Glimmers of Glass

by Emma Savant

  “I can’t talk to him,” she said.

  “You have a shot at happiness,” I said. “Elle, Kyle really likes you.”

  She stared at me, eyelids fluttering as she tried to take in what I was saying. Did she really not know?

  “We’re friends,” she said. I raised an eyebrow at her. She flushed. Her eyes darted around the floor as if she’d find answers scurrying around like mice. Then she dared to look up. “Really?” she said.

  I sucked on the inside of my cheek and nodded, watching her face closely. She flushed again, but this time, the pulsing warmth accompanying the pink glow wasn’t embarrassment. “He makes me really happy,” she said.

  “I know,” I said. “So are you going to suck it up or what?”

  She laughed a little. It was almost a giggle once she’d factored in the nerves. That was all I needed.

  I was a faerie godmother, damn it. It was time to manufacture some happily-ever-afters.

  Elle and I slipped through the shadows like shimmering ghosts. I led her past the catering kitchen and down a darkened hallway, where we flitted past storage closets and small conference rooms.

  I stopped outside a door, hoping it was the right one. I’d given Kyle the signal; calculating at least two minutes for his excited panic to run its course, he should be in here by now.

  I took a deep breath. “You sure you don’t want to stay with Tyler and live out your fairy tale?” I asked.

  She started to roll her eyes at me, then stopped herself. “Sorry,” she said. “You’re going out on a limb for me here, aren’t you?” She looked to my face for confirmation. I tried to make it as confirming as possible.

  “I’m sure,” she said.

  My heart fluttered in my chest. This was actually kind of exciting. Maybe this was what all the godmothers meant at the office when they talked about having “the greatest job on earth.” It wasn’t exactly researching new plant species in the Amazon, but looking at Elle, I had to admit it had something going for it. The nervous glint in her eyes was the most satisfying thing I’d seen in a long time.

  I knocked softly on the door.

  Kyle and I had spent days putting this together. We had hoped that, just maybe, a perfect grand gesture would finally get through to Elle and make her listen.

  But we didn’t have to get through to her anymore. She was already here with us, and goosebumps rose on my arms at the prospect of this crazy thing working out.

  A voice called for us to come in. I put my hand on the handle, took one last second to memorize the look on Elle’s face, and pushed open the door.

  I heard her gasp long before any kind of expression registered on her face. A hand flew to cover her mouth as her jaw fell open.

  “Oh,” she breathed.

  Kyle and I had magicked our way into the building this morning and spent an hour making it perfect.

  This small conference room had transformed into something that took her breath away. White fairy lights ringed the room, giving everything a soft glow, and we’d pinned old tablecloths we’d found in a closet to the walls and glamoured them to look like a billowing white tent. In the center of the room, draped across the conference table, lay a stunning white dress.

  Elle reached out to touch it. She didn’t breathe.

  We’d enchanted the crystal beads sprinkled across the skirt to twinkle and wink just like the stars in the sky. The bodice was beaded in flattering patterns clear up and over the straps, and a white umbrella lay open next to the gown, sheltering a giant bouquet of white roses and orchids. A delicate pair of glass high-heeled shoes sparkled next to the gown, enchanted for strength and comfort but as fragile-looking as a cobweb.

  He held out a silver necklace with a single dangling crystal charm in the shape of a star. His charcoal suit and silver tie made him look older and handsome.

  But the best part of the whole tableau was the look on his face. He was breathing Elle in like she was the first truly beautiful thing he’d ever seen, and she was crying.

  “How did you—” she said, then clapped a hand to her mouth again and mumbled, “I don’t even—” before she had to swallow to keep the shreds of her composure.

  Maybe this wasn’t the greatest job on earth.

  But it wasn’t the worst.

  Kyle stepped forward, holding out a hand. “Let me take you through the stars,” he said.

  The line was corny, but he’d assured me that this was an important quote from Starship Mine and that I needed to keep a straight face while he said it. I did my best, but it wouldn’t have mattered. They’d both forgotten I was there.

