Charming the old and the young

“Who cares what happens to Inferno?” Spider dismissed, only to backtrack immediately. “Scratch that. I care if Inferno goes up in flames. That’s the best thing that could ever happen to that wretched family.

“Spider!” I growled at him.

He glared at me in return. “Don’t tell me you feel bad about it?”

I did, but I couldn’t tell him that. Instead, I revealed what I had been thinking about for the last few days. “Lyra could be alive.”

“What?” He was more shocked than I expected, looking at me like I was out of my mind.

Maybe I was, but I couldn't dim the flicker of hope. “I know this sounds crazy, but the Arcieros didn’t kill her. Her body was never found…she could be alive.”

Spider placed a hand on my forehead to feel my tempereature. “Are you okay? Do you feel tired?”

“I don’t have a fever!” I swatted his hand away. That prompted him to pace circles around me as he tried to make sense of what I had just said. When he finally sat down, he shook his head.

“That’s not possible. Do