Page 95 of Wilds of Wonder
“Who’s the pretty blonde?” Annalee asked.
“A friend.” I kept my voice curt, my answer short.
“Really? Because while we were having our tea party, you kept looking at her like a sad puppy who got its toy taken away.”
I shoved Annalee as she laughed.
“Just worry about yourself.”
“I can’t. You might be my older brother, but I’m always going to worry about you.”
“Hey.” I stepped over a tree stump as the field sloped upward, peaking at a hill that El already stood on, tapping her foot impatiently. “That’s not your job, okay? I’m here to watch out for you.”
“I don’t need you to watch out for me. I just need you to”—she flailed her hands about—“be there for me. To support me. I just want to know that you’ll have my back.”
“I do,” I said quickly. “Always.”
She tipped her head back toward Emory. “Have you kissed her?”
I groaned. “Can we drop this?”
“Should I ask her?” Her smile grew mischievous. “Maybe she’ll be more willing to talk.”
I stopped, tapping her nose. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“Well, I made friends with blood beetles and the Mad Hatter. I don’t think speaking to Emory is going to be so scary compared to that.” She widened her eyes innocently.
I sighed heavily as we began the trek uphill, El staring down at us, her gaze practically burning holes into my head. She might have been eager to get home, but I was tired and I was going to take my damn time getting up this hill while I talked to my sister.
“Emory and I have a complicated history.” Annalee didn’t know I was the bone collector. It wasn’t like I was worried she’d reveal my identity to anyone, but it wasn’t my place to tell her that Emory was the white rabbit. I didn’t even know if she’d heard of us, our secret identities. We were mostly known to the frost queen, those connected to her. “She’s a historian like me. Except she’s far braver.”
If only Emory could see that.
“She loves a good challenge. She’ll jump over snake pits, dive into piranha-infested rivers, cross frozen lakes—anything to get hold of rare artifacts.”
Annalee’s breathing growing heavy as we continued to ascend thehill. She lifted her skirts when we came upon a muddy spot that she stepped over. “Sounds familiar.”
“Yeah.” I laughed. “We like to compete, challenge each other. Over the years we became friends, and then recently, it became something more.”
“So what’s the problem? She sounds perfect for you.”
“I’m the problem,” I said. “I care too much about work, my profession. I don’t know how to have a life outside of it, how to let others in. I put it above everything.” I swallowed the thick knot in my throat. “I put it above you. Went off to the academy to my job, even though your dreams were beginning to become more frequent, and Father was getting more and more frustrated with you.”
Annalee stopped and turned. “Is that what you think? You think you abandoned me?”
“I did abandon you.”
“Mav.” She shook her head, scowling. “You saved me. You wrote to me every single week. You listened to all my dreams, my ramblings. You asked questions. You didn’t treat me like I was crazy. Not ever. Not like everyone else. You came home and visited, even though it meant long trips and missing work. You even tried to get Father to let me come with you up north.” She put a hand on my arm. “It’s okay to be passionate about something you love.” Then she moved her hand, laying it right over my chest. “Your heart can grow, you know.” She bobbed her head. “Not literally. But you can make room for more. You’re not selfish, and if she believes that, then she doesn’t know you. She doesn’t deserve you.”
We continued up the hill, and Annalee clutched her side.
“Do you need to rest?” I asked.
“No.” She nodded toward El, who was pacing back and forth, hands balled at her sides. “I think she might actually push us back down the hill if we take any longer to get up there.”
I looked behind me. Driscoll, Aron, and Emory had stopped to look at a plant sticking out of the ground that was puffing smoke into the air.
“They better be careful,” Annalee said. “That stuff will give you hallucinations.”
