Tell your best friend everything. Let’s catch up, like old times.”

Maybe it was the phrase
best friend
that did it. Maybe it was the false brightness in her eye. Maybe it was the months of watching her pull away from her old life and her old friends to submerge herself without resistance in a new life with new friends. Maybe it was all of it, but at that moment I felt the sharp bite of anger latch onto my chest, crushing my breath in its jaws.

“Cut the act,” I snapped.

“What are you talking about?”

“Natalie didn’t know I would be here, so she couldn’t have told you anything. She couldn’t have told you anything anyway, because I haven’t told
her
anything secret about my relationship with Dante.”

“So you
are
keeping secrets about Dante.”

I didn’t bother to reply. Instead, I hopped out of the swing and started to walk away. My flash of hot anger had burned away, leaving my chest cold and full of ashes.

“Is it about where he disappears to every so often? Do you know where he is right now?” she called after me.

I knew exactly where Dante was, but I wasn’t about to tell Valerie.

“He’s
there,
isn’t he?”

My steps slowed, then stopped. I didn’t dare turn around, afraid of what I would see on Valerie’s face, more afraid of what would show on my own.

“Did Zo send you?” I closed my eyes against the truth I feared to hear.

I heard Valerie’s shoes crunch on the gravel behind me. I felt her presence close against my back.

“Tell me how he did it, Abby,” she whispered. “That’s all Zo wants to know. Just tell me so I can go back to my own sweet Italian boyfriend.”

“I thought you were through with V.”

“I am. Hard to believe it, but you were right all along. It’s not the drummer who controls the band—it’s the lead singer. It’s Zo. And I’m Zo’s girl now.” Valerie circled around to face me. “Just tell me what I want to know.”

I looked her in the eyes, hoping I would see the old Valerie in them, the Valerie I’d known since forever. But she’d spent so much time with Zero Hour lately that I saw only Zo reflected in her eyes—his emotions, his desires, his wishes. She was right: She was Zo’s girl now, through and through. She had become as dangerous to me as he was. I had to look away, my heart sore at losing my friend for the second time. I swallowed hard and summoned up my courage.

“No. I won’t tell you anything.”

I watched the change fall over Valerie’s face like a mask. Gone were the soft, round curves of her face, replaced with harsh angles and shadows. The friendly false light in her eyes snuffed out in an instant. Her red lips thinned like a wound beginning to clot.

“He doesn’t need you, you know. Whatever it is,
I
can help him.
I
can take him where he wants to go. Not you.”

“You don’t know what you’re saying. You don’t know what Zo is planning to do.”

“I know he promised to take me with him.”

“What?” I forced the word through numb lips.

A satisfied smile curved her mouth like a bow. “He said that when he left, he’d take me with him. That we’d be together forever. That he’d show me things I couldn’t imagine.” She bared her teeth at me. “So I hope you enjoy your time with Dante. You’ll never have what I have with Zo.”

Then she turned on her heel and walked away.

I heard the familiar sound of Valerie’s Lexus roaring to life and then the high squeal of tires as she raced out of the parking lot.

She was in danger and she didn’t even know it.

I jogged to my car and revved the engine. My thoughts raced faster than my car did on the way to the Dungeon.

Valerie’s parting words simmered in my mind, which bubbled with questions and uncertainty. The bank was certainly an unimaginable destination, but somehow I didn’t think that was Zo’s intention. If he couldn’t get what he wanted from me, would he try to take someone else to the bank? Would he try to take Valerie? If he did, and if the door appeared for her as it had for me, then what? Zo still wouldn’t be able to open the door, so what would he do with Valerie? Zo wouldn’t think twice about leaving her stranded on the bank. And if he did that . . . well, the consequences didn’t bear thinking about.

I pulled into the Dungeon’s parking lot, not bothering to straighten my car neatly between the painted lines, not bothering to lock my doors. I ran through the door and past the handful of couples scattered around the dance floor. I maneuvered my way around the pool tables toward the long bar where Leo was busy mixing one of his signature Tropical Treasures for Lily. I slid onto the bar stool next to her, tapping my fingers on the counter.

“Hi, Abby,” Lily said.

“Hi,” I answered absently. I tried to catch Leo’s eye to let him know I needed to talk.

Leo took in my disheveled hair and flushed skin and nodded. “I’d be happy to help if you can wait a moment.”

As I nodded, he handed Lily her drink. “Enjoy. There’s a treasure just for you at the bottom of the glass.” He smiled at her.

“Thanks,” Lily said. Then she turned to me. “So, Abby, are you going to the Spring Fling with Dante this weekend?”

“Um, yeah, I guess so.” With everything else on my mind, I hadn’t given the dance much thought.

Lily looked around. “Where is he, anyway? I didn’t see him here, so I assumed he was with you.”

Leo and I exchanged a glance I hoped Lily missed.

“Oh, well—”

“If you see him, tell him I have those notes from math he asked to borrow.”

“Sure thing.”

Lily bounced off her seat, heading back to the table where Ethan was waiting.

I glanced around the room once, then turned immediately to Leo. “I need to talk to you.”

“So I gathered. You’re not very subtle—you know that, right?”

“It’s about—”

“Zo and Valerie.”

My jaw dropped open. “How did you know?”

“Dante.” Leo flipped a towel over his shoulder. “He’s been seeing some strange ripples in the river lately.”

