Stay

by Emily Evans

Quinn joined them. He’d taken to joining them at lunch, and he stared. It was half flattering, half annoying. Alexi often commented on it, but Quinn was impervious to Alexi’s snubs. “Mia, do you have a date for Willow’s party?”

  “She’s going with me,” Alexi said.

  So sure of himself. Though she sort of had just asked him to go. She looked at Alexi pointedly. “I don’t know. Are you wearing a costume?”

  “Is it mandatory?”

  “I’m planning a theme costume with my date. We’re supposed to wear something spacy.”

  Alexi grimaced. “Of course you are.” He turned to Quinn when he added the last bit. “Just drop the costume by my bedroom.”

  Mia clapped. “Cool. What about you, Lauren? What are you going as?”

  “A bird, unless you want to do a group theme instead?”

  “That’d be fun, like a group date,” Quinn said, his eyes on her. “What do you have in mind?”

  “Something Texan.” Mia had seen Alexi reading a sci-fi novel more than once. He preferred it to the classics. “This close to Houston…. totally space…the final frontier…Star Trek.”

  ***

  Halloween festivities started in the game room. Mia sat on their couch draped with towels. She held Alexi’s pumpkin on her lap, angled the knife, and carved its lid. “Come lift the top,” she said when he entered the room. She pointed toward the pumpkin’s pale brown stem.

  Alexi sat beside her, and she handed him the whole thing. He angled the pumpkin different directions, assessing the spherical goodness. Mia put down the knife and hit play on the remote control. Eerie music emerged from the television’s speakers as innocent polyester-wearing teens came on the TV screen. No doubt there would be a prom or basement scene soon. Their unsuspecting demeanors were the perfect start for the classic Halloween horror movie. “Place the pumpkin’s insides in that bowl with the ones from my pumpkin, Cook will want to roast them for us.”

  “I’m sure she will.” Alexi grabbed the stem and wiggled out the lid. Inside, the walls were covered with yellowish strings and large beige seeds. He wrinkled his nose a bit at the pulpy smell. “You want to eat these?”

  She nodded. “Salty, sweet, cinnamon, garlic. We’ll do a variety. You’ll love it.”

  “We’ll see.”

  “You’ll love it.” Mia repeated. Her hand covered his, and he let her plunge it through the top of the pumpkin to the damp, stringy interior. She squished his fingers against the side. “Scoop.” Mia wiped her hand on the towel, lifted her pumpkin, set it on her lap and intently punched a stencil into the outside of the orange shell.

  Joellen came in, cleared the coffee table of debris and laid down fresh cutting paper and candles.

  This was how to do holidays. Fun, fun, fun, and staff cleaned up the mess. “Thanks.” When her parents returned, they wouldn’t appreciate her new habits. She’d gotten a text from Mom this morning from somewhere off the coast of Australia, the whole other side of the world. Mom had seen all her carved pumpkins before now. This would be the first one she’d missed. The pang of homesickness had surprised her. It had hit her after the second week of them being gone, but she’d become busy with school and had put it aside. Now that the holidays were here, it was stirring up again. Mom and Dad wouldn’t be back in time for Thanksgiving either. They’d be eating some weird chef food instead of Mom food.

  She patted her pumpkin. She needed to get a picture of the final product and text it to Mom. Alexi touched the back of her neck. He was so sweet. He was probably way more homesick than her. She scooted closer. “I put your costume in your closet. Meet me in here when you’re dressed.”

  “Which Star Trek character are you?”

  “You’ll have to wait and see.” She grinned. “Your patience will be rewarded.”

  “You know mine, Captain Kirk.”

  “Yeah, I had to know since you guys weren’t going to voluntarily choose costumes. We didn’t want to end up with four Spocks.”

  “Kristnaldo’s going as the movie’s bad guy, Nero.”

  “I think he’s confusing him with that crazy historic Roman emperor. He was too Italian-excited about it all. We’ll know tonight when he shows up in either a Star Trek space suit or a Roman toga.”

  ***

  Mia showered, pinned up her hair then put on the curly red wig. Next, she dressed in a bikini and covered her face in green face paint. That done, she used the intercom to call Hope for help with the body paint.

