The Fire and the Sky (Book 3 of the... - Chapter 42: Chapter 42

"Is there somewhere I can hide the truck?" Lety asked, hitching a thumb over her shoulder.
Priva nodded. "There's a drive shed out back. Just pull around the far side of the house — can't miss it. I'll let you in the back door." She turned to head back inside, but paused in front of Jeremy, who she looked over critically. "That shirt looks fucking ridiculous."
Jeremy glanced down, clearly having forgotten about his second-hand wardrobe. "It's a souvenir from my wild night. Don't stomp all over my fond memories."
Priva rolled her eyes and stalked back into the house without another word. Jeremy caught May and Em watching him and shrugged.
"Exes, am I right?"
May's eyes grew wide; Jeremy had failed to mention this little development. Then again, they hadn't really talked about what had been happening with WIND in her absence. She looked to Em with brows raised.
"Yeah, we've got some catching up to do," Em whispered. "C'mon, I'll tell you inside."
Hand-in-hand, the pair joined everyone else as they filed back into the farmhouse. No one said a word; the only sounds were the squeaking of the screen door and Lety's truck roaring back to life. May spared one last glance over her shoulder, eyes raking the fog, knowing Welkin was out there somewhere and hoping they'd be safe.
Despite its drafty appearance, May found the farmhouse was actually quite cozy. Rue immediately busied herself with lighting a fire on the hearth to chase away the early morning chill. Em sat in a well-worn armchair and gently pulled May down onto her lap. She wrapped her arms around her and pulled her close, burrowing her face into the crook of May's neck.
"I can't believe you're really here," she muttered, giving May a squeeze. Lifting her face, Em's lips grazed the curve of May's jawline with a phantom kiss. Warmth instantly bloomed in May, and she found herself wishing they weren't in a room with all these other people.
Around them, the others were settling in. Jeremy and Connor nodded wordlessly at one another and sank into a sagging couch, leaving enough room for Rue. Dom had already claimed an old wooden rocking chair in the corner and was absentmindedly toeing the dusty carpet to keep himself in motion. He glanced up as Priva strode into the room from the kitchen with Lety close on her heels, and made to offer his seat to either of them but they shook their heads in unison and instead chose to sit together on the floor. Once Rue had the fire going, Fargus hopped up onto the stone hearth, fluffing his feathers contentedly and closing his eerie gray eyes.
At last, Rue took her spot on the couch and all eyes turned to May. Her shoulders tensed at suddenly finding herself the center of attention. Em responded by wrapping her arms even tighter around her waist.
"So," Connor ventured, breaking the tense silence. "Now that we're inside, any chance one of you would be willing to tell us what's going on? What are you doing here?"
Though his words addressed her, Lety, Dom, and even Jeremy, May knew he was expecting to hear from her. They all were. But when May opened her mouth, she found she wasn't sure where to start. So much had happened since she had been sent away.
Jeremy cleared his throat. "I mean, I live here, so..."
Em snorted. "Smart ass."
"This isn't the time, you two," Rue said, eyes flashing at both of them.
"For what it's worth, meeting up with you all so soon wasn't exactly part of the plan," May admitted. Now it was Em who tensed – May could feel it in the way she held her, and could tell without looking at her that she was hurt.
From her place on the floor, Priva cocked her head to one side. "There was a plan?"
"Oh, there was a plan, alright." Jeremy answered for her.
"Is," May corrected. "There is a plan."
Jeremy nodded. "Right."
"I thought you were in Rhettford visiting your mom at Gallery." Connor gave Jeremy a quizzical look. "How did you find each other?"
"At Gallery," Jeremy replied. He turned and looked at May. In his eyes, May saw the unmistakable gaze of someone seeking permission. She gave it to him with a nod. "Turns out May was doing the same thing." He paused and considered what he'd said. "Visiting her mom, though. Not mine."
Em sat up as straight as she could without knocking May to the floor'. "Wait, what?"
Again, the question was directed to May, but Jeremy chose to field it. "Yeah, who knew we both had mothers doing time in maximum security prisons under questionable circumstances? Crazy."
"I certainly didn't," May said. Even though it was likely the product of his own discomfort, she liked the way Jeremy was making light of the situation. It helped calm her own nerves.
Meanwhile, Em looked stricken. "How did your mom end up in Gallery? What happened?"
"Not mom," May said, knowing Em was probably thinking of Tiio. "My birth mother."
Em's pale eyes grew round, her mouth working to form what was likely dozens of questions jostling for priority at once. In the end, all she managed to muster was, "Huh?"
"My mom—my adoptive mom back on Hoku, where I'm from—" May paused to explain to the others "—told me about my birth parents. They..." She had to stop again to take a deep breath. The weight of what she was about to tell them made her feel guilty for some reason – complicit in every terrible thing her parents' actions had set in motion. "They were the ones who stole the wishing star."
The reaction was swift and explosive. There was a split second of silence as the bomb of May's words landed, before it detonated in a firestorm of voices clamoring over one another. Connor, Rue, and Priva lobbed different questions at her at once, but it was Em's voice in her ear that May chose to acknowledge.
"Are you serious?" Em whispered, stunned.
"Yep. Their names are Dawn and Oliver Gardener and they used to be career criminals. They had no idea what they were getting themselves into when they stole the star."
"Wow, I can't believe this. Did they get caught? Is that why Dawn's at Gallery?"
"They got caught by the Loyals. That's why they were on Hoku in the first place – Dawn was pregnant with me and they were trying to lay low."
Comprehension washed over Em's features. "That's why the Loyals ransacked the island. They were looking for them – for the star."
"Exactly."
"Holy shit."
"My thoughts exactly."
"I'm assuming they eventually figured out what they had," Rue piped in, looking thoughtful. "After all, they wished for you, didn't they?"
May nodded.
Connor leaned forward, weaving his fingers and resting his strong forearms on his thighs. "Were you able to find out what they did with it?"
"I was trying to." May glanced at Jeremy. "But the guards interrupted us before Dawn could tell me anything useful."
"I found her being dragged, kicking and screaming, by a couple of wardens." He gave May a lopsided smile. "For what it's worth, you were putting up a good fight."
May didn't need to have her ego placated. "I'm just glad you were there. Who knows where I'd be right now if you weren't."
"Okay, but... why?" Priva asked. "Why are you looking for the wishing star in the first place?"
Her question took May aback. She glanced between her and the others, assuming the answer should have been obvious.
"Listen," she said, choosing her words carefully. "I know getting Gaten back safely is the number one priority. I get that. But getting him back isn't going to put a stop to the Loyals. That's why I'm trying to find the wishing star. I'm going to get it back."
With Em's arms around her, May felt a renewed sense of purpose urging her forward. In this moment, her plan made more sense than it ever had. "I'm getting it back.
And then I'm going to make the Stars put a stop to all this, once and for all."