“Until Leti gets back to me, let’s take things one step at a time,” Mom said. She put her hand on my shoulder. “We can talk about Selene if it’s bothering you, and we can damn sure see that her death gets a thorough investigation if it hasn’t already. You’ve been learning all these new details and not telling us? Baby, that bothers me.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “I didn’t want to ruin this for us.”
“We are not that fragile, baby,” Mom said. “And you’re not ruining anything.” She took my hands in hers and held them tight. “I’ve watched you and your power grow over all these years. Sometimes I wonder what it means, where it comes from. Now it looks like we have some answers.”
“You don’t think it sounds impossible?” I asked.
Mom shook her head. “What it sounds like doesn’t make a difference to me. This isn’t just something in your blood. It’s you. It’s who you are. How could I doubt what you’re telling us when I’ve seen what you can do?”
Tears streamed down my face. There were still questions that I needed answers to but they could wait. Mom put her arms around me and pulled me close. Mo came over and wrapped us up like she always did when me and Mom got to ugly crying.
CHAPTER 27
Mom dropped Mo off at the train station so she could commute to Brooklyn and check in with Jake. The rest of the day passed in a haze. In the early afternoon, I snuggled up next to Mom on the couch as we waited for Auntie Leti to call back. I sent Karter a bunch of texts asking him if he was okay, but he didn’t text back.
The doorbell rang.
“I got it,” Mom said. She went out into the hall and a few seconds later, I heard Karter’s voice.
I stood up to meet him but when he came into the front room, he looked upset. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot. “Can I talk to you?”
“What’s wrong? I’ve been texting you.”
“Can I talk to you alone?” he asked.
Mom huffed. “It’s not a good time, Karter.”
He stepped toward me with the most desperate look on his face. “I’m sorry, but you have to listen to me. You gotta leave. All of you. You gotta get out of here.”
“What? Why?” I asked, confused.
Karter reached out and took hold of my arms. “Can you trust me? Can you please just listen to what I’m saying?”
“I’m listening, but you’re not making sense,” I said. “If this is about the Heart, you don’t have to worry. I told my parents. They know. It’s okay.”
“That’s not it. I mean, it’s part of it, but listen—have you ever heard of something called the Living Elixir?”
I tried not to show any expression on my face as shock coursed through me. I’d seen instructions for something called Living Elixir but they’d been in a sketchbook behind a hidden door in my room. Something didn’t sit right. How did he know about that?
Mom stepped forward to nudge him toward the door. “Karter, baby, this isn’t a good—”
“Listen to me,” Karter said, raising his voice. “You and I both saw that plant. We saw what it did, and I think that plant makes the elixir. Do you know what people would do to get their hands on something like that? Do you know how much danger you’re in? You heard what that Lou guy said. You think this is a game?”
Mom stepped between us. “You need to go,” she said. “Walk out before you get put out.”
The doorbell rang again.
“What, are we having a damn party?” She angrily pulled the door open. “Nice to see you, doctor,” Mom said loudly. “Karter here was just leaving.”
Dr. Grant came into the front room and locked eyes with Karter, tilting her head to the side. I didn’t know if she was somebody’s mama, but she gave Karter one of those looks that meant she was not to be messed with. He turned around and left without another word. His footsteps pounded the porch steps and his truck skidded out of the driveway.
“My pops asked me to stop by,” Dr. Grant said. “And I have some information to share with you, but first, do you mind if I ask you exactly how you much you know about Karter?”
I was caught off guard by the question. “Karter?”
“After I ran into you the other night”—she regarded my mom cautiously—“I did some