She glanced toward the kitchen, wishing he’d return. A moment passed, then another. She turned to look back at Matthew who was staring at her intently. She cleared her throat.
“Thank you for your concern, but I can’t do as you suggest. Please don’t think I’m just dismissing it because I’m naive. I’m not. I’ve lost more than my share of people and if it’s taught me one thing it’s that love is a gift, not a burden. You have to hold the people in your life close to your heart because you never know how long you will have them. Mal might very well be killed by a Trickster next week. I could be killed in a car accident Monday. None of us knows for certain what the future will bring. We need to be mindful of it, yes, but we can’t live in fear of it because, at the end of the day, that’s not really living.”
She stopped and waited for Matthew to say something. He was staring intently at her, like he was trying to read her very thoughts. She heard footsteps and she glanced toward the door just as Mal appeared, balancing three dessert plates piled high with brownies, ice cream, whipped cream and what looked like a raspberry sauce.
He set them carefully down on the table and then handed the first to Opal. She took it and set it down in front of her. He handed the second plate to his father and the older man glanced up at him.
“You don’t deserve her, son,” he commented, somehow managing to sound casual.
“I know,” Mal said with a grin.
He grabbed his plate and sat down. “Sorry it took so long. The ice cream was frozen hard as a rock. I had to thaw it slightly. Fortunately it was simple to...” he stuttered to a bit of a halt, glanced at his father and said, “warm it up in the microwave.”
Matthew rolled his eyes. “Please, you haven’t touched the microwave in ten years, not since you learned you could use magic to heat up food.”
Opal nearly spewed the bite she’d just taken. “You use magic to heat up all your food?”
“Well...”
“And cool it. How do you think the ice cream got so hard in the first place?” his father said.
Opal started laughing. “You use magic to cook? That’s so...so I don’t know. You use something so amazing to do something so mundane. I don’t even know what to call that.”
“Ridiculous is what I call it,” Matthew said. “I’m surprised he can even put gas in his car without using magic to do it. Honestly, if he didn’t have his powers he wouldn’t be able to feed himself, dress himself, or get himself across town.”
“Okay, that’s a bit of an exaggeration.”
“Hardly,” his dad snorted. “I don’t know, maybe that’s what you get when all four grandparents were magic users.”
“Your whole family are magic users?” Opal asked.
Mal nodded. “At least, they were. It’s just Dad and me now.”
“And I opted out,” Matthew said.
“Is that normal for everyone to have the ability?”
“Not even remotely,” Matthew said. “It usually skips around in families in seemingly random fashion. Mal, though, is the fourth generation in a row on my side and the fifth generation in a row on his mother’s side. Both families date back much farther than that, of course, but that’s how long it’s been without a skip.”
Opal looked at Mal uneasily. It sounded like that was a pretty big deal. So, why was he interested in her when she wasn’t a magic user? Would he at some point decide he’d made a mistake?
“I don’t care that you don’t do magic,” he said gently, without turning to look at her.
“How...how did you know I was thinking about that? You can’t read my mind, can you?” she asked, worried at the thought.
“No, he can’t, but it was logical for you to be thinking about that,” Matthew said.
She stared at Mal suspiciously, waiting for some sort of confirmation from him. He just picked up his fork and took a bite of his dessert.
Mal’s father was pleasant all throughout dessert. Shortly after they finished eating Mal offered to walk her home and she was relieved. His father’s words had put her on edge and even though he was being nice she wanted to get out of the house. Once they had gone partway up the street she found herself breathing easier.
“Dad told you to dump me, didn’t he?” Mal asked suddenly, his voice oddly neutral.
She looked at him. “How did you know that?”
“Lucky guess,” he said with a shrug.
“He did. He seems very pessimistic about your chances of surviving very long.”
“I know, and I don’t blame him. I just wish he hadn’t encouraged you to steer clear.”
“Well, if it’s any consolation, I told him I couldn’t do that.”
“You did?” he asked, a touch of surprise in his voice.
She stopped and turned to face him. “Is it that shocking?”
Mal passed a hand through his hair. “Frankly, every second you stay with me is shocking to me. I keep thinking you’re going to come to your senses and run away screaming.”
“You honestly think that?”
“Yeah.”
“Why?”
“Magic sounds fun, I’m sure, but the reality can be pretty brutal. Not everyone is cut out for a life filled with so much stress and uncertainty.”
“As I told your father, life is nothing if not uncertain. That’s why we have to hold on tight while we can,” she said, slipping her arms around him.
“You are one of a kind, Opal, never forget that,” he said softly.
“Oh, trust me, I know. I just don’t want you to forget it,” she said.
“That’s never going to happen.”
“So, what craziness do you have planned for us tomorrow night?” she asked.
“Well, I don’t know about tomorrow night, but what are you doing next Friday night?” he asked.
She raised an eyebrow. “I have a feeling you should be telling me. What do you have in mind?”
He smiled. “I was able to get us tickets to see Caleb Grey perform. He’s going to be in Boston for just a couple of shows.”
