Shadowglass

I found a crumpled blue sundress and dragged it on, fumbling to tie the halter around my sweaty neck. Hastily I fluttered my sore wings to unwrinkle them, and water showered. I smelled of him, smoky with phosphorus and boy sweat. Surely she’d notice. Damn it.

By the time I turned, Ashley was up and decent, and I’d missed the curious spectacle of him stuffing that delicious hard-on inside those tight leather pants. I giggled and whispered, strange levity polishing my guilt. “How’s that thing fit in there, anyway?”

He adjusted himself with a naughty wince. “You’d be surprised where it f—”

“Noisy pricks, aren’t you? What’s the party?” Charlotte fluttered in the doorway in her wispy white nightie, dragging a waterfall of green curls from her delicate neck. Sleepy glitter drifted from her wings to set her pale blue skin aglow.

Envy scratched my overwrought nerves, and I felt geeky and ugly and wished Ash wasn’t there. Even just out of bed and hungover after a night on the town, she’s pretty as an angel.
Ashley winked slyly. “Apple’s got a new toy.”

My conscience stung. He’s such a sweet liar. But his muscles shine with sweat, his lips are swollen, his wings tight and glowing, you can’t miss the bulge in his pants or the stink of singed hair. Surely she’ll notice, say something, hate me forever.

But poor innocent Char just blinked beautiful sleepy eyes, eager. “Ooh. I love toys. Show, Apples.”

Great. Now we’re both liars.

I shook my head loftily, eyeing that treacherous squidgy, who winked and teetered back and forth beside my pillow. “Nope. It’s m—Oh no, you don’t.” Ashley dived for it. I dived after him. Char leapt on top of me, and we all hit the bed in a crunch of bones, snapping wings, and breathless laughter.

The mattress springs groaned. I gasped, my breath squashed away in a fairy sandwich. Ashley wriggled beneath me, and Charlotte flailed and yelled on top, waving her slender limbs. The squidgy giggled and rolled away, chased by three sets of grasping fingers—yellow, blue, and white.

Ash came up with it first, his pale fingers smudging the glass as he held it in front of his face in yellow sunlight. “There’s me. How ya doin, me? You’re mighty fine. If you wasn’t me, I’d take you home and—Oof!”

Charlotte elbowed him in the tummy, grabbing the mirror as he twisted away. “Nuff of that. I’m prettier than you. Look, there I am. Ugh. Wrinkles. No wonder he wanted the light off. That’s it, I’m getting Botox—hey! No fair!”

I trapped her wrist with one hand and tickled her skinny rib cage until she let the mirror go in a squirming giggle fit. “Mine, I told you. Don’t scare the poor little thing.” I peeked inside, the pretty glass shimmering, and my heart tumbled happily, home. “There, there, squidgy. Don’t let the scary fairy upset you. She’s just jealous.”

Charlotte wriggled and reached for it again. “Am not.”

“Are too.” I held it away, laughing and dodging, our limbs thrashing in tangles.
“Am not.” Her voice took on an insistent, childish tone, and I decided not to press it.
“Are too,” chimed in Ash, pulling her hair.

Char shoved him away, hard, and he tumbled wailing to the floor. She scowled. “Am not, I said. What scumbag did Apples screw to get it, anyway?”

“What?” My heart stung, and I squirmed away and sat up, clutching the mirror in my lap. She sounded nasty, petulant. Like she meant it.

Ash laughed and whacked me in the head with my pillow, dust flying up my nose. “A hot dirty demon lord, that’s who.”

Charlotte sniffed, haughty breeze lifting her hair. “That’d be right.”

Ire seared away my restraint. I struggled to keep my voice even. “Lobster telephone! What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You know what it means. You always get everything.” Her eyes narrowed, her chin tight.
“Do not! Where the hell did that come from?” But I knew where it must have come from, and I swallowed again, desperate not to look at Ashley.

But he laughed, nasty, and flung the pillow at Charlotte’s head. “Jeez, Char, why are you such a bitch? Didn’t you get off last night?”

She batted the pillow away, and her face darkened, blue leaching deeper in her cheeks. “And what do you care, slut boy, off screwing everything with a pulse?”

A cruel grin twitched his lips. “Except you. That what this is about? You jealous?”

Her forehead crumpled, and tears blotted her lashes like green ink. He’d scraped too close to the truth.

