“Did you read anything in your books?” I ask.
She shakes her head. “It’s all folklore. I thought it was just fun, scary tales. I never imagined for even a second that it was real.”
“But it is real,” I say firmly. “And surely you found something, anything we can use.”
Hyacinth sighs, looking down at her plate as she eats.
“The spooky stories I read were not connected to the historical records,” she says finally. “They were very noticeably separated, as if they were designed that way. You’d never know Lynette was a witch, or that Darian was a wolf.”
“Maybe we should find out what happened to Darian,” I say.
Hyacinth nods. “Honestly, my feelings are going in the same direction. I know Sadie said it wasn’t strictly important, but I think it is.”
“Okay, well, let me know what you need, and we can get started on it.”
Hyacinth nods and goes back to paying attention to her food. I’m lost for words again, wishing for something to break the silence when I realize that so far, I’ve made absolutely no attempt to cater to her needs.
“Hyacinth,” I say. “What sort of music do you like? I don’t want to get all corny here with first-date type questions, but I like to crank up the volume when I’m home alone, and I wouldn’t want to intrude on your eardrums.”
“Oh,” she giggles. “I’ve got the craziest taste in music you’ll ever hear. On my playlist, I’ve got heavy metal, trance tracks, pop, and Disney soundtracks. Even classical.”
“That’s so odd,” I laugh. “You must be a huge fan of music to like so many genres.”
“Yeah,” she agrees. “Why, what do you like?”
“Oh, I’m very boring,” I reply. “Just some good old rock, midrange. Not too heavy.”
“I’ll have to introduce you to electronic music,” Hyacinth says, excitement shining in her eyes. “Some of it is absolute garbage, but there’s also some that is transcendent. It gives me goosebumps to listen to it.”
“That sounds great,” I answer. “Maybe later tonight, we could listen to some together?”
“Sure,” she says, smiling, and in that moment, I feel the wall between us crack and fall to pieces.
As we finish dinner and move on to dessert, our conversation turns to books, then movies. Hyacinth comes alive right before my eyes, her cheeks glowing pink, and the vibrant violet of her gaze drinking me in. I’m enchanted by the way her red lips curl up into a smile and how she enthusiastically talks with her hands.
“So, then,” she says animatedly. “The guy finds out the ghost isn’t a created entity at all—it’s from another dimension. And they thought they were opening a door to let the creatures in, but they fell into the other world, and it looks like the spirits intended that all along!”
“Sounds like one hell of a plot twist,” I reply, trying to follow her explanation. “I’m usually just into action films. This sounds terribly complicated.”
“It’s not,” she assures me. “Trust me, I’ll get you into spooky stuff. The ones that tickle your brain and scare you are the best ones.”
“I’ll take your word for it,” I say, laughing.
“Well, that’ll do for now,” she laughs. “But I’m determined to give you hard evidence sometime soon.”
Hyacinth looks down, realizes her plate is empty, and frowns a little.
“Did you want to order something else?” I ask. “I don’t mind.”
“No,” she says. “I have had enough; I’m just disappointed it’s over. This has been fun.”
“How about a walk by the lake?” I ask. “You can tell me the plot of another of your favorite movies.”
“Okay,” she says, smiling. “Let’s go.”
After I pay for the meal, we take the short walk to the park, and I’m shocked when Hyacinth takes my hand. A warm current of energy flows between us, and I don’t know if it’s from a growing intimacy or some kind of magic.
Those things may be identical.
