The 7 Bad Habits of Slightly Troubled Monsters

by Devin Harnois

  K.

  The next class was Minor Magical Control, and he sorely missed having Maggie helping him. That reminded him he needed to talk to her. After school he waited by her locker.

  “Hey, Maggie.”

  “Hi, Aiden.” She wore a sweatshirt with a kitten on it that said Prrrfect. “Need help with homework? Or are you stalking me now?”

  That caught him off guard and he stared.

  She nudged his shoulder and laughed. “I’m joking.” She turned and opened her locker.

  “Oh, um… Would it be okay if I called you tonight?” He wanted to make sure she wasn’t busy. “I want to talk to you about something.”

  “About what?”

  “It’s a… personal something.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Does this have something to do with the fight at lunch today?”

  His face got warm. “Kind of, yeah.” He looked around, hoping no one was listening.

  Maggie leaned close, eyes bright. “Ooooh, romantic intrigue. I’m in.”

  This was probably a really bad idea.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  “So I’m sure you guessed that this is about Hanna,” he told Maggie. Aiden flopped on his bed, holding the phone to his ear.

  “So much drama. Did you really steal her from Conner? I didn’t think you were the type.”

  “It’s not like that.” Should he tell her? Would Hanna be upset if other people knew? Then again, if the whole school knew Conner beat girls, maybe others would stay away from him. “Conner hit her. Probably lots of times.”

  “Oh.” Maggie was quiet for a moment. “I heard a few things. People suspected, but no one knew for sure. So you got her away from him?”

  “Yeah. We were just friends. I didn’t steal her. Except… now I do like her and I’m not sure what to do about it.” Aiden ran a hand through his hair.

  “Are you worried Conner will come after you? Because he’s doing that already.”

  “He’ll come after me worse if we’re actually dating. But that’s not what I’m worried about. Well, not all of it.” He sat up, shifting the phone to the other ear. “She’s a werewolf. I don’t want to sound like a jerk, but she’s a monster. A literal monster. Hanna is sweet, and part of me doesn’t care what she is, but I can’t forget she turns into a wolf once a month, and it’s all just so weird.” He flopped back down and his stomach twisted. He shouldn’t have said that.

  He heard Maggie take a breath and he tensed. “You’re new here. I’d probably think it was weird too. But don’t forget that to a lot of regular humans, you’re a monster too. You’re not human, Aiden. You’re fae.”

  Even with everything that had happened, he did a really good job of ignoring that. “You’re more human than I am,” he said, almost to himself.

  “If you want to think of it that way.” She sighed. “Look, you’re friends with Dylan. Most of the other kids won’t go near him. Monsters, like you said. He’s seriously dangerous. And yet you think it’s weird to like a girl you keep calling sweet.”

  I just want my old life back. It was so much easier before magic, before moving to Shadow Valley and going to a school full of monsters. “Would you date a werewolf?”

  “If he was a nice guy, sure. Although they tend to be possessive, and I don’t like that. I’m a feminist.”

  Aiden rolled onto his stomach. “So you think I should ask Hanna out?” The thought made his insides flutter, part fear and part excitement.

  “I think if you want to, you shouldn’t find excuses not to.”

  He laughed a little. “You’re not just smart about school stuff, you’re smart about people too.”

  He heard the smile in her voice. “Thanks.”

  A new problem rose up. “Uh, Maggie? How do I ask a girl out?”

  “Ohhhh… You haven’t done that before?”

  “Uh-uh.”

  “That would explain why you’re nervous and keep looking for excuses. Did you ask Dylan? Because if I were you, I’d ignore anything he told you. When he dumped Indira last year it was a mess.”

  He remembered Dylan’s eyes glowing as he yelled at the pretty girl, the heavy feeling in the air. That was the first time Aiden had been afraid of him. “I did ask him. He said he was a bad person to ask for advice, so you agree on that.”

  She made a little sound, and he couldn’t tell if it was approval or disapproval. “Okay, so my advice is stupidly simple. Just ask her if she wants to go out with you.”

