Starlight (Book 1)

14: I Saw a Mirage

Halley and I arrived home at nearly the same time. I knew this, of course, only because a truck pulled into the tarmac and honked repeatedly at me as it crawled up the driveway. There was a pause where I watched the passenger side window whirr down and Halley's voice barked:

"Kacie, Kacie! It's me—your Aunt Halley! Hop in the car, come on!"

The house was only a few feet away from me, so I narrowed my eyes in confusion as Halley kept yelling as she rolled along next to me. "Wow, I just love what you've done with the house—I'm sure that garden looks beautiful during the summer time! I can't believe Riley is absolutely loaded, I swear this place could be in Hollywood, for all I know—Kacie, honey, there aren't any cars in the driveway; did your father run away from me again?"

I clued back into the conversation only when I realized she'd asked me a question. "The Belt's in the garage," I said.

"Yeah, but what about that old motorcycle—he's still got that, doesn't he?"

I hadn't heard about that gas-waster (as Kieran often called it) in ages. "You mean the Lightning Cycle? Yeah, I'm pretty sure it exploded, like, a year ago."

Halley's truck finally rolled to an abrupt halt that almost seemed fitting for her next remark. "Man, sometimes you freak me out, kid, saying this stuff all casual like that."

I could only shrug. "You get used to it."

The door opened and Halley hopped out. She grinned at me, spinning her keys around on her finger. She looked, as I had always remarked, rather different from Riley. All the time I spent comparing my fathers and I intensified to the hundredth power when Halley was around. I supposed I may actually resemble her more—but that was perfectly fine by me.

"Wow, you've grown!" she exclaimed as I led her to the door. That was news to me: Jax always said I hadn't changed in any capacity since the seventh grade. "I'd bet you'll be as tall as me by the time you hit eighteen, what do you say, huh?"

I busied myself with fishing through my backpack for my keys and then ushered Halley inside. Almost immediately I spotted Riley coming towards us; he smiled at Halley as she bounded up to him.

"Was that you making all that noise?" he asked, somewhat sarcastically.

I kicked off my shoes and unzipped my coat as I listened. "I saw Kacie walking as I pulled up—my, Riley—when are you going to allow her to drive?"

Having already tried to use Halley to leverage my chances at getting the Belt, I knew it was a useless endeavour—but a surge of hope rose in me nevertheless. If anyone could get me in that precious car, it was Halley.

"Hal, please," said Riley vaguely. "Not this again. You know that it's Kieran you have to appeal to about this, not me, right?"

Halley shrugged, tossing her long hair over her shoulder. "Well, you know—and this is just a suggestion—but have you ever considered, I don't know, buying another car?"

"Oh, no, actually, I hadn't considered that! Thanks a lot—I've got no idea how we missed that before!"

Halley could only sigh. "Where is Kieran, anyway?"

"At work," said Riley plainly. "You know that thing most adults do?"

Halley scoffed. "Yeah, that. I would have been working, too, if I hadn't been taken out of Summer Street because of a certain Onyx Spark..."

"Huh, that's too bad..." Riley turned away from her and crossed into the kitchen. "Coffee?"

"I thought you swore off that stuff."