by Alicia Rades
I grabbed them and shoved them at Nadine. "Put these on."
She gaped at me. "I'm a big girl. I can wear whatever I want."
I looked to her arms, which were covered in goosebumps, then shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
She wrapped her arms around herself, like she’d just noticed how cold she was. She glanced to the clothes, then narrowed her eyes at me. "I'm only doing this because I'm cold."
She snatched the clothes up and started putting them on. I peeked out into the hall. Ryan stood at the end of it, his hands curled into fists. He twitched his fingers, and the door next to him swung open. A loud bang sounded through the hall.
I whirled back to Nadine. "Ryan's coming."
She zipped up the fleece and shrugged. "Then we're going to have to make a run for it."
My gaze roamed over the room. "Want to take the window?"
Nadine smirked. "I do love sneaking around."
"Then let's hurry." I started across the room with her, but I stopped mid-stride. Something about the yoga mats called to me. I remembered how much Nadine said she liked it. I turned back to the shelf and grabbed two mats, then sub-conjured them.
"Lucas," she hissed. She already had the window open and was straddling the sill. "That's stealing."
Bang!
Another door crashed open, closer this time.
"We'll bring them back. Let's go!"
I nudged Nadine out the window, and she jumped to the ground. I stuck my head out the window to see her catching her balance.
"You okay?" I asked.
Nadine didn't get a chance to respond.
"Taylor!" Ryan growled from behind me.
We hadn't been quick enough.
I whirled around just in time to see Ryan lifting his hand toward me. A dark ball of defensive magic formed inside of it. I wasn’t sticking around to see which spell he wanted to use on me. I jumped out the window and landed in the grass beside Nadine.
“Hurry!” She chuckled under her breath, like running from a madman thrilled her.
Nadine and I locked hands and ran toward the forest. A ball of magical energy whizzed past us, missing my head by a hair. Ryan was pretty set on revenge, but the trees were thick and made good cover.
“This way,” I said.
I tugged on her hand and pulled her behind a thick tree. The two of us crouched down beside each other. I braced myself against the tree, and Nadine pressed her back to it. I couldn’t help but notice how close we were again. Her chest rose and fell rapidly, and her breath touched the side of my face. It sent my heart beating double time. While Nadine’s eyes darted around the forest, I kept my eyes on her.
What I wouldn’t give to lean in and kiss those sweet, soft lips of hers…
“I think he’s gone,” she whispered.
I breathed a sigh of relief, though all I wanted was to stay in this position—to be as close to her as I could without touching her. If only I could, I wondered where we’d be now. The images that crossed my mind were dangerous.
I cleared my throat and stood. Now that I had a moment to calm down, I realized how cold it was. There’d been snowfall after Halloween, but it was nothing more than a light dusting. Still, tonight was pretty chilly.
I reached out to help Nadine to her feet. “You okay?”
She brushed her hair out of her eyes. “Yeah, I’m fine. You?”
“Good… for now,” I told her. “Ryan’s not going to rest until I pay for that.”
She winced playfully. “Yeah, it must’ve really hurt his pride.”
“What were you doing with him?” I asked.
She dropped her gaze. “Honestly?”
I nodded. “Honestly.”
She bit her lower lip, which only made me want to kiss her more. “Honestly, I don’t know.”
My eyebrows shot up. “You don’t know?”
“Yeah,” she snapped. “I’d really like not to talk about it right now.”
My heart dropped. I didn’t know what she meant by that, but she sounded pretty serious. Her face fell, and I realized in that moment that a lecture from me was the last thing she needed. I didn’t know what was going on with her, but I could see it in her eyes. Right now, all she needed was a friend.
“Okay, we won’t talk about it,” I agreed.
The sound of leaves crunching in the distance caught my attention.
“We should hide,” Nadine suggested.
I placed my index finger over my mouth. “Shh… you like haunted houses, don’t you?”
