"QUIT CHEATING!" I hollered at Keefe from about fifty feet away.
"CAN'T HEAR YOU!" He shouted back. He, Fitz, and I had been playing bramble, waiting for Sophie to show up and for Biana to get ready for base quest and tonight's Aurenflare.
"It's about time you got here," I heard Keefe saying to someone, probably Sophie. "I was getting tired of stomping these two to a pulp in bramble." I sprinted to where he, Biana, and Sophie were standing, ready to destroy my brother.
"Only because you're a cheater," I yelled, hurling the bramble ball at his head. Somehow, he caught it with one hand and whipped it back at me so fast I was barely able to stop it in time with my telekinesis. I shoved it forward with my mind, knocking him on his back.
"And that," I declared, the ball zooming back to my hand. "Is why I always crush all of you in splotching." Fitz grinned.
"Not me," he reminded me. I scoffed.
"That didn't count. Keefe distracted me." It was true. This year in the splotching matches, Keefe had called my name a second before I was supposed to push the splotcher ball back at Fitz, breaking my concentration. I suppose it was just as well, because Sophie ended up slamming herself and Fitz into the wall in the final round.
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Keefe said innocently. "Anyway, only losers play fair. Which is why I call Foster for my team today."
"Hey-why do you get her? I think the Telepaths should be on the same team," Fitz pointed out.
"Yeah, because that's fair," Biana said. "Girls versus boys. Sophie, Cass, and I will totally beat your butts."
"Wait-what are we playing?" Sophie asked.
"Base quest. And you and Cass are with me. Together we will be unstoppable!" Keefe announced.
"Hey, I never said I'd be on your team. How about this? Keefe, Sophie, and Fitz on one team. Biana and me on the other. No abilities," I said. I'd never lost a game since I manifested because I could make them just tell me where the base was. And Sophie could track thoughts. So it really wasn't fair for us both to be on the same team. Biana was the only one without an ability, anyway, and I didn't want her to feel left out.
"Okay," Biana agreed enthusiastically, and the others grudgingly said yes too. I hadn't brought Stormy here for this-too dangerous. And after this, we were going to go to a bonfire. Not the best for tiny, curious, extremely flammable kitsunes.
We decided that our team would quest first because I told Biana I'd found the perfect place to hide during bramble. I really had, it was a small tree with a twisted trunk and cascading purple leaves. Near the base was a spacious nook that was nearly impossible to see from the outside because of the branches and leaves that covered it like a cloak. Biana and I both fit in it comfortably, facing each other with or legs crossed. It was beautiful here, but there was nothing to do except stare at each other. After a few minutes had passed, I took a deep breath and decided to go for it.
"Um... Biana?" I asked quietly.
"Yeah?" She didn't meet my eyes, playing with a strand of dark hair.
"I-I want to tell you something," I said nervously.
"What is it?" I fingered the pocket of my sky-blue tunic and took another deep breath, not looking at my companion.
"Biana... I like you," I confessed. Her eyes widened. "And yeah, I mean, I... I like girls. And I've liked you for years, and I know I haven't shown it or anything, because I thought that I liked Sophie for a while, but I don't, and I know that you might not be... you know, but I made this bet and I was going to do this at midterms, but I just thought, what if you do, and I wanted to make it clear before school started and I'm sorry if you don't like me back but I-" Biana put a hand on my leg, cutting me off mid-rant. She still wasn't meeting my eyes, but her face was flushed.
"Cass. It's okay. I-I like you too. I have for a long time, but I didn't say anything because, well, you know, the perfect Vacker lineage and all that. But I like you even more now for being so brave," she said shyly. Hardly breathing, I reached into my pocket and pulled out four thick teal wristbands with silver snaps and huge icy blue letters that spelled out 'Cassia Sencen + Biana Vacker'. Crush Cuffs. They were for giving to your crush, a way of telling the Matchmakers, the elves decided who could be with who, that you liked each other. Same-sex couples were exceedingly rare, though, because of the stigmas surrounding them. If you wanted to marry someone of the same gender, you would automatically be ruled a bad match, since you could never have biological children with them. Biana gasped softly at the sight of the cuffs.
