The City of Crows by Bethany Lovejoy (great books to read .txt) 📕

Gigi pouted. “Well then, how will he fit in at the party?”

“Gigi, this isn’t that type of party,” Yvie said, crossing the room once more to grab a bowl containing more of the pink concoction from the coffee table. To the side of it laid several of Yvie’s glass vials, empty with their labels stripped so that they could go in the dishwasher. “And, I told you, Lyra’s phone was off. She doesn’t know.”

Gigi’s attention turned to me, her lower lip jutted out. “Well then why hasn’t she checked--”

Yvie chuckled, reaching up to cover one of the many twists atop Gigi’s head in the pinkened dye. “Impatient as ever, my love.” She wrinkled her eyes as Gigi scrunched her nose, another laugh escaping my roommate before her attention turned back to me. “Party tonight, Lyra? A client gave me an invite and I have a plus one… Which we all know means they also get a plus one, right? And that one a plus one as well.” Her amber eyes turned pleadingly to me, “Right?”

Yvie logic.

Leo didn’t mind, though. “A magical party?” He asked, his eyes glinting over at mine. “One of the upper crust?” I could already read his mind, and obviously, Yvie had anticipated his reaction. “That could be of use, couldn’t it, Lyra?”

“See, I knew it would interest the two of you,” Yvie replied. “You and your trouble.” She exchanged glances with Gigi, all but confirming that the secret that was shared with only Yvie had already passed to Gigi. Thankfully, Gigi wouldn’t tell a soul, not if Yvie adequately warned her. “Of course, Leo, as usual, just reeks of humanity.”

“Does humanity have a smell--”

“She’s teasing you,” I informed him. “She just wants to dye your hair.” I rolled my eyes at Yvie, who leaned upon Gigi’s shoulder, cocking a hip and grinning widely. Crossing the room, I offered my hand out to Leo; it was better to get him away while there were two of them, lest he risk leaving our home with a less than advisable new look. “We’ll be in my room,” I informed Yvie, pulling Leo to his feet.

“Ah,” I could practically see Yvie’s tail dancing in the air behind the young witch. “You’ll take your dead flowers with you too, won’t you?” She called. “Since it seems you won’t be replacing them anytime soon, and I don’t know why we still have them out.”

It was a masked tease, and I didn’t miss it. Jerking Leo forward with me, I snatched the flowers from the vase on the table, their dried stems and leaves practically crumbling in my hands. Leo shot me a questioning look, but I ignored it, pushing down the handle of the door to my room and opening it with my hip as I pulled him in.

I cringed at the realization that the flowers in my hands were not the only dead ones. Of course, I’d been such an idiot that my room was practically covered in them. From the top of my dresser to my bed, the dead flowers leered out at me. Reminders of the life I once craved, now unwelcome as I tried to focus on something else for a while. I’d been sleeping on my couch for so long that I’d nearly forgotten.

“So,” Leo joked, “a bouquet when it’s all over then?” He had no doubt noticed the dead petals that had fallen from their stems and landed on my pillows.

“Shut up,” I gave him a light shove, rolling my eyes. “Be glad that, unlike some people, I have a room. You don’t want to sit in there while Lyra and Gigi are getting into trouble.”

“Ah yes, a very big room, great for getting away from people. I’m sure that you get lots of peace and quiet here,” said Leo, who was well aware that his studio was more than three times bigger than the size of our apartment. “You know, I bet that for the same money in Magictown, you might be able to fit in a queen-sized bed instead of a twin. Though, perhaps with magic you could do the same here, if you never washed your floors or spilled anything. You should look into it.”

“A degree in Charms doesn’t exactly translate well to Marlow Heights,” I noted dryly. “But the point isn’t money or luxury, it’s embracing humanity.”

He raised his eyebrow, allowing himself to fall sideways onto my bed with a snort. “All of this so you don’t have to admit that you’re a witch.” He looked up at my ceiling, grinning, “I’m debating whether I should call you stubborn or a coward at this point.” He shook his head, mumbling half to himself, “But I suppose it’s none of my business, is it?”

“People don’t take kindly to witches in New Haven,” I explained, though I shouldn’t have had to. He knew that just as well as I did. “I mean, there’s a reason they’ve nicknamed Magictown the Stakes, and it’s not because the people there are treated kindly and fairly, with long lives ahead of them.” I sighed, “I’ve seen the bad parts of town too and I can’t argue that all of their assumptions are wrong. No, they’re sort of right about witches, and that’s scary. Is it wrong to want to be normal when the whole world seems to hate you?”

“The whole world doesn’t hate you, Lyra,” he said “It may feel like that because the people who hate things are always so loud, but trust me when I say, there are people out there who respect witches and think they’re amazing. People know that not every witch is evil or whatever other things you’ve experienced. At the very least, I can say that I don’t hate you.”

The edge of my lips rose in a half-smile, one that fell quickly as I tore my eyes away. I could hear the smile in his voice, and it was dangerous. I’d made this mistake before, become too attached. Leo would