“Shopping can be exhausting.” Kathleen sighed.
“Oh, I wanted to go to this joke shop I heard about down here, but it’s kind of off the beaten path,” Ethan said excitedly. “Why don’t we go as a group?”
Everyone shrugged and nodded, figuring that for something of that nature, Ethan would already know how to get there. However, after about forty minutes of weaving through the back streets and finding themselves in a bad neighborhood, everyone was pretty sure that Ethan was completely lost.
“How did you get us here?” Kathleen scoffed, looking around her nervously. “I thought we were going to stay pretty centered in town this time.”
“It’s not like I got us lost on purpose.” Ethan was irritated and tired. “I swear this is where they said it was.”
“Obviously not.” Emma smiled kindly. “Let’s just go back the way we came and get back to the center of town. We can ask someone there. I’m sure they know how to get to it.”
The group agreed. Alison clutched Tanner’s arm, no longer seeing the streams of souls and energy she had before. She knew they were in a residential area from the small amounts of energy the trees and grass gave off, but other than that she didn’t see anything. She’d been so excited just to be walking around with Tanner that she hadn’t even thought about sensing where they were going.
“Uh, does anyone know where we came from?” Aya asked.
“Great! We come to the kemana and get lost, and now we can’t find our way back to the center. I knew this was a disaster waiting to happen.” Kathleen grimaced.
“Can you just chill out?” Ethan barked.
“Guys,” Alison called, putting her hands up. “No need to get angry at each other. We have to stay together. Now, Izzie, why don’t you look for magical footprints so we can see what direction the most traffic goes and follow that?”
“Excellent idea.” Izzie nodded and pushed up her sleeves.
She closed her eyes and pulled in energy, letting it stream out of the palms of her hands and dissipate over the sidewalk in front of her. She opened her eyes and lifted an eyebrow, turning in a circle. The others glanced at each other and waited for her to say something.
“There are no magical trails but ours,” Izzie said. “Like, none.”
“That’s ridiculous. Maybe you are doing it wrong,” Kathleen replied. “Only magicals are allowed to live here, so there must be some sort of transportation that gets them around.”
Alison let out a deep breath and repeated exactly what Izzie had just done, nodding at the others. There were no others trails to be seen. “Izzie is right There’s nothing. Maybe the kemana keeps you from using specific types of magic or something.”
They stood there for quite a while, trying not to argue over which direction they needed to go. Finally, a Willen walked out of the house across the street. At first, he panicked, thinking about running from them after assuming they were there for him, but when the sun reflected off a shining bracelet on Kathleen’s arm, he pulled down his vest, determined to get it for his wife.
“Hello there,” the Willen said, tipping his hat. “You look lost.”
“You think?” Ethan growled, pacing back and forth.
Izzie shot him a nasty glance and smiled at the Willen. “I’m Izzie.”
“Thomas.” He smiled.
“We are lost, and we would really appreciate it if you could show us the way back to town.”
“Of course, but Willen never work for free.”
“Right.” Izzie nodded and pulled out her coin pouch. “How much?”
“I am seeking something other than coins.”
“Okay, what?”
The Willen looked at Kathleen’s bracelet and cleared his throat. Kathleen looked down at the cuff, sighing and rolling her eyes. She took it off and held it in front of Thomas, but snatched it back as he reached for it.
“Fine, but you better show us all the way back to the center of town, or you will be pulling this bracelet out of places where the sun don’t shine.”
Thomas swallowed hard and nodded, taking the bracelet and chuckling excitedly as he placed it in the pouch hanging from his vest. “My wife will love it. Now, follow close and keep up.”
With as small a price the Willen asked for the group half-expected to turn the corner and be there, but they had gravely underestimated how far into the kemana Ethan had led them. When they finally reached the town square, they were relieved and exhausted. The Willen put his paws out and smiled widely.
“Tada!”
Izzie smiled and patted him on the head. “Thanks, Thomas. It was a pleasure meeting you.”
“You too, Izzie, and you guys be safe getting back to school.”
They all took a moment to thank him before deciding that everything else they did in the kemana would be strictly in the center and that they were going to stick together. They stopped into the local candy store, then went into an old bookstore where Peter purchased a skull and an old spell book.
Alison walked out of the shop and tripped over a Crystal’s long slippery icicles.
“Watch out,” he barked, narrowing his eyes for a moment at Alison as if there was something about her that he recognized.
“Oh...sorry,” Alison replied, hurrying toward Tanner and grabbing his hand.
“You’d better be,” he growled under his breath, heading past them toward the residential area.
“Friendly lot around here.” Ethan sighed. “Anyway, I don’t know about you guys, but I’m pretty happy with the stuff I found. I’m ready to head back. We can have dinner in the cafeteria and try to sneak a peek at Mara’s new boyfriend.”
Everyone agreed on the going back part. They’d noticed that the later in the day it got, the shiftier the crowd of magic beings on the street became. They wanted to end the trip before they jinxed themselves like the first time, and the longer they stayed, the more likely they would find trouble.
