Wild Magic

by Madeline Freeman

  “Maybe we could help him look,” Bria offers.

  “Do you speak Latin? Because apparently that’s what most of this stuff is in.”

  Bria pulls a face. “Seth speaks Latin?”

  I shrug. “He’s a man of many skills, apparently.”

  Felix claps his hands, rubbing them together. “In the meantime, we’ll just have to settle for keeping the circle from doing spells.”

  I smile at his exuberance. While he and West had success working together to block my spell on Tuesday, it wasn’t until last night that he was able to do it on his own. Although I’m not convinced this means he’s strong enough to disrupt the tie of the anchoring spell, I’m eager for him to try.

  The warning bell shrills overhead and the four of us start down the hall toward the cafeteria. Bria and I have stopped sitting by the windows at lunch and now share a table with the guys. It’s funny that something so small can make me so happy. It’s almost like old times—almost. Lexie, of course, still sits with the circle—not that I would want this version of her sitting with me anyway. The only other person missing from our group is Owen, who sits with friends from the track team. Since the chair fiasco, he hasn’t made any rude comments. Yesterday, he came up to me in science to borrow a pencil, even though there are half a dozen people between us who could’ve lent him one. He looked in my eyes when I handed it to him and said thank you. Felix thinks Owen realizes he crossed a line and this is his way of saying sorry. I’m not sure how I feel about it. If he’s actually sorry, he should say it.

  “Hey—is that…?” Bria points as a girl emerges from the bathroom ahead of us.

  “Dana.” She hasn’t been in school since her dad died—not that I blame her. I’m actually surprised to see her here today. “I’m gonna go talk to her.”

  Bria grabs my elbow as I start down the hall, tugging me backward. “Are you sure that’s the best idea?”

  “We used to be friends.” I glance at Felix, who nods almost imperceptibly. “I’ll meet you guys in the cafeteria.”

  Bria shakes her head as I jog to catch up with Dana, but I ignore her. It’s not until I’m just steps away from her that my heart begins hammering in my chest. I only have guesses as to how our friendship ended. What if she brings up something I don’t know about? And what if she asks about what happened on Tuesday in the stairwell? How much does she remember?

  I could turn around now and she wouldn’t even know I was here. But I can’t do that. Of all the people in this school, I’m the one uniquely suited to understand her situation. I know the pain of a parent dying—the empty ache, the simultaneous desires both to remember every tiny detail and forget everything. And while the loss of her boyfriend must pale in comparison to her father’s death, I can understand that hole, too. In fact, Dana and I might have more in common than any two people. And I owe it to her to offer any help I can.

  “Hey,” I say, falling into step beside her.

  Dana jumps, hand pressing to her chest. When she gets over the initial shock, her lip curls. “What do you want?” Her voice is sharp, but quiet, like she can’t muster enough energy to be as nasty to me as she’d like to be.

  I press my lips together. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea. But I’m here now and I don’t let myself walk away. “I just wanted to... I heard about your dad.” I’m not sure what else to say. When my mom died, I wasn’t in school—I’d been suspended, and Jodi pulled me anyway so she could take me here to Clearwater. I sat in a lot of sterile office rooms with men and women in suits while Jodi took care of the legal things, like claiming guardianship of me and dealing with my mother’s estate. No one really spoke to me; I was like a piece of furniture during all the proceedings. And once I got here, no one knew. I have no idea what to say to her in this situation.

  Dana stops and leans against the wall, staring. “Yeah, and?” She glances down the hall to her left and right. Besides a handful of underclassmen by the stairwell, we’re alone.

  “I’m sorry for hurting you.” The words tumble out in a rush. If I’m going to comfort her now, I need to apologize for the past, even if I don’t remember it. Dana’s eyes go wide, but I don’t give her a chance to speak. “We were friends, and I was terrible to you. You didn’t deserve it, and I’m sorry… I’m sorry for my part in it. And if there’s anything I can do for you... I’ll do it.”

  Dana eyes me like she’s not sure whether she can trust me.

