Chapter 9 – Return to the Real World
Ariel
“They can’t all be dating,” Jackson murmurs, his brow furrowed with confusion as he stares blatantly at June and her three overly intimate friends. “Aren’t they all like…weirdly related, except for June? Through Tony?”
I frown, looking back at them, realizing that Jackson’s right.
“Can’t date your cousins, makes bad pups,” Midnight says, her hands still on her hips as she gives a sharp nod. “Genetics.”
“Midnight,” I say, sighing as I look down at her. “How on earth do you know about genetics but absolutely nothing about even the basics of chemistry?”
Midnight looks blandly up at me like nothing could be less interesting than the answer to that question, which she has no intention of investigating. I just take a deep breath and turn my attention back to June, smiling when I see Laila coming to stand with us.
“Yay!” I say, grinning and reaching out to take her hand. I put my other on Jackson’s back, knowing that we need steady contact for Midnight to take us all. Laila smiles anxiously at me as she steps close.
“We’re so glad you’re coming, Laila,” Jesse says, leaning forward to smile at the Princess, quite friendly and wanting to put her at ease. “You’re going to love Moon Valley. We have a great beach!”
I glance at Daphne and don’t miss the way her lips tighten as she looks between Jesse and Laila. I can’t help but grin.
“Goodbye, Orion,” Jackson calls out. Orion gives us a half-hearted smile and a wave. “We hope to see you soon.”
“Oh, you can count on it,” Orion says, dry. He moves his eyes to my sister as we all stand close. He doesn’t look away from her, but my head spins to Tony as he takes a very deep breath and slings a too-casual arm around Junie’s shoulders.
I shake my head, thinking that Juniper and I need to have…a chat.
“All touching?” Midnight asks, taking Jesse’s hand and Laila’s.
We all look around and nod, confirming it. Juniper stretches out a leg and plants her foot on the edge of her luggage pile. “Ready!”
In a blink, Midnight whisks us away.
A moment later, we all appear in the living room of my house back at the Academy, which suddenly seems very small now that it’s packed with people and all of Juniper’s luggage.
“Whoaaa,” Juniper says, turning around in a circle as she takes it all in, a smile spreading over her face. “Ariel! This is so cute! Like a little doll’s house!”
I grin at my sister but turn my attention to my mate and our daughter when Marigold gives a tired, squeaky little yawn. I frown, sorry to have given her such a strange night.
“I’m going to put her to bed,” Jackson murmurs, stroking her hair and peering into her sleepy face. I nod, my stomach twisting as he presses a quick kiss to my hair before heading off to our bedroom. My eyes follow him because I know that even if Marigold’s night is done, Jackson’s and mine is not nearly over.
“Hey!”
I turn towards Juniper at her angry cry. Jesse, Daphne, and Laila do the same while Tony stands behind June, looking more transparent than he did before. I blink at him because I haven’t seen him incorporeal like this since that hotel room in the City of Life.
“Midnight!” Juniper snaps, pointing directly at the smaller girl. “Like, half of my luggage is gone!”
“Oh noooo,” Midnight says, a dramatic frown on her lips. “Some of it must have gotten left behind in the void between worlds! What a shame!”
Juniper gasps, eyes flashing with rage. “You did that on purpose!”
“Me!?” Midnight asks, pressing a hand delicately to her chest, a wicked smile taking the place of her frown.
“Mids that was my stuff –“ Juniper storms towards Mids.
“Oh, you magicked it all up out of nothing -”
“Easy, easy,” Tony says, his voice softer and more echo-y than before, reaching for Juniper’s arm. But his hand passes right through her and he lets out a muffled groan, his form fuzzing and fading almost to nothing.
Juniper gasps and spins to him. “Anton!” I rush forward too, standing close at my sister’s side.
“I’m all right,” he says, his voice tense and shaky as his body reforms in the air. “Um, yeah. That was weird.”
“Are you…” I whisper, peering into his face, suddenly terrified. “Tony are you…”
June shoves me away with a little snarl, clearly indicating that it’s her job to worry about Tony’s state of existence. I flash my teeth at her but stay back. Laila likewise comes close, peering at Tony, worried.
“Anton,” Juniper says, stepping close but hesitating to touch him again. “Are you…you’re paler here than you were there…” She frowns at him, studying the way that he’s barely visible in the air.
All the lights go off in the room and we all gasp, spinning to Jesse by the door, his hand still poised on the light switch. “Just an experiment,” he calls, lifting his chin towards Tony. “Look.”
