How to Make Friends and Not Incinerate People

by Devin Harnois

  “He’s showing off again.”

  Aiden turned to see Maggie. “What?”

  “That’s his zombie dog. He brings it sometimes so we can all see how great his powers are.”

  “A zombie… dog? So his dog died and he brought it back?” Plenty of people would love to have that kind of power.

  “It wasn’t his dog when it was alive. He zombified it afterward.”

  Marcus and the dog had disappeared into the crowd, but Aiden gave a wary glance in their direction. “He doesn’t eat people or anything, does he?”

  Maggie tilted her head. Today she was wearing a purple My Little Pony shirt. “I suppose he could if Marcus ordered him to, but otherwise, no. It’s not like movie zombies. They don’t go around eating brains. They do their master’s bidding.”

  “Oh.” Zombies were another thing to add to the long list of creatures he had to do research on.

  Maggie was just as perky as usual in helping him through the assignment in Minor Magical Control. Today they were supposed to light a candle. Aiden sighed as he stared at the wick, expecting yet another failure. Maggie kept encouraging him to concentrate until he gave her a look.

  “Sorry. I’ll be quiet now.”

  Aiden took a long, slow breath. Let it out. Focused on the candle and imagined it lighting by itself. Minutes ticked away, and he thought about yesterday, how strange and wonderful it had felt to tap into his magic, even for a second. The target falling over.

  A little tingle flickered in his chest, a little bit like the feeling from yesterday. Fire, he thought, moving that energy toward the candle. A bright yellow flame appeared. “Oh! I did it—”

  The whole candle burst into flame, the heat of it hitting his face as he drew back in shock. The teacher was suddenly there, the fire disappearing as he held his hand out toward it. A lump of wax oozed onto the table.

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t try to do that.” Aiden looked up at him, afraid he would get in trouble.

  “It’s all right,” Mr. K said. “Things like that happen sometimes, especially early on. You don’t know your own strength, so you don’t know how much to use.”

  Aiden shifted in his chair and realized he was shaking. “Are you sure I should be in this class? That it’s not too dangerous?” He had a little bit of an idea of what Dylan must feel like.

  The teacher patted his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. You’re exactly where you should be. Back to work, everyone!”

  The rest of the class had stopped when he’d accidentally immolated his candle. With a bit of shuffling and whispering, they turned back to their tasks.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  When Aiden got to their usual table, Dylan said, “Let’s go eat outside.”

  “Can we do that?”

  “Yeah. It’s a warm night, and it might be the last one we get. Come on.” He lifted his tray and went out into the hall. The other kids did a poor job of pretending they weren’t watching them. Aiden followed him a short way down the hall and out one of the exit doors. They were at one of the sides of the building, a large space of grass between them and an outdoor field. A few trees lined the edges and there were a few tables, most of them occupied. Dylan went straight for the empty one.

  “Did you want to talk or something?” Aiden asked. Short, ornate streetlamps cast enough light on the area for him to see by.

  “They were staring at me more than usual. Got on my nerves,” Dylan said with a shrug.

  Aiden was starting to get an idea of just how much this bothered him. “If you don’t like people being afraid of you, why do you act the way you do?”

  “Everyone made up their minds about me before I was in kindergarten.” He picked a chicken nugget off his ridiculously huge pile.

  “But why not prove them wrong?”

  “It’s easier this way.”

  Aiden frowned. “Easier not to have any friends?”

  Dylan gave him a look, eyes glowing with a tiny spark of green. “I don’t need anyone.”

  Now Aiden was annoyed. “You can drop the tough-guy act. I get it—you’re a badass, a rebel, a lone wolf. Everyone stays away from you because they’re afraid of you and you act like a jerk.”

  “You think I’m a jerk?” His tone wasn’t angry, just curious.

  “I think maybe you’re not, but you sure act like it. Why do you even talk to me?”

