Alarm clocks have never been my friends, especially when they wake me up at 4:00 o'clock in the afternoon. 'Damn mages,' I thought as I rolled out of bed, 'wanting me to be awake for half the damn day.' But ever the competitor, I reasoned that if Maisie could do this for most of her life, then so could I. As I dragged myself towards the bathroom and subsequent shower my bedroom door opened. 'Speak of the devil…' I thought as my sister's face, so like my own, peered in. She smiled when she saw me.
"Oh good, you're awake. Orpheus has asked for us down in the South Hall."
"20 minutes," Was my only response as I closed the bathroom door.
It was in fact 45 minutes before the two of us stood outside the doors to the South Hall. I had lingered to long in the shower of course, but after a period of annoyance, Maisie forgave me for the delay.
"I know this change in your schedule has been hard Sabina," she began as she pulled open one of the huge Oak doors, "but I really think you should -" she was cut off by several hundred voices yelling "Surprise!" and then, as we stepped into the room, "Happy Birthday Maisie and Sabina!"
The Hall had been decorated in blues and reds, and several dozen tables were set up with every food imaginable on them. Hands propelled Maisie and I forward as a giant cake was brought out, covered in candles, and everyone began to sing. Maisie was clearly delighted and I tried my best to imitate her as I furiously counted back days, wondering how I'd forgotten.
"…Happy Birthday to you!" I snapped back to reality just as they finished the song.
"I don't think we're that old." Maisie laughed, as she looked at the monstrous cake covered in candles. I looked too and realized she was right, there did seem to be a few too many candles on there.
"There are two of you," Orpheus said, "so two sets of 58 candles. That's 116 all together."
We tried our best to blow them all out, but only succeeded in blowing out about half of them, maybe enough for one of us. But that was okay, I'd already gotten most of what I would have wished for anyway. Maisie declared the buffet open, and with that, and to my great relief, the attentions in the room went from my sister and me, to food, friends, and gossip. G came over to "help" Maisie cut the cake, but I imagined the mischief demon would be doing more eating than cutting.
I took the moment while everyone's attention was diverted to slip out a side door into the early evening warmth. I leaned back against the wall, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. 'Don't cry Sabina,' I told myself, even as I felt the traitorous moisture build in my eyes. I closed them to keep the tears from escaping.
"Taking a break from all the excitement?" a familiar voice asked. My eyes flew open, but I knew who it was before I even turned to look.
"Adam!" I was in his arms between one heartbeat and the next, his customary sandalwood scent surrounding me.
"I thought you weren't back until Friday." I mumbled into his shoulder.
"I might have exaggerated the length of my absence a bit, but I wanted to surprise you." I could hear the smile in his voice and I couldn't help but look up to see it. Big mistake. His eyes scanned my face in half a second, and his smile turned into a frown.
"What's wrong, Red?"
"Nothing's wrong." I tried to smile, tried to lie, but he knew me all too well. His brow rose and I found I could no longer meet his gaze. I stared at the ground until cool fingers touched my chin and lifted my head.
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked softly.
I stared at him and he gazed back, his eyes offering understanding, no matter what. But I realized, looking into those eyes, that if I said 'No' he wouldn't push. He'd just take my hand and walk me back inside; he'd talk and smile and laugh, and the whole time he'd secretly be worrying about me. How did I get so lucky?
I sighed. "It's just that…" the door opened then and we both turned to look.
"There you are Sabina! Hey Adam!" Maisie, as usual, had perfect timing.
"Hey Maze, could you give us a minute?" Adam, as usual, always knew what to say.
Maisie frowned slightly, but took the hint. "Sure, but they're asking for you Sabina."
"Okay," I gave my sister what I hoped was a reassuring smile; I didn't want her thinking Adam and I were having a fight. "Five minutes?"
She nodded, and turned back inside, disappearing from view as the door swung shut.
"Sabina -"
"You know," I began, staring at the door as if I could see through it to where my sister was. "When I first Maisie, it was like looking through a mirror at an alternate version of myself, seeing the person I might have been if things had been different. It wasn't her fault but still, for just a moment, I resented her for it." I looked down. "I'm much happier now than I was then, but some days, she still shows me that."
"Like today?"
I nodded.
"Why?"
I looked back at him then. "This, today, is the first time anyone has ever celebrated my birthday."
His head tilted to the side and he frowned. "Not even when you were a child?"
I shook my head. "To Lavinia, my birth was a reminder of my mother's betrayal and death. Besides, she always avoided any mention of my mixed heritage." I paused. "I guess I wasn't lying when I said nothing was wrong. I just got a little emotionally overwhelmed in there."
Adam stepped towards me and gently took my hands. "Those emotions aren't a bad thing Sabina. You are a woman in a way Lavinia never was and never could've been. We both know she was a lying bitch anyway."
I smiled, but it was enough to drive off the lingering depression. "You still know how to charm a girl, Mage."
He raised an eyebrow. "Would you prefer those sonnets?"
"Maybe later."
"Good, because right now there's a room full of your friends and family who are more than happy to celebrate the fact that you're here. So. You ready to go back in?"
I shook my head, but smiled. "Not yet." I raised a hand and cupped his face, pulling it down towards me. I kissed him softly, and he sank into it, deepening it with his tongue. His arms wrapped around my waist and he pulled me close.
"Bael's Balls, he's only been gone a week! Can't you two save the make-out session for later; Sabina's missing her own party!" Sometimes it just doesn't pay to have a demon for a familiar.
"Well, did you enjoy the party?" Adam asked as he flipped on the lights in our room.
"As a matter of fact, I did."
"You were pretty good at Twister for someone who's never played."
I laughed. "I wasn't about to let G win."
"It's still a few minutes to midnight and I haven't given you my present yet."
I looked at him curiously as he brought me over a small, carved wooden box. It appeared old and somewhat weathered; I lifted the lid carefully. Inside, snuggled amid the folds of red velvet, was a gold cuff bracelet with delicate filigree in a vine pattern. Its only adornment was an almost translucent green and white stone in the very center of the scrollwork. I touched it gently, the green in the stone reminding me of Adam's eyes.
"It's a Moss Agate," Adam supplied, as if he could hear my unspoken question. "A protection stone; it balances the energy of emotions and aids in friendship.
"Adam, it's beautiful." I said, looking up at him. There was sheen to his eyes as he said, "It belonged to my mother, and her mother before that, and so on. I think she would've wanted you to have it."
I had no words to offer him, nothing but the matching sheen in my eyes as he slipped the bracelet on my wrist. Then he kissed me gently.
"I love you." I whispered, when he released my lips.
"I love you more."
"Impossible."
He grinned, but didn't argue. Instead he swept me up in his arms and carried me into the bedroom. "Happy Birthday Sabina." He said as he kicked the door shut behind us.