Shades of Starlight (Hiatus)

Book Two: Chapter Six

For the next few days, I didn't hear much from anyone except Biana. Sophie only hailed me once, to tell me that someone had broken into Havenfield, but that everything was okay. Fitz was getting ready for the start of school. Keefe was spending a suspicious amount of time alone in his room. I'd tried to see what he was doing several times, but he never let me in. Alden and Della were being especially secretive and scarce, hardly ever around when I went to Everglen. Alden had been sick. It turned out that Sophie and him had gone to Exile, and that Alden had been hurt there. He seemed to be fine, though, and Elwin didn't think that there was anything physically wrong with him.

I didn't mind, though. Biana and I were working on training Stormy every morning, and going out to shop and eat in the afternoons. We also spent a lot of time preparing for having eyes on us at all times and nasty things people might say to us. Neither of us wanted to take off the Crush Cuffs or stay away from each other in public. In fact, when we went out, both of us made it a point to wear short sleeves and draw as much attention as possible to our wristbands. There hadn't been any big blowouts yet, just noticeably lower-quality service.

We had told my parents we were dating the day after the Aurenflare. It... hadn't been pretty.

Earlier

I took a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. Biana had looked a lot more confident when we were talking about doing this. Now that we were sitting in the dining room, having dinner with my parents and Keefe, she didn't look so sure. I hadn't 'come out' to my parents, as Sophie put it, beforehand. Neither of them had spotted the Crush Cuffs yet. Keefe had a slight smirk on his face. I hoped he wouldn't say anything.

"So, Cassia, you'll be skipping Level Three this year," Father said matter-of-factly, totally out of the blue.

"What?! No, I'm not!"

"Yes, you are, and that's final. We'll be making the arrangements tomorrow." Biana looked shocked. I felt the same way as Mom came over with the food.

"Thank you, Mother. It looks great," I said, my voice wobbling, reaching for my plate without thinking. Biana and I were both wearing long sleeves, but Mom somehow caught a flash of teal on my wrist.

"What's that on your wrist, dear?" She handed everyone else their food. Keefe hid his grin by pretending to yawn. Biana and I exchanged a glance. She nodded. It was time. Another shaky breath and I tried to smile calmly at my parents.

"A Crush Cuff," I told her, waiting for the inevitable gasp from her. Father looked mildly surprised, but a bit like he could care less.

"And who's the lucky guy?" Mom asked. Keefe covered his laugh with a cough.

"Um... actually...it's Biana," I announced, rolling back my sleeve to show them the cuff. Mom's eyebrows shot into the stratosphere. Father choked on his mouthful of food.

"Are you serious?" Father demanded, swallowing. I raised my chin defiantly.

"Yes. She's my girlfriend." Biana nodded and beamed at me.

"We just started dating yesterday. Keefe was there," she agreed.

"Is this some kind of joke?" Father barked. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Why did everyone think that?

"No. It's not a joke. I like girls," I said firmly. "I've had a crush on Biana for years, and yesterday I finally told her." I crossed my arms, staring down my horrified parents.

"Why did you never tell us you... were like this?" Mother asked in a dangerously quiet voice.

"Because I didn't want you to treat me differently for being lesbian!"