Starlight in Crystal City (Book 2)

4: The Least Insufferable Member of the Janacek Family (According to Halley)

I scooped my calico cat, Peach, into my arms, preventing her from dashing out the door. The door slammed a few seconds later, followed by the thudding of shoes hitting the floor.

From my position, I couldn't see nor hear the person who entered, but my suspicions were confirmed when the shrill voice of Aunt Halley yelled, "Kacie, have you seen the sheer amount of people outside? You'd think we were on the red carpet, with the way they've flanked the house. Is your father hiding drugs? Do I have to call the police?"

Peach clawed at my hand playfully. I fluffed the fur on her neck and walked to the doorway, where Halley and her colleague, Warren, were waiting.

"Don't do that," Warren said, uncertainly. As I remembered, the last time I had seen him was during Jax's kidnapping. He pushed his glasses up with his forefinger, peeling off his coat to reveal the uniform underneath it. Next to Halley, whose muscles were visible, a ripple beneath her sweater, he almost seemed meek. "They're busy with the project. Let them finish it."

Bounding over to me, Halley wrapped me into a hug. She continued to the kitchen, off to bother Riley. (This was becoming a regular occurrence, lately, and I honestly couldn't tell if it was because we needed protecting, or just because Halley wanted an excuse to tease Kieran. So far, I was leaning towards the latter.)

"It was a joke," I mumbled, and Warren nodded.

"Right, I know, but I can never quite figure her out." He squeezed past me to join her, and I followed them into the living room.

As I reached the kitchen, Riley leaned over the stove, setting the pot to a boil. "I see you've decided to break into the house again."

"Nice to see you, too," Halley quipped, tossing her hair over her shoulder. The ring in the shape of a wave on her thumb reflected the light, forming a tiny undulating rainbow on the wall behind her. "What are you making?"

"It's not for you," Riley said, without missing a beat. He searched through the cupboards, emptying the last of our pasta reserve into a bowl. "We don't have enough."

"Rude." Halley tossed him a hard look, her eyebrows furrowing. "Where's Kieran?"

"What do you want him for? Am I not who you came here to see, Hal?" he said, sort of mockingly. There was a tinge of sincerity to it; Riley had spent a lot of time cooped up inside the house in the recent weeks, so having an exit probably made the situation just a little easier to swallow.

"No, this time I really am here for you," Halley replied. "In fact, it's better that Kieran isn't here. I needed to brief you on something."

She had a glint in her eye, as if she was plotting world domination. The fact about Aunt Halley was that I wouldn't have been surprised at all if she wanted to reign supreme as the Queen of the Cosmos, master of the universe; I would simply believe it without batting an eye.

"Me?" Riley managed to ask, giving Warren a sideways look. I could tell he wanted to know, just as much as I did. "Why?"

"Please," Halley said, and smiled at me. It was awfully reminiscent of a year ago, back when my life was somewhat normal. I almost missed it, in the same way, I recalled fond memories from middle school. I would never go back, not even if I could, but sometimes I still found myself mauling over the possibilities, thinking about everything I wished I could change. "You know why."

"Because..." I trailed off, but Warren interrupted before I could finish.

"She told me," he said, simply, and nothing more.

For a blissful moment, Riley didn't answer. His eyes narrowed, the stovetop glowing crimson. I expected him to succumb to the flames, to let the house burn with us. It would be fitting: a cyclone of fire, and a spiral of reporters witnessing the emergence of Onyx Spark.