How to Make Friends and Not Incinerate People

by Devin Harnois

  “I kinda suspected,” Aiden said, a little color in his cheeks.

  When they were done eating, including chocolate cake for dessert, Aiden asked Dylan’s mom if he could get a ride home. “I’d ask my parents, but they don’t know where you live.”

  “Of course. Don’t worry about it,” Mom said. “Are you sure you have to leave so soon?”

  “I promised my mom I’d come home right after dinner.”

  “All right. Dylan, do you want to ride with us?”

  Which was really code that meant she wanted to talk to him on the way back. Probably to ask him why he hadn’t mentioned having a friend. Or maybe to warn him not to be a jerk to Aiden and ruin it. Both his parents had talked to him about trying to make friends before, and he’d always answered that he didn’t need any friends; he was fine on his own.

  Dylan would rather hide from his parents in his room the rest of the night, but leaving Aiden alone with his mom might be worse. She could ask all the embarrassing questions she wanted.

  “I guess,” Dylan said. Besides, he wanted to spend a little more time with Aiden. He wished Aiden could stay longer. They could play more games or watch TV together. It wasn’t quite the same as taking him out to the gravel pit for training.

  On the ride to Aiden’s house, Dylan’s mom and Aiden chatted about how he was doing in school. Dylan wondered if this was what it was like to have a brother. Once in a while, he’d wished for one, or even a sister, someone else to talk to, to play with. Someone who would understand him. Aiden was sort of like the brother he’d never had.

  Stop it. You’re getting sappy again.

  They pulled up to Aiden’s house based on his directions of how to get there from school. The house was nice but way smaller than Dylan’s. He had some understanding of why Aiden had been so impressed by the size of Dylan’s house.

  “See you tomorrow,” Aiden said with a smile as he got out of the car.

  “See ya.” Dylan smiled a little bit too.

  Aiden paused. “Hey, would you like to come to my house next week? I mean, I have to ask my parents if it’s okay first. But if they say it’s okay?”

  “Uh, sure.” Another first. He’d never been to anybody else’s house before. This was what friends did, he supposed. They hung out together. They went to each other’s houses sometimes. Much as Dylan kept insisting he didn’t need any one else, he was starting to realize just how much he’d wanted things like this.

  “Cool. Bye.” Aiden grinned and went inside.

  Mom pulled away from the curb. “So you have a friend you neglected to mention, and you decided to invite him home on a whim?” She gave him a look, eyebrow arched.

  “The idea sort of just popped into my head I guess, yeah. I wasn’t sure he’d say yes, and I didn’t think you’d be upset if he said yes.”

  “I’m not. I think it’s wonderful that you have a friend, and Aiden seems very nice. But I am upset that you never even mentioned him to either me or your father. This is a big deal, Dylan. We’re very excited for you.”

  Dylan slouched lower in his seat. “Maybe I didn’t tell you because I knew you’d make a big deal out of it.”

  “And we’re only making a big deal out of it because you’ve held everyone at arm’s length—or farther—ever since you started school. I came to Shadow Valley because I wanted you to have a good life.”

  “You came to Shadow Valley so the wardens wouldn’t kill me. Don’t make it sound like it’s some noble thing. You were forced into it.”

  “I had more than one reason for coming here. Honestly Dylan, if you always look for the negative in everything, then that’s all you’ll find,” Mom said. “I hope you stay friends with Aiden. I won’t try to control your friendships, but I really hope you don’t try to drive him away. Friends can make all the difference in life.”

  “I don’t see you with any friends.” He regretted it as soon as the words were out of his mouth. That was mean.

  “I’ve been alive for a thousand years. I’ve had a number of friends in that time. Many of them are long dead.”

  Dylan didn’t know what to say to that, so he just looked out the window.

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  Dylan filled his lungs again and let out a stream of fire. The tall buildings burned, flames reaching high into the night. He landed on an unburned building and watched the fire spread. Something like joy filled his chest, a deep satisfaction that he was doing exactly what he was meant to do, what he was born for. He settled his wings against his back, claws scratching against the concrete roof.