“And he didn’t tell me?”

“I told him not to.”

“Why would you do that?” Even if Valerie and I weren’t friends anymore, I couldn’t just abandon her to Zo’s machinations.

“Because you’re in some of the ripples,” Leo said calmly. “And you remember the rules, don’t you?”

“I know, I know, I’m not supposed to know because it’ll interfere with my decisions, blah blah blah.” I slammed my hand on the bar, earning myself some strange looks from the other customers and a frown from Leo. “What good is being able to see the future if you can’t do anything about it?” I hissed.

“What would you do if you knew?” Leo asked.

“I don’t know—something!”

“What if that something was the exact wrong thing to do?”

“What if it was the right thing to do?”

“How would you know the difference?”

I ground my teeth together. “How would
you?
”

“Abby, I know it’s hard,” Leo said, leaning over the bar. “But the river is too volatile right now to know anything for sure. Until it settles down, or until Dante or I can make sense of what he’s seeing . . .” He shrugged.

“What am I supposed to do, then?” I felt tears of frustration well up. “Am I just supposed to let Zo have her? What if he hurts her worse than he already has? What if he tries to take her to the bank?”

“He can’t.”

“Oh, that’s right,” I snapped. “He needs me for that. Because I’m
special.
”

Leo spread his white towel on the bar with a careful hand. “Don’t discount yourself, Abby. You
are
special. And that’s why we will protect you—”

I opened my mouth, but Leo overrode my words.

“
And
we’ll protect Valerie to the best of our ability. I promise you,
mia donna di luce.
Please. Trust me. And if you can’t do that—trust Dante.”

I folded my arms on the bar and dropped my head on them. That was the clincher—I trusted Dante with all my heart—and I suspected Leo knew that.

“I’m just worried,” I mumbled into the bar.

“I know. You are a good friend.”

“I hope that’s enough.”

Chapter

24

Dante returned from the bank in time for the Spring Fling. Thankfully it wasn’t a formal dance like Valentine’s had been, so I didn’t have to worry about wearing the wrong dress. In fact, I didn’t have to wear a dress at all if I didn’t want to. The theme was April Showers and May Flowers, and the boys were all supposed to come as something water-related (whatever that meant) and the girls were supposed to come as flowers.

“Costumes?” Dante had said when I told him about the dance.

“They’re optional. But it’s traditional. Formal dances are Christmas, Valentine’s, and prom. Fun dances are the sock hop, Halloween, and the Spring Fling. Don’t tell me you didn’t go to dances back home.”

“Not in costume,” he said.

“Then think of this as an adventure.” I kissed his cheek. “So which flower should I be?”

He curled me close to his chest, nuzzling his face into my hair. “Mmmm, can’t you be all of them? My own bouquet of beauty? Like daisies opening their friendly petals.” He brushed his fingertips over my eyelids. “Or marigolds that burn like the summer sun.” He rubbed his hands over my back. “Or orchids—rare and exotic.” He traced a finger across my collarbone down to rest lightly on the locket I wore all the time. “Roses for passion.” He kissed me.

“You, sir, are too smooth for your own good,” I remarked with a fluttering smile, leaning against his chest and closing my eyes in sweet bliss.

~

I was remembering that kiss as we walked across the crowded dance floor looking for Jason and Natalie. Natalie had suggested we double-date, but that still felt a little weird for me, so I told her we’d just find them at the dance.

Dante, with his height, spotted them first. He squeezed my hand and then pointed to the far side of the gym, which was decorated with paper cutout storm clouds and raindrops and wallpapered with colorful flowers and green grasses. I stood on my toes, trying to see past a kid dressed as a shower—complete with curtain—and saw Jason’s familiar golden curls. We pressed on through a garden of girls in flowered dresses, past Poseidon with his trident, and paused while two storm clouds rumbled by (boys in gray sweats covered with gray cotton balls—pretty creative, I thought).

“Abby, you look beautiful!” Natalie gushed when we reached her. She hugged me and then held me back to look at my outfit.

I had come as a white rose: a full skirt layered with white lace, a pale pink silk cami underneath a sheer, short-sleeved blouse, Dante’s silver locket resting in the hollow of my throat. Dante had also given me a single white rose to wear in my hair. He said I looked like an angel; I felt like I was surrounded by a cloud of light.

“Guess what flower I am?” Natalie asked. I started to shake my head, but she didn’t wait for me. “A sunflower! Well, deconstructed, of course, I’m not tall enough to pull it off for real. See, here’s my ‘stalk’”—she brushed her green skirt—“and my beautiful petals”—a bright yellow shirt—“and the brown seeds on top”—she took off a dark brown hat that crowned her hair. “And here’s my sun.” She twined her arm around Jason’s elbow.

Dressed in tan slacks and a muted brown shirt, the only sunshine things about him were his golden-blond curls and his dazzling smile. That was enough, though; he and Natalie were a perfectly matched pair.

“Did you decide not to come in costume, Dante?” Jason asked.

Dante looked stricken. He’d agreed to dress up as long as he got to pick what he was going to wear. “I’m Charon,” he said. His dark pants and long-sleeved shirt didn’t look that different from the clothes he usually wore. Tied to his belt, though, was a bag filled with coins. He hefted the bag in his hand. “Charon—the ferryman who takes souls across the river Styx?”

“Right, of course, Charon—” Natalie started.