in the end ~ d. malfoy

Chapter Forty-Three

'Please don't tell me you went back to Meliorn's last night, ' Maya laments, climbing into her seat. Isabelle smirks from underneath her sunglasses, looking conspiratorial, 'Isabelle Sophia Lightwood!'

'I have needs, okay?' The older girl exclaims, starting up the engine once more. The convertible roars to life beneath them as Isabelle starts to speed down the hill Tessa's brownstone is situated on, 'Last night was amazing, bloody hell, I was considering skipping training this morning just so I could stay— '

'You like him that much?' Maya questions, surprised. Isabelle's love life is definitely colorful (Maya sometimes envies how easily she's able to attract people), but something about this particular Seelie is different.

'Oh, you have no idea, ' sighs her best friend, leaning against her seat, 'Hell, if we weren't strictly a fling, I'd consider putting a ring on it,'

'What happened to Miss 'I don't want to commit to anything'?' Maya questions, perturbed; Isabelle, although never cheating on any of her suitors, has a strict philosophy of not being tied down during her uninhibited youth. Living in the moment has always been her forte, but she seems to have completely turned over a new leaf for Meliorn.

'She vanished the moment Meliorn used his tongue to—'

'What have I told you about details?!' Maya interrupts, cheeks flaming as Isabelle snorts, 'Please, Izzy, it's way too early in the morning to traumatize your best friend, '

'Yeah, sure, like you didn't want to do the same thing to English Jack Frost, ' Isabelle snorts, as Maya rolls her eyes, 'Still can't believe you kissed him, I thought it would be the other way around, '

'I did too, ' Maya admits, sighing; something new blooms in her heart, from a planted seed that's been there ever since that fateful day in Umbridge's office, 'But he was there, and in case something happened . . . I don't know, it just felt . . . right, '

'I'm proud of you, ' Isabelle says, softly; she reaches for Maya's hand with a reassuring squeeze, 'You've grown so much since last year. After what happened, I was scared that you would never come out of your shell again, but as always, you've managed to surprise me by powering through, '

'Aww, thanks Iz. That's really kind of you,' Maya smiles sweetly at her best friend, adjusting the scalloped hem of her top; She's always hated wearing white, due to the fact that it represents mourning in the Nephilim world. But something about today just seems different. Besides, it's July! Who would want to be stuck wearing black in 90-degree weather?

'Hey — watch it!' The car screeches to a halt as Maya hisses, her head smacking against the back of her seat. She scowls as Isabelle glares at the two pedestrians who abruptly cut them off, 'Can't you see where you're going?'

There are two teenagers standing in front of the convertible; a tall boy with glasses and curly brown hair, and a tiny redheaded girl, whose figure is half-hidden by her boyfriend's. The boy flushes red in embarassment, awkwardly smoothing down his graphic t-shirt — Maya recognizes the pink-haired boy embalzoned on the front from an anime she once put on out of boredom.

It's the girl who answers first, stepping directly into Maya's line of vision. Her jade-green eyes are set in a hardened glare, freckles dotting her pale skin and features almost elfin in their precision. Something about her is eerily familiar, a familiar hint of deja vu curling in the back of Maya's head, 'Learn how to drive first, '.

'Don't talk to her like that, ' Maya snaps, scowling at the girl. Their eyes meet, and Maya feels an unnatural chill go through her. Somehow, she can't shake the feeling that she recognizes this girl, the sheer amount of deja vu making her head spin.