by E A Foley
“There a problem here?” Cirrus asked. He placed a stopping hand on Brett’s shoulder. It kept him from steering Iris into the mostly empty parking lot. She could see Rowen a few steps behind Cirrus.
Iris tried to disengage herself from Brett in the brief second his concentration switched to Cirrus. He tightened his grip further. The tickling sensation at the back of her neck exploded into pain. Brett drew in more power. He was strong. Possibly stronger than she was. She needed to get free.
“Another guy, huh? Well, this is more interesting. I thought it was just Iris, Cirrus, and the other girls. Well, all except Morrigan.” Brett half turned to face Cirrus.
“Let Iris go,” Cirrus demanded.
“I’ll let her go in a minute. We’re in the middle of a conversation. Excuse us.” Brett turned back toward the parking lot. Dug his fingers into Iris’s shoulder.
“Yeah, not going to happen,” Rowen said from behind them.
Iris could feel the power Rowen held. He made a half-request, half-demand and sent a dart of air at Brett. His had jerked away from Iris’s shoulder and he drew in a quick breath of air. Iris ducked and took four hurried steps to join Cirrus and Rowen before Brett could grab her again.
Brett expelled all the air from his lungs. He glared at Rowen for a few seconds before his eyes roved about the area around Iris. He chuckled. “It seems I was wrong about how many of them there are, Dad. If Morrigan is capable—you are! My sincerest apologies. I didn’t think you were,” Brett added as Morrigan pulled power into her being.
“That it does. Nine, huh?” Mr. Moreno said as his eyes surveyed the area behind and next to Iris.
Iris hadn’t noticed her friends gathering, but she could feel them now. Several had hands on her shoulders. All of them were open to drawing in flows of power surrounding them, but none had pulled any into their being. Except for Rowen and Morrigan, who was now waiting for a sign or signal from Iris like everyone else.
“Did you share my note with all of them? Have you had a chance to discuss it and come to a decision?”
“My answer, our answer, is no. We will not be joining you. You reek of negativity and that isn’t something we care to have in our lives. We live for positive changes. To help. To make a difference. Not to threaten and belittle others.”
“Is that your final answer?” Mr. Moreno asked. His jaw tightened.
“It is,” Iris said calmly. She was poised to pull as much power into her being as it could hold. His sunglasses and calmness made it hard for her to read him.
Mr. Moreno stared at her for several long moments. His face relaxed. “Very well. I guess we’ll have to settle this sometime in the future. Come on, Brett. We need to get something to eat before we head to Grad Nite. I suspect we’ll see you all there. Ta-ta for now.” He waved over his shoulder.
Brett stood staring at the nine of them for a few more minutes. He backed away several steps, sneered, opened his mouth and decided to save it for later. He turned and walked away.
“Well they’re peachy, aren’t they?” Rowen asked.
It broke the tension that had built.
“No kidding,” Cirrus agreed.
Jaden shrugged.
“Food? I’m starving!” Morrigan asked the group.
Several laughs helped disperse the tension further. Iris still had her guard up. So did Cirrus, by the look of him. They made their way to the cars in small clusters and drove to their favorite local restaurant chain, Island’s. Iris ordered her usual Yaki tacos and a Roy Rodgers. She knew exactly what everyone else would order before they told the waiter.
By the time food arrived, the remaining tension in Iris’s body was gone. Dinner was a blast, which was how it was supposed to be. After cramming food in their faces, they made quick trips home to change out of their formal graduation clothes and into jeans and t-shirts before heading to Grad Nite.
Campus was covered in a variety of things to do. From casino games to a rock climbing wall, to funky hair designs, and more. They put their punch cards around their necks and went from station to station. Now that she knew what his magic felt like, Iris could feel Mr. Moreno close by. She tried to ignore him but the prickling sensation at the back of her neck made it a bit difficult to accomplish the task.
Brett tried to make himself visible everywhere she went. After the fifth time, Cirrus disappeared for a few minutes and returned with several members of the varsity soccer team. They shuffled Brett away and Iris didn’t see him for the rest of the night. When she tried to ask Cirrus about it, he simply held his finger to his lips and winked at her. She mouthed thanks and gave him a one-armed hug around his waist.
By the time the very long night came to an end and teachers and chaperones started telling the graduates to go home, they’d managed to try their hands at every option available to them. Iris yawned and waved goodbye to everyone before continuing to her car. She looked at the lightening sky and decided to head to the business park area to get a few good sunrise pics before heading home and falling into her bed. She had plans to sleep half the day away.
“I said I’d see you soon,” Brett’s voice called from the shadows behind her 4Runner in the deserted parking lot.
“You know, I’m rather bored of this. Why don’t you head home to your daddy and call it a night?”
“Cute. I don’t need him to finish you off.”
Iris felt him draw power into his being. She pulled on the flows surrounding her and was filled to bursting at the same time he was. Her head spun from the effort, but it was worth it. She was surprised at how powerful he was. And still wasn’t positive who was stronger. They were so close in abilities, but she thought he edged her out by a fraction.