  “How? Like, over the phone?”

  The sigh was definitely disapproval. “No. In person, silly. You see her every day.”

  “I’m not asking her at lunch. No way.” And have a repeat of what happened before?

  “Then between classes. Before school. After school. Just pull her aside for a moment and ask.”

  The nervousness swirling inside him compounded when another thought occurred to him. “Oh God. What if she says no?”

  “I kind of doubt it. You’re her knight in shining armor.”

  No, that’s Dylan. He was the one who stood up to Conner every time.

  “But if she does,” Maggie said. “Then you tell her it’s okay, you can still be friends and you won’t let it hurt your friendship.”

  “Okay.” That sounded good. He didn’t want her to think he’d ditch her if she said no.

  “But from what you’ve told me, she’ll probably say yes.” She giggled. “It’s so exciting. Your first girlfriend.”

  Aiden rolled his eyes. Now he just had to find the courage to ask her.

  * * *

  Dylan called not long after Aiden finished talking to Maggie.

  “Hey.” Dylan’s voice was full of restrained anger. “I’m grounded for the weekend. I told my parents I didn’t do anything, but they wouldn’t listen. So we can’t hang out.”

  Aiden’s shoulders sagged with relief. Then he immediately felt guilty. He shouldn’t be happy about not spending time with his best friend. “That sucks.”

  “Yeah.” A growl. “They only let me call to tell you and ask about homework.”

  “Oh, bio. Right.” Aiden dug out his notebook. “Easy stuff this time. Just read chapter four and take notes. There’s a quiz on Monday.”

  The sound Dylan made had Aiden biting his lip to hold back a laugh. “Great.”

  “Don’t worry, it probably won’t be hard.” Aiden felt much better about school than he had at the beginning of the year. It was nice to start off the semester with everyone else and not be behind. He was even doing well in Minor Magical Control. Simple, controlled spells. Not the heart-pounding chaos of Major Magical Control. How was he going to deal with that? Could he manage enough to come out with a C or a D? Aiden had never gotten a grade that low before.

  You’re terrified of being hurt and you’re worrying about grades?

  “School was a lot easier when I didn’t care,” Dylan said.

  There was a punch of guilt. Dylan was trying to graduate for Aiden’s sake. “I’m glad you do, and I’ll help you any way I can.”

  “I wish I was smart like you.”

  “Dylan, you are smart. You don’t know things because you weren’t paying attention. You’ll learn. We can go over your bio notes on Monday at lunch.”

  “And I can help you with gym. Man, what is with you lately? Ever since we got back to school, you’ve been a mess in that class.”

  A chill went through him. Did he know? Had he guessed? Aiden couldn’t pretend nothing was wrong, and it had obviously started after the incident in the woods. Dylan would put two and two together. “Can’t focus, I guess.”

  “Yeah.” Dylan didn’t sound convinced at all. “We need to start training at the pit again.”

  “Sure.”

  The scar on his chest felt tingly and warm.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Monday, Aiden was such a bundle of nerves worrying about how he’d ask Hanna out that he almost forgot about gym. His stomach tied in knots as he walked to the annex, and he hoped they’d
do more targets today. He took longer than usual getting dressed and wondered if he might get sick.

  This is dumb. You’re freaking out over nothing and making everything worse.

  He took as long as he could getting dressed and was the last one out of the locker room. Walking into the gym, his hope was shattered. Dylan stood bouncing on his toes, waiting for Ms. Yang to pair him with someone. She called up the girl who had faced Aiden last time. Remembering how scared he’d been compounded his fear even more.

  Aiden went to the farthest end of the bench, away from everyone else, and looked at the floor. Maybe the teacher wouldn’t call on him today. They often ran out of time on match days, and two or more kids wouldn’t get a turn. Dylan was the only one that always got a match because he was always first.

  The match started; the roar of fire and the crackling sound of the girl’s magic echoed through the gym. Different colored flashes of light danced on the silver markings carved into the floor. The other kids cheered and shouted.

