"Callie's right," Luce's mom said. "You kids are young and hopeful, and you
really should just be having fun."
Fun. So that was the goal right now? Was fun even possible for Luce? She
glanced at Miles. He was smiling. "I'm having fun," he mouthed.
That made all the difference to Luce, who looked around the table again and
realized that despite everything, she was having fun too. Roland was making a show of
tonguing a shrimp at Molly, who laughed for possibly the first time in history. Cam tried
doting on Callie, even offering to butter her roll, which she declined with raised eyebrows
and a shy shake of her head. Shelby ate like she was training for a competition. And
someone was still playing footsie with Luce underneath the table. She met Daniel's violet
eyes. He winked, giving her butterflies.
There was something remarkable about this gathering. It was the liveliest
Thanksgiving they'd had since Luce's grandmother died and the Prices stopped going to
the Louisiana bayou for the holiday. So this was her family now: all these people, angels,
demons, and whatever else they were. For better or worse, complicated, treacherous, full
of ups and downs, and even at times fun. Just like her dad had said: That was life.
And for a girl who had had some experience with dying, life--period--was the
thing for which Luce was suddenly overwhelmingly thankful.
"Well, I've had just about enough," Shelby announced after a few more minutes.
"You know. Food. Everyone else done? Let's wrap this up." She whistled and made a
lasso gesture with her finger. "I'm eager to get back to that reform school we all go to-um--"
"I'll help clear the table." Gabbe jumped up and started stacking plates, dragging a
reluctant Molly into the kitchen with her.
Luce's mom was still shooting her furtive glances, trying to see the gathering
through her daughter's eyes. Which was impossible. She'd latched on to the Daniel idea
pretty quickly and kept looking back and forth between the two of them. Luce wanted a
chance to show her mom that what she and Daniel had was solid and wonderful and
unlike anything else in the world, but there were too many other people around.
Everything that should have been easy felt hard.
Then Andrew stopped chewing on the felt feathers around his neck and started
yipping at the door. Luce's dad stood up and reached for the dog's leash. What a relief.
"Somebody wants his after-dinner walk," he announced.
Her mother stood up, too, and Luce followed her to the door and helped her into
her pea coat. Luce handed her dad his scarf. "Thank you guys for being so cool tonight.
We'll do the dishes while you're gone."
183
Her mom smiled. "You make us proud, Luce. No matter what. Remember that."
"I like that Miles," Luce's dad said, clipping Andrew's leash to his collar.
"And Daniel is ... just remarkable," her mom said to her dad in a leading tone of
voice.
Luce's cheeks flushed and she glanced back at the table. She gave her parents a
please-don't-embarrass-me look. "Okay! Have a nice long walk!"
Luce held open the door and watched them walk out into the night with the eager
dog practically choking on his leash. The cold air through the open door was refreshing.
The house was hot, with so many people filling it up. Just before her parents disappeared
down the street, Luce thought she saw a flash of something outside.
Something that looked like a wing.
"Did you see that?" she said, not sure who she was addressing.
"What?" her father called, turning back. He looked so full and happy that it almost
broke Luce's heart.
"Nothing." Luce forced a smile as she closed the door. She could feel someone
right behind her.
Daniel. The warmth that made her sway where she stood.
"What did you see?"
His voice was icy, not with anger but with fear. She looked up at him, reaching
for his hands, but he had turned the other way.
"Cam," he called. "Get your bow."
Across the room, Cam's head shot up. "Already?"
A whizzing sound outside the house silenced him. He moved away from the
window and reached inside his blazer. Luce saw the flash of silver, and she remembered:
the arrows he'd collected from the Outcast girl.
"Tell the others," Daniel said before turning to face Luce. His lips parted and the
desperate look on his face made her think that he might kiss her, but all he did was say,
"Do you have a storm cellar?"
"Tell me what's happening," Luce said. She could hear water running in the
kitchen, Arriane and Gabbe singing harmony on "Heart and Soul" with Callie while they
did the dishes. She could see Molly's and Roland's skittish expressions as they cleared the