Page 2 of Mending Fate
My phone buzzed just as Lumen’s phone rang, and we both reached for them, hoping that at least one of them would have answers for us.
“Brie? What’s wrong?”
That didn’t sound like anything that had to do with Evanne, but the text on my phone certainly did.
I’m assuming by now you know that Evanne isn’t at school. I refuse to lose my daughter just because you found someone different you want to fuck. When you come back to your senses, we can discuss things again.
“Fuck, Keli. What did you do?” I muttered as I hit the option to call her back.
It went straight to voicemail.
No surprise there.
“Keli, what the hell do you think you’re doing? If you want to talk things out, then we do that, but this is not the way. Call me, and we’ll meet.”
I hung up just as Lumen turned toward me, her face pale. “Soleil’s missing.”
Something in her voice told me I should know who Soleil was, but I had more important things on my mind. “I think Keli took Evanne somewhere.”
Lumen appeared equally distracted. “Brie can’t find Soleil anywhere. She didn’t go to school today, and no one knows where she is.”
“What are you talking about?” I barely stopped myself from yelling at her.
“Soleil’s the foster girl I’ve been spending time with.” Lumen blinked, her hand coming up to cover her forehead. “Sorry. It’s just that she’s been going through a lot lately, and Brie’s worried.”
“What?” Had Lumen gone daft? My child was missing, and she didn’t care? “Kelitook my daughter.”
Lumen frowned. “Evanne’s with her mom, so she’s okay, right? I mean, Keli’s not dangerous or anything.”
I scowled. “That’s not the point. Evanne is supposed to be here and then home. With me.”
“Look, I don’t have the time to do this,” Lumen said, her tone dismissive. “I have to go find Soleil.”
“I don’t care about some runaway!” I snapped, vaguely aware that people were looking at us. “We have to find Evanne!”
The look of shock on Lumen’s face should have given me pause, but it didn’t. She was worried about some girl she barely knew when Keli could have taken Evanne anywhere. How could she not see what was more important?
“Soleil could be in real danger.” Lumen’s voice was soft, but the look she gave me was piercing. “At least Evanne is safe with Keli. I’m not saying you shouldn’t look for Evanne, butIhave to find Soleil.”
What was she saying?
“I dinnae care about some random girl. I care about my daughter, and I canna understand why you’re all worked up over this near-stranger.” I shoved my phone back in my pocket. “Finding Evanne is the only thing important to me.”
A thousand emotions passed over Lumen’s face, and I couldn’t read a single one of them.
“You want to know why I care?” Her azure eyes glinted with something fierce and foreign. “I care because Soleil doesn’t have a family to make her their top priority, and I know what that feels like.” She turned and grabbed her bag off the desk. “Not all of us have families, Alec.”
And then she was gone.
Two
Lumen
I hated leaving like that,but I’d meant what I said. Soleil didn’t have anyone else to make her the priority. Me not going with Alec didn’t mean I wasn’t worried about Evanne or that I didn’t feel sick over how upset Alec was. I wanted him to find her. It was just that we both knew Keli wouldn’t hurt their child, and there were so many people who could – and would – hurt Soleil.
Last week, Soleil had gotten caught stealing a pregnancy test, and she’d had security call me. After I’d picked her up, and she told me what she’d taken, I’d bought a test for her myself and waited while she took it. Fortunately, it had been negative. Right then, I’d made a promise to myself to find out who’d she’d been sleeping with, but I hadn’t been able to get it out of her yet.
What if the guy was, as I’d feared, an adult? Could he have convinced her to run away with him? I knew all too well how many kids in the foster system were trafficked that way. Some adult convinces a kid that they’re loved, and that kid will do anything the adult wants.