the same choice, I'd make it again."
"Right. I keep forgetting. I'm a job." I got up, slung my messenger bag over my shoulder, and started on the path back home. I could hear his footsteps crunching the twigs on the ground as he followed me.
"Job's over, Tobias. Go home, wherever that is. Not that you'd tell me."
He grabbed my arm, turning me to face him. "We're not done here."
"You may not be," I said, feeling the edges of anger jabbing into me like fiery steel, "but I am."
I tried to wrench my arm out of his grip, but he held on tighter.
"You're hurting me," I said.
He loosened his grip, but didn't let go entirely. "I need you to tell me everything you know about Davina. She's not your aunt. Who is she?"
Blind fury fueled my strength and this time, when I pulled my arm away, he let me go.
"I don't know. A fairy godmother or something. But I can tell you this - out of everyone in my life, she's the only one who has told me the truth. God!" The anger bolted through me, red and hot, riding the waves of the hurt. "How could you, Tobias? How could you know that I had power, that I had a sister out there somewhere and not tell me?"
"Part of keeping you safe was making sure you didn't know."
"Yeah? Well, part of being my friend is choosing me over your goddamn job. You just let this whole thing slam into me sideways, without a word of warning." I took in a sharp breath as I realized something. "You knew I had a sister when she was still alive. I could have met her."
"That wasn't my call."
"Don't hide behind that. You know it was wrong, you know it, I can tell by the look on your face. Jesus, Tobias. I thought you were my friend. I thought you would put me first."
His eyes went dark with anger. "I put your safety first."
"That was the job," I said. "I'm talking about me."
He went quiet, and my ability to deal crumbled. Hot tears flooded my eyes and I turned away, not wanting him to see. I started down the path, my feet crunching the twigs on the forest floor as I walked away, and I could hear the echo of his footsteps behind me as he followed.
"Liv, wait."
"You're relieved from duty. Go away."
He darted in front of me and blocked my way. "Something's going on. I don't know what, but I think you're in danger, and right now, that's more important than you being pissed off at me."
"I've got Betty and Davina. I'll figure it out." I walked around him and continued down the path, but again, he followed.
"You want to be pissed off at me, fine, but don't be an idiot. Whatever is going on, it's killed your sister, and is likely the reason that your father disappeared. Not taking that seriously because of your fucking pride is just stupid, Liv, and you're not stupid."
"Oh, I'd beg to differ there," I said, giving him a sharp look. "I fell in love with you, didn't I?"
He shut his eyes, released a breath, and opened them again. "We'll get to all that, I promise. But right now, we've got bigger problems."
"No, I have bigger problems," I said. "You just need to find a new job."
I continued down the path, but this time, there were only my stomping, crunching footsteps, a fact that filled me with warring factions of relief and distress. I kept moving until I was sure I was completely out of earshot, and then I allowed myself to cry.
* * *
It took me the rest of the day to figure out what I needed to do. I spent most of those hours in bed, hanging out with the little red mug bunny and watching streaming TV on my laptop, barely noticing the story lines as I tried to work out my next move in my head. I slept so much that day and night melded together, and when I ate, it was coffee and a Pop-Tart. No matter how I angled everything around in my head, though, wondering what I was going to do, I always came to the same answer. The only answer, really.
Move on.
On Saturday morning as I was toweling my hair dry after my shower, I heard the door downstairs open, and Davina's voice called, "Baby? You awake? I brought coffee."
I looked at the mug bunny, who was sitting on