In comparison to the diplobrats' estate, the Manthornes' three bedroom townhouse looked like a studio apartment. Despite its modesty, Sephy was overcome with a desire to move right in. The hunter green living room was outfitted with a burgundy leather sofa, blankets strewn welcomingly across its arms. Natural light bathed the series of cubbies against the wall, which were filled with scrapbooks and knickknacks from all over the world. The ladder which leaned against the top shelf gave the room the ambience of a cozy university library.
Sephy migrated to the compact, concrete patio and plot of dirt that was the backyard.
"Do you grow anything back here?"
"Our mom used to when we were kids. She used to put slices of tomatoes in our sandwiches. They were so red and sweet, but once she had to go back to work, the garden suffered. The plants died, and now it's barren dirt. Neither Alli nor I have a green thumb."
Sephy followed his gaze to a withering ficus by a window in the living room.
"I see what you mean."
With a touch of her fingertip, she sprung new life into the leaves. The plant stood tall and turned from a pale yellow to a vibrant green before Rob's eyes. The brown edges ironed themselves out and curled towards the sun.
Rob scratched the back of his head.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it, literally. Your sister's coming downstairs."
Rob and Sephy were baking carrot cupcakes from scratch for Allison's pet project, saving a historic theater in Hollywood. Three people working in the kitchen was a tight fit, but they divvied up the preparation of ingredients efficiently. Allison whipped the batter to a light consistency, while Sephy passed carrots through the mandolin like a seasoned sous chef. Rob wondered if that was a natural talent, or if it came from an apprenticeship under Julia Child.
"Thanks for having Rob over for dinner the other night. I hope he minded his manners," Allison joked.
"Yes, Mom," laughed Rob. "Elbows off the table, sat up straight and used my utensils in order, from the inside out."
"That's my boy. Can you grab the mixer? It's in the garage."
"At your service."
When Rob was out of earshot, Allison put down her measuring cup and stepped meaningfully toward the mandolin.
"Sephy," she whispered, "I have to ask you, are you going to hurt my brother again?"
Sephy was taken aback by the blunt courage of Rob's little sister.
"I always felt bad about that day. Believe me when I tell you, I said those things to protect him from getting hurt. I didn't want him to think I was looking for something I'm not."
"I do believe you, and I think you're wonderful. I've never seen him like this. He's probably told you he only wants to be friends, but what he wants and what he can tolerate are different things. It will be his challenge to balance the two. If he wants to tolerate being your friend when he wants to be something more, that's his choice. All I know is that since he met you, he's come to life. I feel like I'm just getting to know my brother. I'm thankful you're here, but please do your best not to hurt him again."
Rob dusted off the mixer and closed the garage door behind him.
"Ready to make some cupcakes?"
Sephy quickly nodded at Allison, who was still staring earnestly at her.
With the cupcakes cooling on a rack and the cinnamon cream cheese frosting ready to top them, Rob took Sephy on a tour of the house. It was much less ceremonious than the one of her mansion's backyard.
The first door upstairs was the master bedroom. It was closed, with a sepia candid of their parents hanging in the center.
"Are you and your parents close?"
"We miss them a lot."
Rob held Allison close to him as he answered.
"We keep the door closed so we can pretend they're still home," she explained.
"Traveling is what they love most about their profession, and they have to do it to support our family. While we were waiting for word on my scholarship, our mom was between jobs. I heard her on the phone inquiring about staff positions on tabloids."
"Thank goodness you're talented, Rob, or we might be getting hate mail from Hollywood publicists for reporting the truth about their clients."
"She would have been so unhappy, not to mention the damage it'd do to her reputation. Even though our parents value their professions, they would leave them in a heartbeat if it benefited us. That hasn't been necessary. Rob and I take care of each other. He doesn't just bake, you know. He cooks too."
"I wouldn't consider sloppy joes and hot dogs gourmet cuisine."
"Don't be modest. You can do more than that. Besides, the only way I take my meat slurry is when it's encased in sheep intestines, and lovingly grilled by my brother. Anyway, it's not like our parents' diet was a nutritious food pyramid. It was more like a line segment. One endpoint was instant noodles, the other, takeout."
