Chapter Text
The dull sound of her phone buzzing in a tangle of sheets is what woke Blondie up first. She opened her eyes to darkness and the lingering smell of scented candles. This was definitely not her bedroom; her bed faced the windows where the sunlight could filter gently though blue, sheer curtains, and warm her face as she greeted the day.
She was also sore in the distinct way that came from sleeping in someone else’s bed. It wasn’t just right at all. Wiping at her eyes and groaning, she tried to sit up and fumble for her still buzzing phone, and promptly froze as the rest of the situation finally caught up to her brain and promptly whacked it with a baseball bat.
Cupid’s arms were still locked tight around her waist, and her warm breath ghosted against the back of her neck. Blondie still had her tanktop and all the other essentials on, but she didn’t feel the lumpy, twisted fabric of Cupid’s toga.
“Oh, no,” she whispered, voice tight. “Oh, you can’t be serious.”
Cupid shifted behind her with an unhappy noise. Blondie’s phone stopped buzzing for three seconds, and then promptly continued with a vengeance. Either her alarm--good!--or her mother calling--very, very bad. She had to wake Cupid up. Praying that she at least got an arm in the fumble, Blondie reached back and lightly patted at the girl wrapped around her.
Her brain short circuited for a moment as her palm landed against the bare skin of Cupid’s hip.
“Ah,” Blondie squeaked. “Of course. You don’t have any nightclothes.”
“I’m also very Greek,” Cupid sleepily rumbled against the crook of her neck. “Good morning.”
“Hi yes, good morning, you’re very naked! I mean! I need my phone. Right now.” Blondie could feel the blood in her face and the heat it brought, and honestly it wasn’t like the house was very well ventilated. She was starting to get sweaty in more places than just her palms.
“That’s what that buzzing was,” Cupid mumbled, shifting and reaching over Blondie as her arm stretched--literally her arm extended--over to the device. “Good thing you set your alarm. I was so comfortable I might have just slept here for eternity. Haven’t shared a bed since Marilyn.”
Blondie had to do a double take at that. “Monroe? Oh my god, you shared a bed with Marilyn Monroe!”
Cupid’s giggle was just shy of naughty. “Among other things.” She gave Blondie her phone and rose, the distinct sounds of her body morphing following. “I’ll light a few candles.”
“Yeah, sure,” Blondie said, making sure to keep her back turned to Cupid as she swiped on her phone. Then, she promptly shrieked, which startled Cupid into jumping for the ceiling and hanging on it like some kind of freaky hot spider. “Oh, oh crap! I just set my school alarm!”
“Which means…?”
Blondie looked up at Cupid, who saw the look of fear in her eyes.
“My mom is going to kill me.”
Cupid hopped down from her spot, now fully clothed, and giggled.
“I doubt it. Human parents usually don’t go through with it. Now my mom sent me to Hell for a weekend. It was a lot colder than expected.” Cupid paused and Blondie didn’t laugh. Sheepishly, she rubbed a hand against the back of her neck, “I was joking.”
Blondie blinked. “O-oh! Haha?”
“Don’t patronize me.” Cupid glowered, her smile not reaching her eyes which caused Blondie to flinch. “Alright. So, to school then?”
“No,” Blondie replied with a shake of her head. It was better for her to go with her original plan. She’d just have to tweak it a bit to get it right, “I’m taking you home--stop wiggling your eyebrows--and I’ll explain the situation. That way I can get a change of clothes and get you something else to wear.”
It took little time for them to collect their things and head downstairs. Now that there was light in the building, however dim, Blondie saw a door in the kitchenette she hadn’t noticed before while it had been dark. They exited and Blondie found her bike still out front...which lead to a bit of a problem. She couldn’t carry two people, especially not uphill, and she didn’t trust herself to be able to get home with Cupid sitting on the handlebars.
Cupid seemed to sense her worry and, in what was becoming an all too familiar sound of shifting bones, she transformed herself into a mouse. Blondie was surprised at the utter lack of surprise, and kneeled down to scoop her up.
“Can you still talk like that?” Blondie asked and breathed out a sigh of relief at the squeak confirming a no. “Thank god. If you could talk as a mouse too, I might have freaked out again.”
She tucked Cupid away into the front pocket of her jacket and took off. Now that it was daylight, and it wouldn’t look as suspicious for her to be out and about, Blondie took the more direct path home, pedaling as fast as she dared. She was dreading what her mom would say, or how she was going to manage to get to school even remotely close on time, but Blondie was an optimist. She had a sleepover with a shapeshifting, centuries old lonely girl and solved the mystery of the ‘most haunted’ location in Afterever Hills.
And she still had ten percent battery left! All in all, it was a victory!
She cruised into the cul de sac she called home and let out an out and out holler at the sight of an empty driveway. Dad always left around seven, and while her mother didn’t have to go to work until eight, sometimes she liked to leave a little early to catch up on end of the month paperwork. Pulling out her set of house keys, she hit the button for the garage door and rode right on in.
“Okay,” Blondie wheezed, fishing Cupid out of her pocket and setting her down. “Coast is clear. I think my mom went to work early today.
Cupid shot up with a pout. “That’s a real shame. I was looking forward to meeting her.”
“All in due time!” Blondie unlocked the door leading into the house and waved her new friend in. “Make yourself at home! Right now I’ve gotta shower and get ready for school.”
Cupid was already examining the pictures of Blondie’s family hanging upon the walls, and turned her head at the last word. Her smile was small, but it edged on wicked.
