The sun had set and the stars were out. Fireflies drifted by Wendy's line of sight and somebody had set up red paper lanterns that threw off a warm glow onto her pale skin. She was in her uniform again. Hadn't she gotten rid of that old thing? Ugh, it didn't matter. It was more comfortable than most of these wick clothes. And even though she didn't like to admit it, Wendy found the blue of her uniform soothing. It was stable, when everything else was florid and colorful and seemed in a constant state of flux.

For once, she wasn't really worrying. She was sitting, letting the window blow her hair across her face. It wasn't cold out yet, but she could tell it would be soon. A firefly landed on her shoulder and then flew off again.

Warm arms wrapped around Wendy from behind and a chin came to rest on her shoulder. The man behind her was warm and solid, vibrant. The sun had tanned his skin and Petra had healed away his hurts.

"Never thought we'd make it this far, hey Wend?" He said.

Wendy could hear his smile. The festival had helped ease out the manic edge to it but the feeling was the same. Still thumbing his nose at higher powers, though these days the only higher powers were the air and earth, the wind and sea.

Wendy squeaked and laughed airily, "You nut!" She half turned. "Where have you been all day? All week! I feel like you just disappear to torment me." She grinned at him, looking happier than she had in weeks. It was as if a huge weight had been lifted off her shoulders. He did that to her.

Something in his face made her falter. "You're different, you know. The sun, and the wick clothes really changed you. In a good way!" And then, because she wasn't ever really good at small talk, "I'm worried." She leaned into his shoulder. "I don't want to leave. Why can't it be like this all the time?"

"Can't always get what you want, Wendy." He said, shadows flickering in the lamplight, trailing across his eyes and cheeks and throat. "We can stay here a while, until you're ready to leave."

He kept his arms wrapped around her and watched as a stranger walked by outside, taking long prowling strides. He was gone as quickly as he'd arrived. Wendy thought she could hear his voice.

"I don't think we should go outside for a while." He said, looking outside at Petra, apparently guarding their door.

His skin looked pale in the dark. Like something she'd seen once before.

"I'll have to leave soon. But you know that I love you." He said it as a statement, pressing a kiss to the top of her head.

"I don't think I'll ever be ready." She admitted, turning around and putting her head on his shoulder and resting her hands there as well. He was warm. Why did she think that was odd? People got warm after they worked.



Wendy felt a thrill of fear shoot up her spine at the thought of whatever was outside. "Who's out there?" She asked, and then shook her head quickly, "Don't tell me. I don't-- I don't want to know, do I?" Her hands were like ice...no...it wasn't her hands... he was cooling.

"Are you sick?" Her voice was concerned, as it had always been whenever she felt there was something wrong.



"I love you too..." She said uncertainly, pulling herself away and looking into his face. "Where are you going? Stay...Stay longer." There may have been a note of desperation in her voice, and Wendy was surprised to hear it coming out of her, in an abstract sort of way. Wendy wondered in a rather detached way why this was. He wasn't going anywhere, surely.

The wolf was growling at the door now and Wendy couldn't tell whether he was getting through. Petra seemed to have cast a barrier spell, though Wendy wasn't sure how she'd managed it, being a witch. She was still safe in strong arms but they were cold now.

"He doesn't know you're not Adalare." Pascual said, sadly. "I don't know how he found us here. Maybe I can make him go away."

He tilted Wendy's head up and kissed her lips. She could smell his blood now, though he was still hale and whole in her eyes. Such bright eyes, like they'd always been. Such melancholic eyes...

"I'm so sorry, Wendy." He said, running his hand through her hair. "You know that I'm dead, right?"

"I love you, dearest heart, I never meant to go away..." He was already fading, like the sound of Crius at the door and Petra shouting something unknown.

She woke.

"What? No-- Sweet, Adalare's safe-- she's--" Wendy felt confused. Adalare was fine now...that was in the past. What-- How had Crius turned into a wolf?



Why does it smell like blood? There was something going on in the back of her mind. It felt like there was a curtain pulled over half of her thoughts.

And it still smelled like blood. Why did it smell like blood?

The kiss ended too quickly.



Oh.

That.

"I guess I do, since you've told me." She assented in a whisper. Tears slid down her face silently.



And Wendy was back in her room. She had sat up with a gasp, tears on her face, still feeling slightly confused. Why was she crying?

She remembered suddenly, and she let out a low moan. She lay on her side and sobbed quietly until she was calm again. This happened a few times-- she alternated between crying and staring into space until she had exhausted herself. Too tired to sleep. Wendy got up and wandered out of her kint, walking aimlessly.

She'd forgotten to put her socks on, and the ground was icy. Wendy was cold.