Chapter 21

  Kaitlyn Carter

  The light in Absolem’s chamber was silent, but it was hard to ignore. If Kate closed her eyes against the brightness of the cavern and the rainbows slithering through crystals, then shapes and stars danced behind her eyelids, patterns weaving and folding into each other. The light was like the Museum; it reacted to her music. Absolem liked her playing here, dropping lazy chains of notes into the cold, still air of his chamber. She could feel him stirring in his glassy chrysalis as she leaned against it. It gave her an idea. Maybe music was what he needed to metamorphose. Maybe his metamorphosis was a metaphor! Hehe. But also, maybe just her playing wasn’t enough. Maybe they all had to be together, playing together, to do it.

  …together…

  She opened her eyes to look at the others. Talk about together! Shlushluth and Thlytri stood across the room, leaning against each other (though really it was Thlytri leaning against Shlushluth since he was so much bigger), whispering. Shlushluth’s big feathery white antennae twitched down to make brief contact with Thlytri’s thin blue ones. Kate wondered what that meant, what it felt like.

  Polyom, perched nearby on the crystal floor with a scroll unrolled in front of her, made a noise of amusement. “Youth,” she said to Kate, as though Kate would know exactly what she was talking about.

  “W-what about it?” Kate asked.

  Polyom moved her head in a way that made Kate think her attention had shifted to the lovers over there, but it was so hard to tell with those multifaceted eyes. “Love comes easily to the young.” Her high, fluted voice sounded amused, though spoke softly so Thlytri and Shlushluth wouldn’t hear.

  “Hmm,” said Kate. “R-really?” Kate herself was young, after all! And it didn’t seem like love was coming very easily to her. At least, well, not in the way it should.

  “It takes effort, these days,” said Polyom, “for Mormo and I to be in love.”

  “B-but you’re so c-c-cute together!”

  Polyom laughed; her thin body quivered and her twilight-stained wings flapped a few times, making a gust of wind that blew Kate’s hair around her face. “You are cute, Kaitlyn Carter,” she said. “Even without wings.”

  …wings…

  “Soon, Absolem! I p-promise!” She bopped her head gently against the cold crystal of his chrysalis, then replied to Polyom. “B-but I have no one t-to be c-cute with!”

  Polyom carefully rolled the scroll up and stowed it in a case strapped to her thorax. “What about Eric Walker?”

  Kate’s playing faltered as her fingers suddenly forgot how to move on their own. She had been afraid of Polyom saying that. Because now she felt uncomfortably warm and confused. “Um,” she said, “n-no!” She was immediately embarrassed at how defensive she sounded, and she realized she had said it rather loudly when Thlytri and Shlushluth across the room looked at her with curiosity.

  But it was just that Eric was cool and all, and clever and brave and other good things, but he also made her so mad! And he was with Liz anyway, maybe, kind-of, so it was a definitive no go—not that she wanted to go anyway—or anywhere, even, with him, except maybe to the morgue so she could kill him without inconveniencing anyone whenever he was being an insensitive jerk! And he wasn’t a vegetarian, even though she could respect that. But also she had noticed that her heart beat a little faster when she touched him, which admittedly might have had something to do with his time/heartbeat powers, and she had even caught herself thinking about asking Liz how to be prettier, which was not at all something she had ever been interested in before. And of course she couldn’t ask Liz that! Even though Liz would definitely have some pro tips.

  And anyway, thinking rationally, which is what she did best, it was obvious that any purely hypothetical attraction between any of them was simply due to their proximity and mutual engagement in a strange, new, wonderful but dangerous environment. Everybody knew that people bond when they experience danger together! And hormonal adolescents such as themselves could easily confuse such a thing with romantic affection! And that was all there was to it!

  Now to explain all this to Polyom.

  “…Ms. Carter?” asked Polyom, concerned.

  “‘Ms. C-carter’ is m-my aunt!” Kate declared. “I’m just K-kate, remember?”

  Her phone buzzed. She checked it cautiously. Because wouldn’t it be just the perfect coincidence if he…

  FI: this looks like a job for me!

  “Sh-sh-shut up, Fiora!” She shouted it up at the skies, desecrating the lovely stillness of Absolem’s chamber. “And d-don’t you d-da-d-dare t-talk to the others about this! Sorry, Polyom.” Polyom flapped one wing at Kate, which meant no worries.

  FI: oh, this is interesting

  FI: when you blush it’s red!

