Sky Jump

by Anastasia Bolinder

My hand suddenly felt warm and I moved my palm before me. In my hand a blue flame wavered inches above my skin as the heat caressed my palm.

  Creaking, the doors behind me echoed as someone entered the room. With my eyes wide I tried to remember what Mr. Jacobsen had said only to find all I could do was think to tell it to fade, and as if it listened, it dissipated into thin air as a voice echoed with a shuffle of shoes.

  “Quil?” I knew it was Alissa’s voice but it was more than just her as I turned.

  I froze, as I realized that not only was Zac here but a handsome, confused and slightly worried, Keten came into the room as I stood stunned.

  “Are you ok?” Alissa asked as she hurried over to me and saw the way my cheeks glistened.

  I felt completely unprepared for anything like this moment as I brushed my cheeks off quickly and looked away from all of their faces. Rubbing my nose, I grabbed for my bag and put it on my shoulder as I stepped up to stand next to the three of them, though I felt empty as my guitar strings with no melody.

  “I’m fine.” I said biting my lip as I tried to move past them.

  A hand grabbed my arm, stopping me cold, I looked up to find Keten as he tilted his head.

  “What happened, Quil?” He asked kindly as he looked into my eyes as if to find the answer.

  I could only hold his gaze for so long before I would either blush or have to leave their hazy brown embrace.

  Keten let go of my arm as they waited and my lips moved to try and say something but when noting filled their void Alissa stepped closer.

  “It was Lucy, wasn’t it?” She asked with a snarl loosely held in her voice.

  In all honesty I wished that was all it was.

  Keten turned to Alissa as Zac frowned.

  “You mean Lucy Salen?” Keten ventured.

  I wished I could run away, not as a human but with four powerful legs with hooves to carry me faster until I wanted to feel again.

  Alissa nodded and motioned to me,

  “Quil was in a Skyjump competition before school started and ever since Lucy has been after her.” Alissa said nodding.

  Keten looked to me and kindly stepped closer making me think how wonderful I must look with my face in a soft scowl and my nose and eyes red as roses in bloom.

  “What did she say? Did she do anything to you?” Keten asked bending forward so that he could see my eyes.

  I looked away from him for as long as I could until finally I looked up to his earthen eyes that made me look back away just as quickly.

  My lips wanted to speak but what if, somehow, I lost these three people like I had already lost any hope of keeping people from not laughing at me now. I closed my eyes and in that one moment felt a hand touch my arm.

  “Quil, we’re your friends, just tell us.” Alissa said with a kind smile as I looked to her while Zac nodded.

  My eyes came back to Keten as he looked to me with something that I couldn’t quite place but it was kindness I was sure.

  Glancing at their faces once more, my lips parted. I explained what Lucy had said the first day here and what she had said and done today, and then somehow my lips broke free the reason I was so angry about it all, like the fact I couldn’t even climb the dumb boxes.

  By the time we reached that point we all sat on the cement seating looking at one another as Alissa sat on my one side with Keten on my other and Zac one step down, looking up.

  I took a deep breath feeling the weight in my chest slightly filled with a kinder feeling of light air rather than a lump.

  “Sorry. That was a lot more than what Lucy said...” My voice broke.

  Before I would have felt stupid. Now they knew how stupid I could be, so was there really any prayer of saving the friendship now had?

  Keten glanced over at me fidgeting,

  “Quil, you’re no idiot. Mr. Sheplar is always a hard teacher, but even I have to admit I don’t get what he’s up to. Sometimes what he does is more mental than anything.” He said, shaking his head as I suddenly felt a flutter in my chest at the fact Keten had so easily gone past my breakdown.

  Glancing back at me, he tilted his head and a slightly pained looked crossed his face.

  “Why didn’t you tell Jean or Principal Septum about Lucy’s threat?” He asked, I may have left out my part about my guitar being involved but the rest I had told.

