It was about time someone came to ask what he was doing here. Nikolai ran through different phrases he could use to keep his cover. Bailey didn’t strike him as a magician, but a confrontation could attract the wrong sort of attention. To keep his eye on the class, he had to appear legitimate. Now he’d see how good Pistachio’s forgery was, and how good his transfer student excuse would hold.
Bailey walked into his row and Nikolai reflexively tensed, only to relax again when he walked past him a few seats down, standing in front of the purple hat girl. “Hey, did you finish that essay?”
“Not yet, I couldn’t get into it,” she said.
“Why don’t you come over to my place? We could work on it together.”
“Umm.” From the corner of his eye, he could see her fidget in her seat. “Yeah. I could do that. That works.”
“Do you still have my number?”
“It’s somewhere.” She blushed and bent down into her bag.
“Here.” He held his palm out, and she handed him a pink phone with fluffy keychains. He typed out a quick message and clicked send. “Text me when you’re free.”
If he wasn’t so close, it would just seem like this Bailey guy only wanted to work on his essay. But Nikolai noted his dilated pupils, the lingering smile. He was interested in her, and just got her number. Smooth.
And definitely not what he was supposed to be looking for. Nikola’s eye twitched. Just more normal college stuff.
Bailey returned to his seat, passing by him on his way. If money had a smell, it would be whatever expensive cologne he was wearing.
The class was beginning to turn into another disappointment. They had a boring lesson and then a short quiz at the end, and Nikolai didn’t even bother reading after the first question. How does the collection of Big Data allow businesses to infer human intent in data analysis? It was a measure of how much time he spent in the class that he actually understood the question, and if pressed would have been able to write out a partial answer. He jotted the occasional word down so that it wasn’t obvious that he wasn’t actually answering the questions, and instead continued to pay attention to the class, even though it was clear there wasn’t going to be anything to see.
In the third row, there was a guy frantically erasing an answer and scraping away the rubbings, then gnawing his pencil like a dog. Another student was literally breathing hard as he tapped a pencil against his leg. There were students with visible signs of anxiety and tension over something as ridiculous as showing off whether they knew the answer to some random questions. They had to join this century. None of this mattered. People could just google anything they needed to know.
Nikolai looked out of the corners of his eyes for any signs of a magician. Perhaps this quiz was nerve-wracking enough to flush the magician out. Nikolai almost rolled his eyes at that. He dutifully scanned the room and was not surprised when he once again found nothing out of the normal.
The first handful of students turned in their quizzes, grabbed their things, and walked out the door. Nikolai was considering doing the same when he noticed that one of the students who finished hung back by the door. It took him a moment to place the tall guy who seemed stretched thin. Louis, he thought it was. Louis watched another student, still in his seat, who checked over his answers for the third time.
It wasn’t until the other student turned in his test that Louis finally spoke. Though he tried to speak in a low voice, the acoustics of the room, designed like an amphitheater, managed to carry his words all the way across to the back of the room clearly. “Hey, have you seen Evan? He’s not answering his phone or anything. I was hoping that he would at least make it to class.”
“Maybe he’s just taking a break or something.”
“His roommate says that he hasn’t been back in four days, and his girlfriend’s freaking out. Evan wouldn’t just leave like that. Something must have happened.”
Then Nikolai felt it: the air pulling tight, like the bowstring of an arrow drawn back, about to be let loose. Nikolai clenched the wooden arms of his chair. This was magic capable of much worse than a 6.5 earthquake and one injury. He braced himself in the case of a quake, scanning down the rows in front of him for any sign of a magician at work.
There were too many people, and all of them could be crushed to death if the building collapsed. This was exactly what he wanted to avoid. If he stopped the magician before the magic spiraled out of control, he could limit the amount of casualties.
Then the lights went out. Everyone was plunged into a deep darkness. There was a pause for a beat before a worried murmur took over the class. Cell phone lights flashed around the room. Nikolai knew this was the moment he could strike; his aim with the knife would be deadly. If only he had a target.
Almost as soon as the pressure in the air started, it faded away. Nikolai felt the charged air around the room recoil and disappear, vanishing like mist. The lights flickered back on. Immediately he tried to identify the source, but it was impossible with everyone looking around, talking in hushed voices while their spineless professor tried to calm the students. The class began to settle once more, though a lot of students quickly packed their belongings to leave. Maybe they could feel it, the unsettling shift in the air. Or smell the burnt ozone.
It was strange, though. He never experienced anything quite like this. When magic was built up to that strength and caliber, it typically rampaged into mass destruction. This was something else. This magician was nothing like the others he’d taken down in the past.
The magician was still in the room, that was clear, but there was nothing Nikolai could do without causing a scene and putting everyone here at risk. Not only that, but it would be foolish to make a move without backup. It would be safer to alert the others, let them know what he had seen. Even if it was too obvious to have all of them hanging out in one classroom, it would help to have them out in the halls, or another set of eyes to be on alert.
As he picked up his cell phone to alert Roman, he thought of Evan’s bloody face being lifted from the carpet. No. This time there would be no mistake about who the magician was.