My cheeks scorched, sour water flooding my mouth. “Let it be, Ash. You don’t have to rub it in—”

“Shut the fuck up, Appolonnia.” Charlotte rounded on me, green hair whipping her face. “You don’t fool me. I know what you’re doing. Always putting on that clumsy dopey-girl act to make people look at you, always trying to show me up. You’re just jealous because I’m prettier than you.”

“Yeah?” Her peach-scented wind lashed my hair, and I yanked the knots back, ire stinging my skin. The mirror hissed warmly in my hand, and spite gnawed my blood like a hungry rat. I let it chew. “Good thing you are, or no one would ever put up with your whiny-ass shit. At least I can still get laid after I’ve opened my mouth.”

The silence scraped loud. We stared. Tears streaked her face like verdigris, her mouth quivering. Her wings drooped, and abruptly her breeze died.

My breath hurt, like I’d run too far, and my eyes stung hot. Not true, what I’d said. Nasty, thoughtless, an envious so-called friend. Christ, what’s wrong with me today?

Ashley gave a shaky sigh and dragged sheepish claws through his hair, his wings curling. “Fuck. Sorry, ladies. I’m a bitch. Guess it was a rough night.”

Remorse cramped in my belly. “Jeez. I can’t believe I said that. I’m sorry, Charlotte. I didn’t mean it.”

She wiped her nose, her voice indistinct. “Really?”
“Really. It’s not true, what I said. I don’t know why I . . .”

“Me, too.” She sniffled. “I feel weird. Like someone made me. Please, can we forget it?” Her eyes shone, pleading.

Cool relief filtered my blood. I hugged her, and she hugged me back. Ash whispered something in her ear, and she laughed and swatted him, and he winked at me over her head.

I smiled back, uneasy. I felt weird, too. I’d felt weird all day, edgy and careless and intoxicated, an uncomfortable emptiness inside like something I loved had been torn out. I couldn’t possibly be drunk now, after so many hours.

Sharp metal edges nipped my palm. The mirror stared at me, its whisper rustling in my ears like wind from a distant storm. I squeezed it, and it protested with a shudder and a high-pitched whine. I squeezed harder. Grudgingly it snapped shut, and the whine silenced.

First the guy on the tram. Then throwing myself at Ashley. Then this stupid argument. Like I couldn’t help myself, and just did whatever I wanted and screw the consequences. Like I wasn’t afraid of anything.

All since this morning. All since I found the squidgy.

Hesitantly, I placed it down on the bedspread and snatched my hand away.

I looked up, and Ashley looked back at me, the memory of what we’d almost done lighting wary coals in his eyes. I swallowed, disappointment fresh and salty. Shoulda known he’d never want me for real. “You thinking what I’m thinking?”

He pointed at the rusty sphere, hesitant like it might bite him.

“What?” demanded Charlotte. “What is it?”

“The squidgy,” I explained reluctantly. “I think it’s . . . making us feel weird. I dunno. Maybe.”

The squidgy sniffed.—That’s right. Blame me. Like you didn’t want him, too.—

“Shut up! Don’t like you anymore.” I swatted at it, and it rolled over sulkily and stayed silent.
Charlotte arched her fine brows at me, and I shrugged, sheepish. “There’s someone in there. It talks to me. Can’t you hear it?”

“No.”

“Not even a little b—?”

“No,” she insisted, tilting her chin away, but not before I saw a hint of sky-blue flush. So it talked to her, too. Interesting.

Jealousy burned my blood that the squidgy found another friend so soon, and I felt like smacking myself across the head for being so stupid. But it didn’t make the jealousy go away.

Ashley wiggled bony fingers impatiently. “Where’d you say you found it?”

“In Jinxx’s pocket. He had it at the club. I saw In . . . I mean, someone gave it to him. I saw.”

Charlotte turned her stern mothering glare on me. “Whole truth, Slicey. Who?”

I shrugged, pretending it didn’t matter, but my voice emerged small and scared like a mouse.

“Andy...”

Ashley chuckled, scratching chocolate from his hair. “You’re such a fangirl. You took it ’cause of him?”

“It was shiny,” I protested feebly.

“Shiny Andy-score. Could be from anywhere.” Ash's eyes shone, his lips wet. Excited despite himself. Shiny rated highly with him, too. Another reason I liked him.

