"I'd like to propose a toast!"

Color. Music. Energy. Lights swirled around me, creating patterns that bounced off the walls and gave you an acid trip without the drugs. On the dance floor, people were chest-to-chest, drinks in hand, discussing small nothings, and looking for a good time. I surveyed the area around me, feeling like I was part of an entire movement. Firefly – the dance club I was in – looked like something right out of downtown Magix.

But it wasn't Magix.

"Hey! I said listen up!"

I laughed and turned my head. Anna Ellis, my roommate and best friend on Earth, was sitting on the barstool in a ruffled purple minidress, the blue highlights in her hair shining in the strobe lights. She was on her second beer and slightly tipsy, but still in her right mind. I had a feeling I would be the one driving us back to the house, though, which was a bit of a bummer since it would take about an hour to get back to Santa Ana from the club.

The voices in our group died down to listen to her, as well as a few other guys who were floating around. A few people smirked; Anna had a habit of attracting men's unwanted affections, and it was easy to see why. She was extremely fun and easy-going, and her Korean heritage had been kind to her. An Asian beauty in Southern California who spoke three languages; sometimes it felt like they lined up wherever we went. If in a good mood, she would laugh it off and say it got her more sales at the clothing store where she worked.

She looked pleased when the noise level died down to a dull roar. "Thank you. Now, you all know we aren't here for just any old reason."

"Yeah. Bloom!" someone yelled.

There was a round of whoops and cheers as a faint blush crept into my cheeks.

"Yes, our little baby girl is the big two-one!" Anna yelled.

More cheers. My blush turned bright red.

"Ah, it seems like it was just yesterday we were in the car driving to our first day of elementary school."

I laughed. "If you start in with the incriminating stories, I'm going to pour my drink on you."

Everyone laughed. "You're so critical. But really now." The crowd fell silent as Anna put on her 'serious' face. "When Bloom left for boarding school freshman year, I honestly thought it would just be a childhood friendship that I would remember down the road. When she came back, it turns out we got closer than ever. I'm honored to have her back, and I'm even happier we're best friends again!"

Everyone cheered as I gave her a tight hug. If she hadn't been drinking, I was fairly sure Anna would have been crying.

"To Bloom!" Anna said, raising her glass. "May her twenty-first birthday be the most magical of all!"

"Your little birthday speech was cool," I said to Anna once most of the crowd had gone back to the dance floor.

She smirked and took a sip of her beer. "That's what I do, darling. I make meaningful speeches and then drink the weight of the bullshit I said."

I shook my head and sat down next to her, making sure my skirt didn't ride up. I'd found the dress in an old thrift store by our house: long-sleeved and dark blue, with black beading on the shoulders and a skirt that ended a few inches above my knees. Anna had bought it for me, insisting it was identical to a dress from a Wonder Girls music video. "I still appreciate it."

"Even the side comment?" she asked, the smirk widening.

I hit her shoulder playfully. "Thank goodness you'd only had two beers. Otherwise you might've said 'may this fairy and princess from another dimension have the best birthday ever'."

Anna laughed. "Oh please, you had a hard enough time making me believe that, and I'm a total Disney nostalgic. Even if I did say it, they'd all assume I was drunk."

"Still…"

"Bloom, relax. I know it was a big decision for you to tell me in the first place, and I plan to honor the promise I made."

"You didn't even believe I was a fairy at first."

"I didn't. And then you teleported me to the middle of Tokyo and I did believe you."

"Right after you fainted."

"I was in shock! You try finding out your best friend is a magical creature; it doesn't always go over well. Be thankful I didn't turn you over to the FBI."

"Please, I would've wiped your memory before it came to that."

"Gee, thanks." Anna chuckled for a moment before raising an eyebrow. "Wait, you can do that?"

Before I could respond, the conversation was interrupted by a deep voice. "Birthday girl? Why aren't you on the dance floor?"

Anna and I both laughed as a black-haired boy dressed in a silver T-shirt and dark blue jeans approached. "She's avoiding dancing with you, Ellis."

Josh Ellis – Anna's twin brother, who preferred his last name to his first – grinned and slung his arm around my shoulders, giving me a tight squeeze. As per usual, he ignored Anna's wisecracks. "Happy birthday, Bloom."

"Thanks, Ellis. So where's my gift?" I smirked.

"I forgot it at home." We both glared at him, and he finally sighed. "Okay, okay, I haven't gotten it yet. But the next time you're down at The Wharf, I'll buy your dinner along with everyone in your party." The Wharf was a fancy restaurant down on the Balboa peninsula. Ellis was working there until he could secure a job at one of the larger tech companies in LA.

I pretended to think the offer over. "Well… I suppose if that's all you can give… I'll take it."

He laughed and gave a mock bow. "Thank you so much for accepting my humble offer, miss. How will I ever make it up to you?"

