Darian
The next few days that we spent together were – to use the clichéd term – pure bliss. There was nothing to stop us from being happy. We were free to feel however we wanted about each other.
Jack brought on yet another snowmageddon, so I was home from school for the entire week. We stayed up all that first night, reveling in each other's company, and early the next morning, Miranda showed up at the house. Mom had left to try and grab some groceries before the rest of the panicked town picked the store clean, and Dad was working from his computer in the study, so it was left up to me to run down the stairs and answer the door.
"I'm coming!" I shouted as she rang the doorbell over and over impatiently. As soon as I unlocked the front door, she threw it open and burst into the room, sending me stumbling backwards a few paces.
"I saw the snow, and I just thought that he might be…" She trailed off as Jack flew up next to me and offered her a small wave. "So does this mean…are you two…?" she stammered. "Is everything good?"
"Yeah," I answered softly. Jack smiled and moved to hold my hand. I stiffened at the touch, not because it was cold, but because of how new the feeling was, but in the end, I returned the small gesture. This brief interaction did not go unnoticed by Miranda, and she grinned from ear to ear.
"Finally!" she exclaimed, and she ran forward to wrap the two of us in a crushing hug.
The three of us spent the day building snowmen and having snowball fights, and even though it was usually Miranda and I against Jack (the two of us were hopelessly outmatched), I could have sworn that she tripped me more than once after I accidentally slipped on ice and Jack was kind enough to pause the fight to help me back to my feet and brush me off. After the fifth time this happened, I shot her an angry, knowing glare, but I was blushing so badly that Miranda couldn't take me seriously.
At the end of the day, after eating dinner with my family, my mom offered for Miranda to spend the night, but she refused while casting me a suggestive wink that I didn't fully understand until I walked her to the door. "I figure you and Jack will be wantin' some alone time," she explained in a hushed voice so that Jack, who was hovering nearby, wouldn't hear. "But don't think I won't be wanting all the juicy details later."
I turned a vibrant tomato red, and without another word, Miranda turned and left, laughing all the way to her car.
That night, after spending the whole day outside in the cold, Jack and I decided to stay in my room instead of going out flying. I started the next Star Wars movie on my laptop for Jack to watch while I curled up next to him with the next book in my stack, and we stayed like that for several hours until he had finished the original trilogy. "Well, now what?" Jack wondered, jolting me out of my book.
I shrugged. "Pick out another movie, I guess." Jack drifted from my side to my shelf and began perusing the titles.
"Is Harry Potter any good? I've seen a lot about it, but I haven't watched it."
"It's the best," I told him.
"Eight movies though? I'm not sure I want to start that tonight," he said hesitantly. "Any other ideas?"
"Read a book?" I suggested, nodding towards the stack beside my bed.
Jack cast the books a skeptical glance before floating back to his place beside me. "What are you reading now?"
"Pride and Prejudice," I replied. "I've been on a bit of a Jane Austen kick, lately."
"What's it about?"
"Oh, I'm not sure you'd really enjoy it, Jack."
"Why not?"
"Because I know you," I said. "It would bore you to sleep within the hour."
"I bet you it wouldn't. Why don't you read me some of it and find out who's right?"
"Why don't you read it yourself?" I asked.
"Eh, I prefer movies to books, to be honest. I've never really enjoyed reading. Besides, if it's you telling me the story, I'm sure to pay attention," he answered.
I hid my blush behind the book as I relented and turned back to the first page. I cleared my throat and read, "It is a truth universally acknowledged…"
In the end, I won. He fell asleep with his head on my shoulder. I closed the book, and it suddenly occurred to me how rare this must be. Jack had told me that Immortals didn't need to sleep, and the way he explained things, it sounded like he hardly ever chose to. I wondered how comfortable and relaxed he must be around me to allow himself to be so vulnerable, when for me, falling asleep around him had mostly been involuntary. I leaned my head against his and quickly followed his example.
When we woke up the next morning, Jack looked at me, slightly embarrassed and admitted, "I guess you win."
I resisted the urge to say "I told you so" and instead told him, "I bet the Harry Potter books are more your speed."
"Wait, I thought those were movies."