She opened the drawer by the phone, which brimmed with menus and business cards.
"I honestly don't think either of them can cook anything more complicated than scrambled eggs."
"Remember the last time Mom attempted that? Completely burned."
"Then Dad tried to salvage the breakfast with hard-boiled eggs. We ended up with egg flower soup and eggshells."
They were laughing in Allison's room now. It was pastel colored, decorated with Wayne Thiebaud prints. It had all the charm of an Italian gelateria. A fancy easel stood in one corner, next to a spectrum of paints and brushes. Various cameras hung from hooks on the wall, alongside used and blank canvases which rested against her closet doors.
"This is an amazing setup," Sephy commented.
"I can only imagine how many hours Rob must have put in at the Singer/Songwriter to pay for it."
Rob sarcastically rolled his eyes.
"This was his room until a few years ago," she added.
"Not this story," Rob pleaded.
"I never get to tell it! It was a year ago. When Rob realized this room had better light and more room for my things, he offered it to me. I knew he also needed the space so I refused. A few weeks later, when I'd forgotten all about it, he insisted I sleep over at my friend's. When I came home, he had switched our rooms. That's why the walls are pink; he knew I wouldn't ask him to switch back."
When Allison arched her neck to smile lovingly at Rob, he was gone.
Rob's room was noticeably smaller than Allison's and, yes, more masculine in its intense blue paint job. With its Herbert Bayer prints, it was much like the living room in its intellectual quality, though Rob's was in slightly better order. It seemed that Rob was something of a neat freak, and at the same time, a hoarder. Dozens of books filled a niche above his bed, all bent at the seams and alphabetized by author's surname. A big believer in self-education, Rob supplemented his required school reading and often found himself lost in a novel until the wee morning hours. On nights like those, he forewent sleep, as it was a waste of time.
He didn't tell Sephy how often his inventory shifted. Replenishment was easily found in the stacks of books, arranged by size, which he had amassed at various book fairs and flea markets. They were the most plentiful items in the room, which was scantily furnished with a bed and small desk. In lieu of a nightstand, his favorite hardbacks held up his bedside lamp as a type of permanent storage.
Sephy went for a closer look at the black and white photographs on either side of the alcove.
"Those are some of Allison's first photos," Rob explained.
"I took them with the first camera Rob ever bought me. I had them framed for him as a thank you. He spends way too much on me. I keep telling him to save some for himself."
"I feed my own habits adequately."
Rob gestured toward the books against the wall. Nearly concealed by Jane Austen's collected works were two guitars, one acoustic and one electric, with disassembled guitar pedals at their feet.
"That doesn't include my Martin at school."
"Was that the one which fell victim to Zooey?" Sephy asked.
"What happened with Zooey?" Allison asked cluelessly.
"She spread a colored paste on the strap so it would rub off on my skin, to look like a bruise. It was all part of an elaborate lie she cooked up."
"That is so mean. Has she no respect for other people's things? She can be so Fatal Attraction."
"She doesn't love me; she loves the idea of me."
"Better keep her away from the chem lab rabbit," Allison chuckled.
"After what happened to her with Chase McAdams, I don't think we have to worry about Zooey anymore. The last thing on her mind is Rob, and she will not be gossiping anymore either. She knows what it's like to be the subject of lies. It kills her that because of her past behavior, no one believes her now that she is telling the truth."
"You think he came to our school, like she said?"
Sephy had forgotten that Allison wasn't in on their complicated secret.
"Um," she hedged, "I just don't see any reason she would lie about that."
"It could have happened," Rob added with a half smile in Sephy's direction.
While concluding his essay on the relationship between deity and man, Rob indulged in a carrot cupcake. It had cooled after being out of the oven for so long, but it tasted as fresh as his first helping hours ago. He suspected that the carrots Sephy provided were responsible for that.
As if the smell of the cupcake had summoned her, Sephy's yellow Mustang pulled onto his street. Rob was halfway to the door when Sephy rapped urgently on the oak surface.
