The crunch of snow resounds through the busy city street along with the annoyed groans of Mateo. It seems he can’t appreciate patience. It’s considered a virtue in some cultures. None that I’m a part of, but some of them. I think.

  “Horned One, how much longer. It’s tiring having to trudge through the snow so early in the morning,” he whines.

  “Just a little farther, Kid. Trust me, you’ll love it,” I say as I stifle a laugh.

  “It makes me trust you less when you’re laughing. What are you even laughing about anyway?”

  “Nothing. Certainly nothing to do with the color orange and the words pumpkin,” I tease.

  “Orange?” he asks as he looks down at his clothes. “Listen here, Horned One, I… They threw my clothes away and gave me these. I didn’t pick them out. Do you hear me?!”

  “Oh Gods. You look like a pumpkin wading through the snow. I don’t know why this is cracking me up, but it is,” I say through joy-filled tears.

  With flushed cheeks, he looks away, embarrassed. “I’m burning these later,” he says under his breath.

  “Ah, sorry, Kid. Teased you a bit too much, didn’t I? Look, the clothes look fine, and if you really don’t like them, I’ll get you something else to wear. Maybe not as orange. How do you feel about blue or red?” I say as I give him a pat on the back.

  “I like the color blue,” he says under his breath.

  “Blue’s a good one. Also, perfect timing, our destination is within sight.”

  A small and exquisite-looking store sits at the corner of the main street. It gives off a cozy aura and certainly an expensive one. Helia wasn’t kidding when she said the line stretched down the block. In fact, she might have been understating it.

  “What is that place, and please don’t tell me that’s where we are going?” he says with a judgmental tone.

  “It’s a dessert shop, and that’s exactly where I’m taking you. Do you not like desserts?” I ask with a hint of worry.

  “I like desserts. I don’t like waiting in line for the rest of the day,” he says, gesturing at the long line.

  With a smug smile, I turn my nose up. “It just so happens that I have a reservation.”

  Mateo scoffs. “Yeah, right. Sneaking in as wait staff isn’t called having a reservation.”

  “Watch and learn, Kid,” I say as I walk past the waiting line of customers.

  “Horned One, enough joking around. These people are giving us death stares,” he says with an uneasy tone.

  The line starts to whisper as I pass.

  “That damned Vashrin is up to no good, I just know it,” one of them whispers.

  “He’s just going to cause trouble by cutting in line like that,” another whispers.

  Ignoring them, I make my way to the front, where a man in a fine suit greets us. “Why hello there. How can I help you?” he says with a professional friendliness.

  “I have a reservation under, CJ,” I say with a cocky grin.

  The crowd peers at us with eyes laced with curiosity.

  “No way he’s on the list. Must be trying to pull a fast one. When will these Vashrin learn?” a person in the crowd says.

  The man in the suit hides a hint of shock and then swallows hard. “We’ve been expecting you, Chosen One. Lady Helia told us you would be by,” he says as he leads us in.

  Mateo looks at me with wide eyes. “How’d you do that? Did you scam your way in?” he asks as we are led to our seats.

  “You underestimate me, Kid. It’s all legitimate. I have a friend who managed to get us in. So, enjoy until your stomach’s full and maybe a little bit more,” I proclaim.

  He eyes me with suspicion. “Why are you doing this? We’ve only known each other for a month. It’s not like we’re actually family.”

  With a complicated smile, I look over the menu. “Kid, I don’t have any ‘actual’ family left, and from the looks of it, you don’t either. So, until they magically show up, I’m going to do whatever the hells I want. Like celebrating your birthday. I’m selfish that way.”

  “How did-”

  “Oh, please, Kid. I’m a professional. You think I wouldn’t figure out my ‘brothers’ birthday. That would be sloppy work,” I say as I place the menu down.

  “Thanks. I had forgotten,” he lies.

  “Happens to the best of us. Now, I recommend we start with the chocolate cake and then work our way down to the ice cream section.”

  You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

  “Do they have strawberry cake? I’m not a fan of chocolate,” he says with a big smile.

  “What kind of kid doesn’t like chocolate? Fine, we’ll start with the strawberry section and then work our way down to the ice cream section. Is it all chocolate you don’t like, or just bitter chocolate?”

  “Well-”

  A sudden bad feeling radiates from across the room.

  “I’ve finally found you, Chosen One!” a man with blond hair says from across the shop.

  “Do you know that fool?” Mateo asks.

  “He kind of seems familiar, but not really. Give me a second, and I’ll figure out what he wants,” I say as I look up to the blond man.

  “There’s no use hiding now. I cha-”

  “Can’t you see that this isn’t a good time?” I ask, cutting him off.

  “But the Class War?” he says with a hint of confusion.

  “First of all, we’re not in school. Second of all, it’s the weekend. Third of all, you’re bothering the people who are trying to eat in peace,” I say while I gesture to the people around us.