Her eyes lit up, but her features quickly turned into a mock scowl. “Not if it’s anything like last time.”
“It won’t be,” I promised with a smirk. “This one’s not actually haunted.”
She narrowed her eyes, like she couldn’t figure out what I had in mind. But like the curious soul she was, she agreed to come with me. “I want to see it.”
Good Goddess, this girl would do anything to satisfy her curiosity. It was going to come back and bite her in the ass some day.
“This way.” I cocked my head, and Nadine followed beside me.
I navigated through the woods by sheer intuition and a vague memory. We walked for at least fifteen minutes, until I finally spotted the clearing in the trees.
“Is this another kidnapping attempt?” Nadine teased as she ducked under a tree branch.
“Indeed,” I told her.
She rolled her eyes. “You’ve gotta stop doing that, Lucas.”
“But you’re just so easy to kidnap.”
She shrugged. “You know how to intrigue a girl.”
I turned serious again. “You’re free to go whenever you want, but we’re here.”
I pulled back a tree branch, and Nadine’s eyes sparkled in wonder. In the clearing stood an abandoned gothic mansion. It looked a lot like the school, with the sharp, peaked roofs, tall turrets, and thick wooden doors, but it was smaller. The walls were made of stone, which was probably why it’d stood so long. Ivy grew up the side of the house. This place was absolutely stunning when the clearing was in full bloom and the ivy blanketed the house in green, but right now everything was just kind of dead and sad.
And yet Nadine couldn’t take her eyes off it. It was like she saw beauty in the house I couldn’t quite see myself.
“Wow,” she breathed. “This place is amazing. Can you imagine if someone fixed this place up, how beautiful it would be?”
“Yeah. I bet it was really nice when it was built,” I said. “Want to see the inside?”
Nadine nodded eagerly.
We stepped up to the house and entered through the front doors. Hardwood floors spanned in front of us, and the banister that led upstairs was intricately carved, interweaving all the five Cast symbols in a beautiful work of art. There wasn’t any furniture, and all the cupboards were empty. Like on the outside of the house, ivy grew on the inside, too, weaving its way through broken windows and overtaking practically everything.
Nadine’s jaw dropped. “This architecture is amazing. Look at the archways and crown molding. What is this place?”
I explained as we walked through the rooms. “It used to belong to one of the headmasters of the school. It was abandoned when he died. Legend has it, the house will only reveal itself to those who wish not to harm it.”
Her eyebrows shot up. “I guess that’s why it makes a good hideout from Ryan.”
“Exactly,” I stated. “That idiot would fuck this place up. Anyway, Grant and I found it last year.”
Nadine reached out a hand and ran her fingers across the wall. “How often do you come back?”
“I haven’t been back,” I admitted. “We explored, saw what there was to see, and left.”
“But this place is just so beautiful,” she whispered.
It was, but it was just a house. And it was on the cusp of collapse.
Nadine’s eyes continued to wander as we entered the sitting room. It was my favorite room in the house because of the massive fireplace. The
black mantle was intricately carved, making it the clear centerpiece of the home.
The rest of the room was empty, save for a pile of firewood someone must’ve brought in a few years ago. There was a thick layer of dust over all the firewood, though it hadn’t started to rot.
Nadine drew a breath when she saw the fireplace, then turned to me. “Are you sure the house isn’t haunted?” She sounded a little disappointed.
“I’m sure. Let me show you.” I took Nadine’s shoulders and guided her to stand in the middle of the room. “Close your eyes.”
Nadine did as I instructed and inhaled a deep breath. I found myself walking in a circle around her, inspecting her features from every angle. She looked so at peace, so alive and eager for answers. There was this spark inside of her that glowed bright—and like a moth to a flame, I couldn’t resist being drawn in.
She took another calming breath. “Now what, Lucas?”
I stopped behind her. We were so close we nearly touched. My pulse quickened, though I resisted the urge to pull her into my arms.
