Page 36 of Lifebound

“Because hewasn’tof age when he fell sick,” Helid said, and something came over his eyes. They darkened all of a sudden.

Like he was afraid.

That made me keep my mouth shut for a little while. We just walked in silence, and I had to keep my eyes ahead because any time I focused on trees or branches, my brain tried to make me believe that they were snakes, slithering fast, coming to bite me again. I couldn’t afford to be afraid of snakes right now on top of everything, so I just didn’t look.

The night was warm enough that my shirt stuck to my back. I shouldn’t have taken my leather jacket at all, I thought, but it was still chilly when I was standing in one place—and who knew what it would be like in another realm?

“Mr. Dune told me that your mother died, too, a long time ago,” Helid suddenly said, and it was like he slapped me across the face.

“Yes.”

“And the girl with the blue hair—is she your friend?

“Yes. Why?”

“Only curious. Are you betrothed? Maybe being pursued by someone?”

I’d read enough books to know exactly what he meant. “Boyfriend. You can just ask if I have a boyfriend.”

“Do you?”

“No.” I’d only ever had one, and I was pretty sure our situation had been more of a friends-with-benefits type. His name was Caleb and he lived with his grandmother—Mrs. Alfie three streets down from mine—for three years before he moved back with his dad somewhere in California. I’d lost my virginity to him when I was sixteen and we’d used each other for sex for the better part of a year before he left. It wasn’t dates and flowers and sweet texts. It was more,free tonight?to which we replied with a yes or no, and we knew to meet in his grandmother’s summerhouse behind her house after ten p.m., which was when she slept.

It had worked. I’d never wanted a boyfriend, just someone I could explore with, someone to fill me with physical pleasure for a while. And, of course, Caleb hadn’t been interested in dating the town’scuckoo,so it had never even been a conversation to begin with.

When he left, I’d been a bit relieved.

And I’ll admit, while deciding to move away from this town these past few months, I was actually looking forward to meeting someone I could have sex with, someone who didn’t know me, someone who had no idea I was acuckooto someone else. I’d even gotten all hot and excited at the idea, but now…

“What you did back there,” I found myself saying as we went. “Showing people the butterflies. Thank you.”

Because now that I had calmed down halfway, I was realizing what it meant. I was realizing that those people had actually seen this man with their own eyes, and they’d seen the butterflies made of light. They’d seenmagic,exactly like I told them.

Now, they would all finally admit that I hadn’t lied, and God, my life would be so different. Fi’s life would be so different, and Dad’s too.

Everythinghad changed back home in the time it took me to have a hush-hush conversation with Betty hidden behind a tree.

“You’re very welcome. I’d have done more if you hadn’t asked me to stop,” Helid said. “Your sister told me about the struggles you’ve had in the town. It was only fair.”

Fair. That was a word I never really believed in.

“I appreciate it,” I told Helid anyway because maybe Fi wouldn’t be bullied at school anymore. Maybe she’d even make a friend now. Maybe she’d make a few friends by the time I came back.

And Dad could actually find a job as an engineer, and he wouldn’t have to get into fist fights with anyone ever again.

“I am happy to help.”

The weight I’d carried on my shoulders for so, so long now suddenly lightened a bit—and it had taken so little! My whole life of trying to convince people, and it had taken so little from this man to change everything.

I looked at Helid’s profile, his pointy ears and his sharp nose. He was indeed beautiful, and his hands no longer glowed like the butterflies that guided our way. It made me curious.

“How does it work exactly? Yourmagic.How do you make those look so real?”

“That’s simply an illusion,” Helid said. “A bend of light and manipulation of the senses—that’s all it is.” And again, he waved a hand andmorebutterflies sprouted out of his fingers, but not just that. Small birds made out of lights, and fireflies bigger than real ones spread about the trees and the branches, chasing one another while I watched, completely stunned in place.

Real.All of that looked so damn real.

“But how? Where does it come from? How does it work?”

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