“Shared bathing isn’t a thing anymore, is it,” Cupid asked with faux innocence. “Such a shame.”
“Uh.” Blondie felt her face go very, very warm, and it wasn’t just the exertion of a hard bike ride. “Y-you, you have a good--there’s cereal in the pantry,” she said at last, already backpedaling to the stairs. “M-Milk in the fridge! Help yourself, I’m gonna--just uh--”
Blondie took the stairs two at a time in her haste to escape what was slowly becoming a horribly awkward conversation. Call her a coward, but she just wasn’t used to cute girls flirting with her--much less cute girls who also happened to be a supernatural being. Blondie thought hard about that in the shower, and the reality of it started to sink in. Cupid wasn’t human. She talked about her Fates, and being worshipped as a demigoddess at one point. She’d knocked boots with Marilyn freakin’ Monroe! And, on occasion, she looked like a terrifying nightmare creature straight out of a Clive Barker movie.
But, she was also exceptionally lonely and had never gone to highschool. How bad could she really be, Blondie mused to herself. If anything, if she could manage to get Cupid enrolled into Afterever High, Cupid might have to watch out for the rest of the student body. Seniors could be vicious.
Usually Blondie took time to make sure she utilized the perfect aesthetic look for school, but she didn’t have the time for that. A soft, gauzy blouse and a pair of jeans with blue ballet flats would have to do. She’d let her phone charge while showering, and she snagged it and her book bag from the floor and hurried down the stairs as she dialed Ashlynn, hoping she could catch a ride.
Ashlynn picked up on the third ring, clearly surprised. “Blondie?”
“Hey, Ash!” Blondie bounced on her feet as she swung into the kitchen, stopping as she watched Cupid open up all the cupboards and prod at the microwave, clearly mystified. “Um, I kind of overslept. Can I get a ride?”
“Man, you have incredible timing. Hunter just picked me up; we’ll swing over in a bit.”
“ Yes! ” Blondie shouted, before wincing. “I mean, yay! Mom left early and I really didn’t want to bike it--”
“You don’t have to explain yourself,” Ashlynn laughed over the line. “It’s no problem. We’re happy to hel--” Blondie heard a deeper voice say something. “--Hunter says hi--we’re happy to help. See you in a bit.”
“Yep! Later!” Blondie hung up and slid her phone into her pocket. “Okay, so, I’ve got to go to school and--you can’t exactly come with. I’m really, really sorry, but only students are allowed on campus, and--”
Cupid merely raised a brow, and then shrunk in a whirl of limbs and cloth. A mouse scampered up to Blondie’s feet a moment later with a haughty sort of squeak, if mice could be haughty that is.
“I don’t think I could get away with bringing a pet to school, Cupid. Principal Grimm is already giving me the stink eye as it is--” Cupid squeaked in protest. “--Okay! Okay, yes, but you have to stay in my purse and stay really quiet.” She kneeled down and let Cupid scurry in with a sigh. By the time she’d risen up and closed all of the cabinets, she heard someone pull into her driveway. Ashlynn sent her a text a second later, confirming that she was outside, and Blondie hurried, making sure to keep from jostling her purse too badly.
“Morning, Blondie,” Hunter Hunstman greeted from the driver’s seat. His hair was slicked back and he wore tight jeans, a white t-shirt tucked in, and a black (faux) leather vest over it.
“I thought you were dressing up too,” Ashlynn said as Blondie settled into the back, her auburn hair twisted into a cute ponytail, adjusting a light green ascot. Her poodle skirt was the same, minty color, with songbirds stitched into the hem.
“...Oh!” Blondie buckled herself in, wincing. “ Right, god, Spirit Week...I’m so sorry, Ashlynn, I forgot all about it.”
“That’s alright,” Ashlynn replied with a bright smile. She reached into her own purse and brought out a granola bar, offering it over. “If you overslept then you haven’t had breakfast, right?”
“I haven’t.” Blondie’s stomach chose that point to grumble, and she took the offered snack, digging in. She broke off a few pieces and slid them into her purse for Cupid to nibble on, and the soft, fuzzy little body brushing against her fingers let her know that the shapeshifter was grateful.
Hunter backed his car out of the space and they were soon on their way to Afterever High. Blondie let her head rest against the window, fingers still grazing against Cupid’s little side as she watched the scenery pass her by, her thoughts racing just as fast. If Cupid could exist in the world, then surely there were more like her. Like werewolves! Or vampires!
Blondie wiggled in her seat, biting on her lip to hide her smile. Ashlynn and Hunter were engrossed in morning smalltalk, and didn’t notice. Once the iron gates of Afterever High crested over the hill, Blondie felt herself relax even further.
The school had once been a boarding house, as far as Blondie had researched. The central building was huge, towering with four magnificent floors and classic university architecture. The dormitory buildings on either side had been torn down many, many years ago, and replaced with a science and arts hall and a giant library. The sprawling courtyard had benches and tables scattered about for students who preferred to take their lunch outside, and a huge white marble fountain in the center was a popular spot for couples and class photos. Hunter drove the car into the back where student and faculty parking was located. As they exited the vehicle, two people on a motorcycle pulled in two spots down.
They both wore fake leather jackets that had O’hair stitched on the back, braids and scissors decorating the sleeves. The driver had decided on a poodle skirt, bright pink with a pair of black birds--swans, Blondie noticed with a wry grin-- chasing each other up to her hips. The other girl had abstained from Spirit Day dress up, settling on a faded pink flared jersey skirt and pink pullover combo.
