Smoke and Mirrors

by Lena Lockett

  “I just wanted to make sure you were okay. It was weird and loud, and you could have gotten hurt,” Brandi said.

  “I’m fine,” I said before pulling out my books. Even I didn’t believe what I was saying.

  “Do you want to hang out tonight and study?” She asked quietly as the teacher came in.

  “You will have to go in the scary dungeon,” I teased.

  “That’s not funny,” she said. “What time should I be there?”

  Six

  I sat on the bed and watched as Brandi looked around the room. She ran her hand over the walls and glanced back at the door.

  “It doesn’t seem different,” she said.

  “It’s not. I just can’t do magic that is so strong it goes out of this room. I thought it was a room that didn’t allow magic, but it seems I can still do it in here.”

  “That’s weird, but I guess it makes sense.” She plopped on the bed beside me and leaned back till her back was on the headboard.

  “What do you want to study?” I said glancing at our books.

  “How about we study who we want to take to the dance,” she said.

  I laughed and shook my head. “I haven’t even had time to decide who I want to go with or if I want to go with anyone.”

  “What about Link?” She wagged her eyebrows. “You two have some kind of chemistry.”

  “No, we’re just lab partners,” I said.

  “Lab partners who make sparks.”

  I gave her a look and leaned against the wall on the other side of my bed. “You are horrible,” I said. “What about you. Who are you going with?”

  “I don’t know. We still have a little bit of time, but I can’t wait until I see who you decide to take,” I said.

  “Well, there is a guy in my energetic healing class that I could get on board with.”

  “Oh, tell me all about it,” I said, and we dove into a completely normal conversation about boys and school. It was a nice change from everything else I’d been dealing with. All the magic stuff was exhausting, and I was really looking forward to this dance.

  “What do you think the other supernaturals are going to be like?” She said.

  I shrugged. I’d only met a select few and that was more because my dad was dealing with them. “I don’t know. I guess we’ll find out.”

  “I’ve heard they are all a bit different depending on what they are.”

  “I know the Fae is going to be the hardest to get along with. They have entitlement issues.” I rolled my eyes. “The Vampires I could almost get on board with, but they aren’t allowed.”

  “Who knows. Things have been changing all over the place. We might have members of the children of the night at our school before you know it.”

  “They don’t have powers, so I don’t know how that would work.”

  “Unless you count the fact they can’t die,” she said. “That would be pretty cool.”

  “Would it, though?” I sat up. “All the people you love the most would eventually die, and you’d be alone.”

  “Not if they were all Vampires too,” Brandi said.

  I pictured Vampire families where adults were a beautiful late twenties and the children were teens and young adults for the rest of their undead lives. It would be a perfect family photo, but that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be issues. I mean they were Vampires.

  “Maybe,” I said once I’d came out of my thoughts.

  “What are you thinking?” She asked. “Are you still worried about this place keeping you here?”

  “No, they would have kicked us out when we left, but something happened while we were on that other world.” I bit my lip. I wasn’t sure I should tell her about the amp up in my powers. Even though I was fairly sure it was clear by my new living arraignments.

  “I know. It was a rolled place with nothing there,” she said.

  “That’s not completely true. There was old magic there. The kind I haven’t ever felt before but was somehow still familiar with.” I shook my head. “I don’t want to talk about that. I want to eat snacks and talk about boys.”

  “No, just that one boy.”

  She wasn’t wrong. Link had everything I could want. He was smart, advanced in magic and he understood what it was like to be me. There was no lightening spark moment that made me decide I was in love with him either. Nothing like those boring movies my mom watched. It was more of a creeping feeling that somehow had taken over me. I had feelings for him, but I wasn’t sure if I could even tell him. It was all just too weird.

  “Well, he lives down here too.”

  “What!” She stood. “You forgot to mention that.” Brandi walked to the bag she had dragged in here with her and pulled out a box of thin mint cookies before taking a seat at the foot of my bed and setting the cookies between us.

  “Yeah, he was here yesterday when I moved in.”

  “You don’t find that a certain twist of fate?”

  “No, I find that a huge coincidence.” I grabbed a cookie and stuffed it into my mouth.

  “He is cute,” she said without missing a beat.

  I shook my head and laughed. Finally, conversation about something fun. I wanted to continue this for as long as possible. Too bad, the universe has other ideas.

  ***

  After Brandi left, I realized I wanted a walk and the darkness around the school was the best place to take it. When it was dark, I couldn’t see the smoke as well. That almost made it feel like it wasn’t there. That was the best feeling I could get right now. I could still feel it’s power vibrating under the surface, calling me to use it. I was more connected to this power than ever before and I knew what kind of damage I could do. I wanted to do it. I wanted to let the smoke inside and to allow all that power to run through my veins.

  I pushed my door open and stepped into the hallway. It was dark except for the twinkle of the lights lining the hallway. The air felt a little thicker than it had earlier, but I took a breath and started down it anyway. I heard a door open behind me and turned just in time to meet Link’s eyes. He closed his door and smiled.