  I looked up to him and before I could speak Alissa put in,

  “Threats.”

  We looked to her as I turned back to look at the ground below me. Tilting my head, I shook it slowly as if trying to erase what was now out in the open.

  “I just didn’t want to make it a problem or be a problem.” I said, pursing my lips as my fingers rubbed my bracelet.

  Alissa put a hand to my shoulder,

  “Quil, being a problem would be doing what she is doing to you.” She voiced.

  Looking to her, my eyes scanned back over as Keten nodded.

  “You need to tell someone.” He said stoically.

  I shook my head and sat up straighter.

  “If I tell Jean or the principal, do you really think she will stop coming after me?” I asked him with doubt catching my words.

  Keten’s brows kitted and his lips pursed, against every thought that went through my mind his face looked slightly cute that way.

  “It will be like adding gas to a flame.” Zac said commenting for the first time.

  We all looked to him and after a moment I slowly nodded.

  “He’s right. The moment she’s told she will just keep coming after me worse than before.” I shook my head and sighed, “It really isn’t just her, with Mr. Sheplar’s class it was just the last straw for me today.” I said tilting my head away from them.

  Alissa put a kind hand to my shoulder as the room went quiet for a long moment before Keten shifted and tilted his head to me.

  “Why did you choose to come to the library as your get away?” Keten asked honestly with a slight smile crossing his cheeks.

  Looking over to him I felt slightly less stupid, though the question made me feel the same though a smile laced my lips.

  “The doors to the outside are locked, the atrium is in a concealed bubble I can’t access and my room was guarded by three snippy poodles with one being Lucy. My only option left was here or breaking a window to get out. I think you know which one I chose.” A moment was left as smiles creased all of our lips.

  I was the first to break into a giggle, before long, all four of us were laughing, it made a wonderful echo off the walls and an airy release of tension.

  By the time we had all finished giggling and had started talking again. I found out that they had all been talking when I ran by and they chased after me to see what had happened. Thinking back, it was just a blur so I had no idea I had even passed them.

  Once we all had started to stand up, the bell for dinner rang. With a smile, we decided we might as well go to dinner together. After what had happened, and even though the day had started out in a fluster and only built to an explosion, it now felt light and airy as we had eaten a tinfoil dinner with roast chicken that was amazing.

  When our dinner was consumed, we had talked about everything from memories of the best place’s we had ever been.

  Continuing in our conversation, which was abruptly intruded as Alissa loudly proclaimed that it was eight. Keten looked to me and again, a slightly shy smile may have crossed his features but he hid it well.

  For all I knew, Alissa had set the whole thing up, yet any way I looked at it there was no way she could have done so.

  Saying goodnight to Alissa and Zac, Keten and I stood in the hallway outside the dining hall as the number of students in the hallways dwindled expediently.

  Waving, Alissa turned back once and winked in my direction while motioning to Keten. All I could do was roll my eyes, glad he had to look back into the room before he had seen what she had done.

  Turning to him, we faced one another.

  “So, where are
we going to study?” I asked, looking to him with a raise of my brow.

  He looked at me confused and instead of feeling nervous about this being more then studying together I asked kindly,

  “Our homework?”

  He seemed to be taken from a daze as he smiled and put a hand to the back of his neck again. There was no possible way he could be nervous around the girl he had seen crying like a child earlier.

  “Right, I was thinking the library but since we have already been there for the day maybe…”

  Before he could finish I stepped closer to him.

  “No, I don’t mind going back. I have never seen how getting a book down works.” I said with a smile.

  Keten seemed happy with the turn of events and took my hand motioning down the hall.

  “Then this will be your first lesson in checking out a book.” He said and both of us laughed quietly at the thought.

  Coming to the large doors, Keten opened it and motioned for me to go in before him. I nodded thank you and walked into the room. However, as I came in I realized there was maybe three students scattered throughout the room as the soft hiss of pages being flipped echoed like wind through grass.

