The Marked Girl (28 page)

It took a good amount of Liv's energy to keep her voice steady as she said, “Okay.”

Cedric stood awkwardly for another moment, as though he wanted to say something else. Then he turned and walked away.

Liv wanted to call out to him, to scream that this wasn't the way things were supposed to go. She had summoned up the courage and made her declaration. Granted, it hadn't been in a last-minute dash to the airport or on top of the Empire State Building, but she still knew what was supposed to happen next. Happily ever after, with the credits rolling over the two of them, together. If the world worked the way it was supposed to, that's what should have happened.

But Liv couldn't force the universe to give her a proper happy ending any more than she could force Cedric to turn around. She heard the sound of his shoes hitting the wood as he walked down the pier steps.

Soon, she would have to turn around too. Walk down the pier. Wait with the others. Soon, she would leave this moment behind and wait for it to become a painful memory. But for now, she stared out over the ocean's waves, the water's cold, salty spray blowing into her face and stinging her eyes, mixing there with her warm tears. And for once she didn't bring a hand up to stop them or hold them back or blink them away, but just stood still and let them fall.

C
edric tried to keep his mind blank as he walked down the wooden steps and back onto the cool sand of the beach. The sky was a light blue now, and in the distance he saw cars driving along the roadway. He wanted to turn around and get one last look at Liv, see her outlined there in the morning light, but that would only make things harder.

Instead, Cedric looked forward, to where Kat and Merek rested on the sand. Merek swayed where he sat, his eyes dark hollows. A part of Cedric felt guilty when he saw Merek's injuries, and another part of him still wanted to shake his quasi-friend until he told the truth. Even if Merek hadn't betrayed them, Cedric believed he knew more than he was telling. At some point, it would be up to him to figure out what that was.

But for now, he was so tired.

Cedric's lungs ached, and the skin of his arm tingled where the hair had burned off. Walking across the sand was difficult. As
Cedric trudged over to where Kat was sitting, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. He looked up to see that people were starting to make their way down the beach, toward the shore. A few men carrying fishing poles, some older couples in large hats, one lone girl with dark hair and pale skin.

Cedric stopped in his tracks.

Suddenly, he couldn't feel anything—not the scratches on his skin, not the pounding of his heart. He stared blankly at the girl who was striding, poised and calm, in his direction. She wore a long-sleeved gown, and her feet made tracks in the sand. She stopped not ten feet from where Cedric stood.

“Hello, Brother,” Emmeline said, grinning wide. Cedric's little sister closed the space between them, like a vision come to life, and embraced him.

“Emme?” Cedric's voice came out strangled and rough. He stood frozen in place. Could this be real? Or was this dreaming?

No. Kat jumped up and rushed forward to embrace Emme. This was real. Emme was here, on Earth. On this very beach. Cedric couldn't form words.

But Liv could.

“You're Cedric's sister?” Liv exclaimed. She was close, walking quickly across the sand, though Cedric hadn't noticed her behind him. “But . . . it's you,” Liv continued. “You were outside the house yesterday!”

Cedric heard the accusatory note in Liv's voice, but her words barely sank in. He could only see Emme. Emme was everything safe and good in the world. Emme was his home. And now, Emme was here.

How was she here?

“W-what are you doing in this realm?” Cedric finally stuttered. “How did you find us?”

Emme's shoulders fell a few fractions, and he could see the disappointment on her face. A face that, if he was to be completely honest with himself, part of him had expected to never see again.

“And what sort of welcome is that, Cedric?” Emme smiled, and that's when Cedric noticed the changes in her. Her voice was still playful, but her face had lost some of its youthful softness. It looked harder around the edges, somehow. And she hadn't answered his question.

“It was you,” Liv said again. “You overheard everything. You were at the house yesterday, when we were talking about getting Daisy, our whole plan. It wasn't Merek who was working with Malquin, it was you.”

Emme scowled at Liv, but Cedric shook his head. It wasn't possible. He remembered the way Emme had looked at him before he'd fallen through the portal, how scared she'd been that entire night. His baby sister. “No,” he said.

But Emme didn't deny it. “I have had to do a lot of things to keep our family safe,” she replied, her voice suddenly sharp.

Cedric thought his heart had stopped. He couldn't tell whether he was breathing or not.

“Emme, what are you saying?
How are you here?
”

“I followed you, of course.”

Cedric just stared at Emme as her eyes locked onto his, and her face broke open in another smile.

