by Keary Taylor
“I did well enough,” he said, and from the look in his eyes, I knew he was being modest. “I got word my scholarship for fall semester is still intact.”
I wanted to hug him. I wanted to squeal with excitement and pride and plant a kiss right on his lips.
But we were being friends first, and friends don’t do that.
“Congratulations,” I said, giving him a genuine smile instead.
And together, we had one last normal night here in the States, eating and laughing and talking with excitement about what was to come.
The morning was a flurry of activity. Our flight was at seven, so we all got up at five to be sure we were dressed and everything was packed. And it felt like we were one big family, and my dad suddenly had four young adult children instead of one. We were arguing over the shower and asking who didn’t put toilet paper on the roll. We were yelling if anyone had seen our shoes and then calling for the straggler taking too long to get their luggage to the curb.
We ordered two taxies. We dumped all our luggage in the trunks, which barely fit. And then Dad locked the front door and I watched with a pit of excitement and dread in my stomach as we pulled away from the house, because I wasn’t sure when I’d next see it again.
Mary-Beth talked nonstop from the front seat, and I wasn’t sure if she was talking to me or my dad or the taxi driver. But it didn’t really seem to matter if there was any kind of response. She rambled on, anyway.
I wondered how the vibe in the other taxi was, if Borden and Nathaniel were talking. I wondered if it was silent and awkward, because Nathaniel still didn’t seem one-hundred percent sure that nothing was going on between Borden and me.
My stomach tightened and my lips pressed together in a thin line. I pushed out all those thoughts, and watched the scenery go by outside.
It only took thirty minutes to reach the Boston Logan Airport. We gathered our luggage and paid the taxi drivers, and then with nervous anticipation, we headed inside.
I didn’t have a passport. Nathaniel didn’t have a passport.
We might, big might, have been able to get one in time. We had decided to make this trip weeks ago. But there was no guarantee we’d get it in time, and the cost was too much for Nathaniel.
So, in the end, we decided to test our magic.
We each held a folded-up piece of paper and as we walked up to the security check, they both changed from plain white paper, to something that looked exactly like a passport.
I handed mine over. The guard looked at me, and looked down at the picture of me. And without a single question, he waved me through.
Nervously, I looked back at Nathaniel, who met my eyes as he handed over his fake passport, as well.
In five seconds, he was waved through.
And I finally breathed a little easier. We could do this. We could travel to another country without the proper paperwork. We could use magic and not get caught.
“You look white as a ghost,” Borden leaned over and said quietly as we walked down the hall to our gate.
“I’ve never ridden on an airplane before, okay?” I said, my tone a little harsh. “And now my very first time is going to be flying over the whole of the Atlantic Ocean? I think I’ve earned looking a little bit pale.”
“I wasn’t trying to make fun of you,” Borden said. “Only making sure you’re alright.”
And something happened in my stomach with his supportive words. I didn’t like it.
But the moment came and went as we all reached our gate, just as they called for it to begin boarding.
I was planning to sit next to Dad on the flight, but as I was the last one to walk down the aisle, I watched him sit next to Nathaniel on the side aisle, where there was only seating for two.
Annoyed, I looked for the others.
Mary-Beth had taken a seat just behind Dad, next to an older woman. Of course they were already chatting it up. Borden had taken a seat in the middle aisle. I took the one just in front of him, right across from Mary-Beth.
My heart was thumping loud and hard as they finished boarding the plane. I knew I was too alert, too anxious, and probably looked ridiculous. But I couldn’t stop looking at everything. The seats, the flight attendants bustling around, or the cockpit, because the door was still slightly open.
I paid special, close attention when the flight attendants gave safety instructions. I made sure my seatbelt was especially tight around my waist.
My heart gave a hard lurch when the plane moved back, pulling away from the gate.
I took deep breaths in and out, slowly, as we moved to the runway. I wished I’d been able to get a window seat so I could watch closer. Maybe then I wouldn’t be so nervous.
I had to tip my head back against the headrest as the plane started rolling forward, faster and faster.
Suddenly, I felt a gentle hand on my shoulder, and I glanced back just barely to see Borden’s familiar hand.
I reached a hand up and covered his with mine, holding on for dear life as we launched forward.
I felt like we were going to shake apart as we moved at impossible speeds. Surely, we were going to crash and flip and roll.
But like a miracle, suddenly the nose of the plane lifted, and just a second later, the entire thing was airborne, and the ride was smooth.
I took five deep breaths in and out, telling myself to appreciate this feeling of flying. Literal flying.
I squeezed Borden’s hand, hoping he understood that I appreciated his support in the moment, and I hoped he could feel the excitement I felt at knowing I was truly in the air.
As we started to level off, I let go of his hand, and just then noticed Mary-Beth’s eyes on us. As soon as I met hers, she darted them away, as if she hadn’t seen anything.
Flight attendants started walking down the aisles. And if they felt safe enough to do that, I could feel safe enough to breathe normally.
So, ignoring Mary-Beth’s questioning looks, I pulled out a book, and got lost in a world of dragons and daring princes.
