I wished I could let the hope shining on her face last for more than thirty seconds. “It’s not that simple. So far, you’ve managed to close the rips while you were outside them.”
Anxiety clouded her expression again in the shape of a frown. “I have to go inside a rip to close it.”
“We don’t know anything for certain,” I explained. “We don’t even know if it will work.”
“But it could.” She sat on the edge of the coffee table. “If I had the power to undo all the damage that’s been done, the rip worlds would go away.”
Michael nodded. “That’s what we think.”
Footsteps thundered down the stairs. Poe swung into the living room holding a notebook, stopping in front of Hallie, his face haggard. “It’s my fault. I’m the one who activated you.”
“What are you talking about?” She stood and reached for Poe’s arm. “Sit down. You look terrible.”
“I finally found the answer on the Skroll.” He shook her off and kept talking. “At first, I thought something we stole kicked you off. Something you’d touched on a job or even someplace we’d been. But it was me. I did it. The night I pulled you into the veil and teleported you.”
“You teleported Hallie?” I asked.
“No one is supposed to go in veils but time travelers and teleporters.” Kaleb was talking to Poe without meeting his eyes. No love lost between those two.
“It was a do-or-die situation.” Poe didn’t look at him either. He didn’t look at anyone but Hallie. “And my fault.”
“Stop,” Hallie said.
Kaleb wasn’t going to let it go. “You never told us what your exotic matter source is. You have to have it to open veils. How are you teleporting yourself or anyone else?”
“I create my own exotic matter.”
“Can other people use it, too?” Emerson asked. “Like, say, time travelers?”
Dead quiet descended on the room. Cat Rooks, Hourglass’s source of exotic matter, had betrayed us. No one with the time travel skill had been able to use it since she walked out.
“I think they can.” Poe’s attention shifted from Hallie to Emerson, and then to Michael.
Michael nodded, and Emerson took his hand.
From the way Kaleb looked at Poe, he’d discovered some affection for him. “The night you killed Emerson, I couldn’t get a pinky toe into the veil. It was as hard as a rock.”
“I’m sorry, what?” Hallie stared at Kaleb as if he’d claimed his life goal was to be a princess.
“Oh.” Em waved her hands at Hallie like it was no big deal. “There was this time that Poe killed me, but it totally didn’t stick, and we’ve worked it out. So. Don’t worry about it.”
Hallie’s eyes were wide. “I’m worried.”
“I wasn’t operating under my own volition.” Poe’s face went dark, shuttering any emotion.
“He’s apologized, numerous times.” Em smiled at him. “Then after that, he saved me and Michael.”
“It’s not like I’m a hero,” Poe said, but his expression lightened. “But I hope I’ve found another way to make it up to you both.”
“You’re a hero to us, Poe.” Hallie looked at Poe until he met her eyes. “Always will be.”
“I hate to ruin the moment, but can we bring the focus back around to Hallie?” I waited until I had everyone’s attention. “Poe managed to pull you in, and you survived.”
“Because of her regeneration ability,” Poe said. “Has to be.”
“I was so sick that night,” Hallie said, her gaze intensifying. “I came out on the other side, couldn’t hear or see, and I kept throwing up. That was the night I saw a rip for the first time, but Poe saw it, too, so I didn’t suspect anything or connect the dots. The next day was when my regeneration went into overdrive.”
“I’m so sorry, Hallie.” Poe stared at her, and the darkness was back.
“Do not apologize to me, or blame yourself for this.”
“But—”
“But shut up.” She grabbed Poe’s shoulders and leaned in close. “You aren’t responsible. Did you do it on purpose?”
Poe shook his head.
Hallie squeezed him before letting go and facing the group, hands on hips, chin angled out. “It wasn’t Poe’s fault.”
“We agree with you, Hallie,” Michael said quietly.
“That’s it. That’s the answer.” My brain spun so fast my vision was blurry. I sat down to get my bearings and to take control of the hope in my chest. “If the veil was the stressor that set Hallie off, then Poe could pull Teague into a veil and set off her activation.”