Danna remembered little from her butterfly in the cathedral, its memory having been erased when it died. Only that butterfly had entered the cathedral, but a dozen had been outside, waiting and watching. She couldn't exactly hear in swarm mode, but she could see, and one sight haunted her as she spent days in her swarm, trapped in her own brain.
Nova's face. She'd never seen Nova look so frightened.
The fear that flashed over her face, although only for a moment, changed her whole opinion of Nova.
She was scared.
And although it disappeared moments later, replaced with resolve, it lingered in her eyes.
And Danna wanted to help.
She didn't think she'd ever get used to converging out of her swarm. When the butterfly was trapped she'd tried every hour, her butterflies swirling around in desperation, but each time she'd land, exhausted and discouraged. When she woke up in Ruby's bed the first thing she'd noticed was the pain. It felt like every cell in her body was dying. Every breath ached, but through her pain, she managed to whisper a few words to Ruby, who stood over her, water and a damp cloth in hand.
"Where's Nova?"
Ruby had only shrugged. "Probably at her house, maybe HQ? She's been spending a lot more time there since Max got hurt. Adrian really wanted her help finding Nightmare, and I think she's worried about Max."
A twinge of jealousy surfaced in her heart. She knew that Adrian liked Nova. Everyone knew, including Nova. She had always been relatively indifferent, but the news that they were working together hurt more than she wanted it to.
As much as she hated Nightmare, she couldn't hate Nova, and she didn't want to jeopardize her relationship with Adrian. Danna knew that Nova's secret would destroy Adrian. Nightmare's case was so closely intertwined with his family that there was no way things could end well between them.
Danna was lost in her thoughts and didn't notice that Ruby was watching her until Ruby cleared her throat.
"Why?"
She contemplated her options. She knew that Ruby wouldn't directly tell anyone if Danna asked her to keep it a secret, but she wasn't the best actor, and Oscar and Adrian would definitely notice something was up. But Nova needed help, and Danna was a smooth liar.
"If I tell you, will you promise not to tell anyone? And I mean anyone. Not your family, not Oscar, and definitely not Adrian."
"I promise." She held out her pinky, her expression dead serious. Danna rolled her eyes but linked her pinky with Ruby's.
"Nova is nightmare."
Ruby gasped, her hand flying up to her mouth.
"Everything okay in here?" Ruby's mom poked her head into the room.
Ruby's eyes were still wide, but she dropped her hand and waved her mom away. "Everything's fine."
"Anything I can get you, dear?" Ruby's mom turned her gaze to Danna, her eyebrows scrunched in concern.
Danna grabbed the glass on Ruby's bedside table, taking a sip. "I'm fine. Thank you so much for your hospitality, I know it was a lot of trouble."
"It was nothing. I'm glad you're all right! We were all so worried."
"Bye mom!" She escorted her mom to the door and shut it firmly behind her, pressing her hand to her mouth once again.
"I know. It's crazy, but she's not the bad guy. You should have seen her face. She's scared, Ruby. I don't think she wants to be one of them, or she's too scared to leave. They're manipulating her, and I want to help."
