"How was I supposed to know Indy is a non-gender gender?"

I sank low in Micah's arms, huddled against him for warmth as we occupied the same chair at an empty lunch table. He had just finished explaining the three gender charges of positive-male, negative-female, and the neutrally, uncharged absence-of-gender that existed in Lightning devvi pedigree to me.

The cafeteria, both inside and out on the patio, was sparsely populated. Most everyone in the upper grades had left during second period on a field trip. This included Reese, Trevor, and Dandoy. Coming in later the first week, Micah and I missed the sign up.

"Should I even refer to Indy as she? Is she okay with she?"

"My cousin prefers to be called she, since she publicly

identifies as such." Micah spoke in quiet tones at my shoulder, where his chin was nestled.

He might have seemed calm enough to the casual observer, but his instinct to guard was on high alert because I still didn't feel well. A male devvi thing, I guess. And yes, he was definitely male. He told me so with a smile when I became all worried.

A shiver tore through me, despite his hot embrace and the heavy sweater I was wearing over my uniform. He hugged me tighter when I curled in against him, shaking. A low growl rumbled in the back of his throat when a girl with curiosity bright in her eyes stopped in the patio doorway. Thinking better of it, she turned around and went back inside, leaving us the sole occupants of the outdoor space that was still wet from this morning's showers. The patio smelled of rain- damp pavement, the surrounding campus obscured with pockets of fog that were shot through with moments of sunshine as clouds passed overhead.

One of Reese's borrowed jar openers kept Micah's pants dry, and I knew we were breaking some serious P.D.A. rules by sitting together like this, but I didn't care. Besides, the lunchroom monitor seemed to have her hands full with a rowdy group of people sitting at an inside table who hadn't been permitted to go on the trip. The very few times she sent her attention out the windows our way her expression was sympathetic. Probably thought somebody close to us had died, or something.

Good cheddar, I was a collective train wreck, with my skin so pallid today that my arms and neck looked translucent. And then there was the constant shivering, some of it because I couldn't keep my body at a steady temperature, and some of it caused by my heart pounding so hard it felt like it might break through my chest.

Micah wasn't doing too much better. His instinct to protect had him so on edge, he teetered between snapping at anything that moved while at other times he appeared almost close to crying. I shouldn't have forced him to bring me to school.

I finally accepted the peach he offered on his third try. Gingerly, I bit into it, taking care not to drip juice onto the beige sweater.

"That's my girl," he mumbled, turning his head to press his guarded version of affection—tightly closed lips—against my temple. "How'd the trig test go?"

Micah had moved me into his morning math class when he found my afternoon class was full.

"You know me...and math," I mumbled disjointedly around a bite of peach, swallowing. "Riding a bicycle, falling off a horse, and all that jazz." Good thing trig had come and gone earlier, when my mind was clear. Right now I was pretty out of it.

"You're tired. We'll go home after this," he said, and I agreed.

We'd skipped phys-ed in favor of taking in an early lunch, His idea, not mine. I was okay with that—except for the eating lunch part. I didn't have much of an appetite. But he wanted me to eat something. He brushed my hair back while encouraging me to take another bite. How could I refuse when he was being so kindly persistent?

He suddenly stiffened. His low growl vibrated against my back. My attention went to the building just in time to see Bettihemae striding up the sidewalk out of a lingering patch of fog, her long hair swinging with the movement of her quick pace. She was heading for the cafeteria door.

"There was a message on your phone this morning," Micah said when I folded in against him, peach forgotten on the table. "A feminine voice, saying she bought marshmallows and wanted to know if you would come over for a roast."

"You deleted it?" I whispered, not remembering any new messages.

I gave Alex my number. She must have gotten hold of his phone. Like heck would I sit next to her in front of an open flame. No thank you.

Of course Alex appeared not long after his chestnut-haired cousin, looking his usual regal self in his school uniform. The patchy fog seemed to part like a curtain for the male water devvi's entrance, and then cling to him in passing, as if it couldn't be helped.

"So they're finally back," I murmured.

Miserable, I pulled up the hood on the sweater and turned to bury my face against Micah. I grimaced at the sound of the cafeteria door swinging open to let Bettihemae inside, and then I shivered, swallowing hard when my pulse spiked despite its already increased rhythm.

"The water devvis have been away from the valley?" Micah asked around the growl stuck in his throat.

"Yeah," I said, then coughed because of my fluttering heart. "They went north to oversee the security for some festival." For his mother's side of the family. So they can get pregnant. Jeepers, even several days removed, that was such a foreign concept to me.