“The stinky caverns of hell,” suggested Charlotte happily.
“Or under dung piles in a goblin’s hideout.”
“Or deep in the slime vaults of some demon’s dungeon.”
“Or the bottom of a manky cistern at Chris Cerulli’s place.”
“Or—”

“Okay, you two,” I interrupted crossly. “I get it. I’m an idiot, all right? I screwed up. But we’ve gotta get rid of it somehow.”

Char wrinkled her nose. “Can’t you just drop it in the bin? Or dump it by the side of the road or something?”

“Leave it for some little kid to find? Don’t think so.”

“Break it?”

“No way! It might leap out at me, or get really angry or something.”

“Back to Jinxx’s?” Ash fluttered his brows, like he knew what I’d say.

“Lick a spriggan’s fingers. Are you crazy? I’m not going back in there. He’ll bottle me and flush me down the toilet, or turn me into a glob of snot or something.” Or touch me again. I shivered.

“Back to Andy, then,” Charlotte suggested, untangling her hair with a puff of air.

My spine tingled, longing and fear warring to see who could make me squirm the most. The erotic Andrew-flavored dreams I’d enjoyed so much this morning still scorched fresh in my mind, and the memory of Ashley’s hot body on mine wasn’t calming me down. In my current mood, I’d probably describe to Andy every thrust and gasp and ask if he wanted to join me.

The idea flushed me violet. “Umm . . . Good idea. I’m kinda busy this afternoon, though, I just remembered, so if you guys could . . .”

Charlotte gave Ashley a crafty blue wink, and Ash stifled a giggle.

Water boiled under my skin for the umpteenth time today, and I scowled, relief spreading. “Oh, fine. Make fun of my broken heart. Real nice friends you are.”

“He’s a stuck-up jackass,” said Ashley, still giggling. “Dunno why you wreck yourself over him, Apples. Find yourself a real fairy.”

“What, like you?” I spoke without thinking again, and hid a wince, my teeth aching lest Charlotte say something.

But Ashley just shrugged, his usually confident gaze slipping. “Like anyone who don’t treat you like a fucking cockroach. You’re worth better than that.”

My nose fizzed, and I swallowed an embryonic tear. Ashley is selfish and vain and thinks with his dick most of the time, but he loves me, and I knew in my head he was right. Andy sure gave me the insect treatment last night.

Bad luck for me I’m besotted with him.

“He’s not a jackass,” I protested, denial like sweet champagne in my heart. “He’s just real busy a lot of the time, what with his profession and everything. He’s a real focused dude, like nothing else ever bothers him, how cool is that? And he’s gotta be careful who he hangs out with, because he could put them in danger, because he steals from demon lairs and goblin dungeons and Chris Cerulli’s fucking cistern, okay?”

Ash rolled his eyes. Charlotte poked her tongue out and mimed sticking her finger down her throat, and even I had to giggle at the excuses I made. “And, yeah, so he’s got gorgeous silver wings, and that sexy metal hair, and he smells so good, I nearly pass out, and I want him want him want him and he’s a total asshole about it every single time I ask him out.” I sighed. “Yeah.

Not a jackass at all. Thanks for clearing that up, Ashley. Really.”

“He does have a pretty ass, though,” Charlotte said brightly. “Ash is right about that. All perky and tight and yummy.”

Naked dream images ran fresh in my memory, not dissimilar to Char’s description. I glared. “Can we not talk about Andy’s ass? Please? If that’s okay with you?”

“Just throwing bananas from the train. You know, trying to help—”

“We’re going to Danny’s this afternoon, right?” I cut in firmly. Danny was our fence, a smelly red spriggan with groping fingers and a potty mouth. “We’ll sell him the squidgy along with everything else.”

Ash chewed his succulent lip. “But what if it’s dangerous?”

Our gazes met, and I knew what he was thinking. One little look into that thing and we’d nearly made the horridest of mistakes. I chewed my thumbclaw, avoiding his eyes. “We’re selling him stolen jewels, aren’t we? He’s used to a little danger.”

“But still . . .”

My guts warmed. Ashley was right again. But desperation gnawed at me to get rid of it, to get things back the way they had been. I flicked my wings, insouciant. “We’ll warn him not to look.

Not our fault if he can’t help himself. Right?”

Notes

So..even though i updated a few hours ago..
I do owe it to you guys for sticking with me even when i haven't updated for a month(sorry)

I will try to update more but life kinda hates me right now\
So....

Thank you again. I hope you enjoy both this chapter and the previous one.
Stay weird Baby Bats
-Grim