  The bell rings, signaling that we should be in the cafeteria already. I scan the emptying halls and a couple of teachers shoo us, eager to eat their own meals. I start walking and Dana falls into step beside me. “Do you really mean it? That if there’s anything you can do, you’ll do it?”

  I nod, grateful for something to do. “Yeah. Anything.”

  She sniffles. “Would you let me copy your English homework? I’m, like, two weeks behind.”

  I laugh. “Sure. I’ll go get it. Meet you in the cafeteria.”

  I head toward my locker and Dana stops, mouth open like she wants to say something, but after a second she closes it, shaking her head as she heads for the lunch room.

  By the time I make it down, the cafeteria is buzzing with the voices of a couple hundred students. I locate Dana at a table in the back corner of the room. A group of guys—football players, I’d bet my life—sit at a nearby table, not quite veiling their glances in her direction. A group of girls sits toward the middle of the table Dana’s at, but she’s separated from them—though whether the separation is her doing or theirs, I’m not sure.

  When I settle in the seat across from her, she looks up, startled. I slide my English notebook across the table and she laughs—tips-her-head-back-and-cackles kind of laughs. Heat rises in my cheeks, but I force myself to stay seated. So what if she’s laughing at me? Her father just died. In those dark days after my mom’s accident, I didn’t laugh—I barely spoke. But when I met Owen and Lexie and Bria and West and got a taste of friendship for the first time in years, laughter was a healing balm. So if Dana wants to laugh now, I’ll let her. She can laugh as much as she wants.

  Dana’s laughter subsides and she shakes her head as she digs through her purse, pulling out a pen and battered notebook. After opening to a blank page, she squints at my assignment for a minute before looking up at me. “This is legit.”

  Her surprised tone makes me shift in my seat. “Of course it is. Did you really think I’d take the time to scribble fake assignments before giving them to you?”

  She pauses, her pen hovering centimeters above her notebook page. Her hazel eyes find mine. “It’s not that, it’s just—” She presses her lips together. “Thanks.”

  I nod and she returns to her work. I open my mouth and close it again quickly. I want to say something to her—something comforting, something to show I care—but I can’t think of what that could be. I want to know if she’ll be okay, to make sure she has someone to care for her now that her dad is gone. She had Marcus before Bridget cast a spell on him, but I’m not sure whether she has any other friends. We were friends once, before alternate-me chose the circle over everything else. But I’m not her. Dana could be part of the life I rebuild here. Maybe, like me, she just needs someone who can understand her, who can accept her for her, no background-check needed, no history weighing her down.

  Dana spends the rest of the lunch period with her head down, alternately copying my work and taking bites of her lunch-line salad. I watch her as I eat my lunch, just waiting for the opportunity to say something more to her. I’m not sure exactly what it will be—an invitation out for coffee? Or is that too lame? Asking about plans for her father’s funeral? Or is that too morbid?

  I decide to lead in with another offer. If she’s behind in English, maybe there’s something else I can do to help her catch up.

  The bell rings and she slides my notebook back across the table as she finishes writing the last answer. I tuck it into my backpack. When I turn back to Dana, she’s smiling.

  “Thank
s,” she says, her eyebrows pulling together. “You didn’t have to do that. It was really… decent.”

  I nod, tamping down the wave of unease that rises within me. “Look, Dana. I wasn’t kidding before. If there’s anything else I can do for you, just say it. In fact, if you need—”

  The rest of my words are cut off as Dana lets out a shriek. A hoarse cry escapes my lips, too, as flames erupt from her notebook and spread across the lunch table. The other girls who were sitting at the table have already vacated, but groups from the adjacent areas freeze, staring in our direction.

  But my eyes aren’t on the table. I search the room, my stomach sinking when my gaze finds the thing I was expecting: Crystal, Lexie, and Bridget. They stand along the wall of windows overlooking the courtyard, focus locked in my direction. They’re doing this—they’re causing this fire.

