Bells were chiming. Birds chirped merrily, soaring through the sky, a few of their lovely feathers, falling as delicately as snowflakes, onto the ground.

Rows and rows of flowers bloomed, a combination of red and white roses. The priest was saying something, but try as I might, I could not listen.

All my attention was on him.

His eyes, the color of the morning sky, as deep as the ocean, was drawing me in. I was falling into his world, pulled in like a magnet.

I slid the golden ring around his finger.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

“I do,” he said, gazing longingly into my crimson eyes.

The priest rattled some more. His words were still muffled. I could not care less about what he was saying.

All I could hear was him. All I could clearly see was his blinding smile, his cute dimple. His radiant, glowing skin. His gorgeous face.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

He placed the ring around my finger too.

“I do,” was what I said.

“I now pronounce you equal partners in marriage.” That, I heard very clearly. “You may now seal your vows with a kiss.”

Slowly, we leaned towards each other.

Closer and closer.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

The sound of the alarm clock was deafening. Sunlight filtered through the window, the rays literally burning my pale skin.

I groaned, still tired and dazed. Where was I? What was I doing? 

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Slowly, my eyes fluttered open. An arm was sprawled across my chest, a warm breath against my neck.

Damian.

Instantly, I felt as if a million weights had been lifted off my shoulders. It was as if I were a planet spinning around the brightest, most beautiful sun ever.

I was delighted. Happy. “Good morning, my love,” I said adoringly.

Clutching the hand who was resting on top of me, I brought it upwards. Puckered my lips to kiss it.

“What the...? Ew!” the hand snatched out of my grip, shattering my delusion, “Dude, I know I said we have a bond and everything, but that’s just weird, ya know.”

This time, I was awake. The blurry image I had believed was Damian made place to Nicolas’ confused expression.

The memories came flooding back. 

Last night. Danielle's murder. Accusation. Friendship. Sleeping on the same bed as two boys I barely knew.

Beep! Beep! Beep!

Greatly embarrassed, I shrugged off my prior behaviour like it were nothing out of the ordinary. “Ah, j-just a stupid joke,” I stuttered.

I was heartbroken. For a second, I really did think everything had gone back to normal. For a moment, I really did believe that my sweet, everlasting dream had come true. That the love of my life and I had finally said our vows.

Reality had slapped me across the face. 

Damian was not here. He was being held captive. He was away from me. 

Beep! Beep! Beep!

I blinked back my disappointed tears, while Nicolas climbed off the bed. 

A few seconds later, Tony stepped into the room, a toothbrush in his mouth.

“I was beginning to believe you two were going to sleep through that entire racket,” he said, through a mouthful of toothpaste and foam. He walked towards the dresser and turned off the alarm. 

Nicolas grabbed Tony's arm, his face lighting up, “Tony, you will never guess what happened.”

What? He was going to tell him about last night already? Wait, I hadn’t mentally prepared myself! I was barely awake, let alone over the double humiliation and sorrow I’d just gone through.

“What?” Tony rolled his eyes, shrugging away from Nicolas' touch.

Wait, no! Nicolas don’t tell him yet! I still needed to form my words properly and –

“Jude, like, mistook me for his partner or something. He called me his ‘love’ and almost kissed my hand,” Nicolas laughed, “Hilarious, eh, dude?”

Tony squinted his eyes in complete confusion, the toothbrush suspended inside his mouth. 

“‘Kay,” was what he dryly said, before walking away.

At least, Nicolas hadn’t gone ahead and told Tony about what happened after he had fallen asleep. Nicolas slapped me on the back.

“Get up,” he said happily, “We’re leaving.”

“Huh? Now?” I answered, “Where?”

“Tony and I are going to school. We have another stupid math exam. 

“I do not want to go to school.” Obviously, I was not even a real student there, but he did not need to know about that extra information.

Nicolas snickered, “No, no, you have it wrong. You, my friend, are going to head off to the cabin.”