“Caleb Grey? The famous illusionist?”
“The very same.”
“He’s not...one of you, is he?”
“I very much doubt it since I’m the only one I know of who thinks that’s a good career for a real magic user. He is, however, one of the greatest illusionists of all time. It would be a privilege to watch his show and a challenge to try and figure out all his tricks.”
“Okay, it sounds like fun. Maybe you’ll get some ideas for your own act.”
“Don’t think that hadn’t crossed my mind,” he said.
“So, what should I wear?”
“He’s appearing at an upscale venue. Evening wear would be appropriate.”
She stared at him for a moment.
“What?”
“I’m from California. Evening wear can either mean jeans instead of shorts or dress like you’re walking the red carpet at a Hollywood premier.”
He laughed. “Sorry. Wear something fancy, but you don’t have to go for the prom dress look. I’ll only be wearing a black suit.”
“Only?” she questioned.
“Yes. I’ll be wearing a tuxedo to Homecoming.”
“Okay, good to know,” she said. “That still doesn’t answer my question about tomorrow, though. I’m free all day.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not.”
She gave him her best pout. “What are you doing?”
“Magician stuff.”
“Real or stage?”
“A bit of both.”
“And you don’t want help?”
He laughed. “Unfortunately, I don’t think there’s anything you can do to help.”
“Fine,” she said with a mock sigh.
She turned back around and they finished walking to her house. He kissed her on the doorstep before she went inside. Once she had closed and locked the door around her she glanced into the kitchen, half expecting to see her aunt there.
She wasn’
t. Opal found her instead asleep on the living room couch. She didn’t know why she was so surprised. Tanya had been through a terrible shock to her system. It was only natural that she would be tired.
Opal climbed the stairs to her room, not looking forward to spending the next day cooped in. As she walked into her room and kicked off her shoes she contemplated calling one of her new girlfriends and seeing if they wanted to hang out.
She pulled her phone out of her pocket and saw that she had a text from Hannah.
R u free for shopping tomorrow?
Yes, she texted back eagerly.
11 at Coffins?
Sure.
Need a ride?
Yes.
K. Pick you up at 10:45.
Thx.
She plugged her phone into the charger on her nightstand and sat down on the edge of the bed. It would be good to get out and spend some time with her new friends.
“I thought you didn’t have a car,” Opal said to Hannah as she slid into the passenger seat of her car the next morning.
“I don’t. My parents are out of town this weekend so I’m getting to use theirs.”
“Cool.”
They chit chatted as they drove and soon they had reached their destination. They parked and walked a short distance to Coffins before taking a table at the back. After the waitress had taken their order and left Opal looked around.
“The others are late.”
“Actually, I have a confession to make. We’re early. I wanted a chance to talk to you alone,” Hannah said apologetically.
“Oh, what about?”
“About Mal.”
Opal felt herself tensing up and Hannah quickly reached out and put a hand on her arm. “Nothing bad, don’t worry.”
“Last night at dinner his dad suggested that I’d be happier dating someone else,” Opal said, wondering what Hannah was planning on saying.
Hannah wrinkled her nose. “Ick. Sorry to hear that.”
“Thanks,” Opal said, relaxing slightly.
“Has he told you...everything...yet?”
“About magic being real? Yes.”
“Oh good,” Hannah said, a look of relief on her face. “That makes things a lot easier.”
“He said your family had magic users in it,” Opal said.
Hannah nodded. “My cousin is an Apprentice and my great uncle is a Wizard. Everyone in my family knows how it all works, even if we’re not magic users.”
“Is that weird?”
Hannah shrugged. “From my perspective it would be weird not to know. Since any of us has the potential to be a magic user or grow up and have a child who is, it seems idiotic to hide the truth.”
“Are they all as intense as Mal?” Opal asked.
“Not by a long shot. I mean, all of them are intense to a certain degree. They have a lot more responsibility than the rest of us. Nothing like Mal, though. My cousin seems completely mild-mannered by comparison.”
“So, what did you want to talk to me about concerning Mal?”
Hannah grimaced slightly. “I guess I just wanted to make sure you knew what you were getting yourself into.”
“With the whole magic world? I do now.”
“That’s a very good thing, but not the entirety of what I wanted to discuss with you.” Her eyes drifted to Opal’s ring. “I really am surprised he gave you that ring so soon.”
“He said he wanted us to be close for as long as we could be, that the ring would help him find me if he had to.” She stared at the other girl curiously. “You recognized it, it’s significance, instantly. Is there a ring that gets passed down in your family, too?”
“In my family it’s a pendant,” she said. “It’s been around for a very long time. It’s an amethyst, that’s my family’s stone. Mal did warn you never to take the ring off, right?”
Opal nodded. “I’m still not entirely clear on why.”
“That’s because I don’t think you truly understand the significance of that ring,” Hannah said. “Did Mal tell you that it was his heart?”
Opal nodded. “He made it glow by calling it that.”
“Did he tell you why?”
