“I can’t even imagine having to make that decision,” I whisper. “And in a split second, too.” I place a hand on his arm, trying to comfort him. But he only jerks it away.
“Sure you could. That’s what I’m trying to say. You wouldn’t have had one moment of doubt. You’re a fighter, Rayne. You would have dove in, saved your family, and then continued to fight until you’d saved every last vampire on Earth.” He hangs his head. “I, on the other hand, hesitated too long, my feet stuck in the mud, unable to move or act. And as I struggled with the decision, that same slayer stabbed my sister in the heart with his stake.” A lone tear slips down his cheek, splashing down onto the white-painted porch. “I’ll never forget the look she gave me before bursting into oblivion. She knew in her heart, somehow, that I was the one who’d betrayed her.”
I grab him and turn him to face me, not taking no for an answer. “Jareth, look at me,” I command. “You were put in an impossible situation. I’m sure your sister doesn’t blame you for that. She knows your heart was in the right place. That you wanted what was best for everyone.”
Jareth frowns. “That’s easy for you to say. But you can’t prove it. We’ll never know for sure. And I will live with this guilt for all of eternity.” And with that, he storms off the porch and into the night. I wonder if I should follow him, chase him down, and try to assure him that it wasn’t his fault. That he doesn’t have to live with the guilt. But I know that it won’t do any good. The only person he’d ever believe right now would be his sister herself. And she’s too dead to—
Oh my God. A lightbulb idea suddenly goes off over my head. I rush back inside the house, up the stairs, to the living room where Sunny’s trying to not to laugh at Race’s rakish charm.
“Come on,” he’s urging her. “It’ll be like a big sleepover! Makeovers, pillow fights…”
“Go to bed, rock star,” I say as I shove him aside. “Sunny and I have more important business to discuss.”
“More important?” he cries in mock horror. “But what could be more important than me showering honor and affection on the most beautiful fairy to ever set foot in Hades itself?”
I snort. “Good night, Race.”
He releases a long, exaggerated sigh, then hops off the couch, taking Sunny’s hand in his and bringing it reverentially to his lips. “Good night, sweet princess,” he says sadly. “May your beauty and grace enchant my dreams tonight and forevermore.”
Sunny giggles. I roll my eyes. He is seriously too much.
“Fine, fine,” Race says, catching my look. “I guess I’ll go join your father downstairs for a little HADES-TV. Hopefully he won’t reject me.” And with that, he heads down to the lower level of the house.
Once he’s gone, I turn to my sister.
“Is Jareth okay?” she asks. “He doesn’t seem himself. Are you two in a fight or something?”
I quickly give her the rundown of what had happened.
“Wow, I can’t even imagine having to live through eternity with that much guilt,” Sunny commiserates. “No wonder he’s always so dark and brooding.”
“No kidding,” I reply. “But what if we found his sister for him? She was a vampire—she’s got to be down here, somewhere, right?”
My sister’s eyes widen. “Of course,” she agrees. “In fact, I bet his whole family is down here. You could find out where they’re living and show up at their front door. Then they can tell him they don’t blame him whatsoever for what he did and absolve his guilt once and for all.”
“Unless they do blame him…” I make a face. “I mean, we don’t really know what happened, right? They could be whiling away eternity pushing pins in a Jareth-shaped voodoo doll for all we know.”
“Yeah, but they’re his family,” Sunny reminds me. “I mean, even when I’m super mad at you, I always get over it in less than a hundred years.”
“Please. You can’t stay mad at me for five seconds.”
“We’ll see about that, next time you piss me off.”
I snort. “But the point is, Jareth’s family might be living at 666 Lake of Fire Drive right now, being burned alive and cursing the day Jareth was born. How do we know? And is it worth the risk? If he sees them suffering, he’s going to hate himself ten times more than he already does.”
Sunny considers this. “What about that Hellbook thing?” she asks. “Maybe we could look them up on that! Figure out what their life is like by reading their walls.”
“That’s a great idea!” I jump up from my seat on the couch, diving for my dad’s computer. “If they seem to be happy, we’ll risk it. If not, we won’t mention it at all.”
“Sounds like a plan!”
I look back over at her, sitting on the couch, smiling at me. A sight I never thought I’d see again. My sister, back in my life. It’s like a dream come true.
And now it’s Jareth’s turn to wake up from his nightmare.
26
“I don’t know if this is a good idea,” Jareth grumps as I drag him onto the No. 777 bus later that evening, after we’ve all had our first real sleep in ages. “Going out and about like this, we risk running into the Demon Patrol again. And this time there will be no Hercules to save us.” He gives me a disapproving look. “You’re this close to scoring an audience with Hades and rescuing your sister. Do you really want to risk being dismembered right about now? Just so you can have dinner?”