"I bet they went up to his family's Lake Erie territory to make sure their annual fertility festival went well." Micah's fingers eased up and down my back when I began to cough again, trying to soothe me. "They've been struggling with hostile fire devvi factions in that region for quite some time."

Processing this new information, I groaned, the cough finally settling when I held my breath. Honestly, it wasn't any wonder that Alex had called Indy to cancel his interest in me. After his brothers had nothing good to say about "us", he probably went and found himself a beautiful, strong water siren from his mother's clan. Pretty pale eyes and white hair like his mom.

Just look at me, all weak and ill! I had always been frail. So he had found someone better. I should be happy for him.

The visual of snow falling like crystal confetti to the bathroom floor flashed through me, coupled with the sort-of promise Alex had made to help me explore all I could do as a partial devvi. He and Micah—I had been hoping they would teach me.

But none of that matters. I have you. I turned my face against Micah again. He was aware of what I was like; he'd lived with it for eleven-plus years and knew how to deal. Micah was all I needed to help me cope with this new reality. He had already been helping, despite Indy's threats. He was being so good to me. Cheddar, the guy would give me the world if he could.

I sensed that Alex was standing across the table from us without looking up. I could feel his presence as a pulse of cool energy in my core, alongside Micah's warm, subtle hum. It made me inhale with surprise. This was the first time that the two were this close to me—together. It stirred some strange sensation in my middle.

"I didn't summon you over," Micah snarled.

"It's a public place. I can approach if I want." Alex turned a chair around to sit across from us. "What's wrong with her?"

My racing heart broke when I swallowed, tasting the concern he exhaled sharp on my tongue. He didn't want to be involved with me, and yet he still worried?

"It's nothing that I haven't been dealing with just fine since last night," Micah said. "We've got a coping strategy established."

I swallowed hard and started to rasp, almost choking. "Aurora." His hands came in between us as the wave of adrenaline built, getting ready to hit. I was coughing spasmodically now, and he drew my attention to his face. "Aurora," he commanded gently, "look at me."

He curved a supportive arm around my waist, and then seized the back of my neck, lightly squeezing. I stopped coughing.

"Into my eyes," he said. "Slip into me before it gets worse."

"O-okay," I choked out, unsure of what we were doing, but somehow it was familiar.

I let my awareness slip into him to escape my pounding heart. Micah's inner strength rose up to surround me, following back through tiny threads of consciousness that connected to my physicality, my way of returning. I remembered now, remembered this. Last night, he had taken me inside of himself so I could escape what was happening to my body. I had practically spent the entire night inside of him. It was hardly surprising I couldn't recall much after we figured out how to do it.

Without looking, I recognized the exact moment Alex shifted closer. I sensed that phantom, core-deep knowledge of him lean over the table. My self-awareness was still inside Micah when Alex took one of my hands, pressing his fingers to my pulse.

His direct touch sent that usual shudder of intensity through me. The thrilling sensation of it zinged down my spine to drive a spike of what could only be described as an "otherworldly feeling" into my core, and I rocked forward into Micah. My eyes blinked shut, snapping off the connection with his strength, and with the closing of that one metaphysical connection, another connection opened, one I hadn't even known existed.

My sense of smell was heightened. I could smell Micah and Alex's closeness.

Inhaling, I took in their two distinct scents, heady summer storm and cold stream running feral in the woods, mixing them, blending them together in my lungs. Their merged essence caused more of that odd feeling to flutter in my chest. I found myself panting, craving it.

I wanted more! Inhaling deeply, I drew in their combined presence to fill me, flood me, my rasping breaths evening out to make the alarm of my pounding pulse cease.

My body quieted. My consciousness began to drift, making me feather light, like I had become unchained from the earth. What is this sensation that's come over me?

"Aurora!"

My eyes snapped open. I was back, my head cradled in the bend of Micah's arm.

"Are you okay?" His touch hummed hotly against my cheek.

His eyes were wide, almost frightened.

"I'm fine." A puzzled smile crossed my face as I first took in Micah's panic, and then Alex's as he crouched overhead. When had Alex jumped onto the table?

"Good gods, don't scare me like that, little one." Micah's gaze met Alex's, and they seemed to exchange an unspoken thought, intense worry having somehow replaced the previous atmosphere of agitation.

"We've been trying to get you to respond to us for the better part of five minutes," Alex said to me as he moved into a sitting position on the edge of the table. "Where did you go?"

My smile grew wider before it faded, because now I was certain I was in possession of two souls. I had heard them—singing. "I don't know where I went," I told them, closing my eyes.

Someplace—wonderful.

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Can a "some place wonderful" moment receive a VOTE?