Maura dug through the front pocket of her bag, fishing out just enough stray dollar bills and change to buy a hot dog and soda each for Luke and herself. They stood shoulder to shoulder, waiting in line for their turn at the vendor's cart, though neither of them spoke. The ease that Maura felt under the Pendula tree had evaporated as soon as they left the secret space, and now things were as uncomfortable as before.

Lunch in hand, they found a spot to sit near the fountain in the center square. Maura nibbled her hot dog as she people-watched: moms pushing babies in strollers, guys whizzing by and turning tricks on skateboards and bicycles, professionals from the downtown offices on their lunch breaks, truants with cigarettes dangling from lips or clutched between fingers, a desperate magician putting on a performance no one wanted to see. And still, it was the boy sitting next to her that Maura was most aware of.

"Sorry," Luke said when his shoulder brushed hers. He shifted a few inches in the opposite direction.

"That's okay," Maura replied. She cleared her throat. "So, uh . . . What are your plans after graduation?"

Luke popped the tab on his soda. "That depends."

"On what?"

His shoulders rose and fell as he took a drink. "On a lot of things."

Maura disliked how Luke seemed never to explain himself, how getting anything but a curt answer felt like a constant tug-of-war. What had happened to Luke from an hour ago, the one who couldn't tell his story fast enough?

She tried again. "Well, do you plan on going to college?"

"Definitely not."

"You say that as though college is a bad thing."

"It's not. It's just not for me."

"Then what do you want, Luke?"

When he didn't immediately respond, she glanced at him. He could have been a statue for how still he was, with only the slow rise and fall of his chest to indicate he was alive. His voice was barely audible when he finally answered. "I don't want to be alone."

Of all the things she thought he might say, that wasn't it. She stared at the remaining hot dog in her hand, her appetite now vanished. For all her problems, it had never occurred to her that Luke might have issues of his own. How could she be so dense? How could she be so self-absorbed?

"You're an enigma," Maura said, rising to toss the rest of her lunch into the garbage. She put her hands to her hips, looking down at him. "I'm not in any hurry to get home if you're not. Do you want to walk around?"

Luke, who'd been staring into the distance, his face expressionless, turned and focused his gaze on her. For the first time since meeting him, Maura noticed the color of his eyes: shades of greens and browns that reminded her of muddy lakes and rocky shores.

"Sure," he replied.

They spent the next few hours roaming the streets of downtown, barely speaking to one another as they poked around inside the shops. At least they weren't arguing, Maura thought. At least she wasn't picking a fight, she amended.

Some unidentifiable aspect of their relationship had changed. A silent truce had been forged.

Maura's cell rang, and she pulled it from her back pocket. "It's McCallum's Garage," she said, having nearly forgotten about her car. "Give me a sec?" Luke nodded and ambled off as she took the call. Still, she kept her eyes trained on him as he thumbed through a cart of used books parked outside the book store. A lock of dark hair fell across his forehead, and he brushed it aside.

After she ended the call, Maura made her way over to Luke. "My car's done. They had to replace the starter. It wasn't cheap." She randomly chose a book from the cart and flipped through the pages. It smelled of dust and mildew. "Hopefully my boss will give me extra hours. I'm going to need them."

She looked at Luke from the corner of her eye, hoping for a little commiseration, but he didn't acknowledge anything she said. He just stared at her, his eyes wide and unblinking, his expression unchanging. She shook her head and shoved the book back in place. "I hate to ask, but do you think you can give me a lift to the garage?"

"Sure," he answered.

Unlike the last time, however, Luke made no move to walk her inside once they got there. She got out of the car and shut the door, leaning down so she could peer in through the open window. "Thanks for the ride," she said. "And, uh . . . thank you for working on the story with me. Your ideas are really good. I think Mrs. Raines will love the final version."

He nodded, though he didn't meet her eyes.

"I'll start typing up the notes this weekend," she added. "We can meet again Monday after school if that's okay with you."

"Yeah. Okay."

Maura started to walk toward the shop and then turned, jogging back to the car before he had a chance to pull away. She took a deep breath. "Luke?" His brows pushed together as he waited for her to speak. "Thanks for today. I had a good time."

**********

Luke watched Maura disappear into the shop. He felt a familiar stirring in his gut, knew it was happening the same way that he knew spring followed winter. After all, he'd been who he was long enough to recognize the signs. And he hated himself for it. With trembling fingers, he closed his eyes and reached into the front of his shirt, withdrawing the vial. And there, at the very bottom, was a single drop of golden liquid.

Essence.

He'd be damned if he claimed one more girl, especially this one. He'd be damned if he let Siobhan rule his life yet another day. By the time she fully realized his betrayal, he will have already abandoned her and the rest of The Otherside to their fate. Though Siobhan had been a mother to him—his queen—he felt a surging relief at the prospect of imminent freedom.

It didn't matter that freedom had a cost.

*****

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed this chapter, please vote, comment, and recommend Love You To Death to others.