Lions and Tigers and Boys

by Tawny Stokes

  I shook my big head and snorted. It was a complicated plan with too many ways for it to go wrong. Too many ways to get caught, or to get hurt.

  “You have already expressed your dislike for the plan, Cai, so I will ignore that snort of indignation. Now, you have five minutes to shift, pick your lock and get out of the cage.” He held up the stopwatch. “Go!”

  I had to nudge Ozzy away from me as I prepared to shift back to human form. This process was always faster, easier to some degree, as it wasn’t as uncomfortable. I guess it was simpler to compress certain bones than to elongate them. It took a few minutes to shift, but then I was crouched on the cold cage floor, fully human and naked again. I got up, my body slick with sweat and my legs quivering a little from the exertion of the change, found the paperclip, and started the lock picking.

  I no longer thought of it as a race with Leander. I pushed him out of my mind and just concentrated on finding the tumbler in the lock and pressing on it. I slid my two metal pieces into the lock, and started to fiddle around. This time I closed my eyes and trusted that my fingers knew what they were doing. Within twenty seconds, I knew I had it. I felt the metal go down, and I turned it and heard the sound of the lock unsnapping. I pulled the padlock down and opened the cage door. Leander wasn’t that far behind me. Forty seconds at most.

  “Well done, Cai.” Marvel clapped. “That was in record time.”

  I didn’t want his congratulations or his approval. I realized I’d been eager for it all year, doing whatever I could to make him notice, to make him somehow proud of me. But that’s only worth it when the person in question cares about you. Marvel cared about the mission. He cared about taking the Wizard down. I knew his motivations had something to do with the loss of his wife, but he never made them completely clear. All he ever told us was that the Wizard wanted to steal the magic from each one of us and put it in his collection.

  I hated that he made me give up the one thing I wanted more than anything—Dani—claiming it was the best thing for me, for her, but ultimately it was entirely for the mission. For him.

  I marched back into the cage, got my clothes, and put them back on. Ozzy tried to engage me, but I wasn’t interested in playing, though I appreciated his affection. I gave his head a rub and kissed his furry cheek, but I just wanted to go.

  “I’m going to take Ozzy back now, is that cool, Frank?”

  Frank nodded. “Sure. He’d probably appreciate a trek through the snow with you.”

  As I put the leash on Ozzy’s collar, Marvel frowned at me. “We’re not finished, Cai. We have other things to go over.”

  “I’m finished.” I led Ozzy out of the cage. He chuffed at me and bumped my side.

  Marvel sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Is this still because of the girl?”

  “Her name is Dani.”

  “Cai, she’ll get over it. You’ll get over it. Two months from now you both will be thinking of someone new. It’s hormones. You’ll survive.”

  “Like you’re surviving without Glinda?”

  His face grew dark then, and I wondered if maybe I had gone too far this time. “You know nothing about my wife. About our relationship. You cannot compare your hormonal fling with some average girl to what Glinda and I shared for twenty years.”

  “Maybe not, but at least I want a chance to have that.” I tugged on Ozzy’s leash. “And Dani isn’t average. She has some kind of magic in her. You must realize that.”

  I started to lead Ozzy out, when Leander said, “Hey, wait up. Loki and I will come with.”

  Marvel and Frank didn’t object as Leander and I took our furry comrades home. The cats loved the snow, and as we walked on the path, the two of them bounded off in front, snuffling their faces in the snow, then jumping on each other.

  “I’m sorry about Dani.” Leander nudged me in the side with his elbow. “I didn’t know you had real feelings for her.”

  “It’s all right. I should’ve known better. I knew Marvel would do something about it. Especially after I told her everything.”

  Leander snorted. “You told her everything? Jesus, what did you think was going to happen?”

  I shrugged. “I don’t know. Not this.”

  “How did she take it before, you know, Marvel mind-blasted her?”

  “She took it pretty well. She didn’t freak out too much. She thought it was cool that I could shape-shift.”

  “Damn.” Leander shook his head. “When are you going to find that again? I would kill for something like that with a girl.”

  “Right?”

  We walked the rest of the way in silence, laughing at the cats as they bounded through the snow like kittens. It was a rare good moment, when everything seemed simple and easy. But I knew it wasn’t that way. It was way more complicated than I probably even realized. And all I could think about was wanting to share it with someone. Someone as uncomplicated as Dani.

  But I knew I never would.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Dani

  The day of the audition, I was surprisingly calm. Usually I would’ve been sick-to-my-stomach nervous. Not this time. When I woke up, I felt at peace. It was really weird for me, especially as I did suffer from mild anxiety. Anna, on the other hand, was a bundle of edgy excitement.

  “Oh my God, how do you feel?” she asked almost the moment I opened my eyes.

  “I’m good.”