  Hope arrived with three shades of green and an artist’s eye. She held them up to Mia’s face, tilted her head, and then selected one. The can rattled when Hope shook it, the green paint releasing with a hiss. Hope started at her toes and sprayed her way up.

  When she was done, Mia covered the bikini with shorts, a tank top, and a filmy robe. Transformation into Gaila, the Orion green-skinned slave girl who captured Kirk’s attention, complete.

  Hope stepped back, giggling. “I’ll meet you in the foyer with the camera.”

  Mia entered the recreation room and scanned it for Captain Kirk. He hadn’t arrived. She adjusted the atmosphere. Lights off. Better. Now the only light came from the candle-lit pumpkins. The jack-o’-lantern faces looked great. One goblin and one alien glowed back at her. She went over to the stereo and turned on haunted Halloween classics. Perfect.

  Alexi’s door opened. He walked over to the pumpkins and sat on the couch admiring the work. “These are cool.”

  Mia noted the direction of his gaze. Captain Kirk was focused on the pumpkins instead of the alien girl. Unacceptable. Mia swirled around the pumpkins and propped her leg beside him. “No humanoid can resist the Orion girl’s dance.” She hit the switch on the remote and slowly raised the dimmed lights. She kept her eyes on his face, so she could enjoy the moment he realized she was green.

  Chapter 19

  Alexi’s eyes widened in horror, then brightened. Good enough. She lowered her foot, twirled her hand, and crooked a finger at him. “Join me, humanoid. We have time to hand out treats before the crew arrives.” She headed for the door.

  Alexi rubbed a fingertip lightly on her arm. “What is this?”

  She shivered. “Alien skin. Leave it.” She said the opposite of what she wanted to say. How many times a day did people have to do that? She’d been doing it a lot lately.

  Alexi followed her downstairs, reaching over to lift the edge of her costume. She slapped his hand. Their crew was already in the foyer, posing for Hope—Lauren in a red dress as Uhura, Quinn in a blue tunic as Spock, Jake and Maddie dressed as multi-legged aliens. Mia didn’t know where Niko was tonight, but she was glad he wasn’t there to see Quinn staring at her. He so would have wanted her to change.

  Lauren held out her fist to bump. “Red-heads rock.” Their knuckles brushed, and Lauren rushed out to the limo. “Red-heads first.”

  “Blonds next.” Maddie tried to squeeze through the door, and one of her many arms caught.

  Mia shoved her in, waved the boys in after her, and then climbed in last. She paused at the sight of the clean leather. She hadn’t quite thought this through. “Let me go get a towel. I don’t want to get the seats all green.”

  “I’ll help you out.” Jake held up his hand, and the fake alien appendages attached to his sleeve jiggled at her.

  Alexi encircled her waist with his arms, and pulled her onto his lap. “We saw the movie. I believe you sit with me.”

  Mia sat carefully, trying to limit the amount of green transfer. How did Quinn keep from getting purple hair dye on everything? Were his streaks permanent dye? Surely not. The car jolted into motion, pushing her against Alexi, and she gave up trying to limit touching him. “I knew that you couldn’t resist my alien dance. No humanoid can.”

  His hands moved to her hips.

  Quinn selected the music, and Lauren tossed out drinks from the minibar.

  “Make me a margarita to match my skin,” Mia said.

  Lauren held up a mini airplane-sized bottle of tequila, a pap
er packet of salt and a lime wedge. “This is as close as you’re getting.” Lauren waved a white salt packet pointedly at Mia’s green skin and shook her head. “Good luck getting a guy to lick that off you.” Lauren handed her the three items.

  “Lick that off you?” Alexi whispered to Mia in English. He repeated it in Greek while frowning at Lauren.

  So conservative. Mia smiled at Alexi and unscrewed the bottle of liquor. She leaned toward him with a wicked expression.

  He shook his head. “I’m not licking that green makeup.”

  Mia slicked her tongue wetly across his neck.

  Chapter 20

  Alexi froze and tightened his hands on her hips. She rubbed the gritty salt granules against the same spot then licked his warm skin again. After that, she sat back, tossed down the tequila and bit the lime. He tasted like heaven, like late nights, and temptation, like something she couldn’t have and was forming a terrible longing for. Alexi rubbed his hand against her hip. His gaze focused on her.

