Honey growled an affirmation. With shaking hands, Cassia wrapped up the remainder of the meat and fruit and packed it away. A quick glance at the main road showed that it was no more busy than it had when she first arrived. With a shaking hand, she traced the route. There were only five miles to Millea, and a few more miles to the crossroads.
“Wanna walk, Honey?” Honey was restless, scratching and woofing at the ground. But when Cassia began to walk, Honey stopped, shaking her head vigorously. Despite the tension that she felt, Cassia laughed at Honey’s antics. She picked Honey up and put her in the sling. She continued walking, staying in the safety of the trees, skirting the road and the river with equal caution.
As she walked, her thoughts kept straying to the mermaid in the river. “Perhaps the blood hasn’t been spilt just yet,” she had said. Cassia shuddered. The mermaids were masters of deception and fear. Perhaps the mermaid was merely hungry and hoped for Cassia to become terrified enough as to stray too near the river. Then it could feast on her blood. It was just a trick, a ploy. Yet her mind turned towards the words of her tutor and nurse, Thya. “When the mermaid makes a prediction, my child, you would do well to heed them, for though they are deceptive and manipulative, the mermaid has a strange propensity towards prophecy.” Cassia shook her mind free. Stop it, she told herself. She was just goading you, and you need to remain vigilant.
For a while she forced herself to focus on her journey, taking in the silent river and the shivering, crisp needles that threw striped shadows over the moist, untreaded earth. After a mile the river turned away from the road, narrowing towards the east, closer to the spring where it formed. As Cassia turned away from it in farewell, she thought she saw a glimmer of a scale, but she told herself it was just a wink from the crest of the small waves that flowed down the river.
Cassia sighed, annoyed with her paranoia. She knew that she was acting like a coward. Real heroes, her father often said, reasoned with their fears, and won. They were strong, both from will and necessity. The fearful had minds that were constantly clouded by fear and doubt, which grayed their reasoning and dulled their senses; the valiant knew their worth and their message, and utilized their wit and their resources. The brave sharpened their senses in the face of danger; the timid hid their faces when confronted with excitement. Never be a coward, he’d use to say to his children. The world is littered such people, who are manipulated by the powerful. Heroes are free to shape their world as they’d like. Cassia glanced down at Honey. “You think I could be a hero?”
Honey just met her eyes with her own liquid brown. Then she stiffened, a throaty growl emanating from her muzzle. Cassia instinctively shrank behind a trees. The bark was crumbling and gritty to the touch; the moist smell was laced with something metallic. The brisk clopping of horses and the crack of a whip cut through the eerie silence of the road. Cassia huddled in the shadows. A squad of six to eight horsemen leaned against their horses, urging the lathered mounts to greater speeds. Each man wore a calf length, nondescript coat, but the speed and the rise and fall of their motion revealed the black, white buttoned uniform – the uniform of Arche’s national army. Buckled at their side were stained and naked broadswords. Honey’s ears went back. Cassia stroked her head with trembling hands. Mentally she urged Honey to remain silent. The men passed by within a few armlengths.
“How are you holding up, Gartos?” one of the men yelled to his companion.
With a start, Cassia recognized the dark stain the darkened the dun coat of one of the army men.
“Think you can hold up until the town, Gartos?” Another man called.
“Or will we have to leave you at the edge to nurse your hurt while we do the real work?”
The wounded man, with thick, dark hair that curled over his suntanned head raised a hand and made a rude gesture at the speaker. The rest of the men roared with laughter.
Cassia felt the cool clench of dread fill her again. The town? Which town? She darted through the trees, reckless assurance telling her that the men would not notice her darting through the trees.
“Mer-whores rot you,” Gartos cursed at his companions, his voice gruff with pain. Cassia ran quickly and easily, having been trained by a retired hand-combat specialist since she was twelve. “I’ll hold up well enough.” She knew that she could not keep up with galloping horses for long, but she needed to find out where they were going, and where they came from.
“That’s my man!” A blond-bearded man galloped up to Gartos and slapped his back as he passed. Gartos roared in pain and spat at the rider. Cassia felt a stitch flare up her side. Where are you going? She wondered desperately. A wayward branch flicked her in the side of the face, and she stumbled to a stop. The riders, still whooping and rowdy, quickly thundered out of sight.
Despite her wish to collapse in the dirt at the foot of a tree, Cassia forced herself to keep moving to keep her leg muscles from cramping up. Honey, who had clung to the sling and Cassia’s tunic with her claws during the sprint, barked reproachfully. “Sorry,” Cassia puffed, jogging now. She figured that she had about a mile left until she would reach her sister’s village.
She forced her trembling legs into a steady rhythm. The sturdy beat felt good after that chaotic sprint. It was like the pounding of a drum, much like the one back home, which the head manservant at her house used to announce visitors whenever her father was receiving important guests. Theo, still fairly young and strongly built, would seize the large batons that he beat against the leather casing, once, twice, and thrice. Then he would announce the name of the visitor in a deep booming voice that could almost be mistaken for a fourth drum beat. The doors would be thrown open, and the visitor would strut in to the great dining room table, formally acknowledging her father. A slight silence would prevail for a few moments, the last procedures dictated by Archean tradition. Then father and the guest would guffaw together, the lucky fifth beat, and sit down to a hearty meal.
Cassia smiled grimly as she crested a small hill and began the downward trek that branched from the main road, where the ocean cut into the earth to create the narrow harbor peopled by the fisher folk of Millea. Cassia slowed, then reduced her pace to a walk as she neared the edge of the trees. She paused at the last of them, scanning the village carefully. Still on an elevated area, the entire gathering of huts and buildings were laid out like a map.
The road that trailed to Millea was empty, but perhaps that was to be expected, given the lack of traffic on the main road. Millea contained no defensive walls, so the road merely paused at the sign that read WELCOME TO MILLEA, and then continued past the post office and three story inn the Prongfish. Then it wound past shops and houses , bundled around the healer’s cabin, before thinning out into a dusty trail that looped around the fishermen’s huts until it reached the sturdy dock. Arche, being mostly landlocked, housed few navy vessels in the harbor, so only a handful of dawdling wooden, net-laden sea crafts populated the dock.
Cassia could make out the tiny movements of the few fishermen that remained on the beach. It seemed that the horsemen had not been headed for Millea, at least not for long. “Think it’s safe?” she asked Honey. Honey made no reply at all, but fastened her eyes on the serene town.
Cassia licked her lips, and felt her water flask at her side. Its meager contents sloshed weakly. She needed water, in any case, and she wanted to meet with her sister. Archia, though in many ways Cassia’s opposite, had nonetheless completed many successful missions before eloping, and had always helped Cassia. And Cassia needed this, as tendrils of foreboding continued to needle at her resolve. The abnormalities: the empty main road, the early Witching migration, the mermaid’s prediction, and the army horse riders. She could not help feeling that there was something more serious stirring beneath the simplicity of her errand.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Post 2
Honey barked, and Cassie shushed her, holding her closely in the sling against her chest.
“Sh, Honey. It’s okay.” Honey huffed quietly and motioned to a group of cloaked figures with her nose. In the weak dawn light, Cassie could barely tell the difference from one figure to another. As she looked, one of the figures turned toward her and waved to the dog. Little known to Cassie, it was the witch from before, reminding Honey of her warning.
“They’re moving already? It’s not their migration season yet.” Cassie mused, still hiding behind one of the trees. “Though that would explain why we were already in their territory…” Cassie sighed. Who was she, a lone teenager year old, to question when the Witches would meet with the Wizards to mate?
Cassie continued down the path, walking within the forest as opposed to the trail. She didn’t want any surprises. Eventually she felt comfortable enough to put Honey down.
The dog was a gift from her father on her fifteenth birthday. Since Cassia was becoming a woman, it was time for her to learn responsibility, he said. Honey had become her sole confident. Cassie’s eldest brother, Thad, had become a scholar in the city of Keshia, the capital of Arche, where their parents resided. Because of this, he was able to stay close to the family, and was still their father’s favorite.
Soon the sun was high in the sky, and Cassia still could not see the small fisherman village of Millea, her destination for the afternoon, before she reached the crossroads. They had a small inn there for their limited range of visitors, where Cassia had once stayed with her father and mother during Archia’s wedding, and she hoped to get some fresh nourishment there.
Archia, Cassia’s only sister, had married a wealthy sailor in the town, though they mostly spent their time on the sea, free from obligations or parental control. Archia had always been the more adventurous of the two sisters. She was content to merely be with her now husband, as opposed to having a lawful marriage. Mother and Father had raced to Millea to insist that she be married. She consented, and now, at nineteen, she had sent word to them that she was with child. However, due to the stressful situation, no one had been able to visit her yet. Cassia looked forward to someday seeing her niece or nephew, but for now satisfied herself taking care of her younger brother.
Padrig was the light of the family. His small, round face brought joy to anyone who held him. At five, now, he would follow his older brother everywhere, including on whatever mission Mother had sent him on. His nurse, Merle, was about nineteen, and equally as infatuated with Thad, so she was willing to take the younger Graystone anywhere.
Cassia sighed. Thinking of her family made her homesick, even if it had only been a couple of days. Her stomach growled, not for the first time that hour, and began looking for a nice clearing to sit and eat in.
The woods that the girl was hiding in began to thin, and soon a river began to follow the curve of the edge of the trees. Cassia chose a leafy tree to relax under. She took off her pack, which held her sleeping gear, a change of clothes, and enough food to last a couple of days. She also removed honey from the sling and allowed her to stretch on the grass that the river’s water created. Cassia took out dried fruit and meat from her pack, handing Honey her portion, and then leaning against the tree to relax.
She wondered about where her brothers had been sent. No doubt to some of Father’s more esteemed friends, who would back him in a diplomatic setting or on a battlefield. Mother was probably at home, making the beds in the guest rooms and cooking an abundance of food for the visitors, who would help Father. And Father? He was most likely finding allies within the city, people he had done favors for, whether by lending them money, finding them a precious commodity, or saving their house from a thief. Maybe he was even trying to convince the Tempest Council’s Army members not to strike against him, through threats or bribing. Unless he had been hurt in the attempt…
Honey nosed Cassia’s hand, waking her from this morbid thought. A low splashing had begun in the river, the type fish or serpents made before they attacked.
Honey barked gruffly. “What do you think it is?” No sooner had the question left her mouth, before the creature rose from the tide.
A high pitched laugh emitted from the creature’s throat, and it smiled at her. It was a mermaid, a siren, a creature of the rivers and lakes of this land. The top half of her body was a pale human female, covered only by the plant life in found in the sea. The bottom half was a long tail, scaly and slimy like the raw fish they consumed. Her face, beautiful as it may have been, held ruby red eyes that pulsed as she spoke. And her voice was beautiful, almost songlike, only to hide the evil within.
“Hello, young traveler.” She whispered. “What brings you to these waters?” Her skin appeared blue in the reflecting waters.
Cassia looked down at Honey, who seemed to relax when the siren didn’t come any closer to her master. She merely leaned against the side of the river, casually conversing with the human girl.
“I’m just going to the crossroads, and stopped for a break.” Cassia said cautiously, not moving at all. A mermaid could be very dangerous in the wrong circumstances. However, neither Cassia nor Honey was wounded, or bleeding from any source, so it appeared that they would be safe this time.
“I thought I smelled spilt blood. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” The red eyes glimmered and the mermaid licked her lips, revealing her sharp teeth. They were a seductive creature by nature, it was their songs and bodies that called sailors to the rocks on the shore, and called them to their deaths.
Cassia debated telling the truth. Finally, she realized it would not hurt her in any way to give the siren a little information.
“A cart past me while the sun was still low. It looked to be carrying a dead passenger.”
“Too long ago. This scent was fresh.” The mermaid had a spark in her eye, and smiled at the girl. “You said you were headed for the crossroads?” Cassia didn’t say anything, she just nodded. “Strange, don’t the Arnet usually pass that way this time of year?” She nodded again. “Ah.” The mermaid began to move backwards, into the deeper waters of the river. “Then perhaps the blood hasn’t been spilled just yet. I’ll find you again, traveler.” With that, she dived forward. Cassia saw her tail flip into the air, then she was gone.
There was a heavy layer of fear still in the air, even on a bright, sunny day. Finally, Honey barked, and walked back over to their pack.
“Well, it looks like we have a story to tell Mother now, don’t we?” Cassia said, breathing slowly to calm her racing heart.
“Sh, Honey. It’s okay.” Honey huffed quietly and motioned to a group of cloaked figures with her nose. In the weak dawn light, Cassie could barely tell the difference from one figure to another. As she looked, one of the figures turned toward her and waved to the dog. Little known to Cassie, it was the witch from before, reminding Honey of her warning.
“They’re moving already? It’s not their migration season yet.” Cassie mused, still hiding behind one of the trees. “Though that would explain why we were already in their territory…” Cassie sighed. Who was she, a lone teenager year old, to question when the Witches would meet with the Wizards to mate?
Cassie continued down the path, walking within the forest as opposed to the trail. She didn’t want any surprises. Eventually she felt comfortable enough to put Honey down.
The dog was a gift from her father on her fifteenth birthday. Since Cassia was becoming a woman, it was time for her to learn responsibility, he said. Honey had become her sole confident. Cassie’s eldest brother, Thad, had become a scholar in the city of Keshia, the capital of Arche, where their parents resided. Because of this, he was able to stay close to the family, and was still their father’s favorite.
Soon the sun was high in the sky, and Cassia still could not see the small fisherman village of Millea, her destination for the afternoon, before she reached the crossroads. They had a small inn there for their limited range of visitors, where Cassia had once stayed with her father and mother during Archia’s wedding, and she hoped to get some fresh nourishment there.
Archia, Cassia’s only sister, had married a wealthy sailor in the town, though they mostly spent their time on the sea, free from obligations or parental control. Archia had always been the more adventurous of the two sisters. She was content to merely be with her now husband, as opposed to having a lawful marriage. Mother and Father had raced to Millea to insist that she be married. She consented, and now, at nineteen, she had sent word to them that she was with child. However, due to the stressful situation, no one had been able to visit her yet. Cassia looked forward to someday seeing her niece or nephew, but for now satisfied herself taking care of her younger brother.
Padrig was the light of the family. His small, round face brought joy to anyone who held him. At five, now, he would follow his older brother everywhere, including on whatever mission Mother had sent him on. His nurse, Merle, was about nineteen, and equally as infatuated with Thad, so she was willing to take the younger Graystone anywhere.
Cassia sighed. Thinking of her family made her homesick, even if it had only been a couple of days. Her stomach growled, not for the first time that hour, and began looking for a nice clearing to sit and eat in.
The woods that the girl was hiding in began to thin, and soon a river began to follow the curve of the edge of the trees. Cassia chose a leafy tree to relax under. She took off her pack, which held her sleeping gear, a change of clothes, and enough food to last a couple of days. She also removed honey from the sling and allowed her to stretch on the grass that the river’s water created. Cassia took out dried fruit and meat from her pack, handing Honey her portion, and then leaning against the tree to relax.
She wondered about where her brothers had been sent. No doubt to some of Father’s more esteemed friends, who would back him in a diplomatic setting or on a battlefield. Mother was probably at home, making the beds in the guest rooms and cooking an abundance of food for the visitors, who would help Father. And Father? He was most likely finding allies within the city, people he had done favors for, whether by lending them money, finding them a precious commodity, or saving their house from a thief. Maybe he was even trying to convince the Tempest Council’s Army members not to strike against him, through threats or bribing. Unless he had been hurt in the attempt…
Honey nosed Cassia’s hand, waking her from this morbid thought. A low splashing had begun in the river, the type fish or serpents made before they attacked.
Honey barked gruffly. “What do you think it is?” No sooner had the question left her mouth, before the creature rose from the tide.
A high pitched laugh emitted from the creature’s throat, and it smiled at her. It was a mermaid, a siren, a creature of the rivers and lakes of this land. The top half of her body was a pale human female, covered only by the plant life in found in the sea. The bottom half was a long tail, scaly and slimy like the raw fish they consumed. Her face, beautiful as it may have been, held ruby red eyes that pulsed as she spoke. And her voice was beautiful, almost songlike, only to hide the evil within.
“Hello, young traveler.” She whispered. “What brings you to these waters?” Her skin appeared blue in the reflecting waters.
Cassia looked down at Honey, who seemed to relax when the siren didn’t come any closer to her master. She merely leaned against the side of the river, casually conversing with the human girl.
“I’m just going to the crossroads, and stopped for a break.” Cassia said cautiously, not moving at all. A mermaid could be very dangerous in the wrong circumstances. However, neither Cassia nor Honey was wounded, or bleeding from any source, so it appeared that they would be safe this time.
“I thought I smelled spilt blood. You wouldn’t know anything about that, would you?” The red eyes glimmered and the mermaid licked her lips, revealing her sharp teeth. They were a seductive creature by nature, it was their songs and bodies that called sailors to the rocks on the shore, and called them to their deaths.
Cassia debated telling the truth. Finally, she realized it would not hurt her in any way to give the siren a little information.
“A cart past me while the sun was still low. It looked to be carrying a dead passenger.”
“Too long ago. This scent was fresh.” The mermaid had a spark in her eye, and smiled at the girl. “You said you were headed for the crossroads?” Cassia didn’t say anything, she just nodded. “Strange, don’t the Arnet usually pass that way this time of year?” She nodded again. “Ah.” The mermaid began to move backwards, into the deeper waters of the river. “Then perhaps the blood hasn’t been spilled just yet. I’ll find you again, traveler.” With that, she dived forward. Cassia saw her tail flip into the air, then she was gone.
There was a heavy layer of fear still in the air, even on a bright, sunny day. Finally, Honey barked, and walked back over to their pack.
“Well, it looks like we have a story to tell Mother now, don’t we?” Cassia said, breathing slowly to calm her racing heart.
Saturday, January 30, 2010
post 1
Honey barked. Her creamy white fur bristled, a sharp contrast to it normal soft feel. At regular intervals Honey’s barking ceases and a low growl tore from her throat, breaking off into a high whine, then resume as a gruff bark. The taut muscles in her back leg bunched, and she sprang. Her leap carried her several feet, and she landed lightly, puffs of gritty sand dancing away from her paws. The snake hissed, its copper eyes glaring balefully at the dog. Honey gave a threatening growl. Then she stepped off the snake and watched it carefully.
Silver and bronze scales writhed, and the outline blurred. Within seconds the snake was replaced by a silver skinned woman clothed in a dusty shift, her copper eyes gleaming. Her breath came raggedly, as if she had been running for the past hour. “You’re a long way from where you should be, my four legged friend,” she told the dog, her breath catching on each word with a slight lisp. Honey stopped barking, but her short, triangle ears still pressed against her skull. Her wide brown eyes were hard. The woman held out her empty palms. “I mean no threat…” She raised her eyes to the sleeping form a little ways away. “…ah.” She met Honey’s eyes. “You would do well to warn your friend when she wakes. This is Witching territory…and not all of my kind would be as tolerant as I.” She smiled humorlessly at the stoic guardian, and turned on her heel. “Good night.” Again her form distorted, and the snake reformed, several feet above the dusty earth. Its long coils worked in the night breeze, and before it hit the ground, was borne upwards, over the scrubby bushes, and faded into the dark night.