"They are, but they were books first," I explained. "I'll tell you what. When you finish reading the books, we can spend a weekend having a Harry Potter movie marathon. What do you say?"
Jack agreed to those terms, and again, instead of going out flying, we stayed inside, and I brought out my entire set of Harry Potter for him to read. He picked up the well-loved, slightly battered, dog-eared first book and began reading, and I continued with more of Jane Austen's works. It was the quietest night we ever spent together, though every once in a while, Jack would gasp at something that happened in the story or turn to me to ask a question, and this went on until both of us fell asleep again, still clutching our books.
The next night, we did go out flying. This time, it was my turn to point out certain locations around town and tell animated stories about what I had done in those places, and when that was done, he dove down low over the lake again for some fun, leaving a thin trail of ice in his wake. We stayed out until I was nodding off on his shoulder, and I actually did fall asleep on the way back home, and Jack had to switch positions so that he was carrying me to make sure that I wouldn't accidentally slip off his back. When I woke up late the next morning, I found Jack still awake, finishing up the last chapter of Sorcerer's Stone.
I looked at him, looked at my clock, and then looked at my calendar and realized that tomorrow was Valentine's Day. I pointed this out to Jack once he had set the book down, and he suddenly smacked his forehead. "What's wrong?" I asked.
"I completely lost track of time! I'm going to have to head off tonight to help prepare for the Valentine's Day party with the Guardians," Jack explained.
"Oh," I said, a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to spend that one day with him, though his reaction immediately made me feel guilty about it.
"Of course, there's nowhere I'd rather be than here with you!" he said quickly, noticing my sour tone.
"Don't say that, Jack. Guardian business always comes first. I know that," I assured him.
Jack smirked. "You know, you could act a little more selfishly when it comes to wanting to spend time with me. I really wouldn't mind." He gave me a quick peck on the cheek, and I blushed and looked away. "You're too good for your own good."
I wanted to protest against that, but I knew that that was not an argument I really wanted to have at that moment, so I switched to a more lighthearted topic. "Let's do something fun today," I suggested.
"Were we not having fun for the past few days?" Jack teased. I gave him a light, playful shove.
"I bought some red velvet cake mix to make cupcakes for the Seussical cast for Valentine's. School and rehearsal have been cancelled, but I thought it might still be fun to bake them. We can even call Miranda! She loves doing stuff like this," I said.
"Sounds like a plan!"
I had slept in my clothes that night, so I ran to take a relaxing shower and changed into a different sweater before calling Miranda, who drove over to my house within the hour, bringing with her an extra box of cake mix, a tub of frosting purely for eating, and a large shaker of heart-shaped sprinkles.
Knowing that between Jack and Miranda things were going to get messy, I donned a large apron and rolled up my sleeves. It was almost pointless. They managed to start a miniature snowball fight indoors by hurling tiny globs of frosting at each other. I stood between them, trying to mix the batter, and I often got caught in the crossfire. I ended up with frosting clumping in sections of my hair, and I wondered why I even bothered to shower that morning.
More hijinks ensued when we tried to pour the batter. Jack kept stealing the wrappers to wear as hats just to be silly and make me laugh, and Miranda started up a new food fight by sticking her finger in the batter and flicking it at everybody. Jack joined in almost immediately, and I couldn't help but do the same after some of the batter splattered across my cheek.
Finally, we got the cupcakes in the oven and settled down a bit to scrape what was left of the batter from the bottom of the bowl, which didn't take too long, and Miranda complained about what little she got to taste.
"Well, I'm sure we could have saved more if you hadn't started throwing it around the kitchen," I told her.
"It was worth it to see the look on your face," she replied with a smile.
"Look at me! I'm a mess!" I cried, holding up a frosting covered curl.
Jack suddenly snuck up behind me then and kissed me on the cheek, right where I had been struck by batter, much to my embarrassment. "Yes," he agreed, "but a sweet one."
Whatever face I made then, it was funny enough to send Miranda rolling off the couch from laughter, and I took my spoon up like a weapon and started chasing Jack around and around the room, which only made her howl louder.
