Jezebel smiled. “That’s the most indecisive I’ve heard you be, Emma. Come, that won’t do. Show me your strength.”
“I guess I’m afraid of what I’ll learn.”
“Tell me why?”
“If the O’Briens aren’t dead, that means they agreed to let me think they were, just like Kyle. And that would be...hurtful. And if they are dead, and I learn you were involved in their death after even you admitted what good people they were...it would affect the way I see you.”
“How?”
“How could it not?” I responded.
“What is it that you find upsetting or repulsive?”
“I didn’t say repulsive.” My mind pondered her question. “In the car you said Ian and Noah were disposable. I don’t see life that way.”
“I didn’t use the word disposable. I said they were expendable. There’s a difference.” She inhaled, wrapping her blanket tighter around her. “Is it the act of killing you find hurtful?”
“It is...wrong.”
“Even if it serves a greater function?”
I shook my head, conflicted.
Jezebel nodded. “What do you think your husband does to maintain his power?”
I knew the answer. There were rebuttals on the tip of my tongue, excuses even. However, as I sat there in the darkness with the chorus of insects buzzing and toads croaking, I was beginning to see Jezebel’s point.
How was it right to excuse him and not her?
“You were involved in their deaths.” I didn’t phrase it as a question because it wasn’t.
“Yes, Emma, I was involved but not as you assume. The accident was supposed to be survivable for all three. I don’t know what happened, but while Kyle survived, the O’Briens didn’t. It was an unfortunate byproduct. They had done all that was asked.” She sighed. “Sometimes we must simply accept outcomes even if they aren’t exactly what we intend. If you’re to fulfill the prophecy, you’ll need to face decisions of life and death. No city can be run by a leader who isn’t willing to deliver the necessary consequences. There will be times that personal feelings may want to interfere. It’s easier not to have those types of emotions, but eliminating them takes time.”
My mind filled with memories of the O’Briens. No longer did I concentrate on their deception, how they never told me I was adopted. I now saw their choices through a clearer lens. They’d been charged with protecting me and Kyle. When we moved to North Carolina before starting school, they sacrificed their own family for us, forourfamily unit. They created the illusion that was necessary for our safety.
“They were good parents,” I said. It wasn’t meant to hurt Jezebel. I hoped it would help her, to let her know that we’d been well taken care of.
She sighed. “The world isn’t black and white. It’s full of all the different shades of gray. It’s difficult for people to always see that. The spirits have a clearer view. Learn to listen to them. They’ve been with you since your conception.”
Closing my eyes, I let my mind speak to Miss Guidry and Miss Marilyn. My message was the same as it was earlier in the night: tell Rett I’m safe.
“However you learn to see the contrast,” she went on, “in order to succeed, you must see it. Either people are for you or they’re against you. There’s no middle ground.”
The echo of the back screen door reverberated through the house as determined footsteps came our way. The small hairs on the back of my neck stood to attention, waiting for whoever would emerge from the interior. I couldn’t explain the sensations I was now feeling around Kyle and Liam. The only way I could describe them, even to myself, was uneasy and different.
Emma
The screen door opened and Kyle appeared.
He’d changed his clothes from earlier, now wearing a blue suit, crisp striped shirt, and a silver tie. “We’re going out.”
Jezebel lifted her chin. “Stay safe. I assume this has to do with business.”
“Yes, we’ve received word about something.” His gaze came to me.
“Something to do with Rett?” I asked.
Kyle shook his head. “Not exactly.” He looked back at Jezebel. “I also promised Emily some fun. Killing two birds.”