  Dylan was quiet for so long Aiden gave up and started eating his lunch. Today he’d picked a cheeseburger and fries. The food here was surprisingly good, not like any of the school lunches he’d had before.

  “Because you didn’t know what I was, so you didn’t look at me like everyone else,” Dylan said quietly. “It was a nice change.”

  “What about now?”

  “You mean after I freaked you out yesterday?”

  Aiden nodded.

  “It… bothered me. But it’s still not the same. I mean, you’re still talking to me. You didn’t look like you wanted to hide when I sat in front of you this morning.”

  Aiden stared at him and suddenly laughed. “Is it really so hard for you to admit you want a friend?”

  Dylan glared. “I don’t—”

  “Need anybody. Yeah, I get it.” Aiden rolled his eyes and realized he really wasn’t afraid of Dylan anymore. He took a bite of his burger and swallowed before saying, “Well, I guess I’m a badass rebel too, just for talking to you.” He smiled. He hadn’t been accused of anything like that his whole life. “Even Mr. Johnson warned me you’re dangerous.”

  “Who?”

  “The guy who first told me I was a changeling. He came to my house and dumped all this on me about a month ago. He said he’s a… what’s the word? Warden.”

  A glint of green. “Hm. One of those. Did he tell you what his real job is?”

  “He said he makes sure people like us don’t hurt humans, that he’s like a cop for supernatural beings.”

  Dylan snorted. “He means he kills any monster he finds that isn’t certified.”

  Aiden’s insides gave a cold twist. “But he didn’t kill me.”

  “He’s supposed to warn them first, and he probably gave you a lot of leeway because you’re a changeling and had no idea you were fae. But if you left here tonight, tried to go back to the human world, you’d get one warning to come back and earn your certification. And if you didn’t…” Dylan mimed a gun to his head and made a shooting noise.

  “Oh.” Not arrested and brought to some kind of monster jail. No trial, just the one warning and that was it. “But… it’s to keep people safe, right? They can’t just let vampires and werewolves and whatever else go around killing people.”

  “It’s not just about killing people. We’re not supposed to let humans see us using our powers. That’s why we get certified, so we can prove we can control our powers. Once we leave here, we’re shackled. We have to hide what we are, pretend to be human.”

  “And you don’t want to do that?”

  Dylan put his elbows on the table, leaned closer. “Here, I get to be exactly what I am. No hiding, no pretending. I can use my powers. I’m free, but I’m trapped in Shadow Valley. So I can stay in town and be dragonkin, or I can leave and pretend to be an ordinary human.” He put one hand out. “Freedom of self.” Then the other. “Or freedom to roam.”

  “Don’t you want to control your powers?” That was the entire point of Aiden being here, so he wouldn’t have another incident like what happened in the locker room last year.

  “Control, yes. Bottle up, no.”

  A light breeze ruffled Aiden’s hair. It really was a beautiful night, and winter would be here before they knew it. “So what are you going to do?”

  “I don’t know.” Dylan poked at his chicken nuggets.

  “Is that why you come to school late all the time, why you don’t care about getting detention? You really don’t care about graduating, do you?”

  He shrugged. “Not really.”

  “You know what I want to do?” It was so
mething he hadn’t admitted to anyone, not Mr. Johnson or even his parents. “I want to graduate so I can go find my birth parents, the fae ones. And my brother. I mean, we’re not blood related, but I still think of him as my brother. He’s out there somewhere, in the human world or the fae one. If I learn to control my powers, maybe I’ll be able to track him down.”

  Dylan looked at him thoughtfully. “So you really had no idea of what you were?”

  Aiden shook his head. “Not until Mr. Johnson told me. I don’t know why my birth parents took a human child, why they left me in his place. And I wonder if my brother knows he’s human, if he feels as out of place as I do.” It was painful to talk about, but it also felt good.

  “Huh. I guess I’d want answers too if I was in your place. So you’re not just being a goody-goody; you have a reason.” He dunked a nugget in ketchup and tossed the whole thing into his mouth.