“Wouldn’t it be better if – ”

“We’re going right now and that’s final,” he cut me off, “Get ready. Tony's parents will be back in half an hour and we should all be out by then, just in case.”

Nicolas pranced out of the room, gleefully calling Tony’s name. I heard a door slam shut in the hallway. Nicolas started shrieking, banging his fists against the door. Demanding to know why Tony did not want them to brush their teeth together. Tony yelled at him to shut up and let him take a morning dump in peace.

Nicolas carried on by stating they could take a dump together, like when they were younger. I did not hear the rest of the conversation because Tony’s loud, embarrassed and annoyed screeching drowned out Nicolas’ story.

I sighed.

This was going to be a long day.

                                                                 ***

“Jude, remember,” Nicolas said one last time, “After you pass the cemetery, you wait two more stops before getting off the bus, okay?”

I nodded, adjusting my dark sunglasses. Tony rolled his eyes again, as the three of us stood a few feet away from St. Vanhill Academy, far from other people.

“I believe you went a little overboard with the disguise,” Tony said, ripping the fake mustache off my upper lips, “Why would he need all that just to go to your cabin?”

Nicolas snatched the mustache out of Tony’s hand and pressed it back under my nose. “No, dude, you don’t understand,” he said, compressing the mustache onto my face with each syllable, “Jude is albino. The sun is, like, going to affect him on his way there.”

Tony scoffed, “That has to be the most feeble, if not the most imbecilic explanation I have ever had the misfortune to hear.”

Tony ripped off the mustache again. “A cap and sunglasses, I comprehend, but making him wear a pink oversized jacket, with green pants and yellow sneakers? With a mustache? That’s over the top. Plus, it's nearly 25 degrees Celsius.”

“No, no, you’re being stupid,” Nicolas snapped, snatching the mustache out of Tony’s grip and blindly slapping it onto my eyebrow this time, “I told you that he’d agreed to wear the costume. He looks super cool. Like a character from Lord Rainbow.”

RIP! Hopefully, my eyebrow had not completely gone MIA.

“You inconsequential doofus!” Tony screamed, waving the mustache around, “This is not a video game!”

SLAP!

“Dumb nerd!” Nicolas retorted angrily, putting the mustache back into place. 

RIP!

“Hyperactive infant!”

SLAP!

“I won’t take that from a guy who has a humor equivalent to that of the Sahara Desert!”

RIP!

“At least I know when to stop spouting feces from my mouth, Nicky!”

SLAP!

“Don’t call me that, you two-faced, gap-toothed, Einstein-wannabe!”

RIP!

“I can title you whichever way I prefer, you twig-like, scrawny, slimeball!”

“SHUT YOUR BITCH ASSES UP!”

I yelled so loudly, crows cackled away in fright, while the trees around us shook. All of the school windows shattered, sending a rain of fragments everywhere. One by one, the lights in the school died out, the electricity powering off. 

Oops. I had accidentally leaked out more magic than I’d desired.

Students ran away, bumping into each other. Staff and teachers darted out of the building, saying the school would definitely be closed for the day, due to sudden dangers and poor maintenance.

“Wow,” Tony and Nicolas said, gawking. I mirrored their reactions, pretending to be equally shocked. 

Nicolas looked at Tony. Tony looked at Nicolas.

The two of them turned to me.

“I am flabbergasted,” Tony said, a small smile dancing on his full lips, “How unexpected.”

“Awesome,” Nicolas said.

“Uh-huh,” I replied, “No exams today.”

“Awesome,” Nicolas repeated. We smiled at each other, then began doubling over in laughter. Slapping each other high-fives. Cheering down the streets. 

From the horizon, the bus came into view. More security ushered the gaping onlookers away from the scene, as they closed off the perimeters of the school ground.

“We might as well use the opportunity to go with you,” Tony said, after our elation had subdued, “Then maybe, my brother from another mother – Tony jokingly punched Nicolas on the shoulder – will have the decency to explain why in tarnation we’re even going on a last-minute trip.”

Indeed, this was going to be a very long day.