“I’m sorry,” says Tara. “It must be hard for you to read that, especially after what just happened.”
“It’s fine,” I say. “Believe me, Ashtara wants to know your heart.” If he had eyes, he would weep, but he still wants to know. I rest my face in my hands, pressing my eyelids closed. “All of this is so frustrating. Pieces of a puzzle. I need to remember Lens or Lorcan, and I just can’t.”
“Is Ash blocking you from remembering?”
“I don’t know. It seems like accessing Lorcan’s branch is just difficult in its own right.” I shuffle through the trading cards on the table until I find theirs. “Lorcan’s has gold leaf along the edges. Is that significant?”
“Probably not.” Tara rifles the deck, finding Patrick, Mickey and Ari. Patrick and Ari have the gold leaf, like Lorcan; Lens and Mickey lack the trim. “Patrick explained what it meant. Can you guess?”
“It can’t be related to, uh, RBI. Mickey’s score is phenomenal, much better than Ari or Lorcan.”
“It isn’t. The golden boys are the ones I’ve fallen in love with.”
Then it’s more significant than anything; however, it’s probably not related to this mystery. “I don’t see anything that would make Lorcan and Lens so difficult.”
“Like I said, you’re not the only one who’s had that experience with Lorcan. Patrick described it like being encased in ice.”
“Ice. That’s what it feels like. That’s what they all felt until…”