  Aiden’s food was once again getting cold. “I’m not a goody-goody. I’ve just always done well at school, and I care about getting good grades. I care about learning.”

  “So you are a goody-goody.”

  “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to learn. Being ignorant isn’t something to be proud of.”

  “You think I’m ignorant?” His eyebrow went up.

  “I think you’re smarter than you let on, and I think it’s a waste that you don’t apply yourself.”

  “Shit, you sound like my mom.”

  “Well, she’s right.” Aiden could understand people who struggled with school, who found it difficult. He’d never understood people who just didn’t care.

  “Are you going to start nagging me too? Tell me I should think of my future and not give up before I’ve even started?” His tone was teasing, but there was a shadow in his eyes.

  Aiden shrugged. “No, I just don’t think it would hurt to try. There’s no reason to fail school even if you don’t want to leave Shadow Valley.”

  Dylan stared down at his plate. “You don’t understand.”

  “No, but I’d like to.” And just like that, he realized Dylan was his friend, that he cared about him. Aiden wanted to help him, to ease the darkness that hung over him.

  Dylan didn’t say anything else until the bell rang and he muttered, “See you later.”

  * * *

  It was a pleasure to burn. That was from a book, and it wasn’t supposed to be a good thing, but that was how he felt. Those words were so true. Even if a part of him felt guilty, knowing that his greatest power was to destroy. But it felt so good.

  Dylan sent another stream of fire at the huge pile of wood. The flames danced, bright orange-yellow, and lit the huge gravel pit. This was the only place he could really let loose, and still he felt like he was capable of more. He dreamed of setting a forest on fire and watching it burn, just for the sheer pleasure. Or a city. All those buildings, sending pillars of smoke and flame into the sky, an orange haze lighting the horizon from one end to the other.

  It was almost an ache, a need to push his powers to their limit and revel in the aftermath.

  He’d tried talking about this with his mom. She was more dragon than he was, and surely she felt the same thing. But she was so damn Zen about her dragon side, telling him he needed to learn to live with the other side of his nature. The way she said “live with” sounded like “repress.”

  With more practice, he might be able to manage a full-size dragon shape. He imagined flying over a large city, New York, or LA, fire streaming from his mouth. Of course, the wardens would come for him. It might take a lot of them, but they’d eventually kill him. They went after uncertified people that hadn’t even hurt anyone. Burning a city like that would bring all of them together to take him down.

  The fire crackled and popped, shifting in the breeze. Would it be worth it?

  The magic inside him yearned for it. Going out in a literal blaze of glory, but God, would it feel good. Everyone was right to be afraid of him. A monster among monsters.

  The sharp scent of smoke filled his nose. Dylan lifted his hands, pouring more fire onto the blaze. It released some of the pressure, but the deep urge never went away.

  He didn’t want to die. He didn’t want to kill tens or hundreds of thousands of people in a citywide fire. He didn’t want to enjoy burning things so much. He wanted to be human, and yet he didn’t. He loved his magic, and yet he was afraid of it.

  He wanted friends, and yet he wanted to stand alone.

  He didn’t know what he wanted, and he had a few more years to choose. Graduate high school, be certified to go out into the human world but hide his magic and use it only sparingly. Or stay in Shadow Valley and be who he really was.

  Do I even know who I really am? Deep inside the fire, wood turned black and crumbled to ash. Was that what his power would do to him, burn away every other part of him and leave nothing but black dust?

  Dylan lifted his face to the dark sky and roared.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Aiden opened his locker to put a book away. His fingers slipped, and the book dropped with a thud.

  “Let me get that.”

  He turned to see a brown-haired girl lean down to retrieve the book.

  “Here.”

  She was pretty, and he couldn’t help a smile as he took it from her. “Thanks.”

  “No problem.” She smiled back and joined the flow of students in the hall.

  Aiden stared after her, noticing how nice her butt looked in those jeans.

