Page 130 of Cruel Abandon (Fallen Royals 5)

And then we don’t speak again. Not until I see him at Howl a year and a half later.

* * *

There’s a boy who sees Dr. Penn after me. He’s short and scrawny, and he never takes his attention from the floor. If I can rely on anything, it’s the steady way he watches his feet, and his timing. He’s always there when we emerge from her office, tapping his finger on his knee.

Until one day, he isn’t.

Dr. Penn puts her hand on my shoulder. “Some people are beyond saving, Skylar. Although I always try.”

I wonder if that’s me: the stone she’s trying to squeeze blood from. To see if there’s any life in me. Is her trying a form of punishment for her? A purgatory for past misconduct? Karma?

The boy’s picture was in the obituary two days later.

* * *

A sinkhole opens up beneath my feet, and I fall through it.

I don’t stop.

Darkness surrounds me, then specks of light.

The midnight sky, painted with color inside the black abyss.

I fall through it all, until the wind is snatched from my lungs and my limbs cannot move. I’m tied down, something in my mouth, and all I can taste is the acidic smoke that lingers on the cloth against my tongue. All I can see is the stars shining so brightly above me.

* * *

“Please wake up,” someone begs.

I can no longer tell if I’m dreaming or awake.

36

Sky

“Please wake up.”

My eyes snap open, and I shudder.

Mom.

In my room, pressing down on my shoulders.

I’m awake, but terror floods through me.

I open my mouth and scream. Mom releases me, but I can’t stop.

Seconds later, or maybe minutes, my door flies open, crashing against the wall.

“Sky.” His voice comes through a wind tunnel. “You’re okay.”

I lock eyes with Liam, and I automatically relax. My mind runs in frantic circles, from the memory-like dreams to reality, to the boxes I’ve kept locked in the back of my mind. They’re losing their structure, no more than a pile of cardboard and foam. Everything is flimsy.

He leans down and kisses my forehead. I throw my arms around his shoulders and practically crawl into his lap.

“This was a mistake,” Mom says. “You…”

Liam stiffens. He holds me tightly.