  FI: even though your skin is white

  KC: some humans have brown skin

  FI: like Heidi Sheppard?

  KC: even darker

  KC: almost black sometimes

  FI: is their blood still red?

  KC: yeah

  FI: you are all SO WEIRD

  RO: Leave her be, Fiora.

  KC: are you two always together?

  FI: yeah!

  RO: No.

  FI: Rosma loves me! She does!

  RO: I tolerate you.

  FI: but you do not tolerate anyone else

  FI: so it is the same thing!

  KC: aww!

  RO: Leave us. I have a question for the human.

  FI: she has a naaaame, Rosma!

  RO: I care not.

  KC: what is your question?

  RO: A moment, human.

  RO: There. We are alone.

  KC: I’m not alone!

  RO: My question: how didst thou manage to contact Zayana in the Museum?

  RO: At the first.

  KC: her number was just in my phone

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  KC: why?

  RO: I saw another human here. Now, having observed thee and thy kin, I know this one to be different. Know ye of any others of your kind adrift in this place?

  KC: uh

  KC: was it the Dark Man?

  RO: Nay, not he.

  KC: what did it look like?

  KC: man or woman?

  RO: I...am not sure.

  KC: what was it wearing?

  RO: Dark clothes. A cape. Copper hair. A staff, tipped with arda.

  KC: ARE YOU SERIOUS?!

  KC: what the hell is uncle Riley doing in the Museum!?!?!?

  KC: 8o

  RO: Thou knowest this one?

  KC: no, this is a good thing!

  KC: I mean yes, I know him!

  RO: Is this human dangerous?

  KC: goodness, yes!

  KC: but he’s on our side!

  KC: I mean, us humans

  KC: and he probably knows everything that’s going on!

  KC: he’s really really smart!

  RO: I see.

  RO: I shall consult Acarnus on this matter.

  RO: Meanwhile...you humans can be white or brown in coloration?

  KC: yeah, but it’s not really a big deal for us

  KC: I mean, it IS, for some people, but not for any good reasons like you guys have

  RO: White and brown are the colors we now lack.

  KC: lack?

  KC: oh, do you mean the two that aren’t with you any more?

  RO: Aye.

  RO: The white is by far the greater loss.

  RO: She was true.

  …true…

  KC: !!!

  KC: Absolem! What are you doing in our chat?!

  …lost…

  RO: Aye. She is lost to us.

  KC: how did she die?

  RO: She lives.

  RO: Alone on a dying world. Hopeless, trapped in a doomed Narrative.

  RO: We can see her, as we can see thee. But we cannot speak. She is truly alone.

  RO: She will die soon. It will be a relief, for her and for us.

  KC: that’s horrible

  RO: Reality is horrible.

  KC: at least you can keep track of her

  RO: Few of us read her book any longer.

  RO: But I do.

  RO: No guilt is mine in this matter.

  RO: And I fear not to witness her suffering.

  RO: It is all that I can do for her.

  KC: there must be some way to get her, though, right?

  RO: We had one idea.

  KC: what was it!?

  RO: To open a white door.

  KC: oh...

  KC: I see

  KC: and...are you still trying that?

  RO: Akkama is. And Jeronimy. No force compels more greatly than guilt.

  RO: As for myself, I never believed Anthea could be retrieved, by any means.

  RO: Her future is lost, surrendered by her own choice to such a wretch as Jeronimy. Foolishness. An inexcusable waste.

  RO: We must look to our own future, for it seems no less grim.

  KC: I’m really sorry about your friend

  KC: I really am

  KC: that’s so sad

  RO: She was not my friend.

  RO: She was my leader.

  RO: She was one whom I would follow.

  RO: None like her remain.

  KC: I wish I could help her

  RO: Help thyself.

  RO: Do as thou must.

  RO: I shall do no less.

  RO: All else is foolishness.

  KC: that’s where you’re wrong, Rosma!

  KC: there’s always a way to a happy ending!

  KC: we can find it together

  KC: watch this:

  KC: I PROMISE I’ll help you!

  KC: OK?!

  …hope…

  KC: you said it, Absolem!

  …dream…

  KC: yeah!

  KC: we can help each other, Rosma

  KC: we have to!

  KC: are you still there?

  KC: well even if you’re ignoring me now, there’s one more thing

  KC: if you see Riley again, can you please tell him where we are, or give him my book or something?

  KC: he won’t fight unless he feels threatened

  KC: so, like, you really don’t want to threaten him, okay?