Continuing (The Starlight Chronicles Book 5) Read online

“Hey! I’ve gotten better,” I objected.

  “Yes, I’ve noticed. You haven’t planned any social coups or popular party politics of late.”

  “The first step to getting better is to stop doing the bad things,” I countered. “Something you still need to learn, apparently.”

  “Me? I have stopped letting my brother betray me,” Elysian snorted. “And I’ve started the second part of being better—the part where you actually start doing good things.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like babysitting you!”

  “Like judging me, you mean!” I shot back.

  “Children, children. Come on,” Aleia interrupted. “Can’t we agree we all have been less than good at times?”

  “Yes, but he’s worse,” Elysian asserted, flicking his tail at me.

  “Just stop, both of you. Hamilton, why don’t you leave this to me? I know it’s hard on you, being without Raiya,” Aleia suggested. “Let me talk with Mary again and check in with Alora, and I’ll get back to you in a few days.”

  “Seriously? You need a few days to find out what’s going on?”

  She shrugged. “It might be sooner. But Elysian’s right in this case. There’s no need to worry. Just yet, anyway. That’s why I need the time to investigate.”

  I took it as a cue to leave. If Aleia wanted to spend the next hour or so on some kind of interdimensional phone call with her sister, I’d let her.

  “Don’t forget,” I added, “you promised me that you’d watch my brother while I have work this week.”

  Aleia gave me a smile. “I’ll be at Rachel’s when you come by to get your brother. Maybe Mary can help you out with caring for him, too, while she’s here.”

  I wisely decided not to comment on that. I knew Aleia was trying to make things more easy for me, and I hated to be placated when all I wanted to do was complain until I got my way.

  Glancing at the clock, I saw that it was almost time for me to be at work. I’d better get going. Don’t want to keep the paperwork waiting.

  ☼5☼

  Visiting Hours

  The onward march of time was relentless as the next days passed without much (more) pain or interruption. Eventually, between my work at the mayor’s office with my paid internship/job, school, and supernatural duties, I was able to forget that Raiya was supposed to be back, and Mary, in her own way, was almost tolerable.

  I think I would’ve liked her better if she didn’t manage to fool so many people into thinking she was Raiya. Everyone we passed in school had no inkling of the truth—our teachers, our peers, and even Rachel and her family didn’t seem to notice at all.

  “That’s annoying,” I muttered under my breath as Mary finished pouring me my afternoon coffee.

  “What is?” she asked.

  “You’re fitting in so well here,” I told her begrudgingly. “Even Rachel doesn’t bat an eye at you.”

  “Sometimes people don’t always let you know they’ve been fooled,” Mary said gently. “If it makes you feel better, I don’t think everyone has been completely won over.”

  I looked closer to see Rachel glancing in our direction, looking at us out of the corner of her eye. She flinched as she saw me looking, and then hurried away.

  “I guess you’re right,” I admitted. “Rachel does seem confused.”

  “Of course,” Mary speculated, “it could be because you’ve been in here for about an hour, just glaring at me.”

  “That’s how I normally treated Raiya,” I said.

  “Not recently.”

  I narrowed my gaze at her as she poured herself a cup of mocha and sat down across the booth from me. “Just how much do you know about me? About me and Raiya?”

  Mary’s eyes twinkled. “Everything, of course. You know I’ve already proved it to you.”

  “I need more than proof.”

  She shrugged. “I can’t offer anything else to you, Hamilton. It’s better that you just accept it for now.”

  “I should,” I acquiesced. “But I was wondering if you could give me more information. If you do know her thoughts on such things—”

  “I don’t have specific thoughts,” she said. “Just feelings and experiences.”

  “Oh. Bummer.”

  “It’s best if you don’t get that information from me, anyway,” she said gently. “You might wish you could, but things don’t always happen the way we wish. And that can be a good thing.”

  I didn’t know if she said it that way intentionally, bringing up the reminder of wishes to a fallen Star; it didn’t make me feel good, that’s for sure.

