Sparkles Make Everything Better

Wake up," a voice like water rippling over rocks whispered in my ear. I smiled and reached out my arms until I found Lend's neck. I knew what I would see when I opened my eyes-almost nothing. My Lend in his true form. Squinting against the midmorning light, I looked into his water eyes.

"Good morning," he said, and I melted.

"Morning." I tried to pull him down next to me, but he laughed and ducked out from under my arms.

"Get up, lazy. Unless you want to sleep instead of hanging out with me?"

"I don't know." I closed my eyes again. "I am pretty tired."

He answered by tossing a pillow onto my face. I laughed and rolled out of bed, brushing my teeth and changing while he chatted with Arianna out in the living room. My room was tiny-a glorified walk-in closet, really-but I'd painted the walls "obnoxiously pink," to quote Arianna. I missed my posters from the Center, but I was slowly making the place mine. Sketches from Lend took up most of the free space, which made me feel like he was around even when he wasn't.

"Of course I'm a necromancer," Arianna explained to Lend. She was sitting in front of the sleek desktop, her favorite game running. "It's ironic. In real life I'm one of the hordes of the living dead, and in my online life I control them."

She spent nearly every daylight hour there, running quests with violet-skinned, scantily clad digital cohorts. A few weeks ago I was annoyed at never being able to check email and snarked that she should find something productive to do with her time. She made a point of showing me just how long a vampire can go without moving from a single spot.

It's a long time.

But even worse, a couple of days into her sit-in, I overheard her sobbing. I haven't mentioned anything since about how she uses her time. Having eternal life seems like a cool enough idea, but having it forced on you in that form? Not so much. Immortals like Nona try out being humanish every now and again for fun, but they were built to be forever. People weren't, and Arianna's corpse body under her glamour was a constant reminder to me of that.

"And that's why I had to kill him-the Knife of O'orlenthaal should have been mine all along, the little skunk. Now we have to fight his guild, which is where my ability to raise armies of the dead comes in handy."

"So what you're saying is, you've been busy." Lend grinned at her, and Arianna laughed. She treated him like a little brother. Lend, in turn, treated her like she was totally normal. I loved that about him; he took every paranormal at face value, and I could tell that it meant the world to ones like Arianna and most of the werewolves, who struggled with what they were. Lend had an amazing knack for balancing paranormal and normal and making everyone feel like they belonged.

"Totally busy. I also designed a few dresses-those reality show morons have nothing on me."

"I'm telling you, start a website! You could make everything here and then sell online. You show me your dress sketches, I'll make the site, and you and Evie can model."

Arianna shrugged, squirming in her seat. She had been in fashion design school when she was changed. Lend was always trying to get her to pick it up again, but for some reason she never went through with it.

He looked up and smiled when he saw me in the hallway. "Ready?"

"Always. Sure you don't want to hang out, Ari?" I asked. Please don't want to hang out, I thought. We had plans for a movie with her this afternoon, but I wanted some time with just Lend for a few hours.

She waved a hand in the air, focused back on the computer. "Gotta finish this raid."

A burst of affection for that stupid game welled up inside my chest. Hooray for role-playing and its effectiveness in de-chaperoning me!

Lend took my hand in his as we walked outside into the brisk October morning, a breeze rising to greet us as soon as we stepped onto the sidewalk. Summer had lingered this year, reluctant to give up her hold. Only in the last week or so had a chill crept into the nights. The leaves were hinting at change, gold and red weaving their way in. After living in the climate-controlled Center for so long, I was definitely a fan of this whole seasons thing.

I was also a fan of my boyfriend. The sunlight gave an extra sparkle to his water eyes, and his nearly black glamour hair was shiny and oh so adorable. The day couldn't have been more perfect.

"I have a present for you," Lend said. Did I say the day couldn't have been more perfect? Because it totally just got better.

"What for?" I squealed, not trying to hide my excitement. Presents in the Center had been few and far between, and, with Raquel as the main giver, painfully practical. There was the travel-size first aid kit for my twelfth birthday, the infamous encyclopedia Christmas (honestly, who buys those anymore? It's called the internet), and of course, the pinnacle of craptacular gift giving: socks. Every. Single. Year.

But the box Lend took out of his pocket definitely didn't have socks in it. "Is it sparkly?" I bounced impatiently on my heels as he opened it.

