Dr. Grant nodded and slowly edged past Circe. She put her hand on my shoulder. 揑抦 so sorry, Briseis. But if anybody can help you right now, it抯 Circe.?She nodded at Mo, then left without another word.
We stood in silence for a moment as Dr. Grant抯 car pulled out of the driveway.
揔hadijah said someone came after you,?Circe said. 揝he said you showed up here under the impression that I wanted you to come.?
Her voice set off something deep in my memory, something I couldn抰 quite retrieve. It was familiar and not at the same time. Did I know her? Was there some image of her locked away in my mind? Some memory of her voice? 揟here was a woman,?I said. 揝he was calling herself Melissa Redmond, but her real name was Katrina Valek. She said she was the one who killed Selene.?
Mo gasped. I didn抰 understand her reaction at first, but it only took me a second to fit it together. While I was running around lying to my parents, something I抎 never been good at or had reason to do too often, I realized I抎 left out that very important piece of information. Mo had only come into the apothecary after Karter抯 mother had admitted out loud that she抎 murdered my birth mother, Selene, in an attempt to force Circe to retrieve the piece of the Heart locked in the Poison Garden.
揃ri,?Mo sobbed as tears welled in her eyes. 揗y god. Why didn抰 you tell me? How long have you been keeping that from us??
揝he told me right before she梤ight before棓 I bit the inside of my lip until the coppery taste of blood filled my mouth. I didn抰 want to say the words 搑ight before she killed Mom?aloud. It was too much.
The vines encasing the house crept through the crack under the front door, pulling themselves toward me. Circe抯 jaw tightened and made hard angles of her chin as she watched the plants react to the surge of grief coursing through me. She suddenly wobbled on her feet and her legs folded under her. The woman she抎 called Persephone was there before I could blink. She抎 crossed the room at an inhuman speed and caught Circe as she nearly collapsed. I exchanged glances with Marie, and she nodded once, confirming what I suspected. Here was another person changed by the Heart. Another living piece of it. Our total had come to five.
Mo let her gaze drop to the floor, and she shook her head in silent confusion. She must抳e been struggling with all the things she was seeing and learning about for the first time. She hadn抰 seen Marie抯 speed and superhuman strength yet either. We were going to have to have a serious conversation about that at some point, and soon. I squeezed her hand.
Persephone eased Circe onto the couch, and she leaned forward, cradling her head in her hands. She was clearly still grieving her sister, Selene, and my heart ached for her. I was grieving her, too, and in a way I抎 never expected to. I was processing so many things at once I worried how much more I could actually take.
揥here is she now??Circe asked through clenched teeth, her dark eyes narrow. Her entire frame trembled. 揟he Redmond woman梬here is she??
A shudder moved through me as images of her wild, terrified eyes flashed in my mind. 揝he抯 dead.?
Circe glanced up. The dark brown headscarf she had twisted around her head brought out the brown in her eyes梕yes that were so much like mine. 揇ead??
Outside, there was a rustling, and a tangle of vines crowded the window. The red fangs of the coiling Devil抯 Pet scraped against the glass like fingernails. Circe lifted her hand and without even looking toward the window, flicked her wrist. The vines shrank away from the glass. She was in complete control of her power梐 power that appeared to be the same as my own.
揂fter all this time,?Circe said, more to herself than to anyone else. 揑 thought I抎 left it in the past, moved on but棓 She stopped short, then leaned forward. 揌ow much do you know? I don抰 want to do or say anything that抯 gonna upset you, but there is so much.?
I steered Mo, who seemed to be drifting in and out of a daze, to the couch opposite Circe, and we sat down.
揑抣l tell you what I know,?I said. 揟hen maybe you can fill in the blanks??Circe nodded and I tried to think in a straight line. 揗rs. Redmond found out about me. I don抰 know exactly when or how, but a few weeks ago she came to our apartment in Brooklyn. She said you抎 died and left me the house and the keys. She also said you left me a set of letters that were only for me to read.?I pulled the lanyard that held all the keys I抎 collected from around my neck and set it on the coffee table. 揝he lied about everything, and now I don抰 know what I抦 supposed to do.?
Circe shook her head and pushed the keys back toward me. 揧ou can keep the house, Briseis. You can have everything I own. I don抰 care about any of that. I walked away from this place many, many years ago.?She sighed heavily. 揑 don抰 know how to say this, and I hope it doesn抰 come across the wrong way, but I didn抰 leave the house to you or anyone else. I抦 clearly not dead and I didn抰 write the letters.?