Land of a Million Stars

I went with Quinn to school today. I walked next to him in the hallway and stood next to his desk. He’d smile at me a lot, amused little grins. A few times, by accident, some freshman girls thought he was smiling at them and they’d collapse in giggles.

During study hall, when he was reading his chemistry book, I sat across from him. One side of his mouth quirked up into a half-smile.

“It’s really hard to concentrate when you’re sitting there,” he whispered.

I grinned. “Oh, sorry,” I said. Quinn looked up. He glanced around and then motioned to the chair next to him. “Won’t that just be more distracting?” Again, Quinn motioned to the chair next to him. I shrugged and complied. When I’d sat down, Quinn reached for my hand and placed them both on the table.

“It doesn’t look suspicious; just like I’m resting my hand there,” he said out of the corner of his mouth.

I rolled my eyes but smiled. “Zeke gets out of jail today,” I said. “Frankie is picking him up at one.”

“It’s almost one,” Quinn pointed out.

“I know.”

“Go, Ella. You need to see your brother,” he said. I nodded. I squeezed his hand and stood.

“I’ll see you later,” I told him. Quinn smiled at me. He mouthed ‘good luck’ and I was on my way.



I waited at home until one-thirty, when my brothers got home. Frankie looked pissed and Zeke just look tired.

I need to help them. They’re both a wreck.

I’d become corporeal before, by myself. Whenever I’d used a large amount of my special lily power. So I closed my eyes and concentrated. The smell of lilies grew stronger and stronger until I felt the familiar tingle spread throughout my body.

When I opened my eyes, Frankie and Zeke were staring, slack-jawed at me. I smiled at them. “Brothers,” I whispered. Tears flowed from my eyes.

“Ella?” Zeke asked. I nodded. They rushed towards me, wrapping me in a big hug. I hugged them back. I was so happy.

“How?” Frankie asked. Both of them were crying, too. Frankie wiped his eyes.

“Unfinished business,” I said, laughing. We hugged again. But I felt myself fading. It was taking too much energy to keep myself corporeal. That was why Quinn had to help me. I couldn’t do this by myself.

“El, you’re – you’re fading,” Zeke said.

“I know,” I said. “I’ll come back, though. I promise. In the meantime, Zeke, don’t go trying to shoot people. Frankie, stay away from the liquor.” And then I knew I was gone. Exhaustion collapsed on top of me and I fell to my knees. I gasped. My vision wavered but I needed to get to Quinn’s. I struggled to my feet and half-walked, half-stumbled to his house. But I didn’t make it to his house. I fell to the ground in his front yard.

And the world faded to black.



I woke up in a familiar smelling, familiar looking room. Quinn’s. The sheets felt like nothing, a weight of blanket with neither coolness nor warmth. I sighed. I rolled over and suddenly I could feel the warm sheets. Quinn was sleeping beside me, breathing softly through his mouth. When I’d rolled over, my arm had brushed against his.

He looked so peaceful. I propped myself up on my elbow and took a good, long look at Quinn.

His eyelashes were impossibly long and they rested upon his high cheek bones. His lips were full but not too full, and soft. A lock of dark hair covered one eye and I brushed it away gently. Quinn’s face twitched but he didn’t stir. I smiled. Tonight, I wanted to feel everything. So I reached under the covers and grasped Quinn’s hand.

It was dark outside so I closed my eyes, even though I wasn’t tired. And even though I wasn’t tired, I fell asleep.



Quinn’s alarm went off at six.

“No,” he groaned. He rolled over, pressing his weight against me. I gasped under the abrupt pressure. Quinn reached over and clicked his alarm off but he didn’t move. He looked at me and grinned a sleepy smile. His eyes were hazy and clouded with sleep but his smile was as bright as ever. “Good morning,” he whispered.

I smiled. “Very good morning,” I replied. Quinn kissed me gently.

“I don’t want to go to school today,” he told me.

“No one ever does,” I said.

“I know, but I especially don’t want to go today,” he said.

“Why is that?” I was grinning widely.

“Because you’re here, of course,” he said, as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

“So skip.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “Skip? As in, play hooky? As in, don’t go to school for no reason other than I don’t want to?” I nodded. “Hmm.” He put on his Thoughtful Face and then grinned. “Okay. We’ll stay in bed all day.”

And we did. It was the first day since I’d died, that I’d been completely relaxed. We napped, we watched videos on Quinn’s laptop, he ate. We kissed a lot, and almost, almost went all the way. I stopped it. As far as I knew, Quinn was a virgin. I couldn’t take that from him. Quinn shouldn’t lose something so precious, a vulnerable piece of him, to a dead girl.