*CUPID'S MATCH BOOK 2* FIRST DRAFT
Lila receives an ominous Valentine's Day card.
Cupid & Cal are keeping a dark secret.
Fate is being interfered with.
And a sadistic, and extremely powerful banished cupid is intent on stealing Lila's heart. Literal...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Crystal looks at us expectantly as Cal comes to stand beside the end of the breakfast bar.
Good question, Crystal... What the hell is going on?
I think I feel Cupid's eyes on me for a moment but as I flick my gaze in his direction he's no longer looking. He moves over to the counter and leans against it – tossing his frozen peas in the sink as he does.
I feel a twinge of guilt again that it was my decision that got Cupid getting hurt, but I try to block it out.
It was a mistake.
And - as I remember the feel of Valentine's cupids dragging me across the floor - it's a mistake that I've paid for as well.
Crystal raises an eyebrow.
"Well?" she says.
It's getting dark outside now, and as the shadows creep through the glass front of the house, the underlighting of his cabinets automatically flick on; the dim light softens the bruising on Cupid's face a little.
He exhales heavily.
"Well, to be honest, I was unconscious for a lot of it...so Lila will have to fill in the gaps."
He says this without even looking at me – and, though it may not be obvious to the others, I can feel tension still bristling off him from our fight. I know that Crystal, Cal, and Charlie need to know about what happened in the gym, but a part of me wishes they weren't here. I hate me and Cupid being like this, stuck in the purgatory of mid-fight - not knowing whether or not everything is going to be OK.
I glance at him - the hurt in my gut evolving into anger at the way he won't even look at me. And as Cupid starts to talk about how he was ambushed by Valentine's cupids in the parking lot, I notice Cal look confusedly between the two of us. I wonder if he is detecting the negative energy crackling between us.
I suppose he is one of the original cupids after all – it's part of his job to get people together. He surely must be able to detect when something is pushing two people apart.
"And you killed the cupids that attacked you in the parking lot?" says Crystal.
"Well, naturally... but they..."
"Didn't stay dead," I say quietly – remembering the feel of their clammy hands on me, their overpowering stench of decay.
Again, Cupid doesn't look at me. Crystal puts down her mug on the side and folds her arms across her chest – her blue eyes pass over me, then Cupid.
"Seriously? Zombie cupids?!" she shakes her head, "Are you sure you killed them, Cupid. Nothing against your fighting skills, it's just... it sounds a little far-fetched. How is that even possible?"
"It is possible," I say. "You didn't see them. They weren't alive, believe me. Plus, I asked Valentine if they were dead and he said yes and no."