“No.”
Hannah took a deep breath. “Did he tell you that at eighteen Apprentices are allowed to choose which side they’ll serve?”
“Yes.”
“And did he tell you that most don’t achieve the level after Apprentice until their late twenties?”
“Yes,” Opal said, wondering what this had to do with the significance of the ring.
“This is a little hard to explain, especially given modern day views and attitudes,” Hannah said. She took a deep breath and continued. “Marriage in magic families isn’t the same as it is for everyone else. There is no such thing as divorce. The two people are bound together in this life and whatever comes after. The union is sacred, unbreakable.”
“That’s...intense,” Opal said. It was almost overwhelming and a bit terrifying.
“You have no idea. Now, think about this, magic users have so much responsibility on their shoulders, they grow up faster than the rest of us. Still, they have to be eighteen before they’re seen as competent to make that final choice. Good or bad. Light or dark. That’s a huge decision. And yet, marriage is much bigger in this world. A magic user isn’t permitted to marry until they have achieved the status of Magician or Trickster because of the depth of the commitment. For most that means not marrying until they are in their late twenties.”
“But for Mal...”
“He can get married now because as a Magician he is deemed capable of understanding everything that comes with the forever commitment.”
Hannah touched the ring and then jerked her hand away as though it was painful to touch. Her voice dropped to a whisper. “The reason the ring glows is that he performed a ritual...he put a portion of his heart, his soul, his life essence, into that ring. You literally have his life on your hand. And once given, it cannot be taken back. He loves you enough, he trusts you enough to split himself in half for you.”
“I never asked him to do that,” Opal said, her hands beginning to tremble.
“I know. But Mal has always been intense, immovable in who he is and the things he believes. I wasn’t completely shocked that he gave you the ring. I was shocked that he gave it to you so quickly and didn’t explain to you exactly what it meant.”
So many emotions were flooding her that Opal was having a hard time keeping track of them and sorting them out. There was a sense of excitement and wonder that Mal cared that much for her. There was also a lot of fear and anxiety since she knew she wasn’t ready to make a lifetime commitment. She was also experiencing some anger that Mal had done this without giving her a chance to tell him not to. It hadn’t been fair of him to do so.
She looked at Hannah and was touched by the deep look of concern on her face. The other girl was waiting for her to say something.
“He told me I didn’t have to commit to him forever, but that he needed me to take it so he could keep me safe. He said he was sure of how he felt even if I wasn’t sure how I felt. And when he gave it to me, I didn’t know about magic.”
Hannah reach out and gripped Opal’s right hand. “I know you didn’t. And I’m sorry that all this is probably coming as a shock to you.”
“I was afraid of losing one more person in my life. I was afraid that if I didn’t take it I’d lose him just as I was starting to get to know him,” Opal said, tears stinging her eyes.
Hannah leaned forward and hugged her. “Please don’t be sad. What’s done is done, but I couldn’t let you continue on without knowing what it all meant, what he has given to you.”
“Thank you.”
A sudden, terrible thought crept into her mind and she pulled away and dashed the tears from her eyes. “What if someone steals it?” she asked. “Would someone be able to use it against Mal?”
Hannah shook her head quickly. “The only way that could happen is if you were to ta
ke it off. While the ring is on your finger it protects you both.”
“I don’t understand. Someone could take it from me.”
“Not by magic and not by violence. These amulets that are passed down in families are ancient magic and the strongest type of protective spells are on them. Nobody could take that ring from your finger. And even in this age of violence nobody could sever your finger or your hand from the rest of you in order to take it.”
“So, what, I’m indestructible?” Opal asked, stunned at the revelation.
“Hardly,” Hannah said, rolling her eyes. “There are hundreds of ways you could be killed, but the ring will stay with your body. Only you and Mal can physically remove it.”
“That’s not actually comforting.”
Hannah shrugged.
“Just now, when you touched it, it hurt you,” Opal realized.
“Yes. I touched it just to make sure that he had done what I thought he had.”
Opal stared down at the ring and a shudder passed through her. “He had no right to put that much on me,” she whispered to herself.
“But he did. Even though I understand why, I just wanted to make sure you knew what it all meant.”
There was some sort of commotion happening toward the front of the store. Opal glanced up and saw a couple of employees running around like they were chasing something. She turned back to Hannah.
“Thank you for-”
Something sharp suddenly stabbed her in the thigh.
18
Opal looked down and a pair of glowing yellow eyes looked up. There, on her leg, holding on for dear life, was a small, black cat. She gaped at the fluffy little creature who looked completely terrified. He mewed at her and it was like he was pleading with her for help.
“Where on earth did you come from?”
One of the waiters ran up to her and saw the cat. “I’m so sorry. He ran in the front door. I’ll take him and get him out of here.”
She opened her mouth to tell him to take the cat and was shocked to instead here herself saying. “He’s mine. He must have followed me.”
“Oh,” the waiter said, looking startled. “Well, he can’t be in here.”
Now You See Me Page 16