had lent me up my nose until the dark lenses were practically touching my eyeballs. I needed to find a way to purchase a pair before we left. Maybe I could buy them from Melody with my elven coins. We didn’t have eye shades back home. I liked how no one could see my eyes when they were on. I might need these the next time Reed and Ronin showed up at the Pitch and Roll.
Melody’s assurance that this trip was “girls only” (with the added stipulation of “girls under thirty”) had helped sway my decision to take a break five days before my class’s reunion ball. We were way ahead of schedule. A few days off wouldn’t change a thing. It didn’t alter the fact that I no longer had a date. I deserved this getaway, at least according to Melody and Fraya—both of whom could be extremely convincing when they wanted to be.
On the next serve, Fraya bounced the birdie on her racket strings and caught it one-handed. She nodded in my direction. “How about we all take a dip?”
I set my sketch pad behind me. Fraya and Melody pulled off their shorts. I followed their lead, stripping down to the tight green and floral-patterned material Melody referred to as a “swimsuit.”
The Elmrays kept a whole closet filled with swimwear, beach clothes, and sandals for guests to borrow. Melody had also glamoured all our ears to appear rounded to mortals during our stay on Earth.
The three of us walked into the water. A wave rushed in, submerging my ankles and dragging at my feet as the tide receded. As we waded in deeper, the water caressed my legs with its constant motion. When we were up to our waists in water, Melody grabbed ahold of my hand and Fraya’s. Even at twelve, she was practically as tall as I was. She wore a pink two-piece and heart-shaped sunglasses that she mostly kept on her head rather than over her eyes. Melody, like her brothers, was a ball of energy. She hadn’t stopped smiling since our arrival.
“Let’s swim out there,” she said, pointing in the distance.
Fraya pursed her lips. “Um, Melody, I don’t think Zelie can swim.”
“It’s okay,” I said. “You two go. I’m perfectly content to bob in the ocean right here.”
Melody shook her head. “No way. We stick together. Let’s jump waves!”
To demonstrate, Melody propelled herself straight up into the air as the next wave rolled over us.
Fraya and I joined in, jumping as high as we could go with each incoming wave. Soon, we were all laughing. A satisfying ache entered my cheeks from all the smiling.
“I have to say I’m really loving the mortal world.”
Melody jumped up ahead of the wave. “Isn’t California the best?”
I looked back at the sandy beach going up and down the coast for miles. “It’s something special.”
We had arrived in the mortal world during the afternoon. The following day, Melody had a busy itinerary planned for us—starting with a morning trip to a swanky spa. Water trickled from wall fountains, and flames danced from dozens of tea lights in the relaxation room.
Fraya, Melody, and I sat in cushy chairs in matching plush flip-flops, naked beneath soft robes while waiting to be called in for our appointments. Melody had booked herself a spa pedicure, Fraya a facial, and for me, well, they said it was a surprise.
I sank into my seat, legs stretched, ankles crossed, and sipped from a flute of bubbly wine. Fraya had one, as well, while Melody drank something called “soda.”
“This is the life,” I said.
Melody set her glass on a side table and grinned. “Just wait until this afternoon. We’re all getting highlights at the salon, followed by makeovers, shopping, then dressing up for the best Italian food in Titan Beach. After that, gelato.”
“Gelato?” Fraya asked, her blonde head perking up.
“What’s gelato?” I asked.
“You’re going to love it,” Melody assured me.
“You know I’m up for anything.”
“That’s what we love about you,” Fraya said. “Just remember those words after your spa experience this morning,” she added with a chuckle.
“What have you signed me up for?” I asked.
Fraya flashed me a smirk and returned to sipping her bubbly wine.
A young woman with purple hair pulled up high on her head entered the room, smiling brightly. “Melody, ready for your spa pedicure?”
Melody leapt to her feet. “Later, gators!” she said over her shoulder as she left.
I lifted my glass and took another sip. “You know, I wouldn’t mind just sitting