Wish Apon A Star

Annabelle - I Hate Her Guts

It was harder to stalk someone than I'd originally thought.

The guy was the very definition of nondescript, to start off with, but he also apparently didn't look a bit like Nicole. There were millions of people in the city, and the Festival would last another week. On top of that, I doubted he wanted to be found. It looked impossible.

It looked impossible, and yet here I was, up in the belltower, scanning the streets like I might suddenly see him. I doubted I would, but it couldn't hurt to try. James and I were getting pretty desperate.

Snow covered everything, which didn't help. Everyone's hoods were pulled up, covering hair and faces. I could see nothing, just rows of cloaks and jackets, hurrying about the town as they tried to get where it was warm. I pulled my own coat tighter around me; I wanted to go back to the inn, where there was surely a fire. And hot chocolate.

James, like an idiot, had bought the inn. Two days after Nicole and Leo were gone, he'd begun bargaining with the innkeeper. Even though Leo had told us repeatedly not to spend it all, that had apparently gone over James's head. Of course, we still had plenty–we could probably live on it for the rest of our lives. But I couldn't see Leo being exactly thrilled James had spent so much.

Not that I wasn't enjoying it.

For one, the kitchen was ours, and that meant I could go in there and make a total mess, or cookies, or hot chocolate whenever I wanted it. And it had been left fully stocked, including these twists of dough with sugar and cinnamon that I had decided were my new favorite food group. Or second favourite. Hot chocolate always came first.

For another, James had found a reason to kick out anyone he didn't like. Most had left on their own, because James wasn't very good at making friends. Unless he was lying to them because he wanted something. It did mean I no longer had to try and avoid Leila, an obnoxious witch who thought she was better than me (she wasn't–and I wasn't even bragging, because everyone was better than her) and also simultaneously tried to copy me. And failed miserably. Red, it was safe to say, was not her colour, and she'd proved that when she showed up dressed in it from head to toe, right down to the beads in her hair, and looked more like she was going to a costume party dressed as some sort of fiery cloud.

Maybe it was mean, but I was glad not to put up with her anymore. Until she came back begging for handouts, at least. Which, unfortunately, was likely.

I stepped through the doors to the inn, back into the warmth. As I crossed the room, Zoe and Lily waved to me from their game of Illusion. Lily was winning, of course–she always won at card games, and Illusion was her favourite. Zoe was really the only one who would play her anymore, because she didn't mind losing. Most people liked to play with Zoe, because she was one of the few who wouldn't flip the board over or shoot you dirty looks for the rest of the night. I'd watched a game between her and Leo once, and it was almost like they played just for fun. Which was absurd.

James was waiting for me at one of the tables, and I could see he'd grabbed a mug of hot chocolate and a cinnamon twist. Which meant he wanted something and was trying to bribe me.

It worked.

I sat down and immediately began eating the twist. "What do you want?"

"Can't we just talk?" He raised his eyebrows at me over his mug of coffee. "Like friends?"

"Not with you we can't," I said, and swallowed the mouthful of bread and sugar. "Now, what do you want?"

"Leila wants to talk."

I nearly spit out my sip of hot chocolate, then decided Leila, of all people, wasn't worth it. I'd just been thinking about her, and it appeared she had read my mind. Unfortunately. I hoped I had sent as many negative vibes as possible her way.