  Red tints the edges of his human ears. “I will not be swayed by your cunning words. I will chal-”

  A well-dressed employee interrupts him, “Does there seem to be a problem, dear customer?”

  “Yes. This man suddenly interrupted our meal. I hate bringing this up, but he is also bothering the other customers,” I say to the employee.

  The employee nods and turns to the blond man. “Sir, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

  “You’re asking me to leave? I just need to challenge him to a duel, and then I’ll be on my way. So, excuse me,” he says as he tries to get past the employee.

  “I don’t think you understand. That was not a request, Sir. If you do not leave the premises, we will be forced to make you leave,” the employee says with a cold but friendly tone.

  “This is outrageous. Do you know who I am?” he asks without a hint of embarrassment.

  “Yes, Lord Tristan, but need I remind you who I work for?” the employee says without a hint of malice or spit, just pure professionalism.

  Anger bubbles at the edges of his smile as he takes a deep breath. “You’ve won this time, Chosen One, but I’ll find you,” he says as he leaves in a huff.

  The employee then turns to me with a painted smile. “Apologies for the interruption. Are you ready to order?”

  “Yes, we’ll start with the strawberry cake.”

  A groan escapes my lips as I think about how I’m probably made up more of desserts than blood at this point. Looking over, I see Mateo gleefully take another bite out of his strawberry ice cream. Well, at least he’s happy. For such a small kid, he sure can pack in the ice cream.

  “To think I would ever say these words, but, Kid, I’m stuffed.”

  “Sounds like your old age is catching up with you,” he mocks, and then I see his gaze snap to the top of my head.

  “What do you see?” I ask as I slump down on the table.

  “There’s a Spirit on your head. Can’t you see it?”

  Looking up, I feel a faint sense of something being there, but I don’t see a thing. “Not a thing. We might have the same eyes, but you’ve got to remember that I’m not fully Magena like you are,” I say as I point to my red eyes and then to my lovely horns.

  “Isn’t that lonely? Not being able to see your Spirit?”

  “In case you haven’t noticed. I don’t have one, but enough about me. Have you been making friends at the cathedral?” I deflect the topic.

  “Yeah, right. Nobody can understand me, and you’re expecting me to make friends? Any other jokes?” he asks as he stuffs his face.

  “You don’t have to understand each other to be friends, at least not language-wise. I used to know this guy who didn’t make a lick of sense, mostly because he didn’t speak, but I still understood him. You just have to figure out the vibes and guess from there,” I say as I reminisce about the time silent Pete with a single look told me he would gut me if I looked at him one more time.

  “What’s the point of making friends anyway?” he mumbles.

  “For one, it’s considered healthy to have friends, and not to mention it’s helpful to have connections,” I say as I slide a plate of ice cream towards the middle of the table.

  “So, what I’m hearing is I should make friends to exploit their connections,” he says with a shit-eating grin.

  This little- No, you know what, baby steps. If this gets him to try to make friends, however ill-motivated it is, that’s a step in the right direction. He’s a kid. He’ll fold to friendship before he even realises.

  Mateo pulls the plate of ice cream towards him and whispers, “May the Spirits accept this offering.”

  In a faint glow, the ice cream disappears. Well, that brings back memories.

  “Ok, kid. Let’s wrap up and get you back before the sun sets. Also, Happy Birthday,” I say as we pack up to leave.

  “Thanks, Horned One.”

  Before we can leave, one of the employees hands me the bill. For the love of the Gods. 25 Gold!! We ate too much. If only Helia weren’t the one who got me the reservation. I could’ve skipped out on the bill, but alas, that’s not the case. I hand over the gold with great difficulty. Spending money just feels bad. Especially so much. I’ll have to make it back somehow.

  As we leave the shop, Mateo looks at the top of my head and then over to the sky. “The Spirit flew away.”

  “What kind of Spirit was it?”

  “A ladybug.”

  “Must have been cold. Let’s get you home.”

  Stumbling into my room, I land flat on my bed.

  “Have a good time?” Hopper asks.

  “Oh, it was fine. Ate some cake, had some laughs, was accosted by the Rank 1 of the second years. How about you?” I ask as I kick my shoes off.

  “Nothing too crazy. Did some homework, talked with Luna- Did you say you were accosted by Tristan Mallory? I thought you were going to that new shop?”

  “Where do you think he found me? By the way, he is bothersome. I sense great misfortune in my future,” I say as I pull the covers up.

  “I would imagine. He is known as the Undefeated King of the second years,” Hopper explains.

  “A bit cocky, no?”

  “Not if you’ve never lost a fight. I’d be careful, CJ. He might be more than just bothersome.”

  “Well, at least there’s one good thing that comes out of this,” I say as I slowly slip into unconsciousness.

  “What’s that?”

  “I get to rub it in Penelope's face that he was looking for me and not her,” I say as sleep takes hold.

  “Oh, goodie,” Hopper says with sarcasm.