Page 76 of Minding the Minotaur

A cold sweat pans over my skin. “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about, Mom.”

“I’m sure you will soon. We’ve been worried sick since you sent us that letter, then not hearing anything for weeks. You can imagine our relief that it’s all going to be okay. Your dad just wants a quick word, honey.”

I wait, then hear Dad’s deep rumble on the other end. “Hey, Sammy girl.”

“Hi Dad.”

“It’s so good to hear your voice,” Dad says. I sense him hesitate. “Just a word of warning. Marsha’s giving you a second chance. She doesn’t do that often, believe me. Just make sure you keep on side with her, and everything will be fine. Stay safe, sweetheart, we love you.”

I can barely gag out that I love them too, and when Clem returns, I practically catapult into the wheelchair. “We have to talk,” I say. “Urgently.”

Clem nods and wheels me out to the lift. She presses the button to take us to the rooftop garden, which is beautiful, of course, like everything in Sparkle, and surprisingly empty of other people. Clem takes a quick skirt around, scanning the walls and planter boxes.

“What are you doing?” I ask.

She bends down and says close to my ear, “I just needed to check for bugging devices. It looks okay, but keep your voice down.”

Fuck. Between this and the weird conversation with my parents, my feeling of unease is mushrooming.

“While you were out of the room, Mom and Dad called me. They said Marsha told them I was in hospital. How would Marsha have known?”

Clem looks puzzled. “I have no idea. I’ve told no-one anything except the hospital staff. And Jax primed me with what to say to them.”

“Which was?”

“That you were cleaning one of the portals when the edging broke and you fell through to the outer rim, breathed Earth air and passed out.”

“Do you think they’ll buy that?”

“I hope so.”

We fall silent for a moment.

“Clem,” I say, “remember Arlo, the minotaur I met in the parking lot at DeVines, how lovely he was? The job Jax got me turned out to be with him and, er, I guess, one thing led to another and we—we are… that is—we fell in?—”

She puts a finger to my lips, her green eyes twinkling. “I know,” she says. “Jax told me that too.”

“Oh—ahhhh. Jax knows?”

“Yep.” She smirks. “Arlo made that pretty clear.”

My cheeks get hot, and I grin sheepishly. But only for a moment, before worry sets in again. “What if they trace me back to Arlo? They could hurt him… maybe evenvaporizehim,” I whisper.

“That won’t happen.” Clem’s jaw sets.

“I have to get back to the Labyrinth. I can’t stay in Sparkle.”

She takes my hand, looks into my eyes. “Jax will get you back to the Labyrinth, I promise, Sammy. But he has to be really careful. The authorities have gotten much more vigilant of late, apparently. Jax won’t tell me why, of course.”

My blood runs cold as I recall the talk of evil magic and malefics at Digger’s Diner.

“There’s things going on in Sparkle we haven’t got a clue about, Clem. Bad things. It’s not safe here… not for me, and probably not for you.”

Clem’s gaze pans my face, her brow furrowing. “This isn’tthe time to worry about all this, you’ve got to get strong first.” She hesitates. “We shouldn’t be away from the ward for too long, or they may come looking. Play along, and Jax will work out a solution, I promise.”

For some reason, I shiver.

Before I’ve even thought it through, I blurt, “Jax is… trustworthy, isn’t he, Clem?”