The Price Guide to the Occult(19)

“That should be one hell of a birthday,” Apothia said.

Nor smiled and looked around. “Will Judd be here tonight?” she asked.

Apothia nodded. “Of course. She helped me with the cake.”

Sitting in the middle of the table was a cake unlike any other cake Nor had ever seen. A layer of raspberry jam was spread between each of its three tiers, and it had been not just topped with frosting, but drizzled with honey and candied figs. Whoever made it certainly had a much more delicate touch and discerning eye than Judd. “No, she didn’t,” Nor said.

“Well, no, she didn’t,” Apothia admitted. “But that’s really for the best, don’t you think?”

Nor nodded, distracted suddenly by the suspiciously high number of place settings around the table. “Who else did you invite?”

“People,” Savvy answered quickly. She splayed her tiny hands across Nor’s back and pushed her up the stairs. “Now, enough with the questions. You’ll ruin my surprise!”

As soon as Nor’s bedroom door closed behind them, Savvy dropped to the floor and rummaged through the hot-pink backpack she had carried up with her.

Nor waited for a moment before asking, “This surprise isn’t like, Surprise, you have to wear a costume, is it? You know I don’t do costumes.”

“It hurts me every time you say that,” Savvy said. “But no, we will not be donning costumes this year.”

“Then what will we be doing?”

“It’s your birthday,” Savvy said, pulling a yellow corset out of the backpack. “It’s your birthday, and while I know costumes are verboten, you are still not wearing” — she pointed to Nor — “that.”

Nor looked down: ripped jeans and mud-splattered combat boots. Her hair was certainly its usual mess. Then she looked at Savvy: lilac unicorn mane, stud-encrusted sweater dress, thigh-high lace-up boots. If Nor had to pinpoint who between them had magic in her blood, she’d pick Savvy over herself in a heartbeat. “Good point.”

“It’s like you’re allergic to color,” Savvy muttered, flipping quickly through Nor’s closet. She paused briefly at a strapless bustier dress she’d bought Nor the previous year, certain that by doing so she could somehow coax her into wearing it, and gave Nor a hopeful glance.

“Not a chance in hell.”

Savvy sighed and returned to her backpack. Nor watched in amazement as Savvy pulled out one oddity after another: ripped lace leggings. Fingerless gloves. A mesh halter top.

Nor picked up a pair of discarded leather hot pants. “Are you sure I can’t just wear something I already own? Something I actually wear?”

From her backpack, Savvy took out a transparent platform shoe with a plastic goldfish floating in the heel. “If Goth ever becomes fashionable again, you’ll be the first person I call. For now, though —” Savvy looked into the bag again. “Ha!” she said triumphantly, and yanked something out.

It was a blue velvet slip dress with tiny spaghetti straps, the blue so dark it almost looked black. Almost. It was also beautiful and feminine and unlike anything Nor had ever worn before, which, judging from the expression on Savvy’s face, was entirely the point.

“It’s pretty,” Nor admitted. “But —”

Savvy quickly dug through Nor’s closet and took out a long black cardigan. “With this thrown over it? What do you think?”

“Does it really matter what I’m wearing?”

“Trust me. It matters,” Savvy said. “I might have invited my very good friend Grayson. And he might be bringing his brother along. Who might be, you know, your almost lover, Reed Oliveira.”

“What?” Nor balked. “You’re sure they’re coming? Both of them?”

“Surprise,” Savvy said, and held up the dress.

Nor scowled, but snatched it out of her friend’s hand.

When she slipped it over her head, she found the hem stopped a few inches above her knee. It was short, but for something they had pulled out of her petite friend’s wardrobe, it wasn’t nearly as short as Nor had been expecting. She quickly slid on the sweater, thankful that its sleeves were long enough to cover her wrists. With expert hands, Savvy twisted Nor’s wild waist-long hair into loose curls that extended down her back, and then lined her eyes in shimmery black.

“This is going to be so great,” Savvy said resolutely.

Nor sighed quietly. How could anything be great when Nor could practically feel her mother’s breath on the back of her neck? Anything that even slightly resembled happiness seemed dangerous, as if cloaking herself in misery was the only way she could protect herself from the dark gloom of her mother’s lurking shadow. For Nor, feeling happy felt like being a glaring target. Feeling happy meant that she had something to lose.

“Look, Nor, I love you, but you’re not exactly the easiest person to get to know.” Savvy stared at Nor and drummed her purple-lacquered nails against her lips. “I swear, sometimes it’s like you have the ability to turn yourself invisible.”

Nor grimaced. She slipped on her combat boots, hiding the scars on her ankles. Yes, that was exactly what she did. Not on purpose. It just happened sometimes.

“But Reed Oliveira did notice you. And for once, we,” Savvy said, grabbing Nor’s arm and dragging her down the stairs, “and by we, I mean you, are going to take full advantage of that situation.”