She stomped past Rob with an irate, reluctant look in her eyes. Only when he looked back at her did he see that she was in a form fitting red mini. She looked like a killer supermodel in her stilettos. Her urgent air and uncharacteristic wardrobe, everything, made him very unnerved.
"I didn't know you were coming back."
"I wanted to surprise you. I know how you love surprises," she said in a kind of disgusted tone.
"You got me."
He examined her head to toe look, with growing worry and confusion.
"Is it laundry day?"
"It's part of the surprise. I thought you might be tired of seeing me in the same old casual wear and grungy flip flops everyday, so I adapted for you."
"Is everything all right? You seem different, and I'm not talking about the clothes."
"Is Allison here?"
"She's out tonight. Remember, the bake sale?"
Sephy smiled and took her hair down. She inched toward Rob like a big cat stalking its prey.
"I am different," she disclosed. "I've had a revelation that I'd like to share with you."
She leaned toward him, lips lined for a kiss, and wrapped her arms around his neck. Rob craned has head backwards and squinted his eyes suspiciously. Eyebrow raised, he gently unwrapped her arms and stepped back.
"We can't."
"Why not? I'm tired of pretending there's nothing going on between us. One night, no big deal."
"I do like you, but it would be wrong to act on those feelings. A loveless marriage like yours is still a marriage. Not to mention the fact that I could be dragged into the Underworld by Hades himself if I violate that. But you know that, because you've been the one telling me. Have you been drinking?"
"I'm perfectly lucid, and here I am, dressed in your fantasy and offering myself to you. Are you honestly going to reject me?"
Rob looked down at the floor next to her red pumps.
"As long as you have this on your finger."
He took her left hand and held it up for her to see.
It was bare. The black flowers tattooed on Sephy's ring finger had disappeared.
"Who are you?"
Sephy sighed and removed a pair of green contacts. Her real eyes were the same pale blue as Leo's when he was Chase McAdams. Then, Sephy's flowing yellow tresses turned brown and wound themselves into a tight braid. The red dress darkened in color and grew in length to cover everything the sprouted pair of black leggings didn't.
She was morphing into Anna.
"Sorry."
Anna spoke unapologetically, looking over Rob's shoulder to admire her chestnut brown eyes in the mirror.
"It was for Sephy's protection, you understand, but you've proven yourself. Your intelligence and maturity is now matched with your self control."
Rob looked unsatisfied with that silver lining. Ironing the creases from her burgundy tunic, Anna was disinterested in his response. Finally, she looked at him squarely.
"At least you enjoyed it, right?"
"Which part? Finding myself in a false embrace? Getting my hopes up only to have them dashed away? Or fighting off my greatest wish and greatest fear at the same time? I can't say I enjoyed any of it."
"If anything, you have my trust now."
Rob showed her to the door.
"Good night, Anna, and for future reference, Sephy's t-shirt and shorts fits the 'fantasy' bill fine."
He closed the door behind her.
Anna smiled and returned to the Mustang. With a wave of her hand, she converted it back into her Range Rover.
When she twisted to buckle her seat belt, she caught sight of a dark figure sitting behind her. She squealed and was a split second from unleashing krav maga on the intruder when he spoke.
"You know, with all the perverted teenage boys running around this town, you really ought to check your backseat before entering your car."
"Leo! You nearly gave me a heart attack."
"That would only be possible if you had a heart. Did you get what you wanted from your dirty little trick, Sis?"
"As a matter of fact, I did. Forgive me for not being as trusting as you are when a complete stranger miraculously discovers our identities and starts fraternizing with our married sister."
"I will forgive you, but I only hope Rob is as magnanimous as I. That was a mean thing to do. Fortunately, I have a way you can make it up to him."
"I won't dress up as Sephy again."
"Nothing like that. If you intend to treat him better, I suggest you start by offering to contribute to this night he has planned for Sephy and him."
"You knew about that?"
"I foresaw it. It was a pleasant starting point, but I've been working with him to enhance his idea. How did you know?"
"Sephy mentioned it when she came home."
"Ah, so you decided to sabotage it."