His eyes widened at the speed she was able to fill herself, form, and release her first request. It was nothing more than a whoosh of air past him. Her aim was off from the spinning sensation plaguing her. The power behind the blast was low. She’d meant it as a warning shot and a way to let him know she was as serious as he was.
“Not as confident in your abilities now, are you? Let’s see who’s at their max, shall we?” His voice was thick with bravado.
Iris lowered her head a few inches and let the left side of her mouth rise up into a smirk as she drew in two more puffs of power, much like she had air earlier. She held her ground and waited to see if he followed suit. He didn’t.
“You’re a lot stronger than I would’ve given you credit for. I always thought it was Cirrus who was the strongest.”
“Why’s that? Because you’re a sexist bastard like most guys in this world?”
“No, because of the strong magical presence that emanates from his house on occasion. I live down the street from him. Didn’t you know?”
Well, that explains that mystery, Iris thought to herself. “No. Should I have?” She didn’t want to let on that she could feel other magic users herself.
“Pity. And I went to all that trouble trying to make my presence known. Well, I guess this will have to be my reward.”
Brett grinned and released a battering ram of air at Iris. She formed a wall of air in front of her. The battering ram exploded on her shield less than a blink later. Powerful gusts of air flew in all directions. If it hadn’t been for her shield, Iris would have been knocked over like she was no more than paper. Brett’s grin turned into a smile. She imagined this was how a cat would look when cornering a mouse. If it could smile.
“Like I said, you’re dead, Iris Faye.”
Brett released another battering ram of air at her.
Iris focused on strengthening her shield. It held. Then shattered when several dozen needle point blasts hit it. She altered her request. Was too late. She leaned forward, threw her hands in front of her face. A wall of air forced her back a few paces. Gusts of wind whipped around her new shield. She looked up. Brett was enjoying himself. It chilled her blood.
She focused on his magic. Tried to determine his request before he released it.
“Wall,�
� she muttered. Expanded her shield to cover more of the space in front of her. “Bullets.” She increased the thickness of her shield. Willed it to be impenetrable. It held this time. The blast that followed showed her how narrow a space in front of her she was protecting. “Needles. Shit!” Pinpoint holes allowed the next blast of air to reach her, but they were no more than quick puffs of air.
Iris doubled her efforts. Drew in a continuous flow of power and expelled it into shield after shield as Brett sent more air weapons at her. He altered the amount, pressure, and type of attack each time. Was trying to break her concentration and cause her to slip up. Anger filled Iris.
She continued requesting and forming shields of air, but she slowly split her concentration to go on the offensive. Breath was harder to draw in. Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. When they started falling down her cheeks, she realized Brett’s attacks were no longer getting through. Iris increased her efforts. She needed to attack or she risked faltering due to exhaustion.
After dozens of blocks, she released her request for a fireball and threw it at Brett’s face. He dodged it rather than blocked it. The flames hit the concrete support pillar to one of the parking lot lights and dissipated into nothing as she dismissed the request. Her chest heaved with her labored breathing.
“That was interesting. I’ve never thought about using fire. Perhaps I should keep you around a little longer. Let’s see what you are truly capable of.”
Brett readied what felt like the same attack. Iris grinned.
“Without practice, that fireball will consume you before you even think about releasing your request.”
“Request? I don’t make requests. I tell the power flowing around me what to do and it obeys.”
“It won’t forever,” Iris said softly.
“It will.” Brett cocked his head to the side as if listening to something. He stood up straight and dissipated the glow forming in his right hand. “Saved by curiosity. It seems we’ll have to finish this later. See you in the fall.” He grinned and pulled more power in.
Iris readied for another attack. Darkness surrounded Brett and he was gone. If she didn’t know any better, she’d say he formed a doorway, but there was no sign of one. All that remained was a lingering sensation of two locations being joined for one moment. Iris squashed a desire to follow after him using the traces of magic.
She stood there, breathing hard before she came to her senses. He’d said, See you in the fall. It couldn’t be. How had she not realized this? Iris scrambled to find her car keys and climbed into her too-tall car. She snatched the graduation booklet off the passenger seat and flipped to the M section. Her heart pounded as her finger scrolled down the pages of last names until it fell on Moreno, Brett. Next to it said UC Davis. It seemed Brett would be seeing her in the fall.
Iris shook her head and sighed. There was nothing she could do now. She’d have to deal with him someday, but for now, she was going to enjoy summer break and get back to training harder in magic. She started the 4Runner, slipped the gear selector into first and pulled forward out of her parking space.
She pulled the e-brake and slipped out of her car moments before the sun crested the hills to the east. Iris took a few quick pictures before basking in the growing warmth. She welcomed the next chapter of her life.
“I won’t shy away from my responsibilities,” she whispered to the surrounding stillness. “Well, old friend,” she patted the hood of the 4Runner. “Ready for the next stage in life? I hope you are because I am!”
Iris climbed back into her car and headed home with a smile. Though they’d meant to scare her, Brett and Mr. Moreno had managed to boost her confidence. She had eight friends who’d always stand up for her and she could hold her own magically against someone as strong as her. If she could tackle that, college would be a breeze.