When the cupcakes were ready to be frosted, no one bothered with pranks, possibly because we were all holding knives and didn't feel like tempting the Fates, which Jack had, on one occasion, assured me were real. Between the three of us, we got the job done in under ten minutes. As a reward, we each ate a cupcake as a sort of late lunch, toasting them to our success.
We decided that we were going to spend the rest of the afternoon outside, and while Jack flew off to make sure there was enough snow in the backyard to play, Miranda and I went to pull on our coats and boots. "It looks like you two are gettin' along really well," Miranda remarked.
"Yeah, I guess so," I said, trying to sound nonchalant about it, trying to sound as if my heart didn't pound every time he looked at me, as if I never got lost in his eyes, as if it were the most normal thing in the world for me to become so close to another person.
"So, you guys are actually an item now?"
"It seems that way." Actually, I hadn't really thought about it like that. I had just been so happy to finally be together with Jack that I hadn't considered the labels. I almost laughed, wondering how Jack would react to me calling him my boyfriend. Then again, how would I react to hearing him call me his girlfriend?
"Have you kissed yet?" she asked mischievously. I must have turned an alarming shade of red because she didn't wait for me to answer. "You have!"
"You just saw…downstairs…" I stammered.
"I meant on the lips, and you know it." Miranda smirked triumphantly. "When did it happen? Did he kiss you or did you kiss him? Was it good?"
"Miranda, stop!" I hissed, as if I expected Jack to suddenly burst in on our conversation. "Yes, okay, we kissed, but for your information, it wasn't the first time."
"Details!" she squealed.
"Burgess. Christmas Eve. Mistletoe," I explained quickly, hoping that would satisfy her.
She walked over and shook me by the shoulders. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you would turn it into a big deal," I answered.
"Because it is a big deal! Wasn't it your first kiss?"
Thankfully, I was saved from having to answer this by Jack flying back inside to us and asking, "What's taking so long?"
"Oh, you know, girl talk," Miranda replied vaguely, and she finally let the conversation drop. Jack took one look at my burning cheeks and wisely decided not to inquire about it any further, and the three of us headed outside for some fun until the sky grew dim and Miranda had to head home.
I went back inside for dinner and afterwards packed a couple of cupcakes in a box before heading upstairs to meet Jack on the balcony, where we could talk freely without my parents suspecting anything.
"Do I really want to know what you and Miranda were talking about?" he asked.
"No."
"Okay." He paused for a beat. "Were you talking about me?"
"Jack!" I said in a warning tone, and he let the topic drop.
"I guess I should be heading off soon. We're hosting the party at the Tooth Palace. Cupid likes the scenery there the best," Jack said.
"Really? I would have thought that he would prefer the Warren from how you described it to me. I mean, a meadow in eternal Spring just seems like the type of place for a holiday celebrating new love, at least to me."
"Well, there are more hiding places at the Tooth Palace," Jack explained.
"What's that got to do with anything?"
"This is the one party out of the year where Cupid is encouraged to carry around his weapon and fire it off at whomever he sees fit, and the couples who are hit by the arrows tend to want to be alone for a while."
"Oh," I said, turning red again as I caught his meaning. "Have you ever been hit by one of his arrows?" It seemed strange to me that I was not using this sentence as a metaphor, and even stranger that I was starting to get used to stuff like this.
"No, I'm too fast for him," he replied. "Why do you ask?"
"No reason!" I insisted with a blush, and I decided to change the subject. I shoved the box of cupcakes into his hands. "Here. I thought maybe you'd want to take some back to the Guardians."
"O-oh…right…thanks," he stammered awkwardly before adding, "I should probably let you know that I actually haven't told them about you…about us. Well, except Tooth, but she just sort of figured it out on her own."
"Okay," I said with a shrug. "You don't have to tell them the cupcakes are from me if you don't want to. Just out of curiosity, though, why haven't you told them?"
"I don't know. The way Tooth acts sometimes when I bring it up makes me think that it might be better off as a secret from the other Immortals. At least, for now. You don't mind, do you?" he asked, somewhat nervously.
"Of course not," I told him. "Besides, I'm still trying to get used to the whole 'Immortals are real' thing. The last thing I need at the moment is a whole bunch of them in my face."
"That's fair," Jack agreed. "I guess you haven't really had the best experiences with us, have you?"
