Dying Is The Easy Part

Chapter Two: January 1st

The first day of the new year was uneventful. Valerie dragged Quinn out of bed for brunch at the Sugar & Spice, the small vegan café slash bookstore where Rhia and her best friend, Tristan, worked. Quinn, Valerie, Rhia, Tristan, and Holly all sat huddled around one of the small tables, slouching on the mismatched armchairs and couches as they groaned about their headaches and recounted last night's events.

Most of them were too hungover to eat at first, but around two p.m. Sage, Rhia's older sister, arrived with a thermos bottle of her infamous anti-hangover tea. It worked like magick—because, Quinn had to remind themself, that was precisely what it was. A potion. Within only a few minutes, the group visibly perked up, and when one of the waiters passed their table, Valerie ordered half the menu for them to share.

None of them questioned where Quinn had disappeared to in the middle of the festivities. It was no secret that they weren't one for parties, and Quinn had mastered the art of being invisible long ago. Most of them had probably been too drunk to even notice their sudden absence.

Valerie was the only one who shot them a few sidelong glances throughout the day, but she knew Quinn too well to prod.

They sat in the café well into the late afternoon, watching the people come and go and the light outside grow dimmer. Rain pattered against the windows, turning the air inside the café humid. Quinn could have stayed like that forever, squeezed between their friends with a cup of hot chocolate cradled between their hands, their soft chatter wrapping around them like a warm blanket. With them, it was easy to pretend that the angry girl and the voices that haunted Quinn wherever they went were nothing but a figment of their imagination, something that the others would laugh about with them if Quinn opened their mouth and told them.

But eventually the rain outside stopped and the group began to disperse. Tristan, as the mayor's son, had to help clean up the mess the party had left in the town square, and Holly went with him to help. Sage followed soon after, leaving only Rhia, Valerie and Quinn. Quinn desperately wished the sky would release another shower and keep them inside a little longer, but the traitorous clouds had wandered elsewhere.

"Come on." Valerie got to her feet, stretching a little before she shrugged on her denim jacket. It would've been too thin for anyone else to wear in the biting January chill, but the fire magick coursing through her veins would've probably kept her nice and toasty even in a t-shirt. "We'll walk you back to the dorm."

Quinn had no choice but to follow Valerie towards the exit, Rhia trailing close behind. The cold that settled in their bones as they made their way back towards the college campus had nothing to do with the weather. Valerie had said We'll walk you back to the dorm, not Let's go back to the dorm. That meant that she would probably stay the night at Rhia's. Which meant that Quinn would be on their own again—alone with the voices and shadows and the sinking feeling they had every time they were alone with their thoughts.

Valerie seemed to read the reluctance on their face as she unlocked the door for Quinn. "Everything okay?" she asked, touching a hand to their arm. "You're so quiet."

Quinn kept their eyes carefully trained on the scratched wooden floorboards and pushed past Valerie. "I'm fine. Just tired from last night."

Quinn didn't look to check, but they were sure that Valerie and Rhia were exchanging a glance behind their back.

"I can stay here if you want?" Valerie offered, sounding uncertain. "We can watch a movie on my laptop or something. We haven't watched Spirited Away in a while—"

"No," Quinn cut her off. Their voice came out louder than intended, enough to startle Valerie where she was still leaning in the doorway. Her green eyes studied Quinn in that intense way she would sometimes study a portrait she was unhappy with, searching for the flaws beneath the varnish, the little details that made the entire piece look off.