  I finally shrugged and chugged down a large gulp of coffee.

  “Maybe we should go and do something together,” Mary suggested. “It might help Rachel believe that I’m really Raiya.”

  “I don’t get it,” I said. “If the Prince did allow you to come, doesn’t it bother you that you’re lying to people about who you are?”

  “Things are never as simple as they seem,” Mary told me. She flicked her hair out of her face. “This is part of my mission. I take care of people, helping them where I can, while they’ve been taken away from their destinies.” She took another sip. “You know what complicated lives that you and Raiya have lived so far.”

  “I’m not deriding you,” I insisted. “I’m just surprised.”

  “The truth is that Raiya and you both have destinies that are split between the realms. Stepping in for her here will help bring about resolution for her fate.”

  The way she said it made me wince. Like it was a death sentence or something.

  I frowned at that thought. Raiya had told me before that she was prepared to sacrifice her life, her mortal life, in order to get back to the Celestial Kingdom where the other Stars resided. Was it possible … ?

  I shook my head. “I need a distraction,” I declared.

  Mary smiled. “How can I help?”

  “Let’s go and visit Mikey in the hospital.” As I said the words, my own sense of resolve overtook me. After all, I promised Martha I’d go see him.

  Why not now?

  It wasn’t like I had to work that night, and Aleia was still able to take care of Adam.

  “That’s a good idea,” Mary agreed. “He’s probably bored.”

  “Not if there are any hot nurses around,” I mused aloud, managing to smile despite my mood. “Of course, he’s probably gotten better about hitting on them since I went to see him last.”

  I’d seen him plenty of times, but it had been some time since I went to see him with the real Raiya, I recalled. I figured it had been about six weeks since then. I tried to recall the visit as I watched Mary scoop up her bag and head out the door with me.

  Hopefully, he’ll be in better shape this time.

  *☼*

  “I’m sure he’ll get better,” Raiya told me, as she reached over and took my arm in comfort.

  I latched onto her, uncomfortable to see my best friend in such rough shape. But I tried not to let it show. “I’m sure you’re right,” I said, “considering how well the other ‘sickness’ victims are randomly waking up from time to time, as we defeat the demons who are using their Soulfire.”

  “There’s more to it than that, in Mikey’s case.”

  “Dinger?” Mikey mumbled. “S’at you?”

  “Hey, Mikey,” I said, trying not to let my voice crack. “Yeah, it’s me.”

  “Shut up,” he muttered, as he rolled over and gazed up at me. “Go home.”

  Raiya stepped forward before I could answer (good thing, too, because I wasn’t in the best of moods after that greeting.)

  She touched his forehead. “How are you feeling today?”

  He shifted away from her. “If you’re not going to heal me,” he muttered darkly, “you can leave, too.”

  Raiya stepped back and sighed.

  “Come on, Mikey,” I argued. “Don’t get mad at her.”

  When Gwen’s Soulfire was taken, Mikey completely lost it. I couldn’t blame him; he likely thought he could have prevented it, and he probably felt a lot of it was his fault in the first place. Either that, or it was my fault.

  Mikey probably thought it was my fault.

  When he had gone into the hospital for traumatic shock, I’d never expected he would collapse into a full-blown mental breakdown. A few days after he’d been admitted, I found out they were keeping him longer.

  I watched as he peeked back at me, before sticking his tongue out and then huddling even more deeply into his blankets.

  “It just seems weird to me,” I whispered to Raiya. “I mean, he didn’t have his soul ripped or anything.”

  “He did watch as the one he loved had hers ripped out though. You might have some sympathy for him in that regard.”

  “You mean because I saw you blow up your star?” I asked, reaching out and shifting her wayward bangs out of her eyes.

  “And then tried to follow me.”

  “Well, when you put it like that,” I murmured, “yes, you would think I would have more sympathy for him. And I would, if it was anyone other than Gwen.”