"Well, they haven't all been bad," I admitted with a half-smile. "You're pretty great."
"Yeah, I guess I am," he joked, and I punched him lightly on the shoulder. We laughed together for a moment before Jack began with a sly grin, "So…"
"What?"
"What were you two talking about earlier?" he said.
"Nothing!" I insisted.
"It didn't look like nothing."
I hung my head, knowing that he wasn't going to let this go, and I giggled, "She was just asking if we had kissed or not!"
"Oh," Jack said simply. "Is that all?"
"Well, it's Miranda, so she was also asking for details, wanting to know who kissed who and whether or not it was good."
"And what did you tell her?" he asked, leaning forward with a playful grin.
"Actually, I never answered," I replied, matching his movement.
"What would you have said?"
"Oh, I don't know," I teased. "You were my first kiss, so it's not like I have much to compare it to, and I can't quite remember…"
Jack took the hint and cut me off by pulling me close and kissing me again, this time lacking any of the shyness and hesitance we had before. My brain completely shorted out, time seemed to slip away, and the only thing I was aware of was how warm I felt despite how cold his lips were against mine. When we parted, I was dizzy and short of breath, and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out how to wipe that stupid grin off my face.
"That was good," I breathed. "Great, actually. Definitely great."
Jack smiled and flew off, and I drifted back to my room in somewhat of a daze, hardly aware of how numb my feet were from the cold. I collapsed happily on my bed and sighed to myself, "Happy Valentine's Day."
Jack
I practically threw the box of cupcakes at the Guardians when I arrived. I was a little late, so they had already started decorating the Palace without me. "Gift from Jamie," I lied as they all took a short break to dig into the cupcakes, all except Tooth, of course, who wasn't one for sweets.
"And where have you been?" Bunny inquired around a mouthful of cupcake.
"After all this time, you still haven't noticed that I never show up on time for anything? Come on, Kangaroo, I thought we were friends! It's like you don't even know me at all," I teased, hovering just out of his reach.
"I meant where have you been these past few weeks? Hardly anyone's seen you since the Christmas party!" he said. Tooth looked away nervously and busied herself with giving instructions to the smaller fairies.
"Oh, you know. I've been around bringing snow and joy to children," I replied.
"We saw," Bunny deadpanned.
"Georgia does not appear very joyful," North added
"Aw, come on! Those kids haven't had a snow day in years! How was I supposed to know that it would cause a state of emergency?"
"Just be careful," Tooth warned quietly, not eager to jump into the conversation.
I shrugged. "Whatever. Let's get decorating!"
I grabbed a chain of paper hearts and flew up high to hang them. Bunny and North covered the ground, where most of the party would be held away from the busy tooth fairies, while Tooth, Sandy, and I, the Guardians who could fly, took care of all of the hanging decorations. As we flitted about, trying to get the massive space ready in time, Tooth managed to maneuver herself so that she was hanging streamers right next to me, allowing us to speak without the others overhearing.
"You're in a good mood," she commented, taking note of how I was humming to myself. (It happened to be one of Darian's solos in Seussical. They had a way of getting stuck in your head.)
"Why wouldn't I be?"
"It's just that you normally hate this holiday. If I remember correctly, no less than five admirers tried to stick you with one of Cupid's arrows that he left lying around the party last year, and he did nothing to discourage them. I would expect you to be sulking in a corner by now, or perhaps trying to find a hiding place where even couples wouldn't go," Tooth explained.
"I've just had a good day, okay? And nothing – not this holiday, not this party, not even Cupid – is going to ruin it for me," I insisted. "Besides, maybe it's about time I got into the Valentine's Day spirit!"
Tooth only frowned at this. Looking both ways to make sure Sandy wasn't nearby, she asked in a low voice, "Does this have anything to do with –"
"Yes!" I interrupted. "It has everything to do with Darian!" Tooth shushed me angrily as I raised my voice.
"I'm guessing everything worked out?" Her tone did not imply that this was a good thing, but I chose to ignore that.
"Even better than you said it would!" I exclaimed in a hushed voice. "We're great! Perfect, even! There's nothing in between us now."
"What about mortality? Wasn't she worried about that?"