Nikolai kept a watchful eye on the students who got up and turned in their papers to the front. He crossed out the names he was sure left early and tried to retrace the events that transpired. The pulse was triggered right after the other boys were talking about Evan—so the magician must have known something about Evan. Maybe a friend who only just found out about his disappearance.
A sudden, daunting thought occurred to him. It was quite possible whoever it was knew they were being hunted and that meant they knew who he was.
Nikolai remained for a minute, feeling like a sitting duck, as things went back to normal, as if nothing happened at all. As more and more of them turned in the quiz, Nikolai had no way of knowing whether or not the magician was still there, or if they had already left. When only a few students remained, and someone was asking the professor a question, he silently left out the back.
Outside, it was already dark. The sky was struck through with heavy clouds, which cast a gloom about everything. Yet, even here a small crowd gathered, looking up at the sky. Some students were pointing, and others had their cellphones recording.
“What the hell was that?”
“It’s over there.”
Nikolai followed their pointed gazes in time to see a flash of light bloom across the sky in a massive blue orb. All around him, students were chattering excitedly, asking if others got it on film, stating that they were going to post it on Snapchat.
Earthquake lights. He had only seen them in pictures before. Scientists couldn’t explain them, had no explanation for the phenomenon, but he knew what they were. These lights were formed out of the residue of magic. Nikolai looked around at all the smartphones out documenting the lights and shook his head. Soon everyone who knew the truth about magic would be alerted with this huge signal across the sky.
If Nikolai wanted to find this magician on his own, he
would need to work fast. Things were getting more complicated.
6
“Hey, Pickles,” Jun crooned, opening up the wire cage that took up an entire quarter of the room. Pickle Berry hopped straight into the palm of her hand, and Jun lifted him up to her shoulder. She reached for a packet of assorted treats and picked a nice fat sunflower seed. Pickles grasped it in both tiny hands and started munching.
Since last weekend, Jun had crocheted an assortment of mini accessories. She just hadn’t had the time for an update. Jun balanced a tiny wool top hat on his head and snapped a quick picture before it toppled off. “That’s perfect, Pickles, you’re going to be a star.” The props changed, and Pickles now balanced a pointed wizard cap between his ears. Jun placed a miniature wand in front of him. “Come on, Pickles, you can do it.” Pickles grabbed the wand in his tiny fingers. Picture perfect.
It was hard to be discerning, as her faithful pet always looked so darn adorable, but she managed to select the best pics for Instagram. She skimmed through her app to find that she had gained twenty-three followers since she last checked. She tried not to let the fame get to her head—even though she owned the third most popular chinchilla on the internet.
Jun poured some chinchilla dust into the pickle jar—an actual cleaned out Costco jar that had once housed pickles. Her little buddy hopped in and started rolling in his dust bath. His movements were as enthusiastic as they were twitchy. Little clouds of dust emerged from the jar like the ash bellowing out of an active volcano.
Noises came from the kitchen. Her father always made French toast for her weekend visits, and it was glorious—just the right combination of crisp and buttery, along with generous helpings of both syrup and cinnamon.
With Pickles back in his cage, she went to the kitchen to set the table.
“So, what’s new?” Her father asked as they began to eat.
Jun swallowed. There was so much she couldn’t mention. Hey, Dad, a kid just disappeared from my cohort. And the creepy imposter who probably murdered him sits next to me in class. Nothing to worry about. What was a nice, calm topic she could use to distract him from all that? Jun twirled her spoon around the mini lake of syrup pooling at the bottom of her plate when the thought struck. Bailey.
“Well, there’s this guy.” Jun kept her eyes fixed on her toast, suddenly embarrassed at the drawn-out way she started. “He gave me his number and asked if we could work on the paper together.”
Her father put down his fork. “Yeah? And what did you say?”
“I said it was all right. I was getting around to texting him.”
“Well, go on, text him now, then. He’s probably been waiting for you.”
Jun sighed. Had she just dug herself into a hole? “It’s not like that. It’s just for class.”
“Oh, Jun Berry, a boy isn’t going to give you his number just to work on some essay.”
Jun’s cheeks flushed, the warmth making her stomach itch. She thought that might be the case but had convinced herself into believing otherwise. “Then I should probably make some sort of excuse.”
“Oh, what’s the matter? Does he have a big nose and ears that stick out?”
She couldn’t help the small grin as he used his hands to cup around his ears. “He’s not an elephant, Dad.” Far from it. “I barely know the guy.” At his look, Jun continued, “Plus, I’ll be graduating in a few months. I don’t want to be distracted.”
There was a pause. Her father went quiet and ate his French toast in silence. Jun wondered if that was the end of it.
“You know, when I first met your mother in college, I didn’t think I’d have a chance,” her father admitted softly. Jun’s eyes widened in shock. He usually avoided talking about her. “But she said yes.” He laughed, his eyes bright from the memory. “So, who knows, maybe things will work out with this guy.”
Jun bit her lip at the sight of that smile. If it wasn’t for her, he would have been able to smile more often. Her father rarely asked her for anything. Jun caused him to worry too often.