  Gwen had been my girlfriend for several months when she’d apparently found out I was Wingdinger. As she realized I was no longer interested in dating her—which she honestly must have realized before I did—she’d tried to blackmail me into doing her bidding, more or less.

  Why she thought that was a good idea, I’ll likely never know. But anger teased at the forefront of my mind again, when I remembered how insistent she was about me staying away from Raiya.

  Not too many people had even realized we had broken up before Taygetay, the Sinister of Rage, had taken Gwen’s Soulfire from her in an attack at the Apollo City Time Tower.

  “Even if it was Via Dolorosa?” Raiya asked me with a skeptical look on her face, as her question drew me out of my own murky thoughts.

  I smothered a chuckle. “You know me so well.”

  “Yes, I know,” she agreed cheerfully. “But I love you anyway.”

  People can tell you all sorts of things about being in love that sound terrible and mushy-gushy and disgusting. I’d spent a good portion of my teen years arguing against them. Most of my opponents, the ones who didn’t change their minds after I presented my arguments, just smiled a smile of smug superiority at, and told me I would feel differently when I was in love for real.

  I hated them, completely disagreed with them, and thought they were stupid and were just being mean.

  Turns out, they were right. I still hated them for it, but it was true. I could understand and even agree (tacitly) with Rachel, the most ardent and hopeless of all the romantics I’d ever known, and all her “true love” spiel.

  It wasn’t easy to admit they were right, but it was better than saying I had been wrong. I considered it a mark of maturity that I was able to admit that.

  “Do you have an appointment today?” I asked, tapping the smooth skin just above Raiya’s heart. I’d learned that she often went to the hospital for appointments.

  She knocked away my hand. “Not today.”

  “Tell me again; what is wrong with you?”

  “Besides the fact I can deal with you?” Raiya smirked. “I told you before; the only pain I can’t heal a broken heart. Something is just broken about mine, so the doctors monitor it and take my blood and blood pressure once in a while to make sure it’s okay.”

  “Is that is what Mikey is suffering from? And why you can’t heal him?”

  “Possibly.” She seemed a bit miffed at the suggestion, but conceded to my point. Eventually. “They keep tabs on my physical condition here, but it’s brokenness will only get worse. Unless a miracle happens.”

  “Why not ask the Prince? He seems pretty capable of miracles.”

  “I like you better now that you’ve fallen in love,” Raiya whispered softly, leaning her head against my shoulder, letting me wrap my arm around her and hold her close. “But you still need to recognize there are certain truths and realities that can’t be changed without sacrifice, assuming they can change at all. Submission is another part of our calling.”

  “I know that.” I rolled my eyes, remembering some of that quite clearly.

  She gave me her best skeptical look. “Sure sounds like it.”

  “Can you guys just go?” Mikey snapped from his pile of blankets. “You’re making me feel worse.”

  “You should be glad we’re here,” I retorted. “If this is how you’re going to act, I can’t imagine you’ve had a lot of visitors. Besides your mother.”

  “I’ve had plenty of visitors!” Mikey snapped. “Everyone from Grandpa Odd to Patricia Rookwood and even my father has come by.”

  “Grandpa?” Raiya raised her brows in surprise.

  “Patricia Rookwood came to see you?” I asked. “You mean the anchorwoman from the city news station? The one who supposedly offered you a book deal? What does she want?”

  “What else? The same thing my father apparently wants.” Mikey spat. “The identity of Wingdinger and Starry Knight.”

  Raiya and I exchanged worried glances. “You haven’t said anything, have you?” I finally asked.

  “No.” Mikey snorted. “But you shouldn’t tempt me. Go away.”

  Raiya didn’t budge. “What happened with Patricia Rookwood?”

  “She came in, disguised as a nurse, if you can believe it,” Mikey muttered. “She was hounding me for questions, until they came in and gave me my medicine.”

  “How did she know about you?” I asked. “I thought you published stuff anonymously on your blog.”

  If that stupid blog of his was how she found him, I thought, I’m going to hit him as soon as he gets out of the hospital.

