Six - Neriah

"What?" I ask, still dazed from Matt's impressive display of power. I've never seen anything quite like that before, but Isabel told me once that Lorian did something similar when forbidding anybody from trying to rescue Arkarian when he was trapped in the Underworld.

"Luckily, I still have some Tribunal members on my side, otherwise that could have gone very differently. We should hurry. Do you have your paintbrush?" Matt asks, glancing warily around the room as though he's afraid an angry Tribunal member is going to reappear before us and wage all-out war.

I nod, sliding the paintbrush out of my pocket and with trembling arms draw a portal back to our regular timeline. To my immense relief, the portal works the first time, and we hurry through, letting it snap shut behind us.

It feels surreal to be standing back in my bedroom again, cluttered with art supplies and childhood photos of me and my mom posing with Aysher and Silos. I turn slowly to face Matt, jaw clenched.

"Matt…" I begin.

"Don't," he cuts across. "Things will be ok."

"Will they? How long can you really keep control for?"

"As long as necessary."

"Necessary for what, though? Matt I get that you don't want to talk about Dillon, but we have to. Why can't you at least tell me what's going on?"

"It's not that I don't want to, Neriah, believe me. I honestly think that telling people what's going on will just put more people in danger."

"In danger from what? From Dillon?"

"Yes." Matt takes both of my hands in his and leans down to rest his forehead against mine, eyes firmly closed. "I can't stand this, but it's better than the alternative."

I've never seen Matt so rattled. Whatever is going on with Dillon has really messed with him. I decide to drop the subject for now, but I won't let it go permanently. Eventually Matt is going to have to open up to me a bit more, and I'll be waiting.

"Who warned you?" I ask, closing my eyes too for a moment. I focus on the sensation of Matt's skin against mine, the slow rate of his breaths. He's trying to keep calm, putting himself in a semi-meditative state.

"Hm?"

"You said you still had some Tribunal members on your side, and when Lady Arabella asked you about the guy going through her memories, it looked like someone warned you about what you said."

"That was Queen Brystianne," Matt says. "And Lord Penbarin tried to diffuse Lord Alexandon."

"That's good," I mumble. "At least we still have some friends."

"A few more flashy displays and I could probably keep my dissenters obedient by way of fear. But that's not how I want to do things."

"So what are we going to do?"

"Try and score a few wins, make me look more competent than I actually am," Matt replies, releasing my hands and enveloping me in a hug. "Jimmy and Arkarian want to go down into Veridian, salvage some more Atlantean technology."

"But Veridian is flooded. How're they going to do that?"

"That's why they want us there, to help clear the water."

I grimace. Some aspects of immortality I've taken to immediately, other bits are still difficult. Matt assures me that I'm doing far better than he did when he first started training, but he's just being kind. Of course I can shapeshift easily, that was one of my abilities when I was mortal. Truthseeing feels like second nature to me now, and I'm even getting used to having a perfect memory. However, basic elemental magic, one of the key building blocks of immortal magic, I can barely contain. Elemental magic tends to spike wildly whenever I try to use it - either fizzling out limply or verging on "dangerous explosion" level. I've considered perhaps asking Arkarian for help - elemental magic amongst mortals is exceedingly rare and powerful, and although he took a long time to harness his impressive natural ability, he managed it. Seeking instruction with Arkarian would feel like a betrayal of Ethan though, and when he comes back I'm eager to train with him again.

"We shouldn't go back to Athens until after Veridian," I say, kissing Matt's chest. "Give them all time to cool off."

"Yeah, you're right." Matt pulls away from me, suddenly frowning again.

"What's wrong?" I ask, dreading that something else terrible has happened.

"Is it just me, or is it darker in here than it should be?"

I glance around to see that Matt's right. It's far too dark to be nine o'clock in the morning, and the sun is at the wrong-

I curse loudly. "I didn't focus properly on a time for the portal to open up in! I was in such a rush it completely slipped my mind!"

"What time is it?"

I grab my alarm clock from the side of my bed and curse again. "It's 6pm. Mom is going to kill me."

"It was an accident, Neriah. Anyway, it's my fault for rushing us out of there. Your mom isn't going to kill you," Matt says in an effort to comfort me. I feel guilty for stressing about the time when Matt's problems are so much bigger than mine. He's so sweet to me.

"Oh yes she is going to kill you."

I wince and turn towards the door, where my mother is standing with her arms crossed and one eyebrow raised. She's already dressed up in her nice black pencil skirt and frilly white blouse for dinner with the Beckets this evening, her first time meeting Matt's mom. Christ, that's in an hour and it will take us at least twenty minutes to drive there. To top it all off it looks like my mistake might make us late as well.

