As soon as we reach Ryuji’s house—a structure that looks similar to the homes on stilts which fill Lake Iasu—Elsha is through the door like a bolt of lightning. I follow at a more respectful pace, even though I’m not sure if my legs will hold me up any longer.

The inside is dimly lit compared to the brilliant sun outside, and the smell of something cooking wafts through the house. A sort of alcove sits in front of the door. Shoes are lined up against the wall, two pairs of which belong to someone with feet much bigger than Ryuji’s.

“I’m home!” Ryuji yells. He slips off his shoes and puts them in line next to the others then steps up into the hallway leading further into the house. “You guys can take off your shoes and follow me. Dad’s in the kitchen.”

We slip off our shoes and follow him down the hall and into a brightly lit kitchen. A man who looks to be in his late forties stands at the stove, dishing steaming curry and rice onto plates. Massive black wings sprout from his back, some of the feathers frosted with grey. When he turns around, he gives us a wide smile.

“Are you Ryuji’s girlfriend?” he asks me, giving me a knowing smile.

My cheeks flame with heat while Elsha looks at Ryuji, eyes wide and jaw hanging. Ryuji’s whole face turns red, and he waves his hands.

“No, Dad! I told you, she’s just a friend!”

His dad looks confused. “You’re not dating?”

“No!” Ryuji and I say at the same time.

Elsha lets out a snicker at this. I shove my elbow into her ribs. Mr. Haruta takes this all in stride.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, anyway. Your name is Keelin?”

“Yes, and this is my little sister, Elsha. Is it okay that I invited her along?”

Mr. Haruta waves a hand. “It’s fine, it’s fine! The more the merrier. I’m just glad that Ryu is making friends.”

We spend the evening eating curry—which surprisingly tastes like a warm hug—and playing board games. After dinner, Ryuji’s dad brings out mugs of delicious hot chocolate. Mr. Haruta is a laid-back man, and I find myself liking him more and more. He and Elsha seem to get along well and he laughs at all of her antics and jokes.

Ryuji tries to teach us to play a game called shogi, but after half an hour of me not being able to grasp all the rules, we switch to the card game Unicorn Hearts instead. It’s a fast-paced card game where you lay down cards until someone puts down the unicorn heart, at which point all players scramble to slap their hand on the pile first. Those with the most cards at the end wins.

Our conversation starts out with school gossip, but slowly winds its way to birthdays.

“Speaking of,” I say, “I asked Elsha and she said she’d be down with doing a double birthday party, Ryu.”

Ryuji looks up at me at the sound of his nickname. He blinks, as if not really processing what I just said. “But my birthday isn’t until early autumn. That’s a while from now.”

“So? I think it’d be fun. Besides, it gives me plenty of time to plan for both of you.”

Mr. Haruta smiles from where he’s pouring fresh hot chocolate into Elsha’s cup. He brings is over and sits. “That sounds like a wonderful idea. My son hasn’t had a birthday party in years.”

Ryu ducks his head, though he can’t hide his smile. “I mean, I guess it’s alright.”

I grab the deck of cards to start shuffling. “Which leads me to my question. What do you want for your birthday?”

He shrugs. “I don’t know. Haven’t really put a whole lot of thought into it.”

Mr. Hartua leans forward and folds his hands on the table. “He wants a girlfriend.”

Elsha chokes on her hot chocolate and Ryu slaps a hand over his face.

“Dad!”

Mr. Haruta gives a helpless shrug while I pound Elsha on the back. Elsha alternates between coughs and laughter. I concentrate on my choking sister, hoping that my cheeks aren’t as red as hers at the moment.

After straightening herself out, Elsha clears her throat, a hand pressed to her chest. A wicked grin crosses her face. I glare at her. Don’t you dare say it!

“He could always date Keelin. She’s single and desperately in need of a boyfriend.”

I smack Elsha on the back of the head while Mr. Haruta laughs.

“Ignore them,” I say to Ryuji. “Just tell me what you want, please.”

“Anything to do with Warrior Trials or Kakeru Jujitsu is fine,” Ryu mumbles, his voice tight. I can’t tell if he’s holding back tears of embarrassment or laughter, but I bet on the latter, knowing him.