Chapter Twenty-Four
“Would you like something to drink, Miss?”
I looked up largely because of the accent. I was lost deep in my book, getting to the good part where the prince was ready to walk away from it all to be with his true love. And suddenly there was a very strong but clear Scottish accent bringing it all to a halt.
“Oh, sure,” I said, saying the first drink that came to mind. The woman smiled sweetly and nodded, getting the drink orders of everyone on my row.
I leaned forward and tapped my dad on the shoulder. He looked up from his own book at me. “How long has it been?” I asked.
He looked at his watch. “Should be landing in an hour,” he said, just loud enough for me to hear him.
I nodded and went back to my book. I had started it when we took off, and already, I was almost at the end. The flight really had gone quickly, and the only way I could tell how long it had really been was the stiffness in my back and neck, and the half numb state of my legs.
Ten minutes later, the attendants returned with a cart and trays full of drink orders.
Realizing my bag was in the way, I reached for it and pulled it under my feet. Only I knocked it over, and my wand and a bag with snacks fell out.
I grabbed them awkwardly, trying not to drop everything or lose my place in my book.
But just then, the flight attendant stepped backward down the aisle, and my wand poked right into her leg.
Instantly, my wand glowed blue.
“Sorry,” she apologized, but she didn’t even look back as she continued to do her job.
Sharply, I looked over at Dad and Nathaniel and Mary-Beth. But none of them were paying attention.
“Holy shit,” I heard Borden breathe from behind me.
But I didn’t get the chance to twist around and stare at him wide-eyed. The attendant walked further down the aisle, blocking my view.
I stared up at her with wide eyes as she handed drinks over
to the two people next to me.
Carefully, I slipped my sleeve over my hand and kept my wand in my hand as I reached for my drink. Awkwardly but carefully, I made sure it touched her wrist as I took my drink.
“Oh, that’s pretty,” she said, her eyes widening just a bit as it lit up, brilliant blue. “What’s that?”
I swallowed once and my words got caught in my throat for just a second. “Just…just a trick. Thanks for the drink.”
She just gave a courteous nod, and then moved further down the aisle, delivering more drinks.
Almost violently, I turned around in my seat to look at Borden.
“She’s a mage,” he said, his eyes wide as he looked at her. “No question. It happened twice.”
I nodded in agreement. “But…but what are we supposed to do? She’s a complete stranger. I don’t even know her name.”
“I…” But Borden closed his mouth again, because he didn’t know what we were supposed to do either.
I sat back in my seat, watching the attendant as she reached the front of the plane.
She was a pretty woman with clear skin with the reddest hair I’d ever seen. She had pretty green eyes and a warm smile. I’d guess she was twenty-five or so, maybe a little older. She was the most Scottish-looking person I’d ever seen, and the accent was a dead giveaway.
This just furthered our reasoning for going where we were. Scotland is where so much of this traced back to.
I got up from my seat and stood next to dad and snapped at Mary-Beth to get her attention. Borden came to stand next to me, leaning in.
“See that attendant there?” I asked, trying to keep my voice down so only our group could hear. “The one with the red hair?”
Each of them strained their necks to see who I was talking about.
“She’s a mage,” I said, my voice shaking. “My wand fell out of my bag and I touched her, twice, and it lit up like a Christmas tree.”
Nathaniel’s eyes widened as he looked at me. “You’re sure?”
“I saw it, too,” Borden said. “No question, she’s one of us.”
The entire group stared after her, watching as she made her way to the end of the aisle, smiling and speaking softly as she handed out drinks.
“What do we do?” Mary-Beth asked. She whispered far too loud. “Do we tell her? She’ll think we’ve caught some airborne virus on the plane and have gone insane.”
Nathaniel looked down at his watch. “We’ve got fifty minutes until we land in Edinburgh. We talk to her as much as we can in that timeframe. Get a feel for her. It’s a quick decision to make, but we can’t let an opportunity like this pass.”
My stomach clenched at the idea of it, but what else could we do?
I nodded, and Borden and I both went back to our seats.
I reached up and pressed the call button.
And like a charm, she came walking over just thirty seconds later. “Can I get you something else, miss?”
I smiled sweetly, trying to seem calm and inviting instead of anxious and uncertain. “No, actually, I hope you don’t mind. I just wanted to ask some questions. I’ve actually thought about becoming a flight attendant myself. I wondered if you would recommend it?”
She smiled, and actually seemed to appreciate the genuine conversation. “Oh, it’s been a wonderful job. I’ve gotten to see so much of the world. And I get to travel anywhere I like. It’s a far cry from the little village I grew up in.”
“Where’s that?” I asked, telling myself to remember it, because I knew it would be unfamiliar, no matter what.
She said the name, and I committed it to memory.
“I actually have a lot of ancestry in Scotland myself,” I said. “My ancestors were the McGregors.”
She smiled. “There were several McGregors in my town. Though it isn’t too uncommon of a surname.”
“Sorry,” I said, shaking my head at myself. “How rude of me. I never even asked your name.”
