Flamethroat (19 page)

‘
Excellent.
’
Jack clapped his hands together.
‘
My
favourite
type of idea. So, what
’
s the plan?
’

I told Jack what the woman at the gate had said about registering Humans to get past the guards.

‘
Well that
’
s great,
’
said Jack.
‘
Except we don
’
t own a Human, nor can we afford one.
’

‘
We aren
’
t going to buy a Human Jack. Don
’
t be ridiculous. We aren
’
t here to stimulate the Human market.
’

‘
Then what?
’
he asked, his eyebrows knitted together.

I looked at Jack meaningfully and finally he understood.

‘
You don
’
t mean-
’
He began with wide eyes.
‘
No.
No
. Absolutely not! Are you insane?
’

‘
I can pretend to be a Human,
’
I said quickly.
‘
You can be my master. They will have to let us in if they think you want to add me to their list of Humans.
’

Jack saw the determination in my eyes.
‘
So, I just tell the guard that I want to get you registered? They let us in, jot your name down on their register and voila, we
’
re inside
T
he Realm?
’

‘
That
’
s it,
’
I said with a smile.

‘
And what do we do once we
’
re inside?
’
said Jack, crossing his arms.
‘
What happens when they realize you
’
re a Mage?
’

I sighed.
‘
Who cares? Our goal is to talk to the Head of the Human Registration. What was her name again? Korra Waterson.
’

Jack looked worried, so I tried to comfort him.

‘
What
’
s the worst that could happen?
’
I asked.
‘
They'll realise I
’
m a Mage and kick us out. The end.
’

‘
You might ruin any chance you have of finding your family.
’

‘
Well I
’
ll never find them by standing outside the gate either!
’
I said heatedly.

Jack thought long and hard for several minutes. He
had
to agree, he just had to.

‘
Please,
’
I begged.
‘
You have to register me as a Human if we want to get inside.
’

Jack screwed up his face as though in great pain.
‘
Promise nothing will go horribly wrong?
’

‘
I promise,
’
I said with wide eyes.
‘
Will you do it?
’

‘
All right,
’
he said with a sigh.
‘
But I am not letting you out of my sight.
’

‘
Thank you,
’
I said, embracing him.
‘
We
’
ll do it first thing tomorrow morning. I will need to wear rags or a bed sheet or something equally horrid.
’

‘
You don
’
t think the guards will recognise you after today
’
s protest?
’
said Jack, snaking his arms around my waist.

I shook my head as I relinquished the hold I had on Jack.
‘
There are too many people here to remember specific faces. Trust me.
’

And it seemed he did.

~

That night, I lay awake for hours, thinking about what would transpire tomorrow.

The single bed in Georgia
’
s spare room was lumpy and uncomfortable. Springs dug into my spine and I spent half the night tossing and turning. I guessed it was about two o
’
clock in the morning when I felt myself drifting to sleep, however I was disturbed minutes later by the sound of movement through the apartment.

Georgia had retired to her own room hours ago and Jack was asleep on the sofa. I knew he was asleep because I could hear him snoring, even from down the hall. So, who was tiptoeing down the hall?

The floorboards creaked past my room and continued towards the sitting room. I slid silently out of bed and crept towards my bedroom door. I eased it open with great care and slipped into the hall where I saw Georgia tiptoeing into the sitting room.

I was on the verge of going back to bed when I heard whispering coming from the sitting room.

Curious, I crept towards the entrance, but remained hidden in the shadows. What was I doing? This was Georgia
’
s home; she had every right to wander around at night. But what I saw made my entire body shake with anger.

Georgia wore a short, silk nightdress and her hair was in a plait down her back. She stood next to the sofa where Jack lay snoring loudly. The moonlight shone through the curtain and illuminated his bare chest. The blanket was sprawled across his stomach, covering the rest of his body. Georgia knelt by Jack
’
s head, watching him sleep.

And then she spoke to him.

‘
Jack,
’
she whispered.

Jack stirred slightly. She put a hand on his shoulder and said his name again. This time Jack awoke.

It seemed to take him several seconds to realise where he was and who had woken him. My heart skipped a beat when he looked at Georgia and said,
‘
Avalon?
’

‘
No … it
’
s Georgia,
’
she said, scooting closer to him.

