Mindless chatter bounced off of the white concrete walls and into my ears. The noise, obnoxiously loud, annoyed me to the point of wishing we could eat outside even in the snowy weather. Some things never change, and a high school cafeteria was one of them.

Elfred, Travis and Kathryn were seated at the usual table. Ella was nowhere in sight. This was a change I would never get used to. Where could she be? Would she ever accept these nonconforming relationships?

"She'll come around," Zane whispered. My face must have given away the unspoken question to the vampire that stood next to me.

"I doubt that" I mumbled. 

He squeezed my hand in response. Though my words were low, I knew his ears would hear. Ella loved old traditions. She would only find a fairy to reproduce with and then kick him to the curb after she was done. That fairy harbored no feelings.

"Come on, they're waiting for you."

Of course, they were. They wanted answers. Kathryn would be mad that I never told her. But what was I supposed to tell her about me and Zane when I never had the answers for myself?

"I don't want to do this without you." My voice sounded more like the pleading child than I intended it to be.

"Then don't," he said. "Let's leave this school right now, run away to a deserted place where no one knows us, and never look back."

I stopped all actions only to tilt my head to the side and peer at him through squinted eyes. Where did that thought even come from? Run away? That was impossible for us, just like being together. Maybe I just heard him wrong.

"Huh?" 

"You heard me," he said. "Let's go far away from here."

I guess I didn't hear him wrong after all. 

"We can't do that."

"Exactly, now get over there and talk to your friends."

He placed his hands on my shoulders and gave me a gentle push. He knew this was something I needed to do on my own, and he would not have forced me if he thought I was not strong enough.

I felt the air fill my lungs as I inhaled a deep breath of the world around me, gathering the courage from the surrounding students. I'm sure they had more than me right now and I needed to borrow some before I stepped up to the edge of that round table.

My steps were slow but one by one I made it, with my nervousness and all. I stood there facing my friends, afraid of pulling out my usual chair. Zane positioned himself at a comfortable distance, guaranteeing that he was within eyesight in case I needed to make a quick getaway.

"Hey, g... g... guys," I said. My words were barely above a small whisper. Simultaneously, they lifted their heads, only to stare at me, penetrating into the deepest part of my mind as if trying to read it. Technically, Elfred could. 

At that moment, all the environmental sounds stopped. The cafeteria was eerily silent. So silent that the noise of dust hitting a random rafter above me seemed to reverberate like the forceful impact of a wrecking ball against a concrete wall. I could feel every pair of eyes on me, and I hated every agonizing second of it. That's when Elfred slid his fork off of the table.

Clang! The sound of metal bounced onto the tile floor which echoed within the walls of the strangely quiet cafeteria. Elfred leaned down to pick up the fork, lowering his eyes into a predatorial glare toward the students. As charming as a fairy may be, they were still monsters, and monsters were intimidating. One look from the fairy and the students returned to chattering. I was no longer the object of everyone's entertainment.

"I think that was punishment enough," Kathryn said, gesturing for me to take my seat.

I felt the slow vibration of the chair legs scrapping across the laminate floor against the palm of my hand as I inched the plastic chair out from underneath the table. Every sound and every movement were agonizingly slow while they riddled me with anxiety. I sat in front of the three pairs of eyes that were seeking answers from me.

"So?" Kathryn started.

"I don't know where to begin," I said.

"Start from the beginning, of course," she said. This time she leaned across the table, deep blue eyes fixated upon me like I was about to tell her the most fascinating story. A smile formed across her face.

"You're not mad?"

"I'm mad you did not tell me sooner," she said. "But I can see why you kept it a secret and now that it is out, I want details."

"Honestly, we only made it official last night." 

I wasn't lying. Though my thoughts had been riding a never-ending roller coaster for months, it parked in the loading dock last night when the words flowed out from our mouths while standing amongst the wildflowers.

"Now... our LOVE conversation made sense," she said.

"LOVE conversation?" Travis mumbled, spitting out flakes of food as he munched on his sandwich.

"Girl stuff, Hun," Kathryn said, patting his broad shoulder.

I pointed back and forth between the two of them.

"Official?" I asked, confused.

"Same as you... last night," she said with a wide grin on her face. This was good. Maybe if I stayed silent, I could switch the subjects. The subject about me and Zane was just embarrassing and honestly, I didn't want to talk about it while Ella was missing.

"I was going to tell you today," Kathryn continued. "But you surprised me first. You at least knew of my crush. This is a complete surprise and a vamp at that. Can you trust him?"

"Actually, I can," I said. Now all of their eyes were on me. I knew they would be. A firebird trusting a vampire. It was unheard of. All of this was.

"You saw how he stood up for me in class."

"But what if it was an act?" Elfred said. 

This was the first time he spoke. I knew he was staying silent because he felt he had no room to speak but honestly, none of them did. A siren and a werewolf. A fairy and a human. Those were as strange as a phoenix and a vampire. 

"Maybe it was?" I spoke. "But my heart wants what it wants." 

