Aiden,
Conner said you apologized to him about the fight. That’s so sweet. And brave. He says you promised to stay away from me and that you said you were afraid of him. Are you really afraid of him? I mean, you’re not afraid of Dylan, and even Conner is afraid of him. Did you just say that so you wouldn’t have to fight him again? Because you don’t want to hurt him? I think he’s afraid of you.
Will you text me so I have your number? My number is 555-6539. Pretend you’re a girl. I’ll put you in my phone as Alice, so don’t put your real name in any text. I’d like to be your friend, but I can’t talk to you in person. Will you do that? I hate lying to Conner, but I feel like I need some friends outside the pack. Sometimes I feel…
Here a word was scribbled out hard, in pen, so he couldn’t tell what it had been.
I understand if you don’t want to. I won’t be mad or anything.
Your friend, I hope.
Hanna
Aiden folded the note and shoved it in his pocket, paranoid that somehow Conner would walk by and see him with it. She sounded lonely, and if that was how Conner reacted every time she tried to talk to someone outside the pack, it was no wonder.
He worried about it all through class and finally decided to show it to Dylan at lunch. He handed the paper to him, and after a moment Dylan started cracking up.
He laughed so loud that half the room turned to look at him. “She totally has a crush on you!”
Panic flooded Aiden. “Shh! Keep it down,” he hissed. “They’re right over there.”
“So?” Dylan asked, although his voice was quieter. “You know you can kick his ass. You can even do it by choice this time. And if you’re too gentle and sweet to do it yourself, I’ll do it for you.”
Aiden leaned close until he was almost lying on the table. “But what if he doesn’t come after me? What if he takes it out on her?”
Dylan frowned. “I suppose you’re right.”
“Are all werewolves like that? So… possessive?”
“They all tend to be more possessive and protective, but Conner is a grade-A asshole. He’s been picking on other people since fourth grade.” Dylan took a bite of his pizza.
Aiden grabbed the note from where Dylan had set it on the table. “What do you think I should do?”
“Text her.” Dylan gave him a mischievous smile.
Although he didn’t have a crush on Dylan anymore, that didn’t mean he didn’t still find him attractive. And that smile made his heart skip a beat.
Dylan said, “Could be interesting. Very interesting.”
“But if she does have a crush on me, I don’t want to encourage her.”
“That’s part of the fun. And you get to pretend you’re a girl.” He chuckled.
Aiden’s face heated. What would Dylan say if he knew Aiden was bi? Would he tease him about being unmanly? A fag? A queer? He’d seen other bisexual people get labeled as gay, like others couldn’t grasp the idea of someone liking both sexes. He wanted to believe Dylan would shrug it off like he did so many other things, but he was too afraid to say anything. Nobody knew, and Aiden was going to keep it that way for as long as he could.
“I don’t want to lead her on or break her heart. That’s mean.”
Dylan shrugged. “You could just ignore the note and let her think you don’t care about her. But I’ll tell you, from the sound of the note, that chick is lonely.”
Aiden sat back on the bench and dropped his chin onto his crossed arms. “Yeah, I know. I don’t want to ignore her, but I don’t want to cause any trouble. I know you love trouble, but I don’t.”
“I’m well aware of your antiviolence stance,” Dylan said around a mouthful of pizza. “But you don’t have to get in any fights. Hell, I could stop him before he starts. Want me to go over there right now and tell him to leave you alone? Want to see if I can make him piss his pants?”
“Dylan, that’s horrible.” Sometimes he wondered how he could be friends with someone so violent.
“He should know better anyway. The whole school knows you’re the only one who sits with me at lunch. The only person I talk to besides the fox sisters. Really, he’s got some nerve making threats against you. You should’ve brought me with you when you went to apologize to him,” Dylan said. When Aiden opened his mouth to argue, he cut him off. “I know, I know. Not to fight with him, even, but like a… deterrent. So he wouldn’t have humiliated you like that.”
“I don’t need you to be my bodyguard.” Although the idea did have appeal. He wished he could’ve had someone like Dylan at his old school, especially after the locker-room incident. No, that just would’ve made things worse. Aiden didn’t want to hurt people with his magic, and he didn’t want someone else using magic to hurt people for him.
“True, you don’t. You’re strong enough to take care of yourself. Your problem is that you don’t want to use your power.”
“I’m starting to think maybe magic could be useful for some things, but it’s not okay to use it to hurt other kids.”
“You don’t even have to hurt them. You just need to let them know that you can.” Dylan shoved a piece of crust in his mouth.
Aiden sighed. “That’s not much better.” This argument was starting to get familiar, and he still hadn’t decided what to do about Hanna’s letter.
* * *
Aiden biked to the edge of town, feeling self-conscious. What if someone saw him? What would he say? He looked around, hoping no one was nearby. It was early afternoon, so most of the town would be asleep or just waking up. He also needed to get his bearings. He’d only been here once before, in a car, coming from the other direction. But some of the shop signs were familiar. At least, they looked familiar.
The wind had a definite chill to it, and the clouds blocked the warmth of the sun. It put him in a bad mood. He hardly got to see the sun, and now that the weekend was finally here it was cloudy.
