“So it’s only been Scarlet,” I said slowly. "Don't you guys cuddle or whatever after you're done?"
"No. She gets annoyed if I hang around, so I just… get my stuff and leave," Kallie said.
I thought about Charlie and me. We'd been messing around a lot after our first time, and every time we finished, he always made sure to take care of me by giving me lots of affection and getting whatever I needed. Imagining Kallie getting dressed and walking back to her dorm by herself after being in such a vulnerable position made me really sad. And angry at Scarlet.
“If you’re not happy, you should break up,” I offered. “You obviously want a real relationship, and Scarlet only wants one thing.”
“I know. I’m trying to figure out how to break it to her easy,” Kallie said. “Which is still complicated, because the only time I get with her is when we’re alone in her cell, and she gets aggravated whenever I try to talk.”
Kallie fiddled with her collar. “Idolike this, though. I think I’ll keep it.”
“Maybe you can use it with someone else,” I stated in an obvious way.
Her eyes were distant. “Yeah. Maybe.”
She was still acting weird that night when we got together for the party. We waited until after dark so we could go stargazing. I stole a bunch of blankets from the laundry room after my shift, and Kallie stole popcorn from the cafeteria. Ez, Opal, Ivy, Chancey, Marcus, Kallie, Charlie and I sat on the balcony’s stone floor and draped blankets around us as we admired the stars.
“I think that’s Aquarius,” Ivy said as he pointed upward at a constellation. Ivy’s sexy kitten costume made him look great, but he was definitely pushing the rules of what was allowed.
Chancey had a sheet draped over himself with two eye holes cut in it.
“You put in a lot of effort,” I remarked.
“At least I dressed up,” he shot back at me.
“We’re here!” a sing-song voice announced. I turned and pressed a hand to my mouth to hold in a giggle. Eddie was wearing an inflatable koala costume, and Alistair was dressed as a zookeeper. It was overtly ridiculous.
That night was nearly magical as we continued pointing out constellations and watching for meteorites. I couldn’t help but describe it all to my husband.
“It’s so gorgeous, Charlie,” I said with a sigh. “The sky’s a mixture of blue and black. There are so many stars— hundreds of them. You can see them clearly, because there’s not much light pollution on Darke Island. The moon is a waxing crescent, and— oh wow, a shooting star!”
I watched it race across the sky, and Charlie said, “Make a wish.”
“Hm… I wish…” I smiled as the thought crossed my mind. “I wish all of us could be like this forever.”
“That’s a perfect wish.” Charlie kissed my cheek, and I swooned.
The stars looked so beautiful above us, and the sky was so wide and open, we might as well not be behind bars. Up here, surrounded by my friends, I’d never felt happier. I’d completely forgotten what it was like to be happy, as I hadn’t in so long.
But happiness was warm, peaceful, and full of light. It was so much better than feeling the cold claws of misery creeping over you, and I knew that now. I was no longer used to the comfort of being sad, not since Charlie and I had married. I was really glad I wasn’t in that space anymore.
Marcus’ teeth chattered so loudly I could hear them across the balcony.
“You okay?” Kallie asked.
“G-great.” Marcus crossed his arms, and Rishi meowed in his lap.
Everyone else had a buddy to keep them warm, but Marcus and Kallie were clearly sitting away from one another on purpose. Kallie scooted to where Marcus sat and said, “Here. I’m a shifter. I’m basically a walking heater.”
Kallie hugged Marcus from behind, draping a blanket around both of them. Marcus stiffened, but he didn’t make any attempt to pull away.
“I bet she just made his Halloween,” Charlie said under his breath.
“Maybe next year he can be Red Riding Hood and she can be the Big Bad Wolf. I bet she’d love to eat him up,” I whispered. Charlie laughed lowly.
“Aw, man, Oberi ate all the popcorn!” Ez complained. It was true— my Familiar’s head was stuck far into the bag, and he was jumping around trying to get it off.
“I’ll go get some more,” I offered. We’d left an extra bag in our cell.