  Walking in behind me, Keten motioned to the step we had sat on earlier and nodded. Was it wrong I had wanted to be alone with Keten? I knew my father’s reply to that would have been a five-and-a-half-hour lecture.

  Just the thought made me smile as I sat down next to Keten.

  “So?” I asked, looking to him and then the ceiling.

  He nodded to me.

  “What book do you want?” He asked with a sharp grin that made my heart softly falter in my chest.

  I put a hand to my chin and thought about my assignments when Mr. Deplen’s caught my mind.

  “Do you think there might be one on animals?” I asked with a tilt of my head.

  Keten grinned,

  “Books on animals, coming up.” He said and glancing at the ceiling he closed his eyes and mouthed something.

  Looking up, in seconds, books started to come from the shelves and farther back in the area of upside down shelves and right before they hit the bubble protecting them they slowed and slipped past with a slight paste on them that helped them float right down to Keten and land perfectly in his lap.

  He opened his eyes as my mouth was on the floor looking from him to the books and back to the ceiling in wonder.

  “Pretty cool, isn’t it?” He asked with a grin.

  I nodded as he handed the six huge volumes of writing to me with a satisfied smirk.

  “How does it work?” I asked him as I took the books only glancing at them.

  He looked up to the ceiling again as books moved themselves to better spots or filled up gaps that may have become present.

  “I said in my mind what books I wanted and the wall of magic caught my words and took them to find something similar to what I asked for.” He said, bringing his gaze back to me as he sat coolly as he had the first day.

  Shaking my head, I looked back to the ceiling about to try and ask for a book of poems to try it out when I stopped and looked to him.

  “Do you have to have magic to get a book?” I asked tilting my head.

  He looked over to me and something of realization crossed his features as he sat up slightly.

  “Yes, you do...” He said and his lips formed a soft frown, “Can you use magic?” He asked kindly.

  Looking to him I felt sure my mind would break, should I lie? The truth was if I didn’t and he told anyone I was sure I might get into trouble after being in no mage classes and acting like I didn’t have magic, yet, I desperately wanted to be honest with him.

  I shook my head as no words could possibly make it passed the war that raged behind my eyes and within my mind.

  He looked to me with a slightly pained look to his lips,

  “I’m sorry if I came off rude about magic. It’s not that I think I’m better or that..” He stopped and shook his head and put his face in his hand with a slight huff.

  I smiled widely at his cute loss for what to say and reached out to tap his arm,

  “Keten, it’s ok.” I said with a slight laugh as I grinned at him.

  Pulling his hand away from his face he looked to me and the worry that had crossed his features faded as he smiled over at me.

  Before I let my cheeks blush at how long his eyes lingered on my face, I turned my head back to the books he had gotten for me and mentally noted that if I wanted a book I needed to ask someone with magic or there had to be no one around when I got a book.

  I knew I would have to come here and try and get a book sometime soon.

  Placing the books beside me, I picked up the first and placed it’s worn, bluish leather on my lap, skimming through some pages. I passed birds and mice before Keten finally spoke again.

  “So, what do you need animal books for?” He asked, scooting slightly closer to see what I was reading.

  I tried not to let the fact that he nearly looked over my shoulder bother me but I wondered and worried about my hair and face as he glanced at the pages that slightly clung to my hands that were laced in cold perspiration.

  “Mr. Deplen assigned us homework to find an underdog in the animal world that could hold its own against predators.” I said, flipping to the next page where a lizard with fans on the side of its head and a toothless mouth gaped open to the reader.

  Keten nodded at my side and sat back to my relief.

  “The regal horned lizard.” He said from my side.

  “What?” I said as I looked up from the book to him.

  He nodded and pointed to the book,

  “If you want to do an essay on an underdog that can hold its own, try a regal horned lizard.” He said with a smile.