  She held out her hand. It actually shook. And then her hand was in his and he had pulled her in for a hug. She clung to him.

  “I am so, so sorry,” she said into his shoulder.

  He gave her a tight squeeze and rocked her back and forth. “It’s okay,” he said.

  And it was, just like that.

  I could have waved my wand and completed Elle’s transformation in the twinkle of an eye. But it was much more fun to drag her and the dress to the bathroom, guard the door while she changed, and then tease and primp her hair until it looked exactly like Astra’s from Starship Mine. I did pull my wand out of my hair—where it had been cleverly glamoured to look like a silver hair stick—to stud her curls with tiny diamonds that twinkled in the light. For the last touch, I held up the crystal necklace Kyle had been holding and told her to turn around.

  She backed up, her glass slippers clicking on the tile floor. “Not wearing that,” she said. “It’s got a spell on it.”

  I put a hand on her shoulder and turned her around. “Yes, it does,” I said. “A nice, low-key spell I performed myself. I’ve been doing these since I was eight years old at Faerie Camp.”

  “That’s a thing?”

  “That’s a thing,” I said. “And this charm isn’t going to do anything weird. It’s for clarity. Both about your feelings and about anything going on around you. I figured you could use a little of that after the last few months.”

  I fastened the chain around her neck. Her hand flew to the charm and she closed her eyes and sighed, a long, cleansing breath that sounded like she’d been holding it too long.

  “Kyle’s got a pumpkin coach waiting out back,” I said. “They’re all the rage right now,” I added at her confused look. “They’re organic and super trendy and whatever. We thought it was appropriate.”

  She knitted her eyebrows together like she was about to ask a question, then shook it off and said, “Whatever you say.” She stepped back to examine herself in the mirror. Neither of us could stop smiling.

  “You’re gorgeous,” I said. “Now get your butt out of here.” The NebulaCon costume ball would be in full swing already, and I didn’t want them to miss another second.

  Chapter 30

  It took me five minutes to magic the conference room back to its usual drab state and shrink Elle’s pink gown and matching shoes into doll props that fit in my handbag. Now that my date was gone, I was ready to be gone, too. I darted my way across the ballroom floor to Imogen, who was the center of attention as she shimmied to some bouncy pop song blasting through the speakers.

  Before I reached her, I caught sight of Lucas. He was alone in a chair against the wall, his chin propped in his hands. Aubrey was nowhere in sight.

  What else was I supposed to do? I changed courses.

  “How’s it going?” I called over the music. When he didn’t seem to hear me, I nudged his foot with my jeweled shoe, and he looked up.

  “Hey,” he said, forcing a smile. I dropped into the empty chair beside him.

  “What’s up?” I said. “Where’d your date go?” I looked at his face, then followed his gaze across the room, where Aubrey stood in the center of a group of guys. She laughed and punched one of them lightly on the shoulder.

  Yikes.

  He blew a long stream of air out, making his cheeks puff up. “I don’t know what happened. Last I knew, we were fine.
But I guess I didn’t get her the right corsage or something, and I forgot to make dinner reservations in time to take her to her favorite restaurant, and she just flipped.”

  I tried not to be smug. “That sounds frustrating,” I said instead.

  “She said I ‘ruined her special night,’” he said. “Prom was supposed to be ‘magical’ and I blew it.”

  He was trying to brush it off with sarcasm, but he was hurting. Before I could talk myself out of it, I put a hand on his shoulder. “That sucks,” I said. “Like, a lot. Do you want to get out of here?”

  “Where would we go?” he said.

  I bit my lip, not sure how he was going to take this. “NebulaCon,” I said. “My friend Elle just left for their costume ball and I’m going to go meet her. We’re supposed to be in costume but we could probably just claim we’re from some obscure anime.”

  His mouth quirked up a little. It was the closest to a real smile I’d seen so far, and I nudged him with my shoulder. “The people watching’s going to be great,” I said.