  “Hey, what’s up?” He said in that sexy voice that made my heart jump. All I wanted was to be the one he wanted to see.

  “Nothing,” I said like an idiot. “I’m just going for a walk. It’s getting a little cramped in there.” I smiled as I spoke.

  “Oh, I’ll come with you,” he said with a smile.

  I instantly froze at the idea. “Okay. Sure.” I swallowed hard.

  Link walked over, and we continued down the hallway.

  “How has your magic been progressing?” He asked as we pushed the door to the hallway open and passed into the dining hall. Everything was quiet and put away. It was an eerie sight to see the tables empty and the buffet area bare.

  “It’s going well. Maybe too well,” I said without thinking.

  “Your magic got kicked up a notch, huh?”

  “I guess. I made my door disappear,” I said.

  “You also went to another world or, so I heard.”

  “Yeah, that was a mistake, but I had my reasons,” I said.

  “You mean all the smoke floating around in here,” he said.

  I stopped and stared at him.

  “What? I can see things most can’t, but I didn’t want to scare you with that. Besides, I didn’t know what it was exactly,” he said.

  “Is that why you’re in the more secure rooms?”

  “Something like that.”

  “What?” I said. “You can’t just stop with that.”

  “I have magic in conjuring fire. Sometimes it gets out of control.”

  “Oh,” I said.

  “I’ve had strong powers when I was a kid. Its kind of runs in the family,” he said.

  I looked up and realized we were already in the middle of the courtyard. It was even more beautiful in the dark. The plants seemed to glow in places. The dark blue irises looked almost luminescent in the little light I could see.

&n
bsp; “It’s magic. The whole courtyard has it in everything.” He glanced at the trees. “The trees have a calming influence in it. The horticulture class did the magic when they planted them.”

  “It is calming. I really love it.”

  “Good,” he said, putting his arm around me, pulling me closer.

  I felt a jolt in my body. Not because I was scared, but because I was so aware, he was there. Every time he pulled me a bit closer and the air got thinner between us, I was more aware. The heat of his body against mine was electrifying. I turned towards him and he smiled.

  “I am glad we are here together,” he said softly.

  “Me too. “I barely managed to speak.

  “I was thinking if you weren’t dating anyone, if you might want to see a movie or something with me sometimes?” He stuttered through his sentence like it was the first time he’d asked anyone out.

  “You want to go on a date, with me?” I almost laughed. I had no idea why someone who was a third year would want to date a first year, but here we were.

  “Yeah, I really like you. You’re different from the other girls here.” He raised an eyebrow. “Is it so weird I’d want to go on a date with you, really?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. You’re a third year, I’m a first year.” I bit my lip. This is going well.

  He laughed. “See, not like other girls. You have a light in you that makes you bright and fun and… different. I can’t explain it.”

  Just say yes. “I’d love to go on a date with you.”

  “Great, there’s a movie on the grassy area tomorrow. I’ll swing by your room after dinner.”

  “It’s a date.”

  ***

  I woke up with a bit of a spring in my step. I never thought I’d be going on a date before the dance or even that I’d be going on a date at all, but here we were. Also, it was parent’s day, so my mom was waiting in the great room for me. I missed her more than I could ever say. She was the one person that believed I could make something like this work and that was always there. Text messages and phone calls just weren’t the same.

  “Larisa, I’m so glad to see you,” my mom said as she rushed over to give me a hug. She was dressed in a white dress with red accents that rolled down her arm. They seemed to move a little as she reached for me. I loved how she was able to put a little magic in everything she did. Just enough to make regular people think they imagined it, but not enough to get caught up in some kind of scandal.

  “I’ve missed you mom,” I said without letting go of her. She even smelled like home.

  We walked to a nearby table and sat. I smiled as I told my mom all about the things I’d been doing and my magic. I left out the part about the black smoke. There wasn’t any point in worrying her.

  “Your dad is up for this promotion to be head of the entire magic division of the Interdimensional Task Force. It’s a big jump. He wouldn’t just be heading the World Walker division, he’d be heading it all.”

  Basically, the president of the magical community.

  “Good for him, I hope he gets it,” I said with a smile. I tried my best to not show how much I hated the idea. All I’d ever wanted was my father and not the name that he had. That came with a whole set of its own problems. Sure, he was around for Yule and Ostara, but he wasn’t there for my first band recital or the play where I got the smallest part ever. He just was too busy for his daughter. Maybe that was why I was an only child.

  “I know it was hard for you growing up, but he tried. All he wanted was for you to go to the best school. He knew you’d be powerful and here you are. A World Walker, just like him.”

  I shrugged. As much as I hated it, she was right. I had gotten a huge boost of power since I’d came here. Before, I didn’t even have magic, I just wished for it. Now, I was seeing it everywhere. I glanced at the black smoke wrapping itself around my foot. I’d come to feel okay with it around me in the last few days. It felt warm and safe. Something I wasn’t sure I’d feel from anyone if they knew, but Link. He was one of the few that didn’t seem bothered by my weirdness, but he said he saw it too, sort of.

