Category: Writing

“Kiss me,” she says.

I cave. I close the distance between our mouths and capture her lips with mine. She freezes for a moment before pressing back, returning the kiss. Heat curls through me. I relish the feel of her soft, perfect lips against mine. I reach a hand up to the back of her neck. She leans into me, letting me lead.

After a few moments she breaks away to catch her breath.

I glance at her face to gauge her reaction. Her features are hard to read. “You’re a tourist?” she asks.

I nod and curtsey again. I offer the first false name that comes to mind. “Lillian Rue, miss.”

“Father does not care for strangers in the house,” she says in a grave tone. “I do wonder how you got in.”

Another glance in all directions confirms I am alone. No one appears to be close enough to see me. I step off the street into the wooded area and stand behind a thick tree. I close my eyes, inhale a steady breath, and gather my energy. I breathe the word as I exhale. “Unseen.”

Invisible, I walk along the edge of the dusty path up to the house.

Sparrow laughs and claps her hands, jumping up and down, as my hair reaches down to the floor. “Can you make it like mine?”

“Of course.” I close my eyes and breathe in. This time I picture the dark curls that tumble around Sparrow’s face before exhaling and directing the magic.

She laughs again and reaches one hand up to tug on a lock of her own hair. She turns to her mother and points back at me. “Look, Mommy!”

I keep my voice low enough not to draw attention to our spot in the alley. “One should not try to change fates.”

“But one may hope to change another’s.”

“Whose fate do you seek to change?”