The next hour passed in a red-tinged haze. Luz either sat and tapped her heels against the floor, leaned against the windows to glare angrily outside, or she paced up and down the hallway. Lilith was her usual gracious, disarmingly charming self, and had managed to get the Blight twins talking and laughing with her. She led the twins around her office, pointing out items she had on display, and relayed little histories or anecdotes of interest. Luz couldn't bring herself to join in, no matter how much she loved Tia Lily's collection. She hated this feeling. She leaned against the stone casement at the north end of her aunt's office, staring out at the activity around the stage. All she could think of was Amity: Amity alone, in that big, ugly, purple and gold trailer parked behind the stage on the Green; Amity, laying on the floor of the rotunda, her mother's hand dripping blood; Amity clenched and choking as her mother pushed her down under that damn programming, underwater; Amity— She jerked upright when a hand touched her shoulder, flinging herself away from the windows as she wheeled around, ready to claw and bite and—
Eda was standing by Lilith's desk, hands raised and saying, "Whoa, easy there, kiddo." The gray-haired woman was dressed in a security uniform identical to Steve's; a dark, long-sleeved shirt and matching pants under a stab vest and a heavy gear belt, radio-and-handset clipped to her shoulder. Her mane of gray was in a French braid, better to fit under the "STAFF" snapback hat she set down on her sister's desk. "Hey, kiddo—Luz—I'm sorry."
The brown-haired girl sucked in a single wet breath before she launched herself into her stepmother's arms, sobbing. Eda staggered backward as she clutched her distraught girl; she shot her sister a look, and Lilith gently led Edric and Emira back to the couch at the far end of the office. Luz blubbered something into Eda's ear, and the woman chuckled, patting her back, "Fuck, I'm so—I'm so fuckin' sorry." She squeezed the girl tightly—fiercely—lifting her slightly off the floor, then Eda set her down and took a half-step back. "It's time to get your goddamn warpaint on, kiddo." Luz looked up at her, teary-eyed and trembling, "We've got a plan. We'll get her away from that... that soul-sucking monster," Eda snarled.
The woman pointed back at the door, to the garment bag hanging on the knob, "Go grab a shower, get dressed. Lily's gonna do your makeup, okay?" She chuckled, "She was always better at that than I was." Luz nodded, then started walking toward the door, sniffing and wiping her sleeve across her eyes. She glanced at the twins and Lilith as she walked past, and gave them a nod.
She took the hottest shower she could stand. It didn't help scour the sickly dread from her skin or chase the fear from behind her eyes. She took deep breaths of steamy air, but it didn't help clear the thick blackened residue of hate she felt sticking heavy in her chest. She stared down, watching the water fall to the drain. If she closed her eyes for too long she'd see Amity, hands clawed and choking. Drowning.
She dressed quickly. Dark gray tights under the high-necked sleeveless dark purple dress. The skirt was cut at angles from roughly mid-thigh on the sides to taper down in the middle to slightly below the knee in the back, and slightly above the knee in the front. The inner panel of the skirt was a rich, deep midnight purple flecked with constellations. She put on the bronze owl-in-flight necklace and adjusted the chain, letting it hang at the top of her sternum. She carried the black suit coat over one arm and the garment bag over her other shoulder, and she walked quickly from the dressing room to her aunt's office.
Lilith had changed while she was gone, now in a long dark navy panel dress with a blue crystal necklace dangling above her chest. King was lying beside her desk wearing a bright yellow and white "BLIND GUIDE" fabric wrapped around the harness strapped to his back. Edric was petting him with a gleeful look on his face, as Emira stood back to watch in amusement. Eda was packing a rucksack with some gear, and then she shook out several large tubes of tennis balls on top of everything. She had a pair of machinist's headphones around her neck and another pair on the strap of her bag. Luz tossed her the sap gloves she'd borrowed the day before and Eda grunted a laugh and a Thanks.
YOU ARE READING
The Siren at the Museum (The Girl Who Sang #1)
FanfictionA chance meeting on the subway is the best thing that's happened to Luz in practically forever. She has so many questions about her new friend 'Azura', like "who were those men chasing you?" and "why can't you say anything?" The reviews are in: ...
