‘It's going to be OK,' Lucas said.
She smiled at him, as brightly as she could, hoping to reassure him. How many times he'd said that. Did he think if he kept saying it he could lull her into believing it? It didn't matter. She loved him anyway for saying it.
The door opened just then and Evie skittered backwards out of Lucas's arms as Flic strode into the kitchen. Lucas's hand went straight to the counter, flattening over the note he'd written.
‘That was pointless,' Flic announced as she planted herself in the centre of the room.
‘Of course it was,' Lucas said quietly, scrunching the note up in his hand. ‘If Issa wanted to be found she'd be found already. She'd be here.'
‘What were you doing?' Flic asked, her eyes darting suspiciously to the crumpled note on the counter.
‘Nothing,' Lucas lied. ‘Listen, we have to go.'
Flic shot a nervous glance in Evie's direction.
Evie gave a start, adrenaline kicking in sluggishly, ‘Um, I just need a few minutes first.'
‘What?' Lucas asked, rounding on her, clearly frustrated.
‘I want to write a letter to my mum,' Evie stammered, her cheeks burning.
He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. ‘You can call her later,' he said.
Evie shook her head, backing away, ‘No, it's important, Lucas. What if something happens to us? What if I never get the chance?'
‘You will,' he said, but for the first time she saw a shade of doubt momentarily darken his eyes.
‘What if I don't?' she said, trying to keep her voice steady. ‘I need to do this. I only need a minute.' She caught Flic's grim-faced stare. ‘Maybe two,' she added quickly. ‘Then we can go. We'll get out of LA. Get somewhere safe.'
Lucas frowned, pushing his hair out of his eyes, ‘OK, hurry though,' he said. He turned to the clock on the wall, his foot already tapping. Evie took a step backwards. She knew she was supposed to leave at this point but she simply couldn't tear her eyes off him. She just wanted one more second. And then just one more, each extra second being spent trading with herself for just one more. And then Flic stepped in front of her, blocking her view and Evie stumbled backwards towards the door, half-blinded by tears.
She fumbled for the door handle to the bedroom and in a haze of blurry vision crossed straight to the window, throwing up the sash and letting in a blast of wind. The tiny, feathered bird that had been sitting patiently on the windowsill looking in flew straight past her head, its wings beating against her ear.
In front of her face the bird stopped and started shimmering wildly – a prism caught in a blast of sunlight – and in the next second Jamieson was standing in front of her just as she had asked Flic to arrange.
‘Hey,' Jamieson said, forcing a smile.
‘Hey,' Evie answered automatically.
‘You ready?' he asked.
She felt a moment of panic, as if she was about to drop through the trapdoor of a gallows. The rope felt tight around her neck, was already burning her skin. ‘Wait,' she said, turning in a dazed circle, trying to think straight. She was clutching at thoughts as though they were being carried away on a fast-moving current, and no matter how she tried to grasp for them they kept spinning just out of reach. She spied Lucas's car keys lying on the desk. She picked them up, weighing them in her hand. Then she looked up at Jamieson. ‘OK, I'm ready. No.' She stopped, hearing Lucas's voice and freezing with the heart-stopping realisation that that was the last time she would ever hear it again.
‘Evie … ' Jamieson's hand was a gentle pressure on her arm.
She looked down. And then nodded to herself. ‘OK,' she said, taking another deep breath and crossing quickly to the window. She swung a leg up onto the ledge and pulled herself onto the sill. Then she suddenly remembered something. She dug quickly into the pocket of her jeans. ‘Here, take this,' she said, pulling out her mother's wedding ring and thrusting it at Jamieson. ‘When he figures it out, give him this. Please. Tell him I wanted him to have it. And tell him … ' She broke off, closing her eyes. She wanted to finish her sentence but she couldn't. There was too much to say and not enough time. She looked down at the ground, two storeys beneath her. Never enough time.
‘It's OK,' Jamieson said softly. ‘He knows.'
She glanced back at him and nodded. His hand closed over her own.
‘Evie?' he said.
‘Yeah?'
He gave her a smile that faded almost instantly to nothing. ‘Good luck.'