  “Do you want to see my room?” I changed the subject and jumped to my feet. My mom smiled and stood.

  “Lead the way.”

  We walked for a while until we were in the farthest part of the room halls. I walked passed Links room and bit my lip. A part of me wondered if he was there, right now, but I also had my mom with me, so it would be weird if he was.

  I stopped in front of my room and pushed open the door. “Here it is.” I smiled as I spoke, and my mother stepped in. She sat on my bed and nodded her head.

  “This is nice. I expected it to be smaller.”

  “The first one was, but after I made the door go… I don’t know where it went exactly, they moved me here.” I leaned on the open door but glanced around my room too. It was hard to believe this was the same place I’d seen so covered in black smoke not two nights ago.

  “I think it’s an upgrade,” she said. “Now tell me about the boys.”

  “What?” I couldn’t keep my smile hidden. “There’s nothing to talk about.”

  “I know that’s not true. A pretty girl like you has to have turned at least one head.”

  I bit my lip. “Well, there is this one guy, but it hasn’t gone anywhere. We’re just going to a movie or something.”

  She laughed, and I couldn’t help but laugh with her. It was a nice release of stress and reminded me how much I was loved by my parents even if they weren’t always able to show it.

  “Well, I want to meet this boy the next time I’m here.”

  “Okay, I can do that.”

  I waved at my mom as she got into her nice silver VW Bug. She loved that thing. It really had been a nice day and I was still feeling good when the alarms went off again. I froze thinking about the last time they had gone off and how the black smoke had filled me and taken me someplace I wanted to and didn’t want to go again. I couldn’t move as everyone filtered through the hallway around me towards the shelter like I wasn’t even standing there. I bit my lip and turned but it felt like my feet were pushing through sludge.

  You can’t leave. We need you, both of you. The voice was loud my head and made my breath catch. What does it mean both of you? I felt the air rushing from my lungs and my vision going cloudy and falling.

  ***

  The sensation of falling wasn’t jarring like it should have been. It was freeing and breathtaking at the same time. She couldn’t see anything but blackness, but the occasional hot prick on her fingers told her she was doing some kind of magic.

  You’ve been chosen, Larisa and Maria. The dark magic of old is here to fill its children again. Do not fear it, it’s a part of you.

  I shook my head. “No, I don’t understand,” I said without thinking and felt the ground slam up against my feet before my vision cleared and I was standing on the stone circle in the forest beside the school. Only, there was no school and there were only a few cloaked witches standing inside it.

  “Light and dark are the only true magic,” a dark clocked figure said as he moved behind the altar. “All magic comes from us, but Darkness is the strongest and will consume the world,” he finished. He turned to another clocked figure and pulled her hood from her head. Her dark hair fell over her shoulders. She had light green eyes and pale skin that looked odd against the dark hair and cloak on her body.

  “You give yourself willingly to the darkness?” He asked.

  She nodded. “I do.”

  “Then all these powers are given without question to you,” he said before slicing her hand with an old wood handled dagger. “Receive your gifts.”

  The circle came alive with dark smoke. It weaved in and out of the stones and the cloaked figures standing inside, before enveloping her and disappearing.

  This is your legacy. You must make a choice to receive your posers or lose all your magic. You have until the next new moon.

  “Wait,” I s
aid before locking eyes with Maria. She gave me a confused look. Like she had no idea what the hell I was doing here. I felt the same way before the darkness overcame me again.

  Seven

  The voices were muffled at first, like I was under water. I tried to focus on them, but it was like I was searching for a penny at the bottom of the ocean. I couldn’t get a hold of them.

  “Larisa?” The voice was familiar. It was my best friend, Brandi. I grabbed on to it and held it tightly, following it back to my body.

  I slowly opened my eyes and looked up at all the people around me. Brandi was knelt down in front of me, but Link was standing to the side, his face concerned. The headmaster was ushering people towards me and I felt someone pick me up before hitting as soft pillow and my eyes fluttered shut again.

  “She was fine and then I found her like this,” Link’s voice said.

  I opened my eyes and glanced their way. I was finally feeling like my head was attached and I could move my own body. I ached from head to toe, but at least I was okay.

  “What happened?” I managed to say, getting Links attention.

  “I don’t know. The alarms went off and when the all clear was called, you were on the floor in the great room.”

  “My mom,” I said.

  “She was gone when it happened, but she knows about it,” he said.

  I nodded. “Is everyone else okay?”

  “Yeah, it was just you. Do you know what happened?”

  “No, I was standing there and then I was waking up,” I said. There was no point in going into detail when I didn’t have all the facts yet and to bother him with the black smoke again wasn’t going to change what had happened. I’d tell Brandi when I got out of here.

  “I’d like to go to my room. Can I do that, please?” I sat up and leaned against the head board.

  “I don’t know. That’s up to the headmaster.”

  I made a face. “Really, I feel fine. Just really tired.”

  Link glanced up at the nurse who shrugged.

  “I guess you can if you’re careful,” she said. “Just make sure to get some rest and stay away from magic for at least tonight. There was a lot in the air and that was probably part of the problem for you.”