Honey watched the witch go with vigilant eyes. She turned one tear-shaped eye to the bundle that was her owner, and padded over. She carefully nosed a slack hand. The form mumbled incoherently and sat up slowly. Mussed brown hair tumbled over her shoulders. Sad brown eyes blinked owlishly over a sharp nose and a wry mouth. A thin fingered hand reached up and brushed away some hair. “Barking at the moon again, Honey?” The girl stroked Honey’s head bemusedly and affectionately. Honey shook the hand away and yipped once, softly. The girl’s lazy smile faded and she frowned. “An intruder? Show me, please.”
Honey trotted back to where he had encountered the witch. The girl hurriedly gathered up her large quilt, stuffing it in the pack that she used as a pillow. She slung a strap over her shoulder and padded up to Honey. The tell tale slither marks and the signs of the scuffle were marked in the dirt.
The girl raised an eyebrow. “I can’t believe I slept through that,” her voice was awed. “A witch? You must have been barking your head off, Honey.”
Honey let out a breath that rushed through her teeth like a sigh. The girl looked down apologetically. “I know, I know, not the point” She shook her head. “I had no idea that we’d entered the Witching.” She squinted up at the fading stars, then pulled a crumpled map from the pocket of her tunic. In loose, sepia trousers and a matching shirt and tunic, she blended well with the surrounding scrubland.
Honey lay down, resting her head on her paws as she waited. The girl tapped her fingers on her thigh as she thought. She slowly turned to her right. “If we cut through the Witching, we can find the main road, then follow it to the crossroads, where we can rendezvous with the Armet.”
Honey snorted. The girl leveled her gaze at Honey. “Come on, it’s almost dawn. And everyone knows witches can’t bite in daylight.” Honey rose to her paws resignedly and walked alongside the girl.
The brittle bushes dragged along Honey’s fur and the girl’s pants. By the time the sun had cleared the horizon, the two had left the scrublands and joined with a small trail. The girl had picked Honey up and slung her in a piece of cloth, where she at a piece of dried meat and dozed against the girl’s chest.
The girl’s eyes flickered constantly. Her movements, though fluid and graceful, were wary, and ready. In the distance a copse of trees marked the end of the Witching and the beginning of the Arche’s main road. Her boots quickened their pace as she heard a whisper behind her. Her eyes darted behind her, and saw nothing. In the calm night, she had been lulled into feeling safe. But in stark sunlight, she was vulnerable, easily spotted. She forced herself to relax. Breathe, she told herself. She straightened her shoulders a little. She shouldn’t be fearful. Her family was famous for their bravery. She hoped that she, Cassia, could uphold that.
She passed the copse, the brief shade cooling her fears slightly. She stopped. The main road, normally busy with at least a few pedestrians and horsemen passing constantly, was silent. A cool bead of dread dripped down her stomach. They couldn’t have… She felt a prickle of relief as she heard the clops of a horse and the clatter of a cart.
Still, Cassia pressed back into the shadows of trees as it passed. She squinted at the cart, which was covered with a rusty brown cloth. A hand dangled under the edge of the covering. She sat down hard, her mind reeling with shock. She tried to convince herself that the cart was simply a burial cart from a healing camp, or something. But in her mind’s eye, the events of yesterday took on a morbid significance.
Her father, an influential merchant and soldier, and a good friend with many in the small country, was an outspoken critic of Counselor Tempest, one of the council of three that ruled Arche. At first, supported by popular opinion, the council members and her father had met several times, publicly and privately to resolve issues. But a week ago, Counselor Tempest had died, and his successor was his son, a younger, more volatile personality. He his stubborn tactics had overruled the other two council members.
Then yesterday: “Cassia,” her mother had said casually, as she watched her youngest daughter go through her morning stretches. “I need you to run an errand for me.”
Cassia had slowly eased into straight stance, listening to her mother’s instructions. “Your father wants to send word to several of his friends, to try to see if they can’t reason with the young Tempest.”
“So what can I do, mother?” Cassia had asked.
“Well, I have sent Thad and the others to [insert place names], so I thought that you could travel to Archet Town to send a message to the Armet.”
Cassia looked surprised that father wanted to contact one of the strongest militia groups in Arche. “The Armet? Is father so ready for war?”
Her mother smiled wearily. “We believe that it’s best to be prepared. We don’t yet know what young Tempest is capable of.” A shadow of worry crossed her face. “Will you be alright?”
Cassia straightened. She had never been granted a mission alone before, though she had traveled twice before with her older brother. “I will be, mother. I am almost sixteen.”
Her mother had hugged her fiercely. “I know, but you are still the youngest, and,” she hesitated and lowered her voice a little. “I’m afraid, sometimes that yoru father is aggravating the situation. I am afraid that Arche will return to how it was during the Great Wars.”
I shuddered. The Great Wars, which had happened the decade before my mother was born, had left the country in tatters. The Witches, fairies, elves, and dragons were even more decimated than humans. The council had been established to make sure nothing like that would ever happen again. Another war like that could not happen so soon…could it?
It was then that she began to be afraid. “Could I bring Honey?” He voice had come out higher than she had intended it to.
Her mother nodded, “Of course. Bring Honey. And keep her close.”
Cassia snapped herself back to the present. The dead in that cart could be anyone, she told herself. In any case, her mission was to inform the Armet. There, she could borrow a horse and find her family.
Silver and bronze scales writhed, and the outline blurred. Within seconds the snake was replaced by a silver skinned woman clothed in a dusty shift, her copper eyes gleaming. Her breath came raggedly, as if she had been running for the past hour. “You’re a long way from where you should be, my four legged friend,” she told the dog, her breath catching on each word with a slight lisp. Honey stopped barking, but her short, triangle ears still pressed against her skull. Her wide brown eyes were hard. The woman held out her empty palms. “I mean no threat…” She raised her eyes to the sleeping form a little ways away. “…ah.” She met Honey’s eyes. “You would do well to warn your friend when she wakes. This is Witching territory…and not all of my kind would be as tolerant as I.” She smiled humorlessly at the stoic guardian, and turned on her heel. “Good night.” Again her form distorted, and the snake reformed, several feet above the dusty earth. Its long coils worked in the night breeze, and before it hit the ground, was borne upwards, over the scrubby bushes, and faded into the dark night.
Honey watched the witch go with vigilant eyes. She turned one tear-shaped eye to the bundle that was her owner, and padded over. She carefully nosed a slack hand. The form mumbled incoherently and sat up slowly. Mussed brown hair tumbled over her shoulders. Sad brown eyes blinked owlishly over a sharp nose and a wry mouth. A thin fingered hand reached up and brushed away some hair. “Barking at the moon again, Honey?” The girl stroked Honey’s head bemusedly and affectionately. Honey shook the hand away and yipped once, softly. The girl’s lazy smile faded and she frowned. “An intruder? Show me, please.”
Honey trotted back to where he had encountered the witch. The girl hurriedly gathered up her large quilt, stuffing it in the pack that she used as a pillow. She slung a strap over her shoulder and padded up to Honey. The tell tale slither marks and the signs of the scuffle were marked in the dirt.
The girl raised an eyebrow. “I can’t believe I slept through that,” her voice was awed. “A witch? You must have been barking your head off, Honey.”
Honey let out a breath that rushed through her teeth like a sigh. The girl looked down apologetically. “I know, I know, not the point” She shook her head. “I had no idea that we’d entered the Witching.” She squinted up at the fading stars, then pulled a crumpled map from the pocket of her tunic. In loose, sepia trousers and a matching shirt and tunic, she blended well with the surrounding scrubland.
Honey lay down, resting her head on her paws as she waited. The girl tapped her fingers on her thigh as she thought. She slowly turned to her right. “If we cut through the Witching, we can find the main road, then follow it to the crossroads, where we can rendezvous with the Armet.”
Honey snorted. The girl leveled her gaze at Honey. “Come on, it’s almost dawn. And everyone knows witches can’t bite in daylight.” Honey rose to her paws resignedly and walked alongside the girl.
The brittle bushes dragged along Honey’s fur and the girl’s pants. By the time the sun had cleared the horizon, the two had left the scrublands and joined with a small trail. The girl had picked Honey up and slung her in a piece of cloth, where she at a piece of dried meat and dozed against the girl’s chest.
The girl’s eyes flickered constantly. Her movements, though fluid and graceful, were wary, and ready. In the distance a copse of trees marked the end of the Witching and the beginning of the Arche’s main road. Her boots quickened their pace as she heard a whisper behind her. Her eyes darted behind her, and saw nothing. In the calm night, she had been lulled into feeling safe. But in stark sunlight, she was vulnerable, easily spotted. She forced herself to relax. Breathe, she told herself. She straightened her shoulders a little. She shouldn’t be fearful. Her family was famous for their bravery. She hoped that she, Cassia, could uphold that.
She passed the copse, the brief shade cooling her fears slightly. She stopped. The main road, normally busy with at least a few pedestrians and horsemen passing constantly, was silent. A cool bead of dread dripped down her stomach. They couldn’t have… She felt a prickle of relief as she heard the clops of a horse and the clatter of a cart.
Still, Cassia pressed back into the shadows of trees as it passed. She squinted at the cart, which was covered with a rusty brown cloth. A hand dangled under the edge of the covering. She sat down hard, her mind reeling with shock. She tried to convince herself that the cart was simply a burial cart from a healing camp, or something. But in her mind’s eye, the events of yesterday took on a morbid significance.
Her father, an influential merchant and soldier, and a good friend with many in the small country, was an outspoken critic of Counselor Tempest, one of the council of three that ruled Arche. At first, supported by popular opinion, the council members and her father had met several times, publicly and privately to resolve issues. But a week ago, Counselor Tempest had died, and his successor was his son, a younger, more volatile personality. He his stubborn tactics had overruled the other two council members.
Then yesterday: “Cassia,” her mother had said casually, as she watched her youngest daughter go through her morning stretches. “I need you to run an errand for me.”
Cassia had slowly eased into straight stance, listening to her mother’s instructions. “Your father wants to send word to several of his friends, to try to see if they can’t reason with the young Tempest.”
“So what can I do, mother?” Cassia had asked.
“Well, I have sent Thad and the others to [insert place names], so I thought that you could travel to Archet Town to send a message to the Armet.”
Cassia looked surprised that father wanted to contact one of the strongest militia groups in Arche. “The Armet? Is father so ready for war?”
Her mother smiled wearily. “We believe that it’s best to be prepared. We don’t yet know what young Tempest is capable of.” A shadow of worry crossed her face. “Will you be alright?”
Cassia straightened. She had never been granted a mission alone before, though she had traveled twice before with her older brother. “I will be, mother. I am almost sixteen.”
Her mother had hugged her fiercely. “I know, but you are still the youngest, and,” she hesitated and lowered her voice a little. “I’m afraid, sometimes that yoru father is aggravating the situation. I am afraid that Arche will return to how it was during the Great Wars.”
I shuddered. The Great Wars, which had happened the decade before my mother was born, had left the country in tatters. The Witches, fairies, elves, and dragons were even more decimated than humans. The council had been established to make sure nothing like that would ever happen again. Another war like that could not happen so soon…could it?
It was then that she began to be afraid. “Could I bring Honey?” He voice had come out higher than she had intended it to.
Her mother nodded, “Of course. Bring Honey. And keep her close.”
Cassia snapped herself back to the present. The dead in that cart could be anyone, she told herself. In any case, her mission was to inform the Armet. There, she could borrow a horse and find her family.
Tear and Crumple
Have you ever heard the sound of ripping paper? Imagine that right now. Except virtually. So the ripping of virtual paper...
Actually, never mind. Just know that we are stopping the previous story, because it really was not going anywhere. So Crane suggested that we do a new story, with the same concept, but slightly different rules.
Five pages at a time. Even though it will take a lot longer, the current writer will be able to better shape the direction of the plot. Or, if they are suffering from writers' block, slog through five pages of teeth-grinding heck.
I'm not sure how much I should reveal. Hm. Next time Crane should do these "Address the Non-existent Reader" posts. [Hey, Crane just informed me that she's changing the template from dots to something else in honor of the new story. Oh. She finished. Which means I should probably finish this soon, too. Guess what? I also get to start the new story. Yay. Hear the excitement? No, you don't. It's probably because you can't register excitement over the internet without an obscene amount of exclamation points. Nothing to do with sarcasm.
Okay, Crane changed the rules. Minimum 2 pages, tentative max is 5. You can go more if you're feeling insane. Anyways, Crane's gonna add to this post. As soon as I finish. So I will. Now.
~Beads
See how funny she is? That's why I let her do the "Address the Non-existent Reader" posts. But we do have readers. I read our blog almost everyday. :)
Wow, this is the first time I've talked to you guys (assuming we have readers) directly. Hi! How are you? I'm fine. I'm actually really excited about this new story. It should be really fun. Because it doesn't take place in this universe, so anything can happen.
Anyway, we've come up with ideas for this new story, involving mystical creatures, a normal main character, and an awesome dog, whom I shall one day own. Expect a lot of fun fictional craziness, and random stuff that we add just because we're fantasy nerds. Our motto for this story is, "Break the Stereotype!" See how good we do. And comment on the posts. Cuz Beads doesn't think any of you exist. But I know you do. Right? Someone agree with me!
Okay, enough of my ranting to no one. I have to go help Beads write.
~Crane
Actually, never mind. Just know that we are stopping the previous story, because it really was not going anywhere. So Crane suggested that we do a new story, with the same concept, but slightly different rules.
Five pages at a time. Even though it will take a lot longer, the current writer will be able to better shape the direction of the plot. Or, if they are suffering from writers' block, slog through five pages of teeth-grinding heck.
I'm not sure how much I should reveal. Hm. Next time Crane should do these "Address the Non-existent Reader" posts. [Hey, Crane just informed me that she's changing the template from dots to something else in honor of the new story. Oh. She finished. Which means I should probably finish this soon, too. Guess what? I also get to start the new story. Yay. Hear the excitement? No, you don't. It's probably because you can't register excitement over the internet without an obscene amount of exclamation points. Nothing to do with sarcasm.
Okay, Crane changed the rules. Minimum 2 pages, tentative max is 5. You can go more if you're feeling insane. Anyways, Crane's gonna add to this post. As soon as I finish. So I will. Now.
~Beads
See how funny she is? That's why I let her do the "Address the Non-existent Reader" posts. But we do have readers. I read our blog almost everyday. :)
Wow, this is the first time I've talked to you guys (assuming we have readers) directly. Hi! How are you? I'm fine. I'm actually really excited about this new story. It should be really fun. Because it doesn't take place in this universe, so anything can happen.
Anyway, we've come up with ideas for this new story, involving mystical creatures, a normal main character, and an awesome dog, whom I shall one day own. Expect a lot of fun fictional craziness, and random stuff that we add just because we're fantasy nerds. Our motto for this story is, "Break the Stereotype!" See how good we do. And comment on the posts. Cuz Beads doesn't think any of you exist. But I know you do. Right? Someone agree with me!
Okay, enough of my ranting to no one. I have to go help Beads write.
~Crane
page 24
I lay in bed two days later, waiting for the soft knock that would announce Cameron and Jeff’s arrival. I glanced at the clock. 2:27. Cameron had said they’d swing by around two-thirty. She probably did not expect that I would expect her to be accurate to a minute. I knew exactly why I was so looking forward to their visit; I had just reread my last book, and I was in no mood for a movie. And I was looking forward to seeing my other friends as well.
“Maggie, honey?” I twitched at the sound of my mother’s voice. She had tried to talk to me a few times during my recuperation, but I found myself giving short, uninformative answers to her questions, such as who Charlotte and Jeff were, and why and when I began to hang out with them. Slowly I felt us drawing apart, an invisible force driving a wedge between us. I knew exactly what it was, but my mom remained blissfully, agonizingly unaware.
“Yeah?” I looked at her face, where small lines had begun to distort her features.
She hesitated, “I’m glad you’re making new friends and everything. But…” she thought carefully, “you seem different for some reason. Is there anything you want to tell me?”
I wondered if I would tell her, even if I could. I shook my head reflexively, “no, mom. Everything’s fine, really.” My voice, light and sincere, flowed out of my mouth before I could think about it.
My mom searched my face for a moment, then sighed, her eyelids drooping slightly. “Alright, honey. Well, if there ever is, you can tell me. You know that, right?”
I nodded, “I know. Thanks.”
She withdrew, and I settled back into my bed, relaxing a little. Then I sat up again as I heard the chime of the doorbell echoing up the steps. Moments later, there was a rasping sound as the door dragged over the carpet. There was a moment of faint greetings, then my mom called, “Maggie, Cameron and Jeff are here!”
“Okay,” I called down. I closed my eyes and listened for the tramp of feet. There was the soft, light tread of Cameron, and a slight stumble as Jeff stumbled over his feet. I smiled a little. Jeff would always be bit of a nerd, no matter how much he worked out.
“Hey Maggie,” he said shyly as he followed Cameron in. She plopped down on my bed, careful to avoid my broken leg. Jeff stood next to her.
“Hi Jeff, what’s up?” I turned to Cameron and added dryly, “Long time no see.”
Cameron grinned. “Jeff wanted to see you.”
I turned questioningly to Jeff. He never blushed, but when he was embarrassed, the his eyes narrowed behind his glasses and he blinked rapidly.
Cameron smiled smugly. “I’m going to get some fruit for you,” she told me.
“Wait, what?” I was confused, “I don’t want fruit.”
Cameron shrugged. “Then maybe I’ll eat it.” She got up to leave.
Jeff stopped blinking. “Wait!” He panicked and turned to Cameron. “Don’t leave me!”
I pushed myself off of the pillows, wincing as my weight shifted. “What’s going on?”
I demanded. “Did the monster come back or something?”
Cameron shook her head and shot me a look. “Don’t be silly Maggie.” She turned to Jeff, who now was staring at her in disbelief.
“How did you know?” he demanded. “Was it Andrew?”
Cameron laughed. “I don’t need my brother to know everything.” She told him.
I brightened at his name, “what’s this about Andrew?” I wanted to know. Both Jeff and Cameron ignored me. Jeff stared at Cameron, fists clenched a little.
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” he told her. She shrugged, already in the hall.
“You’ll thank me later.” She shut the door behind her. Jeff took a deep breath and turned to face me. He opened his mouth to speak.
“Maggie, honey?” I twitched at the sound of my mother’s voice. She had tried to talk to me a few times during my recuperation, but I found myself giving short, uninformative answers to her questions, such as who Charlotte and Jeff were, and why and when I began to hang out with them. Slowly I felt us drawing apart, an invisible force driving a wedge between us. I knew exactly what it was, but my mom remained blissfully, agonizingly unaware.
“Yeah?” I looked at her face, where small lines had begun to distort her features.
She hesitated, “I’m glad you’re making new friends and everything. But…” she thought carefully, “you seem different for some reason. Is there anything you want to tell me?”
I wondered if I would tell her, even if I could. I shook my head reflexively, “no, mom. Everything’s fine, really.” My voice, light and sincere, flowed out of my mouth before I could think about it.
My mom searched my face for a moment, then sighed, her eyelids drooping slightly. “Alright, honey. Well, if there ever is, you can tell me. You know that, right?”
I nodded, “I know. Thanks.”