She smiled, flashing such a sweet and warm smile, I trusted her already. “It’s Poppy. Poppy Gowens.”
I’d never heard the name before, but I still smiled and told her my own name.
“I’m actually off once we land,” she said. “If you’d like to chat more, we could grab a drink or something, if you’re not in a hurry?”
I felt myself brighten, having a golden opportunity land in my lap. “Yes, actually, that would be great. That’s so kind of you.”
She smiled, and everything in me felt light and excited. “Wonderful. There’s this little pub in the airport. They have all kinds of options. If you wait for me at the gate, we can go together?”
I nodded. “I’d love that.”
She smiled, and just as she straightened to walk away, my dad pushed his call light above him, and she turned right to them.
I couldn’t hear their conversation over the noise of the airplane. But I turned and shrugged at Borden and Mary-Beth who looked at me with anticipation, and gave a tentative thumbs up.
One by one, Mary-Beth got Poppy’s attention next, and then Borden called her over. The pilot was calling for everyone to return to their seats by the time Borden was finished with her. Anxiously, we all looked at one another. There were similar shrugs and nods, the signal that no one had gotten any red flags from her.
I gripped my armrests with everything I had in me as we quickly approached the ground. I gritted my teeth with thoughts of certain death as the wheels hit the runway and we gave a tiny bounce. The noise was deafening as the wings transformed, creating drag, slowing us down extremely quickly.
But finally, we slowed, and our speed felt more normal. We curled around, and in just a few minutes, we were safely parked at a gate.
“You survived,” Borden said as we all unbuckled and stood, collecting our luggage from the overhead bins.
“I thought I was going to throw up on the landing,” I confessed. But as we were all pressed together in this tight space, I moved on to the more important subject at hand. “She actually invited me to have a drink with her on landing,” I said, talking quickly, because the plane was unloading fast. “So, unless anyone has any objections, we’ve got a perfect opportunity.”
“She didn’t say anything concerning,” Nathaniel said, looking around the space for Poppy, but she was nowhere to be seen.
And everyone shook their head in agreement.
“Okay,” I said, feeling nervous butterflies swarming in my stomach. “I’ll go with her to the pub. You all stay close by, but give us some space for a minute, maybe? And then we’ll figure out some way to slowly introduce her to all this.”
They nodded in agreement, but I could tell, none of them felt particularly easy about having to make this big, heavy decision instantly either.
One by one, we all filed off the plane. The others went a little way down the hall to wait, watching in a casual way. And I stood there as every passenger left the plane.
And then finally, Poppy walked out with her own bag, wearing that same warm smile.
“You ready?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” I responded with an excited and nervous smile.
We set off down the hall and made our way through the crowded airport.
“What brings you to Scotland?” she asked as she navigated easily.
“Um, I’m actually here with some family,” I said. “My father is a history professor and he just got a grant to study the area where the McGregors came from.”
“So, you’re all the smart, bookish type?” she asked, her tone teasing.
I shrugged and smiled. “Sort of. I actually just got expelled from the university.”
Poppy made a gasping sound. “I certainly never would have guessed. What for?”
I smiled, because even though it was awful and I hated it, I was kind of proud of what I’d done. “I put some bullies in their place. Unfortunately, they were bullies with money and power and connections.”
Poppy raised an eyebrow at me but smiled. “Sounds li
ke you’re my kind of girl.”
I laughed and followed her around the corner and then into the little pub along the hallway.
I just ordered a glass of water. I was too nervous to eat. But Poppy got herself a salad and we settled into a tiny table in the hall.
“So, tell me about yourself,” I said, taking a sip of my water, even though I didn’t want it in the least.
She finished chewing her bite. “Well, not much to tell. I grew up in a tiny town where not much of anything happened. I once let all of old Collin McCallum’s cows out of their pen just to relieve some of the boredom.”
I laughed, feeling better about her already.
“My older brother went on to medical school and is a doctor here in Edinburgh, and so when our parents died two years ago, I decided it was my time to get out and do something with myself,” she said, and I was impressed with the way she could be so sincere, but not bring down the mood with the heavy things she’d just said. “That’s when I decided to become a flight attendant. And it’s been great. If you love traveling, you couldn’t pick a better career.”
I felt myself blush, and instantly my stomach grew heavy with nerves. I looked around to be sure no one was watching, because now was the time.
“Actually, this was my first time ever on an airplane,” I confessed, starting down this slippery slope of craziness. “And becoming a flight attendant wasn’t really my real reason for talking to you.”
I bent down and pulled the telekinesis book out of my bag, noting the questioning look on Poppy’s face.
“I know you probably know Gaelic since you’re from Scotland,” I said. “But do you notice anything unique about this book?” I opened it and lay it flat on the table, where she could easily see the words.
She narrowed her eyes and leaned forward so she could read it. “It’s complete gibberish.”
I nodded, because we’d already discovered so. “What about when you touch the pages?”
She looked up at me with questioning in her eyes. I simply nodded, encouraging her to do what I said.
Tentatively, she reached a hand forward, and touched the pages.