“Sorry,” I said, joining them as I rose. “I was thinking about something.”
“I can tell.” He smiled as if he knew I’d not been paying attention. Then, he led the way out of the room and waited for me in the hallway. As the rest of the group filtered out, he stood by patiently before getting my attention again. “Do you have a few minutes? There’s something I want to discuss with you.”
“Of course.” My wings stirred, an indication of my curiosity and hopes for good news. There was far too much bad news floating around nowadays. Too many people I cared about in jeopardy.
He started walking down the hall, and I followed. I’d only been on the ship for a few days, so the layout remained unfamiliar, especially since all the hallways seemed the same, but I soon recognized the way to the mess hall.
We ate our meals there: a small, low-ceilinged room with no windows that smelled like burnt oil and sharp spices. Though small, it was also the largest area in the ship, a place where people tended to gather during free moments. I was curious why Vaughn would take me there. We’d had breakfast, and lunch was hours away. Also, I’d thought that maybe he wanted to be alone again. But nothing like that could happen in such a public setting.
Vaughn stopped outside the mess hall’s double doors and turned to me, a smile creeping up on his face.
“What is it?” I asked.
His smile grew even bigger. “You’ll see.”
Then, he pushed the doors open and stepped through.
I blinked rapidly, trying to take in what I was seeing.
The mess hall had been transformed into my home.
Where a boring cafeteria once was, a magical faerie land now presided. Tall trees lined the walls, and their branches made up the ceiling. Faerie lights danced in the bows and dripped from the leaves. On the ground, moss, and lichen, along with smooth pebbles, ran in decorative swirls and patterns just as they had near the Home Tree back in Faerie.
At the back, so quiet I barely noticed them, stood my friends. Charlie, Rowan, Disha, Bridget, Ronnie, Becca, Antonio, and Regina watched me, waiting for my reaction.
But Bridget couldn’t be quiet any longer. “Surprise,” she yelled, jumping out from the crowd. “Happy birthday, Tally!”
“Happy birthday, Tally,” the rest of them echoed.
“Birthday?” I turned to Vaughn.
He gazed down on me with that same warm expression. “So, I’ve heard that on Faerie you don’t celebrate the day of your birth like we do here, but that doesn’t mean we should miss important occasions. I didn’t know when your birthday was, but I asked the dean and she did some digging. They think you were born in September which was like, three weeks ago.”
Charlie stepped forward, her hands clasped behind her back. “So we’re a bit late. Sorry.”
“We’ll make up for it,” said Disha, excitedly clapping her hands.
Then the three witches began to cast.
Spells swirled around, shooting colored lights in the air. Music began to play, a jaunty faerie tune we’d used for celebrations back home. At a table along one wall, faerie food appeared: globe grapes dipping in honey, meaty cakes cooked to perfection, a roasted goose that smelled amazing, and sugary treats on sticks like they’d served at court.
Bridget’s spells centered around decorations. Balloons appeared and more faerie lights. The trees swayed and the pebbled path rearranged itself into complex patterns. Soon, she conjured what looked like live animals, until Disha put her hand on Bridget’s shoulder and told her to, “knock it off.”
It was truly magical. To think they’d done all this for me.
“Do you like it?” Vaughn leaned close, speaking in my ear so I could hear over the music and clamor.
“Like it? It’s… I…” Blinking, I stared up into his entrancing green eyes. “Did you do all this for me?”
“We all did it together,” he said, taking my hand. “I wanted to give you something special after all you did for me.”
I let my fingers twine with his, my pale skin against his bronze hues. “You saved my life. What did I do for you?”
“Tally, I have to confess something. I was ready to give up from the poison coursing through my system, but then I heard your voice...” He dropped his eyes to our joined hands. “Your words pulled me through. I came back because of you. You gave me the strength I needed.”
My heart swelled. “Vaughn.”
He pulled me into an embrace, and it felt so right being there in his arms, as much like coming home as the decorations around me.
A high-pitched whistle sounded through the room. Vaughn pulled away, blushing as Bridget giggled. “Get a room, you two. Wait, not yet. We need to par-tay!” She shot streamers out of her hands.
I laughed, unable to stop myself. Then, I let them drag me into a circle where we danced and sang and ate until our stomachs couldn’t take it anymore.
Finally, exhausted, we sat on the ground in a few raged circles, patting our bellies and sighing.
“That was amazing,” I said to the witches. “Thank you.”
Hearing this, Becca, who sat with Ronnie, Antonio, and Regina, leaned in. “I helped. So did Ronnie.”
He gave a short wave and then put another sugary treat in his mouth. He’d had at least seven, and I was starting to grow concerned.
“Thanks, you two,” I said. “Thank you, everyone. I only wish I could do something for you.”
Regina stood up, brushing invisible grime from her white pants. “You saved our lives, like, a bunch of times, so… I think we’re even.”
Antonio stood with Regina. Those two always traveled together now. “You deserve this, Tally.” He offered me a vampire smile, something so rare and fleeting I wasn’t sure I’d even seen it.
As the two of them went to leave, a wave of raw and unexpected gratefulness struck me so deeply that tears welled in my eyes.
Vaughn noticed and scooted in close. “What is it? Did it make you too homesick? I was worried it might.”
I shook my head, trying to keep the tears at bay. “I… I haven’t had a family since my parents died. Nothing since the house at the Academy and even that was temporary.” I blinked through my tears, glancing from each face, all these non-faeries who did so much work to throw me this party. “It’s just nice to have all of you.” I wished Sinasre, Bael, and Daniella could be here, too.
“We feel the same way,” Charlie said, tossing a lock of dark hair over her shoulder. “Come on.” She gestured to the rest of her crew. “We can clean this up later. Let’s give Vaughn and Tally some time alone.”
Everyone left but not before some hugs and well wishes. The warm feeling in my chest grew until my whole body tingled with it. It had been true what I’d said. I hadn’t had a real family since my own had been killed and yet, somehow, I’d found this strange group and felt at home.
And Vaughn was a huge part of that.
He pulled me into another embrace, and I softened into his body, letting the hard planes of his chest and abs align with the softer parts of mine. Nestling into his warmth, I felt myself sinking in, basking in his affection, wishing the world would just stand still in this moment forever.
He seemed to be thinking the same thing. “No matter what happens, I want to remember this moment.” He stroked my hair lovingly and sighed.