23
By the time everyone had exited the stairs from the kemana and the evening sun hit their faces, all was forgiven and Ethan was in a better mood. Emma, Peter, and Aya walked ahead of everyone, anxious to get to the dining hall. They’d decided not to eat in the kemana because it was a waste of money, so now they were starving. Ethan jogged up next to Kathleen and handed her a gift shop bag. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye and took it, pulling a gold cuff from the bag. It was just like the one she had given the Willen.
“When did you get this?”
“While you guys were in the candy shop. I figured I owed you. You paid for us to get back after I got us completely lost.”
Kathleen smiled. “Thanks, Ethan. I appreciate you noticing.”
“No problem.” He grinned, hurrying past to catch up with Peter.
Izzie bumped her hip into Kathleen’s and smiled at her as she looked at the cuff. Kathleen didn’t say anything, but Izzie could tell she was happy to be acknowledged for giving up her bracelet. To be honest, Kathleen had been a bit bummed about it since it had been a gift from her father, but she would cherish the new one the same, if not more.
The group trekked along the side of the mansion and out into the courtyard. Luke walked happily next to Izzie.
“Luke,” Max Regency called, waving his hand.
“I’ll wait here.” Izzie smiled.
Luke jogged over to the coach, his stomach churning. “Luke, I’m glad I found you. I wanted to let you know that you made the Louper team. You won’t be first-string, at least not right away, but you definitely showed me that you are one hell of a player. Next semester will begin the season, and in the meantime, I will work on some of the things I think you could use to improve your skills.”
“Really?” Luke exclaimed. “Thank you so much, coach. I promise I won’t let you down. I’ve been dreaming about being on a Louper team since I first saw the game. I’ve been practicing my butt off, and have already read the books you suggested during tryouts.”
“You have?” Max was impresse
d. None of his other students had listened to what he was saying, much less volunteered to do more work.
“I liked them, and I ended up buying a copy of each so I could highlight the beginner advice and tactics.”
“Good. They really do help. Now, run along. The rest of the team already knows who is playing with them, and you were the last to tell.”
Luke smiled and ran over to Izzie, grabbing her around the waist and twirling around.
“Wow, what in the world?”
“I made the team!”
“That is so amazing!” Izzie wrapped her arms around him and squeezed.
“Come on, let’s go tell the others.”
As soon as they walked into the cafeteria the older boys who made the team met Luke at the door, pushing Izzie to the side and patting him on the back. Izzie smiled and walked over to the table, sitting down with the others.
“Congrats, dude. We are really stoked to have you on the team.”
“Thanks, guys.” Luke actually felt like a person for once, not the shifter everyone constantly picked on.
“Come on. You can sit with us now at meals. We all stay together.”
Luke paused, looking at the group—the people who were truly his friends—and didn’t know what to say. He wanted to be part of the team, but at the same time, he didn’t want to make his friends think he had moved on from them. If it weren’t for them, he might not have had the courage to even try out for the team.
Izzie forced a smile and looked at everyone at the table. “He made the Louper team.”
“Awesome,” Peter replied.
They all turned and looked at Luke, wondering if he was going to sit with the team or come sit with them. They had accepted Luke when no one else would give him the time of day, and were a little shocked that he was struggling to make the choice. Izzie had mixed emotions about it. She knew how badly he wanted to be on the team and fit in with people, but she still couldn’t help but feel like he was moving on.
Ethan waved to him, but he just looked like a deer in headlights. “Well, apparently our usefulness has worn out.”
“Let him enjoy his celebration. Sheesh,” Kathleen responded, turning back around to read a magazine as she ate her chicken breast and brown rice.
No one said a thing, they just watched. After a few minutes, Luke finally decided to go with the jocks. The decision really didn’t shock any of the group, and they tried to act like they didn’t care. In truth, everyone but Kathleen felt a little jilted. Even Tanner, who hadn’t spent that much time with Luke.
Izzie watched as her plate filled with Fettucine Alfredo and looked up at Peter, smiling. “Have you come up with any new spells lately?”
“A couple of minor ones, and I am still tweaking the room-cleaning one.”
“We need that one when you get it all down.” Kathleen chuckled. “We aren’t messy, but none of us enjoys cleaning, that’s for sure.”
“Be careful with that one, or you might end up with an even messier room and no eyebrows.” Ethan laughed.
“I told you I fixed it, and it wasn’t an entire eyebrow, just a swipe through the middle.”
“You looked like Vanilla Ice’s smaller and way less hip brother.”
Everyone burst into laughter, picturing Peter dancing and wearing harem pants and boots. The table tried to move on; tried to let go of the fact that their friend had chosen people who had hated him two days before but were suddenly his best friends because of some game. The sound of the laughter carried to Luke and from time to time he would look at them, ignoring the banter between the jocks. All they talked about were trophies and game strategies, and Luke already missed the jokes with his friends.
Ethan glanced at Luke and frowned again. Izzie shook her head.
“We should be getting on with things, not sending Luke death stares across the hall. Seriously, you two were some of his big supporters, and he got exactly what you hoped for.”
