Page 85 of Mostly Shattered

“I don’t get what I’m supposed to be doing in here,” I try to change the subject. This can’t be a test. It feels like torture. “You should never have followed me. Everything is messed up. I don’t think this last trial is working right. The troll warned?—”

“Tamara?” Anthony interrupts, pulling at my arm to get my attention.

He points at the mirror, and I see story time is over. Our reflections stare back at us. My hair is a wild mess, and my face is tear streaked and dirty. I look like a banshee who’s had a rough night.

“What was that?” Anthony demands.

“It’s…” I feel both of their eyes on me. “It’s…”

“What did I just watch? Why was Conrad sayingthose things?” Anthony demands. “That can’t be real. Conrad died in the fire downtown. I was there. I saw them pull his body out of the building. What is that house? Who are those people? Why is he talking about our parents’ wills? I don’t understand.”

“It’s an alternate timeline,” Costin answers for me. “It happened and then it was erased when Conrad broke the amulet.”

“Tamara?” Anthony says, as if wanting to hear me confirm it.

“It’s true.” I nod.

“I think you better start explaining.” Anthony crosses his arms over his chest. I see the blue of magic rolling nervously around his fingers.

“Conrad set the fire at my birthday party. Originally, he killed you.” I glance at Costin. I take a deep breath, forcing the truth out. “Both of you. Anthony, you and your friend never made it out of the janitor’s closet. Costin, you caught fire trying to escape. I tried to put you out with a tapestry, but you poofed into ash. I would have died if not for the amulet’s magic.”

The fear remains that I shouldn’t be talking about this. I’ve held the secrets in for so long. I guess it doesn’t matter now, anyway. I can’t change what’s happened. I’m just a human stuck in this horrible place, exhausted and emotionally spent, and being reminded of how lacking I am.

Anthony opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.

“The fire killed our parents along with some other guests,” I tell them. “We had a funeral for you all. I can’t even begin to describe what it was like. But then the amulet broke, and it reversed time, and you were here like nothing happened. Conrad got what he deserved. I thought it was over, but then…” I gesture toward the mirrors.

“What happened between us dying and the amulet breaking?” Anthony asks. “I feel like you’re leaving some important information out. Who is this Paul?”

“Conrad went on a rampage, setting explosions. Those people we saw in the security cameras: he killed one and tried to kill the other.” I look at Costin. “He made a deal with Elizabeth. He’d give her access to the Devine empire if she killed me and made him a vampire. She tried. The amulet stopped her.”

Costin grimaces. “My sister makes poor choices. I can’t say I’m surprised.”

I wait for him to say more, but he doesn’t.

“I think part of her motivation was to avenge you,” I offer, hoping it dulls the blow.

“I know it is not,” Costin denies. “She’d stake me in the heart if given half a chance.”

Anthony shakes his head in disbelief. “What thehell is—was—wrong with him? Are you sure about all this? I mean…”

“Conrad tried to make the same deal with me,” Costin tells Anthony. “He actually tried to sell your sister to me once in exchange for being turned.” He gives a small shrug. “After that, I made it known that any vampire who turned him would have to answer to me.”

Anthony presses a hand against his stomach. He still looks pale from his time being held prisoner. “When we were in the dog park, you asked me if magically erased memories ever come back. I thought you were talking about Louis, but you weren’t, were you?”

I shake my head. “No.”

None of Anthony’s normal good-naturedness shows on him now. He looks beaten and sad and betrayed. I’m sure I’m partly to blame. I never told him the truth about any of this. If I had my choice, I never would.

“Conrad wanted me dead, but the amulet’s magic protected me. Every time he sent me somewhere he claimed was safe, a fire broke out. Honestly, I’m embarrassed I didn’t admit the truth to myself sooner. I wanted so much to believe in him. I thought he was misunderstood. But Conrad followed me to California, where I met my birth mother, Lorelai. It is her house you saw in themirror. The rest of the story, you know. He tried to steal my amulet, and it killed him.”

“And when I put the game on your phone, you said you didn’t know what vengeful spirit you had come across. But you do, don’t you?” my brother insists. “It’s Conrad.”

“Conrad’s ghost has been haunting me since that night. He’s full of so much rage.” I keep an eye on Costin. What I need to say to him shouldn’t be said in front of my brother.

“Why didn’t you tell me any of this?” Anthony insists, tugging at my arm to get me to look at him. Then, not giving me a chance to answer, he adds, “I recognized that man with you in the mirror. He’s the guy you were watching at the park—Paul. He had a dog with your name. He was with the kid.”

“Diana,” I say. “The kid’s name is Diana. She’s not even six years old. They were innocent bystanders whose only crime was trying to help a stranger in need.”

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