True: An Elixir Novel by Hilary Duff Read Free Book Online Page B

what he doesn’t say: that all the confusion about our relationship is in the past. We’re friends. That’s all, and that’s everything.”
    “Thank you,” I say.
    “Happy to do it. I figure I’ll start with the library at Yale. They have an ancient text collection that’s pretty extensive. The content is all over the place, but you can find some incredible things if you know where to look.”
    “And you know where to look?”
    “I do.”
    He starts to say something else, but cuts himself off with a yawn that lasts forever. “I think maybe I’d better take off,” he says instead. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
    “Good night. Thanks again.”
    I watch until he leaves, then I go up to the spare room, where Sage lies tangled in the covers. There’s a pen and small steno notebook on the night table, a Post-it stuck on the cover. I pick it up and see Ben’s scrawl.
    Pls write down anything unusual.
    Of course. He knew I’d ask for his help, and he knew he’d come through for me. Anything unusual , though . . . I could fill the entire notebook. Maybe I should. Maybe if I write everything out, I could give it to Rayna and explain.
    I messed up so badly with her. As I wash up and get changed, I run through the whole awful conversation. I should have handled it differently . . . but how? What was I going to do, just let her see Sage without explaining? Wouldn’t it be worse if she thought she had Nico back, actually saw him in front of her, and then found out the truth?
    I don’t know. I can’t tell her in writing, though. That wouldn’t be fair. I have to talk to her, face-to-face. Just not now. It’s one in the morning. I’ll wait until tomorrow.
    Even asleep, Sage looks like himself. Rayna once told me Nico sprawls when he sleeps, every limb splayed out in all directions. Not Sage. He’scoiled, tensed, ready to leap into action. His soul calls out to me, and I’m dying to crawl into bed next to him, but I keep seeing him through Rayna’s eyes. I feel so guilty, like I deserve to be punished. I sentence myself to a night alone and pad back to my room for a long night of dreams in which I have the same horrible conversation with Rayna, again and again.

    The second I wake up, I call her. “Hey,” I tell her voice mail. “I know you hate me right now, and that’s okay. I just . . . I really need to talk to you. Rayna, please call me. I need to explain some things to you. Please. I love you.”
    This is so hard. I have no idea how to make this okay, but every minute she doesn’t know the whole truth makes me feel like I’m lying to her. I text and e-mail her.
    “AAAAAIIIIIIEEEEEE!!!!!!”
    I jump up and race downstairs, hoping desperately that our housekeeper, Piri, saw a mouse, or a spider, or someone crossing the threshold without touching the jamb to discharge evil spirits . . . anything except Sage. The last thing in the universe I need is for Piri to tell Rayna she saw her boyfriend. It would be a complete dis—
    Crap.
    Piri stands in the entranceway to the kitchen, frozen. Her shopping bags dangle from the ends of her fingertips as she stares in mute horror at Sage, who hums to himself as he pulls a skillet out of the oven. He’s wearing Piri’s ASK ME ABOUT MY SAUSAGE apron, which Dad found in Hungary and thought was so funny he bought it for her, despite the fact that it made no sense on a woman.
    The minute Piri sees me and knows she has an audience, she drops her shopping bags. They stay upright, which is nowhere near dramatic enough for her, so she taps one with her foot until it topples and spills apples, squash, and zucchini across the room. Sage has to have seen it happen, but he ignores it.
    “I made breakfast!” he crows, and tilts the skillet so I can see inside. “Shrimp and asparagus frittata with parmesan!”
    Piri points a bony finger at him, and her mouth curls in disgust. “You!”
    My heart pounds. With old-world superstitious certainty, Piri always knew