“Yeah, and now we are chopped liver,” Ethan mumbled.
“Luke is still our friend, and he is still the guy we were with in the kemana an hour ago. It might take a little time to get used to, but he doesn’t have to be glued to our side or prove anything to us. He is his own person. If we want to be the good friends here, then we need to accept that things might be different at mealtimes and be happy for him. He busted his ass trying to make this team, and now that he has. I won’t accept you bullying him over it.”
“All right, all right.” Ethan chuckled. “You made your point. Let Luke enjoy his victory, even if it’s not with us.”
Kathleen rolled her eyes. “God, you act like he picked up and moved schools or something. It’s one dinner so far. Stop being so sensitive.”
“I pride myself on my feminine sensitivity,” Ethan joked.
“Right, more like as sensitive as a brick.” Kathleen giggled, making everyone else laugh too.
Izzie put on a brave face, but she couldn’t help feeling hurt. She was going to take her own advice, though, and support him in whatever made him happy.
That night Alison and Izzie stood by their beds, folding laundry and putting it away. Izzie thought about Luke the whole time, wishing she wasn’t being so selfish about it. He was still her friend. That hadn’t changed.
“You okay?” Alison asked, sensing the sadness in her friend’s energy.
“You can see my mood, can’t you?”
“More like your emotions, but yeah. I can tell you are hurt over Luke picking a different table.”
“Am I right to be hurt?”
Alison smiled. “You have the right to feel however you feel, but I don’t think it would be right to make him feel bad about it.”
“I wouldn’t do that; not unless he totally ditched us and turned into another Wyatt or Henry. Even then I will wish him well and keep my feelings to myself.”
“Good. I want you to be happy too, not just him.”
Izzie reached over and squeezed Alison’s hand. “Thank you.”
The rest of the girls filed into the room after their showers. Kathleen took the towel from around her head and pulled out a bottle of gel. The girls watched as she squeezed a glob into her palm and ran it through her hair, scrunching the ends. They were used to seeing Kathleen always ready—straight red hair, not a thread out of place.
Kathleen looked up and smiled at them. “What? Everyone keeps telling me I will really come into my own in high school. I decided that I wanted it to be true, and not just wear or do my hair the way everyone else likes it.”
Alison walked toward Kathleen and put her hands out, taking hers. “You will be beautiful to us no matter what.”
“As sweet as that is, I’m not sure the blind girl should be the one making judgment calls on my beauty,” she joked, wrapping her arms around Alison. “I’m just kidding. Thank you; the words mean so much to me.”
Alison smiled and went back over to her bed. She put the last of her laundry away and pulled down the covers. She was actually pretty tired, and she knew that once the girls were asleep, she would have no problem falling into a meditative state. Izzie sighed and climbed into bed, pulling the covers up as Aya clicked off the lights.
“Night, everyone,” Izzie called.
“Night,” they all responded.
Alison waited until she knew the girls were asleep. They all knew she was a Drow and that she was blind, but she wasn’t ready to tell them she really didn’t sleep either. They’d probably start to think she was a vampire or something.
As her eyes drifted shut, she focused on her breathing. She replayed the events of the past week, watching everything unfold. When she reached the precise moment where she saw herself in her bed, she opened her eyes. Alison didn’t want to get in the habit of looking into the future. It was a dangerous power, and she figured it was best to only use it in case of emergency.
She cleared her mind and rolled onto her side, watching the shimmers of energy out in the fields. Though she was still tired, she recognized th
at she needed to meditate in small chunks until she had control of her talents. So instead, she let the energy of the fairies in the distance take her through the night.
24
The next day the girls got up and pulled on their gym wear. The grey and blue t-shirts matched the mesh shorts, and even the socks had the crest of the school on the outside of the calf. They pulled their hair back in ponytails and headed to breakfast. None of them were thrilled about taking a gym class, but Kathleen was the worst. She had tried to get herself excused, but in the end, she was decked out and ready to play.
“What do you think we will do in gym?” Aya asked as she ate her eggs.
“Probably do wind sprints and some stupid western dance. I feel like no matter how old it gets, every class from now to the Year 3000 will include them.”
“I don’t know about you guys, but I am not thrilled about doing the honky tonk.” Izzie sighed and glanced at Luke, who was sitting with the Louper team.
“I doubt we are doing that.” Emma giggled. “I’m sure it won’t be too painful. It’s only an hour.”
When breakfast was over, they headed outside to the soccer field. They lined up as Annabelle Grant came jogging over. Her clothes were the same as the girls’, except a slightly messier version. Tripping over her own feet, she stumbled slightly. She blew her hair out of her face and spun the ball in her hands as she looked at the girls.
The girls were surprised that she was the gym teacher. “Morning, ladies. The original gym teacher isn’t with us any longer, so I volunteered to take over. There were a lot of interesting things to do in the syllabus, and although I’m a huge fan of line dancing, I decided to start us out with a little dodgeball instead.”
Wary Is Her Love_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 14