That made them all go quiet with agreement. I looked back at the spot where I left Zane, but he was no longer standing there. I let my eyes roam the cafeteria, searching. They gravitated over to the corner where the venomous spiders sat but the table was covered in empty cobwebs and Zane was missing with them. My guess, he knew I no longer needed his help.

Kathryn gazed around the table into everyone's eyes, searching for the unspoken answer. Then she leaned forward toward me.

"Everyone at this table supports your decision," Kathryn said, taking my hands in hers. "But I just want you to be safe."

"Thank you. Zane will protect me." 

I knew they had their doubts, and I didn't blame them. Only time would let them see the truth and there was not much left of that anyway. 

"What did he say about Cynthia?" Kathryn asked.

"He said they expect him to be with her, whoever they are?" I spoke.

"What is he going to do?"

"I don't know," I said. "I just know he is going after what he wants."

"Remember to protect yourself as well," Kathryn said.

"I will." 

I knew she meant well but she didn't know that my life would be over in a couple of months.

What I was afraid of most didn't happen. Well, at least with the majority. I didn't lose my friends. I didn't lose their trust. And maybe one day I could fix this with Ella as well.

The day passed unusually slow. I didn't see Zane again until I left my last class. I thought for sure I was going to have to walk back to the wooden shack in the snow.

Until a large hand intertwined its fingers with mine as I left the classroom, and I looked up at the handsome face staring down at me. There was a rip in the bottom of his shirt that was definitely not there this morning. The more I inspected him, the more I noticed. His jeans were also dirty and torn.

"Where were you all day?" I questioned the vamp. Did he get into a fight?

"I just had to take care of something," Zane said, looking far off into the distance. He was quick to recover, looking at me to flash me a sweet smile only to hide whatever he was thinking.

"I feel you are lying to me," I whispered. 

Zane was quick, pulling me into the janitor's closet. Once the door closed, his hand went to the small of my back, pulling me into his muscular body and the other to my face, gently wiping the stray hairs away from my eyes.

I felt the piercing gaze of icy eyes as they delved into the depths of my being, seemingly in search of confirmation of my existence, and questioning the authenticity of my realness.

"What have I told you about calling me a liar, firebird?" 

His eyes were soft, but still searching mine for the answer.

"That you may be a vamp, but never a liar." 

I breathed out. He leaned over, inching closer and closer to me.

"Exactly," he whispered into my ear, letting his lips caress the soft curves. 

He let his mouth linger a little longer than he should of and then he backed away slowly, removing his hands from my body but still keeping his eyes on me. The electrifying sparks were so prevalent that I wondered if he felt them too. 

"I honestly did take care of something," Zane said. He paused and ran a hand through his hair before he said the next few words. The boy was nervous. 

"I told Cynthia to find another, and Antonio fought me, but it's over and done. Don't concern yourself. Let's just go home." 

But the only home I had was next to him.

He took hold of my hand, and we stepped out of the closet. The hallways were now empty as most of the student body had gone home, so why did I still feel eyes were stabbing me with every step I took as I exited the building?

"Were you able to fix things with your friends?" Zane asked as he took a smooth turn around a bend in the street.

"Yeah, they were all accepting, except for Ella but I don't even know where she is."

"I told you there was nothing for you to be upset about and give Ella time."

"I'll talk to her eventually, maybe you're right."

But was he right? Time was not on my side, and I needed Ella in the last bit of life I had left. I needed to fix this quickly, but I could never tell Zane that.

The car felt warm compared to the environment that surrounded us and the ride back was shorter than I wanted it to be. 

"Thanks again for the ride," I said getting ready to open the car door and leave the warmth just to face the freezing temperatures of nature.

"Wait."

"What is it?" 

He looked down, fidgeting with his thumbs for a minute.

"Zane, you can tell me anything." I reminded him.

 When he lifted his head up again, he ran a hand through his bangs and turned to look at me. Why was he so nervous? He had already told me what he had done. Did he have another secret?

"Would you like to go on a date with me?" I could not contain the smile that rose on my face.

"You're asking me on a date?"

"Yes, I am, firebird."

"Then yes, vamp," I said. "I accept."

"Then tomorrow at seven. I'll pick you up."

"I'll be ready."

I smiled at him as I opened the car door, and it did not leave my face until I shut the door behind me, when my mind suddenly remembered something.

Elfred.

I set my bag down by the front door and pulled out the cellphone from my pocket to dial Elfred's number. He picked up on the first ring.

"What's up, hot stuff," he said.

"Not much, dreamy," I replied. If anyone else heard our nicknames I'm sure they would have thought, we were dating.

"So, what do I owe the pleasure."

"I need to talk to you but not over the phone. Can we meet in the morning? ... alone?"

"I don't like the sound of that, but I have a feeling I know what this is over."

"Don't worry, it will be fine," I assured my friend.

"Yeah, let's meet at the coffee shop at nine."

"I'll see you then," I said and hung up the phone.

I was not going to interrogate Elfred. I just needed to know if my suspension was correct. If Lucy still had her memories. If she knew who or better yet what we were and if she did then this could have some dangerous consequences.