He stepped close to me, bringing with him a cold front. I shivered. Simon put his hand on the back of my head and pulled it to where his heart should be. I let myself lean in to him until I thought maybe if I opened my eyes I would find myself inside him. We did not talk or move or think. We stood. I allowed a memory.

My mom, in overalls we teased her mercilessly for, a spade in hand, sprinting toward me. A bee sat on my bike handle and stung me when I pulled it from the garage. I sat crying on the pavement, pinky finger in my mouth. "Oh, that rotten thing!" she murmured, sitting on the pavement with me, wrapping me in her arms. 

"Who's turn is it?" Simon rumbled.

"Turn?"

"For a question."

"Oh. I can't remember." All I could do was remember. She smelled like dirt and sweat. Her hat brim kept her from holding me closer and she flung it across the yard.

"Then I'm going." He didn't wait for an okay, "What's a change you're willing to make?"

Simon was not as good-looking as I'd once thought. In fact, he looked a little arrogant. "You shadows." I looked at the clock. Had he been here thirty minutes or a full day? Either way, I was ready for him to go. "You're all the same. You swoop in here and want me to change. Not to suck. To be happier. FYI? I'm perfectly happy the way I am." My stomach growled. I glared at Blah, daring him to comment on it, but he didn't seem to hear. In fact, his shadow had grown darker. His face sharper. I was suddenly more scared of him then I ever had been of The Murderess.

"Liar. Stop lying to yourself." His voice was hard as a criminal, then soft as a flat tire, "Nora. We want to help you. Just... answer the question. What's one way, one thing you are willing to change?"

"Fine. Here's a change I'll make. I'll start... working out."

"That's nice, but it's not enough. You have to reallychange." He said "really" like "reel E." "Inner change. Real change. I thinkyou know what I mean."

If I ever thought there was a chance we may have a supernatural romance, that shot was fired and it was a dud. He'd been here not a day and I wanted to choke his wispy neck. Admittedly, it was me. It was always me. Dying my hair. Being a bitch. Quitting school. Moving away without saying a good-bye. I'd done this before. Last time it ended without a conclusion. At school, when I didn't know how I could pay for classes anymore. I didn't know then that I was capable of making my own money. I thought student loans were beneath me. What a joke. No wonder Grant couldn't stand to look at me. That relationship never ended. I just... left. With no forwarding address. No official break-up.

"I'm sorry," I told Simon. And I meant it. I was sorry for being short with him. I was sorry for letting the shadows down. And I was sorry I couldn't be the person he wanted me to be. "But I can't just change who I am."

That heavenly smile swooped across his face. "No worries, Nora. If anybody's worrying around here, it's me worrying about you. K?"

I picked at a spatula on my pants. "Okay."

"You need to get to bed. I know you don't want to miss work tomorrow."

"Are you leaving?" He was. He was already fading, clouds of black swanning around his core.

"Yup. But before I go?"

"Yeah?"

He firmed up for one last grin. "I definitelythink you should get a puppy." And he slipped back into the kingdom of shadows,where I imagined Shadow #1 and The Murderess pounced on him to get all thejuicy details of his visit. Part of me wished they'd been juicier. I chuckledto myself and dragged my body back into bed, where I slept, only waking oncewhen I thought I felt a tender cloud breeze against my forehead like agoodnight kiss.