She withdrew, and I settled back into my bed, relaxing a little. Then I sat up again as I heard the chime of the doorbell echoing up the steps. Moments later, there was a rasping sound as the door dragged over the carpet. There was a moment of faint greetings, then my mom called, “Maggie, Cameron and Jeff are here!”
“Okay,” I called down. I closed my eyes and listened for the tramp of feet. There was the soft, light tread of Cameron, and a slight stumble as Jeff stumbled over his feet. I smiled a little. Jeff would always be bit of a nerd, no matter how much he worked out.
“Hey Maggie,” he said shyly as he followed Cameron in. She plopped down on my bed, careful to avoid my broken leg. Jeff stood next to her.
“Hi Jeff, what’s up?” I turned to Cameron and added dryly, “Long time no see.”
Cameron grinned. “Jeff wanted to see you.”
I turned questioningly to Jeff. He never blushed, but when he was embarrassed, the his eyes narrowed behind his glasses and he blinked rapidly.
Cameron smiled smugly. “I’m going to get some fruit for you,” she told me.
“Wait, what?” I was confused, “I don’t want fruit.”
Cameron shrugged. “Then maybe I’ll eat it.” She got up to leave.
Jeff stopped blinking. “Wait!” He panicked and turned to Cameron. “Don’t leave me!”
I pushed myself off of the pillows, wincing as my weight shifted. “What’s going on?”
I demanded. “Did the monster come back or something?”
Cameron shook her head and shot me a look. “Don’t be silly Maggie.” She turned to Jeff, who now was staring at her in disbelief.
“How did you know?” he demanded. “Was it Andrew?”
Cameron laughed. “I don’t need my brother to know everything.” She told him.
I brightened at his name, “what’s this about Andrew?” I wanted to know. Both Jeff and Cameron ignored me. Jeff stared at Cameron, fists clenched a little.
“This isn’t how it’s supposed to be,” he told her. She shrugged, already in the hall.
“You’ll thank me later.” She shut the door behind her. Jeff took a deep breath and turned to face me. He opened his mouth to speak.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Page 23
“Maggie?” No, it wasn’t Andrew who said my name. I looked up to see Jeff, walking through my door.
“Did you find it?” I asked, my voice unusually high. He shrugged.
“It was pretty badly hurt.” He said. “I don’t think there’s any way it could have made it out alive…”
“But you didn’t find it.” I finished, feeling like the Earth had dropped out from under me. Jeff nodded.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. The uncertainty of our, and its, fate left everyone with a chill.
“So…” Cameron said, trying to lighten the mood. “Anyone for a movie?”
“I can’t exactly go anywhere…” I said, rubbing my leg. Cameron smiled, eyeing my computer on my desk on the other side of the room.
In a matter of minutes we were watching the latest adventure flick, munching on popcorn and laughing and talking, me on my bed and them sitting against the side of this. I sighed, for the moment happy. With friends like these, life couldn’t be so bad, could it?
I found out just how bad, with days of doctor’s trips and physical therapy, it felt like my break was being eaten up, one second at a time.
I tried to balance time with my friends, but in actuality, it was hard with all my time being spent indoors or in offices, so I hardly saw them. The one exception was Cameron, who would visit almost daily, to talk to me, watch TV, or do anything to keep me entertained. Without any homework, we found fun in gossiping about celebrities, or occasionally using our powers to annoy people. Cam’s powers made it especially fun to steal treats from downstairs, which my mother usually reserved for special occasions.
One day, as we were munching on brownies, Cameron said, “Hey, do you think it would be okay if Jeff came over sometime?”
“What?”
“Well, it’s just that he hasn’t seen you in a while, and he’s getting kind of sick of just seeing Charlotte and Andrew making goo goo eyes at each other, so he wanted to know if he could come over here once in a while.”
“Um…sure. I guess. If he really wanted to…” I still hadn’t thanked him for saving me the day of the fire. I mean, I had given him credit, but I had never had the opportunity to one-on-one thank him for what he did. Especially getting rid of that monster. I really owed him for that.
“Do you think tomorrow would be good?” She asked, handing me another brownie.
“No, I have physical therapy most of the day, and then maybe I’ll have crutches so I could walk.”
“The next day then?” She was really insistent about this.
“Sure. Why is it such a big deal?”
“It’s not. It’s just that I think it’d be good for you to hang out with your friends again.”
“I hang out with you.” I pointed out, smiling. She returned the smile, but then rolled her eyes.
“And we all know you’re getting bored of just seeing me. So you need to hang out with your friends more. So I’ll bring him over the next time I come. End of discussion.”
“Did you find it?” I asked, my voice unusually high. He shrugged.
“It was pretty badly hurt.” He said. “I don’t think there’s any way it could have made it out alive…”
“But you didn’t find it.” I finished, feeling like the Earth had dropped out from under me. Jeff nodded.
There was an uncomfortable silence in the air. The uncertainty of our, and its, fate left everyone with a chill.
“So…” Cameron said, trying to lighten the mood. “Anyone for a movie?”
“I can’t exactly go anywhere…” I said, rubbing my leg. Cameron smiled, eyeing my computer on my desk on the other side of the room.
In a matter of minutes we were watching the latest adventure flick, munching on popcorn and laughing and talking, me on my bed and them sitting against the side of this. I sighed, for the moment happy. With friends like these, life couldn’t be so bad, could it?
I found out just how bad, with days of doctor’s trips and physical therapy, it felt like my break was being eaten up, one second at a time.
I tried to balance time with my friends, but in actuality, it was hard with all my time being spent indoors or in offices, so I hardly saw them. The one exception was Cameron, who would visit almost daily, to talk to me, watch TV, or do anything to keep me entertained. Without any homework, we found fun in gossiping about celebrities, or occasionally using our powers to annoy people. Cam’s powers made it especially fun to steal treats from downstairs, which my mother usually reserved for special occasions.
One day, as we were munching on brownies, Cameron said, “Hey, do you think it would be okay if Jeff came over sometime?”
“What?”
“Well, it’s just that he hasn’t seen you in a while, and he’s getting kind of sick of just seeing Charlotte and Andrew making goo goo eyes at each other, so he wanted to know if he could come over here once in a while.”
“Um…sure. I guess. If he really wanted to…” I still hadn’t thanked him for saving me the day of the fire. I mean, I had given him credit, but I had never had the opportunity to one-on-one thank him for what he did. Especially getting rid of that monster. I really owed him for that.
“Do you think tomorrow would be good?” She asked, handing me another brownie.
“No, I have physical therapy most of the day, and then maybe I’ll have crutches so I could walk.”
“The next day then?” She was really insistent about this.
“Sure. Why is it such a big deal?”
“It’s not. It’s just that I think it’d be good for you to hang out with your friends again.”
“I hang out with you.” I pointed out, smiling. She returned the smile, but then rolled her eyes.
“And we all know you’re getting bored of just seeing me. So you need to hang out with your friends more. So I’ll bring him over the next time I come. End of discussion.”
Saturday, January 23, 2010
page 22
My mom was just behind them. Her hair, usually in a tight bun that accented her sharp features, hung in wisps around her face. She glared slightly at Charlotte. “Are you going to be alright, sweetie?” She wiped away her anger and looked at me, probably a little concerned that Charlotte might accidentally knock me over and shatter me.
I smiled at her, reassuring her that I was at least less fragile than her porcelain vase. “I’ll fine, mom.”
My mom nodded, trusting my judgment, and withdrew.
Once she was gone, Charlotte’s sweet smile faded from her face and she handed me the flowers gravely. “You are very lucky, Maggie.”
Andrew nodded. “If not for Jeff, you may have ended up like Peter.”
Cameron sighed a little. “I told you he was going to be fine.”
I shuddered, remembering that hot, gaping mouth. “Is it…dead?”
Andrew shook his head. “We don’t know. Jeff says he probably died in the burning building, but he also said that it withstood a lot of flames.
I caught my breath. “Where is Jeff?”
“He’s out poking around the wreckage,” said Cameron. “I put a bit of invisibility on him a while ago. He should be back pretty soon.”
I nodded. Then a thought occurred to me. “How did I become un-invisible?” I asked. “Why could the monster see me? And Jeff?”
“Oh.” Cameron looked sheepish. “I lost control. The invisibility came off a little before you screamed.”
“And you weren’t caught?”
“Well, we were,” said Andrew,
“But luckily no one saw us the moment we appeared.” Charlotte finished.
“Oh.” I sat back on my bed, wincing a little as my leg scraped at an uncomfortable angle. “So what now?”
Andrew and Charlotte shrugged. Cameron grinned a little. “We do have a couple of months,” Andrew said slyly. “They found that the fire affected a few of the pipes and stuff. We’ll be free.”
“And now that the monster’s gone…” Charlotte smiled also.
“We can pretty much use our powers whenever, as long as we don’t let regulars see us.” Cameron added. “We could go exploring.”
“Pranking!” whooped Andrew.
“Driving,” suggested Charlotte.
I grinned weakly. “That should be fun.” Part of me was elated, ready to indulge in weeks of mindlessness, no homework, complete freedom and lack of responsibility. But another part of me cringed, remembering the monster. And wondered if it was still alive. Still, it had been trapped inside a burning building. It’s only human, right? Or at least it was once.
“Maggie?” Charlotte’s calm interrupted my growing sense of unease. “You alright?”
I nodded, trying to remember the time when I was blissfully unaware of my powers and the dangers they evoked. “I’m fine,” I said for the second time in ten minutes. I hesitated.
“You’ll just be a lot better when Jeff confirms that the monster is dead?” asked Andrew gently.
I nodded, and looked away, trying not to envy Charlotte again, hoping that my envy would not show on my face. Sometimes, I wondered if Andrew read my mind often. I wondered if he knew.
Did he care?
I smiled at her, reassuring her that I was at least less fragile than her porcelain vase. “I’ll fine, mom.”
My mom nodded, trusting my judgment, and withdrew.
Once she was gone, Charlotte’s sweet smile faded from her face and she handed me the flowers gravely. “You are very lucky, Maggie.”
Andrew nodded. “If not for Jeff, you may have ended up like Peter.”
Cameron sighed a little. “I told you he was going to be fine.”
I shuddered, remembering that hot, gaping mouth. “Is it…dead?”
Andrew shook his head. “We don’t know. Jeff says he probably died in the burning building, but he also said that it withstood a lot of flames.
I caught my breath. “Where is Jeff?”
“He’s out poking around the wreckage,” said Cameron. “I put a bit of invisibility on him a while ago. He should be back pretty soon.”
I nodded. Then a thought occurred to me. “How did I become un-invisible?” I asked. “Why could the monster see me? And Jeff?”
“Oh.” Cameron looked sheepish. “I lost control. The invisibility came off a little before you screamed.”
“And you weren’t caught?”
“Well, we were,” said Andrew,
“But luckily no one saw us the moment we appeared.” Charlotte finished.
“Oh.” I sat back on my bed, wincing a little as my leg scraped at an uncomfortable angle. “So what now?”
Andrew and Charlotte shrugged. Cameron grinned a little. “We do have a couple of months,” Andrew said slyly. “They found that the fire affected a few of the pipes and stuff. We’ll be free.”
“And now that the monster’s gone…” Charlotte smiled also.
“We can pretty much use our powers whenever, as long as we don’t let regulars see us.” Cameron added. “We could go exploring.”
“Pranking!” whooped Andrew.
“Driving,” suggested Charlotte.
I grinned weakly. “That should be fun.” Part of me was elated, ready to indulge in weeks of mindlessness, no homework, complete freedom and lack of responsibility. But another part of me cringed, remembering the monster. And wondered if it was still alive. Still, it had been trapped inside a burning building. It’s only human, right? Or at least it was once.
“Maggie?” Charlotte’s calm interrupted my growing sense of unease. “You alright?”
I nodded, trying to remember the time when I was blissfully unaware of my powers and the dangers they evoked. “I’m fine,” I said for the second time in ten minutes. I hesitated.
“You’ll just be a lot better when Jeff confirms that the monster is dead?” asked Andrew gently.
I nodded, and looked away, trying not to envy Charlotte again, hoping that my envy would not show on my face. Sometimes, I wondered if Andrew read my mind often. I wondered if he knew.
Did he care?
Page 21
“Get away from her!” A jet of flame came from behind the creature, making it fall forward, to my side. I felt a hand on my shoulder and looked up to see Jeff’s face. His glasses were missing, his shirt was burned and a little torn, but he was okay. He reached his hand out and closed it over the flame on my calf, putting it out. The pain seared through my whole leg, not just where the burn was. I winced and tried to ask Jeff what had happened. But he was looking over at where the thing had landed. I followed his gaze, and to my surprise, the monster wasn’t there anymore. In its place was a wiry man; across his back was a scorch mark.
“Who’s that?” I asked, coughing and trying to clear my throat. “Where’d that thing go?”
“Can you stand?” Jeff asked me. I leaned forward to try to get up, his hands on my shoulders the whole time. I tried putting pain on my hurt leg, but nearly collapsed from the pain. Jeff sighed, then placed his hand on my lower back. “Jump.” He said, holding out his other arm. I looked at him and bit my lip. Did he really think he was strong enough to carry me? I mean, I was short, but not that short.
The man in the corner groaned and started to move. I closed my eyes and, with my good leg, jumped, putting all my weight on Jeff’s hand on my back.
He didn’t even struggle as he walked toward the back of the classroom, toward the door that I had come through. The smoke in the atmosphere was making my head spin, but it didn’t seem to effect him. The flames eating at the doorway smoldered out as we approached, due to Jeff’s powers, and he opened it with his back.
The fresh air was a welcome relief to my aching lungs, and I breathed deeply as I leaned against Jeff’s chest.
“Maggie! What happened?” Cameron, Andrew and Charlotte came running towards me. From another direction, some firefighters and a few teachers came running too.
“Hm. This is going to be hard to explain, isn’t it?” Jeff muttered. I couldn’t have agreed with him more.
***
School was closed for the next few months, while they rebuilt the science building and some of the cafeteria. Unfortunately, the time we spent out of school would just be replaced by having school during the summer.
And I had to spend most of my time inside, healing my poor leg.
“Hey, Maggs.” Cameron said as she came into my room, holding a tray that my lazy mother had no doubt asked her to take up. She put it on the short table next to my bed and pulled up a bean bag chair I had bought just for this reason.
“Hey,” I sighed. “What’s going on?”
“Well, Charlotte’s on her way up with Andrew, they took her car so they should be here any minute.”
From downstairs I heard a crash.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry Mrs. Scrivenor!” Charlotte’s voice floated up to my open door. In a few minutes the couple walked in, smiling and bearing flowers.
“Who’s that?” I asked, coughing and trying to clear my throat. “Where’d that thing go?”
“Can you stand?” Jeff asked me. I leaned forward to try to get up, his hands on my shoulders the whole time. I tried putting pain on my hurt leg, but nearly collapsed from the pain. Jeff sighed, then placed his hand on my lower back. “Jump.” He said, holding out his other arm. I looked at him and bit my lip. Did he really think he was strong enough to carry me? I mean, I was short, but not that short.
The man in the corner groaned and started to move. I closed my eyes and, with my good leg, jumped, putting all my weight on Jeff’s hand on my back.
He didn’t even struggle as he walked toward the back of the classroom, toward the door that I had come through. The smoke in the atmosphere was making my head spin, but it didn’t seem to effect him. The flames eating at the doorway smoldered out as we approached, due to Jeff’s powers, and he opened it with his back.
The fresh air was a welcome relief to my aching lungs, and I breathed deeply as I leaned against Jeff’s chest.
“Maggie! What happened?” Cameron, Andrew and Charlotte came running towards me. From another direction, some firefighters and a few teachers came running too.
“Hm. This is going to be hard to explain, isn’t it?” Jeff muttered. I couldn’t have agreed with him more.
***
School was closed for the next few months, while they rebuilt the science building and some of the cafeteria. Unfortunately, the time we spent out of school would just be replaced by having school during the summer.
And I had to spend most of my time inside, healing my poor leg.
“Hey, Maggs.” Cameron said as she came into my room, holding a tray that my lazy mother had no doubt asked her to take up. She put it on the short table next to my bed and pulled up a bean bag chair I had bought just for this reason.
“Hey,” I sighed. “What’s going on?”
“Well, Charlotte’s on her way up with Andrew, they took her car so they should be here any minute.”
From downstairs I heard a crash.
“Oh my! I’m so sorry Mrs. Scrivenor!” Charlotte’s voice floated up to my open door. In a few minutes the couple walked in, smiling and bearing flowers.
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
page 20
Teachers began to take charge, herding people out of the hallways, and towards the cement and grass atrium of the school. The first wails of a siren could be heard in the distance.
“Jeff!” I called into the crowd. A few people glanced curiously my way, but no one responded. I could not catch a glimpse of his flat, brown hair, his thick glasses, or that ridiculous camouflage backpack he liked. I turned back to my friends, “have you guys seen – ?” the look on their faces answered the question for me.
Andrew shook his head. “He’s on his own.” When I looked at him in horror Charlotte put a gentle hand on my shoulder and patted it, “He must have managed. He is more powerful and more resourceful than you think.”
I started forward. Cameron pulled me back. “Are you crazy?” She demanded. “Don’t worry. Jeff’s here. He probably just got separated from us. It’s a big school.”
I looked into her eyes. She half believed what she was saying. I didn’t believe it at all. Jeff was just one table away from mine. I pulled out of her grasp and eyed the nearest teachers, waiting for them to look away. Andrew grabbed my hand. I bit back a gasp, fixed my gaping expression and turned to glare at him. “What?” I snapped.
“You’re not going in there.” He told me.
“But I have to find Jeff.” Months of practicing made it easier for me to whisper, even when I was seething mad.
“Then we shall help you,” Charlotte took my other hand. She turned to Cameron. “Will you do the honors?”
Cameron hesitated, and glanced around us. People were busy chattering amongst themselves or gazing at the enflamed building with glazed eyes. Cameron raised her hand. Instantly, I felt a strange sensation wash over me, as if I had skipped through the sprinklers and a heating panel in a single second. I felt the reassuring squeeze of Charlotte and Andrew on either side of me, and I heard Cameron treading behind. As we cleared the crowd and the last of the teachers, Andrew stopped. “Shoot.”
“Oh dear,” Charlotte added. The firefighters had entered the school. They spread out in a line, spraying at the flames, which had spread to the two adjacent buildings. “We will never make it past the line.”
“Yes we will,” I gritted. I broke free of Charlotte and Andrew, knowing that they would never be able to find me, knowing that I was still invisible, because Cameron could not take off the invisibility without people wondering about my sudden appearance next to the burning building. I ducked under the pressured hose, and dodged the sputtering jet of water that attacked the voracious flames. I entered through the side door of the science room just in time; flames licked along the sides of the doorway. I began to cough. The fumes and smoke of dozens of carcinogenic chemicals filled my nose and eyes. I began to regret running in here so recklessly, but I needed to find Jeff, quickly. A flicker at the corner of my eye caught my attention. A dark figure was crouched by the teacher’s desk, now cracked and crackling.