“Fine. It wouldn’t hurt just to text him,” she said. The worst that could happen would be getting caught up on her assignment. She scrolled through her contacts and fired off a quick text.
Hey, you still want to write that paper?
Jun was about to put her phone back down, but frowned at the sight of the three dots at the bottom of her screen showing he was typing back.
Perfect timing. I just got back from the gym. I’m free now.
Jun frowned at her cellphone. Now? “He says he’s free, but I can’t hang out with him now.”
“What are you talking about? Of course you can.” He had a playful gleam in his eyes, the dad look.
“I was going to hang out with you.”
“Well, I’m going fishing. The trout are really biting.” He got up from the table and made a beeline to his tackle-box in the drawer. He jammed his bucket hat on his head. “Gotta go.”
“Dad!”
He grabbed his car keys off the kitchen counter and gave Jun a wave. “Tell me all about it.”
He shut the door, leaving Jun alone with a breakfast plate smeared in syrup.
Jun groaned, leaned back in her chair, and stared up at the ceiling. This was not how she pictured her day. After a minute of weighing her options, she sighed and grabbed her phone.
I can be there in 30.
Jun parked a good two blocks away from the apartment complex and pulled up the emergency brake on Old Faithful, the Nissan Sentra that was older than she was.
She took a deep breath. “It’s just an essay,” she reminded herself. “No big deal.” She repeated the sentiment as she passed the koi pond in the front lobby, and again as she walked down the marble hallway.
Her finger hovered by the intricate wood panels of Bailey’s door. Well, it was either face Bailey, or her father’s disappointed questions later. Jun rang the doorbell.
Bailey answered the door in a well fitted t-shirt and shorts. Jun forced herself to look at his face. She told herself it was because she was so used to seeing him in more professional clothes. It didn’t mean anything.
“Hey, come on in. Make yourself at home.” He smiled. It was a rather nice smile, and not just because of the full lips or the straight white teeth. The warmth behind Bailey’s smile appealed to Jun.
“Thanks,” Jun replied. She stepped into the room, and at the sight of the books and papers already laid out across the leather ottoman, she gave herself a mental shake. This had to be from all of her father’s talk. She had to remember that she had actual work to do.
The room was well furnished, cleaner than she expected. Everything complimented, from the cream-colored upholstery to the gray throw rug in front of the leather sofa. It had a minimal but expensive touch. “It’s a nice place you got,” she said as she took out her own books and computer.
“Thanks, it’s all right. Can I get you anything? I’ve got water, tea, coffee?”
“Coffee, please.”
“Good choice. I just got a new drip coffee maker. It’s really the only thing keeping me alive at this point.”
When he brought her the piping hot cup, Jun sighed into it. It was divine, sharp and bright, with undertones of caramel. The time went by smoothly in addition to the occasional refills of excellent coffee. While swapping ideas, Jun managed to write the rough draft of her essay. It helped to get a second opinion.
She was reading through another article when Bailey asked, “What are you going to do after graduation?”
“I want to open up my own business.”
Bailey smiled one of those warm, genuinely interested smiles. “Oh, we got an entrepreneur in here. What kind of business?”
Jun brushed a stray strand of hair behind her ear. It was always a little embarrassing to admit. “Um. A craft store.”
But Bailey only nodded. “Ah, of course. The hat.” He pointed to her purple hat she knitted last break. “It looks great.”
“Thanks. And you? W
hat are your plans?”
Bailey took a deep, considering breath. “Nothing interesting. I’m doing this because it’s expected of me. Carry on the family business and all. My dad owns a couple restaurants and properties. He’s waiting for me to take over so he can retire early. The old man just wants to sit on a beach with a Piña Colada.”
“So he’s counting down the days till your graduation?”
“Exactly, more so than me.” Bailey laughed, then checked the clock. “Wow, has it really been three hours? No wonder I’m starving. You know, there’s this new Chinese place I’ve been dying to try. I could really use some brain food.”
Chinese? Jun hadn’t had any in weeks. “Yeah, Chinese sounds good. I’ve been getting sick of pizza.” One more slice of stale pizza might even be enough to drive her mad.
“Blasphemy.”
“You try eating pizza every day, then come talk to me.”
“All right, maybe I will. After I order us some take out.”
The food came fifteen minutes later, delivered to his door. There were three plastic bags, including a container of Egg Drop soup. Bailey practically bought the whole menu.
“Were you planning on feeding a small army, too?”
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like.” Bailey carefully opened containers of spring rolls, beef with broccoli, sweet and sour pork, salt and pepper prawn, Kung Pao chicken, fried rice and chow mein. It smelled heavenly.
They talked about their professors and their classes as they ate. Nothing went wrong. No cooking meant nothing caught on fire. The cat didn't try to use her as a scratching post. Just good food and good conversation. Bailey was so easy to talk with.
It was actually almost like a date.
Settled into the beginnings of her food coma, Jun cracked open her fortune cookie without thinking of it. She didn’t look up when Bailey laughed and read aloud his fortune. “The stars shine bright on you tonight. You will find love, and he will be handsome and rich… I think I picked the wrong fortune. What does yours say?”
Magician Rising (Divination in Darkness Book 1) Page 5
