From the Cosmos. [gxg]

xv. talking about feelings is very embarrassing.

Colette shot up from her seat. "Nobody told me!"

"I didn't know." Marisol said, staring at Mr. Schultz. The soup bowl floated back down and rested on the coffee table.

Colette turned to look at Nevada. "You didn't tell me!"

"You never asked," they responded. Marisol forced her eyes not to roll.

"I'm sorry, Colette. I should have told you." Mr. Schultz sat down next to his wife, "I was planning on it, though I'm not used to revealing my powers. It slipped my mind."

Colette fell back onto her chair. "I've never met another magic user before, other than that girl at the protest, but usually they're-"

"Women?" he interrupted.

"Yes." Colette breathed out.

"I'll teach you some things about witches that you didn't know before," Mr. Schultz said, "but for now, you should eat."

Colette looked down at her soup and nodded. Marisol looked at her, though she didn't say anything. She couldn't exactly tell what the famous actress was feeling. Marisol sighed, took a sip of her soup. The room fell into silence as everybody ate. Midway through, Mr. and Mrs. Schultz stood and walked out of the room.

Marisol touched Colette's shoulder to get her attention. "Are you okay?"

Colette frowned. "Yes, I'm fine. Just shocked."

"Tell me if you need anything."

"I will."

Like clockwork, Mr. and Mrs. Schultz came back into the room once everyone had reached the bottom of their soup bowls. Mr. Schultz sat back down, all eyes on him. He looked at Colette. "Ask your questions."

Colette sat back in her seat, as if thinking. Eating soup was enough time to get over her initial shock. She pursed her lips. "Did you bind your family to secrecy? Is that why Nevada didn't tell me?"

Marisol stiffened in her seat. Mr. Schultz looked between the two of them, immediately connecting the dots. "No, I trust them not to tell. I wouldn't want to take away their choice."

Colette looked down at her hands, nervously lacing her fingers together. Marisol laid a hand on Colette's shoulder and spoke up. "Actually, I consented to it. Both of us had just met, she didn't trust me not to tell because of her career. If she meant to trap me, she would have just casted the spell and never talked to me again."

Mr. Schultz smiled. "I can tell that you two trust each other."

There was a teasing glint in the old man's eye. Suddenly, Marisol was a lot more conscious of her contact with Colette. She quickly withdrew her hand. Colette gave her a look that she couldn't identify. Marisol just looked ahead.

"I've never heard of witches being male before," Colette said, "Even those crazy arrest videos, it's always women."

Mr. Schultz nodded. "Magic manifests primarily in women, and very rarely in men. During the counter-reformation, around 80% of the people burned at the stake were women."

Colette frowned, burning at the stake painting a terrible image in her mind. "How does that work? Is magic genetic? My mother never was a witch."

"No," he shook his head, "There's been studies. There's nothing linking magic to genetics. It's completely supernatural."

"Then where does magic come from?"

Mr. Schultz smiled. "Everybody has their different theories, but my favorite is from the ancient Greek. They believed that magic comes from the cosmos to touch people who were lucky enough to be chosen. They believed that the world was made to be perfect and harmonious in the gods' image. Magic users were some of their most revered citizens."

"Witches were revered?" Colette asked, eyes wide.

"Yes," Mr. Schultz said, "History books never paint us in a good light, but there have been many ancient civilizations where having magic was the highest honor. It was closer to modern times when we became feared."

Colette wiped her sweaty palms on her pants. "Will you teach me more about magic?"

"I'll teach you everything you'd like to know," Mr. Schultz said, smiling, "Just let me know when you're ready."

"I'm ready now."

Mr. Schultz's eyes widened for a moment before he settled into a warm smile. "Alright. Let's go outside, and we can begin talking."

Colette stood up. Marisol darted her hand forward and grabbed Colette by the wrist. "Do you need me to go with you?"

Colette looked down at her. "No, I'll be alright."

Marisol gently unraveled her fingers and let her hand settle back in her lap. Colette and Mr. Schultz walked out the door.

It wasn't long before Marisol walked upstairs. She was shaken by everything that had happened, but even moreso, she was disappointed that Colette didn't accept her help. She flopped back onto the guest room's bed, inhaling the smell of the clean sheets. Nothing was normal at the moment and if anything should have upset her, it should have been the fact that she was now on the run from authorities. She put her hands over her face, determined to shut out all the light from the windows. As her body began to feel heavy, the room door creaked open. Marisol took her hands off of her face and sat up.

"You're back alread-" Marisol paused, seeing Nevada standing in the doorway. "Oh, hey."

"Wow, thanks for the enthusiasm," Nevada said.

"Sorry, I was expecting Colette."

Nevada nodded, "I know. I'm much less exciting than your witchy girlfriend."

"You know there's nothing like that," Marisol mumbled, though even she could hear the hesitation in her voice.

Nevada sat next to Marisol on the bed. "I know that you like her."

"Yes, I do," Marisol said, "But I don't think I could burden her with my feelings."

Nevada nudged her in the arm. "I'm pretty sure she likes you back, you know. She blasted the police to protect you."

"She's just a good person," Marisol responded, "Besides, I don't even know if she's into girls. If anything, I could just make her uncomfortable."

"She follows Hayley Kiyoko on instagram, maybe that's a sign."

Marisol lightly shoved her roommate. "That doesn't mean anything and you know it."

Nevada laughed, "Yeah, I know." A brief pause stretched between them. "If she's into girls, will you make a move?"

"No," Marisol coursed a hand through her hair, "We're hiding from the police and I'm bound to her by a secret. It wouldn't be fair to confess my feelings when we're wanted criminals. Besides, she's also a celebrity, I'm not sure there's really room for me in her life."

"She's made room for you before. Didn't you guys go on a coffee date?"

"Even if that was a date, which it wasn't, this was still in the context of just being friends. I wouldn't want to get so far in a relationship and have her leave for France. Long distance just doesn't sound viable."

"You're thinking too far ahead and worrying too much," Nevada said, "Take a leap of faith. Live in the moment. You'll regret not trying."

Marisol frowned, uneasiness weighing down her stomach. She allowed herself to fall back onto the bed, but her heart thrummed in her ears. "I won't regret it," she said, less to Nevada and more to herself. The lie slipped through her lips easily.