  “You still know my weaknesses,” he said. We’d gone to a high school football game once in middle school, trying to be cool, and he’d spent the entire time picking out people in the audience and telling me what he thought their stories were. I’d forgotten it till now.

  I raised an eyebrow and wiggled in my seat, silently prodding for his answer. Finally, he laughed, not like it was funny but like of course his evening had come to this. “Okay,” he said. “Aubrey’s going to be pissed but honestly I don’t really care right now.”

  “Good,” I said. I hoped I sounded supportive instead of triumphant. I couldn’t tell if I succeeded, but he didn’t immediately change his mind, which was good enough.

  A minute later, I yanked Imogen out of the circle where she’d been attempting to teach everyone a complicated-looking shoulder roll. Her face was flushed with exhilaration.

  “Elle went to her geek convention with Kyle,” I shouted. We were standing way too close to the speakers.

  “What?” Imogen screamed, still barely loud enough to be heard. “What about Kyle? Did he kiss you?”

  “I’ll tell you about it later!” I shouted, then, remembering that I didn’t have to do this, touched my silvered wand. A bubble of quiet sprang up around us, making my ears ring. “Elle and Tyler are over,” I said. “She and Kyle are going to another party together. I’m headed out to go join them.”

  “What?” Imogen repeated, this time more incredulous than confused.

  “And I’m taking Lucas,” I said. “This whole thing is a bust. I’m probably going to get fired tomorrow, so tonight it’s all c’est la vie, you know?”

  “If you say so,” she said. She glanced back at Jacob, like she wasn’t sure how to tell me she didn’t want to come. But Imogen and I had never really needed words.

  “I’ll tell you more about it tomorrow,” I said. “You guys have an awesome time. Tell me if he kisses you!”

  “Are you sure?” Imogen said. “I thought you’d finally decided to keep your job. And what was that about Lucas?”

  “It’s done,” I said. “I think everything’s done. The job, Lucas and Aubrey, everything.” I didn’t know if it was good or bad yet, but what did it matter? Tonight, I’d had a success that I’d carry with me for a long time. Tomorrow could worry about itself. “Have an awesome night.”

  She winked at me, still concerned but trying not to look like it. “I think I’ve got that down,” she said.

  I left her doing some kind of complicated shimmy while the girls around her giggled and tried to imitate it and Jacob looked at her like she was the sun rising in the morning. Which, of course, was as it should be.

  I met Lucas at the front door. His tie was askew. “I told Aubrey I was leaving,” he said immediately, without being asked. “She’s not happy. We should get out of here.”

  Both of our lives were turning into tangled messes tonight. And tonight, we just didn’t have the extra energy to care. We ran to the next light rail station just in time to catch a car. I clambered on behind him and we took off, the city racing toward us with the thrill of freedom.

  I’d had the idea in the back of my mind that few gatherings in the world could be as awkward as a high school prom.

  I stood corrected.

  “This is actually the greatest night ever,” Lucas said. We sat together against the wall, clear plastic cups of lemonade in our hands. He gestured out toward the dance floor with his drink. “This part is, I mean. The other part sucked.”

  “And tomorrow’s going to suck,” I reminded him, ever the beacon of encouragement.

  “But right now is awesome.” He raised his glass and I touched mine to it. The plastic walls bent a little together and then sprang back. I took a long sip, enjoying the way it was too lemony and too watery all at once.

  The floor in front of us was jam-packed with the weirdest group of people I’d ever seen. Coming from a faerie, that was saying something. Two girls waltzed together in front of us, one in a short lace kimono with long swords strapped to her back, the other in a leather corset and towering top hat covered in clockwork. Behind them, a stormtrooper swept a girl in a silver catsuit across the room, making her almost run to keep up. The room was filled with what Lucas informed me were “Browncoats,” anime characters with neon wigs and inch-long eyelashes, and at least seven Princess Leias in slave-girl costumes. A guy in a bathrobe shuffled past us in slippers, clutching a towel and muttering about “Vogon poetry,” whatever that was.