Anna and I both laughed. We were all too used to Ellis's attitude, since the three of us spent so much time together; whether it was playing cards at Anna's and my house on a weeknight or taking trips to Knotts Berry on the weekends.

"Well I'm dancing. Anyone in?"

"When I finish my drink," Anna said. She held it out to Ellis, who took a sip and promptly disappeared into the crowd of people dancing.

I watched him go, the gears in my head turning. "I want to tell him," I said, leaning back against the bar.

"Bad call." Anna took a sip of beer. "He'll think you're crazy."

"You thought I was crazy. Before I whisked you off to Tokyo, you were threatening to call Vanessa because you thought I had heat stroke."

"That's not the point. Ellis is a lot more… serious. He won't believe it, and he'll tell people. And then more and more will find out, and the government will be knocking on your door and dragging you off to Area 51, and I'll never see you again and have to pay rent all by my lonesome."

"But what if he does find out and we haven't told him? He'll hate me forever."

Anna groaned. "Bloom."

"Anna."

She looked ready to start arguing with me, but stopped just as soon as she opened her mouth, her eyes staring at somewhere behind me. I saw them widen in a very familiar manner that told me there was either a raging fire behind me, or a very nice piece of eye candy.

"How cute?" I asked, not wanting to turn around.

She glared at me. "Just because I trail off from the conversation for a minute doesn't mean I'm looking at a cute guy."

"Scale from one to ten?"

"…Thirteen. But it doesn't matter. He's got his eyes on you, my dear."

I glanced around in my chair, looking through the crowds of dancing people and the bright lights. I didn't know what to expect; maybe Anna's usual preference of tall, blond, and ripped. But I knew it certainly wasn't what I saw.

My lips formed a small O shape as Riven, his storm-colored eyes meeting mine, smiled and lifted his bottle in a mockery of a toast. Gritting my teeth, I turned back to Anna.

"It doesn't matter either way, because he's taken. Or at least, I hope he still is, but with those two you really never know…"

Her eyebrows disappeared into her hairline. "You know him?"

"And most of the time I wish I didn't…" I sighed, nervously running my fingers through my hair a couple times. "He dated a friend of mine at school, although they were always off and on. He's not exactly the easiest person to get along with." In my head, I laughed at how much of an understatement that was.

A small smirk crossed her face. "Is this the guy you dumped a flower pot on once?"

"He started it." I rolled my eyes, finally biting the bullet and standing up. "If he's here, it can't be just because he wanted a night out. I'll be back soon. Hopefully."

"Remember, it's your twenty-first – nobody has to know what you do with him!"

"I'd rather make out with Ellis!" I shot back, heading into the crowd towards him.

Riven met me halfway, the beer bottle still in his hands. "I would like to point out that the Day of the Rose was mostly your fault," he said, having to basically yell over the noise of the club. He was dressed uncharacteristically nicely in a black button-up shirt and a pair of red jeans. I also noticed a small bag dangling on his arm, practically erupting with bright yellow tissue paper that seemed to scream 'Stella'. I wondered if she had made him bring something for me.

"Save it for someone who cares, Riv," I replied, crossing my arms over my chest and trying to pretend I couldn't feel Anna's eyes on me, watching my every move.

He stared at me for a moment, as though surprised to find I could still put up a fight against him. Then, without warning, he pulled his second un-Riven-like move of the evening and pulled me against him in a tight hug.

"Geez I missed you," he muttered against my hair (even in my heels, I was still a couple inches shorter than him). "Stella takes arguments way too seriously."

I couldn't help but laugh. "You miss our fights, or you miss not having to deal with Stella alone?"

"Shut up. You know what I mean."

I sighed quietly. "Yeah… I do."

We finally pulled away from each other and went to sit at the other end of the bar, away from most of the people. The bartender came over and asked us if we wanted anything, and Riven ordered another beer.

"You fit in here," I commented, as the bartender uncapped the bottle and set it down in front of him. "Then again, you always did strike me as the type. Though I can't say the same for Musa."

"What Musa does or doesn't do with her time has nothing to do with me anymore," he said, taking a long pull from his new beer.

I raised an eyebrow. That was surprising. "Since when?"

"Two weeks after graduation," he replied, taking another, smaller sip. He sounded like he was on autopilot – I vaguely wondered how many people he'd had to tell over the years (whenever Musa and Riven were together, they were big on the PDA).

"Did anything happen?"

"Not outside the usual stuff; I'm hard to deal with, she doesn't talk about her feelings, my temper's too short…"

I nodded. "I'm sorry. You two were good for each other."

"Maybe you should have been around to tell her that, then." Riven didn't even pause to consider the words.

