He wanted it, but he was afraid of it.
He’d imagined having superpowers. What kid hadn’t? Being a mutant like the X-Men, or a wizard like Harry Potter. But once he’d found out magic was real and he was a changeling, it didn’t sound like fun anymore. Aiden wanted to get rid of it, to go back to his normal life when he’d mostly known what to expect, where a plan had been laid out for him. He hadn’t decided on what he’d study in college, but he’d known he would go.
Except now he didn’t know anything.
Aiden let out a sigh and thought about the stars. Sparkling overhead, light years away, little pinpricks that were actually suns. Beautiful and amazing. Thought about pictures from telescopes showing galaxies and nebulas in amazing colors, the infinite vastness of space. He was nothing more than a tiny speck on one planet that was less than a speck in part of a huge galaxy that was in turn a speck in the endless stretch of space.
It was fine to be so insignificant. It put life in perspective. But now, here, he stood out. A rarity among monsters, with powers that scared most of them.
“Do you ever feel like the trees are talking to you?” Phoebe asked softly.
“Not… really.”
“Have you ever felt a connection with them, or with the grass and other plants?”
“Yes.”
“The fae blood in me isn’t very strong, so I can’t be sure, but I think you’re a forest fae. Your magic comes from life, from growing things.”
“I made a tomato plant grow.” Aiden licked his lips. “I was working with Mom in the garden. The tomatoes had sprouted, just tiny little green bumps, and I thought about how good they would taste when they were ripe. I wanted them to hurry up, to be ready right then. And suddenly they grew. Just in a couple of seconds they were as big as my fist and starting to turn red.” Aiden opened his eyes and turned to her. “I was so scared.”
She smiled. “You shouldn’t be afraid of your magic. It’s a good thing. You can do wonderful things with it, help people. Yes, it can be used to hurt too, but once you get a handle on it, the magic obeys your will.”
“What if I don’t want to use it?” He wanted to lock it away so he and his parents could go back to their normal lives. Would Shadow Valley High School send his records to college? What would they do about the magic classes? They couldn’t put those on the transcript, could they?
“You have to use it, at least for a while. It’s the only way you’ll learn how to control it.”
“And the only way I’ll get good grades in school.” He couldn’t forget that. Not using his magic meant flunking.
She laughed. “If that’s the motivation you need, then focus on that.” She stood. “Okay, come over and sit with your back against this tree. I want you to imagine becoming the tree, with roots in the ground and your branches high above.”
It sounded silly, but he’d do anything to get closer to his goal.
* * *
The smart thing would be to leave it alone, to hope they would ignore each other in the halls. Conner Mays was a year older, so there was little chance they’d ever end up in the same classes. But it was eating at Aiden. No matter how much of a jerk Conner was, and despite the fact that he’d started it by making threats, Aiden hadn’t meant to hurt him. Aiden needed him to know it.
So when he saw Conner with his friends—his pack, a pack of werewolves—he swallowed his fear and walked up to him. They spotted him when he was a few feet away and glared.
“You looking for trouble?” Conner asked. “You caught me by surprise before, but I’ll take you on right now.” The whole pack oozed aggression.
“Actually, I came to apologize.” Aiden’s pulse pounded in his ears. “I didn’t mean to use my magic on you.”
“Apologize?” he repeated. “You mean you want to say you’re sorry so I don’t kick your ass.”
Aiden swallowed. “I don’t expect anything from you. I just want you to know it was an accident. I don’t know how to control my magic, and I was afraid, and it just… happened. So I’m sorry.” He’d said what he needed to, and sticking around would probably only cause problems. Aiden turned and took a step away.
“Hey! I’m not done with you.” Conner glared down at him.
“Please, can we just leave it at that?” Aiden was afraid of getting hurt. He was more afraid of getting in trouble, and what scared him most was the idea of his magic getting out of control again.
“You scared, little girl?” Conner said.
The werewolves behind him laughed.
Aiden wondered if he might have had a chance of things going more smoothly if Conner didn’t have his friends around to impress. For a second he considered admitting he was afraid, but afraid of hurting Conner. But that would definitely make things worse.
Conner stepped closer, growling and with a flicker of yellow in his eyes. Aiden felt something, fur and warmth, but not physically. Only in his head.
“Huh? I asked you a question. Are you scared?”
“If I say yes, will you let me leave?” Aiden could run, but these kids were part animal. That would probably encourage them to chase him.
Conner considered him with narrowed eyes. “Yeah. Say you’re scared of me and that you’ll stay away from my girl, and I’ll let you go.”
Sure, it was humiliating, but it was better than another fight. The principal had let him off with a warning, and he doubted she’d do it again. “I’m afraid of you, and I’ll stay away from your girlfriend.”
Conner laughed. “That’s right, chicken. Now run off to class.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
It felt weird to bring anyone else out to the gravel pit. It was Dylan’s place, somewhere he could go and not be bothered by anybody. The pile of ashes from the last time he’d been out here was still sitting in the middle of the pit.
“What’s that?” Aiden asked.
“Just what’s left of the wood I burned.”
Aiden eyed the waist-high pile. “So you come out here to practice your powers?”