"Eh," I dismissed, "we'll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess."
Tooth looked at me skeptically but decided not to say anything else. She zoomed off to handle a few of her fairies, and I didn't see her for the rest of the day.
After we finished decorating, Mrs. Claus arrived with the party refreshments. She was the sole caterer to this party as well after that unfortunate first year where most of the treats were spiked with a love potion of some sort. It had been chaos. And to think if Tooth hadn't been there to knock that chocolate out of my hand…I shuddered when I considered what might have happened.
I flew down to sample one of her heart-shaped sugar cookies, but she saw me coming and was too fast for me. My hand was smacked away before I could even touch one. "Now, Jack, we must save some for when the other guests arrive," she scolded. I rolled my eyes, and she flashed me a mischievous grin. "That's why I made a few extras to tide you over until then." Mrs. Claus held a small box of cookies out to me, and I took it gratefully, spitting out my thanks as fast as I could before I flew off.
Tooth was right, though. I really should have thought more about finding a hiding place. I jumped around the Palace while munching on my cookies, searching for a spot that would least likely be invaded. I could always just hang out with the mini fairies, where their numbers would prevent couples from approaching, but it would also leave me out in plain sight, where I could easily be struck by a stray or stolen arrow. I came to the conclusion that the best option was really to run for it as soon as etiquette allowed me to and play it by ear for the rest of the party.
As the holiday came to a close and the party only just began, several Immortals started to trickle in, traveling by all sorts of methods – pegasi, portal, teleportation, and flight, to name a few. I spotted two other seasonal spirits like myself, but these two represented specific months. April, a slight girl with long silvery hair that appeared to be no older than Jamie, walked alongside July, an older girl with shimmering blonde curls and sun-kissed skin. I knew well to avoid these Immortals, especially the strong-willed July, who was usually the main conspirator with Cupid. Honestly, she kind of scared me.
Unfortunately, as one of the hosts, I had to at least be there to greet the guests as they walked in, so reluctantly, I floated down to exchange polite greetings. At least there was no real danger until Cupid arrived. July waved as soon as she saw me, dragging April along by the arm. I hardly heard anything she had to say, but I nodded and pretended to follow along, all the while wishing Darian was there to help me out of this.
Several more guests had arrived before July finished talking about…well, whatever it was she was talking about, and finally, the guest of honor: Cupid arrived to much applause after another successful holiday and toasts to what was to come in the next year. "Jack!" he called out to me, pushing July aside. He moved forward as if to embrace me, but I backed away.
"I'm sorry," I said, "but you're not coming anywhere near me with those things." Already, July was eyeing Cupid's arrows enviously.
"Fair enough," he conceded. "Although, I wouldn't worry about them much, if I were you." Before I could wonder what the heck he meant by that, he continued, "How have you been? Anything exciting happen lately?" Cupid raised an eyebrow suggestively, leaving little doubt as to what he meant by "exciting," but he couldn't know about Darian, right?
"Nope," I replied simply.
"You're holding out on me, buddy," he said. July was looking nervously between the two of us while I was wondering when I had become Cupid's "buddy." The first full conversation we'd had was at the last Christmas party, and I had done my best to avoid him, then.
"No, I don't think I am. Have a nice party!" With that, I retreated to a hidden perch, where I could still keep an eye on the party unfolding below without being noticed right away.
It went exactly as I expected it. All of the guests filled up on food and drink (I snatched a few desserts now and then), and while some chose to dance or chat with old friends, most gathered around Cupid to hear about his adventures before launching into a series of games that always resulted in someone getting an arrow through the chest.
One game involved all willing Immortals to gather in a circle around Cupid while he was blindfolded and spun around until dizzy. He fired off arrows at random in a magical version of spin the bottle, and the oddly-matched couples would wander away after being struck until there was no one left. I was told that this was all in the name of fun, but I honestly didn't understand it.
Sometimes, he would take requests if an Immortal desired a specific partner for the evening, and this event was what most often led to me being hunted throughout the Palace, but oddly enough, neither Cupid nor anyone else approached my hiding spot, and I was left in peace until the conclusion of the party.
