Whisper (Riley Bloom 4)

I burst into the room—my face beaming, my eyes moving among the crowd—amazed to see everyone that mattered to me (well, everyone that mattered who was dead, anyway). Waving to my parents, my grandparents too, along with all the members of the Council, including: Royce, Claude, Celia, Samson, and Aurora (my not-so-secret favorite). Cheerleader Girl, also known as Jasmine, also known as Bodhi’s girlfriend, was there as well (probably more for Bodhi than me, but still, it was nice to see her). Even Mort, the guy who told me all about Dreamland had dropped by, along with Balthazar, the director of Dreamland, who stood alongside him. And when my gaze landed on Prince Kanta, who I hadn’t seen since my time on St. John, well, I couldn’t help but squeal in delight. He’d brought Rebecca with him, and her little dog Shucky was already playing a game of fetch with Buttercup. Even the Radiant Boys made an appearance (as it turned out, there were three), and I was happy to see that they’d ditched those gawd-awful little short sets they used to wear in favor of something way more contemporary. I mean, not that I cared—I was done judging people by their appearance (well, for the most part anyway). And while there were definitely a few people missing, namely the Weeping Woman, and Satchel the boy who makes nightmares, I decided not to focus on that.

Instead I focused on the song—and my friends—and the abundance of love and celebration that filled up the room. And when Bodhi stood before me holding a big, huge cake slathered in a thick coat of deep purple frosting—well, it seemed my birthday was complete.

“Corner piece is all yours—but only if you can blow out the candles in one breath,” he said, grinning at me.

One breath—something that’s a lot easier to accomplish when you’re not dead.

I stared at the corner piece, the one with the big, sugary butterfly plunked down on its side, filling myself with great swallows of air, determined to nail it, and that’s when I noticed something remarkable—the candles kept changing.

First there were thirteen.

Then there were fourteen.

Then fifteen.

Then back to thirteen again.

Once, it even went as low as twelve.

My gaze sought Aurora’s, looking for answers (she always had answers), and she was quick to explain when she said, “The choice is yours. Just know that whichever age you choose, you have our full blessing. We are so proud of you, Riley, so proud of the unselfish choice you just made. You’ve come a very long way.”

I gulped, returned my attention to the cake, and when it showed fifteen candles again, I thought: Go! Do it! Then you can be equal with Bodhi! And then maybe he’ll—

But when I gazed at him again, I decided to let that one go. Some things just need to happen on their own. Some things cannot be forced.

Once I’d let fifteen go, it was easy to let fourteen go as well.

Been there—done that. And I knew with complete certainty that there was a really big difference between looking a certain age—and feeling a certain age.

I wasn’t ready for the big time. Not even close.

Reminded of what Ever had said that time we met up in Dreamland—that I was lucky—that I wouldn’t be forced into anything before I was ready—I would become a teen when the time was just right, not a moment earlier. And I had no doubt in my mind that my sister was right.

I’d been waiting to be thirteen for so long, I could hardly believe the moment had come.

But, I’d also had so much experience in the time since my death—I was no longer sure if it fit.

The candles flickered before me—adding—subtracting—over and over again.

And when my number finally appeared, I closed my eyes, sucked in a mouthful of air, and blew with all of my might.

Remembering to make a wish—you always have to make a wish.

And when I opened my eyes and looked down at myself, I saw that one of my wishes came true.

I wasn’t just thirteen—I was thirteen and a half—thank you very much!

It was an age I felt comfortable with—an age I’d earned—truly arrived at.

And, while my body was nowhere as impressive as it had been back in Rome, it also wasn’t nearly as stick figure–like anymore.

“If you wished for the corner piece, then your wish came true,” Bodhi said, setting the cake on the table and carving me a big, hefty slice.

“Wouldn’t you like to know?” I looked at him and rolled my eyes, but instead of that leading to a bickering session like it normally would, we both just cracked up.

Bodhi presented my piece and I was just about to dig in, when I remembered I wasn’t the only one with a birthday to celebrate. So I closed my eyes long enough to manifest a beautiful cupcake topped with pink creamy frosting and dotted with little bits of candy that shimmered like jewels.

Then after plucking one of the candles from my cake, and sticking it in the middle of the cupcake, I looked at th