Where No Shadow Stays

Jesse hasn’t replied to any of my calls or messages, so I’ve resorted to setting up camp on the living room couch and peering out the window every few minutes. He’ll have to leave his house eventually, right?

Steam curls from my mint tea. A quilted throw blanket Lucia thrifted for my fifteenth birthday covers my legs.

My journal lays open over my knees. Every entry since the curse has been dark and depressing, so I filled five pages with the joy of yesterday’s shopping trip.

I described watching my friends’ faces light up when they found their favorite dresses; Rainie and Lucia’s argument when Rainie flipped the price tag and tried to return her dress only for Lucia to offer to pay the difference; Aida’s little smile as she ran her fingers along the stitched bodice of her pink mermaid gown.