Shane’s office was junked, too, but he didn’t have a say in whether or not we were going in. And it was empty. I tried not to question why Aurora’s wasn’t as I had a seat next to Aaron in two chairs on the side of the desk closest to the hallway. At least he wasn’t sitting across Shane’s cluttered desk from me. Then I would really feel like I was in trouble.
The odor of decaying gym socks did not deter him as he took a moment, and turning his chair toward me, asked quietly, “Do you want to tell me what’s really going on, or do you want me to guess?”
The old me would’ve just politely told the truth and asked for forgiveness. I am not the old me. I’m not sure what happened to her, but I think she disappeared even before I boarded that train to Philly. “I’m not sure,” I began. “But I’m guessing there’s something in Aurora’s office she doesn’t want us to see. Maybe someone.” An idea popped into my head that I wanted to blurt out to be funny, except for I actually thought it might be true. “Maybe she’s secretly dating someone!”
“With the invoices, Cass,” Aaron said, getting me back on track as I started to question the possibility that Aurora and Elliott were a couple. I could find out pretty quickly by jumping into either one of their heads, but I didn’t know what I might see there and probably didn’t want to know. “What’s going on?”
The jig was up. Or is it gig? Either way, I was out of time. I took a deep breath and said, “I couldn’t live at home any more. So... I moved out.”
His eyebrows shot up, and he just stared at me for a really long time, and I realized I over-confessed. I should’ve went with, “I am thinking about moving out....”
“This has already happened?” he finally asked, cocking his head to the side. “When? How? Liz let you move out?”
“Not exactly,” I admitted. “She’s under the impression I’m living with Cadence.”
“And Cadence doesn’t know about it?”
“No, she does. But she thinks I’m living with Lucy.”
He was still confused. It takes a lot to bewilder him, so points for me there. “So... you told your mom you were moving in with your sister, and your mom was okay with that. And you told your sister you were moving in with Lucy, and she hasn’t said anything to your mom?”
“I think she has,” I continued. “But I asked Cadence to lie for me for a while, and I think she did.”
“Wait—what? Why would she do that?”
“Because... she’s a good sister?” I really didn’t want to involve Elliott in this if I didn’t have to.
Aaron was already shaking his head. “I’m pretty sure that does not make her a good sister at all. So, no, I doubt that’s why.”
“Maybe... she thought it was a good idea?”
“Because...?”
He was there. He’d realized I’d had help, and he’d realized who the helper was. Still, Elliott was sitting in an office next door for some reason I did not understand, and I got the impression Aaron knew he was there, too. The last thing I needed was the boss to go over there and yell at my friend for helping me out. “Because... blackmail.” There—it was all out now. I didn’t need to say more. He was nodding again. He got it.
“Cassidy, I don’t think I have to tell you I can’t just let this continue. You won’t even be seventeen for another two months. Your mom has allowed this under false pretenses, and your sister—your boss—doesn’t know the truth either.”
“I know,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady and the tears from my eyes. “But this is working, Aaron. For the first time since Mom and Dad moved down here, I finally feel like my old self again. I can see my friends and manage my own business. I haven’t done anything dangerous. Most of the time, I don’t even go outside after 9:00. I’m still working on my math, letting my mom see my progress. And when I go and have lunch with her a few times a week, we are actually getting along. I will be seventeen soon enough. Can’t you just overlook this for the next couple of months until my birthday?”
He was already shaking his head before I finished. “No, but I will sit down with you and both of your parents and help you make a good argument for moving out on your own.”
“Will you tell them I already have?”
I could see the wheels spinning in his head as he considered having mercy on me. I know it isn’t easy on him balancing being kind to the person who saved him from Holland and still treating me like a kid who needs direction from time to time. I also think he truly understands how valuable my gifts are to the team, whereas other people tend to forget exactly what I can do for some crazy reason.
So when he said, “I will see what I can do,” I knew I could rely on it. “Shall we go ahead and get this over with?”
“Now?” The question was out of my mouth before I realized how desperate it sounded. He actually laughed, probably at the expression of horror on my face.
“Why not?”
“Because... because my dad is at work. And if you call him over from work, he’ll think something really bad has happened.”
“You mean like his daughter stealing a syringe from the Healers and inserting it into her arm in order to give herself a second dose of a potentially toxic chemical her body wasn’t even mature enough to handle the first time it was given to her?”
“Yes, that,” I said, gulping down air.
“Or maybe that his daughter has convinced another teenager to help her steal her sister’s credit card which she’s used to purchase two train tickets to a destination halfway across the country which happens to be teeming with Vampires who want to kill her?”
“Okay, okay, I get it. Yes—both reasons for my parents to be alarmed. So, why do it again, you know? Why not just wait until he gets home for dinner? Or better yet, tomorrow is Friday. They say to give bad news on Fridays....”
He was already out of his chair. “Let’s go, Cass.”
“But....” There was no reason to argue. I followed, wondering if I’d ever find out why Elliott was in Aurora’s office or if my parents would kill me before I got the opportunity. I prayed I’d at least have the chance to tell Brandon farewell before I met my untimely demise.