They each tugged their helmets off to reveal the faces of twin girls with dark orange hair and freckles dancing on their cheeks. One had her hair cropped short, dyed a bright purple--and slicked back, like Hunter’s--and the other’s ginger locks tumbled in glossy waves to the back of her thighs, one cowlick giving a signature curl above her left ear.
“Morning Poppy, Holly!” Ashlynn greeted them. The duo waved back with a smile before Poppy’s attention was caught by a shrill voice coming from the entrance. There stood one of the school’s most gorgeous girls, Duchess Swan. Dressed in a black and white polka dot poodle skirt with lacy white stockings that gave way to a pair of shiny, monochrome saddle shoes. She was tapping her foot impatiently when Poppy ran forward and pulled her into a spinning hug. The four of them let out an “Awww!” at the display.
Duchess could be heard scolding her girlfriend quietly as they entered the building. Holly gave a tinkling laugh as she joined the group of three, the beads hanging from her neck clicking with each gentle sway.
“Duchess hates it when Poppy rides the bike,” Holly explained. “Or so she says. I think she just gets jealous when she’s not the one riding with her.”
“Sounds like Duchess,” Ashlynn sighed, half exasperated and half endeared. There’d been some drama between Ashlynn, Hunter, and Duchess back in sophomore year but that was all water under the bridge. Well, mostly.
Holly turned her spring green eyes to Blondie. “So, what about that article you wanted me to proofread?”
“Huh?” Blondie wracked her brain for the answer before gulping loudly. She’d intended to draft a blog post after walking through the old haunted house and attach the video to it; Holly, editor of the school newspaper and beta-reader for Blondie’s blog, had been set to go over it with a fine toothed comb. Neither of which happened, obviously, considering that Blondie hadn’t written anything yet and she certainly hadn’t touched the recording on her phone.
“About that,” Blondie laughed nervously, “uh, change of plans? I had to, to...uh…”
“Work on your world history paper,” Ashlynn chimed in, and her eyes narrowed. Blondie could see the gears turning in her head. “Which you did. Right, Blondie?”
“I...sure started it,” Blondie lied. She made a show of checking her phone and gasping, adding, “Oh gosh would you look at the time! Time to! Leave this conversation, love you Ash, later! ”
Blondie escaped with a spin and a dash, trying not to think about how routine this was becoming. She could hear soft, squeaking laughter from her purse.
“Don’t laugh,” she hissed to the occupant within, “Don’t be that guy, Cupid!”
The day was shorter than normal due the assembly being held in the last half of the day. It mostly passed without much incident until lunch, at least. The call of nature rang and Blondie snuck off to answer it, choosing an unused girl’s room on the second floor and putting her purse in the opposite stall.
“Just--like, hang up there for a bit,” she whispered, flushing. “Need privacy.”
Moments later, freshened up and her dignity saved, Blondie grabbed her purse and looked inside. Expecting to see an amused rodent, her heart dropped to her stomach as she saw nothing but candy wrappers, her phone, emergency makeup essentials, and her wallet.
“Cupid?” Her voice went up an octave. Had Cupid fallen out of her purse during class? Panic flooded her limbs, and Blondie backed out of the stall in a stumble. “Oh no, no, Cupid--”
She yelped when she turned around, a girl with long legs and cropped, platinum white hair checking her make up in the mirror. She slowly met Cupid’s gaze in the mirror, arching a dark brow as she locked bright, forest green with Blondie’s own blue. Bronze skin, peppered with vitiligo, rippled over lean muscles as she slowly turned.
A sense of deja vu ran down Blondie’s spine, but she ignored it.
“Talking to yourself,” the girl asked, her rich voice carrying obscenely loud in the quiet bathroom. “That’s a little weird.”
“I--when did you even--” Blondie stared, rooted to the spot.
Then the tension broke as the girl laughed, covering her mouth with one hand. When she blinked, Cupid’s eyes stared out from behind a stranger’s face. “Blondie, it’s me!”
“You…” Blondie reached out and gave her a swat on the arm. “You jerk! Oh my god, I thought you were lost! I thought you’d like, dropped out of my purse or something! And did you have to eat all of my Starbursts, those were for emergencies!”
Cupid had the decency to shrug with a coy smile. “I got hungry. Sue me after we go to this assembly thing.” She gave Blondie a roguish wink. “Do you like this form? I caught a glimpse of her during your arithmetic class. She’s very cute.”
“Don’t--don’t hit on me when you look like one of my classmates who I don’t even--are you sure she’s in my class?”
“Maybe if you didn’t fall asleep during class, you’d be a little more observant.”
Blondie flushed to her ears. “Shut--shut up. Oh my god. Let’s just go to the stupid thing.”
Blondie exited the bathroom with Cupid on her heels. At some point Cupid had wrapped her arms around Blondie’s. Blondie wrote it off as not wanting to get separated as they were soon amidst the large crowd that was the student body. Blondie immediately found her preferred spot which was saved by Ashlynn and Hunter. They had found the spot during their freshmen year, right in the middle of everything with a perfect view of the events.
It was during the cheerleading routine that Blondie noticed Cupid (who had not let go of her arm yet) kept looking over her shoulder.
“Cupid, what’s wrong?”
“Are you sure I’m the first magical being you’ve come across?”
Well that was an odd question.
“Yes?” Blondie replied and tried to think of any other encounters. Most of what she worked with were theories at best and rumors at the least. “Why?”