A few cars went by and he tensed at each one. Would they wonder what he was doing so close to the edge of town? Would they think he was trying to run away? He pedaled faster, wanting to get this over with. Dylan was going train him for a while later that day, and Aiden hoped he could convince the other boy to hang out afterward.
The buildings thinned and trees lined the side of the road. This had to be it. He stayed on his bike for as long as he dared but worried that he might cross the barrier without knowing it. Would it set off some kind of alarm?
God, what was he doing? He didn’t even know if he’d be able to tell where the barrier was. He hadn’t been able to see it on the way in. Aiden walked his bike along the road, looking for signs of anything strange.
The hair on the back of his neck suddenly went up, the way it did in gym class. Strong magic nearby. Aiden put his hand out in front of him, hoping he’d be able to feel the barrier before he stumbled through it. Then there was something. A trick of the light, or a trick of his eyes… or maybe something real. A very slight shimmer in the air, there and gone.
Aiden went over to where he’d seen it, or thought he had. The tingling, hair-raising sensation was much stronger. Finally his hand touched something that felt just the tiniest bit more solid than air, and a slight ripple went out from his fingers.
This was it. He looked around, praying no one would come by. Aiden tugged his bike off the road and set it on its kickstand; then he bent down to pick up whatever was closest to his hand.
It was a leaf. An oak leaf. Curiouser and curiouser. He laughed nervously to himself. “Okay, get this over with.”
He stretched his arm out, touching the leaf to the barrier. The air shimmered again, barely visible. “I hope that’s good enough.” Aiden stood, stuffed the leaf into the pocket of his jacket, and headed for home.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Aiden climbed into bed, taking the leaf with him. This isn’t much weirder than the stuff you do every day at school. A little touch of magic, not even as crazy as the spells he did with Dylan. Still, he didn’t wan
t to see the man who called himself Uncle. Whenever he thought about him, it filled him with uneasiness.
But he couldn’t forget what Uncle had offered. A chance to meet his parents, which was only possible if the connection was strengthened. So he needed to do this.
Aiden pressed the leaf to his chest, then thought better of it and slipped it under his pajama shirt so it lay against his skin. He tried to calm down and focus on being able to meet his parents, maybe even his brother. Closing his eyes, he whispered into the dark, “Uncle, Uncle, Uncle.”
Nervousness kept him awake a while longer, but in time he drifted to sleep.
Darkness, a few wisps of dreams that didn’t take full form, and then the high-def forest.
This time, Uncle stood there waiting in his human form. “You have it?” His expression was eager.
Aiden nodded. He reached under his shirt and found the oak leaf there, pressed against his skin. He held it out and Uncle snatched it from his hand.
“Wonderful.” He wrapped his fingers around the leaf, closed his eyes for a moment. “Yes, this is a strong magic, wrought by many hands.”
“Did you find my parents?”
Uncle opened his eyes. “Not as of yet. I have their trail, but it may take some time.”
“How long?”
“That I cannot say.” Uncle frowned, nostrils flaring. In a quick motion, he leaned close, drawing a deep breath through his nose.
With a cry of surprise, Aiden stumbled away.
“My humble apologies.” Uncle smiled. “I did not mean to startle you. What is this flavor you carry, of fire and stone?”
“I don’t know what you mean.” Aiden backed away a little more.
“The powerful magic of another.” He sniffed again, though thankfully he didn’t get any closer. “An old taste. A dragon taste.”
“Do you mean Dylan?” They’d been training that day, and Aiden might have somehow carried some bit of Dylan’s magic into his dream the way he’d carried the leaf. “He’s dragonkin.” As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Aiden regretted it. Giving Uncle that information… it felt wrong somehow.
Uncle’s eyes lit with eagerness. “Dragonkin? You fought a dragonkin and lived?”
“Uhh… we weren’t fighting. Dylan is my friend.”
Uncle tilted his head. “You are friends with a dragonkin? How strange.”
“Are you going to tell me to stay away from him too? Everyone keeps warning me he’s dangerous.”
“Dragonkin are very dangerous.” Uncle steepled his hands and drummed his fingers together. “But I will not warn you away from your friend. Friendship makes life sweeter.” Uncle paced. “I will continue to search for your parents, but I am afraid I need to ask another favor of you.”
“What?” Aiden didn’t want to do any more favors, didn’t want Uncle invading his dreams anymore. But this was the best chance to find his parents and his brother.
“Starting at the dark of the moon, take a vessel of water and put one drop of your blood in it. Do this each night—”
“My blood?” That didn’t sound right at all.
“Yes, only a drop. For three cycles of the moon—”
“Why do you need me to do this?”
Irritation flashed across Uncle’s features before his expression smoothed. “If you do all the things I tell you, you will be able to travel to Faery freely, to visit your parents and all your other kin, and they will be able to visit you.”
It was tempting, but it felt so wrong. “Give me time to think about this, okay?”
Another flash of irritation. “Very well. Two nights from now, I will visit your dreams again. I do not know what you learned in the human world, but magic is not a thing of evil. It is part of you, and you need not fear it.”