"Mom, I am so sorry-"

"The blink of an eye, you said. I ended up giving Aysher and Silos your pancakes."

"Aneliese, this is my fault," Matt chimes in. "Please don't blame Neriah, she tried her hardest to get us back here in time and I distracted her."

Mom's expression softens a little at Matt's words. She likes Matt a lot, and trusts him completely. Her eyes flit between the two of us and Matt must look as apologetic as he sounds because finally she nods.

"Neriah, please get changed, I want to make a good impression. William is bringing the car around in ten minutes." William is our chauffeur, the one necessity we've had to keep a hold of - neither me or my mom can drive. Well, Mom swears that she can but I don't trust the woman who hasn't driven in at least seventeen years behind the wheel. Besides, her license has definitely expired by now.

I don't reply with what I really want to say - that being that Coral has already seen me at my worst first thing in the morning with drool along the side of my cheek. I know she means that she wants to look like she's holding us all together, especially as Matt has been staying here on and off. She wants to look like a normal mom who can comfortably wrangle two teenagers on the cusp of adulthood. When Mom had to go back into hiding and I stayed at the Beckets, it was under the guise that my mom had to fly all the way up to Darwin to care for her sick mother, and ever since then she's worried that she looks like an irresponsible mother who ditches her only daughter at a moment's notice. Tonight is very important to her.

"And brush your teeth!" Mom shouts down the corridor as she walks away. "I could smell your breath across the room!"

We get ready in a hurry, Matt keeping his thoughts closed to me the entire time. My mind, meanwhile, keeps wandering back to Dillon and the risky game Matt is playing by keeping the Tribunal members in the dark. I haven't really spoken to Dillon since the final battle, which has been a relief. When I first met Dillon, I was flattered with his attention - he was popular and good looking, but I couldn't ignore the deep connection I felt to Matt. Dillon began to feel suffocating with his infatuation with me and his jealousy. I don't think I could stand to still have him hanging around whilst I'm trying to find my footing in the Tribunal and my first ever real relationship. Something about Dillon's behaviour had begun to unsettle me slightly towards the end. Ethan always spoke highly of him, and despite their falling out over me, he was one of Matt's oldest friends, so the only person I ever shared my concerns with was one fleeting conversation with Isabel when I stayed with her. Isabel was understanding then, I wonder if she would be willing to talk with me now. She loves Matt, and secretly is just as protective of him as he is of her. Maybe Isabel will be able to help me coax information out of him.

The ride to Matt's house is tense. William chats away to us from the driver's seat, blissfully unaware of the tension in the atmosphere. Mom is still slightly annoyed with us, but she slowly begins to loosen up as we drive, eventually ending up in a light-hearted debate with William about the benefits of some kind of diet that he wants to try out. Matt stares out of the window, holding hands loosely with me as he watches the trees of the forest smooth out into the mid-sized family homes of Angel Falls' suburbs.

Jimmy opens the door to the Becket's house just as we pull up onto the driveway. William bids us a goodnight and tells Mom to text us when she wants to be picked up. He lives only a few streets away so he's going to relax at home with his cat, Bernice, whilst we eat. I give him a fond wave goodbye as he pulls back out of the driveway and heads down the street.

Jimmy gives Mom and me a big hug as we walk through the front door. He claps Matt on the shoulder as he animatedly compliments my mom about how lovely she looks, and Matt manages a small, polite smile as he shrugs out from under his grasp. Jimmy helped to build our house, and personally oversaw the installation of our security systems, so Mom knows him at least in passing. I'm pleased that there's another familiar face for her besides myself and Matt, and even more pleased to have company that she's not currently annoyed with.

"Coral is just finishing up dinner," Jimmy says, taking my mom's coat and hanging it up for her. "Can I get you a glass of wine?"

"Yes, please," Mom replies. "Something red, if you have it."

"And am I offering Neriah a glass?" Jimmy asks with a grin. His smile is a mix of kindness and genuineness. Even if my mom was the type to get offended by underage drinking, she couldn't possibly be offended by Jimmy's manners whilst he facilitates it.

"You may," my mom replies, shooting me a look that somehow manages to convey the sentiment of 'please don't get drunk and make me look like I let you run rampant and get wasted every Friday night' in under a second.

"White please, Jimmy," I say, shrugging off my own coat and hanging it on the peg by the door next to Isabel's beat-up denim jacket. I'm relieved mom is letting me have a drink, I feel like I need several.

"Coming right up. Matt would you show Aneliese to the living room? There's a nice cold beer in it for you."