  “I don’t know. Someone gave her a hot tip, I guess,” Mikey replied. “I sure didn’t. I don’t know about the blog. Apparently, she’s been following the story since the beginning.”

  “Who was it that told her about you?” Raiya asked. “Was it your dad?”

  “Why would Dante send in a journalist?” I asked. “And one who’s a hack, at that?”

  Raiya shrugged. “Journalists are good at getting tough answers out of people. Maybe he thought she would be successful. She does have a good record behind her.”

  “You mean like the mafia?”

  “I don’t know who told her,” Mikey snapped. “You guys should go. It’s almost time for them to give me my medicine again.”

  “What did Dante do while he was here?” I asked. “I don’t think there’s much Patricia Rookwood can do; I’d be more concerned about SWORD at this point.”

  Mikey frowned. “I don’t want to talk about this with you anymore,” he insisted. “You’ve already done enough damage.”

  “It’s not me,” I fought back. “It’s the Sinisters, and all their minions, and their leader—”

  “Seems like a good person to blame,” Mikey argued.

  “Hamilton is telling the truth,” Raiya said. “The Sinisters need to steal the souls of people in order to remain alive here. Without the power Soulfire can provide, they will wither away. It’s instinctive for them to steal in order to live, even if they have to leech onto someone in the meantime.”

  “Ew,” I muttered.

  “You’ve known about that for over a year now,” Raiya reminded me.

  “I know, and it’s still gross.”

  She just stared at me for a long moment, before turning back to Mikey. “You’re lucky they haven’t come to attack you,” she said. “They will recognize you from the attack at the Time Tower.”

  “Is that your way of warning me?” Mikey asked. “Just like you did with Gwen?”

  “For all the fat load of good it did her,” I grumbled.

  Raiya frowned at me. “Come on, Humdinger. Behave. Compassion, please.”

  “Fine.”

  She turned back to Mikey. “We can still help Gwen,” she said. “We just need to capture Asteropy and Elektra, and then all of the Soulfire will be released back to their owners. Tell us what you know. It might help point us in the right direction.”

  Mikey turned away and bundled himself in a cocoon of covers. A moment of silence passed as he seemed to weigh out his options. “I didn’t say anything. The TV lady left after the real nurses came in, and Dante even left after I made it clear I didn’t know anything—anything I was going to tell him, at least—he just left. Didn’t even really say goodbye. He just slammed my file down on the table and left.”

  I frowned, moving closer. “Do you think he was acting on orders or working against SWORD?”

  “I wouldn’t know that,” Mikey sputtered. “Remember? You’re the one who he talks to.”

  “Because SWORD is trying to protect me, for some reason,” I said. “They’re on my side.”

  “No, they’re not,” Raiya muttered as she leaned against the night table. She stumbled for a moment as her hand slipped.

  “Those are my records,” Mikey told her. “Watch what you’re doing.”

  “Sorry,” she said. “Anyway, SWORD is a touchy subject. It has its own agenda. Which involves Wingdinger, apparently.”

  “Can we assume they are after you, too?” I asked her.

  She folded her arms across her chest. “I don’t know. It’s not a large leap to make, but it’s not something you want to assume, either.”

  The door opened, making all of us jump.

  I blinked in surprised. “Dad.”

  Mark waltzed through the door. “Hamilton,” he said. “What are you doing here?”

  “Mikey’s my friend.”

  Mikey snorted behind me, the sound muffled by his covers.

  “I see.” Mark glanced over at Raiya, who quickly looked away. “I suppose this is not the best time to remind you of your mother’s rules about dating?”

  “Please.” I rolled my eyes. “Don’t bother.”

  For some reason, my mother disapproved of Raiya. Cheryl refused to tell me why, but I had a feeling it had to do with my brother. Way back at the beginning, Adam had recognized Raiya before I did. And of course, since it was Adam, who was only four years old now, I didn’t take him seriously.

  I wouldn’t actually take him seriously for years, actually, which was unfortunate.