Rees was sitting at the bar, raising a glass as he sang along. Lorenzo was hovering nearby, waving
excitedly as he wailed, horribly out of tune but very enthusiastic. Mandy and Dwayne were also
joining in, grinning cheerfully at him. Even Kevin, whose arm was still in a cast, was lending his
voice to the joyful chant.
Frankie was singing softly, his voice somehow rising above them all despite his quiet tone. He was
smiling, squeezing Snod’s hand and lovingly kissing his cheek in between each verse.
Snod’s heart had never felt so full, surrounded by so many people who cared for him. He was
worried that his soul might burst and splatter all over the floor, clinging to Frankie tightly to steady
himself.
It was such a simple and benign song, and yet it moved him more than any church chant ever had. It
was beautiful, and he could feel tears clogging his vision.
When it ended, everyone applauded and cheered and Athaliah firmly commanded, “Now! You have to
make a wish and blow out the candles!”
“Why?” Snod asked flatly, blinking rapidly to dissuade his tears.
“Because duh, that’s how you make the wish come true!” Athaliah drawled with a roll of his eyes.
Snod didn’t understand, frowning at the little flames, asking again, “Why? What am I wishing for?”
“Whatever you want,” Frankie giggled, hugging his waist. “Just remember! You can’t tell anyone or it
won’t come true.”
“Why won’t it come true?”
“Magic,” Frankie replied mysteriously.
Snod accepted that answer, quickly trying to think up a wish. He looked over all the smiling faces
beaming at him, his family and his new friends, and he suddenly wished he could he could be this
happy for the rest of his life.
That was a pretty good wish, he decided. He quickly blew out all the candles to appease the
capricious birthday spirits, smiling as everyone clapped.
“Yay! Now, let’s eat this damn thing, and then you can open presents!” Athaliah exclaimed happily.
Smirking bashfully, Snod leaned against Frankie with a shake of his head. Athaliah had truly outdone
himself. He let Frankie lead him over to a table to sit down, frowning when he saw a familiar figure
out of the corner of his eye.
It couldn’t be.
