Page 83 of Always Be an Us

"And now you’re cracking a joke and complimenting me at the same time? Are you sure you’re feeling okay? That small-town water isn’t doing something to your mind is it?"

"Maybe. Is that why I’m actually still on the phone listening to this bullshit?"

My dad chuckles but our conversation is quickly interrupted by the pattering of feet along with a loud cry.

"Declan! Declan! I found something!"

"Who is that?" my father asks, curiosity lining every note in his voice. "Is that Amelia? Doesn’t sound like her."

"It’s not Amelia."’

"Oh." The word seems to have several steps and syllables, as renewed interest hits his tone. "Isshethe reason you’re renovating?"

I want to say no but my dad might sense the lie in my voice. "I’ll talk to you later, Dad."

"Wait, Declan-"

I hang up just as Emma bursts in through the doorway, her face flushed and eyes wide with excitement.

"You’ll never believe what I found." She stalks toward me.

"The pot of gold at the end of the rainbow?"

"Even better." She holds out a filthy pouch to my face, and I recoil a little. The pouch is damp, with mud all over it and I cock an eyebrow at her.

"You found a dirty sack?"

She rolls her eyes. "Just look inside it."

I tentatively pluck it from her hand and open up the drawstring. And then my jaw nearly falls clean open. I understand her excitement now. Because the filthy sack is filled to the brim with glittering colorful orbs that even without direct sunlight I can tell change color.

"What the fuck?"

"Right?" She’s basically bouncing on the balls of her feet as she speaks. "Can you believe it?"

"No. Where did you find all of these?"

"Right here in your hotel. In the basement."

I raise an eyebrow. "There’s a basement?"

"Yeah. You didn’t know?"

I shake my head.

"It’s in the kitchen, right by the oven. It looks like a pantry door but it’s not really a pantry. It's a basement where the staff used to sometimes keep all the extra food and groceries for when there was going to be a big party and stuff."

"And you went down there? That's dangerous Emma. The flooring could have given way."

"Yes, but I was careful. Besides, someone seemed to have fixed up the loose panels and there was even a ladder there."

I frown. "Why would anyone get a new ladder for an old basement?"

"Who knows? But focus on this." She points to the orbs in my hand. "Do you know how incredible it is to find so many of them all at once? Almost like someone was collecting them. But where would they even find them? The Rainbow Pearls are just about extinct; they're so rare. I searched for years and only found one. I don’t know how anyone managed to collect so many."

She finally stops to take a breath, shaking her head.

"Boy, you must have a good luck charm or something." Her eyes suddenly pop open dramatically.

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