New World

29 | Jaime Rocio Rosales

They sat on the roof of home, the Los Angeles Institute, right on the edge. Lila kicked her heels against the wall as she stared out at the desert, the sky shaken with bursts of hot light—stars.

"You seem sad," Said Ty. "Are you?"

Lila glanced at Kit who sat beside her, her sitting between Ty and Kit. His hair was covering his forehead, so she absentmindedly raised her hand and pushed it lightly out the way. Her cheeks burned when she looked away. Idiot, she thought to herself. I'm an absolute idiot. "You should get a haircut," she said quickly. "Julian cuts Tavvy's hair." Stop speaking right now, you idiot.

"Julian's not here. And I don't know if I'd want him to cut my hair," Kit replied.

"He's not bad at it," Ty said. "You said your dad had stuff hidden all over Los Angeles. Is there anything that could help us?"

"Nothing necromantic," Said Kit.

Ty looked disappointed.

"Look—we tried the straightforward approach. Now we have to try the con," Kit voiced.

"I'm quite persuasive," Lila piped, trying to be helpful.

"I don't really get cons," Said Ty. "I read books about them, but I don't understand how people can let themselves be tricked like that."

"It's not about making people believe what you want them to believe. It's about letting them believe what they want. About giving them what they think they need,"

Ty sprang to his feet then, almost making Lila jump.

"I have send a fire-message to Hypatia Vex," he told them.

"Why?" Kit asked. "She already said no to helping us."

"She did. But Shade said she wants to run the Shadow Market herself one day. It's what she thinks she needs." With that, Ty walked off.

There was silence between Kit and Lila.

"Do you still think bringing Livvy back is a good idea?" Kit asked.

Lila frowned. "Why else would I agree to go along with the plan?"

"Well, you're upset about Livvy being gone. Which is understandable. But sometimes grief can make you think differently—"

"What are you trying to say?" She snapped, turning slightly to look at him.

"Nothing!" He said quickly. "I just meant that you didn't take Livvy's death too well—"

"Because I was upset? Because I was upset that my sister died?"

"No, you just blocked yourself off for a while—"

"What do you think you did when your dad died, Christopher?"

"Don't call me that."

She rolled her eyes and stood. "I'm going to speak to Ty."

-

Everyone sat in the library as Cristina, Mark and Kieran packed to go to Faerie. Julian and Emma needed help with something, and it was the first time in a week Lila had really payed proper attention to something other than grieving Livvy and wanting to get her back. She didn't even remember Julian or Emma leaving. She just knew they were coming home. Tavvy and Dru had gone down to the beach, Ty was searching a bookshelf, and Kit sat at one of the tables.

Lila sat on the tabletop beside where Mark was packing. She was scared for him, worried that he wouldn't come home again. Last time he'd gone there it had been a waiting game for him to come home.

"You're going to come home, aren't you?" Asked Lila quietly. "And not after a few years. In a few days."

Mark looked her eyes. "I promise we're coming home. With Julian and Emma."

She looked at him for a second and then wrapped her arms around his neck. He hugged her back, and she was reminded of being younger and carried around when she was tired, falling asleep with her head on Mark's shoulder, warm and safe. If he didn't come home, she didn't know what she'd do.

"Maybe we shouldn't pack the food right now," Said Helen anxiously. Lila dropped her arms from around Mark and pulled her hoodie tighter in worry. "Maybe we should wait until they're leaving."

Aline said, "Most of the food will keep. That's the point."

"We can only wait so long to leave. This is important," Mark replied.

"Jaime will come as quickly as he can," Cristina told.

"If he isn't here by tonight, we may need to take the moon's road," Kieran voiced after her, looking between Cristina and Mark.

"And risk being reported to the courts?" Helen said. "It's dangerous. Too dangerous. You're not going anywhere until Jaime Rosales turns up."

All the talk of danger and leaving was making Lila feel a bit ill. She jumped off the table and went in search of Ty. She ignored Kit as she walked past him, and he jumped off the table too and followed after her, apparently having the same idea.

They found Ty between two giant stacks of books among the bookshelves. He was looking at a piece of paper.

"Ty," Lila said, walking over to her brother. "What are you doing?"

Ty looked up with shiny eyes—relieved eyes. He held up the paper to show them. "It's Hypatia Vex," he said. "She's agreed to help us with the Shadow Market."

Though she wanted Livvy back, Lila was pretty fed up of the Shadow Market. It seemed they were constantly going back and forth.

They heard the doors to the library burst open then. Lila walked to the end of the isle to look properly. She found Dru was hanging back by the door while a good-looking dark-haired boy stood there too. He was hugging Cristina. He was tall and skinny, resembled a younger version of Diego Rosales.

"Welcome to the Los Angeles Institute, Jaime," said Helen, who had walked over to him and shook his hand. "Thanks so much for coming on such short notice."