Beneath the Shadowlanders

Chapter Seventeen: Orion

I have no idea how I'm going to get these strangers into my house without my mother killing me. Or Calista, for that matter. I'll just sort of wing it, I guess. I lead them through the streets, being careful to keep a wide berth from UCHS B612, just in case my sister might spot us. We walk all the way back to my house, forgoing the trams entirely. It would be faster, but I don't want to risk people asking questions – or running into my sisters. It's a bit of a trek, but we still manage to make it home around 3:30. That's one less thing mom can yell at me for, I guess.

The minute I step through the door, "Where the hell have you been?"

Or not. Shit.

"The school called this morning. You never showed up to class. Don't you dare tell me you went up to the surface again. I swear to god, I will kill you if I find out –"

She's cut off by the sudden realization that I'm not alone.

"Mom, this is Gin and Gabe. They'll be staying with us for a few days." I try to appear confident in front of my new acquaintances, but the slight waver in my voice betrays what fear I do have of my mother.

She freezes, unbelieving. "Grace Castellan," she introduces herself, once she regains her bearings. She holds a hand out to each of them. Then, to me, she mutters, "You're kidding, right? Where do you expect them to sleep? What do you plan to feed them?" She looks tired, and I wonder, not for the first time, if this was the right thing to do.

"Don't worry," Gin pipes up. "We brought our own pillows and food. You won't even notice we're here." She smiles so disarmingly, it stops my mother in her tracks.

Mom steps into the kitchen, gesturing us to follow, talking as she moves. "Nonsense. You'll eat meals with the rest of the family, and we'll put you up in beds. You're guests. I wouldn't dare treat you any less. We're not savages." This last word is punctuated by a pointed glare in my direction.

I know I'll probably end up on the couch for this, but it doesn't matter. "Mom, they've figured something out. Something huge. They know how to end the war."

This gets her attention. "What do you mean, end the war?"

"They know how to tame the shadows. How to coexist with them. Don't you understand what this means?"

She sinks down against the kitchen counter, realization dawning over her face.

"Mom, we can return to the surface. All of us." I pause for dramatic effect before adding, "We can find dad."

She remains stunningly stoic, her nonchalance ruining the effect of my announcement.

"Mom? Did you hear me?" I ask, a little confused. Shouldn't she be freaking out right about now?

After a long minute, she says, "Are you sure it will work?"

"No," Genevieve answers, before I can reassure her. "We're not. But that's why we're here. To make sure this doesn't end in a slaughter. If we do this right, we think we might have a chance."

"And that's more than we had yesterday," I point out, taking her hand.

She thinks for a moment, then adds, "This won't be easy, you know."

"We know." Gabe places a hand on his sister's shoulder. He looks at me reassuringly.

"But we have to try."