  The car rolled to a stop.

  “We’re here,” Maddie said. Her thick blonde hair was curled around a thin black antennae. She always had the best cheer curls. “Let me go through the door first, so I don’t tear a leg. Maddie had a solid commanding tone, and was a junior. She’d make a good cheer captain next year. “Watch that antennae, Jake.”

  “Yeah, I’d hate to lose one,” Jake said.

  Alexi and Mia stepped into the night air last, neither having made the move to jump up. She followed him up the drive, eyeing the significant green smears on his clothing. For someone so particular, he didn’t seem to mind the transfer at all. They headed in.

  Willow’s house was large, inside one of the McMansion neighborhoods not too far from Niko’s. Willow opened the door wide. “Welcome, welcome, six thousand square feet and there still doesn’t seem room enough for all of us.”

  Lauren stood on the tiptoes of her tall black boots and peered into the mirror above the sideboard. She tightened her high ponytail, and then waved backwards. “Maddie, watch out for those knicknacks.”

  Maddie dodged a small table full of porcelain shepherds. “Sorry. Man, this place always seemed huge until I saw Mia’s new house.”

  Willow’s fairy face wrinkled up and she pointed her wand to the stairs. “Go on up. Everyone’s in the upstairs game room.”

  Lights flashed from the top and Halloween pop songs came through the speakers. So it wasn’t difficult to find. Inside, Kristnaldo wore a toga while bent over a bucket of water, bobbing for red apples. Around him, the other guests lounged, danced, and hung out. Their costumes varied in quality, but the toga was probably the best. “Next year, we’ll do a Greek God theme,” Mia promised Alexi. “Which Greek God do you want to be? Call it now, or I choose for you.”

  Alexi examined the array of costumes. “We don’t go over the top in Europe, like you do here.”

  “Will you be here next year or in Europe?” She couldn’t stop herself from adding, “We have awesome universities.” She blamed the buzz of the tequila for her final line. “I’d miss you.”

  “My father said you’d pressure me to stay.” He pulled away.

  Ouch. It felt like the bucket of apple water had tipped over onto her, chilly and slightly painful.

  “Yo. Yo. Mia.” Jake grabbed her hand, walking backward, towing her toward a group who were dancing. “Hot green alien with turquoise eyes coming through. Uh. Huh.” Jake pulled her this way and that.

  “Be careful, I’ll get green on you.”

  Jake shrugged a big shoulder, making the alien antennae on his back bounce. “Doesn’t bother me.” He held up his arms in the shape of a W and was bouncing in a dance move.

  Mia spun and pulled Lauren and Maddie into the dance with them so it became a group thing. She was totally focused on the dance and the fun, but every now and then someone bobbed down and she glimpsed Alexi.

  Alexi stood by a table filled with Halloween treats: spiders crouched over cupcakes, toffee popcorn ball pyramid, smoke-pluming punch bowl.

  With just a glance at him eating a green witch’s hat shaped cookie, wearing an iconic Star Trek Captain’s costume, standing around with all the other teens, he could be anyone. Just a guy from her high school.

  Mia eased away from the dance floor and leaned into the black and orange crepe streamers. She adjusted her hot wig.

  Two girls sidled over to Alexi, one dressed as bubbles, the other like a bubble wand. He did look like a normal guy at a normal high school party. He was the most handsome guy there, sure, but he looked American. But when he spoke, his accent came out and his unique take on things emerged. And that was what she wanted, to be close to him, to hear what he thought about the party. But she was glad he blended in.

  Maddie joined her, sweat glowing on her face like they’d been at practice. “Whew. It’s hot in here.”

  Mia nodded.

  “Do you hate it when people hit on your new brother, or just sort of?”

  It was half an inside-joke. It was how they teased Lauren about her older brother. Mia was feeling new sympathy for Lauren. “Would you?”

  “No point of reference. I only have a bratty little sister. Maybe I should be grateful. My parents could’ve saddled me with that.” Maddie jerked an antenna Alexi’s way. “Then everyone would be pestering me instead of you.” She shook out her tentacles. “Why had I thought an alien would be a great idea? Your alien is so much cuter.”