“What do you feel?” I whispered in her ear.
I could’ve sworn I saw her shiver, but it must’ve been from the cold.
“I feel… at peace,” she finally said. “I feel like I could be happy here forever. There’s this warmth inside the house, like it was built on happiness. But… there’s something missing. It’s like it’s fading, like it’s losing its memory. All it needs is someone to nurture it.”
I stepped around her to look at her from the front again.
Her eyes opened, and her cheeks blushed pink. “Was that the wrong answer?”
I shook my head. “There are no wrong answers.”
“What does it mean?” she asked.
“For one, you’re intuitive,” I said.
She tilted her head to the side. “Aren’t most witches?”
I nodded. “True. It also means there are no benevolent spirits hanging around.”
“I’m not a Seer, though,” she pointed out. “I can’t tell when there are spirits around.”
“Not the way a Seer can, but even humans can feel the negative energy of a benevolent ghost,” I explained.
“Good to know we’re in the clear.” Nadine spun around again, taking in all the little details she didn’t see the first time. “It’s a shame that no one is taking care of this place. I just want to… sweep it or something.”
“I’ve got it.” I stood in the middle of the room and raised my hands. “Peppermint patty and grass so green, make this room sparkling clean.”
Purple magic swirled out of my hands, causing dust to rise off of the floor. It gathered into a cloud at the base of the fireplace, then swept up through the chimney and out of the house. I looked to my feet and ran the tip of my shoe across the floor. It was totally clean.
Nadine’s eyebrows shot up. “I can’t wait until I learn cleansing spells.”
I shrugged. “Cleansing incantations are easy. You just make shit up.”
She looked amused. “Oh, so you’re a poet now?”
“You get a feel for it,” I said.
Nadine wrapped her arms around herself.
“You cold?” I asked.
She nodded. “November’s not exactly known for its warm temperatures.”
“Hold on.” I knelt at the fireplace and started building a fire with the bits of tinder next to it. I conjured a lighter and lit it, then added bigger pieces of wood.
Nadine knelt beside me and warmed her hands. She breathed a sigh of relief. I watched her for several moments, until she lifted her gaze and caught me staring.
I cleared my throat and stood, then did the only thing I could think of to keep my hands busy. I conjured the two yoga mats I’d borrowed from school and laid them out on the floor in front of the fireplace. Nadine talked so much about how she liked yoga and needed to get back into it. Maybe this would help her—or at least give me a chance to apologize.
She eyed the yoga mats. “What are you doing?”
I kicked my shoes off and stood on one of the mats. I placed my hands together at my heart and closed my eyes. I lifted one foot and tried to balance on the other, but my balance was shit. I stood back on two feet and peeked an eye open. “I’m doing yoga. What does it look like?”
Nadine laughed and stepped onto the yoga mat beside me. “Need some help?”
I resisted the urge to smile. I really liked that we were getting along for once. “You’re the expert.”
Nadine lowered herself onto the mat and crossed her legs. I mirrored her posture.
“Let’s just breathe for a minute,” she suggested.
Nadine went silent. For the first minute or so, it was really hard not to let my mind wander and my body wiggle. But the longer Nadine just sat there breathing, taking in the moment, the more I came to appreciate it, too. I felt grounded, rooted right here with Nadine. My mind wasn’t on my gift, my brother, my mom, my classes—any of that. I was just right here, drinking in every second I could with Nadine.
How could I have been such a jerk to her? She didn’t deserve any of that. She deserved to be loved.
Nadine shifted and got onto all fours on the mat. She arched her back, pointing her belly toward the floor. I couldn’t help but steal a glance at her ass, which made my pulse quicken.
“Do you know any yoga?” Nadine asked, snapping me out of it.
My eyes shot back up toward her face. “No.”
“This is cow pose,” she told me. “Then you arch your back the other way…” She brought her chin inward and curled her spine. “And you have cat pose.”