“Jeff?” I called tentatively. There was a low groan. “Jeff?” I called again. Was he hurt? I picked my way through the smoking tiles, wincing at the suffocating heat. I struggled to wave the smoke away from my eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure. When I managed to finally blink away the tears in my reddened eyes, I stopped. He – the figure – was not Jeff. He – it – was something I had never seen before. A head lifted from the rest of its broken and charred body. White – pure, blazing hot white – shaped a crooked, disconnected grin. The gaping hole of a mouth opened, and I gasped as a new wave of heat slammed into me, forcing me backwards. My foot landed awkwardly on a flaming table, and I fell, staring into the mouth of the monster. I felt flames lapping at my ankles, tasting my flesh. I began to scream.
“Jeff!” I called into the crowd. A few people glanced curiously my way, but no one responded. I could not catch a glimpse of his flat, brown hair, his thick glasses, or that ridiculous camouflage backpack he liked. I turned back to my friends, “have you guys seen – ?” the look on their faces answered the question for me.
Andrew shook his head. “He’s on his own.” When I looked at him in horror Charlotte put a gentle hand on my shoulder and patted it, “He must have managed. He is more powerful and more resourceful than you think.”
I started forward. Cameron pulled me back. “Are you crazy?” She demanded. “Don’t worry. Jeff’s here. He probably just got separated from us. It’s a big school.”
I looked into her eyes. She half believed what she was saying. I didn’t believe it at all. Jeff was just one table away from mine. I pulled out of her grasp and eyed the nearest teachers, waiting for them to look away. Andrew grabbed my hand. I bit back a gasp, fixed my gaping expression and turned to glare at him. “What?” I snapped.
“You’re not going in there.” He told me.
“But I have to find Jeff.” Months of practicing made it easier for me to whisper, even when I was seething mad.
“Then we shall help you,” Charlotte took my other hand. She turned to Cameron. “Will you do the honors?”
Cameron hesitated, and glanced around us. People were busy chattering amongst themselves or gazing at the enflamed building with glazed eyes. Cameron raised her hand. Instantly, I felt a strange sensation wash over me, as if I had skipped through the sprinklers and a heating panel in a single second. I felt the reassuring squeeze of Charlotte and Andrew on either side of me, and I heard Cameron treading behind. As we cleared the crowd and the last of the teachers, Andrew stopped. “Shoot.”
“Oh dear,” Charlotte added. The firefighters had entered the school. They spread out in a line, spraying at the flames, which had spread to the two adjacent buildings. “We will never make it past the line.”
“Yes we will,” I gritted. I broke free of Charlotte and Andrew, knowing that they would never be able to find me, knowing that I was still invisible, because Cameron could not take off the invisibility without people wondering about my sudden appearance next to the burning building. I ducked under the pressured hose, and dodged the sputtering jet of water that attacked the voracious flames. I entered through the side door of the science room just in time; flames licked along the sides of the doorway. I began to cough. The fumes and smoke of dozens of carcinogenic chemicals filled my nose and eyes. I began to regret running in here so recklessly, but I needed to find Jeff, quickly. A flicker at the corner of my eye caught my attention. A dark figure was crouched by the teacher’s desk, now cracked and crackling.
“Jeff?” I called tentatively. There was a low groan. “Jeff?” I called again. Was he hurt? I picked my way through the smoking tiles, wincing at the suffocating heat. I struggled to wave the smoke away from my eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of the figure. When I managed to finally blink away the tears in my reddened eyes, I stopped. He – the figure – was not Jeff. He – it – was something I had never seen before. A head lifted from the rest of its broken and charred body. White – pure, blazing hot white – shaped a crooked, disconnected grin. The gaping hole of a mouth opened, and I gasped as a new wave of heat slammed into me, forcing me backwards. My foot landed awkwardly on a flaming table, and I fell, staring into the mouth of the monster. I felt flames lapping at my ankles, tasting my flesh. I began to scream.
Page 19
Our days seemed to fly by after that. We would get to school, get through our days slowly, as if wading through swampy muck, and then the bell would set us free. From there we would get a ride form Charlotte, who would take us to Cameron and Andrew’s house, or mine, or Jeff’s, depending on whose parents weren’t going to be home. There, we would practice our powers, or talk about powers, and sometimes just talk.
We all became really good friends. Over time, it would sometimes just be me, Charlotte and Cameron hanging at the house, and Jeff and Andrew would go somewhere else.
One day I confronted them about it. “Where are you guys always going?” I asked when they were ditching us again.
“To the gym.” Andrew replied nonchalantly, shrugging and grabbing his car keys. Being the more popular twin, he had learned to drive before Cam had.
“The gym?” I repeated “With Jeff?” His face fell, his glasses hiding his expression.
“Maggie, don’t be mean to him.” Andrew said, rolling his eyes and opening the door. “He can lift more than me sometimes.” With that they left, leaving me feel disappointed and a little angry. Or maybe that was ashamed.
And as I began to pay attention, I could see that Jeff was changing. He was coming out of his shell, and being friends with Andrew helped that happen. He was gaining muscle from his almost daily workouts. It wouldn’t be long until the girls would be flocking to him too. All he would need were contacts, maybe grow his hair out a little, some clothes that showed off his body a little more, and he could be a popular kid.
Andrew started picking up more signs of people with powers as the days and weeks went by. We made an early decision not to tell them that there were others. Andrew was just barely getting used to covering our minds- not counting Jeff- and he couldn’t strain himself that much.
Before we knew it, it was winter. The harsh winds and endless rainstorms made one day run into the next. Jeff began to use him power to keep himself warm, and sometimes to keep us warm as well.
One day there was no rain. It stands out in my memory, because that was the day of the fire.
It all started in Advanced Chemistry. We were studying the effects of different chemicals when exposed to heat. Heat, not an open flame, though for some of them, it was required to heat them using a Bunsen burner.
If I ever find out who’s genius idea it was to pour the HIGHLY FLAMMABLE chemical onto the open flame, I will kill them.
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Mr. Leaman!” The blazing fire, roaring across desk tops and climbing the window shades, drowned out anymore sound. The fire alarm went crazy, the bright lights only amplifying the danger.
I ran from the classroom, Charlotte and Cam on my heels. We met Andrew halfway out of the school, out of the hallways which were quickly filling with smoke. When we got out of the burning school, coughing from smoke inhalation, we could hear the fire trucks’ wails in the distance.
“You okay?” Andrew asked Charlotte his arms encircling her waist and his tone panicked.
“I’m fine.” She said calmly, smiling a little. She reached her hand up to stroke his face. I turned away, looking around the crowd for Jeff.
We all became really good friends. Over time, it would sometimes just be me, Charlotte and Cameron hanging at the house, and Jeff and Andrew would go somewhere else.
One day I confronted them about it. “Where are you guys always going?” I asked when they were ditching us again.
“To the gym.” Andrew replied nonchalantly, shrugging and grabbing his car keys. Being the more popular twin, he had learned to drive before Cam had.
“The gym?” I repeated “With Jeff?” His face fell, his glasses hiding his expression.
“Maggie, don’t be mean to him.” Andrew said, rolling his eyes and opening the door. “He can lift more than me sometimes.” With that they left, leaving me feel disappointed and a little angry. Or maybe that was ashamed.
And as I began to pay attention, I could see that Jeff was changing. He was coming out of his shell, and being friends with Andrew helped that happen. He was gaining muscle from his almost daily workouts. It wouldn’t be long until the girls would be flocking to him too. All he would need were contacts, maybe grow his hair out a little, some clothes that showed off his body a little more, and he could be a popular kid.
Andrew started picking up more signs of people with powers as the days and weeks went by. We made an early decision not to tell them that there were others. Andrew was just barely getting used to covering our minds- not counting Jeff- and he couldn’t strain himself that much.
Before we knew it, it was winter. The harsh winds and endless rainstorms made one day run into the next. Jeff began to use him power to keep himself warm, and sometimes to keep us warm as well.
One day there was no rain. It stands out in my memory, because that was the day of the fire.
It all started in Advanced Chemistry. We were studying the effects of different chemicals when exposed to heat. Heat, not an open flame, though for some of them, it was required to heat them using a Bunsen burner.
If I ever find out who’s genius idea it was to pour the HIGHLY FLAMMABLE chemical onto the open flame, I will kill them.
“Oh my god! Oh my god! Mr. Leaman!” The blazing fire, roaring across desk tops and climbing the window shades, drowned out anymore sound. The fire alarm went crazy, the bright lights only amplifying the danger.
I ran from the classroom, Charlotte and Cam on my heels. We met Andrew halfway out of the school, out of the hallways which were quickly filling with smoke. When we got out of the burning school, coughing from smoke inhalation, we could hear the fire trucks’ wails in the distance.
“You okay?” Andrew asked Charlotte his arms encircling her waist and his tone panicked.
“I’m fine.” She said calmly, smiling a little. She reached her hand up to stroke his face. I turned away, looking around the crowd for Jeff.
Monday, January 18, 2010
page 18
Three heads (Cameron’s, Jeff’s and mine) whipped towards Charlotte. “You can drive?” We chorused.
“But how?” Cameron stared at her.
“How old are you?” I asked, jealous.
Charlotte smiled serenely. “We are of age, you know.” The rest of us exchanged sheepish glances and muttered affirmation.
“But...you drive yourself to school?” Asked Jeff. Charlotte and Andrew shared a secret smile.
“Come,” Charlotte said, “I shall show you the vehicle that I drive.” Andrew offered her his arm, and she took it. Cameron and Jeff followed after. I sighed and trailed behind. There was a lot of walking involved with today.
We wound through the outdoor corridors of the school, passing a lone custodian making his usual after school rounds, and a few clutches of students who gathered by the library and the tarped cafeteria. We skirted the front parking lot, reserved for staff and visitors, and turned into the strip of dirt that marked the beginning of the student parking lot.
“Um…so where is it?” Cameron scanned the rows of cars.
Charlotte led us past a blue sedan and a large red pickup truck. “Here it is,” she beamed proudly. The car was silver, just a skeleton on wheels, basically. The three seats in the back were metal, covered in a thin layer of cotton sheet, as we discovered when we sat down. The seatbelts, steering wheel, and every other discernable part of the car was also metal.
Jeff blinked at the metal contraption. “Is this safe?”
Charlotte reassured him. “Completely. Please, seat yourself.” He gaped at her for a moment before settling in the seat left of me. After he closed the door and the car locked with a metallic click, Andrew turned around from his place in the passenger seat.
“We can talk freely in this car. I’ve layered multiple shields on it over time, and since Charlotte has complete control over metal, this is pretty much the safest place we can ever find. Away from that monster.” He shuddered.
“Monster?” echoed Jeff.
Charlotte responded by starting the car. It clanked and jingled weakly for a moment, then puttered to life. Andrew eyed Jeff warily. Cameron sighed, “stop being so cryptic and just tell him what you told us. He’s one of us, now.”
I raised my eyebrows. “One of us?”
“Yeah,” Cameron lifted on shoulder. “We have to sort of stick together, right? To be safe from the monster.”
“Monster?” Jeff raised his voice.
“Hold that thought,” said Andrew. “Cameron, remember what I taught you about your powers?” Cameron nodded, “Can you put a small shield on this car? You probably haven’t learned enough about your powers to render the car completely invisible, but at least you could make it less noticeable.” Cameron thought for a while, then closed her eyes. Andrew seemed to take that as an affirmative, and turned his attention back to Jeff, who’s face had gone slightly pale. Andrew repeated, in a condensed version, what he had told us. As he spoke, Jeff’s face slowly returned to its normal shade of pale pink.
“Well,” he commented, blinking slowly, “I don’t know what to say about the monster, but I should tell you, that I didn’t learn to control my powers all by myself. At least, not after the first few weeks. They’re showing up in more people, and there’s a reason for it.”
“And what reason is that?” asked Andrew.
Jeff’s face crumpled a little. “That’s just it. I don’t know. Never got a chance to find out.”
“But how?” Cameron stared at her.
“How old are you?” I asked, jealous.
Charlotte smiled serenely. “We are of age, you know.” The rest of us exchanged sheepish glances and muttered affirmation.
“But...you drive yourself to school?” Asked Jeff. Charlotte and Andrew shared a secret smile.
“Come,” Charlotte said, “I shall show you the vehicle that I drive.” Andrew offered her his arm, and she took it. Cameron and Jeff followed after. I sighed and trailed behind. There was a lot of walking involved with today.
We wound through the outdoor corridors of the school, passing a lone custodian making his usual after school rounds, and a few clutches of students who gathered by the library and the tarped cafeteria. We skirted the front parking lot, reserved for staff and visitors, and turned into the strip of dirt that marked the beginning of the student parking lot.
“Um…so where is it?” Cameron scanned the rows of cars.
Charlotte led us past a blue sedan and a large red pickup truck. “Here it is,” she beamed proudly. The car was silver, just a skeleton on wheels, basically. The three seats in the back were metal, covered in a thin layer of cotton sheet, as we discovered when we sat down. The seatbelts, steering wheel, and every other discernable part of the car was also metal.
Jeff blinked at the metal contraption. “Is this safe?”
Charlotte reassured him. “Completely. Please, seat yourself.” He gaped at her for a moment before settling in the seat left of me. After he closed the door and the car locked with a metallic click, Andrew turned around from his place in the passenger seat.
“We can talk freely in this car. I’ve layered multiple shields on it over time, and since Charlotte has complete control over metal, this is pretty much the safest place we can ever find. Away from that monster.” He shuddered.
“Monster?” echoed Jeff.
Charlotte responded by starting the car. It clanked and jingled weakly for a moment, then puttered to life. Andrew eyed Jeff warily. Cameron sighed, “stop being so cryptic and just tell him what you told us. He’s one of us, now.”
I raised my eyebrows. “One of us?”
“Yeah,” Cameron lifted on shoulder. “We have to sort of stick together, right? To be safe from the monster.”
“Monster?” Jeff raised his voice.
“Hold that thought,” said Andrew. “Cameron, remember what I taught you about your powers?” Cameron nodded, “Can you put a small shield on this car? You probably haven’t learned enough about your powers to render the car completely invisible, but at least you could make it less noticeable.” Cameron thought for a while, then closed her eyes. Andrew seemed to take that as an affirmative, and turned his attention back to Jeff, who’s face had gone slightly pale. Andrew repeated, in a condensed version, what he had told us. As he spoke, Jeff’s face slowly returned to its normal shade of pale pink.
“Well,” he commented, blinking slowly, “I don’t know what to say about the monster, but I should tell you, that I didn’t learn to control my powers all by myself. At least, not after the first few weeks. They’re showing up in more people, and there’s a reason for it.”
“And what reason is that?” asked Andrew.
Jeff’s face crumpled a little. “That’s just it. I don’t know. Never got a chance to find out.”
Page 17
“Well then, good.” Andrew said, shrugging at Charlotte. She returned the gesture, and moved to open the door.
“Now we must fix Mrs. Eacker’s room.” She said, looking around before holding the door open for the rest of us. We were walking back down the hallway, when suddenly Andrew began pushing us.
“Go! Teacher’s coming! Go!” We took off, running down the hallway, taking the turns necessary to get to the broken classroom without even thinking about where we were going. Andrew was behind us, making sure no one was following us.
Cameron and I got there before Charlotte and Andrew, so we saw him first.
“Hi Maggie.” Jeff smiled weakly. It disappeared when Andrew and Charlotte turned the corner. Andrew cursed. I looked back at him in shock. I had never heard him use that type of language before!
“Not now. We’re focusing on training these two and I’m in over my head…” Andrew muttered, and then glared at Jeff. “Why? Why now?”
“Like I can control when I learn my powers.” Jeff said, shrugging slightly. “I always thought there was something weird about you. And then you kept trying to talk to Maggie and Cam, and then she came to school…”
“I can’t protect you.” Andrew told him. “I’m already using all my power now, just protecting them.”
“I’m not asking for your protection.” Jeff said, standing up straighter. “I just…I wanted you to know.” Then he turned to look at me and Cam. “All of you.”
I turned tiredly to Andrew. “No guessing games. What’s his power?”
He sighed, running his hands through his lovely brown hair. “Fire.”
“Fire?” I looked to Jeff for conformation. He smiled and held out his hand. A flame lit in the center, as if he had lit a match. Slowly it grew, contained in his palm but spreading until it became a fireball.
“Put that out! Put it out!” Andrew nearly screamed, rushing forward. Jeff closed his hand and whimpered before Andrew, who was glaring down at him. “Never,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “do that again. You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“I think I have an idea-”
“You don’t.” Andrew was near shaking. “You’re putting us all in danger. If you want in, sure, fine I don’t care. But never do anything that will endanger us again.” Charlotte stepped forward and put a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. He stopped shaking and turned to look at her.
I felt tears come to my eyes. They had a connection that him and I could never have. I had lost him, before I even had a chance. And I would have to accept that. Accept it, and move on.
Cam cleared her throat.
“So, um, are we going to fix the lights or not?” Andrew looked at her, the circles under his eyes growing.
“Jeff already checked them out. They’re broken, not unable to absorb power. The custodial staff will just have to change all the bulbs, and they’ll work again.”
“Good.” I said, exhaustion beginning to dawn on me. Andrew looked at me, a small smile on his lips.
“Does anyone want to go get something to eat? To hang out a little bit…and maybe try to figure some things out?” Jeff piped up. Andrew turned to look at him, but it wasn’t threatening. It was almost friendly.
“That’s a good idea.” He said.
“I’ll drive.” Charlotte said, a smile spreading across her face.
“Now we must fix Mrs. Eacker’s room.” She said, looking around before holding the door open for the rest of us. We were walking back down the hallway, when suddenly Andrew began pushing us.
“Go! Teacher’s coming! Go!” We took off, running down the hallway, taking the turns necessary to get to the broken classroom without even thinking about where we were going. Andrew was behind us, making sure no one was following us.
Cameron and I got there before Charlotte and Andrew, so we saw him first.
“Hi Maggie.” Jeff smiled weakly. It disappeared when Andrew and Charlotte turned the corner. Andrew cursed. I looked back at him in shock. I had never heard him use that type of language before!
“Not now. We’re focusing on training these two and I’m in over my head…” Andrew muttered, and then glared at Jeff. “Why? Why now?”
“Like I can control when I learn my powers.” Jeff said, shrugging slightly. “I always thought there was something weird about you. And then you kept trying to talk to Maggie and Cam, and then she came to school…”
“I can’t protect you.” Andrew told him. “I’m already using all my power now, just protecting them.”
“I’m not asking for your protection.” Jeff said, standing up straighter. “I just…I wanted you to know.” Then he turned to look at me and Cam. “All of you.”
I turned tiredly to Andrew. “No guessing games. What’s his power?”
He sighed, running his hands through his lovely brown hair. “Fire.”
“Fire?” I looked to Jeff for conformation. He smiled and held out his hand. A flame lit in the center, as if he had lit a match. Slowly it grew, contained in his palm but spreading until it became a fireball.
“Put that out! Put it out!” Andrew nearly screamed, rushing forward. Jeff closed his hand and whimpered before Andrew, who was glaring down at him. “Never,” he said, his voice dangerously low, “do that again. You have no idea what you’re doing.”
“I think I have an idea-”
“You don’t.” Andrew was near shaking. “You’re putting us all in danger. If you want in, sure, fine I don’t care. But never do anything that will endanger us again.” Charlotte stepped forward and put a hand on Andrew’s shoulder. He stopped shaking and turned to look at her.
I felt tears come to my eyes. They had a connection that him and I could never have. I had lost him, before I even had a chance. And I would have to accept that. Accept it, and move on.
