Page 16 of Shade
"Yes!"
This was something I'd started doing after my third time tripping over a wayward piece of stationery, and it kept both me and the kids safe. It was also a good way to start the daily routine and switch the kids into a 'we're in school' mindset. Win-win, really.
"All right, let's start the roll call. Adam?"
"Here!"
Shade
Leaving a soft, sleeping Diego behind had to be the hardest thing I'd ever done. Or maybe it was having to wait until sunset to see him again.
I could go to his shadow and watch him teach his class from there, but I didn't want to be creepy, and I felt like that was toeing the line since we hadn't discussed it yet. Maybe I could ask him permission to do it this evening?
A knock at my door pulled my attention, and I blinked. How had I not noticed them when they opened the outer door? Was I really that unaware when I was thinking about Diego?
"Come in!"
Liam poked his head inside, grinning when he 'spotted' me. He couldn't actually see me; no one could. All they saw was a shadowy, human-shaped person. They couldn't see the color of my eyes or my skin, because I had none. It was all black, so I could hide away perfectly in any shadow. I wondered if there was a light-being out there somewhere, someone who needed light to survive like I needed the dark. I couldn't decide which one of us would have it easier.
"Hey, Shade! Are you busy?"
"Not at all. What's up?"
"Well, I've been talking to the headmaster about how you could take part in the wedding," he started, and I blinked. Shit. I'd forgotten all about his impending wedding. Was I a shitty friend? "And he thinks he could set up a portal-type thing so you can watch everything that happens from here."
"Oh, that would be nice!"
Liam grinned, nodding rapidly. "Right? I wish you could be there, but this is the next best thing."
"It is. And you can come see me after so I can give you both big hugs," I said, making him laugh.
"For sure! Haruto wanted to come with me to tell you, but Jacinta has him trapped while he decides on the menu," Liam said, then snorted. "And I mean literally trapped. Haruto kept dodging them, so he's now standing there with Jacinta's tentacles wrapped around his legs until he tells them everything they need to know."
I snickered, imagining Haruto in the clutches of the cecaelia who ruled over the Sanctuary kitchen with an iron fist—iron tentacles?
"Oh! I also wanted to give you this." Liam dug into his pockets, then pulled out a small, rectangular something and held it out to me.
I took it from him, eyeing the device. It had a small screen on top, a big button surrounded by four smaller buttons—two on each side—and ten buttons underneath numbered one to nine, and then a zero at the bottom.
Even though I'd never used one, I knew what it was. A cell phone. A very old model with no light on the screen, which meant it was something I could use.
"I found it on eBay, and Draven tinkered with it a little to make sure it'll work. I thought you could use it to talk to Diego while he's out. I added his number in the contacts."
Draven was a dwarf, and an expert at mixing human technology with magic. He also loved taking care of the people at the Sanctuary, even if he never acted like it.
I stared at the phone, then pressed a few buttons, going to the contacts. Everyone in the Sanctuary seemed to be listed there, but at the top was Diego's name with a star beside it.
"Uh, do you like it?"
Instead of replying, I enveloped Liam in a tight hug, my shadows sliding over him as my joy bubbled over. I could talk to Diego now, even during the day. Even when he wasn't right in front of me.
"Thank you," I said as I stepped back, and Liam shook off the stunned look on his face to give me a smile.
"You're welcome. I just remembered how much I missed Haruto when we first started dating, and I thought I could help."
I imagined it wasn't as easy to find this phone as he'd said, since the phones today seemed to be all screen and no buttons.Liam had still put in the effort even while he was already busy running his newly purchased shop and planning his wedding.
"You're a great friend."