  At the edge of the building, a large shadow stirred and took on a human shape. It moved toward him, becoming clearer with each step. Something about him felt… sharper than everything else. He had black eyes and black hair brushed back in a mass, tangled with fall-colored leaves. The man wore black leather pants and a vest.

  “Greetings, dragonkin.” He sketched a bow.

  “Who are you?” Something was definitely odd. Dylan’s mind grasped for an answer, trying to figure out why everything seemed out of place when only a moment ago he’d felt content.

  “You may call me Morgan. And you are…” He tilted his head, staring off into the distance for a moment. “Dylan.”

  Dylan looked past the man, at the fire and the buildings. For a moment they looked faded and blurry, but then they suddenly sharpened and the scent of burning filled his nostrils. “What are you doing here?” This was his place and the strange man didn’t belong. Should he burn him?

  “I wish to speak with you, but it seems I have not quite gotten your attention.” His black eyes gleamed as he looked up at Dylan. “You are dreaming.”

  The words made Dylan snap into himself, a strange sensation not quite like anything he’d felt before. He was suddenly aware that he was in a dream and this man wasn’t part of it. No, Morgan was real. “How did you get inside my dream?”

  “I followed your power. You are very strong, Dylan.”

  “And why are you here?” He glanced around at the burning city. I’ve dreamed about this before. His darkest desire, to set his magic loose and destroy everything in his path.

  “This is the only way I could speak with you. Our worlds are separated, but you have the power to open the pathway again.”

  Dylan hunched down and lowered his head so he could see Morgan better. “Why would I want to do that?” He drew a deep breath, trying to scent the man’s magic. Fallen leaves, crisp air.

  “Because I can give you what you want.” He tapped his fingers together and smiled.

  It was a fae scent, but different from Aiden’s. “How do you know what I want, dark fae?” Dylan was glad he’d kept his dragon shape and the deep voice that went with it. All fae were dangerous, and the dark fae more so. He wasn’t afraid, but he was smart enough to be cautious.

  He bowed. “I hope you can forgive the intrusion, but I have been observing your dreams these past few nights. I have seen the anger and the bitterness, the hatred for the way the wardens have trapped you one way or another. I have seen… this.” Morgan gestured at the burning city all around them.

  “You can give me a city to burn?” Dylan asked skeptically.

  The black eyes of the dark fae glimmered eagerly. “I can give you freedom.”

  The sound of the flames faded, and the bright oranges and yellows around them dulled. Dylan tried to think of what to say next, to question the fae about how that was possible or what that meant.

  “Our time is almost over,” Morgan said. “I will visit you again soon.”

  Then he was gone, leaving Dylan alone with his unanswered questions.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

  There were no targets or any other equipment set up in the gym, so Aiden knew it must be another match day. It was Friday, which had become the regular match day, so he’d expected it. Strangely, he felt a tiny bit of disappointment that he’d be spending the day on the bench watching instead of doing anything. Changing his clothes had been a waste.r />
  Dylan, as usual, stood in the middle of the gym with a little smile on his face. The rest of the class drifted in, and Ms. Yang took quick attendance, knowing with a glance that everyone was there. Dylan bounced on his toes, waiting for her to announce who would face him.

  “Okay. I think it’s finally time for Aiden to take a turn.” She smiled.

  Aiden’s stomach dropped into his feet. “I—I don’t think I’m ready.”

  The smile stayed on her face and she walked closer to the bench. “I do. You’ve made amazing progress, and this is the best way to take your magic to the next level.”

  Behind her, Dylan gave him a questioning look.

  “But why him? Can’t I start with someone… easier?” The only people in class who could keep up with Dylan were the fox sisters, and even that was only when they were together.

  “Because Dylan is the only one I’m sure you can’t hurt. You don’t know your limits yet, and combat is the way to bring that out.”

  “But what if he hurts me?” Aiden asked, his armpits sweating.

  Ms. Yang turned and asked, “You wouldn’t hurt your friend, would you?”