“And now, finally, it is time to bring you home, Big Brother. Today.”

Liv paced in the sand until the muscles of her legs ached. She couldn't help but glance at the roadway every few minutes in search of Joe's minivan. She knew that once he got here, he'd be able to help. He'd help them figure out what to do next.

And he'd have Peter with him.

Liv looked over to where Emme sat in the shade under the pier, her dress splayed out across the sand like a girl in a medieval painting. She was just inches from Cedric, who stared at her as if she were a Christmas gift he had just opened but was afraid would disappear from before his eyes if he blinked for even a moment.

Whenever Cedric had talked about Emme, he had done so with such a lightness in his voice. But looking at her now, Liv felt nothing but anxious. Emme had been spying on them—for Malquin.

“Emme,” Kat said, voice gentle, “tell us again. How long have you been here?”

“A few days,” Emme replied. “Malquin had people following you—”

“You mean wraths,” Merek interrupted. He slumped against a wooden support beam, eyes narrowed and arms crossed. He seemed to be the only person aside from Liv who doubted Emme's every word.

“Yes, of course,” Emme said, her face coloring. “I have not forgotten what they are. But here, in this realm, they look so little
like monsters. They look more like . . . us. It is odd, is it not?”

“Emme,” Cedric said, his voice low. He reached out and touched her hand, and in that one moment, she seemed to soften. “Please tell us everything. We need to know.”

Emme nodded. “He knew you were staying at the . . . what is it? The museum? When you left, he had you followed. And he knew you were in possession of a scroll. He only needed to separate you from . . . her.”

Emme turned her eyes to Liv, then looked away quickly. Liv felt her stomach knot. She moved a few feet away, closer to the bottom of the pier steps. Shannon was there, and Daisy, too. Both were trying to follow the conversation while swaying with exhaustion.

“He asked me to come and get more information. The wraths were too conspicuous. Malquin said that even in human form, they lacked . . . subtlety. He warned me not to be seen, and when
she
caught me, I was terrified . . .”

“I didn't know who you really were,” Liv said, her voice cold.

Emme continued as if Liv hadn't spoken. “I went to Malquin and told him what I heard, that you were splitting up and going after another scroll. He knew it was his time to take his chance and acquire them both.” Emme bit her lip, and her eyes welled with tears as she looked down at her hands in her lap. Liv was distinctly reminded of Shannon, who forced herself to cry whenever her parents tried to punish her for sneaking out or lying or doing anything else Shannon-like.

If Cedric thought Emme's tears were forced, he didn't show
it. He squeezed her hand tighter. On Emme's other side, Kat looked equally sympathetic.

“I did not want to do it,” Emme said. “But he said it would all end, Cedric. He could not give us the castle back, but he promised you would be safe, and he would release our parents—all of our parents.”

Cedric looked to Kat, twin hopes flaring up in their eyes.

“They are still in the dungeon,” Emme continued. “I was there with them, for a long time. Then Malquin came to me one day and asked for my help. He had a task for me. At first I didn't want to help him, but he said I would get to see you again, Cedric. And if I did just as he asked, he would let us all go.”

“And you . . . believed him?” Kat's voice was gentle.

“What other choice did I have?” Emme's shoulders shook. “It is so cold down there . . . and Mother, she is not taking it so well. . . .”

“Is she ill?” Cedric's voice rose with concern.

“She is . . . struggling. She has always been so strong, but we have been locked up for months, with no word of you or of the kingdom, no idea what was happening outside of those damn stone walls.”

Emme took a deep, shuddering breath. “I agreed to help him, Cedric, but I did it for our family. Please understand.”

Cedric looked down for a long moment. “I understand,” he finally said.

“Oh, so when it is your sister who's the traitor, you ‘understand,' but when you thought it was me, your first thought was to flatten me to the ground,” Merek said. Liv noticed that
the skin of his face looked a few shades paler than it had just moments before.

Cedric took a deep breath. “I truly regret my mistake, Merek.”

To Liv's—and everyone's—surprise, it was Shannon who jumped up. “
Mistake?
That's it? I mean, look at the guy.” She motioned to Merek. “Sure, he's a jerk, but he didn't deserve to be throttled like that.”

Merek, perhaps equally surprised by the outburst, nodded at Shannon. “Thank you.” He turned to Cedric. “You should not have suspected me in the first place. Especially after this—” Merek pointed to his collarbone, which was covered in the crusty bandage Kat had wrapped around it earlier. He pushed himself off the ground, swaying a bit.

