I have always, always, had a weakness for adorable things. It's what lured me into the Love and Pet pet shop that too-sunny Saturday morning. I wouldn't have even been out, it was so sunny and hot and dry, except that I had run out of dark purple nail polish and I had to work at the bar that night.

Yeah, yeah, everyone says that my love of dark purple nail polish is unnatural. Some people say I'm an emo or a goth. And I kind of see their point. Besides my nails, I always have at least fifteen black bangle bracelets on each of my wrists, and usually I'm wearing black.

But that nail polish was grape scented. Do emos ever wear scented polish? If so, I've never met them.

But the point is NOT that I look like a vampire, or that I detested sunny days almost like one. It was that my accidental wander into the shop changed my life forever.

The business was packed. Nobody seemed to notice me, or acknowledge I existed. That was okay, though. Not like I planned to buy anything. I beelined for the pets- in particular, the kitties. I loved kitties.

You can imagine how shocked I was when a tabby snuggled up to me. Because first off- said tabby was hot pink with silver stripes. And second, a tiny pair of wings protruded from her back.

"You like her?" asked a voice behind me.

I turned. "Yeah, but she has..."

"They all do. Her name's Suri," the girl said helpfully. Red hair framed her face and flowed down past her ankles."And if you want to adopt her, she's yours. It's pretty rare that a fairy pet likes someone older than thirteen, so you should feel pretty lucky."

I pulled out my wallet. "How much is she?"

"All our pets are free to someone who will love and care for them," she explained. "It's a way to spread magic back to Earth."

"Magic," I repeated, barely realizing what she said. Suri flew around me, giggling as she popped her tiny face into my screen of blonde and purple hair.

"Yep. My name's Bloom, by the way. You are?"

Well, the staff was friendly, if completely insane. "My name's Elle. Short for Elise. Elise Fabba." What a babble.

But redhead smiled. "Well, Elle, let me show you around the Love and Pet."

Immediately, I was whisked on a tour that made me a bit dizzy and a bit convinced I had entered an elaborate dream. Flying pets... that was one thing. But if I looked left, the pets were singing and dancing. If I looked right, they were dressed in crazy outfits. The only things even vaguely normal about the shop were the clinic and the redhead who was showing me all the crazy stuff.

By the time I left, dazed, with a bubbly, bouncing Suri, I was half convinced that magic was real, and half convinced that my imagination was pretty damn sweet. Either way, I had a pet. A pet which, I suddenly realized, I had no clue what to do with when I went to work that night.

Looked like I'd be making yet another call to Roxy. I whipped out my cell and held one. My BFF was on my speed dial.

She picked up almost instantly. "Hey Elle, what's up?"

"Good news, bad news. What do you want first?"

She sighed. "Give me the bad news."

"Okay. You've got to cover for me tonight. Tell your dad please?"

"Ellllle!" she groaned. "You know he'll just make me come in! He never even BOTHERS trying to call anybody else!"

I felt sorry for her. Even though she liked working as a barista at the Fruity Music Bar in downtown Gardenia, just like me, she got stuck with work days way too often. Mainly because it seemed somebody always (usually me) had to cancel. "Well, I've got a reason!" I insisted. "I just adopted a pet!"

Even over the phone, I could tell that Roxy instantly perked up. "Tell me everything. What kind of animal? What color? Is it a boy, or a girl? Do you need any help caring for it?"

To Roxy, animal talk was like boy gossip. "Her name's Suri. She's a cat, of course." I was mildly insulted that Roxy would even consider I wanted any other pet. No animals other than kittens ever seemed to catch my eye. "A tabby. And she's fine. I'm fine." Naturally I avoided the question about color. Not even pink-haired Rox would believe in a Barbie-colored animal. "So, you'll cover for me?"

"Fine," she agreed. "But I don't see why you couldn't just bring her to work. I bring Artoo." Artoo was her dog. And as for not bringing her to work... well, the reasons seemed pretty obvious to me.

Yet, crazily, I decided something. "That's why I can't work. I'll bring her to the bar to show you on your break. I can't show her off if I'm working!"

"Point. Besides, Andy and his band are playing. You don't wanna miss them, do you, Elle?"

Curse her for teasing me. A LOT of Gardenia High girls had crushes on the local college boys. I wasn't that unusual, honest! "Shut up. I'll see you tonight."

"See you!" she agreed before hanging up.

I felt a little glow from my chat. I was what some called a social butterfly, despite my pop-punk alternative look. I always liked talking to and hanging with my friends.

Not to mention- I was pumped about tonight. I'd have to pull out my little black dress, ballerina flats, redo my nails... which reminded me. I needed more polish. I glanced at the street sign, wondering the quickest way to the shopping center.

But as I looked at the sign that pronunced me on the corner of Rose St. and Pine Lane, I saw a flash of blue and red streak past. My eyes followed automatically, and I was able to focus on a pair of wings and a cascade of red hair. The redhead from Love and Pet? Was it possible?

I looked back at Suri. She was watching with as much interest as I was... only she hovered five feet above the ground. And for a brief flash, I believed it all.