Matt shepherds my mom into the Becket's living room, with me trailing behind. I've always liked Matt's family home. It's filled to the brim with photos of Matt and Isabel growing up, and cluttered lovingly with knick-knacks and personality. The mantelpiece above the fireplace alone is loaded with a ceramic deer from a trip to Japan when Matt was eight, a photo of the whole family not long after Jimmy moved in, smiling in the backyard, one awkward photo each of Matt and Isabel's yearly school photos taken sometime when they were both gawky pre-teens, a tatty-looking vase with a faux-ancient greek design that Isabel once told me was her crazy granny Alice's, a couple of 'healing crystals' belonging to Coral, and a few spare batteries that should be kept in the drawer next to the sink but no-one is sure if they still have any juice in them or not and they keep meaning to test them. The whole house has a happy, lived-in feel. There's no extra thick walls with steel that can descend over the windows and doors to keep out attackers, just a cheery doormat proclaiming 'welcome' to anyone who might walk by. Coral has a great affection for the slightly tacky and very wholesome, and has decorated her home accordingly.

Mom looks around approvingly, clearly as endeared as I am by the family-themed clutter. She takes a seat on the second-hand sofa and smiles warmly at Matt.

"What a lovely home."

"Thanks, we've been here since I was about five, and Mom has collected a lot of weird and wonderful things over the years for decoration."

"It's nice," Mom replies, looking around the room. "You can tell there's a lot of love in this house."

"We try," Jimmy replies from the doorway. He's carrying a shiny silver tray with three wine glasses and two beer bottles balancing on it, which he sets down on the coffee table. "Coral will be out in a sec, Isabel is going to watch the potatoes and then plate up."

"Is she ok? Isabel, I mean?" Mom asks quietly after taking a sip of wine.

Jimmy looks startled for a second, as if he had forgotten that my mom knew all about the Guard, then glances hastily over his shoulder towards the kitchen. I can hear Coral giving Isabel instructions on when to turn the potatoes faintly, and hear her thoughts clearly, filled with worry about the food burning under Isabel's care and making a bad impression. Both of our moms are clearly desperate for the other to like them.

"She's ok. Alarmingly so, actually. She's pretty much the same as when I last saw her yesterday," Jimmy whispers.

"Knowing Isabel she's probably not taking it very seriously," Matt grumbles. He's frowning at Isabel's shadow that has been thrown up against the kitchen cabinets as if it's done something offensive whilst we weren't looking.

"I wouldn't say that," Jimmy says. "Isabel has always worried more about everyone else than herself. I think she's more concerned with everyone's reaction to what she saw rather than what she actually… you know… saw."

"Hmm." Matt scowls into his beer bottle, shooting another glance up at the kitchen door.

"Poor thing," Mom replies, seemingly oblivious to Matt's bad mood. "And how are you, Jimmy?"

"I'm good, thanks. Went to work earlier, had lunch at Shaun's shop - that's the other old guy who's still alive," he adds at my mom's blank expression. "How are things at the house? Getting set back up ok?"

"Nearly there. I'm thinking of getting rid of a few things though, now it's just going to be me and Neriah on our own most of the time we have lots of extra furniture that we don't really need anymore."

"Ah, you should run them by Coral before you throw anything out, she loves second-hand things."

"My ears are burning!" Coral calls from the kitchen. She pops her head around the half-open door and waves at us all cheerily, brushing a stray strand of curly blonde hair out of her face and leaving a streak of flour across her cheek. "I'll be out in a second! Sorry for being so rude! Isabel, can you pass me the tongs?"

Moments later, Coral reappears, hair neatened and flour dusted away from her face. She's wearing a floaty orange tea dress that compliments her suntanned complexion and a bright smile, which she directs straight at my mom.

"Hi! You must be Aneliese, so nice to finally meet you!" she says, pulling Mom straight into a hug the minute she's halfway up onto her feet.

Coral looks pretty much identical to Isabel, except older and with more curves and curly hair. Just like her daughter, she's a tanned sun-bleached blonde with expressive brown eyes and a kind smile. She even tilts her head back the same way Isabel does when she laughs. Unlike Isabel though, Coral is easy-going and chatty where Isabel is serious and headstrong. Being around Coral is like being bathed in sunshine, warm and pleasant.

Matt once told me that his mom used to be very quiet and reserved until she started seeing Jimmy, a side-effect of years of abuse by Isabel's father. It's difficult to imagine Coral any other way than she is now, but I guess that's a testament to how hard she's worked to rebuild her life over the years. That's one of the many reasons I hope tonight goes well - I think having a friend like Coral, who really gets what it's like to have your whole life ruined by someone who was supposed to love you, would be amazing for Mom. She needs the support in a way I could never offer her - I don't even remember her being with Marduke.

"So nice to meet you too!" Mom exclaims as she sits back down, trying not to look flustered. She smooths her skirt out nervously and waves one hand in the air. "It's a lovely home you have here!"

