Part 27 (1/2)

Jack was smiling and nodding. ”I've met Mrs. Jenkins before. Meredith used to live on the same street as Ky. It was obviously a lie that Meredith moved away. What if her mom is still there?”

I couldn't answer.

”I say we pay Mrs. Jenkins a visit.” Jack grabbed another chair and flipped it over on top of the table. ”Maybe she knows how we can get Cole to leave you alone.”

TWENTY-FOUR.

NOW.

Jack's car. Three weeks left.

After we were finished with our s.h.i.+ft at the soup kitchen, Jack drove us to a rustic ski cottage at the base of the mountain. We stood on the porch for a few moments before knocking.

”What if she really did move?” I asked.

”She lives here,” Jack said with confidence.

”What if she doesn't talk to us?”

”She'll talk.”

”What if-”

”Look, Becks. You want to find a way to get Cole to leave you alone, right?”

I nodded.

”Okay, then. We're doing this.”

I took in a breath and knocked on the door. A few moments went by, and then a woman opened up. The same woman I'd seen at the soup kitchen, eating lunch with Meredith. She was business casual, as if she were about to leave for work at a museum. She wore a red silk scarf around her neck, and her hair was in a tight bun.

”Yes?” she said.

I opened my mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

”Hi, Mrs. Jenkins,” Jack said. ”We were wondering if we could talk to you for a few minutes.”

”About what?”

Jack glanced sideways at me. ”About your daughter, Meredith.”

Mrs. Jenkins's face went blank. ”Meredith lives with her father now.” She started to close the door, but I stopped it with my foot.

”Please, Mrs. Jenkins,” I said, finding my voice. ”I know that's not true.”

”Excuse me?” she said incredulously.

”I've seen her.”

Mrs. Jenkins's eyes narrowed, and she pushed again on the door. ”You don't know what you're talking about.”

”I know she was in the Feed!” I blurted out.

Mrs. Jenkins froze, and gave me an icy glare. Jack inched toward me protectively. ”How do you know?”

I took a breath. ”Because I was in the Feed too.”

Mrs. Jenkins's house had no decorations. No pictures on the walls. No trinkets in corners. Except for one ancient-looking jar on the mantel above the fireplace, there were no identifying features at all.

Everything from the walls to the couch Jack and I were sitting on was a different shade of beige. The place didn't look lived in.

Mrs. Jenkins appeared from the kitchen carrying a tray with a teapot and three cups on it. ”Greek mountain shepherds tea,” she said. ”Nothing beats it.”

”Thank you,” I said. We each took a cup, and she sat on the chair opposite us. I couldn't wait any longer. ”Mrs. Jenkins, what do you know about the Daughters of Persephone?”

I'd caught her midsip, and she raised her eyebrows and put her cup down. ”You mean to tell me you don't know about them?”

”No.”

”Then how did you-”

”I don't know. Cole just took me.”

”And you survived.” Even though she smiled when she said it, it came out like an accusation.

”Yes,” I said.

”Tell us about the Daughters,” Jack interrupted.

Mrs. Jenkins looked at Jack. ”The Daughters of Persephone have a special interest in the Feed. We are taught about the Everneath, and when a Feed approaches, we prepare our children to become Forfeits.” She said this as if it were the most obvious thing ever.

Jack stared at her openmouthed.

”Why?” he asked.

She looked at him like he was crazy. ”Because it's a chance. To become the next Persephone. If one of them survives and takes over the throne, it would mean eternal life for her entire bloodline. Even those who have pa.s.sed on before. The queen gets that privilege. Her family is automatically welcomed into the realms of the Everneath. That means eternal life for them.”

I shook my head. ”You're telling me you think the queen can bring people back from the dead?” Even though I found that hard to believe, I couldn't help it when my mind flashed to my mom, and I saw how the idea would be enticing. But Cole had never mentioned anything like this.

She tilted her head. ”You're obviously angry, but I don't see why. People have searched for the secret to immortality for thousands of years. This is the only way to guarantee it will happen. The Everlivings themselves have strict rules about whom they bring in, and the Shades enforce those rules. They can't let just anybody in. There's not enough energy to sustain a constant influx of people. It's a very select society. This is the only other way.”

I looked at Jack, whose jaw was hard. ”That's disgusting,” he said.