Page 72 of Of Poison & Pumpkins
“Are you okay?” I ask.
“Are you okay?” he asks.
“Are you okay?” I ask.
We both choke on a shaky half-laugh, then meet each other’s eyes. I think I might be crying since wet droplets splatter on my knees.
“You’re okay,” he says, followed by a slow smile. “You’re okay.”
“I’m okay.”
“We’re okay.”
“Shit! I’m NOT okay,” Hudson says from the corner, patting himself down. “What happened?”
“Officer, put her in cuffs!” Elias says, pointing to Brooke. “Hurry!”
Hudson staggers to his feet, unbalanced, sways, then nods. “What’d she do?”
Brooke’s shoulders go limp, and she stares at the floor while being arrested.
“Everything,” Elias says, lifting us from the ground. “Theft, bribery, extortion, and disturbing the peace, to name a few.”
“I won’t have Oakmar’s peace disturbed, that’s for sure.” Hudson leads her out, peeks down the hallway, then turns back towards us. “Uh, Rynn, you have a whole lot of customers, so I’ll take her out the back. I’ll call you later to get this all sorted out.”
“Hold on.” I join them in the purple-again hallway. “She didn’t do everything. I abused my magic to ask for paint to fulfill my business needs.”
“Don’t see anything wrong with that, Rynn. Everyone loves Palooza.”
“There’s more,” I admit. “Part of my business needs included an operation selling cursed items to Fuzers to get revenge on Nergs who had hurt them.”
“Minor revenge,” Elias says, stepping in. Usually, he’d be all smiles and charms, but I guess this adventure finally tore off his mask.
Hudson looks Elias up and down, then faces me. “Well, you better come with me too, then, Rynn. I’ll figure everything out at the station.”
I swallow the lump in my throat, avoid eye contact with my sister, and drop Elias’s hand. “Okay.”
“No, Rynnlee, you’re the one who fixed this disaster.” Elias’s expression could break my heart.
I rise onto my tiptoes and whisper in his ear, “It’ll be okay.”
Every part of me longs to kiss him, but if I start, I’ll never stop. Instead, I allow Hudson to cuff me and lead me outside to the back alley.
“Rynnlee, please don’t do this,” Elias begs. “Don’t leave. I just got you.”
“You’ve always had me.”
A soft autumn breeze caresses my face in a most delicate promise. I must trust that everything will be okay. If I’m going to move on with my life and heal, then this is the only way.
Groups of people are clustered at the end of the street, gesturing in confusion with hushed murmurs. None of them have a vacant manner or are covered in gray anymore. Hopefully the town will rebuild from my mistake, even if I’m not beside them to restore what was broken.
In my periphery, Elias’s hand presses against the officer’s window. He’s speaking to me, but I stare forward, trying not to cry again. It’ll be okay. This is the right thing to do. Hudson’s car rumbles to life and joggles along the cobblestone. As the last sunlight of evening diminishes, lanterns flicker behind the shops. Life will go on, with or without me managing Palooza.
Next to me, Brooke scoffs and rolls her eyes. “Typical,” she says. “You can’t even let me keep the spotlight when I’m arrested.”
I stay quiet, processing the events before saying a word to my sister.
In Oakmar’s downtown police station, I rub the red lines around my wrists from the handcuffs. Brooke sits silently on the opposite side of the room, arms crossed, staring down at her empty hands. Her makeup, smudged over splotchy skin, can no longer disguise her defeat.
