Atalanta sobs. Startled by her violent reaction, she claps her
hands over her mouth. I want to reassure her. What can I say? Rory is dead.
"Bathroom," says Julian. His voice is clipped and
cold. Atalanta goes into the bathroom. She pulls the door shut. Her sobs are almost
muffled by the whirring of the fan. Almost, but not quite. They tear me up
inside in a way I’m not expecting.
"Hold on," Julian says. He goes into the bathroom
and closes the door again. I hear the two of them talking. I can't make out what
they were saying. Atalanta’s still crying. When Julian comes back out, he’s
wearing pants and a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. He missed a
button. I tell him so.
He fixes the problem. “I’m sorry,” he says. “I had no idea.
I never would’ve said…” He lets his voice trail off. “Rory and I were close.”
"Why didn't he ever mention you?" My question rings
more like an accusation--maybe even an insult. Julian pales. He takes a step
backward.
"I'm sorry," I say. "I didn't mean--"
"It's fine," he says. "It's all right,
really. I don't know what I expected." He tries to smile, but his face
refuses to take it. I know he’s in pain. I feel terrible. Rory hadn't said
anything about Julian. I already said so. I can't go back on my word. As silly
as it seems, I feel like Rory will know if I lie--that he'll come down from
wherever he is and give me a lecture.
"We didn't talk much," I try. The explanation is
weak. "I mean, about personal issues." That's not right, either. Heat
rises in my cheeks. I know he can see right through me. I feel pathetic.
"He never bothered me with anything too serious. He always worried about
upsetting me. Whenever I asked him about his day, he'd hit the highlights. I
never got the gritty stuff."
My brother worked at a funeral home. It bothered me when I
was younger, but as time passed, the job became an extension of my brother,
another part of him to love. I learned a lot about the industry. Death, like
everything else, is a business. I wonder what Rory would think about whatever
they do to his body. I wonder if he has a will. I’m not holding out hope.
"He didn't want you to know about me," Julian says.
I can't figure out why. If we have a sky eyed lawyer like
him on our side, why didn’t we take full advantage of his status? The more I
think about the situation, the less I understand.
"It was for your own good," he continues.
"For your protection. Don't you understand?"
I do understand. I don’t like understanding.
“Eye color,” I say. “Contacts. It all makes sense now.”
They
plotted something together. Why else would a sky eyes become friends with my
brother? Rory didn’t want me to meet Julian because he knew it was dangerous.
If I recognized Julian in public, people would get suspicious. Silver might
hear something. Rory had really been looking out for everyone.
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