‘
Oh,
’
said Jack, rubbing his eyes.
‘
What
’
s the matter? Is everything okay?
’

‘
I couldn
’
t sleep,
’
Georgia said, simpering,
‘
I had a nightmare.
’

Jack sat up, his eyes swollen from sleep.
‘
Oh.
’

There was silence for a moment, broken only by my own heavy breathing, which I feared would be audible to Jack and Georgia. I was half concealed by the doorframe, but feared they might hear the beat of my heart. Oh, the shame if they caught me eavesdropping but I was so mad at that moment that it took me all of my willpower not to burst in on them before Georgia made another move on Jack.

But to my surprise, it was not Georgia who made the next move. Jack adjusted himself on the sofa and pulled Georgia up so she was sitting next to him. My breath caught in my chest as I watched Jack wrap an arm around her shoulders and pull her against him.

The jealousy coursed through my veins like magma, waiting to erupt. Was that what this was? Jealousy? Did I really wish I was sitting with Jack? No. The feelings I had for Jack were that of a sister
’
s love for her brother. Weren
’
t they? I knew Georgia was bad news and did not wish to see Jack hurt. Yes, that was it.

But then I thought about all the times that Jack had held my hand
–
touched my back
–
or put an arm around my shoulders and my skin tingled.

I watched, concealed by darkness, as Georgia rested her head on Jack
’
s shoulder and he stroked her arm comfortingly.

‘
What did you dream about?
’
Jack asked.

‘
It
’
s always the same dream,
’
Georgia said softly.
‘
Everything is blinding white and there is a lot of noise; people are shouting for help
–
but I can
’
t make out what they are saying. I can
’
t see anyone. I want to help them, but I
’
m frozen.
’

Liar
, I thought to myself.
You didn
’
t have a nightmare
.

‘
I wish I could heal bad dreams,
’
he said with a smile, looking down at Georgia.
‘
I
’
d make them go away if I could.
’

‘
You can,
’
Georgia said, meeting his gaze.

My mind screamed
no
, because at that moment Georgia put a petite hand upon Jack
’
s bare chest. What was worse, it was Jack who closed the distance between them and kissed Georgia on the mouth; his hand resting gently upon her waist.

I stared, watching the kiss that lasted an eternity. I prayed that Jack would come to his senses and put a stop to this, but he didn
’
t. Instead he pulled Georgia closer, his arms around her like a vice. She wrapped herself around him, melting into Jack as though he were the last man on earth.

It felt as though a part of my soul had died. Why was I still watching them? Why did I torture myself like this?

I turned away, intent on getting back to my room, but my vision was blurred. My eyes were misting up. I staggered and bumped into the wall. A picture frame fell to the floor with a crash and I heard Georgia gasp. I sped into my room before they spotted me in the hall. Closing the door quietly, I listened to their voices carry down the hall.

‘
What was that?
’
Jack asked.

Footsteps were outside my door. I backed onto my bed and quickly pulled the covers up to my chin. I would pretend to be asleep if Jack checked on me.

‘
The picture,
’
Georgia replied.
‘
It must have fallen.
’

I heard the sound of glass as they cleaned up the mess.

‘
Well, um, I should get to sleep. Big day tomorrow,
’
I heard Jack say, rather awkwardly.
‘
Goodnight Georgia.
’

‘
Oh.
’
Georgia seemed genuinely crestfallen.
‘
You would be more comfortable if you stayed in my room.
’

I had to resist the urge to send handfuls of fire at the door. I dug fingernails into my thigh and bit down on my knuckles.

Jack hesitated momentarily before declining, but his tone was unsure.

‘
Uh, no, I don
’
t think I should,
’
Jack said quietly.

‘
Suit yourself,
’
Georgia said, nonchalant.
‘
Let me know if you change your mind.
’

I heard her walk to her own bedroom and close the door with a loud bang. Clearly, rejection was not something she was used to.

I could sense Jack standing in the hall, unmoving. I knew he was wondering if he had made the right decision. I was not surprised when I heard him knock upon my own door. I was too angry to talk to Jack right now so I pretended to be asleep.

My brain was extremely alert as I heard Jack open the door and cross the room to stand by the bed. I kept my eyes shut and my mouth slightly open, breathing deeply to indicate that I was asleep. I don
’
t know how long Jack watched me feign sleep. He sat on the edge of my bed, his weight pressing the mattress down. I felt his eyes upon me. He said my name twice, but I did not stir. Instead, I smacked my lips and rolled over with my back to him.

Finally, he went back to bed in the sitting room.

When silence fell throughout the apartment once more, I let out a long breath I hadn
’
t realised I
’
d been holding. What had all of that been about?