Chaos (Lanie Bross) - Lanie Bross Page 0,7

up in oranges and reds as if a bomb had exploded the stars. He’d promised her that he would find a way to be with her.

He’d promised it to himself.

“I tore apart this apartment and I must’ve lost my phone last night—I mean, Friday night,” Jasmine said, fifteen minutes later. She emerged from her room carrying a small backpack. Her dark hair was pulled into a ponytail, and without makeup on, she looked young and innocent. Like the sister he remembered. “What am I supposed to do without it? I still don’t know why I can’t stay here.”

“The people who attacked you today might have followed us home.” He debated whether to tell her more and finally settled for saying, “The truth is, I think I might know who they are.”

“You know them?” Jasmine’s eyes practically popped out of her head.

“I … recognized them,” he said cautiously. “At least, I think I did. I’m going to find out for sure.”

“They had knives, Luc,” Jasmine said softly.

“Don’t worry, I’m not going to do anything dumb. Not until I know for sure, anyway.” He grinned at her, hoping she’d return the smile. But she just stood there, staring, looking troubled.

A loud car horn sounded outside and Luc went to the window. An old Buick was parked downstairs. Definitely Aunt Hillary. When he turned, Jasmine’s chin was trembling.

“This just feels wrong,” she said.

He crossed the room and gave her a big hug. “Everything will be okay, I swear it, Jas.” He’d been making that promise a lot lately.

She pulled away and made a face. “You are going to owe me so big.”

He smiled. He nudged her shoulder with his and picked up her bag. “You used to tell me that Aunt Hillary reminded you of the Wicked Witch of the West.”

“I think it’s the wart on her chin,” Jasmine said, and they both laughed. Then she got serious again. “You be careful, okay?”

“I will,” he said, and mentally added, I hope.

They walked down the two flights of stairs to the main door. Outside, the air was cool, and still layered with a fine white dust kicked up from the earthquake. It shimmered almost like snow in the air.

Aunt Hillary blasted her horn again. Luc rolled his eyes. Didn’t she see them right there? He jogged down the porch steps and yanked open the door to the dinosaur-era Buick. A blast of peppermint-lavender scent hit him right in the face.

Aunt Hillary hadn’t changed at all. Her hair was twisted into a tight knot, and she had on the brightest orange lipstick he’d ever seen. The wart on her chin trembled as if it, too, were impatient. Her fingers, which tapped impatiently on the steering wheel, were covered in gaudy rings.

“Well, look at you two.” The tone of her voice made it clear she didn’t think they looked good. “He couldn’t even bother to come down and see you off. Or is he keeping a barstool warm already?”

Luc ignored her and stood back to let Jasmine climb in.

“Big-time,” Jasmine whispered, and then plastered on a smile. “Hi, Aunt Hillary.”

“Don’t you look just like your mother with your hair like that. Everyone always said she was a beauty, but I never saw it myself.”

Let the insults begin.

“I won’t be long,” Luc said, ducking his head to address the words to Jasmine.

“Let’s get moving, then,” Aunt Hillary said. “Do you have any idea what the roads are like? You’d think a city this size, on the West Coast, would be able to recover from an earthquake faster than this.”

Jasmine gave him a look that begged please let me stay and I’ll join a convent and never say a bad word again, but he just leaned in and kissed her cheek. The sooner he got started, the sooner it would all be over. He hoped.

“This neighborhood certainly looks interest—” Aunt Hillary’s voice cut off when he shut the door.

Jasmine glared at him out the window as the car crept down the block. Luc watched until it turned and disappeared, then ran back upstairs to grab his backpack and a jacket. The Land of the Two Suns got very cold at night, and this time, he’d be ready.

Luc stepped outside their apartment and pulled the archer from his pocket. It popped open and the tiny figure began to spin. It slowed and nearly came to a stop, pointing east.

Luc moved in that direction, his instincts sharper than they had been. Traveling across the universe, seeing worlds where order ticked