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“Cate called me,” Grey says, and Iris feels like that explains both everything and nothing.
She wants to ask, ’what did Cate say what did you say? does this mean you are welcome in her house again?’ but from the way Grey smiles at her, she can already tell that Grey isn’t going to make it easy for her to get any answers, that Grey will make Iris work for them.
“Cate should have some fucking trust,” Vivi says.
Iris can tell that deep down inside, Vivi is as surprised as she is, yes, but also relieved. The Halfway is not a safe place. She and Vivi have managed to survive, to bring out more victims (not Tyler, not yet, and Vivi is beginning to think that perhaps they never will, because Tyler is well and truly gone already), more lost boys and girls, but every time they go there, Iris has to swallow down her fear. Every time she goes there, she wonders if she’s going to be able to make it back.
Cate has told her and Vivi that she has faith in them, that she approves of what they’re doing, but Iris knows that Cate still worries.
Grey shrugs. “Can’t let you girls have all the fun, can I?”
Fun. Iris manages a weak smile.
“Fun is what I have with the band. You’re coming to our next show, right?” Vivi asks.
“How could I ever miss out on another chance to get permanent hearing damage?”
Grey turns to Iris again, waiting.
How many people do we need to get out to make up for the three girls whose lives we stole? Part of Iris wants to tell Grey that they have already done enough – or maybe that you can’t apply mathematics to things like human lives. Who’s to say what would have happened to the real Hollow sisters? They might have gotten in a car accident. They might have grown up to be terrible people.
They might have grown up to be a rock star, a fashion designer and someone desperately trying to be normal.
“I’m glad you and Cate are talking again,” Iris says.
Grey shrugs. “She’s our mother, after all. It seemed a good time to reach out.”
“Given that she was the one to call you, I call bullshit on that noble sentiment,” Vivi says. “Though I am impressed. I’ll have to come up with something pretty extreme to express my admiration. Pyrotechnics may be involved.”
Iris doesn’t think Cate has ever attended one of Vivi’s shows. Or one of Grey’s, for that matter.
“Before you get too distracted with planning that, perhaps we could focus on the mission at hand,” Grey says.
“Sorry, we’re doing fucking missions now? What are we, Charlie’s Angels? Totally Spies?” Vivi shakes her head. “This is just so typical you.”
“If you’ve got a problem, you can stay here, and I can do this by myself,” Grey says.
“That’s how it’s going to be from now on, huh? Grey’s way or the high way?”
Iris thinks of Cate, convincing herself to call Grey. “Let’s just go. We can talk later.”
“We are definitely going to talk later,” Vivi says.
Grey takes Iris’s hand in her left hand, and Vivi’s hand in her right, and then the three of them start walking toward the waiting doorway, and Iris realizes that for the first time, she is absolutely and utterly convinced that they’re going to be all right.