  It wasn’t so bad as long as Aiden kept his eyes down and told himself the barrier would block everything. It was no more dangerous than watching something on TV. Several minutes passed before Ms. Yang called for an end to the match.

  Dylan walked out toward the bench with a smile while the girl scowled.

  “You got lucky,” she said.

  “Whatever makes you feel better.”

  It was so arrogant it almost made Aiden laugh. Then Ms. Yang called out the next names. “Izume and Aiden, you’re next.”

  A wave of dizziness went through him. At least it wasn’t Dylan. And it wasn’t a stranger. He’d had matches with both the fox sisters several times near the end of last semester. He had an idea of what to expect from them. Unfortunately, what he could expect was fire.

  You have to try. You can’t fail gym, and you have to get over this. The class is a requirement for graduation. You can’t leave if you don’t graduate. The fear of failure overpowered his fear of magical combat. He passed Dylan and his friend gave him a high five. Aiden managed to force a smile, but it must have looked weak.

  His legs felt like rubber as he walked out to the middle of the gym floor. Izume gave him a curious look as she took her place opposite him.

  “Ready?” Ms. Yang asked. She looked between them and lingered a moment on Aiden.

  He nodded. He wasn’t remotely ready. He just wanted this over with. The spot on his chest tingled and he fought an urge to rub at it.

  “One, two, three… go!”

  Aiden sucked in a breath. Shield, shield, shield. He summoned one as red-orange fire streaked through the air. Panic made his heart race and it took all the focus he could gather to keep the shield up. The fire hit and his vision filled with it. The curved, invisible barrier of his magic was the only thing between him and the roaring flames.

  Little spots danced in his eyes. His breathing became a pant. It had only been a second, Dylan’s fire rushing toward him. Light, heat, and then pain.

  The fire disappeared, and he knew she was moving for her next attack. Aiden couldn’t stay up anymore. He fell to his knees, hands out in front of him. “Stop, stop! I can’t.” It took all the energy he had left not to cry.

  “Izume, stop.” Ms. Yang’s voice echoed, a bit of magic added to her command.

  Everything around him turned blurry and he couldn’t get enough air. Arms went around him and someone picked him up like he was a little child. They carried him, he didn’t know how far. Distantly, he heard Dylan asking if he was okay.

  “Dylan, go get Mr. Blackwell next door and tell him to take over my class.” Ms. Yang’s voice was close to his head.

  His ears were ringing. Am I fainting? Did I just faint in class?

  “Aiden?” Ms. Yang again, calm but insistent. “Aiden, can you hear me? I need you to breathe. Deep breath in, slow breath out. Put your head between your knees.”

  His vision focused, black sparkles dancing around the edges of his eyes. Ms. Yang’s hand was on his back, pushing gently. He leaned forward, head between his legs. The floor was white, no designs on it. He wasn’t in the gym anymore.

  Aiden focused on her instructions, his breath slowing. A chill went through him. He’d broken out in sweat and now it was cooling. He lifted his head, just enough to see her face as she knelt on the floor beside him.

  “Feeling a little better?” she asked.

  He nodded, the motion sending a flicker of dizziness through his head. The ringing in his ears faded as the world grew sharp.

  “I think you had a panic attack.”

  “Oh.” So that’s what that was.

  “When you feel like you can, lean back against the wall. Keep resting for a few more minutes.”

  He shifted slowly until his back touched the wall and he hugged his knees. “I’m so embarrassed.”

  “Don’t be. Sometimes the body takes over and does things we can’t fight.” She studied him. “Do you have any idea what might have caused this?”

  He looked back down at the floor. He couldn’t tell her. Couldn’t tell anyone. Fainting in class was bad enough, but he couldn’t get Dylan in trouble.

  “Aiden, I want to help you, but I can’t do much if I don’t know what’s wrong.”

  He licked his dry lips. Maybe there was a way to explain it without bringing up Morgan and the portal and all that. Dylan burning him had been an accident. Did it matter how the accident had happened? “Dylan…” He swallowed. Lying was hard, but at least he could consider this a half-truth. “He helps me with my magic. We practice together after school and stuff. A few weeks ago he… accidentally burned me. It wasn’t that bad, but ever since then I’ve been afraid of strong magic, especially fire.”