"Oh, thank you! Would you believe this is it clean?" Coral picks up the spare glass of wine and throws her head back in laughter. "How is your mom doing now?"

"My mom?" Mom asks, dumbfounded. I shoot a pointed look at her before she realises what Coral is asking. "Oh! My mom! Well, unfortunately she passed away."

Five years ago, I think.

"Oh I'm so sorry to hear that," Coral replies sympathetically, hand resting on her heart. She ruffles Matt's hair affectionately as she sits down next to Jimmy on the opposite sofa, where she pulls her legs up beside her and curls up in place. Matt barely notices, and keeps shooting furtive glances to the kitchen door. I quietly reach out to place one hand on his arm.

It will be okay, I think aloud. We can't exactly talk about this now, anyway.

Yeah, I know. But I just want to know that she's at least coping. Isabel isn't as strong as she makes herself out to be, and she's already propping up everyone else, Matt silently replies. He pats my hand with his own, and takes another swig of his beer as he turns his attention back to everyone else.

Our moms instantly click, much to our relief, bonding almost straight away over their love of antiques and all things vintage (although their tastes are quite different). Jimmy chimes in every now and then with funny stories about some of the stranger construction projects he's worked on, whilst Matt and I sit close together silently listening in. Matt's hand doesn't move from mine the entire time.

I'd never really thought about boys much before I moved to Angel Falls. I hadn't really met any before, or at least, not ones that weren't at least ten years older than me. I was more worried about making friends than anything else, and a boyfriend was the last thing on my mind. How could I maintain a relationship when there was the constant risk of having to move away suddenly? Or the risk of my death? The Prophecy's final line of 'yet one shall be victorious while the other victorious in death' hung over me like a guillotine blade. It could so easily have been me instead of Rochelle, and not even Matt's gift of immortality could have saved me if Lathenia had decided to kill me herself whilst I was her prisoner. Sitting on the Becket's couch with my boyfriend, nervously holding hands whilst our parents meet for the first time wasn't something that I ever thought would be possible.

I sneak a glance over at Matt again. He's looking straight at Coral whilst she enthusiastically tells my mom all about an antiques market she goes to once a month in Marlo, but his eyes are glazed over. His thoughts are meticulously shielded as usual, but there's the smallest hint of a wrinkle forming between his brows. I rub my thumb up and down his arm softly and he gives me a small smile before flicking his gaze back over to our moms. I'm so worried about him.

Finally the kitchen door opens and Isabel pokes her head through.

"Mom? Jimmy? I think dinner looks ready!" she calls. She gives me and Matt a quick wave before disappearing back into the kitchen, expression completely neutral.

"I'll get it, darl," Jimmy says. He pats Coral on the knee and heads into the kitchen to help Isabel plate up.

"I think we should probably relocate to the dining room," Coral says, also standing up.

She eagerly ushers us into the dining room, where the table has already been laid. Coral has put out her best china that usually sits in a cabinet in the kitchen, only to be brought out at Christmas and very special occasions. In the centre of the table two wine bottles nestle in ice-filled buckets and pre-lit candles sit in slightly tarnished gold candelabras. Isabel appears again from the other kitchen door, the one that leads directly into the dining room, sporting tomato-red oven gloves and carrying a tray of golden roast potatoes.

"Hi Aneliese!" she says cheerily, setting the tray down on the table. She tries to give my mom a hug, but she's impeded by the oven gloves, so she bumps awkwardly into her instead.

"Hi Isabel, how are you?"

"Yeah, I'm good thanks!" Isabel purposefully looks straight at my mom as she speaks, not even glancing at Matt. We can talk later, she thinks, broadcasting her thoughts for barely a second. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm ok now that the house is a little bit more unpacked again. You should come by sometime! We'd love to have you over again!" Mom replies with a wide smile.

Isabel's smile falters momentarily and she finally looks over at me. Neriah… she thinks, alarm in her tone and expression.

"What?" Coral asks from behind us. Oh no. I forgot to tell mom that we were covering for Isabel last night.

"I was just saying Isabel should come back over for an afternoon or evening," Mom continues, blissfully unaware at the chaos her polite invitation is causing. "I know the dogs would be very happy to see her!"

Isabel's mind completely clams up again, Coral's thoughts are a whirlwind of quickly connecting dots, and Jimmy is internally cursing as he comes in halfway through the conversation holding two large bowels of roasted vegetables. We've been rumbled, and Isabel is about to be in serious trouble. Matt takes a swig of beer and wordlessly slides into his usual seat at the table, clearly aware that the situation is beyond trying to salvage.

To her credit, Coral barely flinches as she takes her own seat. "Yes! That would be lovely!" she says, but her thoughts are screaming: Isabel has a secret boyfriend! Or girlfriend! Or she's a drug addict! God, please let it be a secret someone and not a raging drug problem. No, Matt wouldn't help to hide a drug problem.

