Despite not setting my alarm, I woke before the sun. I stretched, and a ripple of excitement ran through me when I remembered that today was the start of Festivis. Today I would get to see Erik! All of my misgivings from the previous night were gone. I didn’t care if he was irresponsible or if he would be there for me when I needed him. I concentrated instead on the feeling of pure elation that just the thought of him brought about. I thought about being close to him and how, even when we were surrounded by a group of people, we still managed to create our own world. I thought about the kiss in the hangar, and how I’d soon be reliving it for real and not in a dream.

  There was a slight bounce in my step as I took a very cold shower. Selecting an outfit from the ones that Gretchen sent, I bypassed the boring black cocktail dress and the floral-print shift, and finally decided on a ballerina-length royal blue sheath. The dress was one-shouldered and belted at the waist with a tightly knotted gold rope.

  By the time Penny knocked on my door, I was standing in front of my bathroom mirror, applying gold eye shadow.

  “Come in, Penny,” I called. The pounding came again, a little more insistently this time. “It’s open, Penny,” I yelled a little louder, hoping that she heard me. When she still didn’t open the door, I trudged from the closet-sized bathroom to the door, tightening the belt on my bathrobe.

  “Sorry, I thought you’d be able to...” I let my voice trail off when I opened the door and realized that it wasn’t Penny.

  “Hey, Talia,” Ursula greeted me brightly, her plump lips curving up at the corners in a tentative smile.

  “Oh, hey. Sorry, I was expecting Penny,” I said awkwardly. What on earth was Ursula doing here? She’d never dropped by my room before; it wasn’t like we were exactly friends.

  “Yeah, I kinda figured that when I heard you calling her name,” Ursula smirked. “So, you two are going into D.C. for the celebrations?”

  I shifted uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Ursula’s body-hugging mini-skirt and halter top made me feel skinny and unattractive in my too-big bathrobe. “Um, yeah, we are. I’ve been cooped up on campus for months, so it should be nice to get out and have a little fun.” I wasn’t sure why I felt the need to explain myself to her, but for some reason I did.

  “Awesome. Mind if I tag along? My friends bailed, so I called Erik, and he said that he was meeting you…” Ursula let the question hang in the air between us. The way that her eyes twinkled, coupled with the open curiosity on her dramatic features, told me that she was fishing for information. She wanted to know just how well Erik and I knew each other. I wasn’t about to feed into her nosiness, but I also wanted her to know that I was the “chick” that Erik was hung up on.

  “Yeah, of course, you’re welcome to join us. I mean, I don’t know if you’ll find us as exciting as your friends, but we had a good time last year.” I smiled, giving her just enough information to leave her salivating for more.

  Her hazel eyes widened when I insinuated that I’d spent last Festivis with Erik, too. In truth, I had; and we’d had a good time, a really good time. The night after Festivis was the first time that Erik kissed me.

  “Awesome. What time are we leaving?” she asked, placing her hands on her hips and trying to affect a nonchalant air.

  “Um, I guess whenever I’m ready. Want me to send you a comm?” I was hoping that she didn’t intend to sit in my room while I got dressed. Sure, I could use the time to pick her brain a little, but I was fairly confident that she wasn’t the spy and therefore didn’t welcome the intrusion. Penny and I had spent so little quality time together since my arrival—we were always too busy working—and I was really looking forward to our time-honored tradition of getting ready together.

  “Oh, sure; that would be great,” Ursula looked a little put off by my dismissal, and I felt the tiniest bit bad, but not enough to invite her in. She recovered quickly, giving me a small wave over her shoulder as she turned to leave. “Talk to you soon!”

  “Right,” I mumbled. I would definitely have to thank Erik for telling her about our rendezvous.

  Before I got the chance to retreat into the safety of my bedroom, bright-red hair rounded the corner and big lime-green eyes greeted me.

  “Hey, Tal!” Penny waved with her free hand. She clutched a garment bag in the other one that I assumed held her chosen outfit.