“More like release some tension.” Again, the nervousness that Aiden would realize what Dylan was really like. It had been so long since he’d had a friend, and yes, that was his own fault, but it was nice to have someone to talk to.
“What are you so angry about all the time?”
Dylan shrugged. “Life, I guess. How unfair it all is.”
“I agree with you there. It’s not fair that I’m a changeling. Why couldn’t I be a normal kid?” Aiden scuffed his toe in the gravel.
“Don’t talk like that. You shouldn’t be ashamed of what you are. It’s great to have magic.” He made a thin rope of fire dance in the air, curling and looping.
“But if you were normal, maybe you’d be happy. You wouldn’t have the choice you’re facing, to stay here or to keep your magic hidden.” Aiden’s eyes followed the fire, his scent a little nervous.
“And I’d be just another human in a sea of humans.” Although the idea had crossed his mind, several times. He wondered what his life would be like if everyone didn’t look at him like he was a bomb waiting to go off. If he didn’t have to carry around the knowledge that his mom was the product of a rape, if he didn’t have to wonder why his parents had brought him into a world that was afraid of him. Of course, most of the kids in Shadow Valley had to think about the outside world, how regular humans would panic if they knew what went bump in the night. But Dylan had to deal with that fear inside Shadow Valley.
“You’d still be special. Everyone is special in their own way. Just not this special,” Aiden said.
Dylan looked at him for a moment, trying to figure him out. “You know what your problem is? You’ve never really let your magic out. You’ve never seen how good it can feel.” That was too close the truth and he wished he hadn’t said it.
“You think if I let loose, I’ll become you?”
He snorted. “I don’t think you could be as badass as me, but you could learn to enjoy yourself. Give it a try.” He poi
nted at the ashes. “Move those around. It should be easy.”
“None of this magic stuff is easy.” Aiden frowned.
“Only because you’re so afraid of it. The magic wants to come out.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of.”
“Look, you’ll never learn if you keep holding back. It’ll build up until it comes spilling out, like when you threw Conner into those lockers. Make those ashes move. Blow them around or make shapes. I don’t care, just do something.” He pointed again.
“How?”
“Don’t think about it, just do it.” Everyone’s magic was a little different, and he didn’t know exactly how Aiden’s magic worked. Dylan only knew that talking about it wasn’t going to do any good.
“I’ll try.” Aiden stared at the black pile that had once been a massive stack of wood. He held his right hand out, brows drawing together in a frown.
Nothing happened. Dylan had to force himself to be quiet. Yelling at Aiden would probably just make him whine some more. Or, God forbid, cry.
Aiden shifted his feet and brought his other hand up so they were now both facing the pile.
Dylan checked his watch. He could smell the magic around Aiden, faint and tentative. Someone as strong as he was should have no problem with such a minor spell. And yet Aiden kept holding back.
He couldn’t take it anymore. Filling his lungs, he shouted almost right into Aiden’s ear. “Do it!”
Aiden let out a yelp, and the ashes flew as if a strong wind had blasted them. Particles kicked up into the air, making a small cloud.
“That’s better.”
Aiden turned to glare at him. “Asshole.”
Dylan gasped and put a hand to his chest. “You know how to swear!”
Aiden kept glaring.
“Didn’t that feel good? Letting your magic out?” The air was now heavy with forest-scented magic.
“It felt like you scared the crap out of me.”
Dylan pointed at the ashes, which were now a smear that went almost all the way to the far end of the gravel pit. “Move them again. Do something better this time, and don’t hold back so long you make me bored, or I’ll have to scare you again.”
“You’re a terrible teacher.”
“I never said I’d be a good one.”
* * *
Everything around him was bright: the sunlight, the leaves on the trees, the bits of blue sky he glimpsed above. The air smelled clean with a sweet hint of flowers. Aiden walked, looking around with a strange sense of familiarity.
Up ahead, right in the middle of the narrow path, was a huge oak tree. The massive branches cast a shadow in the forest floor. As Aiden neared, the shadow moved and became a figure.
“Hello, Aiden.”
He froze, squinting at the human shape that stood against the tree trunk. “Who are you?”
“You may call me Uncle.” The figure took a few steps closer. He wore a vest and tight pants of some black material, maybe leather. His skin was a shade of purplish blue, and his eyes were dark with almost no white showing at the edges. Dark hair swept back from his head, tangled with brown and orange leaves.
Uneasiness sat heavily in Aiden’s stomach. “Uncle?” Something about that tugged at his memory.
“Yes. I have been looking for you for a long time.” The man slowly moved closer.
“Where am I?” Aiden looked around. The light was too bright, the colors too sharp. A whine started up in his ears.
“In your dreams.” The man smiled.
“Dreams?”
Then everything went dark and Aiden was sitting up in bed. It took a few minutes for him to gather his thoughts and ground himself. He was home, in his bed, and that had just been a weird dream.
It could have been much worse. He went to school with a wide variety of monsters, and any one of them could be nightmare fuel.