“I’m trying to see it that way. I’ll see you in two days then.” Aiden wanted the creepy fae gone as soon as possible.
“Two days.” Uncle inclined his head and vanished.
* * *
Dylan was absorbed in a video game, mowing down zombies with a machine gun. Someone knocked on his door. “What?” he snapped.
“I want to talk to you.”
Dad this time. His parents practically took turns giving him heart-to-heart talks.
With a sigh that was half growl, Dylan paused the game. “Fine.”
His dad came in, wearing a clean shirt and jeans. He must have changed out of his woodworking clothes. Dylan always found it ironic that his mom had married a man who liked to make furniture. Fire and wood. Practically opposites. “Your mom told me about the conversation you had.”
“Of course she did.” Dylan set the controller down.
His dad sighed. “Not everything has to be a fight, Dylan. We’re worried about you, and we worry because we care.”
“You worry because I might go nuts and burn down Shadow Valley.”
“To be honest, yes. You have that potential, and we don’t want that to happen. People could get hurt, or killed. But we’re also worried about you. You’re so angry all the time, and that isn’t healthy. We want you to be happy.”
“I’d be happy if I wasn’t trapped in this town.” Although Dylan didn’t really think it would be that simple.
“You can leave once you graduate and get certified. We can all move somewhere else.”
Dylan snorted. “Yeah, and then pretend I’m human and make sure I don’t use magic in front of them.”
“You’re part human. You need to stop ignoring that. You’re more human than you are dragon.” His dad walked over and sat on the edge of the bed.
“I know.” He hadn’t forgotten, but he always focused more on the dragon side. It was what made him different, what made him special. It had come from something terrible. When he thought about how he’d come to be, it disgusted him, but at the same time, he loved that he had this power.
“Look, I know this is hard for you. I remember what it’s like being a teenager, and I can’t imagine how much harder it is for you being dragonkin and having everyone in town worried that you’ll lose control. But you can try to see the good side of things, to not make everything into a fight. We love you, and we want you to be happy. It hurts us to see you so angry all the time.”
“I can’t help it. This is who I am.” He wanted Dad to go away so he could get back to his video game. At least in that fictional world, he could kill masses of the walking dead without any consequences.
“There’s more to you than anger and dragon magic. There’s a wonderful person in there, and I wish you could see it.”
Dylan looked at the screen, a dark band with the word Paused in bloody red script superimposed over a scene of a dozen snarling zombies coming at his character. “Are you done?”
Dad sighed and stood up. “I wish you’d come out of this dark place you’re in.”
This isn’t dark. You have no idea how dark things can get. He thought of his dreams, of the cities covered in flames. Of how much he wanted it.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Aiden stared at the screen so long the words started to blur. He’d edited the text twice and he’d hovered his finger over the Send button half a dozen times. If he sent this, it could start a lot of trouble. Hanna might take it the wrong way. Conner might find out somehow and try to start another fight. Or take it out on Hanna. If Conner was that upset about her just saying a few words to him and smiling, what would he do if he found out they were texting? And using a fake name?
Hi! This is Alice. Yes, I want to be friends.
That sounded stupid. He reached for the Delete key to start over. But what else could he say? That was straightforward. If he said more, she might be even more likely to take things wrong.
He looked over at her letter, sitting on the desk. Dylan was right. She sounded lonely. And paranoid. How much courage had it taken her to write that note? And how much more to drop it in his locker?
That decided it. He could at least be as brave as she had been. Aiden sent the text, then
immediately panicked. Was there a way to delete a text once it was sent? Oh God, what if she looked at it right away?
Aiden snapped his phone shut and set it on the desk. No, it was done. Freaking out about it wouldn’t make anything better. Maybe Hanna would lose her courage and delete it as soon as she saw it.
She was cute though. He only had that fleeting moment to remember her by. Picking up his fallen book, giving him a shy smile. Thinking about her being nervous and paranoid… Aiden was surprised to feel a spark of anger. She didn’t deserve that.
For the next hour, while he was supposed to be doing his homework, he checked his phone every few minutes. No text. She might be busy. She might still be asleep. It was early, Shadow Valley time.
He looked out the window and frowned at the rain. He got little enough sunlight as it was, and today he wasn’t getting any. If it was raining like this on Saturday, he’d have to cancel his training with Dylan.
The phone chirped. Aiden grabbed the phone so fast he almost knocked it off the table.
Alice! Worried I wouldn’t hear from u. Thx, thx, thx for txting. :D talk soon!!!
He read it twice more, wondering if she meant more than she’d said. Was there some code, the way using the name Alice was? Or was she just happy to hear from him and didn’t have time for more than a quick message? Maybe his text had woken her up and she’d spent all this time writing a message, worrying over it the way he had.
With a deep breath, Aiden made himself close the phone and put it down. She said they’d talk soon, so that meant she didn’t expect him to text back. He’d just wait, and if he didn’t hear from her by the time he got back from school tonight, he’d text her again.
How to Make Friends and Not Incinerate People Page 8