  “Hey, Penny,” I said, relieved that she was here.

  “Was that Ursula I saw leaving?” she asked, squeezing past me into the tiny room. Penny tossed her belongings on my bed and settled into the desk chair.

  “Um, yeah. She wants to come with us.” I laughed nervously. I didn’t think that Penny would mind the company, but I knew that she’d been looking forward to relaxing and letting loose. Ursula’s presence might not make that possible.

  “How do you feel about that?” Penny snorted, obviously remembering my insane jealousy when I saw Ursula flirting with Erik.

  “Eh, whatever. She seems a little lonely. So if she wants to tag along, that’s fine, I guess.” I closed the door and crossed back to the bathroom to finish my makeup.

  “She’d just better keep her hands off of Harris,” Penny called as I heard her rummaging through her own impressive makeup bag.

  “I thought you two broke up?”

  “Oh, we did,” Penny answered quickly. The hasty tone of her voice let me know that if I could see her face, it would match her hair. Maybe when Penny said that there were too many cute boys to be tied down to one, she was lying? “But he’s been calling a lot, and you know, I just don’t want to see him with someone else.” I had to admit that I knew how she felt. I’d been ready to draw blood when I saw Ursula touching Erik, and it wasn’t like I had any claim to him.

  While we finished getting ready, Penny filled the conversation with trivial topics. I was glad; it was the first day in recent history that no one asked me how I was feeling or how I’d slept or talked about the spy. It felt good, normal; and despite our added tagalong, I was determined to have a fantastic day.

  After we were dressed, primped, and gossiped out, I called Ursula and told her to meet us at the hover hangar in twenty minutes. Unfortunately, I still had to run by Medical before the fun could commence.

  Penny waited in the reception area while I received my daily dose of Dr. Thistler and her asinine questions. She reiterated Mac’s insistence that I refrain from drinking and added that I should “take it easy.” I promised that I would, and she released me to start my day.

  “Ready?” I called to Penny as I exited the swinging doors. I rubbed the crook of my elbow absently, hoping that the needle marks would fade quickly; they didn’t really go with my outfit.

  “Let’s get the party started!” Penny whooped, jumping to her feet.

  At the hangar, Penny signed out a hover plane while I waited outside for Ursula. I shifted uncomfortably in my gold flip-flops, wishing that she’d hurry. I was eager to get going and get to Erik. Finally, Ursula’s bushy hair came into view. She’d changed into an equally curve-hugging red dress, and I hated to admit that she looked good. I glanced to where Penny was still talking to the hover guard and prayed, for her sake, that Harris wasn’t interested in the older girl. When I looked back at Ursula, my stomach and mood plummeted—she wasn’t alone. Cadence was with her.

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  “Hey, Talia!” Ursula called, giving me an overly enthusiastic wave. Cadence kept her beady eyes trained on the grass. Her shoulders were hunched over, and the black dress that she wore hung shapelessly on her angular body.

  “Hey, Ursula,” I said tersely as they neared. Turning to Cadence, I said, “Hey, I didn’t know you’d be joining us.” Cadence finally tore her gaze from the ground but looked at the hangar behind me instead of meeting my eyes when she spoke.

  “Ursula practically begged me to come,” she replied, rolling her eyes to emphasize how little she looked forward to a day with me.

  “Well, the more the merrier,” I shrugged, trying to sound like I was pleased by her unexpected appearance.

  Cadence mumbled something that sounded like “whatever.”

  I turned to join Penny, and the two Instructors followed several paces behind. Penny’s eyebrows shot skyward when her gaze landed on Cadence, but when she looked to me for answers, I just shrugged. I was also dreading spending the day with Cadence; but at least I could use the time to form a stronger connection with her, delve further into her mind, and maybe find out something useful.

  Ursula dominated the conversation on the ride to the city. She talked about all of the bars that we “just had to go to” and which food vendors were “to die for.” I listened without comment. While Penny and I had already made a mental list of the places we planned to visit, I really didn’t care where we went, so long as I was able to spend the day with Erik.

