The Skylar Experiment : The "X" in Apex

Chapter Forty-Five - Carnival

"You think things will get back to normal for everyone else?"

The cotton candy dissolved on my tongue at about the same time as my excitement did. I've tried to sustain the flame all evening. Emma and I had lagged behind the group to end up sitting on a bench. I think we both wanted a change of scenery, and it seemed that it wasn't quite working.

"Not anytime soon." I ripped more cotton candy off her cone and stuffed the cloud in my mouth.

The families of the dead, they'll mourn for months and years. The community will constantly worry about attacks spiking again, even if they'll become a memory.

"Maybe in ten years, there will be a statue or something for the tourists and the supernatural geeks. They'll keep coming, that's certain."

Emma huffed. Cheers and claps erupted at the ring toss. These kids were good at moving on, though they also had their moments. Tonight, some of us suggested a night at this carnival an hour out of town to make up for losing Halloween.

Emma refused at first, but after I agreed to go with Adam, Jen and Sam, she eventually reconsidered. The games didn't interest me but I needed something—anything—that was just silly, stupid, and unimportant. I needed noise.

"You haven't talked to Luc since?"

The question almost made me twitch. I told her about the woman, how she tried to kill me, but I didn't mention the crap about supposed abilities. I couldn't say it with a straight face.

"Outside of Bio? Nope. We said we'd mind our own business when it's over, and here we are. Such a relief."

Emma's stare went far, and then she frowned over the remnants in her cone.

"It's just that..." She grinned lopsided. "When I was getting to know him... He was so spiteful. He never missed an opportunity to say he'd feed me to the wolves. Lauren always had trouble keeping him at arm's length, he was just that hellbent on making me miserable. She was hard to pin down. So prim and delicate at first glance, she made a room feel like springtime. But she always got her hands dirty, yet still made it seem like a charming thing."

I stilled. This was the first time she really talked about his sister—about what their friendship was like.

"They were total opposites?"

"Night and day. And what you told me... I almost couldn't believe we're talking about the same guy." Emma squeezed her cone with both small hands. She was bundled up for the colder weather. "It just sounds like her. Like a part of her rubbed off in the end... even if it's too late."

"Oh, I don't know about that. It was painful every step of the way," I said, recalling all the times he'd been distrustful or openly hostile. The opposite of a breath of fresh air.

I couldn't believe it.

I was worried sick about him when I woke up, I thought he'd gone above and beyond to keep people safe. Ultimately, he had selfishly done things his own way and all for what? Luc didn't know what he was talking about, he himself admitted it was confusing. After being around him, being healed, it must have had some temporary effects.

It had been a full week since the terror in the mountains. No weird abilities on my radar. No third eye or eleventh finger. In fact, even the bite was fading more with each passing week.

So yeah, I haven't spoken to the guy but I spoke to Mom once I was decent. Her intuition antennas were to be feared at the most unpredictable moments.

We didn't discuss the school scandal anymore. I just wanted to hear her voice, check in. I shivered, and Emma nudged me.