“There’s a girl staring at me pretty intently and I don’t think she’s interested in what I’m offering.”
Blondie followed her gaze and found Raven Queen glaring at them. With her smoky, dark makeup and her violet eyes, the effect was slightly intimidating.
“Can I help you?” Blondie said rudely causing Raven to blink. A blush ran over her pale cheeks.
“Sorry, I just really like your friend’s style?” She sounded unsure as if something else had really caught her attention. “It’s like something I’ve never seen before.”
Cupid’s disguise wasn’t all that much; a faded band t-shirt, and jean capris with worn sneakers. Compared to Raven Queen’s usual style of dark colors, ripped skinny jeans, and a purple kaliko lace top, the lie was obvious.
“Well it’s rude to stare, you know,” Blondie clipped, and turned her back to Raven once more. Her heart was still racing in her chest, even as she felt Cupid settle against her side. Watching the drama club perform about Afterever High’s football team crushing the opposing side in a Grease style musical wasn’t distraction enough; she could still feel Raven’s eyes boring holes in the back of her head.
It was weird; Raven was always an antisocial type, though her poetry and songwriting talents had gained school-wide fame. Antisocial, and quite docile honestly.
Cupid leaned closer to whisper in her ear as the sketch concluded, the marching band coming in for the school song. “Don’t worry,” she murmured, “I’ll keep you safe.”
From what, Blondie wanted to ask, but lost the thought quickly. Maybe she was just overthinking it; she barely knew Raven, and Cupid didn’t know her at all. School dismissed them early and Cupid snuck back into her purse once they could make their escape to the bathroom. She caught a ride with Hunter and Ashlynn again, though she asked to be brought to the closest bus stop instead of her house.
“I’ve got some errands to run,” Blondie said, gripping her purse’s strap. “Lets meet up at Starbucks a little later? I really do need help on my paper.”
Ashlynn gave her a winsome smile. “Of course. I’ll text Briar and see if she wants to join in; if I know anything about that girl, she’s probably put it off just like you. Just make sure you don’t bring your blog research this time!”
Blondie resisted the urge to hide her purse and the actual, living research that lay within. “I won’t, I won’t! Come on, just hit the road. I’ll see you later tonight.”
“Stay safe,” Hunter cautioned her, reaching out with an arm to give Blondie a half hug. “Call if you need a ride home, okay?”
Blondie gave him a pat on the cheek, looking at Ashlynn. “You’ve got a keeper, Ash.”
“Don’t I know it.” As Hunter flustered under the compliments and attention, Blondie said her goodbyes and made like she was walking in the opposite direction toward the grocery. Hunter and Ashlynn drove off, and once the coast was clear, Cupid quickly took shape and stretched her limbs. She’d kept the band t-shirt and capri combo, but it was comforting to finally see her familiar face.
“You okay?” Blondie searched her friend’s face for any discomfort. “Do you like...do you feel any weird pains from being stuck as a mouse for so long, or--”
Cupid waved her off with a smile. “I’m alright, I promise. I’ve been in worse forms and in far less comforting company. Speaking of company, though, are you aware that most of your school friends are magical in nature? I haven’t been in such a hotspot since New Orleans, in the 20's.”
“ Really? “ Blondie’s eyes went wide. “You can sense them?”
“Naturally,” Cupid replied, rolling her shoulders, “as they could no doubt feel me too.”
“Do we have vampires?! Werewolves?! ”
“Vampires, no. Werewolves, yes.” Cupid didn’t elaborate at Blondie’s pleading look. “I’m not just going to out them, Blondie. That’s rude. Aren’t you going to take me home, now? I’m really excited to meet your mother.”
The transparent change of subject made Cupid’s stance very clear, and Blondie accepted it with a sigh and a shrug. “Yes, yes, of course. Just let me do the talking, okay? I’m sure they’ll take you in, but it might take a little more to get my dad to help you enroll. I mean, if you even can--you probably don’t have any of the paperwork we’d need. No birth certificate, or even a social security number…” Blondie’s head spun. “Oh, man, how are we gonna pull this off.
“Can I see your phone? I’m gonna make a call.”
Blondie handed over the device and Cupid tapped in a number. She pressed it to her ear and let it ring. When a voice that sounded like the screams of a thousand dying souls answered, Cupid just smiled.
“Mama, it’s me. Yes, I know, I haven’t called or contacted you. Some asshole thought it’d be funny to put holy water in the mirrors after the last break in in New York in the 80's--Blondie did you know that Ghostbusters is based on a true story?--what, no mom I’m with a friend. No, not that kind of friend.”
Blondie watched in awe as Cupid’s English slowly dissolved into some undead language full of grunts and insensible chatter and then , “Yes, mom, I love you too. Talk to you soon, kisses!”
And with that Cupid hung up and handed it back Blondie.
“We should be good now! My mom’ll send the documents I need to get wherever I need to go.” Cupid held out her phone. Blondie’s ears were still ringing from the horrible screeching she had heard on the other end, and looked at her phone as if it would rear back and bite her throat out.
“Is my…” Blondie trailed off. “Is my phone cursed now?”
“No,” Cupid said, patiently, as if she had expected the response. “The reception was great, though.”
“Is that going to affect my data? I don’t think I have phone calls to another dimension covered.”
This made Cupid laugh, and she reached out to press Blondie’s phone into her hand. “You’re fine , I promise. By the way, my mom says hi.”
