“Until Leti gets back to me, let’s take things one step at a time,” Mom said. She put her hand on my shoulder. “We can talk about Selene if it’s bothering you, and we can damn sure see that her death gets a thorough investigation if it hasn’t already. You’ve been learning all these new details and not telling us? Baby, that bothers me.”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t want to ruin this for us.”

“We are not that fragile, baby,” Mom said. “And you’re not ruining anything.” She took my hands in hers and held them tight. “I’ve watched you and your power grow over all these years. Sometimes I wonder what it means, where it comes from. Now it looks like we have some answers.”

“You don’t think it sounds impossible?” I asked.

Mom shook her head. “What it sounds like doesn’t make a difference to me. This isn’t just something in your blood. It’s you. It’s who you are. How could I doubt what you’re telling us when I’ve seen what you can do?”

Tears streamed down my face. There were still questions that I needed answers to but they could wait. Mom put her arms around me and pulled me close. Mo came over and wrapped us up like she always did when me and Mom got to ugly crying.

CHAPTER 27

CHAPTER 27

Mom dropped Mo off at the train station so she could commute to Brooklyn and check in with Jake. The rest of the day passed in a haze. In the early afternoon, I snuggled up next to Mom on the couch as we waited for Auntie Leti to call back. I sent Karter a bunch of texts asking him if he was okay, but he didn’t text back.

The doorbell rang.

“I got it,” Mom said. She went out into the hall and a few seconds later, I heard Karter’s voice.

I stood up to meet him but when he came into the front room, he looked upset. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot. “Can I talk to you?”

“What’s wrong? I’ve been texting you.”

“Can I talk to you alone?” he asked.

Mom huffed. “It’s not a good time, Karter.”

He stepped toward me with the most desperate look on his face. “I’m sorry, but you have to listen to me. You gotta leave. All of you. You gotta get out of here.”

“What? Why?” I asked, confused.

Karter reached out and took hold of my arms. “Can you trust me? Can you please just listen to what I’m saying?”

“I’m listening, but you’re not making sense,” I said. “If this is about the Heart, you don’t have to worry. I told my parents. They know. It’s okay.”