"Oh fuck, Emery!"
The bed hits the wall over and over.
I kiss her all over, peppering her with my love.
She digs her fingers into my back, crying out loudly.
We stop to catch our breath.
Vega relaxes into the bed and smiles up at me.
"That makes four, four times today we've had sex. Aren't you tired yet?" I ask.
"I'll never get tired of this," Vega runs her hands up my back and drapes them over my shoulders.
"Well, I am! Hey, enough already!" Joni bangs pots and pans outside my room door.
We giggle.
"Come on, I've had to leave the room like three times! Stop already," Joni complains.
I sit up and stretch, popping my back.
Joni has bad timing. Every time she's tried to come back to the room today, she's caught Vega and I in the middle of something. I kind of feel bad for her.
"This is a joint living space; some respect would be nice." I hear Mesmira say.
What is she doing here?
I can't help but make a face.
Vega laughs and sits up to kiss me on the cheek.
"Come on, let's hit the showers, again," I slap Vega on her leg.
She giggles.
We get up and after a quick shower we finally rejoin the rest of society, and whatever Mesmira is.
"Geez, you two are like fucking rabbits," Joni complains.
"What can I say, when it's good, you can't get enough," Vega smiles and kisses my cheek.
I blush and smile, but I would be lying if it didn't fill me with a certain joy to see Mesmira squirm in our presence. That's right bitch, a taste of your own medicine. Okay, I'm done.
"Find somewhere else to do that, my ears are starting to bleed," Joni glares at us.
"Sorry, we are done for a while," I say.
"Hey, I never agreed to that," Vega pouts.
I roll my eyes and playfully elbow her.
"So what are you doing here?" I ask Mesmira.
"Well after you missed classes Lorelei basically harassed me until I came here to work with you to find that spell. Only for me to get here and find... that," She clips the last word.
I smirk.
She narrows her eyes at me.
"Claws away girls, we can be civilized," Joni says.
"Sorry, Emery is still mine for a few more hours. She promised that she'd spend all day with me." Vega says.
"We can work on it tomorrow," I say to Mesmira.
"Sure, whatever, let your mentor die. Like I care," she turns to leave.
I frown after her.
"She'll be fine," Vega rolls her eyes.
"Have fun playing rabbits," Mesmira says before she leaves and slams the door.
Oh, sweet satisfaction.
Okay, I'm done for real this time.
Honest.
"Please no more, for the love of the Cosmos no more," Joni begs us.
"We're done, swear." I roll my eyes. "We're probably just going to get food and cuddle for the rest of the night."
Joni sighs in relief.
"Oh please, you never complained when I did it with Mesmira," Vega says.
"It was never so... explicit," Joni shudders.
"Whatever, if you're jealous just say so."
"Hey," I snap at Vega.
She shrinks back.
"Enough. She's right, we were being rude."
Vega pouts.
Joni smirks at her.
"Come on, I'm starving. Sorry Joni, won't happen again."
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I'll believe it when I see it," She waves me off.
Vega and I get our shoes on and head to the dining hall.
"My back hurts," I pout.
"I can make it better," Vega comes up behind me and kisses my shoulder.
"No, no more today. I'm like numb from the waist below."
She laughs.
"It's not funny," I giggle.
"I really needed today, thank you," She pecks me on the cheek.
"I needed it too," I smile and peck her on the lips.
We walk into the dining hall and grab our food.
"They live," Dariyah says as we sit at the table.
"Hey," I smile.
"Gross, they are glowing again," Gunner shudders.
"They don't have to be glowing to figure out what they've been up to all day. The marks all over their necks can tell you all you need to know," Nerissa joins the table.
"Okay, okay, enough, we just needed a day to ourselves," I say.
"Yeah, and we don't have any explaining to do. If I want to be with my girl, I can," Vega smiles and pulls me into her arms.
I smile.
"Gross, I'm losing my appetite," Gunner says.
"You and me both," Dariyah grumbles.
"Hola people," Aster joins the table with a heavy sigh.
"Hola," Gunner says.
Aster eyes me and Vega but says nothing.
"Okay, why are they always out of egg rolls?" Wieland joins the table.
"Right!?" Gunner says.
"So what'd I miss today?" I ask.
"Coach says you are going to get laps," Dariyah says.
"No," I pout.
"Wiggins was out again, Asherah was the sub," Nerissa says.
She has Wiggins later in the day with the rest of the older kids.
"Yes!" I whoop.
Vega laughs.
Darko walks up to our table and looks at me with a sad puppy dog look. I eye him.
"Take a seat man," Gunner says.
Darko waits for some sign of approval from me.
I sigh and roll my eyes.
He smiles and sits down.
"Why are you a moron?" Dariyah asks Gunner.
"What? What'd I do?"
Dariyah shakes her head.
"Okay, real question." Aster starts, "Who's going to the spring formal?" Aster asks.