“Am I high,” Blondie asked suddenly. “Is this a really long, thought out, extended trip? Maybe I’m hallucinating.”
Cupid bounced her brows. “Want me to give you a pinch?”
“I’m good,” Blondie yelped, shoving her phone in her purse. “We’re going to my house now, where you’re getting your own room and everything. You flirt so much I can never tell if it’s genuine, or what.”
“You’ll know when it’s for real,” Cupid purred into her ear, suddenly closer than anyone had the right to be. “I’ll make that abundantly clear for my little human.”
“Oh, wow! Stop!” Blondie covered her face with both hands and stormed for home, Cupid’s laughter chasing her. They ribbed and joked with each other on the way, and it felt as close to normal as anything in the last 48 hours. Cupid’s hand found hers and Blondie gripped it tight, swinging their linked hands between them.
She felt her phone buzz wildly in her purse, and when Blondie looked inside to check it she found a pile of paperwork instead. A fake birth certificate, a transcript from a high school that Blondie was certain didn’t exist, a driver’s license, an ID--Blondie looked up to see Cupid peeking over her shoulder with a grin.
“That was fast,” Cupid said, smiling wide. “Mom was pretty thorough, too. She’s more caught up in the times than I am!”
Blondie thought about pursuing it further--asking how all of it had piled into her purse in the first place--but decided she would fight that battle another day. She had to focus on getting her parents to take Cupid in, after all.
She left the story up to Cupid; for Blondie’s part, they’d met at the bus stop and that was that. Actually walking up the driveway and unlocking her front door brought on the nerves that Blondie had been trying to ignore, and her hand shook as she put her key into the lock. She opened the door, and the smell of roasted ham hit went straight to her gut. Swallowing, Blondie called out, “Mom, Dad, I’m home! And I, ah, I brought a friend.”
She closed the door as she heard the telltale squeal of metal as her father folded up the recliner and came to meet her, instantly curious. Her pops was built like a bear; broad shouldered with a thick, gold beard streaked in silver. His hair was thin and his hairline receding, and he’d certainly put on the weight, but he’d never lost the spark of good cheer in his eyes that Blondie had known all her life. Said eyes landed on Cupid and he smiled widely.
“Well, hello there,” he boomed, moving forward to offer Cupid a wide, calloused hand. “Barry Lockes. It’s nice to meet you, miss--”
“Cupid,” was the sweet reply as she shook his hand back. “Just call me Cupid.”
Goldianna “Goldie” Lockes poked her head out of the kitchen, her curly bob bouncing. “Blondie, you know the rules; you need to call before you bring over a guest.” She smiled. “I would have set the table for four! I hope you like ham, sweetie.”
“I love ham,” Cupid replied easily. “Thank you so much.”
“Nonsense! Blondie likes to shut herself in her room so much that any new friend is welcome here.”
“Mom,” Blondie whined. Barry chuckled and ruffled her hair, a hand on both of their shoulders to steer them into the kitchen. Blondie moved to help her mother set Cupid’s spot at the table and took the moment to try and set up the approach. “Mom,” she said, softly, “I’m about to ask you for a...really, really big favor.”
“Oh?” Goldie took note of her lowered, serious voice and leaned in. “Is your new friend in trouble?”
“W-wh--” Blondie gaped a little. “Yes--I mean, no, um, it’s not my story to tell? How did you…”
“You never break the rules with company, Blondie,” her mother replied. “And you’ve never mentioned a Cupid before. I’m an insurance agent, honey. I can sense these things out.”
Some of the weight Blondie had been carrying seemed have disappeared. Maybe asking what she needed to ask wasn’t going to be so hard.
“So I met her on the way home and she told me she didn’t have anywhere else to go. I don’t know the whole story but I was wondering--”
“If she could stay with us for a while?” Goldie finished, her expression softening at her daughter’s kindness. Blondie merely nodded, blushing lightly at her mother’s proud look. “Well, if you don’t mind me grilling her a bit to make sure she’s not some kind of monster, then I suppose we could clean out the guest room.”
Dinner was served quickly; Cupid’s story was that she had been traveling a long time on her own after the sad loss of both of her parents, trying to avoid a variety of angry and unhealthy family members until she was of age. Yes, she had a driver’s license--yes, she could work, yes she fully intended to enroll in school, she had no history of drug use, and she was truly blessed to have met Blondie. Cupid was a fairly good actress and an even better story teller; Blondie was almost convinced that her story was true, and had she not spent the night previous with Cupid, she might have been fooled too.
It convinced her mother and her father, in any case. When Cupid mentioned that she had no spare clothes or a phone-- “Most of my stuff was caught in a pretty bad fire…”--Blondie watched her parents exchange a solid, secret look.
It said, we’re not letting her back out this house. Blondie bit her smile away as Barry kindly informed her that she was free to stay as long as she liked, and that he’d help set up her new bedroom. Goldie added that she was free to borrow some of old things until they could go shopping on the weekend.
“I’ll get a job as soon as I’m in school,” Cupid said softly. “I don’t intend to freeload here.”
“It is absolutely not a necessity,” Goldie argued. “You’re so young, trying to get on your feet again. Let us help you, sugar.”
“I-I will. I’d just feel better if I was doing my part too.” Whether the tears Cupid brushed away were real or fake, Blondie couldn’t tell; but the way she melted into her mother’s embrace and clung, just a bit, reminded Blondie that Cupid hadn’t seen her own parents in quite a long time.