  She pressed her lips together. “Are you sure it was an accident?”

  Aiden sat up straighter. “He would never hurt me deliberately.” He had no doubt about that.

  Ms. Yang nodded, her expression still thoughtful. “Do you think you can stand up?” She stood and offered a hand.

  He took a deep breath. He felt almost normal again. “Yeah.” He took her hand and she helped him get up enough to move to an office chair.

  “You’re going to have to find a way to get through this fear. You need to control your magic, and you can’t do that unless you use it. The school has a good counselor— I suggest you see him as soon as possible. Today, if you can. I’ll write you a referral.” Opening a drawer, she took out a piece of paper and started writing.

  Aiden felt trapped. If he talked to a counselor, he might let something slip, but if he didn’t, he’d keep panicking in gym and fail. Not to mention embarrass himself even more. Aiden groaned, imagining the sophomores laughing at him. “Why did you put me in this class?”

  Still writing, she said, “Because you’ve outgrown the beginner class.” She tore off the sheet and handed it to him. “Get this sorted out. I’ll have you sit out matches until Mr. Emery says you’re ready.”

  For a brief moment, he’d hoped she would put him back with the freshmen. “Okay.” He took the note and got to his feet.

  “Now I’m going to take you to the nurse.”

  “The nurse? But I feel fine.”

  “Better to be safe.”

  At least she let him walk without support. The other teacher had brought out the targets. Aiden refused to look at anyone as he passed through the gym. Not even Dylan.

  CHAPTER NINE

  For once Dylan wished gym class would be over soon. He’d seen Aiden come out of the office with Ms. Yang, looking pale but better than he had when she carried him in there. Aiden hadn’t said anything, hadn’t even looked at him. Dylan couldn’t concentrate on target practice. Mr. Blackwell walked up and down the row, saying little. Just there to keep an eye on them until Ms. Yang came back.

  She walked back into the gym without Aiden.

  “What happened? Is he okay?” Dylan asked.

  “Aiden is going to be fine,” she said loud enough for the whole class to hear. Th
en she motioned for Dylan to follow her.

  Mr. Blackwell looked at her, and she held up a finger before leading Dylan into her office.

  Uh-oh. Dylan tensed. Had she been lying? Was Aiden not okay?

  “Aiden had a panic attack, but he’ll be okay. I brought him to the nurse just to be safe.”

  The second trip to the nurse in two weeks. Not good.

  “Aiden told me there was an… incident a few weeks ago.”

  Dylan tensed. Shit. Had he told her? Would Ms. Yang tell the other teachers, the principal… his parents? “Oh,” was all he could choke out. How could Aiden do that to him? He’d promised not to say anything. Or did he think he could trust Ms. Yang?

  “So you’ve been training him outside class. I suspected that. I didn’t say anything before because I saw the improvement and thought it was doing him some good.” She sighed. “Now I wonder if I should have stepped in.”

  He frowned. No mention of the portal or the fae. “What did he tell you?”

  “That you had an accident while training and you burned him. Is that what really happened? You didn’t deliberately hurt him, did you?”

  “No. No, it was an accident.” Aiden hadn’t ratted him out. Though if he had, Dylan would have deserved whatever he got. He’d been willing to turn himself in to Mr. Johnson in the woods that night. Seeing Aiden lying there with a smoking hole in his jacket… For a moment he’d thought he killed his best friend.

  “Did you tell anybody about this when it happened?”

  Dylan shook his head. “Just our parents.” Mr. Johnson had been there, but admitting that would complicate things.

  “Did you tell him to keep it quiet? Threaten him?”

  It hurt that she would even ask that. Ms. Yang was the only teacher who liked him, the only one who understood him. But that also meant she knew what he was like, and he’d threatened other people over much less. “No. I’d never threaten him. He didn’t want me to get in trouble.”