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Wishful Thinking

Van

Van didn't consider herself to be the type of girl who indulged in fairy tales, at least not anymore. The escape they brought was never enough to counterbalance the painful return to reality, and she didn't much care for going about her life with a sense of longing for what could never be. 

But as she sat on the window seat in her bedroom, staring into a night cast in silver by street lamps, she closed her eyes and imagined a what-if. What if her mother and brother were alive, and together, they'd moved to this town- lived in this house. How easily she could see the sterile shell becoming a cozy home. Mess and chaos all around. A physical testament to their love for one another and for life.

And at the dinner table, there would be no perfectly laid table setting or tasteless food. Van's lip twitched as a bit of the real world invaded her dream, but just imagining the horror on Gabriella's face if she had to eat something greasy on a paper plate was worth the diversion.

And then, there was Luca.

Her mother would have insisted he eat dinner with them before allowing them to go on a first date. Walker would have been too shy to say much, but as the meal progressed, Luca would have pulled the young boy out of his shell with promises to introduce him to his only little brother. By the time they left the house for putt putt, Van's phone would be blowing up with wedding ideas from Pinterest. A cheeky nod of approval from her mother that would have her cheeks flashing red with embarrassment.

Then-

She ripped her eyes open the moment her dreaming reached the point of Luca's hand in hers. That part was reality. She knew what his touch felt like. Even when she'd shunned it, part of her was forced to acknowledge how much she liked it, and after four days of not hearing from him, she was beginning to wonder if she would ever feel it again.

The phone in her hand remained silent. A quick swipe up revealed what she already knew. There were no responses to her dozen messages. At one point, she had considered sneaking onto pack lands, but Livy had been the only other shifter who knew Van was on their side. It would ruin everything if she was caught by someone who decided to report her to the Supreme. No amount of acting would convince Abe that she was satisfying her curiosity.

"Please, please be okay," she whispered, leaning closer to the window. Her warm breath turned to mist on the chilled glass.

From the bits and pieces Van gathered at school, Luca was not being held as a prisoner. After an interrogation, he was set free, but Livy remained on the premises. Another person to rescue. Which is why Van expected the boy to reach out to her immediately, but the silence was damning. Either the Holy Asylum of Light was covering up his imprisonment, or Luca had chosen to abandon her.

She shook her head. Luca might abandon her, but he would never abandon Brantley and Livy, which meant if he could reach out to Van, he would. Without her, it would take years to devise a way to set his family free, and by then, it could be too late.

The alternative wasn't any better, but she was working hard on earning trust from her father and classmates. Abe didn't seem too keen on bringing her back down to the lab, and she didn't know how to press for another visit without raising suspicions. From what Isaiah told her the day before, Novitiates were not allowed in the labs at all.

Outside, white began to break through the silver and black. A giddy thrill shot through Van, cleansing the bleakness from her mind. As a little girl, she'd always wished they lived somewhere with regular snowfall, but her mother didn't care much for the cold.

Five minutes later, she was standing in the yard with her tongue sticking out, a perfect pink landing strip for the bits of icy lace. It was nice to feel like a kid again. Like her life was nothing more complicated than wished for snow days and homework. A softly opening door and thud of steps drew her attention to the house.