I floated back down once everyone had finally left save for Cupid and the Guardians, who were all toasting to another fabulous year while Mrs. Claus began cleaning up. I sat down just as Cupid was finishing a tale of one of his many great feats.
"So, these two coworkers have never spoken the entire time they worked in the same building, but I've had my eye on these two for a while, you see, and I just knew they'd be perfect for each other! Just yesterday, they finally ran into each other, and I mean ran into each other. I think the girl was late for a meeting or something. Anyway, papers are flying, and they both get down on the floor to pick up, but their hands meet in the middle and zing! I fired two arrows off at the same time, and now they're going out for drinks again tonight."
The Guardians awarded him with thunderous applause at the end of the story. I, for one, was just glad it was over. Cupid finally noticed me sitting there and gestured warmly towards me, as if I was a kindred spirit. "Oh, but enough about me! I'm much more interested in hearing Jack's story!" he exclaimed.
"What do you mean?" I asked warily.
"Don't be so modest, Jack! None of your adoring fans are here to be disappointed."
"Sorry, what? My what?" Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Tooth begin to fidget anxiously.
"You can't lie to me. I have a sense about these kinds of things, you know. I've been keeping an eye on you ever since the Christmas party, and I know for a fact that you were making out with a pretty little mortal girl just the other night!" Cupid announced.
Several things happened at once. Tooth gasped but threw up a hand to hide it while keeping her violet eyes fixed on me. I was pretty sure North swore in Russian, or was that just another name of a composer? I could never tell. Bunny was looking wildly between me and Cupid, as if wondering what to believe. Mrs. Claus dropped something in shock. And a large exclamation mark formed over Sandy's head.
"What the devil is he talking about?" Bunny shouted at me, and the exclamation point over Sandy's head shifted into a question mark.
"Sorry, was that supposed to be a secret?" Cupid asked innocently.
I managed to force what I hoped sounded like a lighthearted laugh. "Nothing, guys! It's nothing!" Tooth tried to laugh along with me, but it came out sounding so fake and awkward that everyone ended up staring at her, at which point she promptly shut up. "And if I did kiss a human, not that I'm saying I did, what would be the harm in it?"
North pondered this for a moment before calmly saying, "Nothing, really, if it was just a kiss."
"Nothing? Nothing! You all keep saying "nothing," but with Jack, it's always something!" Bunny yelled, leaping to his feet and pointing at me.
"Yes, Jack may be prone to making rash decisions, but he is also the Guardian of Fun. He tends to do what he believes to be fun on a whim, and most people consider kissing to be fun," North said, casting a wink over at Mrs. Claus. "As long as the kiss didn't mean something, it could be nothing."
"That's right," Tooth added unnecessarily. I shot her a glare to let her know that she was not helping, but otherwise kept up a smiling façade, pretending to all the world that my kiss with Darian wasn't everything.
Cupid still watched me suspiciously. "You know, there is a way to be sure," he told everyone, drawing an arrow from his quiver. I exchanged a horrified glance with Tooth.
"I'm not sure I like where this is going," I said, jumping to my feet and slowly backing away from Cupid as he pulled back on his bow. "Guys?" I looked over at my friends pleadingly.
"This should be good," Bunny sneered. North only nodded thoughtfully while Sandy even appeared excited. Tooth was the only one who looked as terrified as I felt.
"Don't worry, Jack. This won't hurt a bit," Cupid assured me as the arrow left the bow and rocketed towards me. I flew up and out of the way, landing in a nearby tree as the arrow sailed into the pond.
"How come I don't believe you?" I called down to him.
"This would all go over smoothly if you would just cooperate!" he shouted, sounding somewhat angry as he fired off another arrow. This one narrowly missed my ear and buried itself in a branch behind me. "Just stay still!"
"Now, why would I want to do that?" Despite my panic, I knew that I needed to keep up my banter, or the Guardians might suspect that something was wrong. It seemed to be working so far. North was laughing, at least.
I shot out of the tree, and Cupid flew along behind me, making it seem to rain arrows. I perched on a small ledge on the cliff face as he took aim again. "What are you so afraid of?" he asked. I rolled to the side as yet another arrow whizzed past and lodged in the rock beside me.