Cam cleared her throat.
“So, um, are we going to fix the lights or not?” Andrew looked at her, the circles under his eyes growing.
“Jeff already checked them out. They’re broken, not unable to absorb power. The custodial staff will just have to change all the bulbs, and they’ll work again.”
“Good.” I said, exhaustion beginning to dawn on me. Andrew looked at me, a small smile on his lips.
“Does anyone want to go get something to eat? To hang out a little bit…and maybe try to figure some things out?” Jeff piped up. Andrew turned to look at him, but it wasn’t threatening. It was almost friendly.
“That’s a good idea.” He said.
“I’ll drive.” Charlotte said, a smile spreading across her face.
page 16
The teacher guarding the door that we were facing tucked his book under his arm and walked off.
“That’s not a very good guarding system,” Cameron observed.
“Well, it’s good for us,” I muttered.
“Yeah, well, the teachers are pretty annoyed that they have to stay guarding some decrepit door after school hours,” Andrew laughed softly as he crossed the hallway and opened the door.
The room was almost exactly how I had left it. However, the lights, bright white when I turned them on before, had faded to dull yellow-orange. I squinted at them. “Why did they get dimmer?”
“You control pure electricity. Since they are no longer being powered by you, but the school grid, they’ve lost some of their power.” Andrew explained. He shut the door. “The teachers probably won’t bother to check in here. But if they do, we can always hide behind those couches,” he pointed to a couple of sagging, corduroy covered futons. “I’ll give an advanced warning if that happens.” He smiled crookedly.
I pointed at the lights. “Are you going to tell me how to fix this?”
Charlotte stepped forward. “I will do that,” she said, “My powers – metal working – are closer to yours.”
I nodded, waiting for her to begin helping.
“First, you must connect with the lights.” A strange expression flitted over Charlotte’s face as she fought to explain. “The electricity essentially flows through you, as it does through the wires in the wall. So you must learn to direct it.” She stopped.
I waited patiently for a few seconds. “How?”
Charlote smiled mysteriously. “Just try.”
I glanced at Cameron, who shrugged, though her face betrayed her confusion. “This isn’t how you taught Cameron, is it?” I couldn’t imagine her patiently accepting this explanation.
Andrew shook his head. “We taught Cameron differently.”
I sighed, and craned my neck backwards to stare at the lights. They flickered, slightly. Just as my eyes were beginning to water, I felt a jolt in one of my fingers. I jumped, blinked, and kept staring. My ears began to hum, not unlike the mosquito ringtone, or the sound I heard when someone left the t.v. on in the next room. I saw, suddenly, that electricity was all a connected series of particles that flowed together. I saw the patterns that flowed in and out of the lights, creating the thing that was light. It was calming; the energy flowed in and out of the light fixtures like waves on a beach. In. Out. In. Out. I just wanted it to go out. Slowly, little by little less electricity flowed in through the wires and more and more went out.
At the back of my mind I was aware that the light in the room was getting dimmer and dimmer, but my eyes were fixed on the point where electricity was flowing out, and out, and out.
“There.” Charlotte’s contemplative voice echoed hollowly in the dark room. “Well done.”
“Thanks.” I looked back up at where the lights should be, but the energy was gone. All I could see was the static darkness of the isolated room.
“How do you feel?” Andrew asked, his voice rumbling through the quiet.
I thought about it. “Fine, actually.”
“Really? No tiredness, no buzz, nothing?” I could almost feel Andrew raising his eyebrows.
I nodded in the dark, then realized that no one could see. I wonder if this is what Cameron felt like, I wondered, bemused. “Really. I’m fine.”
“That’s not a very good guarding system,” Cameron observed.
“Well, it’s good for us,” I muttered.
“Yeah, well, the teachers are pretty annoyed that they have to stay guarding some decrepit door after school hours,” Andrew laughed softly as he crossed the hallway and opened the door.
The room was almost exactly how I had left it. However, the lights, bright white when I turned them on before, had faded to dull yellow-orange. I squinted at them. “Why did they get dimmer?”
“You control pure electricity. Since they are no longer being powered by you, but the school grid, they’ve lost some of their power.” Andrew explained. He shut the door. “The teachers probably won’t bother to check in here. But if they do, we can always hide behind those couches,” he pointed to a couple of sagging, corduroy covered futons. “I’ll give an advanced warning if that happens.” He smiled crookedly.
I pointed at the lights. “Are you going to tell me how to fix this?”
Charlotte stepped forward. “I will do that,” she said, “My powers – metal working – are closer to yours.”
I nodded, waiting for her to begin helping.
“First, you must connect with the lights.” A strange expression flitted over Charlotte’s face as she fought to explain. “The electricity essentially flows through you, as it does through the wires in the wall. So you must learn to direct it.” She stopped.
I waited patiently for a few seconds. “How?”
Charlote smiled mysteriously. “Just try.”
I glanced at Cameron, who shrugged, though her face betrayed her confusion. “This isn’t how you taught Cameron, is it?” I couldn’t imagine her patiently accepting this explanation.
Andrew shook his head. “We taught Cameron differently.”
I sighed, and craned my neck backwards to stare at the lights. They flickered, slightly. Just as my eyes were beginning to water, I felt a jolt in one of my fingers. I jumped, blinked, and kept staring. My ears began to hum, not unlike the mosquito ringtone, or the sound I heard when someone left the t.v. on in the next room. I saw, suddenly, that electricity was all a connected series of particles that flowed together. I saw the patterns that flowed in and out of the lights, creating the thing that was light. It was calming; the energy flowed in and out of the light fixtures like waves on a beach. In. Out. In. Out. I just wanted it to go out. Slowly, little by little less electricity flowed in through the wires and more and more went out.
At the back of my mind I was aware that the light in the room was getting dimmer and dimmer, but my eyes were fixed on the point where electricity was flowing out, and out, and out.
“There.” Charlotte’s contemplative voice echoed hollowly in the dark room. “Well done.”
“Thanks.” I looked back up at where the lights should be, but the energy was gone. All I could see was the static darkness of the isolated room.
“How do you feel?” Andrew asked, his voice rumbling through the quiet.
I thought about it. “Fine, actually.”
“Really? No tiredness, no buzz, nothing?” I could almost feel Andrew raising his eyebrows.
I nodded in the dark, then realized that no one could see. I wonder if this is what Cameron felt like, I wondered, bemused. “Really. I’m fine.”
Chapter 1: Concluded
So we decided belatedly that each chapter would consist of 15 pages. Since Crane posted last, I get the dubious honor of marking the end of chapter 1 with some sort of discussion, as well as writing the first page of chapter 2.
Hm. I think this actually turned out all right. Some odd bits (Maggie's observation of Charlotte's smile is kind of random.) Some good people (Yay to Crane for coming up with such an eccentric Charlotte. I wonder what her parents think of her [Charlotte]) There's a little bit of suspense.
...
I'm not sure what else to say. The word "discussion" is so vague. Especially when you're learning to write essays in school for the first time, and the teacher is like, "okay, first you quote, then you discuss the quote." What is that supposed to mean? Nine year olds do not generally care about universal truths. At least I didn't when I was nine. But I digress.
In any case, this is the end of chapter 1, and the following post will be the begining of chapter 2. I'm pretty sure that you have grasped this concept by now, so I shall go fill my cup with hot water, because I just played a round of golf in the rain and wind and I think I'm starting to get sick. I hope I don't get a fever, because I might faint in P.E. and start rambling in English and stare off contemplatively into space in Imaging while the rest of my group mates are talking about who knows what and meanwhile our powerpoint is still unfinished and I really don't want that to happen. Are cold sweats good? I don't think so. Yeah. I also just had a huge cup of boba and milk tea. So the first page of chapter two might be interesting. Or not. I might crash.
Shoot. I just rambled. And I don't think any of that made sense. Well, at least Crane knows I'm rambling. I'll probably come back later to edit this. Probably not. I'll just leave this up here so whoever stumbles on this page can be like, "oh. Beads is crazy." That's not a good thing?
...
Okay, I'm ending this NOW.
UPDATE:
Yes. Update. I knew I forgot something. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. :)
Hm. I think this actually turned out all right. Some odd bits (Maggie's observation of Charlotte's smile is kind of random.) Some good people (Yay to Crane for coming up with such an eccentric Charlotte. I wonder what her parents think of her [Charlotte]) There's a little bit of suspense.
...
I'm not sure what else to say. The word "discussion" is so vague. Especially when you're learning to write essays in school for the first time, and the teacher is like, "okay, first you quote, then you discuss the quote." What is that supposed to mean? Nine year olds do not generally care about universal truths. At least I didn't when I was nine. But I digress.
In any case, this is the end of chapter 1, and the following post will be the begining of chapter 2. I'm pretty sure that you have grasped this concept by now, so I shall go fill my cup with hot water, because I just played a round of golf in the rain and wind and I think I'm starting to get sick. I hope I don't get a fever, because I might faint in P.E. and start rambling in English and stare off contemplatively into space in Imaging while the rest of my group mates are talking about who knows what and meanwhile our powerpoint is still unfinished and I really don't want that to happen. Are cold sweats good? I don't think so. Yeah. I also just had a huge cup of boba and milk tea. So the first page of chapter two might be interesting. Or not. I might crash.
Shoot. I just rambled. And I don't think any of that made sense. Well, at least Crane knows I'm rambling. I'll probably come back later to edit this. Probably not. I'll just leave this up here so whoever stumbles on this page can be like, "oh. Beads is crazy." That's not a good thing?
...
Okay, I'm ending this NOW.
UPDATE:
Yes. Update. I knew I forgot something. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. :)
Page 15
“Other telepaths?” Cameron asked, her voice so low it almost got lost.
“This is not the best time to discuss it.” Charlotte repeated, as Andrew paused before the corner to the hall with the teacher’s lounge’s door in it.
“Two teachers at a time, they switch in ten minutes.” Andrew said, leaning against the wall and lowering himself to the ground. Charlotte sighed and took a seat next to him, leaning against his shoulder. Cam and I sat down in front of them.
“We may as well explain why we have to keep this quiet.” Charlotte said, stroking Andrew’s hand. “So they know what to look for if something goes wrong.” Andrew sighed and nodded. He looked more tired than I had ever seen him. Using his power so much must have really tired him out.
“We met at the soccer camp I went to last summer,” Andrew started, looking at Charlotte, “we were assigned to the same team, and our relationship just sort of came naturally from there-”
“What about your powers?” Cam butted in. Andrew glared at her and she sighed and slumped her shoulders.
“We discovered our powers,” Andrew said pointedly, “When Charlotte almost drowned.”
“What?” I said, looking at Charlotte. She blinked at me; her huge glasses making the movement seem small.
“I was swimming…at night.” She said, quietly. I had a feeling she was hiding something from me, but decided not to ask. “I found this…this really pretty purple rock, under water. I tried to grab it, but it was too heavy. And then I tried to swim away, but my hand was stuck to it. I couldn't move it, and I couldn’t get away. I held my breath as long as I could, but I started getting really lightheaded.”
“That’s when I found her.” Andrew said, putting his arm around her, protectively. “I didn’t know how, but I knew she was in trouble. I was able to lift the rock and together we swam back to shore.
“The rest of the time we were there, I was hearing things. I thought I was losing my mind, but in reality I was hearing other people’s thoughts. I couldn’t sleep for the longest time, everyone’s dreams were in my head.
“But Charlotte and I worked together. Her calm mind helped me round out my powers, and by reading her mind I could sort of offer her a second opinion on how to use hers.”
“The last couple days of camp, we found-well, Andrew found- another camper who had powers. He could control water, his name was Peter.”
“Was?” I whispered, fearing what the answer would be.
“He disappeared the day before parents were going to pick us up.” Charlotte whispered, closing her eyes. “The next day he was found, dead. He had scratches all over him. His eyes…were torn out of his head.” Her voice broke. “He bled to death in the forest near the camp.”
“Around the same time, I had heard another telepath in the area.” Andrew said. “The only other one I’ve ever found. But his mind was…different. I don’t know how, it just was. It was…bad. Sick. Something about him, or her, was wrong. I told Charlotte to stop using her powers, and I set up a mental block around both our minds. I was exhausted the rest of the day.” Andrew said, pulling her closer. “Whatever this…thing was, we’re pretty sure it had something to do with what happened to Peter.”
“Since then, we use our powers only when absolutely necessary.” Charlotte said. “And Andrew keeps a shield around us no matter what.”
“It’s easier to do to people with powers. With Normals…it’s near impossible.” Andrew said. “I’ve been keeping you guys under protection too. But that’s why no one else can know. If anyone hears us talking about it, and that Thing hears them, I don’t want to think about what could happen.”
“So we have to be very careful.” Charlotte said softly. “Or else-”
“Hold that thought.” Andrew said, standing suddenly. “It’s time.”
“This is not the best time to discuss it.” Charlotte repeated, as Andrew paused before the corner to the hall with the teacher’s lounge’s door in it.
“Two teachers at a time, they switch in ten minutes.” Andrew said, leaning against the wall and lowering himself to the ground. Charlotte sighed and took a seat next to him, leaning against his shoulder. Cam and I sat down in front of them.
“We may as well explain why we have to keep this quiet.” Charlotte said, stroking Andrew’s hand. “So they know what to look for if something goes wrong.” Andrew sighed and nodded. He looked more tired than I had ever seen him. Using his power so much must have really tired him out.
“We met at the soccer camp I went to last summer,” Andrew started, looking at Charlotte, “we were assigned to the same team, and our relationship just sort of came naturally from there-”
“What about your powers?” Cam butted in. Andrew glared at her and she sighed and slumped her shoulders.
“We discovered our powers,” Andrew said pointedly, “When Charlotte almost drowned.”
“What?” I said, looking at Charlotte. She blinked at me; her huge glasses making the movement seem small.
“I was swimming…at night.” She said, quietly. I had a feeling she was hiding something from me, but decided not to ask. “I found this…this really pretty purple rock, under water. I tried to grab it, but it was too heavy. And then I tried to swim away, but my hand was stuck to it. I couldn't move it, and I couldn’t get away. I held my breath as long as I could, but I started getting really lightheaded.”
“That’s when I found her.” Andrew said, putting his arm around her, protectively. “I didn’t know how, but I knew she was in trouble. I was able to lift the rock and together we swam back to shore.
“The rest of the time we were there, I was hearing things. I thought I was losing my mind, but in reality I was hearing other people’s thoughts. I couldn’t sleep for the longest time, everyone’s dreams were in my head.
“But Charlotte and I worked together. Her calm mind helped me round out my powers, and by reading her mind I could sort of offer her a second opinion on how to use hers.”
“The last couple days of camp, we found-well, Andrew found- another camper who had powers. He could control water, his name was Peter.”
“Was?” I whispered, fearing what the answer would be.
“He disappeared the day before parents were going to pick us up.” Charlotte whispered, closing her eyes. “The next day he was found, dead. He had scratches all over him. His eyes…were torn out of his head.” Her voice broke. “He bled to death in the forest near the camp.”
“Around the same time, I had heard another telepath in the area.” Andrew said. “The only other one I’ve ever found. But his mind was…different. I don’t know how, it just was. It was…bad. Sick. Something about him, or her, was wrong. I told Charlotte to stop using her powers, and I set up a mental block around both our minds. I was exhausted the rest of the day.” Andrew said, pulling her closer. “Whatever this…thing was, we’re pretty sure it had something to do with what happened to Peter.”
“Since then, we use our powers only when absolutely necessary.” Charlotte said. “And Andrew keeps a shield around us no matter what.”
“It’s easier to do to people with powers. With Normals…it’s near impossible.” Andrew said. “I’ve been keeping you guys under protection too. But that’s why no one else can know. If anyone hears us talking about it, and that Thing hears them, I don’t want to think about what could happen.”
“So we have to be very careful.” Charlotte said softly. “Or else-”
“Hold that thought.” Andrew said, standing suddenly. “It’s time.”
Sunday, January 17, 2010
page 14
“Wait…what do you mean, ‘our job’?” Cameron looked at Charlotte quizzically, without any of her former resentment. My eyebrows twitched slightly. That training session must have really changed her.
Charlotte beamed widely at us, though her lips remained pressed together. That’s when I realized: Even in the many times Charlotte had smiled, I had never seen her grin. Was that normal? I shrugged it off mentally. Not everyone smiled the same. “- that’s part of her training,” Charlotte was saying.
I started. “Wait. Who’s training? What?”
Cameron looked at me, exasperated, “weren’t you listening?”
I glanced at Andrew, who had just flicked his puzzled eyes over at me also. He had not been listening. Or he was an amazing actor.
Charlotte was unfazed. “Andrew and I decided, that perhaps the best way to teach you, Maggie, how to control your powers is to have you undo what you did.”
“So…” I felt slightly sick. “I’m going to have to fix the teacher’s lounge? And Mrs. Eacker’s classroom?”
Charlotte nodded solemnly. “We’ll actually start on the teacher’s lounge.”
“But why?” I realized with disgust that my voice had taken on a plaintive edge. “Mrs. Eacker’s classroom is right here….”
“But it’s easier, and safer, to work on turning off the lights first,” Andrew spoke for the first time. “Plus, if you break the bulbs or something, the lights will turn off anyways. No one will know the difference. If you break Mrs. Eacker’s lights, well…there’ll be significantly more trouble.”
“But the janitor’s working on Mrs. Eacker’s lights anyways,” I objected, pointing through the window, where Mr. Friesnor stood on a ladder, arms and head stuck through the ceiling.
Andrew shook his head. “He won’t be able to fix that. What you did, you basically vaporized a bunch of electricity, and dammed up the rest. He’ll give up in about twenty minutes – that’s when he gets off. That should be plenty of time.”
I sighed. I didn’t understand what Cameron found so “freeing” about this training experience. It was work.
“Let’s go,” announced Andrew, not hearing, or ignoring, my last thought.
I trudged after Andrew and Charlotte, next to Cameron. “So,” I called, “hoping to at least gain some knowledge for my efforts. “How did you two meet?”
Cameron’s eyes sharpened.
Andrew and Charlotte exchanged glances. “And how did you two discover your powers?” I added in a slightly softer voice. Still, Charlotte and Andrew stopped and scanned our surroundings for a few seconds before proceeding.
After more moments of silence, Charlotte ventured, in a quiet voice, “do not talk about these things so publicly, Maggie.”
“Relax, there was no one there.”
There was another pause. Charlotte’s voice went even quieter, so that I almost did not catch her response, “not everything is as it seems.”
I shivered, because Charlotte’s ominous tone dripped with paranoia. “What do you mean?” Cameron asked, hushed, and fully focused on the discussion.
Andrew and Charlotte once again exchanged glances. “This probably isn’t the best place to talk,” Charlotte told us, “but there is one thing that you two need to realize now. We cannot talk freely about…what we have…even when we think we’re fully alone. Because sometimes we are not. Sometimes there are people…things…watching us…listening to us.”
Charlotte beamed widely at us, though her lips remained pressed together. That’s when I realized: Even in the many times Charlotte had smiled, I had never seen her grin. Was that normal? I shrugged it off mentally. Not everyone smiled the same. “- that’s part of her training,” Charlotte was saying.
I started. “Wait. Who’s training? What?”
Cameron looked at me, exasperated, “weren’t you listening?”
