Vince smile as his best friend peered at him, the familiar gesture made all the weirdness happened to him disappear. He moved his hand toward her searching fingertips. Then he was caught in a bear hug, he laughed his joy and returned the gesture. “I am here. I am here,” was all he could say, unmanly tears stung his eyes. The hug ended faster than he would have liked. He was itching to cuddle with her for a while and just forget for a few moments longer. Confusion sobered him. “I never died.” All that happened in the school was foggy, he just remembered reaching the door with Mira in his arms, she had unlocked it and then everything was blank again until they were at her house. He had to have been on autopilot or something. 

She started noticing the things about him he had not yet, he glanced at his clothing that brought such a funny expression to Mira. He jerked when everything was in motion again, he glanced around trying not to show his fear. He had not learned all what he could and could not do in this new state of being. Death he escaped once, but he wasn’t ready to face that monster yet. He pushed that out of his mind, Mira was not yet out of danger. The power was building. 

He crawled toward her as she started folding in on herself, her powers wild and thick giving him more strength. He had no idea what she was talking about. What deaths? He grabbed her hands forcing her to stop tearing her skin. “Mira look at me,” he ordered sternly but tenderly. “Look at me. I ran after your car. I wasn’t winded,” he laughed with the pure delight of what that statement meant. If his father saw that, he would think the man would be impressed. His dad would find something wrong with his form or something stupid. “I was like the freaking terminator!” He caused his features to go completely serious as he dropped her hands and pumped his arms like the actor had done in the chase scene. “It was awesome.”

He leaned toward her his lips close to her ear. “I love you.” He kissed her cheek, then leaned back. “Just promise me under no circumstances will you start singing that song in that movie,” he paused snapping his fingers to help bring it forth. “You know the one where the two were flying on a magic carpet.” He rarely forgot movies, they were his escape when he was not with her. “Aladdin.” He pointed his finger at her. “That’s it.” He patted his hand on the mattress. “This is far too lumpy to be a magic carpet don’t you think?” He winked, then giggled. He fell onto his side laughing at his lame joke, it was part of his personality people either loved or hated.