  He was waiting, along with Harris and Henri, when we landed at TOXIC’s parking garage in Southwest D.C.

  “Erik!” Ursula exclaimed, running to greet him, her movements restricted by the constricting fabric she’d squeezed herself into.

  “Hey, Ursula.” He smiled, returning her hug half-heartedly. I gritted my teeth and swallowed my agitation.

  “Sorry,” he sent. The dazzling smile that lit up his features extinguished my irritation before I could act on it. Once he disentangled himself from Ursula, he walked swiftly over to where I stood. Erik leaned down and planted a kiss on my cheek. “You look nice,” he whispered.

  “Thanks.” I beamed. And just like that, I forgot about Ursula and Cadence and the potentially ruined day because being close to him reminded me of why I’d begged Mac to let me come in the first place.

  “You’ll have plenty of time to fondle each other later,” Henri interrupted, nudging Erik aside to wrap me in his long arms. “It’s good to see you again, Tal.”

  “You, too,” I agreed, returning his embrace. “Where’s Frederick?” I inquired, glancing around to make sure that I hadn’t missed him. Harris and Penny stood off to one side talking. She giggled as he tucked a loose strand of her hair behind one ear. Ursula had her hands propped on her hips, her eyes darting between me and Erik, deciphering our body language. Cadence stood off to the side, looking uncomfortable and out of place. I felt a pang of sympathy for her. I knew what it was like to be the outsider; that was what I’d always been with Donavon and his friends.

  “He’s meeting us downtown. He went ahead to The Rooftop to get a table, so we can watch the parade from there,” Henri answered.

  “Oh, I love The Rooftop!” Ursula squealed, clapping her hands like a child who’d just been told that she was getting a new puppy.

  “Well, let’s go then,” Erik declared. He held his hand out to me, and I debated whether to take it. With Ursula and Cadence around, Donavon would be sure to hear a blow-by-blow account of our interactions. But we weren’t dating, so it wasn’t like I should feel badly about holding Erik’s hand, right?

  Sensing my hesitancy, Erik let his hand drop; but I caught the flicker of hurt that crossed his features before he turned to start walking. Throwing caution to the wind, I grabbed his fingers and laced them with mine. I’d deal with Donavon later.

  The Rooftop was a bar on top of the Woffard Hotel in the center of D.C. The sidewalk out front was lined with people eagerly awaiting their turn to ride the elevators to the twenty-first floor. Instead of leading us to the back of the crowd, Henri walked to the large man guarding the velvet-roped entrance. They exchanged several brief words, and then the man unhooked the rope and waved our party through. We boarded the glass elevator, and I watched as the city streets and their inhabitants grew smaller the higher we ascended.

  When we exited the car, a perky blonde with wide magenta eyes greeted us.

  “Name of your party?” she asked pleasantly, already glancing down at her electronic clipboard while she waited for Henri to reply.

  “Should be under Reich, but I think my boyfriend is already here?” Henri answered.

  The hostess ran a finger down the tablet until she found Henri’s name and then nodded, confirming that we were on the list.

  “Yes, he is. Follow me,” she gestured, turning to lead us through a throng of well-dressed partygoers.

  The space was open, and a light wind ruffled my hair as I clung to Erik so that we wouldn’t get separated in the crowd. A ring of black leather booths decorated the perimeter of the bar, and she led us to one overlooking 15th Street below. A beautiful blonde man with delicate features and warm brown eyes sat in the center of the rounded bench, sipping from a glass of wine.

  “Frederick!” I exclaimed, breaking free from Erik to greet Henri’s boyfriend.

  “Hi, sweetheart,” he kissed my cheek when I slid around the semicircle to sit next to him. “How are you feeling?”

  “Good,” I assured him, giving his hand a small squeeze. “It’s so good to see you,” I added. I’d forgotten how much I enjoyed hanging out with him. Frederick was a gentle, easygoing guy and had a way of putting everyone around him at ease. He was the perfect complement to Henri’s more rigid and controlled demeanor.