"Arrows, obviously!" I replied. "I'll see you next year!" I flew off as fast as I could, circling around the Palace a few times until I was absolutely certain that I had lost Cupid, who wasn't nearly as fast as I was. I eventually came to rest at the empty Antarctica tower, far from where I had left the Guardians, though I could still hear their laughter echoing off the cliffs. I leaned against the golden railing to catch my breath and steady myself after such a close call.
Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my back, followed shortly after by a pleasant warmth that spread throughout my body and seemed to muddle my thoughts. What had I just been so worried about? And why was I in the Tooth Palace? I wasn't where I needed to be. I needed to be with-
Someone forced me to turn around, and I came face-to-face with Tooth, who held one of Cupid's arrows in her hand. "Tooth!" I exclaimed in disbelief.
"Anything?" she asked desperately, searching my face and trying to make sense of my confused expression.
"Why did you stab me with that arrow, Tooth?" I wondered, not certain of what she wanted from me. I wanted to leave. I wanted to fly out of there and all the way back to Georgia. She was waiting for me there. How could I keep her waiting?
Tooth's face fell. "Then, it really is true," she sighed.
"What is?" I was getting very frustrated that no one was giving me answers. I couldn't stay here for too long, and she was holding me back!
Cupid flew in right then, only adding to my agitation. "What happened?"
"The arrow didn't work," Tooth replied, handing it back to him.
"Interesting," he murmured, turning it over in his hands. "Jack, was Tooth the first person you saw after you got hit with this arrow?"
"What does it matter? I need to go," I said impatiently, preparing to take off, but Cupid flew out in front of me.
"Jack, this is very important. Was Tooth the first person you saw?" he repeated slowly, like I was some disobedient child.
"Yes," I groaned, rolling my eyes. "There's no one else up here, is there?"
"And you don't think that maybe she looks more attractive than usual?"
I glanced over my shoulder at Tooth, who was blushing and couldn't meet my eye. I shrugged. "She looks like she always has. Can I go now? There's someone I need to see." I tried to push my way past the cherub.
"Who?" Cupid inquired.
"Darian," I answered. The name had left my lips before I was even aware of what I was doing, and it shocked me into stunned silence.
Cupid asked another question. "Who was the first person you thought about after the arrow hit you?"
"Darian," I said again in a quieter voice as I came to realize that something wasn't quite right here. I tried to fight my way through the arrow's fog, to resist that inexplicable urge to fly off right then and there. It felt as if there was some invisible force drawing me to her, and it was almost painful to resist, but I knew that I must, at least for a few moments more. "Wait, that's not…I should have fallen in love with Tooth, right?"
Cupid nodded and motioned for me to sit down. I really didn't want to, but I did anyway. Tooth joined us on my other side, but she still couldn't seem to look at me. "My arrows don't cause love," Cupid explained. "They create a brief infatuation with the first person they see after being shot; however, this doesn't always work. True love is something much stronger than infatuation, so if I shoot someone who is already in love with someone else –"
"Nothing happens," I continued.
"Not exactly. The arrow causes the person to think of whom they love. Actually, they become a little obsessive until the arrow wears off after a few hours," Cupid corrected me.
My eyes widened as I realized the implications of this. "So, when I got hit with the arrow, and I thought of Darian…that must mean - !"
"You're in love with her," Tooth finished for me.
"This…" I stood up and started pacing anxiously back and forth. "This is…this is great! I'm in love with Darian! I have to go tell her!" Again, my thoughts grew clouded by some unbeatable elation, and all I wanted to do was be at Darian's side. I started to fly off, but Tooth grabbed me by the wrist and held me back.
"No, it's not great!" she scolded. "She is a human, Jack. You are an Immortal, a Guardian!"
"I don't care!" I shouted, wrenching my hand from her grasp and shoving her back towards the ground. It registered somewhere in the back of my mind that I must have hurt her, but I didn't care about that, either. There was only one person I cared about, only one person I loved.
Darian.
(Hey guys! Sorry I disappeared again there. I know I do that a lot, but I promise I'm still working on this story for those of you who still put up with me and read it. I've written a few chapters ahead, and I'm really excited for where it's going, but for now, have some well-deserved fluff. Until next time, whenever that may be!)