"Pass," Nerissa rolls her eyes.
"Pass." Dariyah seconds that.
"Also pass." Gunner shudders.
"Isn't it Valentine's theme this year?" Wieland asks.
"Yes."
"Well, in that case, also pass."
She turns her desperate gaze onto Darko.
"Pass, pass, and pass." He says.
She sighs in defeat.
"Why?" I ask.
"I have to go, but I don't want to go solo when I'm going to be surrounded by couples. I joined the planning committee and need to be there to oversee everything."
"Vega and I are going," I say.
"Case and point." She says.
Dariyah laughs.
"Please, can't we make it like a friend thing? Please, don't make me go alone," She pleads with everyone.
"It's Valentine's theme," Gunner says in horror.
She pouts.
"It will be fine, Emery and I can hang with you," Vega offers.
I feel my eye twitch.
"It's fine, really, I think that might actually be worse than going solo. No offense."
I smile.
Much better.
"Ouch, okay, I offered," Vega holds up her hands in surrender.
Dariyah snorts in amusement.
"Try and get out of it," Nerissa offers.
"I would if I could. Trust me. But the only person who could take my place is Lysander and ugh," she chokes the air.
We all laugh.
While everyone is laughing a little light blinking in my peripheral draws my attention. It's the little light guy. I narrow my eyes at it. Not you again. It waves at me. Curse it for being so cute.
"Right, Emery?" Vega asks.
"Huh?" I wasn't paying attention.
She frowns.
Everyone laughs again.
"What? Sorry," I look back over to the light.
I shake my head no at it. It gets closer.
"What are you looking at?" Vega asks in annoyance.
"You don't see that?" I point.
They all look.
"Uh... nope. Nothing there cupcake," Dariyah says.
"Go away, shoo!" I shoo it.
It gets closer.
"No, go," I shoo it.
"She's lost it." Dariyah sighs.
"Uh Emery, want to share with the class?" Nerissa asks.
"Y'all don't see that freaking little light guy?" I say in disbelief.
"The what?" Gunner asks with his mouth full.
It gets closer.
"No! I'm not listening to you, you almost got me killed last time," I say to it.
It gets closer, it's only a foot away now.
I narrow my eyes.
"Emery, I think you need some sleep," Vega slaps her hand down on my shoulder.
"Oh how funny, now my friends think I'm crazy," I say to it.
It actually looks like it's laughing.
Jerk.
"Get out of here," I throw a balled-up napkin at it.
It moves out of the way.
I huff in annoyance.
It blips and appears in front of me.
I yelp and jump back.
It grabs my shirt and tugs on it.
"Whoa, you guys see that?" Dariyah asks.
To them, it looks like my shirt is moving by itself.
"What? What is it?" I pick it up in my hands.
It points to the door.
"Fine," I sigh.
I get up.
"Where are you going?" Vega asks.
"I think I have something I need to do. I'll be back." I say.
"I'm coming with." Vega gets up too.
"I'm kind of curious too," Nerissa admits.
"Let's all go." Dariyah shrugs.
So everyone quickly wraps up dinner and follows me. The little light blobby guy or girl, who knows? Anyway, it jumps out of my hands and teleports in front of me, every time I get closer to it, it teleports again in the direction it wants me to go.
We arrive at the stadium.
"Now what?" I ask when it doesn't move away when I get close to it.
It raises its hand up.
I look up but don't see anything so I look back down. It appears on me, and grabs my hand, trying to pull it up.
"Oh!" I say before raising my hand.
Instantly my palm starts glowing.
It climbs up on my shoulder.
"What are you doing?" Nerissa asks.
"Beats me," I shrug.
"What do you mean it almost got you killed last time?" Vega asks.
"Oh uh... nothing," I say.
She narrows her eyes at me.
Before she can press harder there is this loud sound. Like an explosion, but if the explosion was digitalized, if that makes sense. Reality ripples all around us, like the very fabric of space and time.
We all scream and duck.
"What is going on!?" Aster asks.
"This is why I don't listen to you!" I shout to the little light.
In front of me, it's like a mirror and I see myself, but then I realize it's not a mirror, it's a window. Into another reality. That other me bangs on the wall between us and is trying to tell me something but I can't hear her.
I move closer, placing my hands on the invisible wall as well.
She is banging and pointing and I turn to see who she's pointing at but can't make out anyone in particular out of the crowd of my friends so I turn back in confusion.
"What?" I ask.
She bangs in desperation, trying to tell me something.
"I can't hear you!" I shout.
"What is happening!?" Gunner shouts.
"Emery make it stop!" Wieland says.
I push on the wall and it bends, molding to my hands and pushing outward. The other me pushes back, causing me to fall on my butt.
She starts writing a name in the air but a blinding light causes me to squint and not see it. Then just like that, it's gone. Everything is back to normal.
The little light guy is gone.