A Beautiful Dark

tangle of wild alpine flowers. Devin bent down. At first I just stood there, but he looked up at me, nodding his head for me to bend down next to him on the trail.
    He pointed to a small lavender winter flower. The edges of its petals were browned and faded, the green of its stem blackened and sickly.
    “It’s dead,” I said.
    Devin nodded. A vague, subtle light emanated from his hands. He cupped them around the flower, and the light grew momentarily brighter.
    When he pulled both hands away, the flower was an intense, thriving purple, its stem long and tangled and green.
    It was beautiful.
    “I wanted to wait until we were alone to share this with you,” he said.
    “Can I . . . do that?” I heard my voice waver.
    “That is one path for your powers to take.”
    “Can I try?” He nodded for me to proceed. I reached over to find another dying flower amid the branches and stems. My hand brushed against his, and I felt him shiver. But I wouldn’t look up. Not yet. Devin brought his hands close to mine, cupping my own around the faded flower. Light still shone from his outstretched hands, illuminating the area so I could see what I was doing.
    Slowly, holding the flower in my right hand, I brought my left hand over to cover it. I wasn’t sure if I was supposed to feel anything, but nothing stirred within my cupped hands. I waited. I could feel Devin beside me, holding his breath.
    “Open them,” he whispered finally.
    I pulled my left hand away, revealing the tiny blossom within.
    It was still dead.
    Silently, we headed back before the sun dipped too far behind the mountains for us to see where we were going. To my surprise, Devin walked me to my car.
    “How are you getting home?” I asked. “Wait, where is home?”
    “I’m renting an apartment. There’s a little complex over by Evergreen Street.” I looked at him, and for some reason, the thought of Devin in a small empty apartment made me sad.
    “I’ll drive you,” I offered. “Come on, get in.”
    “You’re sure it’s not too far out of your way?”
    “I’ll be fine.” I smiled at him. He grinned back. We got into the car.
    “Today was—” He cut himself off, instead busying himself with buckling his seat belt.
    “What?” I prodded. “Fun?”
    He smiled sheepishly. I opened my eyes wide in mock surprise, and he nodded.
    “I haven’t laughed so hard in a long while,” he said. “It was nice.”
    “Me neither,” I said. “It was.”
    My car hugged a tight curve, hurtling along the winding mountain roads in the dusk. The sun had set, and the sky was a deep, mood-ring blue, the kind of blue the ring gets before it turns really, fantastically black.
    Devin was quiet in the passenger seat, every now and then letting me know when to turn, how far we had left to go. I wasn’t very familiar with that part of town, but it wasn’t a long drive at all. The complex consisted of a few rows of drab, brick homes. Devin directed me to his.
    I pulled in to the driveway and cut the engine.
    “This is . . . interesting,” I said. “How did you find this place?”
    “There aren’t too many places to rent an apartment in this town,” he said. “It was sort of this or sleeping out in that field back there.” He was trying to make a joke, but it wasn’t especially funny.
    “Devin?” I said. “Thanks again. For today. It was a big help.”
    He smiled again, and a kind of happiness filled the car.
    “You’re welcome, Skye. I’m glad.” He got out, unlocked his apartment door, and disappeared inside. A second or two later, I saw a light appear in an upstairs window.
    Suddenly in the car, in the quiet, I was gripped by loneliness. I couldn’t call my friends—they wouldn’t understand. I thought about calling Asher, but I didn’t even know if he had a phone or if he’d want to talk to me.
    I was miserable and exhausted. I just wanted to feel something different from what I was feeling. I didn’t want to go home to my empty house. I didn’t want to be alone.
    I got out of the car, walked up the short, concrete driveway, and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later, Devin opened it.
    “Skye?” he asked, confused.
    “Can I stay here tonight?” I didn’t explain. I knew if I did, I would start crying, and I didn’t want Devin to see me like that. I needed a friend, and right now, he was the only one who understood what I was going through.
    Without a word, he opened the door wider, allowing me to pass.

Chapter 27

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