“Cupid and I were going to hang out with Ashlynn for a little bit, work on some homework,” Blondie said after dinner had been finished. “If that’s okay?”
Goldie nodded her head. “Alright. But no sleeping over again, you hear? You let Ashlynn’s mom drive you home, or you call me.”
“Y-yes ma’am.”
Soon after Blondie found herself outside of Starbucks, Cupid at her side. She sent the girl a victorious smile, nudging her with an elbow. “So, roomie,” she teased, “ready to take on the world?”
Cupid covered her mouth and giggled into her palm, her eyes misty. “Yes,” she said, almost tenderly. “I think I really am. Thank you for all of this, Blondie. I...I’ve never felt so welcome in a long time.”
Blondie’s heart swelled against her ribs and she linked arms with her friend. “Well, better get ready, cause this welcome wagon doesn’t stop until you’re in the squad.”
“The--the squad?”
“Come on!” Blondie tugged Cupid through the door and spotted Ashlynn sitting in the corner, securing the outlets. The lack of Briar disappointed her only a little--Briar loved to meet new people, seeing them as a gateway to a new experience, new stories, someone that would eagerly feed into Cupid’s curious nature--but Ashlynn was the most grounded of them all, and after such a hectic rush of hours, Blondie knew that the girl was just what the doctor ordered.
“Hello,” Ashlynn greeted politely as Cupid and Blondie sat at the table. “I’m Ashlynn Ella.”
Cupid introduced herself quietly, and they shook hands. Both of them went very, very still, and Cupid’s eyes narrowed. Ashlynn went a little pale; recognition flickered in both of their eyes, and when they released their hands tension had settled over the table like a shroud. Blondie was utterly confused by it, and dreading something wrong spoiling what was turning out to be a fantastic night, pulled out her binder and set it down on the table.
“So!” She grinned a tad desperately. “How about that paper!”
“P-paper--oh.” Ashlynn gave Cupid another searching stare before shaking her head. “Of course, yes, let’s uh. Let’s get started on that. Let me look at your outline…”
An hour of homework and smalltalk passed between the three of them--or rather, Blondie talked to Cupid and Ashlynn. Finally, unable to stand the strange, negative energy that had blossomed, Blondie called an end. “I think Cupid and I are just gonna head home,” Blondie said, putting away her half finished paper. “It’s been a pretty long day.”
Ashlynn’s hand landed on top of her own. “Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?”
Blondie blinked. “What--no? I’m just going to call my mom.”
“She’s worried I’ll eat you up,” Cupid said calmly, her voice low. “Or I’ll disturb the cinders.”
“Huh,” Blondie said, just as Ashlynn hissed, “Shut up. ”
“I wouldn’t hurt her,” Cupid continued, her voice growing colder with each word. “I’m genuinely insulted you’d think I’d stoop so low as to hurt someone as good natured and kind as her. I’m going to protect her. And as for you, I have no intention of disrupting your life. I wouldn’t be so cruel.”
Ashlynn looked guilty after a moment, and released a shaking breath. “I’m sorry,” she said after a moment. “I think...I think I believe you.”
“Can we? Pause?” Blondie looked between the two of her friends, trying to decipher what was going on between them. Unfortunately, no matter how hard she looked at the situation, the truth remained suspended over her head. “What are the two of you talking about?”
Cupid gave her a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “Nothing, Blondie. Let’s get outside.”
Blondie looked to Ashlynn, startled to see the same expression. “She’s right,” Ashlynn said. “You should be getting home. I’m going to call my mom, too.”
“...Alright,” Blondie said after another tense moment. “I...okay.”
The three of them stood up, and Blondie stood between Cupid and Ashlynn, thoroughly confused. She could feel them sending each other looks over her head. She had to walk slowly, as if she was a human shield between her equally human friend and her...not so human friend. It was holding up customer traffic; someone trailed behind them, grumbling low beneath his breath. What was going on? On minute, Blondie had been enjoying the thrill of victory. The next...this.
It was enough to make a girl sick, all this emotional whiplash; Blondie felt quite guilty, and she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like Ashlynn and Cupid had met or shared some history. Right? It was impossible.
They left the Starbucks and stood at the street corner. Blondie reached into her purse, and her fingers grazed her phone case just as Ashlynn sucked in a harsh breath.
“Don’t you dare scream,” came the hiss of breath. “I’ve got a gun.”
Oh my god, Blondie thought, just as Cupid’s hand seized her elbow. They turned, very slowly. The man who had slunk behind them in the coffee shop had an arm wrapped around Ashlynn’s shoulders, a pocket knife shining against her jumping pulse. A firearm shaped bulge stood out against the pocket of his all black hoodie, and Blondie watched him reach in and palm it.
“The alley,” the man grated, jerking a head in the direction. “Walk down it. Slowly,” he added in a snarl, jerking the blade higher up Ashlynn’s neck, “or I start cutting.”
“Don’t,” Ashlynn said, her voice shaking but level in volume. “Blondie, run. Just run. I’m going to be okay.”
“Are you kidding me? ” Blondie whisper shouted, feeling the sick rolling of her gut. “I’m not leaving you! H-he could, he might--”
“It’s going to be okay,” Ashlynn tried again. “Please, Blondie, just go to the police, and--”
Blondie yanked her arm out of Cupid’s grip and held open both hands. “I-I’m moving,” she told the mugger, trying not to cry. How more useless and cliche could she be? “I’m moving, okay? Please, please don’t hurt her.”