I glanced at Andrew, who had just flicked his puzzled eyes over at me also. He had not been listening. Or he was an amazing actor.
Charlotte was unfazed. “Andrew and I decided, that perhaps the best way to teach you, Maggie, how to control your powers is to have you undo what you did.”
“So…” I felt slightly sick. “I’m going to have to fix the teacher’s lounge? And Mrs. Eacker’s classroom?”
Charlotte nodded solemnly. “We’ll actually start on the teacher’s lounge.”
“But why?” I realized with disgust that my voice had taken on a plaintive edge. “Mrs. Eacker’s classroom is right here….”
“But it’s easier, and safer, to work on turning off the lights first,” Andrew spoke for the first time. “Plus, if you break the bulbs or something, the lights will turn off anyways. No one will know the difference. If you break Mrs. Eacker’s lights, well…there’ll be significantly more trouble.”
“But the janitor’s working on Mrs. Eacker’s lights anyways,” I objected, pointing through the window, where Mr. Friesnor stood on a ladder, arms and head stuck through the ceiling.
Andrew shook his head. “He won’t be able to fix that. What you did, you basically vaporized a bunch of electricity, and dammed up the rest. He’ll give up in about twenty minutes – that’s when he gets off. That should be plenty of time.”
I sighed. I didn’t understand what Cameron found so “freeing” about this training experience. It was work.
“Let’s go,” announced Andrew, not hearing, or ignoring, my last thought.
I trudged after Andrew and Charlotte, next to Cameron. “So,” I called, “hoping to at least gain some knowledge for my efforts. “How did you two meet?”
Cameron’s eyes sharpened.
Andrew and Charlotte exchanged glances. “And how did you two discover your powers?” I added in a slightly softer voice. Still, Charlotte and Andrew stopped and scanned our surroundings for a few seconds before proceeding.
After more moments of silence, Charlotte ventured, in a quiet voice, “do not talk about these things so publicly, Maggie.”
“Relax, there was no one there.”
There was another pause. Charlotte’s voice went even quieter, so that I almost did not catch her response, “not everything is as it seems.”
I shivered, because Charlotte’s ominous tone dripped with paranoia. “What do you mean?” Cameron asked, hushed, and fully focused on the discussion.
Andrew and Charlotte once again exchanged glances. “This probably isn’t the best place to talk,” Charlotte told us, “but there is one thing that you two need to realize now. We cannot talk freely about…what we have…even when we think we’re fully alone. Because sometimes we are not. Sometimes there are people…things…watching us…listening to us.”
Page 13
“Me? No! I was too busy trying to make them be able to see me.” Cam said, rolling her eyes. A guy sitting next to us in the hall turned to look quizzically at her. Cameron immediately frowned and began to bat her eyes until they started to water. “People are always ignoring me. Why? Do I do anything wrong? What’s wrong with me?” She started to burst into tears and leaned against my shoulder, crying. I sighed and gave the nosy kid a glare. He sheepishly turned around, stood up, and walked away.
Cam immediately straightened up and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears.
“That was fun.” She said, smiling.
“I told you that you should have auditioned for the school play.” I mumbled, trying to keep from other people hearing us.
“That’s not the point. There’s only like two minutes till school’s over,” Cam said, looking at the watch, “and then we are going to the…place” She suddenly said, lowering her voice. I turned and saw that Mrs. Eacker had been looking at us. “And then we’ll come here.” Cam said, giving me a look. “We’ll have to tell Andrew and Charlotte. They’re not going to be happy with you.”
Great, just what I need. Another way for Andrew to hate me.
"Hey, Maggie, hey Cam.” Jeff came up to us, nervously smiling. “How’d you guys do on the essay?”
“I got an 88.” Cam said, shrugging and holding up her paper.
“Oh, cool.” He smiled, then looked down. “What’d you get, Maggie?”
“95.” I said, smiling. He met my eyes and smiled at me, then looked down. His brown hair was lay flat against his head, and with his pale skin, thick glasses, and thin wiry body, everyone knew him as a total geek. It wasn’t like he was ugly or snobby or way too smart, he just got really good grades and liked nerdy things.
“Good job.” He said. “You beat me.” He held up his paper to show a 90%.
“Um…Thanks?”
“Your welcome.” He looked around a little bit, then suddenly kneeled on the ground next to us and lowered his voice. “What were you talking about?”
“Nothing.” Cam said quickly. Too quickly. I made a mental note to teach her how to not act suspicious.
“It just seems strange that so many electrical things have been going wrong lately.” He said, raising one of his eyebrows. “Especially since-” The bell rang then, cutting him off. Students rushed from their classes, and almost immediately, Charlotte and Andrew were there, standing by our sides.
“Hey, Jeff.” Andrew said, standing up straighter than he usually did, talking more curtly. It seemed like he was actually threatening the poor guy. Jeff stood up slowly, as did we.
“Hey, Andrew…what’s up?”
“Nothing, we just need to talk to Maggie and Cameron for a while.” Charlotte said, her airy voice also concealing some bitterness. “Maybe you can catch up with them some other time.”
“No problem.” Jeff starting stepping back slowly. “See you guys tomorrow.” As soon as he disappeared into the crowd, I turned to the couple.
“What was that about?”
“We’ll tell you later.” Andrew said, looking around. “So the lounge is protected by a couple teachers, hoping to catch the student when they return to the scene of the crime.”
“That’s just great.” I muttered, bringing my hand to my forehead.
“Not really.” Charlotte said, bringing her eyebrows together. “It actually makes our job more dangerous.” Andrew closed his eyes, sighed a little, and brought his lips down to her ear. I could only assume he was explaining sarcasm to her. “Oh…” She nodded and smiled at me.
Cam immediately straightened up and rubbed her eyes to get rid of the tears.
“That was fun.” She said, smiling.
“I told you that you should have auditioned for the school play.” I mumbled, trying to keep from other people hearing us.
“That’s not the point. There’s only like two minutes till school’s over,” Cam said, looking at the watch, “and then we are going to the…place” She suddenly said, lowering her voice. I turned and saw that Mrs. Eacker had been looking at us. “And then we’ll come here.” Cam said, giving me a look. “We’ll have to tell Andrew and Charlotte. They’re not going to be happy with you.”
Great, just what I need. Another way for Andrew to hate me.
"Hey, Maggie, hey Cam.” Jeff came up to us, nervously smiling. “How’d you guys do on the essay?”
“I got an 88.” Cam said, shrugging and holding up her paper.
“Oh, cool.” He smiled, then looked down. “What’d you get, Maggie?”
“95.” I said, smiling. He met my eyes and smiled at me, then looked down. His brown hair was lay flat against his head, and with his pale skin, thick glasses, and thin wiry body, everyone knew him as a total geek. It wasn’t like he was ugly or snobby or way too smart, he just got really good grades and liked nerdy things.
“Good job.” He said. “You beat me.” He held up his paper to show a 90%.
“Um…Thanks?”
“Your welcome.” He looked around a little bit, then suddenly kneeled on the ground next to us and lowered his voice. “What were you talking about?”
“Nothing.” Cam said quickly. Too quickly. I made a mental note to teach her how to not act suspicious.
“It just seems strange that so many electrical things have been going wrong lately.” He said, raising one of his eyebrows. “Especially since-” The bell rang then, cutting him off. Students rushed from their classes, and almost immediately, Charlotte and Andrew were there, standing by our sides.
“Hey, Jeff.” Andrew said, standing up straighter than he usually did, talking more curtly. It seemed like he was actually threatening the poor guy. Jeff stood up slowly, as did we.
“Hey, Andrew…what’s up?”
“Nothing, we just need to talk to Maggie and Cameron for a while.” Charlotte said, her airy voice also concealing some bitterness. “Maybe you can catch up with them some other time.”
“No problem.” Jeff starting stepping back slowly. “See you guys tomorrow.” As soon as he disappeared into the crowd, I turned to the couple.
“What was that about?”
“We’ll tell you later.” Andrew said, looking around. “So the lounge is protected by a couple teachers, hoping to catch the student when they return to the scene of the crime.”
“That’s just great.” I muttered, bringing my hand to my forehead.
“Not really.” Charlotte said, bringing her eyebrows together. “It actually makes our job more dangerous.” Andrew closed his eyes, sighed a little, and brought his lips down to her ear. I could only assume he was explaining sarcasm to her. “Oh…” She nodded and smiled at me.
page 12
“I guess we’ll see.” I glanced as the clock, which was ticking away at ten minutes to the bell.
Cameron laughed softly, “I can’t believe you’re worried about your essay grade when we just discovered that we have powers,” she said this in a hushed voice. “Andrew said that there’s no telling how much we can do with them. Even he and Charlotte don’t know a lot about it.”
I cupped my chin in my hands, half-listening to Mrs. Eacker chatter about the logistics of essay writing. “Yeah, well, I’m one point away from an A, so…” I shut my mouth. Mrs. Eacker had finished with her discussion and was now making for the stack of essays. Everyone in the room sat up straighter, eyes intent.
I glanced to my left. Even Cameron watched Mrs. Eacker begin to pass out papers intensely. I flicked my eyes back to Mrs. Eacker, who was only one row away. I clenched my fists against my thighs. Please, please. I thought. I want an A, a high A, preferably, but a 95 could raise my grade too. Please…
Mrs. Eacker was at my desk. She reached for the paper, my paper. She was slow, too slow. The lights in the room flickered, but I didn’t notice. I was waiting.
The paper plopped onto my desk, and as Mrs. Eacker moved on, I snatched it up eagerly in my hands. My ears buzzed with excitement. I looked down at my essay. In Mrs. Eacker’s sprawling handwriting was 95%. Yes!
The adrenaline stored in my system went nuts. That’s when there was an audible crackle. Then the lights went out at once. Several girls screamed, and someone, probably Ethan, the class clown, yelled, “Holy shit!”
We waited, but the lights did not come back on. A think trickle of sun fell on the back of the classroom from the lone window that neither opened nor let in sufficient light. As Mrs. Eacker sent someone out to find the janitor, I felt Cameron’s eyes on me. I flushed slightly. First the teacher’s lounge, then this? I sighed. At least I had an A in English….
Mrs. Eacker quickly and efficiently calmed the class down. She led us out into the hallway where she distributed the rest of the essays and let us chat quietly amongst ourselves. However, we generally failed at keeping our voices down, and the last five minutes of class became a very loud sharing of essay grades. The neighboring teachers gave us dirty looks before slamming the doors of their own, light filled classrooms.
Mrs. Eacker just shook her head and began to read.
Fortunately, that meant that everyone was too busy to pay attention to our discussion.
“Hey, I got an A,” I said weakly, holding up my paper for Cameron to see.
She grinned at me. “Nice.”
“What did you get?”
She shrugged, holding up her own essay, “88.”
“Ah.”
“But that’s not the point!” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no one was listening. No one was. “I’m really glad you’re having your training in a few minutes.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gave her a look.
Cameron sighed, “no offense, but apparently you’re kind of like electricity girl, and if you can’t control your powers…what if next time it’s not just randomly affecting the lights? What if it’s during a lightning storm, and you call the electricity to someone? Or you shock someone from a plug.”
“Fine, fine, I get it,” I grumbled, not really upset. “I’m dangerous.” Cameron looked apologetic. I shrugged. “I’m just glad that we have Andrew and Charlotte to help us. They probably had to figure this out themselves. Did you ever ask them how they did it?”
Cameron laughed softly, “I can’t believe you’re worried about your essay grade when we just discovered that we have powers,” she said this in a hushed voice. “Andrew said that there’s no telling how much we can do with them. Even he and Charlotte don’t know a lot about it.”
I cupped my chin in my hands, half-listening to Mrs. Eacker chatter about the logistics of essay writing. “Yeah, well, I’m one point away from an A, so…” I shut my mouth. Mrs. Eacker had finished with her discussion and was now making for the stack of essays. Everyone in the room sat up straighter, eyes intent.
I glanced to my left. Even Cameron watched Mrs. Eacker begin to pass out papers intensely. I flicked my eyes back to Mrs. Eacker, who was only one row away. I clenched my fists against my thighs. Please, please. I thought. I want an A, a high A, preferably, but a 95 could raise my grade too. Please…
Mrs. Eacker was at my desk. She reached for the paper, my paper. She was slow, too slow. The lights in the room flickered, but I didn’t notice. I was waiting.
The paper plopped onto my desk, and as Mrs. Eacker moved on, I snatched it up eagerly in my hands. My ears buzzed with excitement. I looked down at my essay. In Mrs. Eacker’s sprawling handwriting was 95%. Yes!
The adrenaline stored in my system went nuts. That’s when there was an audible crackle. Then the lights went out at once. Several girls screamed, and someone, probably Ethan, the class clown, yelled, “Holy shit!”
We waited, but the lights did not come back on. A think trickle of sun fell on the back of the classroom from the lone window that neither opened nor let in sufficient light. As Mrs. Eacker sent someone out to find the janitor, I felt Cameron’s eyes on me. I flushed slightly. First the teacher’s lounge, then this? I sighed. At least I had an A in English….
Mrs. Eacker quickly and efficiently calmed the class down. She led us out into the hallway where she distributed the rest of the essays and let us chat quietly amongst ourselves. However, we generally failed at keeping our voices down, and the last five minutes of class became a very loud sharing of essay grades. The neighboring teachers gave us dirty looks before slamming the doors of their own, light filled classrooms.
Mrs. Eacker just shook her head and began to read.
Fortunately, that meant that everyone was too busy to pay attention to our discussion.
“Hey, I got an A,” I said weakly, holding up my paper for Cameron to see.
She grinned at me. “Nice.”
“What did you get?”
She shrugged, holding up her own essay, “88.”
“Ah.”
“But that’s not the point!” She glanced over her shoulder to make sure that no one was listening. No one was. “I’m really glad you’re having your training in a few minutes.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I gave her a look.
Cameron sighed, “no offense, but apparently you’re kind of like electricity girl, and if you can’t control your powers…what if next time it’s not just randomly affecting the lights? What if it’s during a lightning storm, and you call the electricity to someone? Or you shock someone from a plug.”
“Fine, fine, I get it,” I grumbled, not really upset. “I’m dangerous.” Cameron looked apologetic. I shrugged. “I’m just glad that we have Andrew and Charlotte to help us. They probably had to figure this out themselves. Did you ever ask them how they did it?”
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Page 11
“What are you doing here?” Cameron’s harsh voice rocketed through the air, aimed directly at Charlotte. She still didn’t seem to understand the acidity in her tone.
“Andrew heard Maggie’s confusion. He only assumed it meant something power-related had happened. Since he is forbidden from the girls’ bathroom, he sent me.” I nodded, reaching out for Cameron.
“I’m right here, Maggs.” She said. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and moved my hand to squeeze it sympathetically.
“What do we do? We have to get to class.”
“Indeed.” Charlotte walked toward me, and reached for where I was holding Cam’s hand.
“Cameron, could you come with me? Your brother and I have a place where we could coach you to come back to the realm of the visible.”
“I guess.” Cameron’s voice was sour, but, really, what choice did she have?
“Maggie, it would be best if you could go to class, and say that Cameron was feeling ill. Andrew and I will be able to forge her a note.”
“Ok.” I reached for Cam’s shoulder, but she gave me her other hand. “Be…careful.” I said, for lack of a better word. There was a pause, and she said,
“I will. Thanks.”
“Were you going to say something else?” I asked. I could practically feel her blush.
“Well, um, I tried to nod before I realized that you couldn’t see me…”
“Can you see yourself?” I asked. There was another pause, followed by,
“I mean yes. Yes, I can see myself. I mean, not in the reflection,” I turned to look at the mirror, and of course she wasn’t there, “but I can look down and see my hands and legs and feet. I just feel…different.”
“The bell is going to ring soon.” Charlotte said, her usually calm voice a little tense. “Maggie, you must go.” I nodded, picked up my backpack, and headed to Mrs. Eacker’s classroom. Andrew met me on the way.
“You’re going to need this.” He said, handing me a note. It was written in curvy, almost illegible handwriting, saying that I had taken Cameron to the nurse and that was why I was late. The bell rang, then, and I nearly sprinted the rest of the way to class.
The teacher took the note without reading it, smiling at me. I noticed the stack of graded essays on her table, just waiting to be passed out. Waiting to tell the students in the class how poorly they did, which would just spiral into another lesson, which would mean another essay, and so on and so forth.
Sometimes I really loathed English.
Cameron came back about halfway through the lecture, with a note that appeared to be the same handwriting. Once again, Mrs. Eacker accepted it without question, and Cameron took her seat next to me.
“What happened?” I hissed at her as she got her notes out.
“Andrew read my mind to try to figure out how to control my powers. We sort of had to work together. And every time either of us got stressed, Charlotte would relax us.” She shrugged.
“Maybe this isn’t as bad as I thought. If they keep helping us, imagine what we could do! They said my powers are like some sort of shield, so I should be able to make these shields other places to, right? Instead of just on me. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
“Yeah.” I said softly.
“And after school, they’ll teach you. You’ll see, it’s really…freeing. Like there was always something I could have done, but never got to…You know?” I just shrugged.
“Andrew heard Maggie’s confusion. He only assumed it meant something power-related had happened. Since he is forbidden from the girls’ bathroom, he sent me.” I nodded, reaching out for Cameron.
“I’m right here, Maggs.” She said. I felt a hand on my shoulder, and moved my hand to squeeze it sympathetically.
“What do we do? We have to get to class.”
“Indeed.” Charlotte walked toward me, and reached for where I was holding Cam’s hand.
“Cameron, could you come with me? Your brother and I have a place where we could coach you to come back to the realm of the visible.”
“I guess.” Cameron’s voice was sour, but, really, what choice did she have?
“Maggie, it would be best if you could go to class, and say that Cameron was feeling ill. Andrew and I will be able to forge her a note.”
“Ok.” I reached for Cam’s shoulder, but she gave me her other hand. “Be…careful.” I said, for lack of a better word. There was a pause, and she said,
“I will. Thanks.”
“Were you going to say something else?” I asked. I could practically feel her blush.
“Well, um, I tried to nod before I realized that you couldn’t see me…”
“Can you see yourself?” I asked. There was another pause, followed by,
“I mean yes. Yes, I can see myself. I mean, not in the reflection,” I turned to look at the mirror, and of course she wasn’t there, “but I can look down and see my hands and legs and feet. I just feel…different.”
“The bell is going to ring soon.” Charlotte said, her usually calm voice a little tense. “Maggie, you must go.” I nodded, picked up my backpack, and headed to Mrs. Eacker’s classroom. Andrew met me on the way.
“You’re going to need this.” He said, handing me a note. It was written in curvy, almost illegible handwriting, saying that I had taken Cameron to the nurse and that was why I was late. The bell rang, then, and I nearly sprinted the rest of the way to class.
The teacher took the note without reading it, smiling at me. I noticed the stack of graded essays on her table, just waiting to be passed out. Waiting to tell the students in the class how poorly they did, which would just spiral into another lesson, which would mean another essay, and so on and so forth.
Sometimes I really loathed English.
Cameron came back about halfway through the lecture, with a note that appeared to be the same handwriting. Once again, Mrs. Eacker accepted it without question, and Cameron took her seat next to me.
“What happened?” I hissed at her as she got her notes out.
“Andrew read my mind to try to figure out how to control my powers. We sort of had to work together. And every time either of us got stressed, Charlotte would relax us.” She shrugged.