I hastily shut off my truthseeing powers before I can become too wrapped up in anyone else's thoughts and try to focus on dinner. The food looks delicious, a joint effort between Jimmy, Coral and Isabel that's come together beautifully. Our meal consists of crispy roast potatoes with fluffy insides, carrots roasted in honey, peas and broccoli all smothered in a rich gravy.

"Neriah, I've made a special veggie gravy for you," Coral says as Jimmy sets a smaller gravy boat in front of me. "And Jimmy tracked down this veggie roast for you as well that Isabel says is good."

"Thank you so much!"

We all tuck in with gusto. I don't really get hungry anymore, and I won't starve if I don't eat, but food is still tasty and eating is still an enjoyable thing to do. This food however, is especially delicious. I forgot how much I missed Jimmy's cooking. He's an even better cook than Melissa, our ex-chef-slash-poison-expert who subjected a portion of every meal to rigorous tests in case Marduke had managed to sneak some arsenic into our salt. Melissa cooked with military precision, measuring everything out precisely and chopping in strict uniform, but Jimmy cooks with his heart, tasting everything as he goes without fear of lethal poison. He's been trying to pass on his cooking skills to the Becket's with mixed success, but Coral has been his best student. She makes the best roast potatoes I've ever had.

Conversation continues to flow over dinner, with more participation this time from Matt and myself this time. Isabel keeps her head down for the most part, chipping in here and there whilst she tries to avoid the looks Coral occasionally shoots her way when my mom isn't looking. Jimmy tells us a story about when he was younger and tried to make his first girlfriend a meal to impress her, only to end up mixing up the salt and the sugar.

"This poor girl, bless her, she actually continued to eat it because she didn't want to be rude. So I was sat there thinking it was just my nerves that was making the food taste weird. That was all going fine until I brought out dessert. The minute she saw this cake she jumped up from the table and just shouted 'There's no way in hell you're making me eat that!'"

My mom begins to laugh so hard that tears begin to make their way down her cheek. Even Matt cracks a smile and lets out a huff of amusement. He rests his free hand on my leg under the table and gives my thigh a small squeeze. Isabel's drama aside, this is going really well.

I know there's a lot going on right now, I think out loud so Matt can hear me, but I'm having a really nice evening.

Me too, Matt replies as he gives my thigh another squeeze.

Not so friendly reminder that I am sat right next to the two of you and can see where your hand is, Matt. Can you please not grope Neriah when I'm trying to eat? Isabel's thoughts ring out, projecting them loud and clear. Isabel has gotten really good at projecting messages to truthseers even when we're purposefully trying not to listen, but she comes through really loudly. The force of her thoughts almost make me jump out of my seat.

Matt reluctantly removes his hand whilst I try to keep a straight face. Beside him, Isabel also struggles to not giggle. There's nothing she loves more than embarrassing her big brother.

I really love Isabel, as much as if she was my own sister by blood. It's a weird feeling knowing that whilst I've only been with Matt a couple of months, if that, depending on when we class our relationship as officially 'starting', we are going to be together forever. We're soulmates, literally made for each other. Isabel is one of my best friends but the longer I'm with Matt the more she will be my sister for all intents and purposes. The firm friendship that we built early on will hopefully endure for the rest of our lives, and it's comforting to know that Isabel will always be there.

I wish my life could just be this, just eating good food with family, friends, and the man I love. No Tribunal rebellions to deal with, no life-changing decisions to be made at the drop of a hat, no scary prophecies - just roast potatoes and laughter. But all too soon, the plates are cleared and the wine bottles are drained, mostly by Coral and my mom, and it's time to leave.

"Neriah, did you want to stay over tonight?" Jimmy asks as he whisks away our plates.

My eyes search out my mom's and she gives me a nod. "If you want."

"Then yes please, if that's ok."

"Of course!" Coral says. "We've already pulled out the sofa bed in Isabel's room and made it up for you just in case you decided to stay over."

Mom's eyes widen a fraction. Am I a bad mother for letting you and Matt share a bed?

I try and give her the smallest shake of my head and a sympathetic smile. I'm glad Mom is as giddy over me having a boyfriend as I am, but Coral isn't putting me in Isabel's room to be strict or protective of her son. On the rare occasions that Rochelle would stay over, I know for a fact that she would stay in Matt's room. I'm almost certain that putting me in Isabel's room, even though she knows about mine and Matt's relationship, is out of concern that my mom would judge her for letting us share a bed. Mom panicking about the exact same thing is actually kinda funny.

We wave my mom a cheery goodbye at the front door. Coral gives her her number along with a promise to text her when she next goes antique hunting. As soon as Mom is safely in the car, Coral shuts the door and rounds on Isabel, who is already trying to make her way stealthily up the stairs.

