miserably. If I’d only picked up my damn phone . . .
“I decided I’d just come myself and see if you were okay. Ramsey offered to take me. He was worried about me going alone.” She smiled. “He’s overprotective like that.”
I scowled. Somehow, I never thought Ramsey’s intentions were purely noble, but I didn’t have time to think about that now.
“We searched for you but we couldn’t find you,” she called out.
Because I’ve been alone with Obadiah the whole time, I thought guiltily.
“Anyway, he got me a drink downstairs. Mab, I think someone put something in it. I’m having the most realistic hallucination,” she said, zooming in little circles around us. “I feel like I’m flying!”
“Eva—you really are flying! It’s not a hallucination!” I screamed up at her. But Eva only laughed.
“I know, it feels so real!” she said again.
“Eva, it is real!” I cried. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m telling you, it’s real.”
Could that prick Eva was dating, Ramsey, have given Elixir to her? He might be a jerk, but I’d always assumed he was human. How the hell had Ramsey gotten Elixir to give to Eva?
“Obadiah, is Eva’s boyfriend, Ramsey, one of your customers?”
“I don’t have any customers by that name.”
“Well, how else would he get it and give it to my friend? Unless someone down there gave it to him?”
Obadiah shook his head. He was pacing along the edge of the rooftop.
“No one else knows where I keep my Elixir,” he said. “No one else even knows how to get into my secret room.”
“Well, then can you explain how my friend is flying?” I said, aghast.
Obadiah shook his head. “I don’t understand it either. But . . .”
Eva was zooming in circles over our heads.
“This is so cool!” she called out. “You guys won’t believe this!”
She did a backflip in midair over our heads, and then laughed—a laugh of pure, giddy joy.
I felt a little pinch in my throat. I hadn’t heard Eva laugh like that in a while. Up there, she was so far away from her everyday worries—night shifts, student loans, the dramas of her relationship with Ramsey. Eva hadn’t looked this relaxed and happy in months.
“You should warn her,” I heard Obadiah say, “tell her to come down. The magic from Elixir can wear off at any time . . .”
My stomach felt leaden at the thought. Eva must be fifty feet in the air. If she were to fall right now . . .
“Eva! You’ve got to come down!” I called up to her, “Seriously, Eva! It’s dangerous!”
But she was doing loops in the air. She was writing in cursive script with her body.
“Can you tell what I’m spelling out, Mab?” she said, giggling.
“Please come down, Eva!” I begged. “Just . . . come down to the rooftop, to where we are, okay?”
Slowly her body began to drift in my direction.
“There, that’s it!” I said, encouraging her. “Come on, just a little bit further,” I cajoled.
But then she started to laugh again.
“You guys. Watch this!”
Building up speed, she made a loop in the air, and then flew towards the street.
“Eva!” I screamed.
Suddenly, it was as if Eva herself knew something was wrong.
She stopped laughing. She started to careen in flight, like a balloon sputtering out of air. Trying to steady herself, she stuck out her arms, flapping them like wings. But it didn’t work. She waved her arms frantically, like a drowning child.
“Eva, no!”
I reached out my arms helplessly to intervene—as if that futile gesture could actually do anything. Then it hit me. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?
I turned to Obadiah.
“Give me the vial!”
“What?”
“The Elixir! Give it to me! I need to fly up there, to help her!” I pointed to Eva.
Obadiah dove into his pocket, grabbed the vial and held it out. I snatched it from his hands.
“What’s happening?” I heard Eva cry from above. “Mab, I can’t control it anymore!”
“Eva, hang on!
“I decided I’d just come myself and see if you were okay. Ramsey offered to take me. He was worried about me going alone.” She smiled. “He’s overprotective like that.”
I scowled. Somehow, I never thought Ramsey’s intentions were purely noble, but I didn’t have time to think about that now.
“We searched for you but we couldn’t find you,” she called out.
Because I’ve been alone with Obadiah the whole time, I thought guiltily.
“Anyway, he got me a drink downstairs. Mab, I think someone put something in it. I’m having the most realistic hallucination,” she said, zooming in little circles around us. “I feel like I’m flying!”
“Eva—you really are flying! It’s not a hallucination!” I screamed up at her. But Eva only laughed.
“I know, it feels so real!” she said again.
“Eva, it is real!” I cried. “I know you don’t believe me, but I’m telling you, it’s real.”
Could that prick Eva was dating, Ramsey, have given Elixir to her? He might be a jerk, but I’d always assumed he was human. How the hell had Ramsey gotten Elixir to give to Eva?
“Obadiah, is Eva’s boyfriend, Ramsey, one of your customers?”
“I don’t have any customers by that name.”
“Well, how else would he get it and give it to my friend? Unless someone down there gave it to him?”
Obadiah shook his head. He was pacing along the edge of the rooftop.
“No one else knows where I keep my Elixir,” he said. “No one else even knows how to get into my secret room.”
“Well, then can you explain how my friend is flying?” I said, aghast.
Obadiah shook his head. “I don’t understand it either. But . . .”
Eva was zooming in circles over our heads.
“This is so cool!” she called out. “You guys won’t believe this!”
She did a backflip in midair over our heads, and then laughed—a laugh of pure, giddy joy.
I felt a little pinch in my throat. I hadn’t heard Eva laugh like that in a while. Up there, she was so far away from her everyday worries—night shifts, student loans, the dramas of her relationship with Ramsey. Eva hadn’t looked this relaxed and happy in months.
“You should warn her,” I heard Obadiah say, “tell her to come down. The magic from Elixir can wear off at any time . . .”
My stomach felt leaden at the thought. Eva must be fifty feet in the air. If she were to fall right now . . .
“Eva! You’ve got to come down!” I called up to her, “Seriously, Eva! It’s dangerous!”
But she was doing loops in the air. She was writing in cursive script with her body.
“Can you tell what I’m spelling out, Mab?” she said, giggling.
“Please come down, Eva!” I begged. “Just . . . come down to the rooftop, to where we are, okay?”
Slowly her body began to drift in my direction.
“There, that’s it!” I said, encouraging her. “Come on, just a little bit further,” I cajoled.
But then she started to laugh again.
“You guys. Watch this!”
Building up speed, she made a loop in the air, and then flew towards the street.
“Eva!” I screamed.
Suddenly, it was as if Eva herself knew something was wrong.
She stopped laughing. She started to careen in flight, like a balloon sputtering out of air. Trying to steady herself, she stuck out her arms, flapping them like wings. But it didn’t work. She waved her arms frantically, like a drowning child.
“Eva, no!”
I reached out my arms helplessly to intervene—as if that futile gesture could actually do anything. Then it hit me. Why hadn’t I thought of it before?
I turned to Obadiah.
“Give me the vial!”
“What?”
“The Elixir! Give it to me! I need to fly up there, to help her!” I pointed to Eva.
Obadiah dove into his pocket, grabbed the vial and held it out. I snatched it from his hands.
“What’s happening?” I heard Eva cry from above. “Mab, I can’t control it anymore!”
“Eva, hang on!
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