  “Felix.” I don’t yell it—it’s barely audible to me over the shrieks and murmurs of the gathering crowd. There’s no way he can hear me, I know that, but he doesn’t need to hear me. He knows. His consciousness tugs at the corners of mine and I allow my energy to link with his, the way I’ve done before during spells with the circle.

  “You bitch!” Dana screams, pointing an accusing finger. “To think, I was actually falling for it!”

  I hold up my hands, ready to defend myself, when a lunch lady runs forward, a fire extinguisher in her hands. She aims the nozzle, but before she can spray it, the flames dissipate, leaving behind only a wisp of smoke.

  I rush around the table to face Dana. “Whatever you think I did, I didn’t do it! I just wanted—”

  Dana launches herself at me, cutting off the rest of my explanation. I jump backward, but the move is unnecessary: The arms of another lunch lady close around Dana’s middle, holding her back. Losing my footing, I fall hard on my rear end, my palms slapping against the worn linoleum of the cafeteria floor. The woman detaining Dana pulls her backward, muttering something about a trip to the office, and I stand, ready to jump to Dana’s defense, but arms close around my torso, keeping me from moving forward.

  “Calm down, Kris.”

  I struggle against West’s arms. “Calm down? Calm down? Did you see what they just did? I need to go tell Crystal Taylor—”

  He releases me, looking down with cinched eyebrows. “Who?”

  I shake my head. “Mrs. Cole. We have to tell her what really happened.”

  He snorts. “You really expect her to believe us?”

  Felix and Bria arrive at West’s side. “It’s worth a try,” Felix says.

  As the four of us head to the office, I plot out in my head what to say. Does Crystal Taylor know her nieces have followed in her footsteps? Does she still practice magic, like Jodi does? I’m not sure how much to share and how much to keep back.

  When we bustle into the office, I lead us straight back to the principal’s door. The secretary stands, calling that we can’t go in there, but I don’t listen and push into the office.

  Crystal Jamison, Lexie, and Bridget turn in their chairs, identical smirks curling their lips. Crystal Taylor stands, crossing her arms over her chest. “Excuse me, Miss Barnette, but you can’t just barge into my office.”

  Relief flickers momentarily, replaced by dread. Dana’s not here, which can only mean she’s not in trouble. But that Crystal, Lexie, and Bridget are here isn’t encouraging. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Cole. This can’t wait.”

  She cocks her head, narrowing her eyes. “I’ll decide what can and can’t wait, thank you. Now, Kristyl, if you’ll wait in the outer office, I’d like to talk with you in a minute. West, Bria, Felix—you can all go to class. Mrs. Davis will write you a pass.”

  Not one of us budges. Bria crosses her arms over her chest. “We’re not leaving Krissa.”

  Affection for Bria swells and I can’t help smiling. Lexie rolls her eyes.

  After a beat, Crystal Taylor throws up her hands. “Okay, you want to get this over with here and now? Let’s do it. Miss Barnette, since your school record is clean, I’m letting you off with a warning today, but if—”

  “Wait—what?” I shake my head, sure I misheard her.

  “A warning for what?” Felix asks.

  It’s Crystal Taylor’s turn to look confused. “Arson is a very serious offense. According to the school code of conduct, I could issue a suspension—”

  “Krissa didn’t set that fire,” West says.

  Crystal Taylor’s eyebrows hitch upward. “Are you saying Dana Crawford did it?”

  “What? No,” I say quickly. There’s no way she deserves for this to come down on her. “Dana didn’t do it. Your nieces and their friend did.”

  Crystal Jamison snorts. “We were all the way on the other side of the cafeteria. Ask anyone.”

  Anger boils in the pit of my stomach. I lunge toward her, desperate to smack the smirk off her face, but arms close around my abdomen as Crystal Taylor calls out in surprise.

  “One more outburst like that and I’ll change my mind about that suspension.” Color blooms in her cheeks and she take s a deep breath before continuing. “Now, Felix, I recommend you get your friend out of here before she does something she regrets.”