"You," she says, pointing right at Isabel, who flinches. "I think we need a little talk in the living room."

Isabel sighs and trots reluctantly back down the stairs. Matt takes me by the hand and moves to take her place on the stairs, but he's stopped by Coral's hand on his shoulders. She shoots him the most dangerous smile I've ever seen and raises her eyebrows.

"I think you should join us, don't you?"

"Um…" Matt glances back at me hesitantly, as if I can do anything to save him. I think he would prefer to be confronting the Tribunal.

"Neriah, I can't exactly tell you off but if I'm going to get the whole story of what's been going on you might as well sit in on this too." Coral's expression is gentler towards me, but that doesn't stop me from being nervous. I don't think I've ever really been in trouble before.

We troop silently back into the living room. Matt's thoughts are going a mile a minute, trying to come up with a million different stories to cover for Isabel's string of nights away from home. In contrast, Isabel seems relatively calm as we sit down next to her. Her thoughts are well-hidden as usual. Isabel's thoughts are often harder to crack now than even some of the most seasoned Tribunal members. She credits dating Arkarian for this feat, but I've always wondered if her psychic abilities being so strong reinforce her mental shield.

Isabel isn't responding to me, Matt thinks. What do we say?

She's probably just trying to get her story straight in her own head first. Let her take the lead.

Matt doesn't respond, but his jaw tightens.

Coral sits down opposite us, hands folded neatly in her lap. Jimmy lingers uncomfortably in the doorway, unsure whether to join us or seek refuge with the washing up in the kitchen.

"So," Coral says. "I know that everything that has been going on in this town has been shaking people up. It's scary. I understand that."

"Mom, I-" Isabel begins.

"No. Let me talk," Coral continues. "People have died in this town. A lot of people, and no one can quite figure out why. It's been one thing after another: the school gets hit by a meteor shower, an actual, literal, rat plague, strange storms, and it's all been focused in this one tiny town."

I clench my hands in my lap. Coral probing into anything to do with the Guard wouldn't just be bad news for us, it could be catastrophic for her. Matt's father put a sort-of shield over Coral's mind when he left her, so that she wouldn't remember his true identity. As far as she recalls Matt is the product of a regrettable affair with an English tourist - something that she has never told Matt himself. If Coral remembers too much about Dartemis, her mind could break under the strain of its own protections resisting the knowledge. Better for now to keep her away from anything to do with the Guard.

"Do I need to remind you of when you got lost in the forest - for two weeks - last year? They are pulling bodies out of that same forest every couple of days because of everything that's been going on. Matt's ex-girlfriend is missing. The last thing I need right now is my own children lying to me about their whereabouts."

Matt hangs his head in shame at Coral's words. Rochelle's death is still a sore point for him. He regrets how badly they left things before she died.

"I don't care where you've been staying these past few nights, Isabel," Coral continues. She frowns and then shakes her head. "Actually, scratch that. I absolutely do care where you've been. Especially if it's a drug den."

"I'm not a druggie," Isabel replies with a small, nervous laugh.

"I didn't think that you were. Matt wouldn't cover for a heroin addiction."

Matt chuckles quietly next to me.

"I assume that you're seeing someone? Boyfriend? Girlfriend?"

"Mom!"

"I won't be mad if it's a girlfriend!"

"I'm not gay! Why does everyone always think I'm gay?" Isabel sighs.

"The sports," Matt and Jimmy reply simultaneously.

Now it's my turn to laugh, smothering my sniggers against the palm of my hand. A smile tugs at the corner of Coral's mouth and even Isabel rolls her eyes with a smirk on her face.

"Boyfriend, then?" Coral asks when she's regained her composure.

Isabel sighs and puts her hands up in the air. "You got me."

Coral puts one hand over her heart and sags back in her seat. "Thank you for not being addicted to cocaine, or heroin, or whatever."

"No problem. Ecstasy is more my speed anyway."

Jimmy guffaws from the doorway. "Ha! Speed! Drug puns! Fun for the whole family."

"Isabel, I need you to be honest with me in future. I don't mind you having a boyfriend, or you staying with him some nights, but when I still need to know where you are. If I find that you're not where I thought you were one day, and at the same time I hear that they've pulled another body out of the park, what do you think that would do to me?"

Isabel nods. "Ok, Mom."

"And I want to meet this boy."

"What?" Isabel exclaims, looking alarmed.

Shit, Matt thinks beside me. I wordlessly agree, trying to keep my expression neutral.

"Well I don't think that's too big of an ask. It's your seventeenth next week, why don't you bring him to that?"

Shoot. I forgot it was Isabel's birthday next week. I haven't even got her a present.

