Twenty-One
A beat of frozen silence passes between us. Then he turns and runs back out to the grounds, disappearing into the darkness of the night.
“Wait!” I shout. I take off after him, but Ryn grabs onto my shirt and pulls me back.
“What are you—Let go of me!”
“Stop, Violet. Just think about this for a second.”
“What’s there to think about? That’s my father!” I scream. “Let me go!”
“How?” Ryn shouts, shaking me. “How can that be your father? You saw his body. You watched him float away under the Infinity Falls. So did I.”
I sag against Ryn in defeat as I realize the truth. Of course it isn’t my father. It isn’t possible. But for one tiny moment I wanted so badly to believe that it was. “Shapeshifter,” I whisper. That’s the only explanation. Some shapeshifter has taken on my father