  The arms tug me backward. “Let’s go, Krissa,” Felix murmurs. After a beat, I stop fighting and allow him to lead me out of the room. Crystal Jamison blows a kiss, wiggling her fingers as Bria pulls closed the door.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Felix and I skip sixth hour again. I just can’t face seeing Crystal and Bridget in history. Instead of hanging out in the janitor’s closet again, we sneak out during hall passing time and sprint to his car. I’m more than a little surprised how easy it is.

  “Should I take you to Jodi’s shop now?” Felix asks as he pulls out of the parking lot. “Or will she be pissed you ditched?”

  I shrug. “I honestly have no idea. I should, though, right?” I run my fingers through my hair, leaning back against the seat. “It’s exhausting, you know? Pretending I know what’s going on. Just when I think I’ve got things figured out, I realize there’s something else I’m clueless about.”

  “Sucks.” He reaches over and pats my knee. “I’m glad you told me, though. It… It means a lot that you’d share you freaky secrets with me.”

  “It means a lot that you don’t think I’m insane.”

  “Pfft. I’ve known that for years.”

  Felix drives to the river just outside downtown and pulls into the parking lot beside the playground. It’s too cold to get out and swing on the swings or sit on the bench overlooking the water, so we stay in the car, the engine running, and talk. When it’s clear discussing the circle will only rile me up, he switches tacks, telling me stories about my history in Clearwater. I enjoy hearing my story through his eyes, even though I’m pretty sure he’s holding back in places to spare me from the truth. But there are things I need to know.

  “What happened with Owen? I looked through my old diary, but it didn’t give details.”

  He winces. “Are you sure you wanna hear this? I mean, past is past. And it looks like Owen might finally be putting it behind him…”

  I take in a breath. “I want to know.”

  Felix stares for a beat before shaking his head. “No one was surprised when Owen finally asked you out. You two were hanging out a lot and some people were convinced you were already a couple. I was at the dance with Heidi Holmes, and she’s actually the one who pointed it out to me.”

  “What?”

  “Your face. You were all… tight and nervous. Any time he reached out to touch you, you were jumpy. I remember thinking that was really weird because you were never like that with me.” The corners of his mouth quirk upward. “Except, of course, the first time I tried to kiss you.”

  I don’t return his smile. “What did I do?”

  His shoulder sag. “Crystal and Lexie showed up late—on purpose, I’m sure, just to torture you. Once they got there, your whole demeanor changed. You looked relaxed for the first time all
night. Heidi and I were on the dance floor and you pulled Owen out there—right next to us, right in the middle. And everything was fine until a slow song came on. One second, you guys were dancing, the next…” He squeezes his eyes shut. “You humiliated him, right there, in front of the whole school. Started going on about how pathetic he was, and how you only went out with him to win a bet. Started spilling all the secrets he ever told you—things West didn’t even know, and he and West were real close back then. And when you were done, you stalked straight over to Crystal and Lexie and they both slapped money in your hand, like it really was all a bet. And he ran out of there crying.”

  My eyes prickle and my throat constricts. No wonder he still hates me. I kind of hate me.

  Felix squeezes my shoulder. “Hey, it wasn’t you.”

  Tears well and a blink sends them cascading over my cheeks. “It could’ve been.” I wipe my eyes with the sleeves of my coat. I shouldn’t get to cry about this. I wasn’t the victim. After taking in a few deep breaths, I’m in control of my emotions again. “You should get me to the shop. My shift’s about to start.”

  Felix’s mouth twitches like he wants to say something, but the moment passes and he puts the car in gear. When we pull up in front of the shop, I check my reflection in the visor mirror before thanking him for the ride and hopping out.

  Once I punch in, I throw myself into work. After restocking everything that is even remotely low, I find a feather duster in the break room and start dusting every shelf, grabbing a step stool for the high ones I can’t reach. Jodi’s eyes prickle my skin, but she says nothing. She’s worried about me. She notices I’m different lately and although she’s relieved I’m not hanging out with Crystal et al anymore, she likes Fox and is worried about how hard I’m taking the breakup.