and steered her through the door so she didn?t clip her shoulder on
the frame.
?Your mom?s a real trip,? he said with a touch of fear when they
were outside and the door was shut safely behind them.
?I haven?t decided if she?s right about everything that ever
mattered to me, or if she?s just evil,? Helen said honestly.
?That?s what everyone wonders about their mother,? Matt said
with a smile as he rolled his eyes. ?The thing is, nobody?s mom is
entirely one or the other.?
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Helen smiled at Matt, hoping he was right, and led him downstairs.
They went into the kitchen, looking for someone to lend
them a car, but the only person they saw was Pandora, who was
just coming back into the house from the garage.
?Helen,? Pandora said, surprised. ?You?re not leaving, are you??
?Matt needs to go home and I need to . . .? Helen started to say,
but Pandora shook her head.
?I can?t let you leave this house. You know that,? she said
forcefully.
?Then maybe you can take him?? Helen asked.
?I?m sorry, I can?t right now,? Pandora said, looking down at her
unadorned hands. ?Why don?t you ask Ariadne? She?s in the library.?
She smiled briefly at Helen and Matt, and silently hurried off
toward the fight cage. It took Helen a moment to realize what was
missing. For the first time Helen could remember, Pandora wasn?t
wearing any jewelry.
Helen led Matt to the library, where Castor, Pallas, Hector, Ariadne,
Cassandra, and Lucas were all talking in a tight circle around
Cassandra?s chair. The conversation ended as soon as they saw
Helen.