“Get. Going,” the man grated, pale skin stretching over the knuckles of his hand as he gripped the knife even tighter. “You too, Pinky.”
Cupid hissed like a snake. Blondie grabbed her hand and tugged, keeping her back to the wall as they sidled into the dark. The man maneuvered Ashlynn along with him, using both of their bodies to block the way out. This was like something out of a terribly cliche movie, Blondie thought, half hysterical as she saw him draw the gun out of his pocket now that he was hidden from sight.
Things had been going so well. Cupid bent her head, nearly growling, “I’m going to eat him.”
“No,” Blondie snapped back. “No, he’s got Ashlynn! You can’t do anything!”
“Shut up, the both of you,” said the mugger. “Empty out your purse, on the ground. Do it fast, or I start shooting! And don’t try anything funny. I don’t like funny, and your friend might just pay the price for trying to get a laugh out of me.”
“Oh, my god,” Ashlynn said. “It’s a fake gun! And really, is that the biggest threat you can come up with?”
“Stop antagonizing him!” Blondie felt like tearing her hair out. “Are you nuts?! ”
“Are you nuts?!” Ashlynn gestured. “What part of leave did you not understand? Why did you go in the alley! Blondie, why do you never listen to me!”
“She’s right,” Cupid said. “The gun’s a fake. And, you’re pretty terrible at listening to directions.”
“You don’t think I’m serious?! ” The mugger tossed aside the plastic weapon, and grabbed Ashlynn’s chin. “I’ll show you how serious I am!”
The knife flashed. Cupid gasped, just as Ashlynn let out a gurgled “Shit,” in shock. There was a wet, scraping sound--and Blondie realized that Ashlynn had been stabbed. Cupid clamped a hand over her mouth just before she shrieked, the sound muffled. Tears burst from her eyes and she would have leaped for the man if Cupid hadn’t grabbed her around the waist.
“Oh,” Ashlynn wheezed. “Oh, you jerk. This was my favorite outfit.”
Something sizzled. Cupid began to back deeper into the alley, dragging Blondie along.
“Blondie, I really hoped you’d never find out about this,” Ashlynn continued, her voice growing weaker. “I was--I was so, so hoping I could be normal this time around. Please, don’t tell Hunter? About any of this. Especially not the part where I died.”
Blondie panted against Cupid’s hand, half sobbing. It wasn’t until Cupid whispered, “Be quiet. I need you to be quiet,” that Blondie swallowed back the wails building in her chest. She covered her own mouth as she felt Cupid vanish from behind her, the rush and crunch of bone letting her know that Cupid was shifting, changing again.
“Listen,” Ashlynn choked out, “call my mom. As soon as you can, call my mom. She’ll know what to do.”
“W-where’d the other one go,” the mugger cried out. “What the hell --”
Blondie saw embers flicker up from the wound in Ashlynn’s torso, just before she burst into flames. She didn’t scream--she sighed, in fact, the exhale littered with a strange, echoing birdsong. The man backpedaled, mouth open to shout, when the shadows around him erupted, swallowing him down in a rush of eyes and chattering teeth. Blondie screamed into her hands as she watched her friend come down with a case of spontaneous combustion as another human being was dragged into the ether.
A seventeen year old girl shouldn’t have to watch this, Blondie thought distantly. As quickly as the fire started, it ended. The shadows in front of Blondie bulged outward before parting like water and out from the depths crawled Cupid, all boney, sharp edges and monstrous figure. That, in the end, was more comforting than if Cupid had come out all soft and human.
Cupid offered her a hand. Blondie ignored it to lunge for her, grabbing her around her thin waist and cough, dry heaving against the ridges of her collarbones.
“Oh my god,” Blondie babbled. “This isn’t real, right? I’m dreaming. I’m dreaming, I’m dreaming. I’m going to wake up and have never met you and Ashlynn isn’t going to Human Torch her way to death and this. This isn’t happening!”
Cupid held her, gently. Her fingers combed through Blondie’s hair. “I’ll leave if you want me to,” Cupid said, very softly. “You can pretend you never met me. I won’t even go back to that house.”
“Shhh, shh, I’m just hysterical. Don’t mind me, I just watched my friend get stabbed and also explode.” Blondie burrowed closer, the heat of her body leeching away the shocking cold of Cupid’s. “Don’t, don’t let me go.”
Cupid’s arms tightened around her. “I won’t,” she said, voice strangely thick. “I promise. But you need to call your friend’s mother.”
“How am I gonna tell her mom that she’s dead?! ” Blondie burst into fresh tears at this, gripping onto Cupid’s stupid toga all the harder for it.
“You’re not going to,” Cupid said. “Come with me.”
A smart person would have refused. Would have run for the hills, and called the government or the Ghostbusters, or anyone to help banish what was clearly some form of eldritch horror. But Blondie was not smart, so she nodded weakly, and let Cupid guide her to the pile of ashes that had once been her friend. The small pile of cinders were all that were left. Blondie whimpered, leaning against Cupid’s side, her heart breaking. Then she shouted, “What the --” as the pile of cinders began to move . Not in a poetic, wind carrying the ashes away kind of way. More as in the, is it breathing way. Blondie nearly climbed up Cupid’s back as a hand pushed its way out of the pile, dusty with ash.
Blondie watched as Ashlynn Ella crawled out of her own cremated remains. Her skin was a fiery, angry red like she’d been out in the sun for days and embers flittered out of her mouth with each gasping, aching breath. The fact that she was naked wasn’t an issue so much that she was alive and rolling out of a metaphorical--literal?--grave. She curled on the pavement, doubled over as she shuddered and shook.
