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"Ambitious and fiercely original. Sondi Warner is the exciting new voice we've all been wai...
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September 9 | Noon
The weekend storm had passed, and midday sunlight poured through the basement windows. Mys hardly stirred. I had spent the sleepless hours memorizing the details of their beautiful body. The night, including the bittersweet goodbye with Detective Zyr, lingered in the quiet room.
But what had changed? Everything and nothing.
While I busied myself brewing coffee, I tried to ignore the crazy idea some magical connection had been struck. Mys finally awakened at the bright, aromatic smell of java and the sound of someone knocking at the door. Leaving the bed and knuckling sleep, they let in the detective.
"Hey," Zyr grunted. He breezed to the kitchenette with a crisp new roadmap. It gave a loud crackle as he spread it on the marble island. "I mentioned to Aurie last night, she may be safer elsewhere, my cabin." He circled a spot on the map with a Sharpie.
Mys groggily leaned in to see and brushed against me in the process. With skin warm from the bedcovers, the brief contact made me feel weightless as the silk kimono. I fluttered to the barstool. I peered from one friend to the other, experiencing emotions that hadn't been there before—a stirring of something other than desire? A smile touched my lips.
At a blasé glance from the detective, however, I caught myself.
Zyr Ravani was unfazed. Like nothing had happened. The island between us sent a clear message. Nothing personal, at least. "It's in the upper corner of Tangipahoa Parish," he went on gruffly. "About a two-hour drive, barring traffic. If we can get there without Cyprian realizing we're on the move, he won't even know where to begin to search."
"How do you propose we avoid detection?" Mys asked.
"We leave in the middle of the day, take an unfamiliar vehicle." Zyr capped the marker and parked his shoulder against the fridge with his arms and ankles crossed.
A million interpretations for his body language flitted through my head, but I wondered if I was overanalyzing things. My roommate stroked the nape of my neck and handed me coffee. Recognizing the distraction for what it was, I managed a smile.
"His watchers will know something is off," said Mys. "We'll have to shake them somehow."
I interjected, "So, we're leaving this isolated studio apartment beneath a cathedral for an even more isolated location in the woods. Can a person die twice? 'Cause y'all are trying to kill me with boredom."
"I'll be there to keep you company, Yokai." Mys grinned.
"Cool, cool, cool. But, more and more, I'm thinking this isn't the Good Place," I grumbled.
Zyr folded his map and offered his first smile since leaving some odd hour last night. "Best I can offer is a supply run before we hide you away. Want to go shopping?"