We all turn back and my eyebrows raise when I see that Jesse’s instinct was right – Tony is more visible in the darkness – a blue glowing form that gets bleached out in the light.
He looks down at himself and sighs. “Ghost,” he says, shrugging. “Just more stereotypically ghostly in this world, I guess.”
“And if I…” Juniper reaches out her hand, her finger pointed, but Tony takes a step back, bending slightly at the waist so she misses him.
“I…wouldn’t,” he says, shaking his head at her. “It’s very unpleasant, June. Felt like I blacked out for a moment when I touched you. Faded to nothing and had to pull myself back together.”
Juniper’s face goes white with anguish as Jesse flicks the light back on. I look between my sister and my friend, worried. “Anton,” Junie whispers. “Are you going to be – are you…”
“I think I’m fine,” he says, stepping close and looking seriously down into her face. “Just…like Life said. Different rules here. This world wasn’t built for ghosts the way the Underworld is.”
“Okay,” I say, giving a steady nod. “That settles it. First thing in the morning, we go get Tony’s body.”
June spins her head to me, her expression livid. “We’re going now!”
“June, it’s the middle of the night,” Jesse says, walking slowly towards us, his face careful and concerned.
“Would you propose a better time to go dig up a corpse!?”
Midnight grins but Tony flinches, I think still not comfortable with the idea that his body is somewhere else in this world just waiting for him. Or something. I shiver, not comfortable with it either.
Jesse smirks, shaking his head at June. “Come on, cousin, think sensibly here. We’re exhausted – you’re exhausted, or you will be soon. Plus, we’ve got transport and medical care to arrange, and I do not think my mom is going to respond well to a midnight request that she go to the blood bank and requisition supplies.” He raises an eyebrow, asking her to be reasonable.
Juniper sighs, crossing her arms over her chest and looking worriedly at Tony. “You’re…going to make it, right?”
“Still tied to you, June,” Tony says, smiling his crooked grin down at her like he’s desperately sorry to give bad news. My heart tightens in that – the real affection he has for my snappy sister. “You’re here, I’m here.”
She exhales slowly, putting her face in her hands for a moment, stress making her shoulders tense.
“Oookay,” Jesse says, exhaling a long breath. “Why don’t we all go get some rest for the evening.”
Daphne looks gratefully at him and nods, clearly ready to go back to her room and process all of this. Jesse smiles at her before turning to the Underworld contingent. “June, I’ll show you three to Aunt Ella’s house? Unless you think you’d be more comfortable in the Castle?”
“House is fine,” Juniper says, dropping her hands from her face. Laila nods too, an anxious smile on her lips as she continues to study Tony. Her cousin, after all. My heart swells at this too, so pleased my dear friend has family now to rely on. Tony glances at me, catching my expression and giving me a wide grin.
“Then let me escort you across the grass,” Jesse says, giving an elaborate bow and gesturing towards the door, working hard to keep things light. “Then Daph, I’ll walk back to the castle with you?”
Daphne nods and everyone begins to troop towards the door.
Juniper waves a hand at her luggage as she walks away, but when nothing happens she spins back to it, a frustrated frown on her face. “What the hell…”
She gestures towards it again, more emphatic this time.
I look between her and the boxes. “What are you doing?”
“Trying to make it float,” she growls. “I’m not carrying all this crap –“
Laila laughs a little. “Maybe your powers aren’t quite as infinite here, Junie.”
“Miiiine arrre,” Midnight says, grinning wickedly at June, her words heartless and braggy. I can’t help but laugh at her while June scowls.
“Really?” Tony asks, turning to Mids, curious.
“Well, yeah,” she says, tossing her hair back as shadows burst from her, looking like a thousand tiny tentacles waving through the air, rising behind her like some horrible peacock’s tail. She turns her attention back to Juniper, though, and softens when she sees the dismay on June’s face. “But it just took practice. Like the sea-puppy said,” she says, pointing at Laila, who gasps, “the rules are different here. When you learn the new rules you’ll be able to use your powers.”
“How did you learn the new rules?” Jesse asks, studying her, curious.
“I’m very smart, Jesse, it didn’t take me long at all because I have an agile mind,” Midnight says, turning and vanishing her shadows away. “Ugly rats, however, are much dumber and always take forever to learn anything.”
Juniper snarls as Midnight flounces out the door but I laugh, just taking my sister’s hand and tugging her back as she starts to stride after Midnight, intent on committing a very tiny murder.