  Dylan shook his head, his expression serious. But he still had an eager light in his eyes. No, Aiden didn’t think he would, not deliberately, but he might get carried away.

  “Come on, Aiden,” Ms. Yang said. “Get up.”

  “You can do it, Aiden,” Izume called.

  “Yeah,” Sakura said.

  With shaking legs, Aiden got to his feet. Dylan wouldn’t try to hurt him, and he hadn’t hurt any of the other kids in class aside from bumps and bruises. This wasn’t a fight; this was practice, not all that different from the training they did out in the gravel pit. Aiden kept telling himself that as he walked to the middle of the gym and faced Dylan.

  “I’m flattered that you’re so scared, but the only thing I’m going to hurt is your pride.” Dylan smiled, shifting into his usual fighting pose.

  If Aiden was the macho type, that might have worked. “I don’t care about my pride.”

  Dylan sighed. “Just do something. I promise I’ll go easy on you.”

  Many of his spells so far, the ones that came most naturally to him, were about growing things or transforming natural objects. Hadn’t done much that would be good in a fight, much to Dylan’s disappointment during training. But he had been able to move things, like the lockers in the locker room and throwing Conner Mays across the hall.

  Aiden put his hands up and waited a moment for that tingling feeling in his chest. As soon as it came, he shoved the energy out toward Dylan.

  Dylan blocked it, skidding back a few inches. “Not bad.”

  Aiden was fairly sure that had been close to the amount of force he’d used against Conner. Dylan had made blocking it look easy.

  “My turn.” Dylan threw fire at him.

  Aiden tried to tell him to wait, but the word came out in a scream as the fire shot toward him. He had no idea what to do. Instinctively, he threw his hands up, and it took him a moment to realize he hadn’t been crispy fried. But the fire wasn’t gone. It hit the floor and spread around him in a circle.

  “Come on. I said I wouldn’t hurt you.” Dylan’s face wavered in the heat from the flames. “But I want to see if you can get out of that.”

  Trying to calm down enough to think, Aiden looked around. Water would put out a fire, but he didn’t know any spells to create it. Maybe he could blow it out, like a big match? He pushed his magic toward the flames, thinking of air. The fire wavered, and in a few spots it went out. “It worked!”

  “Is that all?” Dylan rolled his eyes. “Come on, you can do more than that.” With a flick of his hand, he doubled the size of the flames.

  With a cry, Aiden took a few steps back, but the fire was behind him too. The heat made his skin tight and his throat dry. How could Dylan think something like this was fun? Aiden forced himself to close his eyes so he could concentrate. Fear made it easier to draw on his magic, but he needed to direct it with will.

  He used the wind spell again, putting much more power into it this time. It burst out of him, making the air instantly cooler and putting out the fire directly in front of him.

  “Much better,” Dylan called from his spot several yards away. The gleam was still in his eyes.

  He wants me to improve so he can have a more challenging opponent. Strangely, that was the thought that let him relax a little. Dylan would do his best not to hurt him, not even by accident, because he wanted to fight Aiden.

  Aiden turned his head and saw there was still fire behind him.

  “Go on. I won’t hit you in the back,” Dylan said.

  Aiden focused his power again. It was harder without fear driving him, but that just meant he needed more concentration. Wind rushed from him and blew out the flames. A smile tugged at his lips. Sometimes he kind of enjoyed doing magic, and those sometimes were happening more and more often.

  “Turn around,” Dylan shouted.

  Aiden tensed as he did it, wondering if he was going to get more fire thrown at him. Dylan stood juggling tiny fireballs, and when Aiden had fully turned, his friend threw one of them. Yep, just like he’d thought.

  With a yelp, Aiden ducked and ended up in a crouch on the floor.

  “That’s not how it’s supposed to work,” Dylan said, clearly amused.

  “I didn’t know there were rules,” Aiden said in a shaky voice.

  “You’re supposed to be practicing your magic.” Three fireballs went around in a loop as Dylan kept juggling them.

  “I could practice it in a safer way.” Using a target in class and at the gravel pit had been working so far.

