I'm With Cupid
Authors: Anna Staniszewski
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Also by Anna Staniszewski
The My Very UnFairy Tale Life series
My Very UnFairy Tale Life
My Epic Fairy Tale Fail
My Sort of Fairy Tale Ending
The Dirt Diary series
The Dirt Diary
The Prank List
The Gossip File
Copyright © 2015 by Anna Staniszewski
Cover and internal design © 2015 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Cover image © Michael Heath/Shannon and Associates
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The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
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Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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Staniszewski, Anna.
I'm with Cupid / Anna Staniszewski.
pages cm. -- (Switched at first kiss ; 1)
Summary: “When thirteen-year-olds Marcus, a supernatural matchmaker, and Lena Perris, a soul collector, kiss at a party on a dare, they soon realize their powers have swapped. Now logical-minded Lena finds herself with the love touch, and ultra-emotional Marcus has death at his fingertips--and setting things right has become a matter of love and death”-- Provided by publisher.
[1. Supernatural--Fiction. 2. Love--Fiction. 3. Death--Fiction.] I. Title. II. Title: I am with Cupid.
PZ7.S78685Im 2015
[Fic]--dc23
2014049990
For Ray, my perfect match.
The mess all started with a kiss. Or, really, with a dare.
It was the first party of the year, and most of the eighth grade was in attendance. Lena was hovering near a bowl of Cheetos, counting the uncomfortable seconds until her friends came back from the bathroom. How long did it take to fix a “glitter emergency” anyway?
She noticed Marcus Torelli giving her a shy smile from near the Ping-Pong table. For a second, Lena considered going to talk to him. After all, they'd had fun doing their math project together last spring. But then she spotted the ratty book in his hands and glanced down at her feet instead. Someone who brought reading material to a party clearly wasn't interested in being social.
Suddenly, Connie Reynolds clapped her hands and called out, “All right, everybody! It's time to play Dare or Dare.” She laughed as her guests gave her blank looks. “The âtruth' part of the game is a total waste of time,” she explained before scanning the crowd, looking for her first victim. When she spotted Marcus, Connie smiled. “You! I dare you to kiss Lena Perris for five seconds.”
Lena swallowed a Cheeto and whirled around to find Marcus staring back at her in horror.
“You want us to
what
?” Marcus asked. He shoved the book into his pocket and took a step toward the door. Lena wondered if he was going to make a run for it.
“Do it!” Connie said. “Or I'll make you both lick the toilet.”
A chorus of “oohs” echoed through the room. Choosing toilet licking was social suicide, but saying no to Connie Reynolds was even worse.
Lena hesitated. She'd planned for her first kiss to be with Brent Adamson because of his plump lips. Marcus was nice enough and even kind of cute, but his nose was a little big. What if it got in the way?
“Remember, five seconds!” Connie squawked as she pushed Lena and Marcus toward a closet.
Then she shut the door, and they were alone.
Lena firmly planted her feet for balance and closed her eyes tight. Everything she'd read had said your eyes could
not
be open during your first kiss.
Meanwhile, Marcus's head swam at the thought of kissing Lena. He'd come to the party determined to ask her outâsomething he regretted not doing during their math project last yearâbut so far he'd spent the whole party hiding behind the Ping-Pong table. And now, here he was, alone in a closet with Lena, his lips only inches away from hers.
“Soâ¦do you want toâ¦?” Marcus asked. His brain was screaming at him to flee before things got even more embarrassing.
“Okay,” she said softly.
Marcus sucked in a breath, closed his eyes, and tipped his face forward.
At first they bumped noses. Then they bumped chins. And the third time, for some reason, it felt like they bumped ears. But finally, their lips found each other. And thenâ
Wow
, Marcus thought as a bolt of energy zinged from the top of his skull to the bottoms of his heels. When their lips broke apart, the air around them felt charged with electricity. For a second, Marcus even thought he saw glowing wisps of smoke coming out of his shoes.
Then someone threw open the door, and it was over.
“Well, how was it?” Connie asked.
Marcus glanced at Lena and found her smiling back at him. Neither of them said a word. Seeing the end of her fun, Connie lasered in on someone else in the crowd. “Nick! I dare you to kiss Brittany!”
Marcus and Lena wandered through the party, their hands almost touching.
Something felt different. Lena thought it was the fact that she'd finally been kissed. Marcus thought it was the fact that his crush on Lena had finally turned into something more.
Of course, they were both wrong.
Earlier that day
Marcus stopped in front of the movie theater, patting the book in his back pocket again to make sure it was safe. The dating guide that his grandpa had given him was from the 1950s, its pages yellowed and crackling. Normally, Marcus kept it tucked away in his desk, but he'd wanted to have it with him for luck at the party tonight.
He definitely needed luck if he was finally going to ask Lena Perris out. He'd heard Lena talking to her friends about Connie Reynolds's party in the hall yesterday. Going to a party alone was loser territory, but since Marcus's best (and only) friend Pradeep had moved back to India with his family over the summer, he didn't have much of a choice. If he could finally get up the courage to ask Lena out, it would be worth the risk of adding to his awkward, shy kid reputation.
But first, he had a job to do.
He went inside the old theater, the kind with lumpy seats and tiny screens that didn't even show 3-D movies. The smell of buttery popcorn made a memory pop up in Marcus's mind: his dad bringing Marcus and his sister to see the latest Disney movie, the three of them laughing and chucking popcorn into each other's mouths. This was before his sister had turned into the perfect daughter and Marcus had turned out to be a disappointment of a son.
He shook the flood of images out of his head and scanned the lobby. After a minute, he spotted his target behind the concession stand without having to double-check the message on his phone.
Christopher Costa, age 18
.
