Lapidary

“Devton Embers? Really?” Ava exclaimed, after I told her Devton was taking me to Reverie Stadium to watch a show.

“Yup,” I said.

“I didn’t know you like bad boys.” She was clearly oblivious to Ryker’s diamond smuggling and drug addiction, like I once was.

“Neither did I,” I said.

“Well, we need to take you for a makeover,” Ava said. “You look terrible.”

I bit my lip because it was true. She was being brutally honest and not intentionally insulting me.

“I know just where we can take you,” she said.

I followed her into the alleys of Ocelos’s lower fin until we stopped in front of a hairdresser. The door was unlocked, so she pushed it open, triggering a bell, and we entered.

“Ava, welcome back,” a fawn, holding a brush, said.

“Thank you, Pifu. This is my sister, Natka, and she has come for a makeover.”

I gave the fawn a smile. “Hello.”

Her shop was empty, which made me second-guess her abilities as a hairdresser. The interior was clean, with several mirrors, wheeled chairs, and basins, and hair products of every kind covered the counters.

Pifu touched the ends of my hair. “It certainly needs a cut. And maybe we should dye it something spectacular, like your sister’s pink.”

“Not pink,” I said. “Maybe we can add some blond stripes or something simpler?”

As Pifu considered this, another fawn led me to the basin where she washed my hair. Then I was taken to sit in front of a mirror, where Pifu began combing.

“I know what we should do with your hair,” Ava said excitedly. Before I could ask her what she had in mind, she whispered her idea in Pifu’s ear, who smiled. I wanted to object because I didn’t know what I was getting myself into, but Ava looked so happy, and I don’t want to take away her happiness, like I had in the past.

“Okay, do it.” I was pretty sure that Pifu would have done it anyway. Ava clasped her hands excitedly as Pifu began cutting. I watched strand after strand fall, and when I made eye contact with myself in the mirror, I realized they betrayed just how nervous I was.

Once Pifu had cut me a side fringe, with multiple layers in my long hair, she began to apply dye on the ends. She worked her way upward but didn’t apply anything to the roots, which made me realize she was creating an ombre. She left my hair to sit for a while, before she rinsed and blow dried it.

When I next checked the mirror, my mouth opened slightly. I was a completely different person with my well-styled, healthy and shiny hair. The roots were brown and gradually became blond before turning lighter and lighter until the tips. I couldn’t find any words.

“It’s perfect!” Ava exclaimed.

I turned around and hugged her, and for a moment, I feared she might end the hug, but then she hugged me back. After this, I thanked Pifu, paid electronically, and then we left the shop in search of a dress.

“There is a nice boutique in the upper fin,” Ava told me.

“Then we should check it out,” I responded.

We walked there, past Café Cakes, and found the boutique next to Little Rock Academy. Once inside, I instantly spotted the perfect dress. It was a peach-orange, like the color of the sunset, with two thin shoulder straps. It reached my knees with a slit, to reveal my left leg. It was simple and elegant, and I purchased it with a pair of golden heels.

“Someone knows what they want,” Ava teased.

We left the shop together, and I realized how much my life had changed in such a short while. A month ago, I had been without ambition, wandering around like a ghost, a remnant of the woman I used to be. And now, I was a whole new person. I had found purpose in trying to find out what had happened to Ryker, I was smiling more, because of Dev. I even looked different with the weight I was picking up.

Someone screamed.

We looked toward the school, where a small crowd had gathered below one of the tall buildings. A man pointed up, and I followed his finger, to where a white-haired fae was standing on top of the building, shouting something I couldn’t quite make out.

“She’s going to jump!” Ava said.

Before I could respond Ava ran toward the school, and I pelted after her. I followed her up the stairs and into the building, where we climbed several floors. I didn’t know if the fae would still be on the roof once we got up there. Ava pushed open the door that led to the roof and flung her arms around the fae. She pulled her backward, and both fell onto the floor. I raced toward them, thankful that they hadn’t fallen. I looked from Ava to the fae.

“Quinn Silkbreath…” I said.

She laughed. “I’m fine! Relax!”

“What were you doing?” Ava sounded surprisingly worried.

“I was going to fly, but you stopped me…”

“You can’t fly,” I point out.

“But I can,” she argued and got to her feet. She twirled as if in a trance and then took a step close to the edge of the roof. Ava instantly grabbed her arm and pulled her backward.

“You’re high,” she said. “What did you take?”

“Deluge”—Quinn smiled—“but only a little bit.”

Quinn stepped closer to Ava and touched her hair. “You are so beautiful.”

My sister blushed like a schoolgirl who had no experience with romance. She looked at me before stepping away from Quinn.

“And you’re smart. And you’re so good to me,” Quinn continued.

“You can’t stay here,” Ava said.

I begged to differ. Quinn had gotten my sister wrongfully kicked out of college. I wouldn’t mind leaving her here, but then my eyes darted to the ground, far below us, where the crowd was thinning. Ryker had fallen so far. I didn’t want her, or anyone else, to die like that. My knees felt weak, and my legs numb from standing on the roof.

“Let’s get her out of here.” I did not want my sister to realize I had a fear of heights.

Ava took Quinn’s one arm, and I took the other. Together, we led her downstairs, away from the school. At first, she was giggling and talking gibberish, but slowly her energy began to fade.

“Should we take her to her home?” I wondered.

“No,” Ava said quickly. “Her father will be angry at her for getting high.”

“How do you know?” I asked.

“We were friends before,” Ava said.

“What happened?” I asked.

“I don’t know,” Ava said.

She steered us toward our parents’ pink house, where we halted. The sudden motion made Quinn stumble, and Ava caught her before she fell.

“What?” Ava asked.

“You can’t take her home,” I said. “Her father might come looking for her – he isn’t the kind of fae we want in our house.”

Ava rolled her eyes. “Don’t pretend like you are above them.”

“I’m scared he would hurt you, Mom and Dad,” I countered.

“Don’t be over dramatic,” Ava said.

She and Quinn headed toward the house, and I slowly followed. Once we were there, Ava tucked Quinn into her bed and stroked her hair caringly out of her face. I had misread this situation all along.

“You love her,” I told Ava.

Ava turned her sad eyes toward me. “Yes. I love her so much I took the fall when she copied of me. I do her assignments, and I give her free drugs.”

“She’s abusing you,” I said.

Ava’s face contorted. “You don’t know anything about her.”

“I know enough,” I said.

Ava approached me and it looked as if she was trying to find words, any words. Her eyes rest on my gloves. “Why do you always wear those stupid things?”

I decided not to answer and headed for the door. Before I left, I told her, “She’ll break your heart.”

Ava laughed bitterly before replying, “You beat her to it a long time ago.”