“I told you I wasn’t going to spill your secret,” Cupid said, dryly. “ Phenix, you’re looking worse for wear.”
Ashlynn whined in answer, teeth chattered as the sunburn color of her skin slowly began to fade.
“You need to call her mother,” Cupid reminded gently. “And soon. Someone’s going to have noticed the noise and the smoke by now.”
Blondie pulled out her phone, and thumbed for Ashlynn’s mother. It rang twice, before a voice heavily accented with German spoke her name. Still staring at her nude, very much alive friend, Blondie said, “So, Ashlynn set herself on fire. Is that a regular thing for her to do?”
“Where are you,” Ashlynn’s mother asked, voice suddenly hard. Blondie rattled off the directions, and heard the woman mutter, “I am on the way. Stay there. Is she reformed?”
“H-huh?”
“Is Aschenputtel out of the ashes?”
“Oh. Uh, yeah. She’s not dead anymore.” Blondie knelt down and touched Ashlynn’s hair. Ashlynn gave a little moan and nearly shivered right out of her skin, turning into the touch. She thought she heard Ashlynn groan, warm , but it was hard to hear her around the sound of clacking teeth. “Who’s A--ach--”
“Is her full name. We call her Ashlynn when we arrive in the states. Are you on Crystal Street?”
“Yeah, alley right by the Starbucks.” Blondie touched Ashlynn’s shoulder, shocked to feel it like ice against her hand. “Oh my god, she’s freezing--!”
“Am almost there. Get her to front of alley, into the car. We cannot wait long.”
Ashlynn’s mother hung up. Blondie did the same, and put her phone back in her bag. When she touched Ashlynn’s bare back again, it was still a subhuman temperature; Ashlynn choked and whined, unable to uncurl herself from her position but taking comfort. Blondie, for her part, wasn’t quite sure what to think anymore. Her friend was dead, and now she was alive. Cupid had mostly like murdered a man. Ashlynn’s mother was super cool with the knowledge that Ashlynn had been on fire five minutes ago.
“What is she,” Blondie said, breaking the silence. “You knew what--you know what she is.”
“She isn’t human,” Cupid replied. “Not entirely.”
“Oh.” Blondie gripped Ashlynn tighter. “What did you do with him?”
Cupid didn’t say anything for a while. Blondie looked up at her, watched the moon frame the outline of her monstrosity, the creaking bones for wings, the lashing tail, the blank and hollow look in her eyes.
“Do you want to know,” Cupid asked.
Blondie swallowed down bile. “No,” she whispered. “Are you going to leave?”
“I promised you I wasn’t letting you go.” Cupid’s voice wavered. “I meant that.”
“Okay. Okay, good.” Ashlynn’s mother pulled up a beat later, the car screeching to a halt. “You should change ba--” Cupid didn’t, in fact, change back, and instead scooped a shivering Ashlynn up and hauled her into the car. “--Or you can just ignore me,” Blondie shouted as she got up off the ground, running for the car. “That’s cool too!”
Cupid was human again as Blondie jumped into the backseat, and making a sheepish, pained expression. “Sorry. You can’t leave a Phenix out in the cold for very long, not after a resurrection.”
“Hello, Blondie,” Ashlynn’s mother greeted. “Hello, old one.”
“Cupid,” said girl corrected. “I wish I could have met the mother of the brood in happier conditions.”
“Eh, what is good anymore? Bundle Aschenputtel in the blankets, please.”
Blondie and Cupid both reached down, grabbing a thick quilt from the bottom of the seats as the car sped off. They wrapped Ashlynn in it burrito style, and finally her shivering began to ease. She opened glassy eyes, her breath steaming out.
“ Mama…? ”
Ashlynn’s mother spoke in low, soothing German in return. Ashlynn groggily kept up, interrupted constantly by her body jerking out another shiver. The heaters had been cranked up on high; Blondie broke out into a sweat in the first two minutes, but Ashlynn soaked it all up and finally her trembling eased altogether.
“ Phenix,” Blondie mumbled. “It--phoenix. She’s a phoenix.”
“No. We are possessed with the spirit,” Ashlynn’s mother said gently. “But we are still human. To an extent.”
“Oh. Well.” Blondie figured she was in shock, because she was sure that had Ashlynn or her mother had whipped out this tidbit her world would have exploded. Not her friend. “I guess that makes sense.”
“Was she seen?” This question was directed at Cupid, who shook her head.
“I took care of him.” Cupid didn’t elaborate, and Blondie was grateful for it. Tomorrow, she would ask for details--she wouldn’t rest until she heard the truth out of Cupid’s own mouth--but for now, she was content not to face the reality of what Cupid had done. It was hard enough to wrap her head around the fact that Ashlynn had died and then come back .
The car pulled up to Blondie’s house.
“We’re going to leave her?” Blondie tried not to panic about it.
“Don’t worry. She is fine. Cold, and tired, but fine.” Ashlynn’s mother caught her eye in the rearview mirror, and Blondie held her breath. Something old and experienced stared back at her; something not human. “Get some rest. Call her tomorrow.”
Nodding dumbly, Blondie got out of the car and Cupid followed. Ashlynn and her mother were soon out of sight. Blondie reached out for Cupid, and felt grounded as she held her shoulder. They steadied each other.
“Oh, shit,” Blondie swore. “I left my paper at Starbucks.”