"I know that there's no reason to have these, because of... well, you know. But I got them in Atlantis yesterday," I said quietly. "Just in case. Do you... do you, um... like them?" Biana traced my name on one of the bracelets with a manicured fingertip. She finally met my gaze, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I love them," she told me softly. I felt the backs of my eyes burn as I snapped the cuffs on her wrists, and she did the same on mine. They fit perfectly. Biana took my hands. I looked up, seeing her sad smile. We moved closer to each other, my feelings overloading my mind.
"Are you sure about this?" I murmured. I would understand if Biana didn't want to damage her family's reputation. I was scared, too. There was no way to know how my parents would react. There was no way to know how the world would react to Biana and I in a relationship.
"I'm sure," Biana whispered. She looked sure. She looked ready for whatever consequences would come with this. The two of us may only be fourteen, but we knew what was coming for us. I'd read about it in books, and my mother had told me all about bad matches and ensuring genetic purity. But all I wanted was to be with Biana. I had never been more certain of anything before. This was what I needed in my life. None of my friends wore Crush Cuffs. None of them were in a relationship. I didn't care. Biana was the one for me. I knew it in my soul.
I didn't remember who leaned in first. All I remembered was that before our lips touched, there was a loud rustling sound, and three people suddenly standing right outside our perfect hiding place.
"Found you," Keefe declared. "Why didn't you..." His voice trailed off as the three of them finally noticed that we were holding hands. Saw how close we were to each other. Looked at the teal wristbands on our arms, the exact color of Biana's eyes. And the ice-blue writing on them that matched mine. I raised my wrist unnecessarily.
"We're dating," I announced nervously, looking at Biana for conformation. She was beaming at me, her beautiful teal eyes still filled with tears of happiness. Sophie sucked in a breath. Keefe was startled. Fitz looked shocked.
"Is this some sort of joke?" Fitz asked harshly.
"What? No, no, it's real," I told him. His face twisted like he'd smelled something rotten. I stepped out of the tree nook carefully, helping Biana to her feet.
"Oh... um... I didn't know you were... lesbian... okay," Sophie muttered, red in the face. She turned her gaze to the ground.
"What does that mean?" I asked. I'd never heard the word before, and the others didn't seem to know it either.
"Oh, um, it's the human word for... when... two girls like each other," Sophie said quietly, looking extremely uncomfortable.
"What about when someone likes boys and girls?" Biana asked Sophie rather confidently.
"... bi." Biana turned to her brother.
"Okay. Fitz, I've known I was bi for a long time, I just never told you. There's nothing wrong with me or anything. And it's not a joke," Biana said firmly.
"Then there we go. Okay, raise your hands, who saw this coming?" Keefe asked, finally talking. He didn't look fazed at all, and he was smiling at me. Nobody raised their hands. The joke was lost, though I appreciated him for it.
"Hmm... tough crowd, all right, all right," Keefe went on, spreading his arms. "Now, you two lovebirds need a name... Vencen! Senker! Bassia! Ooh, how about Cassiana? That's clearly the best one, right, guys? Guys." Fitz and Sophie just kept staring at us in silence.
"Well..." Biana turned to me. "Should we-should we tell my parents?" I paused, then nodded. We set off alone, hand in hand, leaving our shell-shocked friends behind, Keefe still trying to get a reaction from Sophie and Fitz.
Biana opened the front door of Everglen nervously, motioning for me to come inside. I'd been here so many times before, but today it somehow felt different. Like a stranger's house.
"Mom? Dad?" Biana called into the silent house.
"Yes, Biana?" I heard Della's voice from the floor above.
"What is it?" Alden asked from a few rooms down the hall.
"Can you-um, can you come here for a minute?" Biana asked in a slightly strangled voice. I heard two doors close, and in seconds, Alden and Della were standing in front of us, looking worried. We were both hiding our hands behind our backs so they couldn't see the Crush Cuffs yet.