If I had any slight happy feelings regarding him being here, they evaporated at that comment. "How long have you been waiting to use that one?" I asked bitterly, grabbing his beer and taking a drink of it. I then tried my best to hide my grimace – I'd never had it before, and it tasted horrible (note to self: stick with mixed drinks and wine).

That usual smirk was evident on his face. "A while, I admit. Also on the subject of making you feel guilty, here." He shoved the bag towards me. "That's from the girls. They wanted to send something when they heard I was dropping in."

"I was wondering; you don't seem like a yellow wrapping paper kind of guy." Absently, I rifled through the paper until I touched something cool, pulling out a silver charm bracelet with a variety of shapes dangling from it. They didn't all make sense together, but at the same time they did, and I could almost pick out who chose what – geometric neon beads (Tecna), flower charms (Flora), a yellow sun (Stella)…

"There's a card in there with a website," Riven added. "Tecna worked her brainy magic on it; if you hold it up to a webcam, it's supposed to play music and videos or something. All I know is that she'll kill me if I don't tell you about it."

I nodded, a tight feeling settling in my chest. "Why are you here, Riven?"

His voice held a cool sarcasm. "What, I can't celebrate the birthday of one of my closest friends? All that fame gone to your head, dear?"

A bitter laugh escaped my throat before I could stop it. "Does this–" I waved a hand, emphasizing the loud club, "–look like fame to you? I'm not a princess anymore, Riv. I'm just a regular person with friends and rent to pay and a job to go to. I would think you of all people would understand that."

He turned to face me, eyes alight with anger. "You weren't just a regular person. You were the savior of the magical dimension, everyone's hero. And then you just up and left us all. Like none of it ever happened. Do you have any idea how many conspiracy theories there are about you?"

"Let them think whatever they want. It's in the past."

"But why did you decide to put it there?"

"Why do you care?"

Riven sighed irritably. "You know why, idiot."

"Still have the hots for me? I thought that was long over."

Despite everything, a small smile appeared on his face. "No one's seen Sky since you left. Unless you count Stella, and in which case Diaspro's glued to him like a tumor."

Based on his tone, I think Riven expected me to get upset. But I just shrugged, taking another sip of his beer. "Good for him."

"You aren't mad?"

"Four years is more than enough time to fall out of love with someone, Riven. We all knew Diaspro had part of his heart anyway." We were silent for a few minutes, the club music filling in the space between us. "I had my own reasons for leaving. I don't belong in the magical dimension. And I have a good life here."

"I can see that. Your friend over there is pretty cute."

I raised an eyebrow. "And on that note, I demand you leave. The only friend of mine you get to date is Musa."

Despite his eyes temporarily darkening at Musa's name, he still nodded and stood up. "Stay in touch, kid."

"I will," I lied.

"Bull." He smirked, grabbing a pen out of his pocket and scribbling on a napkin. "But if you manage to find some dark and looming threat to the universe on this barren planet, hit me up."

I laughed. "Can do. Thanks, Riven."

He gave me another hug, though this one was more of a shoulder squeeze. "Happy birthday, Bloom."

Riven turned and disappeared into the crowd, still carrying the beer bottle. I watched him go for a moment, almost unable to help myself (that hair of his really did stand out), until even that was a blur amongst the whirling masses. Then I leaned back in my decidedly uncomfortable bar stool (was it really too much to ask for a decent place to sit?) and ordered a club soda from the bartender when he passed, not wanting to get up just yet.

I knew that as soon as I got back, there would be Anna to contend with, and her questions that I would have to answer eventually. There was no putting that girl off when she wanted to know something, a lesson I'd learned the hard way several times. But right now, I just didn't want to deal with it.

Reaching my hand down into the tissue paper-stuffed bag, I pulled out the bracelet again and slid it on, twisting my wrist back and forth and watching the charms sparkle in the strobe lights. It really is a pretty piece, I thought, admiring an intricately carved seashell charm that could have only been chosen by Layla. They obviously put a lot of effort into it…

I shook my head. No. Everything I said to Riven was completely correct – I did have good reasons to leave, and I didn't belong in the magical dimension. Not really. All the girls had been getting deemed Guardian Fairies, making plans with the boys for the rest of their lives, and had just been so happy… and then there was me. I know I should have been too (the speech Faragonda gave us at the beginning of the first year about 'accepting this great opportunity' came to mind a lot), but all I could think of was what kind of life was left for me; I didn't have a planet to go home to, and I certainly didn't feel welcome on Eraklyon, so where did that leave me?

Besides, I had a pretty good life here. Anna and Ellis had been nothing but welcoming when they'd heard of my return, and I'd been building back my relationships with Mark, Ryo, Roxy, and even Andy a little. Thanks to a glowing letter of recommendation from Klaus for the summer before freshman year that I'd worked at the Fruity Music Bar, I'd managed to land a job at one of the big name publishers in Los Angeles. I worked a lot in the illustration department, especially for children's books that involved fairies. Lately, Anna had been trying to convince me to write something based on my adventures at Alfea, but I didn't think I was ready for that yet.

