“Don’t worry, I know it’s serious, okay? But I’ve got it covered and bringing it up doesn’t help.” I try to soften my voice so the words don’t come out as harsh as they sound, and Zuri nods. I flick my eyes to Reverie, who is now standing with her arms crossed on the knitted pillow next to me, wings pressed tight together and sapphire blue eyes narrowed in suspicion. She’s also tapping one foot. I quickly look away.
“I just want you to be okay. It used to only happen once a month and now it’s up to, what, pretty much every day? That’s serious, Raya. What if it keeps getting worse?” Zuri says.
“Yeah, I know…” I trail off, looking down at my hands and remembering the wolf paws they turned into earlier. I don’t like hearing one of my worst fears spoken aloud.
“Well, you’ll land on your feet, and until then, you’ve got us,” she says with a decisive nod, and I dredge up a smile.
I appreciate the sentiment, but I’m tired of being stuck in this same loop. I haven’t been able to hold a steady job since graduating last year, and it’s starting to make me seriously question what’s wrong with me. Shaking my head in an attempt to rid myself of the thought, I come back to reality to hear Zuri asking what I’m going to tell my parents.
“I’m not going to tell them anything," I say.
Reverie and Zuri both give me questioning, slightly disapproving looks. I frown back at them.
“They already worry about me enough, as you just pointed out with the unexplained shifting, and I don’t want to put any more stress on their shoulders. They’ve seen me fail enough times already.” Not to mention the fact that if I don’t find a new job soon, I won’t be able to afford my portion of rent and will have to move back home with them.
“I’ll start job hunting tomorrow and hopefully have a new one in no time. They don’t even need to know anything happened.” I infuse as much confidence into my voice as I can, hoping it will convince all three of us.
3
THANK GOODNESS FOR ANNOYING LITTLE BROTHERS
RAYA
It’s beena few days since The Incident, as I've been calling it in my head, and that’s given me enough time to come to terms with the situation so I don't feel like I’m drowning anymore. More like… floundering. In the waves. Where my feet can’t touch, and I don't know where the shore is… But hey, my head’s above water and I can breathe. That’s pretty important, so I've got one good thing going, at least.
“HAPPY BIRTHDAY!” Two eager voices slap my ears as I round the corner into the kitchen.
I can’t help but smile as I roll my eyes at the two of them. Reverie lives for birthdays. Well, what she lives for is sugar—it has a similar effect on sprites as alcohol does for humans, and birthdays are one of the times she lets herself cut loose. Currently, she’s hopping up and down on the counter, bronze skin gleaming and sparkly wing dust flying everywhere.
As I watch, the excited hopping starts to transform. A couple wing flaps at the top of each jump flutter her higher into the air before she barely touches her toes to the counter and repeats the increasingly exuberant jumping-turned-flying, holding herself aloft for a coupleseconds each time.
“Stars above. You’re so stinking cute," I say to her. Reverie wrinkles her nose at the endearment, landing a little more roughly on the counter in response, but then clasps her hands to her chest and shimmies her body back and forth.
“What…” I narrow my eyes, gaze bouncing between Reverie and Zuri, who is sipping her coffee with innocently wide doe eyes and a much too casual pose leaning against the counter. I point between them. “What’s going on? You didn’t plan a surprise party, did you? You know I hate them.”
Zuri snorts. “No, chill, we would never.”
My shoulders drop from where I had apparently hiked them all the way up to my ears in the last four seconds. Surprise parties are one of my worst nightmares.
“Besides,” Zuri continues, “I figured you wouldn’t want to go out on account of all the shifty shifting lately, so we figured you’d like an afternoon in, just us. After you’re done with family brunch, of course.” Z smirks at her own pun, which is what makes me crack a smile too. I love when others think their own jokes are funny, especially when they’re not.
“What’s with the weirdness then?” I ask.
“We’re just really excited!” Reverie yells as she shoots into the air again, executing a mildly impressive mid-air backflip, considering it didn’t look intentional. “We have all your favorite things planned!”
“Ooooookay, and that’s enough sugar for you.” Zuri snags the frosting bowl and tray of cupcakes Reverie has been hovering around and sets them on the opposite side of the kitchen before turning an empty plastic container over on top of them.
“Good luck with that,” I grin at Zuri, tipping my chin toward Reverie and her ongoing aerial acrobatics as I head toward the front door. Zuri tips her eyes to the sky in response, folding her hands in mock prayer for salvation.
“Have fun with your fam!” Reverie shouts from the kitchen. “Love you!”
“Love you too, you little chaos monster.” I raise my voice as I aim my head toward the kitchen in reply to Reverie. “And you too,” I say, turning to Zuri and exchanging a quick hug before I head out to meet my other favorite people.
Cute doesn’t even beginto describe this place. It’s sickeningly adorable, with pastel colored walls and tables, crisp white chairs, cloth napkins folded like swans, and fresh flowers in vintage vases centered on each table. It’s basically begging to be posted all over social media, and since I’m the first of our group to arrive, who am I to deny such a clear sign from the universe?
Right as I finish snapping a couple pictures, familiar rambunctious voices that can only belong to my family ricochet through the door. My mother comes striding in like she owns the place, long silky hair flowing behind her and arms already outstretched. Her heels click across the floor, and I inhale her cool, fresh scent as she leans in for a hug, then strokes my hair and arm as I pull away, wishing me a happy birthday. My dad is next, smiling softly as he waits his turn. He’s a portly man, shorter than my mom with a gentle, relaxed nature, and he gives the best cozy hugs.
My siblings have already rounded the table, waiting their turn for hugs while engaging in some sort of intense discussion about beaches, or the ocean. I’m not quite following, but whatever it is, they are very invested. Our mom clears her throat pointedly in their direction and they snap to attention; I don't suppress my grin, relishing that I’m not the one in trouble this time.
