The Necromancer ✓

Chapter Twelve

Jack brought me home. We arrived in the kitchen.

"Can I get you anything?" he asked, gently.

"No," I said, heading straight for my bedroom. I didn't care that the sun was at its peak. It was a sunny day. Of course it was sunny. It's always sunny in Brisbane. On the rare days that the sky turns grey and rain washes the streets clear, everybody skulks across the pathways, ducking into buildings as fast as they can. Nobody really appreciates the clean, fresh smell. The feeling of renewal. The sense that everything that you've ever done wrong can be washed away as easily as the rain runs into the storm gutter. I wished it was raining.

Sunlight poured through my window. Dust mites danced in the air, caught in drifts of blinding white. I hate days like this. I dragged my curtains across the window, trying to block out the light. They were white curtains so they didn't stop a lot of light. I'd have to get black ones, some time.

I collapsed onto my bed and curled up on my side. Jack handed me Amanda - Amanda the panda, remember? - and I cuddled her to my chest.

Tyler burst into my room. I didn't even know that he was home but from the pissed off expression on his face, and his next words, I was guessing I'd walked straight past him.

"You don't even say hello," he said. Tension radiated from his body.

"Who are you?" Jack asked, stepping between Tyler and me.

"I live here," Tyler said, pushing past Jack angrily. "Where have you been?" he asked me. "Your aunt's called five times. She's coming here tomorrow. I think she thinks I've murdered you. I thought you were kidnapped."

"I'm okay," I said, holding Amanda tighter. "I just need some rest."

"Why?" he asked anxiously. "Has this guy done something?" he turned to Jack. "Who are you, anyway?"

"I'm," Jack said, glaring at Tyler. I prayed he didn't tell the truth, or go all, 'you're talking to a superior race, Buddy, so show some respect,' on him. "Laurel's cousin."

Tyler looked from Jack to me, then back to Jack. I held my breath, watching him catalogue the differences between us.

"But," Tyler said, disbelief clear in his voice, "she's black."

"You racist little snot," Jack said, picking Tyler up by his collar. "Have you got a problem with mixed race marriages? Huh? What the fuck is your problem?"

"No," Tyler said, his voice going up about an octave at the end. "I didn't mean it like that."

"Put him down," I said, wearily. Jack took a moment to glare into his face before dropping him to the floor. Tyler scrambled out of my room, backwards, muttering an apology.

"You didn't have to do that," I said.

"I know," Jack sighed, sitting on the end of my bed. "I just wanted him to leave you alone."

"You really are like an over-protective cousin," I yawned.

"I'm really sorry about all this," Jack said, resting his hand on my ankle. "Dragging you off to Faerie Land, putting you in danger. I didn't mean to cause you any trouble."

"It's okay," I said. "I'm sorry I can't really do anything. You know, about the king."

"Yeah," Jack's shoulders slumped. "I'm not looking forward to telling Kieran about that."

"You think he'll take it badly?" I asked, remembering the haunted look in Kieran's eyes the last time I'd seen him.

"Not exactly," Jack hesitated. "It's just that, without the king, it will probably come down to a vote. And if it does, Zephan will almost certainly become king."