I spend the night on the roof not ready to return to the Haunt. I alternate between feeling like I’m going to explode with the information that has just been dumped on me and a strange calmness. At least now I know where I stand. In those moments of calm, I watch the moon set, slowly dipping into the tree line before the Forsyth swallows it whole. The sunrise is a thing of beauty. The light reflects off the ocean. Its vivid brightness instills a sense of hope in me that I have no real claim to. When the sun fully emerges above the ocean, I get up and start to head back to the Graveyard. The question that has kept me up all night echoes in my head with each step. What will I do?

A more immediate concern presents itself when I climb down the stairs of the Graveyard. I have no idea how to get back. I manage to get to the main tunnel, the wooden Graveyard sign hanging precariously over the entrance. I go with my gut instincts as I make my way through the tunnels. Some of it looks familiar, although most blends together. I know I’m lost when I should have been there an hour ago. I keep walking through the tunnels, half looking for some landmark, half lost in my thoughts. The scent of sea water brings me out of my daze. I know where I am. I walk down the tunnel towards the salt water lake. With each step the same question repeats. What will I do? But I think I already know the answer. I’ve known it all along. Why else would I be here?

I hear the roar of the waterfall before I reach the lake. The sight of it is comforting. It’s nice to know that not everything has changed since yesterday. I take off my shoes and place them on the little beach. The water is cold against my feet and refreshing. I stand there for a few minutes, alone with my thoughts. I am not alone for long. I don’t hear her footsteps as she approaches, but I know when she is beside me. There is a warmth that comes off her that I can feel even a few feet away. Then Araya appears by my side, the tips of her fur cloak brush against my arm.

“I heard that you were told about the serum,” she says after a few moments of silence.

“I did. Layla told me all about the Kai and the Keep. And now she says I have a choice to make.”

“You do.” Araya’s voice going up a bit at the end. I can’t tell if it’s a question or not.

“How did you take it?” I ask. “When you found out?”

“More people believe in the myths where I come from. I wasn’t surprised. Angry. Very angry.”

“You said yes though, didn’t you?”

“No one in the Haunt says no.”

I suppose I should be amazed by their solidarity, by the sacrifice that every member of the Haunt has made. But what is the alternative? Living your life underground, always searching for food, filled with dread for the next day? If the choice is short and brutal or short and powerful, I’d choose power any day. “Can I ask you what your…ability is?” I immediately back track. “Or is that too personal?”

She reaches her hand out to me. I can feel that heat again, coming from her skin. As she gets closer it grows warmer and warmer. “If I touched you, it would burn. If I held on, you would lose that arm. I’ve always run hot, my temper right at the surface. And now it really is.” She takes her hand away and the warmth vanishes.

I’m not shocked by this. Somehow it seems completely natural. I’ve been steeped in so much suspicion, so many odd occurrences, that in some way I was expecting something like this. It is as if I’m already used to these extraordinary displays. How quickly we adapt. “Do you regret it?” I ask her, not sure I want the answer.

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She considers this for a moment. “It is a heavy price to pay, but I would do it again. I am not one to let something go. I couldn’t just go back home and forget I was snatched up and taken here. I need retribution and, as much as I wish it weren’t true, I can’t do it on my own. But this,” she holds out her hands again, a steady heat pours from them, “this is power. Will you do it?” She asks, balling her hands into fists.

“I don’t want to.”

“That’s not an answer. You will do it.”

“Really?” I ask with genuine curiosity. What does she know that I don’t?

“You have the rage for it. I can see it. It’s etched into your face. You want the Kai’s blood and you will not be satisfied until you see him hurt.”

Is that what she really sees in me? A violence? A need for pain? The image of the braided man appears in my mind. Perhaps she’s right. I’m not just driven by my need to help Evan. I want so much more than that. “Does it hurt?” The question is childish, but I need to know. The faces of the Haunt look like they’ve seen true pain. Some pale, limp, practically burned. I can’t imagine changing your nature is painless.

“Not as much as you think. You hear words like mutation, heightened abilities and you think pain,” she says the words slowly. They sound completely foreign her accent. “The origin story that I know says the pain from the godspool is so great that only the immortal life the water bestowed on the gods allowed them to survive. That is what I expected when I went into the water. It did not hurt that much.”

“That’s not very comforting,” I mutter.

“No. It’s not.”

We fall silent. The water laps at my feet, splashing my legs. Araya’s feet are bare. I watch the water swirl around her ankles. What would I become if I did it? What are my strengths, my characteristics? Nothing comes to mind. If Evan were here he would do it in a moment. He was always more daring than me, always up for a new challenge. I wonder what those strengths have turned into. The thought makes me feel ill. “I don’t think I’ve really realized where I am. I keep waking up thinking I’m home and that my brother will be right beside me. But he’s not. And if I don’t do this and I can’t get him back, I don’t think I’ll be able to live with myself.”

“You won’t,” Araya says simply and I know she’s right.

“I wish I could stay here.” I bend down and cup the water in my hands, throwing it onto my face. “I can see why you like it so much.” I sigh deeply and straighten up. “Alright. I’m ready. I am ready,” I repeat louder. Perhaps saying it out loud will make it true. I turn to leave and Araya catches my hand, pulling me to a stop.

“You may not see it,” she says, “but you really are ready.” Her hand is only on mine for a moment, yet when she lets go and walks away from the lake, I can still feel the heat of her skin against mine. The warmth stays in my palm all the way back to the Haunt.

In the Haunt, Layla is sitting by the fire, chatting with Zeak, Kyle and Sarsa. They all fall silent when I approach. “I’m in,” I tell Layla and sit down next to her with a hard thump.

She gives me her half smile. “Good. Can I ask why?”

“No,” I say coolly.

“Man after my own heart. Never tell anyone anything they don’t need to know, eh?” Layla leans closer to me and lowers her voice. “You sure about this? No turning back once it’s done. I hope I didn’t pressure you or anything.”

“Really?” I scoff.

“Well, no.”

“It’s fine,” I say, trying to sound as casual as possible. Perhaps if I sound confident I will start to feel that way. “I’m sure.”

Layla studies my face for a moment, as if expecting me to change my mind and run in the other direction. She is close to me. I notice several freckles on Layla’s nose that I hadn’t seen before. “Alright then,” Layla says, appearing to have completed her inspection. “We’re glad to have you.”

I nod stiffly. “When?”

Layla grins at me wolfishly. “Tonight.”