worked on the car or yell at me to find the remote, but he never taught me anything like Gramps had. Gramps was the one who showed me how to fish, how to set up a tent and start a fire. Without him, I was lost. The only time I felt like I knew what I was doing in our new town was around Callie. Being with her was as easy as it had been with Gramps. I felt like I could just be myself around her, even if we didn’t talk about how horrible things were at my house.
I got on the stairs and walked up to where my sisters lay on the platform. Gemma had a bottle of Mt. Dew in her hand, and I realized I was thirsty too.
“Can I have some?” I asked her.
She tossed me the bottle, and I waterfalled some into my mouth. She usually didn’t mind sharing if I didn’t put my lips on it.
Sierra busied herself, spreading out her glittering gemstones. “Should we call the cops on them?”
“No,” Gemma said immediately. “They would blame us. Remember what happened when Clary called them at the old house.”
I shuddered against the screaming and yelling and punishment our parents had given her.
“Hey, Sierra?” I asked.
She looked up at me, her eyes glittering like her stones.
“Can you...” I bit my cheek, tasting blood with the leftover Mt. Dew. “Can you break the curse in me?”
She and Gemma exchanged a look before Sierra said sadly, “I’m sorry, Cars. It doesn’t work that way.”
No, there was no one coming to help me. There was no way out. There was just a way through. As I lay beside them and looked at the few stars dotting the sky through the city lights, I thought Clary had it figured out.
She had an escape, and I needed to find one too.
CALLIE
“Callie, can you take the trash out?” Mom asked. It was just the two of us in the dining room this morning since Dad had already left for work and Joe was catching up on his assigned reading—much to Mom’s chagrin.
I finished rinsing off my breakfast plate and put it in the dishwasher. “This is what I get for doing my homework?”
Joe glared at me over the top of War and Peace.
“Just be careful not to get anything on your uniform,” Mom said, stacking up the rest of the dishes.
I tied off the kitchen trash bag and carried it to the front door. The trash cans were hidden beside our house, and this was the closest way. I pushed the door open and walked through, then saw the drip on the sidewalk.
“Shoot,” I muttered and hurried off the concrete, holding the bag as far from myself as possible. I carefully lifted the trash can lid and lugged the bag into it. Something about swiping my hands together to free them of invisible germs made me feel better. I didn’t know why.
A scuffing sound came from a few feet over, but I didn’t see anyone walking around me. Then I looked up and saw Carson climbing in through a bedroom window that wasn’t his. My eyebrows drew together. Hadn’t we already talked about training for American Ninja Warrior together? Was he trying to one-up me again?
As I went back inside to finish getting ready for school, I promised myself to confront him at lunch time.
When I got to the cafeteria and had my tray, I found Carson sitting at our usual spot. We always took the end of a long table, that way we had at least one side free.
He waved at me as I approached, but he looked exhausted.
“Are you sick?” I asked as I set my tray down.
“No. Why?”
“You look terrible,” I said, taking him in up close. Even his hair was rumpled, like he hadn’t had a chance to comb it. “Do you need my extra brush?”
“No.” He yawned and set his cheek in one of his hands. “Maybe food will help.”
I remembered my own food in front of me and dipped a chicken nugget in some ranch. “I saw you climbing in the window this morning.”
His back stiffened. Guilty.
“I knew it!” I accused.
Putting his hands up, he said, “It was Sierra’s idea, honest.”
“Oh, sure, blame your sister,” I said, shaking my head. “That’s fine. I’m still going to win.”
His eyebrows drew together. “Win?”
“Don’t play dumb,” I said. “American Ninja Warrior. You’re trying to train.”
Suddenly, he burst out laughing, so loudly that the people around us noticed and were