Everyone nodded, and I felt the stress between my shoulder blades release. I really wanted to go home. As we finished up and gathered our stuff, Anastasia came into the dining hall.
“We’ve decided to leave today—pretty much now,” I told her.
“You know you are welcome to stay as long as you’d like,” she said.
“Thank you, but we left our Tulsa terrified and wondering whether we’re alive or dead—not to mention whether Batshit was going to show up and eat everyone.”
Anastasia nodded. “I can see how you would need to get home and assuage fears. But I think it would be a happy thing if we remained in touch.”
“What do you mean?” I asked, and my friends fell silent around me.
“Well, you had the elements open the veil between worlds—and you’ll do that again in just a few minutes. Why not plan on visiting once or twice a year?”
“That would be cool!” said Kevin.
“Do you think it’d be okay? I mean, with the universe or whatnot?” I asked.
Damien spoke up. “I believe if it would cause a problem, Nyx would have forbidden it yesterday when she was here.”
I grinned at my brother. “I believe he’s right!”
“As usual,” agreed Kevin.
“Wanta make a date?” I asked my brother.
“How about my birthday?”
“August second it is,” I said.
“And don’t forget a present.”
We all laughed and talked animatedly as we meandered from the dining hall and made our way out to the rear grounds. The school had already begun to transform. Little boys ran down the halls with fledglings chasing them as they giggled delightedly.
Anastasia sighed and then whispered to me, “Are you quite sure you don’t want to take some of them with you?”
I laughed. “No way! Nyx gave them to you! But I am leaving you with your first red vampyre High Priestess, who also happens to be a budding Prophetess of Nyx.”
Anastasia’s eyes widened. “Ice Cream Shoes? Well, that’s lovely. She is most welcome here.”
Kevin’s phone bleeped with a text, and then he was at my shoulder. “Hey, Z, would you come with me for a sec?”
“I’ll meet you guys out by the tree,” I said, and then followed my brother toward the foyer. “What’s up?”
“Don’t be mad, ’kay?”
“Huh? What do you—” We turned to our left into the foyer and the guy who was standing there looking out the front window turned. The breath left my body as I staggered to a stop. “Heath?” His smile was unmistakable. “Heath!” I shouted and took off, running to him as my brother went out the back door, leaving us alone. Heath caught me as I sailed into his arms, hugging me as I clung to him while we laughed and cried together.
Finally, he let me go, but only enough so we could look into each other’s face.
“Hey, Zo. Good to see ya.”
“Good to see ya too, Heath.”
He reached into his pocket and brought out a handful of balled up Kleenexes, sharing them with me as we wiped our faces, and I blew my nose.
“Thanks,” I said. “Glad you remembered them.”
“Zo, there’s nothing about you that I’ll ever forget.”
I touched his damp cheek. “It’s not me you’re remembering though. You know that, right?”
He nodded. “Yeah, I do. Kev explained as much as he could to me. It’s why you didn’t come see me when you were here last time.”
“I wanted to, but I didn’t want to make you sad.”
He bumped my nose with his finger in a gesture so Heath-like that I found it hard to breathe. “It doesn’t make me sad to know that somewhere a version of you is still alive, Zo, ’cause you’ll always be alive in this world—right here.” He touched his chest over his heart.
I cleared my throat and asked, “Are you okay?”
“Better. I’m kicking ass at OU—totally starting quarterback. And, you’ll be happy to hear that I’m watching my drinking and studying way harder than I ever thought I would. I’m a business major with an animal science minor. When I graduate I’m gonna open a kennel where we’ll rescue dogs from shelters and train them to be service canines. It’s gonna be cool!”
“Heath, that’s an awesome idea. Your Zoey would love that.”
“I know, right?”
“Do—um—you have someone?” I asked, my stomach clenching.
He nodded. “Yeah. She’s smart and funny. You’d like her. How ’bout you?”
It was my turn to nod. “Yeah. Over in my world he and my Heath actually became friends, so I know you’d like him.”
And as if on cue, from behind us I heard, “Heath! My man!” And suddenly Stark was there. Heath’s taller than him, but Stark lifted him off his feet in the mother of all hugs before putting him down and pounding his back affectionately.
Heath looked at me—kinda shell-shocked. “Is this him?”
“Yep.”
“Oh, crap. I forgot you don’t know me.” Stark stuck out his hand. “Hi, I’m Stark. And, damn, it’s good to see you.”
Heath took his hand. “Nice to meet you, Stark. You taking care of Zo in your world?”
“As much as she’ll let me,” Stark said.
“Dude I hear ya. She’s, like, super stubborn.”
“Right?” Stark said.
“And she’s standing right here,” I said, hands on my hips, loving every moment of being able to glare at my guys together again.
“Sorry!” they said together, and then they laughed.
“Hey, I didn’t mean to interrupt, but the circle is ready—and Emily and Lynette have come to say goodbye,” said Stark. He clapped Heath on the back. “Be well, okay?”
“I will. Make her happy, okay?”
Stark’s answer was completely serious. “Always. I will always be there, and I will always try to fill her world with happiness.”
A tear slid down Heath’s cheek. “That’s all I can ask.”
“We’ll wait as long as you need,” Stark said. He squeezed my arm and then left Heath and me alone.
“I know,” Heath said. “You’re all Captain America or Wonder Woman or whatever—and you gotta go be a superhero somewhere else.”
“That’s cooler than the reality, but yeah, I gotta get my people back to our world.”
“I’m really glad