“Maybe this isn’t as bad as I thought. If they keep helping us, imagine what we could do! They said my powers are like some sort of shield, so I should be able to make these shields other places to, right? Instead of just on me. Wouldn’t that be cool?”
“Yeah.” I said softly.
“And after school, they’ll teach you. You’ll see, it’s really…freeing. Like there was always something I could have done, but never got to…You know?” I just shrugged.
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Andrew and Charlotte drifted off towards their classes, hands interlinked.
I blinked and looked away from them, into Cameron’s hurt and accusing eyes.
“Can you believe this?” Cameron’s voice and tears gave away her pent up frustration. “They go on about your powers and their powers and his power, but they won’t even speculate about mine!” I nodded silently, trying not to antagonize her. I needed my best friend now more than ever. And I needed the truth. Cameron sniffed wetly and I looked at her face. It was red, tearstained, and puffy. I sighed. There was no way she could go to class looking like that. Mrs. Eacker would definitely ask questions.
“Let’s go to the bathroom.” I cajoled. Please, please, please just agree with me, I thought.
Cameron glared at me. “What’s the point?” She yelled hysterically. “No one will notice anything!”
“Girls, get to class,” a counselor told us in passing.
Cameron laughed, her voice cracked and harsh. “See? I might as well be invisible.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?” I asked, “not being noticed?”
Cameron pressed her lips together. “Selfish, I know.”
I sighed, “It’s not selfish at all. It’s one of the six basic needs of humans.”
Cameron sniffed again. “Whatever. I’m still a mess.”
“Yeah…you kinda are.”
We laughed together, pure, self-deprecating laughter. Relief washed over me as we headed towards the bathroom.
“What do you think we’ll be doing for English?” I asked as Cameron daubed at her face with a paper towel.
She paused and gave me a look. “We’re getting our essays back, remember? The ones we wrote yesterday?”
“Oh. Right.”
I turned to inspect myself in the mirror. My green eyes were dark under the yellow lights of the bathroom, but I was pleased to see that my frizzy hair was calmer than usual; they had settled into wavy locks. I glanced over at Cameron, whose olive skin was perfect. Even after crying, her brown eyes were bright, and her auburn hair was a perfect, shiny curtain. I turned back to my section of mirror, and scrutinized the pink spots on my nose where I had forgotten to reapply sunscreen. Cameron never had problems like this. I looked over to confirm this. But Cameron was gone.
“Cameron?” My voice echoed across the tiled bathroom walls and ceiling. She couldn’t have left me. I was being late for her.
“Yeah, Maggie?” Her voice was clear, as if she was still in the room. Did she go to the bathroom?
“Where are you?”
“What do you mean?”
I stared at the place where she had been. Her backpack was still slumped on the floor. As if she had just disappeared. As if she was invisible?
“Um…Maggie?” Cameron’s voice cut through my disbelief. “Are you okay? I’m right here…” I heard the soft tread of her flats coming towards me. “Do you feel faint? I can take you to the nurse. I stared at the empty air.
“Ah. Her powers awakes.” I whirled around. Charlotte stood by the door, smiling at Cameron, or, at least, the lack thereof.
I blinked and looked away from them, into Cameron’s hurt and accusing eyes.
“Can you believe this?” Cameron’s voice and tears gave away her pent up frustration. “They go on about your powers and their powers and his power, but they won’t even speculate about mine!” I nodded silently, trying not to antagonize her. I needed my best friend now more than ever. And I needed the truth. Cameron sniffed wetly and I looked at her face. It was red, tearstained, and puffy. I sighed. There was no way she could go to class looking like that. Mrs. Eacker would definitely ask questions.
“Let’s go to the bathroom.” I cajoled. Please, please, please just agree with me, I thought.
Cameron glared at me. “What’s the point?” She yelled hysterically. “No one will notice anything!”
“Girls, get to class,” a counselor told us in passing.
Cameron laughed, her voice cracked and harsh. “See? I might as well be invisible.”
“Is that what’s bothering you?” I asked, “not being noticed?”
Cameron pressed her lips together. “Selfish, I know.”
I sighed, “It’s not selfish at all. It’s one of the six basic needs of humans.”
Cameron sniffed again. “Whatever. I’m still a mess.”
“Yeah…you kinda are.”
We laughed together, pure, self-deprecating laughter. Relief washed over me as we headed towards the bathroom.
“What do you think we’ll be doing for English?” I asked as Cameron daubed at her face with a paper towel.
She paused and gave me a look. “We’re getting our essays back, remember? The ones we wrote yesterday?”
“Oh. Right.”
I turned to inspect myself in the mirror. My green eyes were dark under the yellow lights of the bathroom, but I was pleased to see that my frizzy hair was calmer than usual; they had settled into wavy locks. I glanced over at Cameron, whose olive skin was perfect. Even after crying, her brown eyes were bright, and her auburn hair was a perfect, shiny curtain. I turned back to my section of mirror, and scrutinized the pink spots on my nose where I had forgotten to reapply sunscreen. Cameron never had problems like this. I looked over to confirm this. But Cameron was gone.
“Cameron?” My voice echoed across the tiled bathroom walls and ceiling. She couldn’t have left me. I was being late for her.
“Yeah, Maggie?” Her voice was clear, as if she was still in the room. Did she go to the bathroom?
“Where are you?”
“What do you mean?”
I stared at the place where she had been. Her backpack was still slumped on the floor. As if she had just disappeared. As if she was invisible?
“Um…Maggie?” Cameron’s voice cut through my disbelief. “Are you okay? I’m right here…” I heard the soft tread of her flats coming towards me. “Do you feel faint? I can take you to the nurse. I stared at the empty air.
“Ah. Her powers awakes.” I whirled around. Charlotte stood by the door, smiling at Cameron, or, at least, the lack thereof.
page 9
there.” Charlotte smiled.
“Andrew’s telepathic, Maggie.” She explained in that melodic voice of hers. “He read your mind. That’s why we think you’ve been fainting.”
“It only happens outside, right?” Andrew asked. I opened my mouth, but he nodded his head. “Or in rooms with extremely bright light.” He explained to Charlotte. My mouth stayed open, not believing he had known that.
“Ok then.” Cameron said, her voice slow and a little bit freaked out. “If you’re a telepath, then what’s Charlotte?” Andrew glared at Cameron, even though she didn’t say anything to offend him. I figured that she might have called Charlotte “the crazy one” in her head again.
“I can control metal.” Charlotte said, holding up on of her metallic rings. It slowly melted in her hand and changed into another ring, then another and another. My breathing near stopped at seeing such a feat. How could this be possible? My mind started spinning, like whenever I fainted.
“Maggie? Maggie, stay with us!” I blinked a few times to see Andrew standing next to me, holding my shoulders to keep me upright. His face was right next to mine. I immediately recalled my dream, but tried to think of something else, now that I knew he could read my mind.
“Sorry.” I said, shakily. “It’s funny, usually it happens at least once before lunch time…”
“It must be all that pent up energy.” Charlotte mused, clasping her ringed hands together. “And it didn’t happen earlier because you gave so much of it to the room, that’s why they can’t turn off.”
“But the announcer said that its costing the school money, meaning it was drawing from the incoming energy.” Andrew said, sitting back next to his girlfriend. “Though, possibly when it ran out of her stored energy, it began working normally, only it’s not hooked up to the wall switch…” Maggie raised her eyebrows at him, as if she was asking him a question. “That’s a good idea…Yes, there is that-“
“Wait a second.” Cam cut it. “What about my powers?” She was irritated, verging on angry. In her position, I would have been as well. How come I had the powers and she didn’t?
“We don’t know about them.” Charlotte said, not making an effort to comfort her this time. “The only reason we knew about Maggie’s is because she turned on the lights when they shouldn’t work, and now they’re acting unusually. We don’t even know yet, we are just speculating.”
“Couldn’t you ‘speculate’ about mine?” Her voice was nearing a shriek, she was so upset.
“Cam, we don’t know anything. I’m sorry.” She took a shaky breath, which made it sound like she was going to cry. Then she glared at her brother.
“How did you even know about your powers? How did you meet her? When did this all happen? And why didn’t you tell me?” She demanded, her eyes close to tears. Andrew stared her down.
“We’ve never been close, Cam.” He said, his voice even. “Why would I tell you something like this? You never trusted me enough to tell me what you did when you went to your summer camp. Why should I tell you what happened when I went to mine?” Cam’s face turned bright red.
“What’s he talking about, Cam?” I asked her.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” She said, glaring at her brother.
“That’s right, it’s nothing.” Charlotte said, her mellow voice easing the tense air. She was also glaring at Andrew, probably scolding him in her head. “It’s over, anyway. We’ll explain as much as we can, if we could get together at Cameron’s and Andrew’s house after school?”
“Of course.” I said.
“No,” Andrew said, his voice much more relaxed now, “we need to fix the lights, before the school finds out that Maggie lock picked her way in there. We’ll meet in front of Ms. Oswald’s classroom after school.”
“Okay.” I nodded. All three of us looked over at the still upset Cameron, who nodded.
“Then it’s agreed.” Charlotte smiled her strange smile and stood. A few seconds later the bell rang.
“Andrew’s telepathic, Maggie.” She explained in that melodic voice of hers. “He read your mind. That’s why we think you’ve been fainting.”
“It only happens outside, right?” Andrew asked. I opened my mouth, but he nodded his head. “Or in rooms with extremely bright light.” He explained to Charlotte. My mouth stayed open, not believing he had known that.
“Ok then.” Cameron said, her voice slow and a little bit freaked out. “If you’re a telepath, then what’s Charlotte?” Andrew glared at Cameron, even though she didn’t say anything to offend him. I figured that she might have called Charlotte “the crazy one” in her head again.
“I can control metal.” Charlotte said, holding up on of her metallic rings. It slowly melted in her hand and changed into another ring, then another and another. My breathing near stopped at seeing such a feat. How could this be possible? My mind started spinning, like whenever I fainted.
“Maggie? Maggie, stay with us!” I blinked a few times to see Andrew standing next to me, holding my shoulders to keep me upright. His face was right next to mine. I immediately recalled my dream, but tried to think of something else, now that I knew he could read my mind.
“Sorry.” I said, shakily. “It’s funny, usually it happens at least once before lunch time…”
“It must be all that pent up energy.” Charlotte mused, clasping her ringed hands together. “And it didn’t happen earlier because you gave so much of it to the room, that’s why they can’t turn off.”
“But the announcer said that its costing the school money, meaning it was drawing from the incoming energy.” Andrew said, sitting back next to his girlfriend. “Though, possibly when it ran out of her stored energy, it began working normally, only it’s not hooked up to the wall switch…” Maggie raised her eyebrows at him, as if she was asking him a question. “That’s a good idea…Yes, there is that-“
“Wait a second.” Cam cut it. “What about my powers?” She was irritated, verging on angry. In her position, I would have been as well. How come I had the powers and she didn’t?
“We don’t know about them.” Charlotte said, not making an effort to comfort her this time. “The only reason we knew about Maggie’s is because she turned on the lights when they shouldn’t work, and now they’re acting unusually. We don’t even know yet, we are just speculating.”
“Couldn’t you ‘speculate’ about mine?” Her voice was nearing a shriek, she was so upset.
“Cam, we don’t know anything. I’m sorry.” She took a shaky breath, which made it sound like she was going to cry. Then she glared at her brother.
“How did you even know about your powers? How did you meet her? When did this all happen? And why didn’t you tell me?” She demanded, her eyes close to tears. Andrew stared her down.
“We’ve never been close, Cam.” He said, his voice even. “Why would I tell you something like this? You never trusted me enough to tell me what you did when you went to your summer camp. Why should I tell you what happened when I went to mine?” Cam’s face turned bright red.
“What’s he talking about, Cam?” I asked her.
“Nothing. It’s nothing.” She said, glaring at her brother.
“That’s right, it’s nothing.” Charlotte said, her mellow voice easing the tense air. She was also glaring at Andrew, probably scolding him in her head. “It’s over, anyway. We’ll explain as much as we can, if we could get together at Cameron’s and Andrew’s house after school?”
“Of course.” I said.
“No,” Andrew said, his voice much more relaxed now, “we need to fix the lights, before the school finds out that Maggie lock picked her way in there. We’ll meet in front of Ms. Oswald’s classroom after school.”
“Okay.” I nodded. All three of us looked over at the still upset Cameron, who nodded.
“Then it’s agreed.” Charlotte smiled her strange smile and stood. A few seconds later the bell rang.
page 8
again, must be found. Thank you.” There was a slight click as the loudspeaker shut off.
The buzz of student conversation quickly rose again, but our table remained shrouded in awkwardness. Except for Charlotte, who seemed completely at ease at a table with strangers. Maybe it was just because Andrew was so close to her. He had an arm around her waist.
She smiled, slight dimples forming under her freckles. “So, Cameron, Maggie, how have you been since we last met? Or rather, the first time we met?” She laughed softly a little. Her voice was lilting and melodious.
Cameron responded with a sound halfway between a mumble and a growl.
“Er…fine ish.” I told the table.
The corner of Charlotte’s mouth twisted ruefully. “Oh, I just realized that we never quite introduced each other properly.”
“Properly?” Echoed Cameron.
“My name is Charlotte, Charlotte Hopper.” When we didn’t respond, she told us, “I just like to know peoples’ last names.”
“Oh,” I said, “I’m…Maggie Scrivenor.”
“Cameron Glass,” Cameron said stiffly. “As I’m sure you already know.”
“Ah, yes,” Charlotte smiled wistfully at Andrew, who smiled back, his eyes softening in a way that I had never seen.
It made me uncomfortable. I cleared my throat. “So…Andrew, didn’t you have something tell us?”
Andrew looked embarrassed. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” I insisted. “You tried like three times to tell us yesterday. Can’t you just tell us?”
Andrew glanced at Charlotte. “What do you think?”
She sighed, “they have to know.”
“Will they make a scene?”
“We’re right here!” Cameron grumbled impatiently.
“Calm down, Cameron,” Andrew’s voice rose a fraction louder.
“Make me!” Cameron retorted, just short of yelling.
“Please, please,” Charlotte put on hand over Andrew’s and one hand over Cameron. “This is urgent,” she told Andrew. “I shall tell them.
Andrew, still glaring at Cameron nodded. Cameron looked away, drawing back her hand. I fixed Charlotte with my eyes.
“Alright,” Charlotte began, hesitating under Cameron and my stares. “This – and don’t ask me what ‘this’ is yet – begins hundreds of years ago. We – Andrew and I – are still trying to figure out the purpose of it all. But…the main part of it is that you, Cameron, and you, Maggie, have ‘powers’.” She paused, monitoring our response.
“…powers?” Cameron asked caustically. “Like what powers? Flying? Super strength?”
“Invisibility, natural powers, telepathic, telekinetic, others,” Andrew contributed quietly.
Cameron rolled her eyes. “Is this some sort of game?”
“Just hear me out!” Charlotte said hastily. “We think that Maggie might have powers that have to do with electricity.”
I started. “What?”
“Well, think about it.” Andrew’s voice lowered to a whisper. “That teacher’s lounge’s light didn’t work. When you opened the door after detention, you turned on the lights. Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”
“Maybe the lights just suddenly worked. Like the circuts connected or something…” I mumbled.
“Wait…how did you know that I opened the door after detention? There was no one
The buzz of student conversation quickly rose again, but our table remained shrouded in awkwardness. Except for Charlotte, who seemed completely at ease at a table with strangers. Maybe it was just because Andrew was so close to her. He had an arm around her waist.
She smiled, slight dimples forming under her freckles. “So, Cameron, Maggie, how have you been since we last met? Or rather, the first time we met?” She laughed softly a little. Her voice was lilting and melodious.
Cameron responded with a sound halfway between a mumble and a growl.
“Er…fine ish.” I told the table.
The corner of Charlotte’s mouth twisted ruefully. “Oh, I just realized that we never quite introduced each other properly.”
“Properly?” Echoed Cameron.
“My name is Charlotte, Charlotte Hopper.” When we didn’t respond, she told us, “I just like to know peoples’ last names.”
“Oh,” I said, “I’m…Maggie Scrivenor.”
“Cameron Glass,” Cameron said stiffly. “As I’m sure you already know.”
“Ah, yes,” Charlotte smiled wistfully at Andrew, who smiled back, his eyes softening in a way that I had never seen.
It made me uncomfortable. I cleared my throat. “So…Andrew, didn’t you have something tell us?”
Andrew looked embarrassed. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” I insisted. “You tried like three times to tell us yesterday. Can’t you just tell us?”
Andrew glanced at Charlotte. “What do you think?”
She sighed, “they have to know.”
“Will they make a scene?”
“We’re right here!” Cameron grumbled impatiently.
“Calm down, Cameron,” Andrew’s voice rose a fraction louder.
“Make me!” Cameron retorted, just short of yelling.
“Please, please,” Charlotte put on hand over Andrew’s and one hand over Cameron. “This is urgent,” she told Andrew. “I shall tell them.
Andrew, still glaring at Cameron nodded. Cameron looked away, drawing back her hand. I fixed Charlotte with my eyes.
“Alright,” Charlotte began, hesitating under Cameron and my stares. “This – and don’t ask me what ‘this’ is yet – begins hundreds of years ago. We – Andrew and I – are still trying to figure out the purpose of it all. But…the main part of it is that you, Cameron, and you, Maggie, have ‘powers’.” She paused, monitoring our response.
“…powers?” Cameron asked caustically. “Like what powers? Flying? Super strength?”
“Invisibility, natural powers, telepathic, telekinetic, others,” Andrew contributed quietly.
Cameron rolled her eyes. “Is this some sort of game?”
“Just hear me out!” Charlotte said hastily. “We think that Maggie might have powers that have to do with electricity.”
I started. “What?”
“Well, think about it.” Andrew’s voice lowered to a whisper. “That teacher’s lounge’s light didn’t work. When you opened the door after detention, you turned on the lights. Doesn’t that strike you as strange?”
“Maybe the lights just suddenly worked. Like the circuts connected or something…” I mumbled.
“Wait…how did you know that I opened the door after detention? There was no one
Page 7
No one was there. I sighed, frustrated, and walked out of the room, closing the door behind me and heard it lock. Suddenly the shortcut didn’t seem so useful anymore.
My cell rung as I walked down the hall to the front of the school.
“Hey, Maggie.” It was Andrew.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Listen, I need to talk to you. Can you come over to my house?” I paused. Whatever this information was, he had been trying all day to tell me. Maybe I should talk to him.
“Could I get a ride?” I asked, wondering if Cameron would be okay with this.
“Um…” I heard him sigh. “Actually, Cam and our mom went to practice some driving, so if you could get a ride…”
“I don’t think so. I already have to walk home, thanks to detention.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Andrew said softly. I didn’t know if he meant detention, or the fact that I caught him making out with his girlfriend, his girlfriend who wasn’t a cheerleader or a stunning model, his girlfriend that no one knew, that no one had ever heard of.
“It’s no problem. I get detention all the time.”
“I know.” He said. I heard him sigh again. “Fine, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. But please, please convince Cam to hear me out.”
“I’ll try.” I said, biting my bottom lip. How on earth could I convince her to do that?
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” The phone clicked. I sighed and closed it.