“Awesome,” I say. “I think I can handle that.” I reach for my cup of hot chocolate.

Suddenly, the world around me tips, and my hand misses, knocking the mug over. Hot liquid splashes against arm as I scramble to pick it up. The heat claws into my skin as the hot chocolate hits my curse mark, and I let out a hiss.

Elsha darts forward and snatches the cup, righting it. Ryuji grabs my wrist. My sleeve is pushed down by his grip, revealing my curse mark. He stares at it, eyes wide. My heart skips a beat. What if Elsha sees it? Or his father—

Ryuji quickly presses a napkin to my arm.

“Are you alright?” he asks.

I try to nod, though my vision is still wobbling. My head feels light, and pain pulses through my temples. I swallow, my mouth dry. Ever since the curse spread, these weird dizzy spells have been hitting me at the most random times. I expected the curse to affect me at some point, but not this much, and definitely not this soon.

“I’m sorry,” I say once the world stops shifting.

“Don’t worry about it.” Mr. Haruta presses paper towels to the wood floor, mopping up the mess.

Ryuji is still holding my wrist. He seems almost reluctant to let go. Gently, I pry my wrist away. Pulling my arm close, I give him a smile.

“Don’t worry, it didn’t burn me.”

He still doesn’t take his eyes from me, as if afraid I’m going to drop dead any moment. I try to laugh it off.

“Oh, c’mon, Ryuji. A little hot chocolate isn’t going to kill me.”

He smiles, though it looks empty. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”

It’s time to head home. I wobble to my feet and give Mr. Haruta a small bow. “Thank you for inviting us over, but we should get going.”

“Of course.” Mr. Haruta stands and smiles. “Ryuji. Walk these girls home. You don’t want to leave them alone in the dark.”

“Yes, sir.” Ryu jumps up from the table and stumbles over himself to the door.

Seeing the curse mark must have really shaken him. But there’s nothing I can do, nothing I can say to comfort him. What am I supposed to say, when the very sight of my curse turns my stomach? I don’t want to think about it. I don’t want to acknowledge that it’s there, sucking my life away. Because every time I do, I want to scream.

Ryuji walks with us across the catwalks. The moon is out, and stars glisten the cloudless sky above. With the moonlight shining onto the clouds below us, it looks like we’re in a out very own wonderland. I stop to take in the view, Elsha right beside me.

“Beautiful,” I whisper. Ryuji comes to my side and stares out at the view with us. I turn to him. “You see this every night?”

He smiles. “Yeah, We’re lucky to live where there aren’t other houses to obstruct our view.”

It’s so breathtaking it brings tears to my eyes. This is something I know I’ll never forget. The way the moon hangs between the clouds and the sky. The way the starts cluster together, a beautiful ribbon of crimson with a dash of purple swimming through like a river. I can almost imagine the galaxies, the nebulas, the planets beyond. Here, I feel weightless. New. Invincible.

Here, it feels as if death is just a dream. Something that could never take me, or Anwell, or anyone, for that matter.

“Makes you feel invincible, doesn’t it?” Ryuji’s voice is soft.

I to look at him. He’s watching me, the starlight reflected in his deep, dark eyes. It makes him look like a god or hero from ages past.

“Yeah.” I want to say more, but Elsha stands on my other side, within ear shot.

Leaning forward, Ryuji rests his arms on the railing before us. He tilts his face to the sky.

“There’s a saying that if you wish upon a star, it’ll come true.” Ryuji rests his chin on his folded arms, then looks at me, his mouth hidden by the crook of his elbow. The wind ruffles his black and white curls.

“I wish for you to get better.” His whispered words are almost lost in the wind, but I catch them nonetheless.

I laugh, though my throat is tight. “Shouldn’t you say that to the stars?”

His expression remains serious. “I don’t need stars to make wishes.”

I stare at him, my breath caught in my throat. What does that mean?

Ryuji breaks his gaze away and the moment is gone. He straightens and bumps my shoulder with his own. “We should get going.”

Reluctantly, I follow after him, Elsha close behind. I turn his words over in my mind. I guess…I guess he was trying to say that he doesn’t need stars in order to dream of a future where we can continue to be friends. A future where I’m alive. I smile at the thought. Wouldn’t that be nice.