''You know how they came up with the word Lunatic?'' he asked.
I shook my head, feeling like I probably didn't want to know the answer. His lips pulled up on one side in a mischievous, lopsided grin.
He stepped closer. ''Because all of the worst m...
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My mother, I had decided, was too trusting of a woman. I watched her and Owein interact on the couch like nothing at all was wrong. A large part of me ached to tell her the events that had occurred since we'd moved to West Acres. The larger part of me knew that it would put her in danger. Plus, she could hardly rationalize my abilities when they were just 'feelings' and now I had almost mastered them- in addition to some other neat tricks I'd learned. There was no telling how she'd react when I would have to tell her I got my abilities from my father.
So, I stayed quiet and so did Harry. We continued to watch our mother laugh with a murderer like nothing was wrong- like they were in love.
"It's weird, isn't it?" Harry whispered, watching Owein and our mom look through bridal magazines.
"You're going to have to be more specific."
Harry was sitting at the counter while I cooked us both dinner, his biology homework spread out in front of him. I wondered if I should even bother with mine. Did daemons have to go to college?
"Owein," Harry explained, "he's able to act normally with her. It looks like he actually loves her, you know?"
I glanced up from the chicken I was grilling and watched him brush her hair back. The moment was so private I felt embarrassed watching it. Maybe Owein loved my mom and maybe he didn't.
"Truth is, it doesn't matter, Harry. The only reason mom's still alive is because she doesn't know."
He scratched his head with his pencil, still unconvinced. "Then why are we still alive?"
That was something I didn't necessarily have an answer to, but I had a sneaking suspicion. It was the voice in my head, the one I heard in my dreams.
"Our dad," I said, the word tasting strange on my tongue. "He told Owein not to harm us."
"He told you that?"
"Is there any other explanation?"
My brother thought for a moment and shrugged, content with believing that maybe there was a small part of our father who cared about the children he'd never met. It was an attitude that I hadn't expected to have, but the inklings were there.
"So if Tucker wins..."
I poked at the chicken that was sizzling in the pan, trying not to look at my brother or the older couple on the couch getting ready to leave for a dinner out.
"Owein dies."
"And mom will be destroyed," Harry continued. "And we won't have anywhere to live anymore."
I set the spatula down and looked up at my twin. He was fading back into who he was before we came to West Acres. His dark hair was unruly, similar to my own wild curls, and he was wearing an obscure band t-shirt. He, however, had now developed the aura of a well-kept kid.