He laughed and pulled out a delicate silver chain, threaded through an open heart-shaped pendant. Three pink stones lining one edge stood out in contrast to the dark metal of the heart. I pulled my hair off my neck and he clasped it there, the trace of his fingers against my skin raising goose bumps.

I fingered the cool metal. "It's beautiful!"

"Oh good. I've never given jewelry before."

"Well, you've set a ridiculously high standard for yourself. Should have started out with something tacky." I put my arms around his neck and hugged him close, breathing in his cool scent.

"It's not just pretty, though."

"No?"

"Practical, too. The heart is made of iron."

Warmth flooded through me, a spurt of affection I should have been used to by now but that still always managed to surprise me. Leave it to Lend to find a way to protect me with faerie-repelling iron. Of course, this meant that he was almost as practical as Raquel, but his practical was sparkly and pretty. I ran my fingers through his hair. "Perfect."

"It is?"

"You are. But the necklace is, too."

We kissed until an old lady walking her dog coughed loudly in our direction, reminding us that we were, in fact, on the sidewalk and not in our own little world. I smiled sheepishly at her, only then noticing that she was a glamoured paranormal. Her froggish face, mottled green, didn't really go with her floral housedress and slippers. This town? Weird.

She wouldn't quit staring; I couldn't figure out what she was, and suddenly I was nervous. I glanced at the sky, to check for errant clouds, but didn't see anything. Tugging Lend's hand so we'd keep walking, I shook off my unease. "What else is on the agenda for this morning?" I asked.

"Doesn't the necklace get me off the hook for planning things?"

"Fine. But it only buys you today. You still have to figure out something for us to do tomorrow. And as for right now, I think food is in order. Lots. I forgot breakfast."

"Okay, we can-" Lend's phone rang and he pulled it out of his pocket, frowning at the number. "One sec." He answered it and I plotted what to do with the rest of the hours in the weekend. The movies this afternoon with Arianna, after which I had a secret plot to drag her out for karaoke. She denied it, but I totally caught her belting Duran Duran in the shower. If that didn't work out, I was thinking bowling. I'd never gone and was guaranteed to be horrible, but it'd be fun with Lend. Maybe we could even double with Carlee and whatever boy she was currently dating.

My stomach sank as I tuned into the conversation.

"All of it?" Lend asked, his voice tight. "Can you- No, calm down, it's okay, it's not your fault. I'm glad you didn't get hurt. I can come back up. Are you sure everyone's stuff is gone?" He closed his eyes, holding back a sigh. "Okay, give me an hour or two to get there." He hung up and stared at the phone as though he could erase the conversation.

And, just like that, my weekend evaporated. "What?"

"Natalie, a girl in my group, was in charge of compiling everything. Some guy stole her bag at the Metro station-took her laptop, all the notes, everything. We're screwed. I've got to go and help them put it all back together. It's three weeks' worth of work." His jaw was clenched with stress.

For the briefest moment I was tempted to tell him that getting a double degree in biology and zoology didn't matter. At all. In the grand scheme of his immortal life, this one stupid college group project? Not even a drop in the bucket. But . . . if he knew he was more elemental than human, would he quit school? Quit normal life?

Quit me?

Yeah, so not telling him. Not right then, anyway. I mean, if he had eternity, what difference did it make if I told him tomorrow or ten years from now? He wasn't getting any less immortal. Of course, maybe if I told him, I could be around him without feeling guilty. But I'd waited this long, and I didn't want to make today even worse.

"Evie?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry. I know this sucks."

"Oh, yeah. I mean, it sucks, but you gotta do what you gotta do, right?" I gave him my best aren't I a supportive girlfriend? smile.

We hurried back to the diner, the happy spring in my step dead. So the trees were changing color. Big bleeping deal. Lend made a few calls, but in spite of his best efforts it was clear he needed to be there to help fix it. He left me with a lingering, regretful kiss and nothing to do for the next two days except homework.

"Back already?" Arianna asked when I walked in, headphones on and voice way too loud.

"He had to go back to school."

"Lame." She actually looked up now and frowned, seeing my face. "That kinda makes your weekend suck, doesn't it. Wanna go . . . I don't know, hang out in some dark alley with me until the sun goes down?"

I forced a laugh. "No worries. You keep exacting virtual revenge. We're still on for the movie this afternoon."

"Fine, but I'm not holding your hand."

"Thank heavens for that."

She put her headphones back on. I trudged to my room and flopped onto my bed.

And screamed as my door slammed shut. A figure stepped out from behind it. "Rather pink in here, isn't it?"