Acknowledgments
This book would not exist without the love, support, and brutal honesty of many.
First and foremost, thank you Earl T. Roske, Megan E. O’Keefe, and Trish Henry for the hundreds of hours we’ve spent together writing and simply getting through life. Thank you for your honest feedback on everything I presented to you, your help in all aspects of getting this book launched, and most importantly, your friendship.
Thank you to Julianne, Earl and Trish for reading the full manuscript and telling me yes, my time had been well spent. And to Brittney Ross who edited this manuscript with a fine-tooth comb and allowed it to be launched into the world.
Thank you to my high school friends and later college roommates who introduced me to the SFF genre and presented me with lists of books and new worlds to explore. And to my high school and college English teachers who encouraged me to write and write more.
Thank you to my sister, Caroline, for all the phone calls and texts regarding cover art and author name, and for your encouragement as I embarked on my journey to become an author. And thank you to my parents who allowed creativity, imagination, and magic to exist throughout my childhood and into my adulthood, without which this book may never have been written.
Finally, thank you to my husband, Roy, who takes the good days with the bad days and allowed me to pursue my dream of becoming an author. Thank you for being my rock and believing in me even on days when I did not believe in myself.
Sneak Peek — DENOUNCEMENT
CHAPTER 1
Tingling eyes and a tightness to her chest caught Iris by surprise as she stood in the parking lot surveying the people bustling around the dorm building in front of her. She watched friends hugging one another. Happy reunions. Freshmen playing it cool or saying goodbye to their parents before entering the building. All things she should be doing yet she remained frozen where she stood at the edge of the parking lot.
“Why did you think you’d gotten over your shyness?” she asked herself.
“You did start coming out of your shell last year. And spent the summer with friends gaining confidence and such.” Iris was in full conversation mode. It wasn’t a good sign.
“Yes, but I know them. That’s different. I don’t know these people.”
“You’ll know them in a few days. Besides, Zarina and Jaden will be here soon. You’ll be fine.”
Iris grimaced at herself. Even after trying to work up the courage to enter the dorm building alone, she couldn’t do it. Her eyes twinged again. She lowered the sunglasses from on top of her head to hide any color changes from passersby and pulled her cell phone out. Iris tapped the favorites icon and pressed the line with Zarina’s name and picture. The phone rang. And rang. And rang.
“Hey, it’s Zarina. I can’t…”
Iris hung up. Someone called her name. She turned around just in time to see Zarina’s grinning face framed by her shoulder-length brown hair before she engulfed Iris in a hug.
“College! Band! Isn’t it awesome!”
“Sure.”
“Wow, Iris, don’t be so cheery. You may scare the other freshmen,” Jaden teased with an ill concealed smirk.
Iris rolled her eyes at him—which he couldn’t see since she was wearing her darkest sunglasses—and shook her head. He got the point and chuckled at her.
“Come get your stuff, Zarina. I want to lock the car and head inside.”
Zarina skipped back to Jaden. She positively beamed. Iris wondered how she was so comfortable. Zarina was almost as bad around strangers as Iris was. Then she realized Zarina had an advantage. She’d already met several of the people in the building they were about to enter. And Jaden told her about band so she knew what she was getting herself into. Iris didn’t. Even so, Iris trailed behind Zarina and helped her grab stuff out of the trunk.
“Where’s all your stuff?” Zarina asked.
Iris waved to the rolling suitcase, sleeping bag, and pillow she’d left a few feet away.
“No, I mean all your stuff for school.”
“Oh. My parents drove me here through the early hours of the morning, dropped all my stuff off at some band mem
ber’s house this morning, kicked me out here, and left for Yosemite. The jerks,” she added under her breath.
“Aw, is little Iris all bent out of shape because her parents ditched her?” Jaden asked in a baby voice.
“Ass,” Iris quipped and punched him lightly in the shoulder with a small blast of air. They’d spent a lot more time together over the summer practicing magic and had become better friends. It turned out Jaden was a lot nicer when he wasn’t stressed out about school.
“Be nice,” Zarina chided them. “Come on. Let’s head inside!”
“Sure. Why not?”
“You really should learn to contain your enthusiasm.”
“I’ll work on that,” Iris said. She glanced out of the corner of her eye at Jaden. He shook his head at her. At least she hadn’t risen to his bait this time. Why he enjoyed getting a rise out of her was a mystery. Perhaps it was because it was so easy.
“Remember,” Zarina leaned over and whispered to Iris, “no magic for a week. You promised. I’ll let that last bit slide this time, but no more.”
Iris nodded. She’d used the summer to train herself and her friends further. Partly to keep from forming a doorway to anywhere in the world she wanted. There was no way they could guarantee they wouldn’t be seen. The thought of being caught scared Iris more than anything. Except her friends being caught.
The one great thing about the summer practices was everyone’s strength increased significantly. Iris’s most of all, but that was because she pushed herself beyond what she knew her breaking point was. It was rare for her to be void of the power flowing through the Earth or using it in some capacity. She wasn’t sure how she would get through a whole week without it.