Fourteen Days
The next morning, as the sun broke over the hills, Cam peeled himself off the roof of the Trumbull gym, where he’d slept the night before. His neck was stiff, and he needed a hot shower to loosen it. He glanced around, making sure the coast was clear, then swooped down until he was level with the high windows of the gym. He found an unlocked pane and slipped inside.
It was quiet in the boys’ locker room, and Cam paused for a moment to stare at his reflection in the mirror. His face looked…older—his features more angular, his eyes more recessed. Over the millennia he had changed his appearance many times to blend in to his surroundings, letting the sun bronze his pale skin or adding muscle to his naturally slim frame, but he was always the one to make those changes. They didn’t just happen. Never before had he been startled by his own reflection.
What was going on?
The question nagged at him as he showered, stole a clean white T-shirt from some kid’s locker, slipped into his jeans and motorcycle jacket, and headed outside to wait for Lilith’s bus.
Near the cul-de-sac where the buses pulled in, Cam leaned against a glass-encased bulletin board promoting the school’s various extracurricular activities. There was a German club meeting at three o’clock. LEARN HOW TO ASK YOUR DATE TO PROM IN GERMAN!, the flyer boasted. Another held details for cross-country tryouts. GET IN SHAPE AND LOOK GREAT IN YOUR PROM DRESS!, it promised. In the center was a glittery flyer promoting a gig for Chloe King’s band, the Perceived Slights, the following week. They were opening for a local band called Ho Hum. BE ABLE TO SAY YOU SAW THEM BEFORE THEY WON THE BATTLE OF THE BANDS AT PROM!
Cam had only been in Crossroads one full day and already he was feeling the school’s prom-mania. He had been to a prom before, once, decades ago, with a cool girl from Miami who’d had a crush on him. Even though they’d disabled the fire alarm and spent most of the night up on the roof watching shooting stars, they’d also danced to a few fast songs, and Cam had enjoyed himself. Of course, he’d had to fly before anything got too serious.
He wondered what Lilith thought of prom, whether she had any desire to go. It dawned on him that he would need to ask her to be his date. The idea was thrillingly old-fashioned. He would have to make it special. He’d have to do everything just right.
At the moment, winning Lilith’s love was looking like a losing bet. Lucifer was right, she hated him. But the girl he’d fallen in love with was there, somewhere, buried underneath all that pain. He just had to reach her somehow.
The squeal of brakes startled him, and Cam turned to watch the caravan of yellow buses lining up. Students filed down their steps. Most of them walked toward the building in clusters of twos and threes.
Only Lilith walked alone. She had her head down, her red hair covering her face, the white wires of her earbuds dangling. Her shoulders were hunched forward, which made her look smaller than she was. When he couldn’t see the fire in her eyes, Lilith looked so defeated Cam could hardly stand it. He caught up to her as she walked through the doors to the school’s main hallway.
He tapped her shoulder. She spun around.
“Hey,” he said, suddenly breathless.
He wasn’t used to having her so close, after all this time spent so far away. She was different from the girl he’d loved in Canaan, but just as wondrous. When he’d made this wager with Lucifer, he hadn’t anticipated how difficult it would be not to touch her as he used to. He had to restrain every impulse to reach for her, to caress her cheek, to take her into his arms and kiss her and never let her go.
Lilith looked at him and flinched. Her face twisted with disgust or something worse as she removed her earbuds. He’d done nothing to her in this life, but she was hardwired to despise him.
“What?” Lilith asked.
“What are you listening to?” he asked.
“Nothing you’d like.”
“Try me.”
“No thanks,” she said. “Can I go now, or did you want to make more painfully awkward small talk?”
Cam’s eyes caught another flyer for the Perceived Slights gig taped to a nearby locker. He ripped it off and thrust it at her. “This band’s playing next week,” he said. “Wanna go together?”
She glanced briefly at the flyer and shook her head. “Not really my kind of music. But if you like bubblegum pop, have a blast.”
“The Slights are just the opening act. I’ve heard Ho Hum is pretty good,” he lied. “I think it’d be fun.” He paused. “I think it’d be fun to go with you.”
Lilith squinted, adjusting the strap of her backpack on her shoulder. “Like a date?”
“Now you’re feeling me,” Cam said.