"He's not really a party person…"

"Well I'm sure he can make an exception for his girlfriend's birthday."

"Not really."

"What's his name, anyway? Do I know him?"

"Umm… his name is…"

"This shouldn't be a difficult question, Isabel. Why don't you want me to know anything about him?"

"It's not that!" Isabel replies, a panicked expression on her face. "It's just… um… it's…"

"Dillon," Matt suddenly says. I look at him in horror.

DILLON? Isabel shouts in her head. Ethan was RIGHT THERE, Matt, and you go with DILLON?

"Dillon?" Jimmy repeats, stupefied. Is that really the direction we're choosing to go in?

"Dillon, as in Matt's friend, Dillon?" Coral asks, jaw sliding around nervously. "Well… he's a nice enough boy I suppose."

"Um…"

"I mean, I know he doesn't have the happiest of home lives…"

"Mom I don't think that's really our place to discuss," Isabel interjects.

"Right. No. He's always been very polite when he comes over and if he makes you happy-"

"Happier than I've ever seen her," Matt adds. Might as well lean into this, he thinks when he catches my eye.

"Well then that's good," Coral continues. "It's just... honey, his parents drink a lot and I don't know if that's the healthiest environment for you, or him, for that matter, to be in."

Mom banned me from going round Dillon's house when I was younger, Matt thinks. She came to pick me up once when I was seven and Dillon's mom was passed out whilst we were running around outside without supervision. Dillon's dad was out at the pub.

"I know, Mom. Dillon is eighteen and he doesn't drink because of his parents. He's a… a good guy," Isabel replies. "I'll ask him. About my birthday, I mean."

"That would be nice," Coral says. She forces a tight smile to her face but her thoughts are a swirl of past encounters with Dillon's drunken parents and horrible memories of Isabel's father. She's worried that Isabel will end up in a similar situation.

Dillon was probably the worst choice you could have made, Matt.

It was the first name that popped into my head. Why the hell didn't I say Ethan?

We eventually head off to bed after Coral gives Matt a short scolding about keeping secrets, and I get a much gentler word of advice to not let Matt and Isabel get me mixed up in their schemes.

"These two always manage to give me the run-around," Coral says to me fondly as she bids us goodnight. "Maybe you can keep them on the straight and narrow."

I laugh weakly at the idea of trying to boss Isabel around. Matt I could just ask nicely and he would do anything I wanted. Jimmy raises his eyebrows expressively over Coral's shoulder, apparently thinking the same thing as me. Isabel is a force of nature.

When the three of us get upstairs, Isabel's demeanour changes from gentle acceptance of her telling off to pure, unadulterated rage at Matt. She pulls him by the wrist into her bedroom and shuts the door behind the three of us.

"Dillon?" she hisses, running her hands nervously through her hair. "Matt, what the hell were you thinking?"

"I panicked! He was the first person who came to mind!"

"You are the leader of the Guard! The supreme Lord-Immortal! And you panicked?"

"It's been a long day, ok? I wasn't thinking straight."

"Yeah, I've heard all about your long day," Isabel says, slumping down on her bed. She doesn't look any less angry but her voice is more restrained.

"You did?" I ask.

"Word travels fast. Queen Brystianne told Arkarian everything, and he told me."

"How did he even tell you? You should have been home first thing this morning," Matt says, leaning against Isabel's desk. I take the swivel chair next to him.

"Now really isn't the time to chastise me, Matt. For the record though, I was home. Arkarian sent me a message."

"You received a message from the mountains all the way down here?" I ask, impressed. "That's amazing!"

"Thanks," Isabel replies, giving me a small smile. "It only really works with messages from Arkarian though, we've built a really strong mental link." She stresses the word 'mental' slightly, gaze briefly flicking to Matt.

"Everything is going to be ok," Matt says.

"Will it? It doesn't look that way right now, Matt. You pissed a LOT of people off with your little banishment stunt," Isabel retorts.

"I'll sort it."

"What, like you're sorting the Dillon situation?"

I shuffle uncomfortably in my seat. Both Isabel and Matt's thoughts have gone into total lockdown, but tension crackles in the air. I hate conflict, especially between my friends.

"That's none of your business," Matt says darkly.

"Well apparently it is. He is my boyfriend after all."

"Fuck off, Isabel."

"Oh fuck you, Matt. This is your fault!" Isabel snaps. "I'm not the fucking idiot who said I was dating Dillon!"

"I told you I panicked!" Matt half-yells back.

Um, guys? Jimmy's thoughts float up from below us. You might want to keep it down a little.

"Arguing isn't going to get us anywhere," I say quietly.

"Thank you," Matt says, resting his hand on my shoulder.

