‘Andrew, eat your stew.’ There’s more steel to Ruth’s tone. She tilts her head meaningfully towards the window.
The sun is setting. Andrew fixes me with a watery stare. ‘Just remember,’ he says, as though he knows who I am, that telling me would mean something. The three of us sit in silence as the sun sinks, its golden light filling the room in one last glorious burst.
There’s a faint noise from the hallway. The room is purple, the light in the west nearly gone, only a faint gleam of gold on the horizon. Lights come on in the nearby houses. Ruth gets to her feet, lighting several candles in wall sconces.
The door opens. Kyle appears, stretching his arms, smiling a sleepy smile at me. ‘Did you have a good day?’
There’s a gleam of pity in Andrew’s eyes, gentle sorrow in Ruth’s. I swallow, then smile. ‘I did. It was the best, really.’ My voice breaks on the last few words.
‘Would you like something to eat, Kyle?’
‘That would be wonderful.’ He takes Ruth’s hand, bringing it to his lips. Her eyes widen and she blushes. Andrew snorts, looking away. Ruth goes to the kitchen, bending to pull a metal case from under the counter. There’s a hiss as it opens, the crackle of plastic. Then Kyle’s arms are around me, his lips on mine. I close my eyes, an ache in my heart.
‘You caught the sun.’ His fingertip touches my nose. I open my eyes.
‘What do you mean?’
He grins, releasing me. ‘Go and look at yourself.’
I walk over to a nearby mirror, hung above the long sideboard. And I see what he means.
‘Oh!’ My skin is rosy, as rosy as the blood dancers’ at my parents’ party. My cheek feels warm, as though holding a piece of the sun inside.
‘It will fade, dear.’ Ruth comes up behind me, her hands gentle on my shoulders. ‘It’s just a touch of sun, no burn.’
A touch of sun. I close my eyes, remembering how it felt to have the sun touch me. There’s a melancholy in me, wild and sweet. Despite all I saw, my illusions shattered, I would go through it all again, just to have that experience, to learn what I’ve learned. My heart hurts, as though it’s breaking. I hear a clatter, then a tube of something is pressed into my hand.
I look at it. ‘Aloe Gel.’ The writing is faded, the text partly rubbed away, the tube half compressed.
‘Just a little will help.’ Ruth nods at me. I unscrew the lid. A clear gel with a fresh smell squirts onto my hand. I take some on my fingertip and rub it across my cheeks, feeling it dissolve like water, cooling my flush. Ruth looks at me curiously.
‘What?’ I half smile, unsure if I’ve done something wrong.
‘Oh, nothing.’ She shakes her head, but she’s frowning again. ‘It’s just, I’ve never seen it work so fast.’
I take another look in the mirror. My skin is moon-pale once more. My eyes widen.
‘Oh!’ I panic, because this obviously isn’t normal. I remember what Kyle said, about my healing. ‘Um, maybe it’s because I live at night?’
I glance at Kyle, trying not to seem freaked out. He’s drinking from another of the plastic pouches. When he catches my look, he coughs.
‘Right, Eme— Emily. We should probably get going, hey?’
He jerks his head towards the window. It’s dark outside. And I’ve no doubt my family will be sending guards after us.
‘Er, yes. That would be good.’ Ruth and Andrew, meanwhile, are watching us, Ruth with a knowing look in her eye. I feel terrible for deceiving them. ‘Ruth, thanks so much for today.’
I hold out my hand but she surprises me with a hug, her small body soft. She smells of cinnamon and bone broth, a comforting scent. ‘Be safe,’ she says, her voice low. ‘And remember, you’re welcome any time.’
She lets go and Andrew comes to hug me. It feels strange, his male scent different from the violets I’m used to. ‘Lovely to meet you, Emily. Don’t worry about me, I just like to go on about things sometimes. I didn’t mean to upset you.’
I catch Kyle’s eye and he raises his eyebrows. I shake my head. There’s no way I can explain it to him.
‘Thank you both, again. It’s been… great.’ I yawn, clapping a hand over my mouth. It feels strange to yawn as the night begins, but on some level it feels normal as well, that after a day in the light I might want to relax into the dark.
‘C’mon, sleepy, let’s go.’ Kyle puts his arm around me then, without warning, scoops me up, heading into the cool dark outside. We race into the night, but there’s pressure in my chest, as though something is building, wanting to get out.
‘Wait. Stop.’
