He laughs again, then mimics taking off an invisible hat and bows before shuffling his feet along in an odd dance he used to do to cheer me up. He would reach for my hands, hold them lightly in his own, and then we’d take a turn around the room while he hummed a tune. The nearer he comes, the more details I notice: the bottom pearl snap of his shirt is undone, like always. The faded tattoo of an anchor on his inner arm, overgrown with wild hair. The patch of fuzz on his chin he never seems to scrape with his razor. He reaches for me but doesn’t grab me. He waits for me to take his hands.

My heart races, and my throat feels tight, and there’s pressure in my eyes that might make me go blind.

I want him to be real.

I reach for him, and when his hands clasp mine, they’re warm and the skin is rough.

“Poppa,” I say again, my voice a half whisper.

This time, Poppa smiles, but his lips pull back, revealing a set of jagged, sharp teeth.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Shy and the Tracker

I can’t sleep. Every time I close my eyes, I see Lily’s dead body hanging behind my eyelids. I can’t stop thinking about how similar her death was to Vera’s, how there’s a strong possibility Lily’s soul was exchanged with Vera’s. And right now, I’m pretty freaking sure Anora is the Eurydice.

But is she capable of killing Lily?

A better question: Is Anora in control of her power enough to execute something like an exchange?

It’s a question only she can answer. And since I’m still on leave from my knight-in-training duty, I’ll have to wait to talk to her until school.

I grab my phone and find myself scrolling through photos from digital albums my mom created. I’m realizing now I’m lucky Mom liked to take so many pictures of me and my friends growing up. I have a timeline of my friendship with Lily, Jacobi, Natalie…even Thane. There are photos of all five of us outside Rayon Elementary. My eyes linger longest on Lily, who is smiling so big, her eyes are closed. When we entered our freshman year, we all transferred to Nacoma Knight Academy for training. And of course, Thane followed us. Mom made us take the same photo but outside Emerson Hall. Lily has the same smile.

I have photos from birthday parties, dances, and school. I finally choose a photo of me and Lily to set as the background image on my phone. It was taken the night I got my Jeep. Once Dad gave me the keys, I drove to Lily’s to show her. She hopped in the passenger seat, leaned over the console, and snapped this photo before we went backroading.