I wriggle out from his grip uncomfortably. "No, Matt. I'm on Isabel's side with this one." I can't bring myself to look him in the eyes as I speak. "I trust you. I do. But I'm scared. I don't like not knowing what's going on."

Matt goes still for a second, hand still hovering in mid-air. I'm not looking at his face, choosing instead to stare at Isabel's. Her chin is stuck defiantly in the air and a deep frown is etched between her brows.

"Right," Matt says quietly. "Okay then."

Without another word he walks out of the room, closing the door again behind him. I hear him open the door to his room next door, and lay down on the bed. Tears prickle my eyes, and before I know it I'm bawling. Matt and I have never argued before. I don't even know if that really even counts as an argument.

Isabel is at my side in seconds, her arms locking around my shaking shoulders and whispering soothing nonsense in my ears.

"It'll be okay. There, there."

We remain like this for a few minutes, me sitting and crying my eyes out and Isabel awkwardly bent double over me. Eventually, Isabel releases me and straightens her back with an uncomfortable sounding click. She passes me a few tissues from a box on her desk, which I take gratefully.

"I really thought you would know what the hell is going on," she says sadly.

"I'm as in the dark as you are."

"He's really not said anything?"

I shake my head. "Now he'll probably never want to speak to me again."

"Don't be silly, Neriah. Matt loves you, you know that."

"We've never argued before."

"Yeah, well, the first argument is always the worst. It doesn't change the fact that you're soulmates though. You're meant for each other." Isabel puts one arm back around me and gives me a quick squeeze. "Besides," she continues, "there wasn't much actual arguing in your argument. More of a disagreement really. And let's be real here, Matt is totally in the wrong. He's also the one who stormed off like a stroppy teenager."

"He says he wants to keep everyone safe," I say quietly.

Isabel tilts her head to the side. "From what?"

"He says from Dillon."

Isabel lets out a deep sigh and flops backwards, arms outstretched above her head. She sticks her thumb out and jabs it at the wall that joins on to Matt's bedroom. She looks exhausted suddenly, like she's aged several years beyond what her body will ever actually achieve.

"Can you give us some privacy?" she asks.

I fumble a few times, but eventually beams of warm energy flow out from my hands, creating a barricade around the inside of the room's walls. The shield should keep out even the prying eyes of other immortals, namely Matt. I've conjured the barrier a few times before whilst Matt has been helping me to harness my new-found immortal magic. Using it against him now feels wrong, but Isabel is my best friend, and I know she wouldn't ask me to use my powers against her brother unless she thought it was necessary.

For the longest time Isabel doesn't say anything. She just stares sadly at the ceiling.

"Isabel?" I ask tentatively. "What is it?"

"I spoke to him," Isabel replies, voice barely more than a scratchy whisper.

"What?"

"I spoke to Dillon. Last night."

I'm glad that I'm sitting down because my legs suddenly feel like jelly. "What do you mean you spoke to him?"

"Arkarian and I went to Athens last night for a few weeks. The first night we were there…" she trails off. Her finger is wrapped up in a lock of her blonde hair, and she tugs at it nervously. "I saw Dillon. He was… weird."

"Weird how?"

"Like he wasn't even himself. He was acting like a completely different person."

"Did he hurt you?"

She shakes her head. "No. He insulted me a little. Matt too. Then he started talking about being my ally and…" She abruptly stops mid-sentence, sitting bolt upright on the bed and looking slightly dazed. "I think Dillon might not be the bad guy he's trying to make himself out to be. He was too much of a caricature, you know? I think there's more going on than even Matt knows."

"I think that's part of the problem, Isabel. I don't think Matt actually knows that much, and that's what's frightening him."

Isabel shakes her head, but I don't think it's at what I'm saying - it looks more like she's trying to rid herself of all the thoughts that are troubling her right now, hoping to shake them right out of her brain.

"Neriah?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you not say anything to Matt? About me speaking to Dillon? I haven't even told Arkarian."

I hesitate. "I don't know, Isabel. I don't want to keep secrets from Matt."

"Even though he's keeping secrets from you?"

"I have to be the bigger person in this situation," I reply quietly.

"Neriah, I've already managed more than Matt has. Dillon actually spoke to me. If Matt keeps going at Dillon head on then Dillon could clam up again. He already knows that he's being spied on all the time. Please, let me try and work on him in private. If Dillon thinks that he has the upper hand maybe he will get reckless, give me a better idea of what he's up to."

I look closely at Isabel. Her face is defiant again. She really believes that she can do this - that she can get to the bottom of Dillon's strange behaviour and root out any potential threat he may pose.

"Okay," I reply. "But if this all goes wrong…"

"Hey, what's the worst that can happen?"

I huff at her disapprovingly. "Did you really have to go and say that?"