"What is it, honey?" Della asked. Biana took a deep breath. We glanced at each other and nodded. In unison, we revealed our wristbands, holding them out so that Alden and Della could read the inscription easily. Della inhaled sharply, then her face softened. She stepped forward toward me hesitantly, then threw her arms around me. Alden smiled and joined the hug.
"We've always thought of you like part of our family," Della said in a choked voice.
"Take good care of our daughter," Alden told me in a tear-filled voice. I sobbed, feeling so... accepted. A sniffle behind me told us that Biana felt the same way. Her parents eventually let go of me and hugged Biana, crying together. I traced my girlfriend's name on my left Crush Cuff. Girlfriend. It was something I'd wanted-something I'd... needed, in a way. I smiled at the family in front of me. Were they now... my family? How could I be so lucky? I had three families, and the girl of my dreams. What more could I ask for?
The Everglen door creaked open, three sets of feet entering. I heard one set start to walk in the other direction, as though one of them wanted to leave. Turning around, I saw Fitz stuck mid-step, Keefe holding onto the back of his tunic so he couldn't go. Sophie looked like she was trying not to giggle.
"Uh..." Fitz sounded abashed, standing normally and rubbing the back of his head. "I'm sorry I acted like that. I was just... surprised. I didn't know." He walked up and hugged me. I froze, confused. Fitz wasn't much for physical touch. But I was even more shocked by what he whispered in my ear.
"If you hurt her... I don't care if we've been friends for ten years. I'm coming for you." I laughed uncomfortably, backing away.
"Don't worry, I'll be the best girlfriend ever. You'll see." I noticed that Keefe wasn't threatening Biana. He trusted her. So did I.
"So, are we going to do the Aurenflare or what? We've got something to celebrate! The first official date of Cassiana!" Keefe declared.
"Are you sure about that name?" Biana asked him, pulling away from her crying parents.
"One hundred percent sure. Come on, accept it, it'll grow on you!"
"Well, everything's set up in the back... follow me," Della sniffled. The Aurenflare was a special bonfire, built with black fan-shaped leaves that formed a tower in the silver firepit. Alden lit the top of the leaves with a copper match, and instantly multicolored flames shot up sky-high, traveling down the tower until the tear-shaped fire was crackling and smelled like melted sugar. I breathed in deeply, taking Biana's hand again, leading her to a bench in front of the Aurenflare.
Della passed out brattail skewers to roast in the flames and yellow bread to wrap them in. Biana accidentally burnt hers, so we shared mine, ignoring Keefe, who was watching us to capture the moment with his photographic memory. He'd probably project about a million pictures of us together in a scrapbook or something. After we'd had our fill of brattails, Della handed us a single skewer lined with ripplenuts. We raised our eyebrows at her. She just wanted to see us share again. Parents. Not wanting to ruin the moment, the two of us roasted the nuts to perfection, helping each other crack them open when they were done. Ripplenuts were one of my favorite foods. they were caramelly, buttery, and sweet, with undertones of vanilla honey, and just a hint of cinnamon.
When Keefe was done with his, he poked the Aurenflare with his skewer, sending rainbow-colored sparks raining down on us. They felt like droplets of cool water. We giggled, enjoying the strange sensation. But near the end of the Aurenflare's life, one by one, everyone else started leaving, saying they wanted to go to bed early. Biana and I protested, but soon only we were left sitting in front of the beautiful bonfire.
"Well, I guess we're the only ones left for the best part," Biana said, putting her head on my shoulder. The finale was about to begin.
The fire made a tiny pop, and the tower of burning branches collapsed, streams of flames in every color of the spectrum erupting high in the air. We sighed in unison, watching the fire send sparks up into the sky and explode in enormous fireworks that got brighter and brighter with each passing second. This was the best moment of my life. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, as the fireworks burst in a dazzling display of colors above us, it did.