  Dylan threw another fireball and Aiden jumped as it landed near his feet. Aiden looked over at Ms. Yang for help. She just shook her head. Okay, Dylan is just messing around. He isn’t really trying to hurt you, he just wants a reaction.

  Using wind to blow out the fire wasn’t good enough for Dylan. Or for Ms. Yang. He had to think of something that would impress them enough to let him end the match and sit down again. And not just think it, but actually do it.

  Sweat trickled from his armpits and his heart pounded in his ears. The whole class was watching, waiting for him to do something. Everyone said he was powerful, but he felt like he’d been given a test without learning any of the material. Okay, well, a little of the material.

  Dylan threw another fireball at him. He had a second to decide what to do. He just wanted the fireball gone. Aiden brought up a hand and wished the fireball away as hard as he could. A few feet away, the fireball seemed to hit an invisible wall and disappeared with a slight hiss and a puff of smoke.

  Aiden could hardly believe it.

  Dylan’s eyebrow went up. “There we go.” He bounced the remaining fireball in his hand. “Try it again.”

  The fireball streaked toward Aiden. His hand was still up and he repeated the spell, freaked out that he was going to screw it up this time. But the fireball winked out again, and Aiden’s shoulders sagged with relief.

  “All right,” Ms. Yang said. “Good match. Wonderful job, Aiden.”

  Nearly shaking with relief, Aiden headed for the bench.

  Dylan clapped him on the back. “Good job. We should try that at the gravel pit.”

  Aiden slumped onto the bench and shook his head. “I don’t want to do that again anytime soon.”

  Deep down, though, a little part of him had enjoyed letting his magic loose.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Dylan leaned against a locker, a smirk on his face. “Time to pay up.”

  “What?”

  “The bet. You didn’t think I’d forgotten it, did you?”

  Aiden had hoped. He really, really had. Running through the hall in his underwear. Oh God.

  “Now?” His cheeks heated and his stomach fluttered enough to make him feel ill.

  “You’re not going to back out, are you?” Dylan leaned closer.

  Aiden closed his e
yes and took a ragged breath. Pictured the looks on people’s faces as he ran by in almost nothing. “I’ll… I’ll do it.” He had no doubt Dylan would have done it if he’d lost. Of course, running down the hall in his underwear probably wouldn’t have bothered Dylan. No one would dare laugh at him; that was for sure.

  Dylan took the book from his hands. “I’ll watch your stuff.” The wicked grin on his face didn’t make Aiden feel any better. He left his book and notebooks with Dylan and started walking away.

  “Just down the hall?”

  “Start from the bathroom, go down the hall and around that way and back to the bathroom. So you can put your clothes on again.” Dylan’s grin widened.

  Would it really be that bad to refuse? What could Dylan do to him? His friend wouldn’t hurt him, but Aiden wondered if Dylan might come up with something worse. A prank even more embarrassing than this. Besides, Aiden had agreed to this. He couldn’t go back on his word.

  His heart beat faster and faster as he got closer to the bathroom. Slipping inside, he went straight for a stall and closed the latch with a shaking hand. What if someone came in here and took his clothes while he was running?

  “I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he muttered, pulling his shirt over his head. He hung it on the coat hook and bent to untie his shoes.

  “Hurry up.”

  Aiden flinched at the sound of Dylan’s voice. He’d been so focused on what he was doing that he hadn’t noticed his friend on the other side of the door. “I am.”

  In another minute he stood in only his underwear. At least they were clean.

  “Give me your clothes. I’ll watch those too.”

  Aiden wondered if Dylan was going to hide them. Would he be that mean? With a deep breath, Aiden opened the door and handed Dylan his clothes.

  Dylan smirked. “The faster you run, the sooner this is over.”

  Aiden tried to stop it, but the heat crept up his cheeks. Standing in his underwear and blushing in front of a hot guy. God, could this get any worse? With a deep breath, he sprinted for the door. As soon as he left the bathroom, kids turned to stare and make exclamations. He tried not to look at them and focused on where he was going.