"I wanted to be sure before I let them be alone together at night."
"Did he pass your test?"
"With flying colors."
"Then next time you see Rob, tell him to look into the sky on Friday night."
Leo had a threatening tone to his voice which Anna could not ignore if she wanted to. After all the icy glares she'd thrown him in class and the suspicions she voiced every time Rob and Sephy were on a platonic date, Anna had warmed up to Rob, and it was an untried practice for her to trust a teenage boy.
Friday night, she was nowhere in sight, not even peeking through the bay window as Rob and Sephy pulled away in his BMW.
When Rob said he had a special evening in store, Sephy did not picture it taking place at their school. Yet, there they were, walking under the cherry trees on the empty walkway. There was a certain beauty in the silence. The campus was peaceful without the bustling or chatter of its students.
Covered in night, the buildings were dark, except for one whose roof was illuminated by white lights. It was the first time Sephy had a chance to appreciate the music building, and she could see an entire symphony of instruments scattered across the rehearsal room. Rob led her through the lit corridor and up a hidden staircase, behind a locked door.
A flood of emotions raced through Sephy's heart when she stepped onto the roof.
Magnificent plants and blooming flowers surrounded her, and trees twinkled from the lights wound around their boughs. She walked to the ledge to admire the ocean and city lights past the foliage. The dichotomy of the natural and urban landscapes reminded her why she loved being on Earth. Her other "home" had neither.
She closed her eyes and listened to the sounds of the leaves rustling in the cool night air, and the waves crashing in the distance.
"It's perfect up here."
"This is where I disappear when I want to be alone. It's private, even in the middle of the school day. I thought you might like to use it, so I spruced it up."
He handed her a key from his jacket pocket. Sephy did not clasp her palm around it.
"I guess I have an affinity for guys who have an affinity for rooftops."
"Deion and I have good taste."
"You don't have to give up your sanctuary for me."
"I'm not giving it up; I'm improving it. I know this school can get crazy at times, and the people in it a little crazier."
Sephy had no argument there. Even if she did, she couldn't very well articulate it. She closed her fingers around the key and held it against her chest. Never did she wish Rob were her boyfriend more than at that moment. She never had a real one, but she imagined he would do romantic things like this. The fact that Rob arranged this evening, knowing he would never get anything but friendship in return, amazed her.
"Music?" he offered.
Looking like a god himself, he pointed his finger as a baton towards the sky. It commanded the sleeping band downstairs into song. The opening chords cut through the air, keeping time with the percussion of the waves. Rob pulled out Sephy's chair from the café sized table, but she was lost in the melody, trying to put a name to the song she could swear she'd heard before. She mindlessly took her seat.
"This song sounds familiar, but I can't place it."
"That's because this is its public debut. I've been working on it for weeks."
The song suddenly had new meaning for her, and she doubled her listening efforts. What begun as a haunting, yearning piano solo became a joint endeavor of all instruments, coming together into a hopeful crescendo. It diminished the sounds of nature into ambient noise.
"I had no idea you were this talented."
"Thanks. I should confess, a songwriter is only as good as his inspiration, and these last few weeks have been doing wonders for my writers' block. It's you I should be thanking."
"Do you have any others?"
At her request, the instruments played his repertoire of finished works.
Sephy leaned back and listened to the songs in silence. She looked toward the clouds and saw that there were none in the sky.
"It is a perfect night to be outdoors," she marveled.
"I almost forgot," Rob said as he looked at his watch. "We should be looking East."
The moon, suddenly at its fullest, was at Sephy's height and seemed an arm's reach away. The waves crashed harder than ever, in harmony with Rob's music. With L.A.'s ubiquitous smog vacated, the galaxy of stars overhead was visible for the first time in decades. All the celestial lights rendered the electric ones that surrounded the rooftop garden unnecessary. Shooting stars dashed across the heavens and exploded in space like fireworks. Sephy's heart burst along with them.
"Does this mean Anna's finally come around?"
Rob nodded.
"It's wonderful," she sighed, watching the supernovae and wishing Anna were beside her so she could give her a hug.