There was something about the teenage boy's slumped shoulders and serious eyes that told Marcus he could use his help. The flash of a faint grayish aura around his head that only Marcus could see confirmed it. For a second, Marcus could even feel how lonely the guy was.
As he watched Christopher fill up a fountain drink bigger than his own head, Marcus glanced around, trying to figure out who his target might be matched with. When he spotted the blond girl working on the other end of the concession stand, he instantly knew it was her. Even though she was a little younger and bubblier than Christopher, she looked perfect for him.
At that moment, Christopher seemed to notice Marcus lurking near the counter. “What can I get you?” he asked.
Marcus jumped. He hadn't been prepared to actually talk to his target. He was usually good at blending into the background, which was probably why none of his other assignments had even noticed him.
“Um, jelly beans,” he said finally. Then he found himself explaining, “They're my grandpa's favorite.”
“Oh, you're here with your grandfather?” the blond girl asked, coming up beside Christopher to grab some napkins. “That's sweet.”
Marcus swallowed. “N-no. Actually, he's been in a nursing home the past few weeks, and I haven't seen him because, well⦔ Luckily, before he managed to spill his entire life story to complete strangers, Marcus's phone started buzzing in his pocket, telling him it was time.
He glanced around, making sure no one else was nearby, even though the manual said that when he was “on the job,” people wouldn't really notice him. Sure enough, Christopher seemed to have forgotten Marcus was there. He'd dropped the jelly beans on the counter and was staring off into space like he was trying to remember something.
Marcus called up his energy, and his fingers flared a bright-red color. This was his fifth assignment, but he still expected the light to burn his fingers. Instead, all he felt was a warm tingle.
Just as Christopher started to turn away, Marcus reached out his glowing hand and brushed the boy's arm, willing the energy to flow out of his fingers.
The moment the red light vanished, Marcus pulled his hand away, feeling dizzy. He watched Christopher stand frozen for a second and then blink a few times and glance toward the end of the counter. When his eyes met the blond girl's, the change was instantaneous.
“Hey,” Christopher said, still gazing at her.
“Hey,” the girl answered, taking a step toward him.
Marcus grinned as the sparks flared between them, bits of glowing dust that only he could see. His job was to give couples the initial sparkâmaking it grow into something more was up to themâbut Marcus had a good feeling about this match.
He wanted to stick around to see what would happen next, but now that his assignment was done, it was time to head to Connie Reynolds's party. He left the money for the jelly beans on the counter and hurried away. If all went well, pretty soon he'd be busy with a love match of his own.
⢠⢠â¢
Lena stopped her bike in front of the hospital and reread the info her boss had sent her:
Odessa Albright, age 94. Whitmore Hospital, Room 301. 7:26 p.m.
She had a half hour to do her assignment and go over to Connie Reynolds's party to meet up with her friends. Even though social gatherings weren't really her thing, Lena was actually excited about the party. Finally, she might have a chance to mark something off her “Things to Accomplish Before I Turn Fourteen” checklist.
After locking up her bike, Lena went through the hospital's revolving door and headed to the elevator. Her phone beeped as she pushed the button for the third floor. It was a message from her best friend Abigail:
What are you wearing to the party?
Lena glanced down at her faded T-shirt and jeans. Should she have put more effort into her outfit if she wanted Brent Adamson to finally notice herânot to mention
kiss
her? She sighed. It was too late now.
She quickly wrote back:
Same old. You?
The elevator opened, and Lena went down the hallway, searching for the right room. She knew most people hated hospitals, but she found them oddly calming. They were quiet and safe, and even though they were full of sick people, they were also bustling with doctors and nurses who were doing their best to make things right.
At room 301, she stopped and peered inside. An ancient-looking woman was asleep in the bed, a chorus of machines chiming around her. She was alone, but Lena could see dozens of bouquets and cards that people had brought her. Clearly, Odessa Albright had had a long life filled with family and friends. And now, it was time for her to move on.
Lena's phone beeped again.
I'm wearing a dress
, Abigail had written back.
Is that too fancy? Help!
Lena smiled and put her phone away before she went into the room. As she approached the bed, she was relieved to see that the old woman was asleep like Lena's other three collections had been.
A soft alarm on her phone went off, telling Lena it was time. She took a deep breath and then called up her energy. Almost instantly, her fingers flared with a deep-purple light. She focused on the woman's soul. After a moment, she could actually see it, a pinprick of light that glowed like late-afternoon sunshine. When she touched the woman's frail arm, the energy flowed out of Lena's hand and disappeared. Instantly, a sense of relief flooded through her, as if the soul was glad to finally be able to let go and move on toâ¦wherever it was that souls went.
Lena pulled her hand away, feeling light-headed like she always did after a collection. She backed toward the door, knowing she only had two minutes before the woman “expired.” Her boss had assured Lena that she would never have to witness death if she didn't want to.
As she hurried out of the room, still feeling drained, a hint of sadness poked at Lena's heart. But she pushed it away. Death was a downer, but it was part of life. Before she'd left, Lena's mom had been a hospice worker, so she'd taught Lena about the different stages of dying and grief and all the other things that most people didn't dare talk to their kids about.
Lena's phone beeped again. Another message from Abigail.
Hayleigh says no one will notice what I'm wearing if I put on enough glitter.
No glitter!
Lena wrote back, chuckling to herself. Last time their friend Hayleigh had glittered herself from head to toe, she'd left a sparkly trail all over Lena's house. Her poor dog had had pieces of it stuck in his fur for days.
Lena hurried out of the hospital and grabbed her bike. She took a deep breath, relieved that her job was over. Now it was time to focus on the fun part of her night and her mission of finally being kissed.
She was positive that her first kiss was going to change everything.