  I looked to him and tilted my head, putting my arms on the book to keep the page I was on open as I questioned him,

  “What makes it so special?” I asked, with a raise of my brow.

  He smiled dubiously as if he had already won me on this.

  “It may seem easy prey but it can shoot blood out it’s eye to scare away predators.” He said triumphantly with a simple shrug of his shoulders.

  I scoffed at him.

  “You sound like you made that up.” I said eyeing him over.

  “Maybe I did.” He said, as he calmly leaned back.

  “KETEN!” I scolded, sitting up and losing my place in the book as it closed.

  He smiled as some of the other students glanced at us, though it felt far less threatening as I looked to Keten who smiled like a cat who had caught a trout.

  We stared at one another until finally I broke our gaze and threw my hands in the air, I could not tell if he had been bluffing.

  Chuckling softly, he scooted closer to me and took the book from my lap, placing it on his and started flipping through the pages.

  “What are you looking for now? A fire-breathing goat?” I asked, shaking my head.

  He glanced to the side at me, stopping,

  “I own one of those you know.” He said and this time I knew he was bluffing as he looked back to the book and seemed content he had gotten a smirk from me.

  Waiting, I watched him scan through the book, wondering what he was looking for as he bit the side of his lip and I was sure he had no idea he did it.

  “Here we are.” He said and looked up to me.

  “The fire-breathing goat?” I asked with my brows raised.

  “No silly, the lizard who shoots blood through it’s eye.” He mimicked the shake of my head, though he could hardly keep a smile from his lips.

  Handing me the book, I decided I would play along as he put it in my lap. Looking down, I was ready to find some kind of fake lizard for his joke but the moment my eyes read the page I titled my head as I read that the name of the lizard on the page was a, “Regal Horned Lizard.”

  Scanning through the two pages, in a small diagram was the lizard with a shot of blood toward a coyote as my lips fell open. I rea
d that indeed, with enough blood pressure build up was how the regal horned lizard outwitted it’s predators.

  Looking up to Keten, I caught one moment of something about his face as he watched me that was as if he was enjoying just watching me before he came out of it and nodded to the book.

  “So?” He asked.

  “I don’t believe it.” I said, glancing from him to the book.

  Shaking my head, he smiled,

  “There you go, your assignment is done, albeit the fire breathing goat might be a line to cut from the paper but other than that I think it should keep Mr. Deplen occupied and satisfied.”

  I giggled and put a hand to my lips feeling I had been given far too many good times already in this school with him, Alissa and Zac.

  Yet, as Keten watched me try to stop he stuck out his tongue and crossed his eyes and before I could stop myself I was doubled over laughing in sobs as he joined seeming to enjoy my reaction as much as I had enjoyed his face.

  Oh, what was a girl to do with this Keten boy who was okay with acting like a fool.

  Chapter 16

  “This and That”

  After my night out with Keten, the next few months seemed to speed by with no break or loss of laughter. I had been locked in my dorm by Lucy once during that time but much to her surprise I came into class barely squeezing in behind two other latecomer’s.

  I knew it had shocked her with how I could have escaped from my room where a plant blocked my door with it’s vines magically tangled under to keep it from budging.

  It was all thanks to Alissa who had caught Lucy whispering about the fact I would have one mark on my record after today and concerned, came looking for me. After she had found a maid who knew what room I was in, both Alissa and the maid moved, and cut the large plant from my door and before much could be said other than thank you, we were both running.

  I wound never forget the look on Lucy’s face as she looked back to me as I sat through class dutifully taking notes and even handing in my paper about the underdogs and the regal horned lizard.

  Hanging out with Alissa and Zac became a nightly endeavor as they had taught me how to play a strange SkyJump-like game called, “Left of Ladder,” which was simply a wall that was only as high as a note book with pegs that you used to try and see if you could climb to the top of a mountain. It was a game I was both asking and telling my father we needed to have so I could try and beat him at the small scale Skyjumping.