Chapter 37
Something wasn't right. Something had changed – in the atmosphere, in him. Something had shifted, almost imperceptibly, but shifted nonetheless. Where he always felt her heartbeat like a murmur in his own chest, there was stillness. Yet he could still feel her, smell her faintly, her scent hanging in the air of the kitchen, on his skin.
He pushed past Flic and headed for the bedroom, his hearing tuned acutely. Flic was shouting something after him, trying to grab for him. Lucas shook her off, moving faster now, sensing something was definitely wrong.
He threw open the door to the bedroom. But Evie was there, sitting at the desk, facing away from him. She didn't turn when he came in, though her hand stopped moving across the paper.
He walked towards her feeling the rush of relief speed through his body. The window was open and a stiff breeze was stirring the papers on the desk and making the loose photographs on the wall flap. Evie was still wearing his dark-grey V-neck sweater. It was too big and had fallen down over one shoulder revealing a narrow slat of pale collarbone, which he felt an overwhelming urge to slide his fingers along. He reached out his hand and felt her tense. Her skin felt warm to the touch.
‘You ready?' he asked.
‘Um, give me another minute,' Evie mumbled, still not looking up at him, her hand moving to cover the paper she was writing on.
Her heart was beating strangely, faster than normal. Lucas stepped back and looked around the room. Flic was hovering nervously in the door, clearly wanting them to leave. After half a minute he turned to Evie, anxiety getting the better of him. ‘Are you ready to go? I promise we'll stop for sushi.'
Evie glanced up at him, looking confused. ‘Sushi?'
He frowned. ‘Did you finish your letter?' he asked, moving in a flash to her side. He cast a glance down and caught a glimpse of the paper before Evie quickly flipped it over. It was covered in doodles.
‘Hey, you didn't write anything,' he said, reaching for the sheet of paper.
Evie leapt up from her seat. ‘I changed my mind,' she said, brushing past him. ‘Let's go.' She took his hand and started pulling him towards the door. Her hand felt warmer than normal, but her touch was empty. There was no familiar jolt of heat jumping between them.
Lucas let her pull him into the hallway.
‘Wait,' he said.
Evie hesitated, her eyes darting over her shoulder to Flic who was now standing in the kitchen doorway. ‘What?' she asked nervously, avoiding his gaze.
‘Come here,' he said with a soft smile. She let him pull her towards him, though he noted the reticence. He looked into her eyes, the familiar dark blue of them. She was far more wary than she normally was around him, skittish almost. He lifted his hand slowly and stroked back a strand of hair, pushing it behind her right ear and smiling. He felt Evie tense at his touch, a small and totally strange frown line forming between her eyes. He took hold of her wrists and squeezed tight.
‘Where's Evie?' he asked.
Evie pulled back, the look of surprise on her face quickly replaced by nervous indignation as her eyes flashed to Flic. ‘What are you talking about?' she stuttered.
‘Wrong ear,' he murmured. Shapeshifters were mirror images. Evie's bad ear was her left one, not her right.
In the next instant he'd let go of one of her wrists and had brought his father's blade to rest against the pale of her throat. A pale blue vein pulsed beneath the metal.
Evie's skin suddenly exploded into a wall of shimmer. He heard Flic shouting, felt her hands beating uselessly against his arm trying to get him to release his hold. Evie's wrist thickened in his grip and Jamieson appeared in her place. The blade pressed against his neck.
‘I'm sorry,' Jamieson said through gritted teeth, his eyes nervously eyeing the thin blade.
‘Where is she?' Lucas demanded, dropping the knife, but not letting Jamieson go.
‘It was her idea,' Flic shouted, ‘not ours. Don't blame him.' She pulled Jamieson out of Lucas's way, planting herself between them. Her arms were outstretched, one hand resting on Lucas's chest, as if that could hold him back.
‘Where has she gone?' Lucas asked, staring from one to another.
Flic and Jamieson glanced at each other. Neither of them spoke.
Lucas seized hold of Flic by the arm. ‘Has she gone to the way through?' he demanded, shaking her. ‘Does she even know where it is? Tell me!'
Flic shook her head. ‘I don't know.'
He squeezed her arm.
‘Yes, I think so,' Flic yelled. ‘She asked me to give her two hours alone with you and that … ' Flic stopped, biting her lip, shooting a look in Jamieson's direction.
‘That what?' Lucas shouted, shaking her harder.