Smoked - Mari Mancusi Page 0,13

six months. He can eat and drink—and sometimes he even opens his eyes and seems to look at you. But it’s all on autopilot. He can’t talk. He can’t react to anything. His mind is locked in the Nether.” He gave a helpless shrug. “I’ve seen it before. Back home and with Trinity’s mother too. People—well, they get to the breaking point—where the Nether is more real to them than their real lives. Their conscious selves fuse to the other reality, and what’s left behind is just an empty shell.”

Scarlet cringed. She thought back to the last time she’d seen Caleb, deep in this other world. The words they’d spoken, the kiss they’d shared. It was true that Caleb had been helpless, that he had been lost. But, she told herself, he hadn’t been broken. He was more than just a shell.

He was a fighter. A survivor. Just as she herself was. She hadn’t let the government break her. And she knew Caleb would fight just as hard. Her words came rushing back to her.

Will you stand with me, Caleb? Will you help me fight the monsters?

I want to. God, I want to.

“He’ll come back,” she stated fiercely, as if she could make it happen by sheer force of words. “I know he will.”

Connor gave her a pitying look but, to his credit, didn’t try to argue. Instead he turned back to the airfield, making a sweeping gesture with his arm.

“Anyway, this place used to be a small regional airport, mostly private planes coming in for the big desert racetrack a few miles from here,” he explained as they walked toward the terminal. “But the track got abandoned after they built a new one north of Vegas about five years ago and there was no use having an airfield this far from any towns. So they closed it down and left it to us.” He gave her a half smile. “Wait till you see. It’s a pretty cool setup, actually. Trin’s father hooked up a couple of generators for electricity, and there are plenty of rooms for people to sleep in. There’s even an old restaurant where we meet up to eat meals. And it’s so far off the beaten path, we really don’t have to worry about being found.”

“Nice,” Scarlet said, and she meant it. “And that hangar will make for a perfect dragon cave if we get Emmy back, right?” she added, gesturing to the large building a few yards from the main terminal.

“You mean when.”

Scarlet whirled around at the sudden voice slicing through the air. She found Trinity standing too close behind her, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes red and burning. She must have gotten out of the truck when Scarlet and Connor were talking—so silently neither of them had heard her do it.

Scarlet nodded, feeling her face flush. “Yes, of course. When,” she corrected hastily. “I meant when.” But Trinity only glared at her harder, as if she blamed Scarlet for everything. And maybe she did.

Scarlet sighed. The two girls admittedly hadn’t gotten off to the best start—which Scarlet knew was mostly her fault, even though she’d had the best of intentions. She’d thought she was doing a good thing, breaking in and freeing Emmy from the dark, lonely barn back in her hometown. Instead, she’d inadvertently set all of this in motion. Because of her, their hideaway had been compromised, Trinity’s grandfather had been killed, and they’d been forced back on the run. Not exactly the best way to inspire a beautiful friendship.

That said, hadn’t Scarlet more than made up for it since then? After all, she’d rescued Caleb from the Dracken, not to mention willingly walked into a six-month prison sentence to save Emmy. Shouldn’t all that pain and suffering count for something?

Not judging by the way Trinity was staring at her now. And suddenly Scarlet wondered if the girl would have even bothered rescuing her if she hadn’t needed her to find Emmy.

“Easy, tiger,” Connor interjected, stepping between them. He reached out to Trin, his face filled with sympathy as he tried to put a comforting arm around her waist. But she only jerked away, turning on her heel and retreating back to the truck, slamming the door behind her. Connor watched her go with a troubled expression. Then he turned back to Scarlet.

“Sorry,” he said. “This whole thing has been so hard on her. I mean…” He gave an apologetic shrug. “Not as hard as it’s been on you, I