  Something slammed into the locker just above his head. Aiden jumped and looked up to see a tall boy with broad shoulders, his hand pressed against Aiden’s locker.

  “Don’t even think about it,” the kid said, a gleam of yellow in his eyes.

  “What?”

  “That’s my girl. I saw the way you were looking at her.”

  “I didn’t—” His heart raced.

  “Stay away from her. Don’t talk to her. Don’t even look at her, or I’ll make you sorry.” The boy glared down at him, and his expression was so much like Billy Hughes’s that day. The locker room, the threats, the fear.

  Something shifted inside Aiden while he thought of how much he wanted this boy to go away. The air between them shimmered with a greenish-gold light and the boy went flying. He hit the lockers on the far side of the hall, making a huge dent.

  Everyone stopped, staring. The boy slowly got to his feet, groaning.

  “Break it up! Break it up!” A teacher pushed through the crowd and stood between Aiden and the boy he’d thrown.

  “I—I didn’t…” A different kind of fear filled Aiden. All of them staring, just like the locker room, like they were wondering what he’d do next. If he was going to hurt them.

  “All right. You”—the teacher pointed at the boy—“go to the nurse. And you”—he turned to Aiden—“principal’s office, now.”

  “Yes, sir.” Aiden’s voice was barely above a whisper. He was in trouble, big trouble. Would they call his parents? They’d be so disappointed. He’d put them through so much already, and now this.

  The teacher escorted him down the hall, saving him from the further embarrassment of having to ask where the principal’s office was. Aiden slunk into a chair and sat there, feeling sick. He could hardly bring himself to look at the principal.

  “So what’s this all about?” she asked.

  “I didn’t mean to. I swear I didn’t mean to.” He glanced up at the woman, who had her hair pulled back and wore a dark suit. “He was threatening me and I just got so scared.” The locker room all over again, except he hadn’t gotten in trouble for that because no one had talked about it.

  “Why did he threaten you?”

  He explained what had happened in as much detail as he could remember. “Will he be okay? He hit the lockers hard enough to dent them.” He’d been able to get up, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t hurt. The boy might have a concussion or internal bleeding.

  “I think I know who you’re talking about, but I’ll call t
he nurse to make sure.” She picked up the phone and dialed. “Yes, I’m checking on the boy who just came in… Conner Mays, okay.” The principal gave Aiden a look, eyebrows raised. Was that name supposed to mean something? “How is he doing? … Good. … Okay.” A slight smile. “You can ease his ego a bit by telling him it was Aiden Spencer, the new changeling boy. … Uh-huh. And tell him to come see me when you’re done. Bye.”

  Aiden swallowed and waited for her to speak.

  “The boy you hurt is Conner Mays. He’s a werewolf. They’re fairly durable, and they heal fast. You didn’t do much more than bruise him a bit and hurt his ego.”

  He let out a breath. “Good. I didn’t mean to hurt him.”

  She held up a hand. “I know. You recently found out about your powers, and you haven’t had training since childhood like most of the other students here. And Conner already has a reputation as a troublemaker. I believe your claim that he started it.”

  What if it had been worse? What if he’d attacked someone who couldn’t take as much damage as a werewolf? It hit Aiden like a punch, the realization that he could seriously injure or even kill someone. A lump formed in his throat, and he was afraid he might cry.

  “Aiden… I hope this made you realize how careful you need to be. You’re more powerful than most of the other students here. You need to be the responsible one and not get into any fights, for their sake more than yours.”

  “I know. I’m so sorry.” His vision blurred and a wet drop ran down his cheek. “I don’t know how to control it. I wish I could, but I don’t know what I’m doing. I don’t know anything.” Even in a school full of monsters, he was the dangerous one.

  The principal walked around the desk to put a hand on his shoulder. “We’re here to help you. I’ll look for a tutor to help you get some basic control of your magic. And of course you need to do your best in Minor and Major Magical Control.”

  “I am doing my best.” He thought about the candle he’d incinerated. He couldn’t do anything right.