My cell rung as I walked down the hall to the front of the school.
“Hey, Maggie.” It was Andrew.
“Hey, what’s up?”
“Listen, I need to talk to you. Can you come over to my house?” I paused. Whatever this information was, he had been trying all day to tell me. Maybe I should talk to him.
“Could I get a ride?” I asked, wondering if Cameron would be okay with this.
“Um…” I heard him sigh. “Actually, Cam and our mom went to practice some driving, so if you could get a ride…”
“I don’t think so. I already have to walk home, thanks to detention.”
“I’m sorry about that.” Andrew said softly. I didn’t know if he meant detention, or the fact that I caught him making out with his girlfriend, his girlfriend who wasn’t a cheerleader or a stunning model, his girlfriend that no one knew, that no one had ever heard of.
“It’s no problem. I get detention all the time.”
“I know.” He said. I heard him sigh again. “Fine, I’ll talk to you tomorrow. But please, please convince Cam to hear me out.”
“I’ll try.” I said, biting my bottom lip. How on earth could I convince her to do that?
“Great. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Bye.” The phone clicked. I sighed and closed it.
***
“Students, today we’ll have a new student in our class.” Ms. Oswald said. I looked up from my brief nap to see Charlotte standing there, in all her jewelry-covered glory.
“Students, today we’ll have a new student in our class.” Ms. Oswald said. I looked up from my brief nap to see Charlotte standing there, in all her jewelry-covered glory.
“It’s the crazy girl!” Cameron hissed at me. I nodded, trying to wake up from this dream-turned nightmare.
“She just moved here from…” I didn’t hear any more. All I could picture was them, and how much I wanted to be her.
After class, Cameron and I headed to our usual lunch table. This time Andrew, with Charlotte on his arm, came to join us.
“Hey Maggie, Cam.” I turned to see Cameron’s stunned face. “Can we join you?” Cam was clearly too stunned to answer, so I jumped in.
“Of course. Take a seat.” I said. Andrew sat next to me and Charlotte sat next to Cam, who’s mouth was still wide open, gaping at the strange redhead in the seat next to her.
“There’s something we need to tell you.” Andrew told us, lowering his voice so no one outside the group could hear us. “There’s-”
Suddenly the school speaker system crackled on. “Attention students. Attention students. The lights in the downstairs teacher’s lounge have been tampered with. They are now on, and cannot be turned off. Whoever has done this prank must be found, so please bring any information you have on this prankster to the school administration. We will keep your name anonymous. Whoever did this is costing the school a lot of money, and
page 6
“Oh. Hello, Maggie,” Charlotte smiled at me serenely. “How nice to see you again.”
I gaped at her, speechless. I didn’t want to know what my face looked like. Andrew shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Hey, Maggie.”
I nodded. “Um…well, I have to go…” I tried to sidle past them.
“Detention?” asked Andrew.
I nodded, then stopped. “Hey. How did you know?”
Andrew opened his mouth, then stopped as Charlotte put a hand on the crook of his elbow. He shrugged. “I’ll tell you later, and Cam.”
I glared at him, and stalked into the hall. As I turned towards Mrs. Oswald’s classroom, I saw the two silhouettes press against each other again.
I paused at the door of the classroom and sighed. Most of the people in the room were strangers.
Only Fred, who shared the detention room with me many times before, nodded at me when I sat down beside him.
“Sup?”
I shrugged, ignoring the screaming, hysterical voice in my head, “Not much. You?”
Fred popped his gum. “Want one?” he held out a pack of Trident. I listened. Mrs. Oswald was nowhere near. I selected a piece. I crumbled up the wrapper in my hand and shoved it in my pocket as I rolled up the stick of gum in a cylindrical tube. I chewed it, letting the watermelon flavored juices fill my mouth. “What’d you get in for?” he joked.
I laughed. “Fell asleep. You?”
“Late for the third day in a row,” Fred grimaced, “I’m always caught.”
“Ah.” I thought of Sam, who had been drooling into his sleep just a few seats away from me. Yet
Mrs. Oswald had caught me, not Sam.
Fred shrugged, “one of these days, we’ll get out share of luck back.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like luck is rationed.”
“Be quiet!” Mrs. Oswald tapped into the classroom in her chunky heels. Her flower printed dress flapped as she stepped over to my desk. “No talking in detention, Miss Scrivenor, or you will learn this tomorrow afternoon.”
I nodded, mouth tightly shut. Mrs. Oswald shot me a stern look and strode over to her desk, where she proceeded to watch us over her hawk-like nose, her mouth a thin slash on her face.
Fred and I exchanged glances before reaching into our backpacks and taking out books. I stole a glance around the classroom. The girl in front of me, with curly blond hair and a sour expression was doodling pictures in her notebook. I peered closely over her shoulder. It was Mrs. Oswald with an agonized expression on her face. A large circular object, probably a boulder, was crushing her. From the cartoon Mrs. Oswald’s gaping mouth, the girl was drawing a large speech bubble. I shook my head and began to read. However, I was unable to concentrate. I wondered if Charlotte and Andrew were still in the dark teacher’s lounge. My mind kept replaying the whole event, Charlotte and Andrew, grasping at, completely engrossed in each other. Then Andrew, suddenly unwilling to talk, when twice before he had wanted to say something. I needed to talk to Cameron.
The hour long detention crawled by uneventfully. The clock’s normally silent ticking was amplified in the silent room. Every second was announced clearly; each minute mocked our impatience. When Mrs. Oswald released us, I waved goodbye to Fred and sped down the hall to the teacher’s lounge. I was surprised and annoyed to find the door locked. I fumbled in my hair for my hairpin and blew away the strands of hair that fell into my face. I stuck the pin in the lock and shoved open the door, flicking on the lights in one swift motion. “Hello?” I called.
I gaped at her, speechless. I didn’t want to know what my face looked like. Andrew shuffled his feet awkwardly. “Hey, Maggie.”
I nodded. “Um…well, I have to go…” I tried to sidle past them.
“Detention?” asked Andrew.
I nodded, then stopped. “Hey. How did you know?”
Andrew opened his mouth, then stopped as Charlotte put a hand on the crook of his elbow. He shrugged. “I’ll tell you later, and Cam.”
I glared at him, and stalked into the hall. As I turned towards Mrs. Oswald’s classroom, I saw the two silhouettes press against each other again.
I paused at the door of the classroom and sighed. Most of the people in the room were strangers.
Only Fred, who shared the detention room with me many times before, nodded at me when I sat down beside him.
“Sup?”
I shrugged, ignoring the screaming, hysterical voice in my head, “Not much. You?”
Fred popped his gum. “Want one?” he held out a pack of Trident. I listened. Mrs. Oswald was nowhere near. I selected a piece. I crumbled up the wrapper in my hand and shoved it in my pocket as I rolled up the stick of gum in a cylindrical tube. I chewed it, letting the watermelon flavored juices fill my mouth. “What’d you get in for?” he joked.
I laughed. “Fell asleep. You?”
“Late for the third day in a row,” Fred grimaced, “I’m always caught.”
“Ah.” I thought of Sam, who had been drooling into his sleep just a few seats away from me. Yet
Mrs. Oswald had caught me, not Sam.
Fred shrugged, “one of these days, we’ll get out share of luck back.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like luck is rationed.”
“Be quiet!” Mrs. Oswald tapped into the classroom in her chunky heels. Her flower printed dress flapped as she stepped over to my desk. “No talking in detention, Miss Scrivenor, or you will learn this tomorrow afternoon.”
I nodded, mouth tightly shut. Mrs. Oswald shot me a stern look and strode over to her desk, where she proceeded to watch us over her hawk-like nose, her mouth a thin slash on her face.
Fred and I exchanged glances before reaching into our backpacks and taking out books. I stole a glance around the classroom. The girl in front of me, with curly blond hair and a sour expression was doodling pictures in her notebook. I peered closely over her shoulder. It was Mrs. Oswald with an agonized expression on her face. A large circular object, probably a boulder, was crushing her. From the cartoon Mrs. Oswald’s gaping mouth, the girl was drawing a large speech bubble. I shook my head and began to read. However, I was unable to concentrate. I wondered if Charlotte and Andrew were still in the dark teacher’s lounge. My mind kept replaying the whole event, Charlotte and Andrew, grasping at, completely engrossed in each other. Then Andrew, suddenly unwilling to talk, when twice before he had wanted to say something. I needed to talk to Cameron.
The hour long detention crawled by uneventfully. The clock’s normally silent ticking was amplified in the silent room. Every second was announced clearly; each minute mocked our impatience. When Mrs. Oswald released us, I waved goodbye to Fred and sped down the hall to the teacher’s lounge. I was surprised and annoyed to find the door locked. I fumbled in my hair for my hairpin and blew away the strands of hair that fell into my face. I stuck the pin in the lock and shoved open the door, flicking on the lights in one swift motion. “Hello?” I called.
Page 5
“Sorry.” I mouthed to him. He just shrugged. Then Cameron grabbed my shoulder and pulled me after her.
“Ugh! Why does he try to be all mysterious all the time?” She groaned as we made our way to the parking lot. I shrugged.
“I just-“ Then Cameron collided with someone.
“Oh! Sorry!” An airy voice said. I looked past a shaken Cam to see a girl about our age, with frizzy red hair that stuck out from her head, as if she had spent her whole life rubbing it with a balloon to get the effect. She wore coke-bottle glasses that made her freckly face small in comparison. Around her skinny body hung a grey dress, and around her neck various large beaded necklaces, some metal, some made from stones, clacking together as she moved. Cameron held her head and nodded at the strange girl. “I’m Charlotte.” She said, holding out her hand.
Cameron was at a loss for words, staring at this alien-like girl.
“I’m Maggie.” I said, giving her my hand, which seemed to shoot forward of its own accord. “This is Cameron.”
“Charmed.” She said in the same low voice, shaking my hand. Her grip was way too strong, and the millions of rings on her fingers cut into the palm of my hand. “I assume I’ll see you around!” She waved and disappeared into the crowd of students, heading back toward the school.
“Who the-What the-?” Cameron looked at me blankly.
“I have no idea.” I said, shaking my head.
“Whoever she is, she’s completely bonkers!”
“Maybe.” I agreed, nodding. I was about to head toward my ride, Cameron’s mom’s car, but she stopped me.
“Detention, remember?” She said, tilting her head to the side to look at me with pitiful eyes.
“Oh, right.” I said, slapping my forehead in dismay. “Maybe I could just-?”
“No, do the right thing. Get it over with now.” She said, pointing back toward the school.
“But Cam-!”
“March.” She said, smiling a bit at her own joke. I huffed, fixed my backpack, and walked back toward Ms. Oswald’s classroom.
On my way there, the crowds of students began to thin. The only people I saw were the kids who were in an afterschool club, waiting for detention, or making out.
Ugh, who would do that? I thought. Public displays of affection are just so…so…GROSS!
I took a shortcut to get back to detention in time. On the first floor there was a relatively unused teacher’s lounge, and it had two doors, one to each side of the hallway. Because the lighting in the room never worked, no one really went in there, and the doors were always locked.
It was a good thing lock pickingwas one of my many talents. The lock clicked open with ease, thanks to the hair pin I always had to hold back the mountain of frizz that I called hair.
I opened the door. The lights were out, as always, but the light from the hall shone in, so I could see two figure leaning against a wall, making out.
“Who’s there?” A familiar voice said. A light shone as the figures separated. Then I could see their faces. I gasped.
It was Andrew and Charlotte.
“Ugh! Why does he try to be all mysterious all the time?” She groaned as we made our way to the parking lot. I shrugged.
“I just-“ Then Cameron collided with someone.
“Oh! Sorry!” An airy voice said. I looked past a shaken Cam to see a girl about our age, with frizzy red hair that stuck out from her head, as if she had spent her whole life rubbing it with a balloon to get the effect. She wore coke-bottle glasses that made her freckly face small in comparison. Around her skinny body hung a grey dress, and around her neck various large beaded necklaces, some metal, some made from stones, clacking together as she moved. Cameron held her head and nodded at the strange girl. “I’m Charlotte.” She said, holding out her hand.
Cameron was at a loss for words, staring at this alien-like girl.
“I’m Maggie.” I said, giving her my hand, which seemed to shoot forward of its own accord. “This is Cameron.”
“Charmed.” She said in the same low voice, shaking my hand. Her grip was way too strong, and the millions of rings on her fingers cut into the palm of my hand. “I assume I’ll see you around!” She waved and disappeared into the crowd of students, heading back toward the school.
“Who the-What the-?” Cameron looked at me blankly.
“I have no idea.” I said, shaking my head.
“Whoever she is, she’s completely bonkers!”
“Maybe.” I agreed, nodding. I was about to head toward my ride, Cameron’s mom’s car, but she stopped me.
“Detention, remember?” She said, tilting her head to the side to look at me with pitiful eyes.
“Oh, right.” I said, slapping my forehead in dismay. “Maybe I could just-?”
“No, do the right thing. Get it over with now.” She said, pointing back toward the school.
“But Cam-!”
“March.” She said, smiling a bit at her own joke. I huffed, fixed my backpack, and walked back toward Ms. Oswald’s classroom.
On my way there, the crowds of students began to thin. The only people I saw were the kids who were in an afterschool club, waiting for detention, or making out.
Ugh, who would do that? I thought. Public displays of affection are just so…so…GROSS!
I took a shortcut to get back to detention in time. On the first floor there was a relatively unused teacher’s lounge, and it had two doors, one to each side of the hallway. Because the lighting in the room never worked, no one really went in there, and the doors were always locked.
It was a good thing lock pickingwas one of my many talents. The lock clicked open with ease, thanks to the hair pin I always had to hold back the mountain of frizz that I called hair.
I opened the door. The lights were out, as always, but the light from the hall shone in, so I could see two figure leaning against a wall, making out.
“Who’s there?” A familiar voice said. A light shone as the figures separated. Then I could see their faces. I gasped.
It was Andrew and Charlotte.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
page 4
he didn’t exist sometimes. I know it’s one of those wishes that t.v. programs tell us we’ll regret, but I just wish I could sort of be my own person, you know?”
I sighed, “you are your own person, Cam. You’re fraternal twins. You don’t share any more DNA than any normal siblings.”
“Yeah, but are siblings normally always…there?” Cameron wrinkled her nose. She shook her head. “I wish there was a book of answers.”
“Yeah, it would be –” I broke off. Our teacher, Mrs. Eacker, had finished shuffling papers on her desk and was stalking to the front of the room. Her commute left a wake of hushed conversations. When she faced front, all conversations had ceased; all eyes on Mrs. Eacker. I smiled to myself, resisting the urge to giggle. Halfway through the year, I had still not gotten used to Mrs. Eacker’s effect on people. Then again, she was the best English teacher in the school.
Mrs. Eacker gave us a half smile. “Good afternoon, class. I hope you had a good lunch, because today we’re going to practice our writing.”
Someone (or everyone) groaned.
“Don’t look so bleak,” Mrs. Eacker went on unfazed. “This is a writing class. And writing is fun!”
Everyone laughed cynically. I joined in, despite the horror that squelched in my stomach. I wished I could claim sick for once and skip the essay.
“It’s pretty standard,” Mrs. Eacker began to pass out the writing prompts. “You have forty minutes. Read the prompt carefully – maybe.” A spattering of giggles broke out.
A sheet of paper slid down in front of me as Mrs. Eacker brushed by my desk. I sighed and looked down at the innocent, typed paragraph at the top of the page.
Using specific evidence, defend, challenge, or qualify Shakespeare’s view of greatness.
From Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, 1601:
Malvalio: In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.
Great. A vague prompt. I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Then I began to write.
“What did you think about that prompt?” Cameron asked me as we walked out and breathed a sigh of relief.
I shrugged. I always shrugged.
Cameron sighed. “It seemed different from our other prompts, don’t you think?”
I shrugged again. The headache was back. Not exactly painful, but a constant throbbing presence which I wished would just go away.
“Hey, Cam. Hey, Maggie.” Andrew popped out from around the corner.
Cameron started, glared at her brother, and tried to walk past him. I followed. “Go away.”
Andrew sped after us, stopping Cameron. “Hey, wait! We go home in the same car.” He reminded her.
“I’ll tell mom you got lost,” Cameron said coldly.
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?” He glanced at me, expecting me to answer as well.
Cameron and I exchanged glances, then shook our heads.
“But don’t you want to know why weird things have been happening?” Andrew persisted.
Cameron narrowed her eyes. “What are you trying to pull on us? ‘Weird things’?”
Andrew opened his mouth.
Cameron cut him off. “We don’t want to hear it. Come on, Maggie.” I followed
I sighed, “you are your own person, Cam. You’re fraternal twins. You don’t share any more DNA than any normal siblings.”
“Yeah, but are siblings normally always…there?” Cameron wrinkled her nose. She shook her head. “I wish there was a book of answers.”
“Yeah, it would be –” I broke off. Our teacher, Mrs. Eacker, had finished shuffling papers on her desk and was stalking to the front of the room. Her commute left a wake of hushed conversations. When she faced front, all conversations had ceased; all eyes on Mrs. Eacker. I smiled to myself, resisting the urge to giggle. Halfway through the year, I had still not gotten used to Mrs. Eacker’s effect on people. Then again, she was the best English teacher in the school.
Mrs. Eacker gave us a half smile. “Good afternoon, class. I hope you had a good lunch, because today we’re going to practice our writing.”
Someone (or everyone) groaned.
“Don’t look so bleak,” Mrs. Eacker went on unfazed. “This is a writing class. And writing is fun!”
Everyone laughed cynically. I joined in, despite the horror that squelched in my stomach. I wished I could claim sick for once and skip the essay.
“It’s pretty standard,” Mrs. Eacker began to pass out the writing prompts. “You have forty minutes. Read the prompt carefully – maybe.” A spattering of giggles broke out.
A sheet of paper slid down in front of me as Mrs. Eacker brushed by my desk. I sighed and looked down at the innocent, typed paragraph at the top of the page.
Using specific evidence, defend, challenge, or qualify Shakespeare’s view of greatness.
From Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, 1601:
Malvalio: In my stars I am above thee; but be not afraid of greatness: some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon 'em.
Great. A vague prompt. I closed my eyes for a moment, gathering my thoughts. Then I began to write.
“What did you think about that prompt?” Cameron asked me as we walked out and breathed a sigh of relief.
I shrugged. I always shrugged.
Cameron sighed. “It seemed different from our other prompts, don’t you think?”
I shrugged again. The headache was back. Not exactly painful, but a constant throbbing presence which I wished would just go away.
“Hey, Cam. Hey, Maggie.” Andrew popped out from around the corner.
Cameron started, glared at her brother, and tried to walk past him. I followed. “Go away.”
Andrew sped after us, stopping Cameron. “Hey, wait! We go home in the same car.” He reminded her.
“I’ll tell mom you got lost,” Cameron said coldly.
Andrew rolled his eyes. “Don’t you want to hear what I have to say?” He glanced at me, expecting me to answer as well.
Cameron and I exchanged glances, then shook our heads.
“But don’t you want to know why weird things have been happening?” Andrew persisted.
Cameron narrowed her eyes. “What are you trying to pull on us? ‘Weird things’?”
Andrew opened his mouth.
Cameron cut him off. “We don’t want to hear it. Come on, Maggie.” I followed
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