揔arter was with you, wasn抰 he??I asked. 揥here is he now??
Viv scoffed. 揚robably dead.?
I was annoyed that a part of me wondered how she could be so callous toward her own nephew, but I was quickly reminded of how his own mother had treated him the very same way. I pushed aside the pity I felt for Karter. He抎 stood by and watched my mother be poisoned to death and kept me from helping her. I hated him more and more with each vivid, terrible flashback.
揟his island is a curse,?Dre said. He walked back over to the man they抎 called Calvin, who seemed to have emptied the entirety of his guts onto the floor. He sat shakily on the bench, his eyes glassy. Open sores tore across his skin. The flesh on his fingers was black from rot. One of his hands was folded awkwardly. He had my Persephone to thank for that.
揥e got too close to the wall,?Dre said as he followed my gaze.
I looked at him, puzzled. 揥all??
揂 stone wall, three stories high,?Dre said. 揜ight at the center of this island. Built in a sort of rectangle. Big silver gate at the opening.?
揑t抯 not even locked,?Calvin croaked.
揇oesn抰 need to be.?Viv smirked. 揕ook what it did before you even got close enough to touch it.?
揑t??I asked. 揥hat are y抋ll even saying??
Viv shoved her knee into my shoulder as she went by.
揥here are the people I was with??I asked.
揚robably right where they fell,?Viv snapped. 揇on抰 know why you抮e worried. You know at least two of them can抰 die.?
I straightened up. Karter must have told them everything. Anger bubbled up in me and some of the rotted leaves surrounding my legs turned an obscene shade of emerald green. I closed my eyes and willed the plants outside the ruined building to come in, to tear the place apart, to catch these people and crush them in their deadly grip. Rustling and cracking split the air. I opened my eyes to find all three of my kidnappers staring at me. Viv smiled. Dre and Calvin only looked on.
揧ou think you抮e the only one with abilities, sweetie??Viv asked. She stepped toward me and caught my chin in her sweaty palm. She squeezed my jaw until I felt like it would pop out of place. Her dark brown eyes looked on me with all the malice and contempt she could muster.
揝leep.?
I awoke with a start, sitting straight up, my head swimming with confusion. The light had dimmed and shadows stretched across the floor. My throat was bone dry, my lips rough and peeling. The pain in my neck was like a raging fire.
Viv and Dre sat next to each other on the bench while Calvin lay balled up on a pile of leaves on the floor. His breaths came in slow rasping draws. Dre glanced up and scowled at me as he reached into his pocket and retrieved something梩wo small glass vials.
The Living Elixir and the invisibility serum.
My hands flew to my right pants pocket only to find it flat梕mpty.
揥hat are these??Dre asked.
I said nothing. My mind went in circles. It was clear he wasn抰 sure what they were. I needed all six pieces of the Heart to bring my mom back and he was being way too careless as he rolled the vials between his fingers.
揑s one of them the Living Elixir??Viv asked.
I looked away.
揑t is,?she said giddily. She snatched the vials away from Dre and held them close to her face. The silvery liquid of the invisibility serum coated the glass as she examined it. The crimson Living Elixir shimmered in the light. 揥hich one is it??
I stayed silent.
She uncorked the bottle of Living Elixir and held it to her lips. It took everything in me not to allow the horror I felt to show on my face or in my movements. Viv watched me intently. She recorked the vial and opened the invisibility elixir. I allowed my eyebrows to push together just slightly and I pressed my hand into the floor, letting the dried leaves crackle underneath it.
Viv grinned and brought the vial to her mouth.
揝top,?Dre said, gently touching her arm. 揝he didn抰 say yes.?
揝he doesn抰 need to,?Viv said. 揕ook at her. She knows this is the one.?
Dre sighed. 揟ry to think about who she is, what she can do. It could be anything.?
揃ut it抯 not just anything,?Viv said. 揕ook at her face! She knows what it is and she thinks she can keep it for herself.?
She tipped up the glass bottle of invisibility serum and drank it in one gulp.
I blinked back my utter astonishment.
Dre抯 face twisted into a mask of confusion. Something told me he was under the impression that he was the only one who was going to reap the benefits of the Heart. But he kept his mouth shut. Neither one of them appeared to give a single thought to Calvin, who lay gasping on the floor.
Viv held out her hands in front of her. 揇o I look different? Do you notice anything??