  “Thanks.” Alexi seemed so distant, so different. “Do you think people can change?”

  Maddie bobbed her head. “I know they do. Think of Ella.”

  Ella, Maddie’s bff, had always been quiet, but she’d really closed off after her mother passed. Ella had moved away at the beginning of the semester. “How’s Ella doing?” She cringed a little on the inside. She should have asked before now.

  “She said the East Coast is weird but good.”

  “Cool.” She couldn’t help still pondering the question. “What if there’s no big event, like a loss, like Ella, can you change then?”

  Maddie checked out Alexi as if she knew why Mia was asking. “I don’t know. If you want to, I guess. But you’d have to want to do it.”

  Lauren popped into their group, juggling three red cups. She gave them each one.

  It tasted like watered-down lemonade, but was red and over-sweet. “Thanks.”

  “For the most part, people don’t change. They may hide who they are, though.” Maddie raised hers in a toast and they clinked the plastic cups. “That’s what I like about people drinking.”

  “Here. Here.” Lauren said.

  “Give them a drink and their true selves come out.” Maddie wiggled.

  Lauren growled. “It’s their animal selves. Too bad Willow’s parents aren’t allowing drinking.” Lauren’s parents were way more lenient on the topic.

  “I’ve seen it at the lake,” Maddie said. “A guy has a beer and he changes into moody or life of the party or total toad. That’s his true self.”

  Lauren shook her head. “Some guys are only like that when they drink, not all the time.”

  “That’s when you should run, I’m telling you. That’s their inner, animal self, and it’s not pretty.”

  One shot of tequilla and she’d been licking Alexi’s neck. What did that say about her?

  Wire mesh jabbed into her shoulder. Willow’s fairy wings. “What are we talking about? And is it wrong that I think Kristnaldo looks hot in that Nero costume?”

  “Yes,” the three of them said.

  Mia didn’t want Willow in on her inner musings. Willow had been on the tetchy side lately and she didn’t want to share and have her thoughts poked at. “We’re talking new uniforms.”

  The party went on from there. It was fun, like last year’s parties: who was seeing who, dancing, games. But without Alexi’s unique take on it all, it was slightly flatter, slightly less. They slid into the limo for the trip home, and he didn’t offer her his lap. She wanted to tackle
what he’d said, but she didn’t want to make things worse. The trip home was long and silent.

  ***

  Mia stood in her bedroom doorway rubbing at a bit of green paint on her thumbnail. This stuff had been a pain to get off. Nail polish wouldn’t stay on and this stuff wouldn’t come off. Formulation scientists should talk more.

  Greek voices were coming from the recreation room, so she didn’t barge in. It was Alexi. He was alone, and he had his cellphone on speaker. He was talking with his dad.

  She should let him know she was there or stop listening. She couldn’t make herself do either, not after what Alexi had said last night. What was his dad saying to him?

  His dad’s deep voice came from the phone. “An artist. I never saw that coming. An American. Don’t you go messing about. Keep your head straight, you’re needed at home. I won’t have both my sons gone.” That was followed with a spew of Greek she couldn’t understand.

  Alexi had his back to her, but she could read the tension in his shoulders. “I’m not obsessive, I’m not in anyone’s thrall, and I will not be controlled.” He hung up on his father and left the room.

  Mia waited a respectable amount of time and went downstairs. Knowing Alexi, he’d be in the breakfast room, so that’s where she went. He was there. Hope and Niko were there too.

  Alexi sat slumped in his usual chair with no signs of his usual straight posture. He grabbed the carafe of apple juice and stared at her in the doorway. “Niko, you really aren’t going to let Mia out of the house in what she’s wearing, are you? Aren’t you supposed to protect her?”

  He was not taking out his pissy mood on her. She wasn’t having it.

  Niko looked up from his paperwork.

  At his expression, she groaned.

  “No,” Niko said. “You can’t wear that.”

  Niko was worse than Dad. The top was not even that low. He’d said nothing last time she wore it. It must be the addition of the water bra; those things were well worth their weight. She grabbed an apple from the side table and a sweater from her backpack. She held it up.