  It was spectacular. And I was having a great time. Everyone in the room embraced their weirdness at a level I’d never seen before, and it was kind of brilliant.

  Elle danced over after a while and pulled me up by both hands, telling Lucas that she had to talk to me. “Waltz,” she ordered. “I’ll lead.”

  I actually knew how to do this, thanks to the stuffy parties Dad had always dragged Daniel and me to, so I slipped right into position. She wasn’t bad at leading, which, I realized, should have been obvious from the first.

  “Thank you,” she said simply. She was completely at ease now; not fighting anything, not protesting anything, not trying to make anything be any different than it was right in this moment. She squeezed my hand. “I’m not sure I should be thanking you, because the last few months have been ridiculous. But I am grateful, because…” She trailed off, then looked across the room at Kyle, who leaned against the wall and watched us—watched her—with a smile playing on his lips. “I really like him,” she said. “I didn’t realize it until I didn’t have him anymore. People are so dumb like that. I hate when I’m ‘people.’”

  I knew exactly what she meant.

  “We’ve never really fought before,” Elle said. “He always just puts up with me. And once we started fighting I realized how good I have it, and I think he realized that he wasn’t guaranteed to be my best friend forever, so he may as well risk it.” She couldn’t stop her smile from spreading. “He was worried about ‘ruining the friendship,’” she said. “Can you believe that? But he kinda wants us to date now.”

  “And you?” I said.

  “I’d be clueless if I didn’t jump on that,” she said. “He’s the best person I’ve ever met. I just can’t believe he likes me like that.” She shook her head a little, trying to shoo the strangeness of it all away. The strangeness clung to her, a delicate sense of newness and possibility that crept across her skin like tingling cobwebs. “I really like him, Olivia. Like, a lot.” She looked at me intensely, willing me to understand.

  Suddenly, I couldn’t take it anymore. I burst out laughing, my skin sharing her giddy tingling. “I know you do,” I said. “I’m your freaking faerie godmother!”

  “You are, aren’t you?” she said, then grabbed my face in both her hands and said, giving me a little shake, “Weird.”

  “On that note,” I said. I’d been thinking about this a lot lately—thinking about how I could really help her instead of how I could make other
people’s hopes for her come true. “I think you should talk to your dad. He really does want the best for you. Maybe you can find a way to make Pumpkin Spice be what you want without, you know, making your family starve.”

  She pursed her lips at me, but I could feel her joy clearly enough to know she wasn’t annoyed. “I will,” she said. “I realized while I had all those charms on that sometimes, the way I act with them and the way I act without them isn’t that different.” I felt her happiness flag a little.

  Impulsively, I gave her a quick hug. “It’ll work out,” I said. “I’ll bet Kyle’s willing to help you figure out what to say.”

  Her joy flooded back. From the stars sparkling in her hair and skirt to the happiness radiating from her face, she was all lit up.

  This was what true love looked like. Maybe it would last forever and they’d tell their kids about tonight. Maybe it would last a few weeks before they realized they were better off as friends. But I was sure, looking at the way they glowed whenever they glanced shyly across the room at each other, that they would be friends and maybe more for a long, long time.

  I waved Kyle over. He sprang from the wall and reached us in what seemed like two steps. “Almost midnight,” I said. “I think this dance is for you.”

  I left them spinning slowly on the floor together, drowning in each other’s eyes.

  Lucas raised his cup toward them when I sat back down, Elle’s happiness still tingling down my arms. “When did that happen?” he asked. “I thought she was with that kid on the basketball team.”

  There was no way to explain. For the first time, I wished Lucas was a Glim so I could tell him everything. “They’ve been friends for a long time,” I said. “I think they just realized it was okay to let it be more.”

  “Good for them,” he said. The wistfulness in his eyes made me almost sad. He glanced at me, caught me watching, and quickly looked back out toward the floor.