Shannon stepped toward him, steadying him. “Come on, we should really wash that out with some water.” She peered at Cedric and Kat. “And maybe give Cedric a moment to come up with a better apology.”

Merek haltingly followed Shannon down to the shore.

Cedric turned back to Emme. “What exactly did Malquin want of you?”

“I waited with him, at the warehouse. I stayed hidden in a back room while the wraths brought the two scrolls—”

“Liv and Daisy,” Liv interrupted. “You keep calling us scrolls, but we're people. And those are our names.”

Emme gave the briefest of sharp looks to Liv before softening once again. “Of course. He'd figured out a way to keep a portal open on Earth, he said, though he wouldn't tell me how. He just
needed the two—you two. Malquin said once the new portal was opened, we would all be able to go home. But then it all went so badly.”

Emme's face hardened. “I heard the fighting, but Malquin had told me to stay hidden at all costs. Then, I smelled the smoke, and saw the fire . . . I ran from the building just before it collapsed.”

Cedric gripped Emme's hand, and she gave a small smile.

“I am all right. After a few moments, I saw you, all of you. You were running away. So I decided to follow you here. For a while, I lost sight of you, and thought I might be stuck here alone. But then I looked up, and saw you standing down by the water . . .”

“What did you mean earlier, when you said it was time to go home?” Cedric asked.

“Malquin's plan failed,” Emme said. “But his portal
did
open. I saw it in the warehouse, before I ran the other way. I saw him go through it. Which means he is back there now, with our parents. And if he does not get the scrolls, he will keep them locked up, Cedric. He told me he will.” Emme's voice went quiet. “We have to bring them to him.”

Liv fought against her instinct to throw or punch something. Finally, Cedric looked up at her.

“We're not going.” Liv moved closer to Daisy, who was still slumped against the stairs. “I'm not taking my sister through any portal.”

“He is going to kill my parents!” Emme cried. Her tears dried quickly as she turned angry eyes on Liv. “My family is at stake.”

Liv stood firm. “So is mine.”

The silence grew thick as Emme stared down Liv.

“We will find another way,” Cedric finally said.

Emme turned to him, and her mouth dropped open.

“Emme, listen,” Cedric continued. “Malquin cannot be trusted. We have no way of knowing whether he would keep his promise to spare our parents. He has no reason to let them go once he gets what he wants. But we do know that his plan hinges on Liv and Daisy, and so we have to keep them from him. We will find another way to free mother and father. To free everyone.”

Emme shook her head in disbelief. “Cedric . . . we must do this. We must. . . .” Emme looked to Kat. “Kat, please. Help me talk sense into him. Your parents are at stake as well. Please.”

Kat hesitated, and for a moment, Liv wondered if she would argue against Cedric. She briefly looked to Liv before she spoke. “Cedric is right. Liv and her sister cannot come to Caelum. Malquin cannot win.”

Emme put her head in her hands and shook it back and forth. This time, Liv believed her tears were real. “No,” Emme whispered. “Please, no. He'll kill them . . . please . . .”

Cedric stared at his sister with a kind of helpless terror. He wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. When he gazed over her shoulder with pleading eyes, he didn't look to Liv, but to Kat. She moved closer to Emme, putting an arm over her as well.

Liv turned away from the sight, and when she did she saw a familiar van in the beach parking lot.

Joe was finally here.

Liv raced across the sand, with a suddenly alert Daisy on her heels. She skidded to a stop just as Joe got out of the minivan. Liv's eyes focused on the passenger-side door, which swung open. A pair of Chuck Taylors hit the ground, and Liv's heart sped up. She reached for Daisy's hand as a lanky teenage boy with oversized glasses and a T-shirt decorated with a picture of twenty-sided die shut the door behind him.

Liv opened her mouth, but Daisy beat her to it. “Peter?”

The boy looked between them, his expression uncertain. Liv raced toward him, her hand still in Daisy's, and threw her free arm around her brother. After a beat, Daisy did the same. Peter's face broke into a smile.

“I remember you!” Daisy said. “I didn't think I would at first, but then I saw you and I did, I remembered!” Daisy smiled—a real smile—for the first time all day.

“I remember you, too,” Peter said, and his arm clenched tighter around Liv's shoulder.

Joe came around the side of the van. “I know you guys have a lot to talk about, but I don't think we should stay here for long out in the open. If the wraths or Knights find you . . .”