Page 146 of Queen of Volts

He was right—they were heading toward the North Side. But then the whiteboot car veered right, and Lola followed, her tires screeching. It was hard driving these South Side streets—so smooth and well paved, without even a single pothole.

The whiteboot car slammed on its brakes at the mouth of the parking lot of South Side General Hospital, a tall building at the edge of the riverside. As it swerved, Lola nearly collided with its side. Justin screamed as they lurched to a stop, and Lola’s chest smacked the steering wheel, knocking the breath out of her. But the Houssen had stopped—with inches to spare.

“Why’d he stop like that?” Justin demanded, sticking his head out the window to get a better look.

Lola’s eyes watered from the pain in her side, and she shakily straightened, trying to see, too.

Then she spotted the figure standing at the intersection of the parking lot and street—at the crossroads.

Arabella.

“Park it for me, will you?” Lola told Justin. She opened her door.

“Wait—I can’t drive—don’t—”

“It’s easy. And no one taught me, either.”

Before he could protest further, Lola staggered out and closed the door behind her. “Arabella!” she called, crossing the street into grass along the curb.

Arabella lurched at the sound of her name. Then, spotting Lola, she ran to her side, so fast she reached her in moments. Lola nearly lost her balance when she felt Arabella’s hands at her side, holding her upright.

“You thickhead,” Arabella growled, seething. “You’re hurt.”

“I’ll be all right,” Lola assured her. “But—”

“Itoldyou not to go. You could’ve been killed!”

Lola knew Arabella had been worried, but she was still taken aback by her harsh tone. She wasn’t just concerned...she was furious. The lights from the sirens cast a glow over her eyes, her hair, her clothes—all of her was red.

“We’re in the middle of the lot,” Lola said, “let’s talk somewhere else.” The winter wind was brutal out in the open, and Lola’s scarf and gloves had gotten lost amid the process of being drugged and carried to Poppy’s car.

“Talk?” Arabella repeated. “I didn’t come here to talk.” Her gaze flickered to the hospital, and Lola realized from Arabella’s murderous expression that Lola’s friends were in there, right now. Which could only mean someone had gotten hurt.

It scared her, the danger her friends constantly threw themselves into. But it scared her just as much that she still cared. They’d betrayed her. They’d kidnapped her. But she couldn’t stop thinking of Justin, the person she’d never thought would come back.

Maybe it changed nothing. Maybe it changed everything. There was nothing Lola could be certain of anymore.

“I know you’re angry, but you can’t hurt Enne,” Lola murmured. “I know what Enne did, but—”

“I’mangry? Enne told you that she wanted to start over,” Arabella shot back. “But where are you, Lola? Where are your friends? How many ears and ribs do you have to spare?”

Lola swallowed, failing to form a response. Every time she tried, a pressure built up in her throat, and she knew that whatever word she spoke would break into a sob. Because she suddenly felt pathetic. She was not okay—her abdomen ached with every breath—but she couldn’t bring herself to admit it. Because her brother had only just come back, and he needed her shoulder to lean on.

When tears prickled at Lola’s vision, Arabella took Lola’s hand and led her down the block where they could slip into the cover of an alley. It was an escape from the wind but not from Arabella’s fury.

“Aren’t you going to say anything?” Arabella demanded.

“I...” Lola’s voice caught, and she squeezed her eyes shut. Crying would only make her broken parts hurt worse.

“Arabella is my real name, you know,” the Bargainer told her.

Lola was so surprised that she managed a hoarse, “What?”

“You’re my friend. You know who I am. You know why I’ve done everything I’ve done. And I can’t lose someone else. I can’t...” She clenched and unclenched her fists. “What if Enne hurts someone else? What if the world goes back to the way it was? Then those consequences will be on you.”

“Onme?” Lola echoed, deeply overwhelmed. She couldn’t bear the weight of the world. Not tonight.

Arabella narrowed her eyes. “No, no, you don’t get to back down now, not after I’ve watched you scour every newspaper for months waiting for Enne to prove to the world that she’s the monster youknowshe is.” She took a step closer to Lola, blocking the glow from a nearby streetlight. The shadow Arabella cast seemed to stretch several feet too long, swallowing Lola in its darkness. “You’ve been wronged, Lola.”