  “Thanks for getting the table,” Henri said, sliding around to Frederick’s other side.

  “Sure.” Frederick gave his boyfriend an affectionate smile, and I felt the need to look away from the personal exchange.

  The others filled in the empty spaces, Erik sitting next to me with Penny and Harris on his other side. Ursula plopped down next to Henri, while Cadence sat awkwardly on the end, looking unsure why she was here. I shared her sentiments; why had she come?

  “Cadence, this is Frederick.” Henri gestured, introducing the two. Frederick extended his hand and Cadence tentatively shook it. “You know everyone else, right?” Henri asked his boyfriend. When Frederick agreed that he did, Henri flagged down a waitress and ordered several bottles of the featured Festivis Day wine and several appetizers for us all to share.

  Despite Mac’s warning, I sipped my wine while everyone talked around me. I promised myself that one or two glasses would be fine, and I’d need it if I was going to put up with Ursula’s flamboyant attitude and Cadence’s not-so-subtle death glares.

  My friends began a lively debate about the floats that would be in the parade. It surprised me that Ursula and Frederick seemed to know each pretty well; their teasing and easy banter suggested that they’d known one another for some time. They were about the same age, I reasoned. Maybe they’d been in school together?

  “So, how are you really feeling?” Erik asked once everyone else was preoccupied.

  “I’m okay; no more seizures or anything like that,” I assured him.

  “Good…did you talk to Donavon about what happened in Nevada?” Erik’s turquoise irises shone with concern.

  “Yeah. I asked him about the transfusion, and he said that he didn’t want to tell me because he didn’t want me to feel like I owed him anything.” I looked uncomfortably at my hands clasped in my lap. Erik pried one hand free and began tracing the lines of my palm.

  “And do you, you know, feel like you owe him?” Erik’s tone was tense, like our relationship hinged on my answer.

  “No, of course not. He did save my life, but it’s not like that,” I quickly assured him. I didn’t feel like I owed Donavon anything, except maybe the truth about Erik.

  “You didn’t tell him about us?” Erik guessed, reading my thoughts.

  “No. I was going to, but I don’t know, Erik. Things are so complicated right now.”

  “I see. You’re having second thoughts about us.” He pulled his hand back and stared off across the bar at the crowd of people on the dance floor. Equal parts frustration and hurt radiated from his body.

  “No! That’s not what I mean. I want to be with you, but I want to be friends with him, too. He’s been helping me so much, and we’re working together.” I touched his forearm tentatively and willed him to look at me.

  “So, are we friends, Tal? Is that what you want?” he demanded, refusing to turn to face me.

  “Erik, please—that’s not what I meant! I like you as more than a friend. I just need some time to tell Donavon,” I begged him. Why was nothing coming out right? It was like my thoughts were jumbled and I couldn’t form the right words.

  Erik sighed and then finally turned to face me. But whatever he was about to say was interrupted by Harris.

  “Would you two quit being so serious? The parade’s about to start,” he declared, climbing over me and Erik to get a better view of the street.

  Sure enough, the entire crowd at The Rooftop was making their way to the railing, all clamoring to see the spectacle.

  I turned around and leaned over the back of our booth as elaborate floats and fire baton twirlers marched down 15th Street. Speakers began blasting the National Anthem, and off-key singers added their own accompaniment.

  “I’m sorry, Tal. I don’t want to push you into something that you’re not ready for,” Erik sent, lightly running his palm up my spine. I shivered, goosebumps erupting all over my skin when he touched me.

  “You’re not. I do want this. I just think that Donavon should hear about it from me, and not someone else.” I wiggled around to face him, turning my back to the sword jugglers and waving politicians now delighting the crowd. Pinned against the booth, underneath Erik, I blushed at the intensity of his gaze. He wasn’t watching the parade either. He slowly leaned down and kissed me softly. Not caring whether anyone was watching, I kissed him back, wrapping my arms around his neck.