I tried it along with her, and I was surprised at how much it stretched my back. It actually felt really good, like I could breathe easier.
Nadine walked me through several other simple poses—downward facing dog, cobra, and my favorite, mountain, since we just stood up and it was really easy. She explained each one, until she seemed to disappear into her own little world. Soon, she was moving slowly to her own muse without speaking to me at all.
She stopped in a pose that had one foot forward and the other pressed firmly to the floor. She held both arms out parallel to the floor.
“What’s this one?” I asked.
She inhaled a deep breath, like she was enjoying herself. “Warrior two. Feels good, doesn’t it?”
“Yeah,” I whispered. It felt really good to be around her.
Nadine opened her eyes, then stepped out of the pose. She straightened her fleece and sat on the ground again. “Thanks for doing this, Lucas. I forgot how much it helped.”
I didn’t even realize what I was doing when I sat beside her and took her hand. I began massaging it like she said she liked. I knew her joints always hurt, and I just wanted to help.
I shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”
She got really silent after that, but she didn’t pull away from me. She just let me run my fingers over her hands. They were so soft and small. She seemed so fragile.
“Do you have any other poems?” Nadine asked to break the silence.
“Poems?” I asked. Then I realized she was talking about spells. “You mean incantations?”
“No,” she replied. “Like, actual poems. You seem like you’d be good at them.”
I kept my gaze on her hands and shrugged. Deep down, my heart warmed. No one had ever said I’d be good at poetry, and I really wanted to impress Nadine. I knew whatever came out was going to sound like shit, but I just started spewing words without thinking about it.
“Your eyes are like the stars, twinkling so bright. Your smile is like the sunrise, bringing light to night. Your laugh is like the soundtrack to Alora’s great divine. But if one thing lights the world at all, it’s your soul that really shines.”
My cheeks flames when I realized what I just said. Did I seriously just improv poetry in front of Nadine? She must’ve thought I was such a nerd.
She didn’t say anything at first, which made me really nervous. I lifted my
gaze to hers, and that’s when I noticed her eyes sparkling with tears.
My stomach twisted into knots. “What’s wrong?”
She shook her head and pulled her hand away from mine to wipe her eyes. “Nothing. It was really good.”
I was stunned. Was she just staying that?
Nadine looked like she was going to add something, but she hesitated.
“What is it?” I asked. I was dying to know her every thought.
She took a few moments to respond. “Why do you act like such a jerk?”
My heart fell. That wasn’t exactly the kind of thing a guy hoped to hear.
“I don’t know,” I lied. The truth was, we both knew exactly why. But it was hard to be a jerk all the time, because that wasn’t who I was. Apparently, I was somewhat of a poet-writing romantic. Who knew?
“You’re not a jerk, though,” she said softly. “Not for real.”
My heart felt like it was turning to stone in my chest. I felt really guilty for the way I’d treated her. “Well, I act like one. Doesn’t that make me one?”
Nadine swallowed. “It depends on the intentions.”
Fuck, even Nadine could see straight through me. Was it this connection we had, or was I really that transparent?
The truth was, I was sick of pretending to be a jerk all the time when all I wanted to do was be near her. But could we really just stay friends?
We had to, because there was no other alternative. By the grace of Mother Miriam, I couldn’t stay away from Nadine. It was like we were pushed together by some divine force that wouldn’t freaking give up. I wasn’t sure I really had a choice anymore. I was just making it harder on both of us.
“I’m sorry.” My voice came out so small I wasn’t sure Nadine heard me.
She perked up. “What?”
I shoved my pride deep down inside of myself and cleared my throat. “I’m sorry,” I said more clearly this time. “I’m sorry I was such a jerk to you. It wasn’t fair to you, and I said things I never should’ve said.”
She took a deep breath. “So did I.”
“What you said was fair, though,” I pointed out.
Her lips tightened. “Why do you do that?”