CH198

CH198
"No idea, but probably not too much longer."
“The mirror is one of a pair, per legend, could they be feeding off each other? Could it already be here?"
"It would make sense," Lukas said and looked at me. "We were all drawn to Boston… the exhibit was meant to go somewhere else, but it came here. It should have left months ago, but it keeps getting pushed back…”
I licked my lips. "Jean-Baptiste and Ben, Celeste and Reese have been here all this time, but you're right, we're all converging in Boston for some reason… It would make sense that the other mirror was here or will be here soon."
“They're going to be looking for it," Matteo sang. The token started to tremble in his hand. "You said they needed them both for the ritual."
"The Longest Night is months away," Lukas said. "There is… time to figure it out, but not much. They're going to start to suspect soon." He looked to me. "Is that why you want to take it to the museum?"
"Just to see if… it reacts to anything else." I eyed Matteo as the token started to levitate. Ben stared at it wide-eyed.
"Well, if I had any doubts…"
"Can we eat first?" Isla asked. "I'm starving. No potential magical adventures on an empty stomach."
Ben grimaced. "No one doubts the wisdom of bringing the ancient time medallion, the time-displaced man, and the ancient mirror together just to see what happens?"
I looked at Lukas. "It's your call."
He smiled. "I trust your intuition."
I took a deep breath. "Then we eat and then go."
Matteo pulled out his phone. "I'm ordering in. Pizza?"

Where the hell Matteo got the best pizza I had ever had, he didn't say, but we ate at least three pizzas between the five of us before getting into an SUV and riding to the museum. Ben was jittery as we entered, but the place was nearly empty by the time we arrived. The air inside felt colder than usual, still and reverent. It was quiet, too —the kind that made you whisper without realizing it, and made you feel kind of silly for doing it.
Ben walked beside me, hands jammed into his coat pockets. Lukas had the token inside his pocket and hadn't released it since we left the house. Matteo waved to people as we passed. His whole demeanor screamed rock star incognito, and for the most part, kept people distracted. Isla was on my other side with a tote of snacks.
"What are those for?"
“If we're sent through time tonight, I plan to ration these out for as long as possible, and hope the anachronism will send me flying back to the right time."
"Not funny."
“Not even remotely," Ben said.
Isla shrugged. "I wasn't being funny."
We reached the exhibit. The mirror stood in the center, still cordoned off by a velvet rope. Its surface gleamed faintly under the lights. Lukas stopped a few feet from it and pulled the token from his coat. The surface had taken on a slightly metallic sheen.  He glanced at me, a question in his eyes.
I nodded. shook my head. “I haven’t touched it yet. Not since you found it.”
“Then let’s see what happens first,” he said softly.
He held it up. The mirror's reflection caught the token in its center. For a heartbeat, I thought I saw it flicker, but it might’ve just been the overhead light shifting. The mirror did nothing.
Ben leaned forward, squinting. “Nothing?”
Matteo exhaled, tension leaking out of his shoulders. “It's not the worst."
Isla tilted her head, pouting. “So, no dramatic light shows? No time vortex? Boo.”
Ben shot her a look. “You realize how weird it is that you’re disappointed we didn’t accidentally get cast back in time?"
“Eh,” she shrugged, “I thrive on chaos.”
We lingered a few more minutes, but no matter how Lukas angled it or where the light hit, the token stayed dark. The mirror didn’t react. By the time we left the museum, night had fallen completely and my breath fogged in the air.  My disappointment felt heavier than I wanted to admit. I’d expected something. Anything. A sign. Back at the townhouse, I plopped on the couch in frustration. Ben sat beside me.
Isla flopped onto the couch. “So… anti-climactic, huh?”
“Maybe it just doesn’t respond without the second mirror,” Matteo said, kicking off his shoes.
“Or maybe it only works under the Northern Light?” Ben sighed. "Or on the Longest Night… but it still feels like something should have happened."
“Or maybe, the right person isn't holding it. I mean, it reacted to my voice."
"Should we rub it on my tits?" Isla asked. "I hear they're pretty magical."
Ben snickered. Matteo stared at her, seemingly considering. "Maybe."
I shook my head. "Isla, no."
She cackled. I looked over at Lukas. He hadn’t sat down. He stood near the window, token still clutched in his hand, the faintest furrow between his brows. The light slid over his profile, softening the edges of his jaw, but the tension was unmistakable.
“It should’ve done something,” he murmured.
I crossed the room to him. “Why do you think it didn't?"
"Matteo may be right." He looked at me then, the faintest ghost of fear in his eyes. “Maybe the right person isn't holding it."
He looked at me. "You're the only one who hasn't held it, and I get the sense that it's on purpose."
I frowned and bobbed my head. "I just… had this sense that I shouldn't touch it… yet."
"And now?"
I shook my head and shrugged. The feeling was gone.
A strange instinct welled up inside me. a pull, quiet but insistent. Before I could second-guess it, I held my hand out.
“Let me see it,” I said.
Lukas’s head lifted, brows drawing together. “You sure?”
“Yeah,” I said, nodding. "I think it's… a good time."
He studied me for a long moment, then turned the token in his hand and extended it toward me.