His parents were awake and making breakfast when he came down. One of the nice things about their strange new schedule was that breakfast wasn’t a rush. They were all so tired at the end of the night they only said a few words to each other before bed. Breakfast had become more like dinner, a chance for them to eat and talk about their day.
Today they were making pancakes and sausage. Aiden set the table while they finished cooking.
“How’s work going?” he asked Mom.
“A little easier. I still have to fight to stay awake at the end. And I thought mornings were tough.” She shook her head.
He fought yet another stab of guilt about how his parents had given up their nice jobs for him.
“Don’t forget, we have that support group today.” Dad came in with syrup and a steaming pile of pancakes.
“Oh, the um…” Aiden felt uncomfortable saying it. “The human one?”
Mom carried in the sausage. “What’s the name of it, again? Nonmagical Human Support Group?”
“Something like that,” Dad said, filling his plate.
How did our lives become this? But of course it was all his fault.
“I hope you have a good time. I hope it helps,” Aiden said.
Mr. Johnson had suggested they go so they could meet other normal humans in Shadow Valley and ask any questions they might not feel comfortable asking anyone else. Many of the other people there were parents.
“Thanks. Your next tutor lesson is tomorrow, right?” Mom asked.
“Yeah.” Thinking about his meditation exercise with Phoebe made him remember his weird dream. Maybe that’s where the high-def forest had come from. But what about the weird guy? And why would he dream up a creepy fairy-tale guy who called himself Uncle?
“How is that going?” Dad asked.
“Well it’s only been one lesson.” Aiden took two pancakes and covered them with maple syrup. “But it’s nice to have someone teaching me that has my particular kind of magic.” But as everyone kept pointing out, Aiden’s magic was much stronger. He was full-blooded fae. Some of the magic users had fae somewhere in their bloodline, diluted talents that were still strong enough to let them cast spells. Phoebe’s great-grandmother was fae, and that was the closest anyone in town was to being full-blooded. Until Aiden had come along.
Why had his birth parents given him up? Why had they taken a human child to replace him?
He looked over at his parents. His real parents, the ones who had raised him, who loved him, who’d given up everything for him. Aiden thought that in spite of everything, maybe he was lucky things had happened this way.
CHAPTER TWELVE
“You and Dylan Galloway are really a thing?” Maggie asked in a quiet voice.
“We’re not a thing,” Aiden squeaked. Even if he had, very briefly and very hypothetically, wished they were. “We’re friends.”
“That’s what I meant. I wasn’t implying you were a couple.” She covered her mouth to stifle a laugh. Today she was wearing a bright pink cardigan with a matching headband. Maggie recovered and leaned close again. “Still, I didn’t think it was possible to be friends with Dylan. Aren’t you afraid of him?”
“No.” He frowned. “Haven’t you, like, gone to school with him for years?”
“We were in the same class for first and fifth grade.”
“So you’ve known him for that long and you’re still afraid of him?”
“Well, he wasn’t so bad in first grade. Quiet, although he did get into fights with the older kids on the playground. And there were always whispers, because you know…”
“Of what he is.” That pang of sorrow for his friend again.
Maggie nodded. “By fifth grade, everyone knew to avoid him. Even the meanest bullies wouldn’t touch him. Wherever he went, he had this, like, bubble around him.”
The bell rang and the teacher stood up to explain the lesson for the day. Aiden kept picturing what he’d done to the candle, afraid he’d do something like that again. On the other hand, yesterday he’d been able to stop a rolling ball. The first real success he’d had in Minor Magical Control. Maybe it wa
s the meditation with Phoebe.
Today they were levitating pencils. Aiden started to let out a sigh, thinking nothing could go wrong with this. Then he imagined accidentally making a pencil fly across the room and stab someone in the eye. Maybe Maggie. Maybe himself.
So much for his confidence.
“You did so good yesterday,” Maggie said with her usual smile. “I’m sure you’ll be almost as good as me before long. Now, I’ll demonstrate, and then you try.”
The teacher had lined up pencils on his desk. Unsharpened, Aiden noticed with some relief.
Maggie used her magic to pick one up and float it slowly and carefully to their shared desk. “There. Just as easy as that.”
“You’re so good at this stuff—why are you in this class? Shouldn’t you be in the advanced class or something?”
A blush colored her cheeks and she dropped her gaze. “I took the test, but I didn’t score high enough to pass.”
“Why not?” Aiden asked. She made everything look easy and she was so confident.
“I’m missing skills in a few key areas.” She sighed, and some of her bright demeanor came back. “But I can keep practicing and I can take the advanced placement test again at the end of the year.”
“I’m sure you’ll do great.” He looked at the row of pencils. If only he was so confident in his own abilities.
* * *
“Do you think you can’t do it, or are you afraid that you can?” Dylan asked.
Aiden looked out over the gravel pit, thinking about what to say, wondering what the truth was. “A little of both, I guess. I’ve been able to do things that should be impossible. I know I’m a changeling, I know magic is real, but I guess part of me still doesn’t really believe it. And it doesn’t help that everyone is so much better at all this than I am. I always feel stupid in my magic classes.” Although he was thankfully caught up in his regular subjects.
How to Make Friends and Not Incinerate People Page 6