“The dark wizard.”
“Fresh out.”
“What about the demon circle? Do they have any?”
I raise an eyebrow. “Are you suggesting that demons keep the antidote to their very bites right beside them? Uh, no. They don’t have it.”
“What about the vampire brigade?”
“Daisy.”
“Rose?”
“It’s time for me to go.”
I place my hands on my sister’s shoulders and look at her: really look at her. All I see is fear and terror and sadness, and there’s a part of this entire thing that tugs at my heart because I know just how horrible this really is. I know exactly what’s happening. I know that no matter what happens next, it’s going to change Daisy’s life and maybe that’s not going to be for the best.
Maybe it’s going to be hellish.
Maybe it’s going to be unforgettable.
Maybe it’s going to destroy everything we’ve worked for.
“But...”
“Daisy. It’s time.”
Finally, she nods.
“Yeah,” she says slowly. “Okay.”
“Get the amulet,” I tell her. “Get everything. I’m going to say goodbye to Tulip.”
Daisy hurries off to start gathering the things I’m going to need for my journey. Dawn is in just an hour. I’ll leave as soon as it arrives.
I move to the bedroom and place my hand on the door. For just a moment, I pause, hesitating. Am I doing the right thing? Part of me thinks that I’m not. Part of me thinks that if I don’t succeed, then I’m going to be destroying Daisy’s entire future. I know that’s true. I know that if I don’t come back and Daisy loses everything, that she’s going to break.
There’s another part of me that thinks I can’t let fear overtake me this time. Not when my sisters need me right now. Not when Tulip is so close to death. I’m not ready to lose her. None of us are. Besides, what happened wasn’t her fault. Should she really die because a rabid demon was loose in the city? She couldn’t have known what he was until it was too late. She couldn’t have done anything to stop him. None of us could have.
I wait for just another moment, listening. Am I doing the right thing here?
Finally, I push the door open.
“About time,” Tulip says. “I wondered when you were going to come in.”
I look at my sister propped up in her bed. Her eyes are hollow and her skin is pale. Her wings are out, but they’re droopy. Some of the shimmer is gone from them.
“You could hear me?” I ask.
“Yes.”
“Good. That means your hearing hasn’t gone yet. What else did you hear?”
“Everything.”
“Oh?”
“I know you went searching for the cure.”