Chapter 12

I was still stunned by what Smoke said when he flicked my forehead and muttered,

"Calm down. It's a joke… I would never leave her."

Relief hit me like a wave—but tangled in it were other emotions I couldn't name. Disappointment? Shame? Regret?

"It seems you've moved on anyway…" he added.

What made him think that? Was it my face? Did I smell like another man? Maybe my eyes betrayed my thoughts again.

"I see," I said softly, choosing not to ask.

Smoke had changed.

"How long have you… been conscious?" he asked.

"It's been almost two months now."

He frowned. "I see…" His tone held more than his words, but he didn't elaborate. "I need to get back to her… my guest."

"Oh, yeah." I had forgotten we were short on time.

"Are you going to see your mother, by the way?" he asked.

I gasped. "My mom is still alive?!"

He nodded, then stood and headed toward the exit. "She's on death row… but alive, for now. See her if you want. Bye, Snowe."

He vanished into thin air, leaving behind only a sweet scent.

I hugged the book to my chest and stepped outside. I opened it and read the first sentence:

The rabbit chooses people at random and can only be interacted with by the user's subconscious.

Random, huh? I guess I'm lucky it chose me. I wonder if there's a way to communicate with it directly.

For now, I had a decision to make: should I go see my mom?

Even though I knew it wouldn't work, I took out my phone and texted Zai. And because I was sure it wouldn't send, I texted everything—too much, maybe. I told him about my inner conflict, about whether or not to see her. It was therapeutic.

Then, to my horror… the message went through.

Why did I hit send?!

Have they upgraded cell phones in the future to work from other planets?

I turned the phone over in my hands. On the back was a feather, lightly etched into the casing.

This phone was made on Infaniya.

How did Zai get this?

Before I could panic further, the phone rang. I dropped it in shock, scrambled to pick it up, and answered as coolly as I could:

"Heeey," I said.

"What's wrong? You sound nervous."

Okay, so I failed to sound chill. And he read that entire text. I was doomed from the start.

"I just… didn't know the text would go through," I admitted, pacing as I walked away from the palace.

"I didn't want to lose contact if you decided to go home, so I made sure that wouldn't happen."

He must've bought this from an Infaniyan vendor on Earth. But that's dangerous. Afarions are kill on sight in our laws.

"Your mom sounds like a b*tch," he added bluntly.

"Zai!" I gasped. "You can't call her that!"

He laughed, and even through the phone, it calmed me.

"We've never been close," I said softly. "Since I could walk, she's seen me as a rival. The only time we got along was when Dad wasn't around… and if he stayed gone too long, things got worse."

"I get it. My dad was killed right in front of me by my adoptive father. When lightning chose me, the king adopted me into his family. My mom was forced into his harem. She watched it all."

My heart twisted.

"You… remember the whole thing?"

"Vividly. But worse than that? She fell in love with him. Every day, she sits there happily, waiting her turn to spend the night with the man who ruined everything."

Zai always seemed like sunshine in human form. I'd imagined he and RJ were spared from Afaria's cruelty. I was wrong.

"Go see her," he said after a pause.

"But what should I say?" I whispered. Should I tell her that I hate her? That I love her? That I'm broken because of her?

"Tell her the truth," he said simply. "And if you feel like it… Call me after."

We ended the call.

The sun—Sun Alpha—was setting. Visiting hours were probably over, so I'd have to go in the morning.

I headed to my old neighborhood and found the house I once thought of as home. Even after all this time, it had been reserved for me, since nobody was ever found. The PIN code still worked.

Everything inside was blanketed in dust. All the furniture was gone, except for one thing: my bed.

I lay down. If I had known she hadn't been executed yet… I would've visited her instead of Qon Ark.

My phone buzzed. A message from Zai:

"Hey… can we FaceTime? I miss seeing your face."

My heart jumped.

I sat up quickly and combed my fingers through my hair before calling him back.

"Hi, Snowe." His smile lit up the screen. He had his piercings in and his hair was messier than usual—somehow, that made him look even better. Behind him, I saw a black wooden bedframe. He was in his room.

"I… shouldn't have left. I should've stayed with you," I blurted. My own words startled me.

Zai just smiled. "That's right. Glad you realized it. I'll see you when you come home."

Home.

"Yeah… I'll be home soon."

I held the phone higher and curled my knees to my chest.

"I'm not used to seeing you with white hair," he said. I blushed.

"Do you like it?"

He tapped his chin. "Hmm… it feels like I'm seeing another side of you. And I like all sides of you." I flushed deeper. "Snowe... Is dark red your natural eye color?"

Dark red?! I hurried to the mirror. Sure enough, my eyes were glowing red.

"I… I…" I panicked. I didn't want him to know the truth. But hanging up wasn't an option either.

"My eyes… change color sometimes," I said vaguely.

"Oh! They're yellow now. Why?"

"None of your business! Stop being so nosy!" I snapped, then instantly regretted it.

He just chuckled and closed his eyes. Thank goodness he wasn't offended. "My bad. Sorry, I asked. By the way, Snowe… I'm glad you called."

"You, me, called—yes." What?! I sounded like a caveman! Why couldn't I talk like a normal person? Maybe it's from having to stare at his face for so long. My brain is going haywire.

"Should we end the call now?" he asked, smirking.

"No!" I blurted.

He grinned. "Oh, I see. Your eyes are pink now." I switched to a black-and-white filter out of pure embarrassment. "Tell me everything you did since we split up." Zai asked, seeming content with changing the subject. I told him everything. He listened intently, asking thoughtful questions, laughing at my awkwardness, nodding when I struggled. When I finished, he said,

"Want to know what I did?"

"Yeah. Tell me."

"I stayed home. I couldn't stop thinking about you. I made too much food, cleaned up, went for a walk… and then you messaged me. It's crazy—like you knew you were on my mind."

If I didn't know it before, I know it now: my heart doesn't stand a chance against him. He bypasses every defense I put up without even trying.

I was about to say I missed him, too, but when I looked at my screen, he had fallen asleep.

I smiled and placed the phone beside me, letting sleep take me as well.

The next morning, I went to see my mom.

Unlike Qon, she hadn't received any visitors. Not a single one.

She had a hard life, especially after choosing to master glass—an art that required semi-mastery of both earth and fire. The only other person to succeed was the King of Afaria himself. Because of that, people avoided her. They said she'd go mad, just like he did.

I guess they were right.

She is a murderer, after all. It's hard to get much crazier than that.