I sighed and looked in the direction Riven had disappeared. Sure, my life wasn't anything 'magical' anymore, but I was happy, and the dimension was safe. Besides, I added, glancing down at the bracelet, they're all fine without me.

Right?

My eyes scanned the dancing crowds, not really paying attention to specific details; after all this time, they had started to blur together, one never-ending mass of short skirts, long limbs, people with too much alcohol and not enough inhibitions. Just as I was about to get up and face Anna, I saw something out of the corner of my eye that just about stopped my heart.

No. It can't be…

Narrowing my eyes through the flickering strobe lights (and eventually giving up and casting a quick night-vision spell; hey, nightclubs are dark places!), I focused in on a man leaning against the far wall, completely removed from all the chaos of the dance floor. Everything about him was nondescript, from his clothes – jeans and a white button-down shirt – to his hair, a brownish-red shade that was completely forgettable. But when he raised his eyes and looked my direction, my breath caught.

Quickly, I tore my gaze away, shifting in my seat to stare down at the clear Lucite of the bar, flashing different colors with the lights. Even then, I could still see them in my mind, hear a harrowingly familiar voice dragged up from the depths of my memory.

That's not possible…

Eventually, I managed to calm down, gripping the edge of the bar and taking a few deep breaths to steady myself. "You are not going crazy," I told myself, knowing that no one would be able to hear me over the music. "You've had a lot to drink. Seeing Riven probably just brought back a whole bunch of memories from junior year. It's dark in here, easy to make a mistake. You are not going crazy."

But like a glutton for punishment, I couldn't resist taking another look. What I saw this time, though, was nothing but empty wall.

See? You probably just imagined him entirely. Now stop wallowing in Memory Lane and get on with your night.

I frowned, not quite willing to put it all down as a trick of the light despite the evidence. Those eyes… I would have recognized them anywhere…

But that wasn't my life anymore, I reminded myself. I'd given up that life, where danger lurked around every corner and you never knew when a random outing could turn into a fight for your life. And I could honestly say I was happier without it.

As if to prove my point, Anna finally gave up staring at came over to the other end of the bar. "I gotta get me one of those Red Fountain guys," she muttered, taking a sip of her martini. When the drink was about halfway to her lips, she stopped and gave me an odd look. "Are you okay? You're white as a ghost."

I shook my head. "Fine. Riven showing up just has me thinking in the past, I guess. People look like other people I used to know, things like that."

"Maybe he brought a friend." She shrugged. "Some girl you used to be in a class with?"

"It wasn't a girl. And I get the feeling Riven isn't seeing anyone right now," I added, a small pang hitting my chest. I'd have to ask Musa about it, once I was sure she wouldn't hold my head in front of a bass speaker as punishment for leaving (Musa and grudges – they went together well).

Anna took a sip from her glass. "Didn't you only date one guy at school – some annoying, mopey prince who was still hung up on a blonde twig?"

"You forgot conniving," I added absently. "And no, it wasn't Sky either."

"Well then, you'll just have to tell me who you thought it was, because I don't have most of your friends' names straight."

I forced a smile and stood. "Don't worry; it's not that important anyway. Wanna go find Ellis and make sure he hasn't made a complete fool of himself?"

"Hey, let's not be too optimistic. It is Ellis, after all."

I laughed. "Good point."

Smiling, we made our way onto the dance floor in search of Ellis. I kept my eyes open, but Riven was nowhere in sight. And neither was the other man. I tried to shake it off, but the image of those eyes was glued in my mind.

Forget about it, I tried to tell myself. There's no way you actually saw what you think you saw.

Those eyes had been one in a million, and that one was long gone.

So, Authoress and I really wanted to this story updated before we had to go back to hel...uh, I mean school. And we (at least for our schools) have succeeded!

Yes, some of our old pals are back! For those of you who hang around my stories, you probably recognize Anna and Ellis from For Always and Forever. And Riven! He'll be popping up here and there throughout the story, because...come on, who doesn't love Riven? And our mystery man...he'll be back too (*evil chuckle*).

So this may seem like a complete 180 from the prologue; what do guys think? Are you excited? I hope so!

Now, sad news; Authoress starts school on Monday :-(. Hopefully this won't effect the updates too much (they shouldn't!), but I have another week before school starts, so we should be able to get some more stuff done before I have to go back too (summer, why are you so short and filled with so much Call Me Maybe?). Of course, you can motivate us by leaving words of encouragement along with your review (because you were already going to review, right ;-) )! A & I are really hoping to break the review record Leap of Faith has (124 as of right now), so every one counts!

Thanks for everyone's support so far (seriously, you guys are awesome!), and stay tuned for more!

ember & Authoress