Page 37 of Falling in Love with A Tiny Bat

Xios: I’ve needed one more friend with a phone for weeks.

Xios: You have saved my life.

Xios: You are a goddess.

Xios: My darling. My beloved.

Xios: May I have your soul, so our birbs might thrive together for all eternity?

He sends three adoring gifs, full of hearts and hugs, in rapid succession.

Zahra: There are more than five people with phones in your friend group, Xios. Why have you suffered for weeks over this?

Zahra: That’s kind of depressing.

Xios: Well, I’m kind of made of depression, so.

Xios: I’m ♦ on brand ♦

I snort and roll over to face Ash’s crib.

Zahra: Time to pivot, buddy.

Xios: Respectfully, ♦ no ♦

Zahra: Seriously. You’ve got Willow, Ollie, Brittny, Alana, Pollux, Kass, and now even Meda with phones.

Xios: It felt weird asking Kass, and I don’t know Brittny and Ollie very well.

Zahra: You helped shingle their roof when they were building their new house in Faerie.

Xios: …

Xios: How do you know that?

Zahra: I talk to people. You should try it sometime.

Xios: Your aptitude for extroversion disturbs me. Just viewing it from afar prompts me to rest for thirty-six hours.

Zahra: Charming. Side note: does this mean Pollux has atiny bird app on his phone? I’ve done the math. If I’m your fifth, that means Pollux is included in the group that helped you.

Xios: The creepy thing is that you know who in our faerie group has a human-connected device.

Zahra: I have all their numbers. Blame my ♦ aptitude for extroversion ♦

Alexios—bless him—sends me a picture of a completely pink bird cheerfully walking beside a fully black bird. They both have tiny animals trotting after them, and I’m confused beyond words, but also…this sparks joy.

Xios: Pollux and Meda. One guess on whose is whose.

Xios: No hints.

Xios: Practically impossible.

Now, see. I’ve not had the pleasure of talking with Pollux all that much, but I do happen to be one of Andromeda’s teachers, and that little gumdrop doodles atrocities in her notebooks at every opportunity. Pretty in pink might be what her big blue eyes say, but the child’s heart oozes ink.

Zahra: Papa Pollux is pink. Meda is black.

He sends me a frowning emoji.

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