  “I don’t know how you’re so calm. If it was me, I’d be vomming all over the place.” She sat on my bed, her legs jiggling up and down, which made the bed bounce. “I can never function before an audition or a show. I’m all like jumpy, and fidgety. And I can never eat. Can you eat? Are you hungry now? Maybe we should go and get some breakfast. The audition isn’t until ten. You have two hours.”

  I chuckled. “No, I can’t eat, either. I’ll just drink some Vitamin Water.”

  “Okay, that’s probably smart.” She continued to jiggle. “Are you nervous?”

  “A little, but not as much as I thought I’d be.”

  She smiled. “That’s ’cause you got this, and you know it.” She bounced off my bed and over to the door. “I’m going to get ready. See you in a minute.” And she left.

  I lay back down and grabbed my phone. There was a text from my dad already. Good luck. Break a leg. Love you! <3 I texted him back, telling him I’d see him soon. Then as I was skimming my Facebook, another text came in from an unknown number.

  Unknown: Good luck today. I know you’ll do great. I believe in you.

  Me: Who is this?

  Nothing in return. I texted again.

  Me: Seriously, who is this?

  Still no text in return. Weird. I set my phone back onto the nightstand and rolled out of bed. I needed to get showered, and dressed, and do a good stretch before the audition. I couldn’t let anything ruin my day. I’d worked too hard for this.

  At five minutes to ten, I was standing in the studio waiting for my audition. There were only four of us up for the part. Me, a senior named Samantha, a junior named Dae-Hee, and Maggie. I was third to go. Dae-Hee was first, then Maggie. He was getting ready on the post to start his routine.

  The audition consisted of two parts. The first was a solo routine on the wire, and the second was hand-to-hand balance work on the floor with our designated partners who we’d been training with all term. I didn’t know how I was going to get through that part with Cai. Despite our botched date or whatever had happened between us, we had managed to set it aside and continue training together, but it had been difficult. And not because I was angry with him. It was because every time we touched, I felt something intense and familiar zing through me. It had been unnerving, and it had unbalanced me. Not something I needed during an audition to be sure.

  I took a few deep breaths as Dae-Hee stepped out onto the wire, which was now six feet in the air. He had a good routine, simple but solid. After he dismounted, he bowed to the judges on the committee. Miss Gisele gave him a big hug when he wa
s finished. Then it was Maggie’s turn. I expected something good from her, and she didn’t disappoint. Despite the fact that I disliked her, she possessed immense skill. Her routine was virtually flawless.

  Miss Gisele hugged her when she came down, and when she walked past me, she gave me one of her trademark smug smiles. “Break a leg.”

  I climbed the tower and stood on the post waiting for my cue. I closed my eyes and centered myself, forgetting about everyone watching, especially Maggie West, who would cheer if I fell off the wire, the girl who had made me miserable from day one, my nemesis. When I opened my eyes though, they found Cai. He stood off to the side alone, watching me. Our gazes met, and my body slowly filled with a sense of peace and harmony. I found my calm deep inside, it swirled around me, comforting me. I also found my determination and my power. Funnily, it felt and sounded like the vibrations of a cat’s purr. The scent of fresh warm candy filled my nose. Smiling, I stepped out onto the wire.

  I was like a feather. Light, easy, floating over the wire as if I was made of air itself. My balance was perfection. Nothing could move me. Nothing could unbalance me. I walked one foot in front of the other as if I was on the floor. The wire didn’t move. Didn’t wobble one discernable millimeter. I was resolute, unbending. Nothing mattered but what I performed. It was flawless, impeccable. I was perfection personified.

  When I was done, the room was silent. I looked out among my peers, the judges, and Miss Gisele and knew I had done something amazing. I climbed down from the platform, and Miss Gisele hugged me close and whispered in my ear, “Magnifique, ma cherie.” Then she pulled back and smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. For some unfathomable reason, her gaze was sad. And I wondered what I had done.

  Once Samantha had finished on the wire, we had a ten-minute break to stretch and hydrate. Then it was the floor work part of the audition. Dae-Hee was up first. His floor work with Rene was strong. Then came Maggie and Wesley. I almost couldn’t bear to watch as they did a near-perfect routine. As they exited the floor, I walked out to meet Cai in the middle. I didn’t want to make eye contact with him, but I had to. If I was going to be a professional, this was part of the package, dealing with people you didn’t necessarily get along with. But the moment our gazes met, all my doubts and fears melted away, and I smiled. I don’t know how he did it, or why it worked, but being around Cai gave me the power to do anything.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Cai

  The moment our hands interlocked an electrical buzz zipped through me. I knew Dani felt it, too, because her eyes widened at that exact moment. I thought it was going to throw her off, but it didn’t. She seemed to be feeding off the surge, as she pressed into a flawless handstand above my head. I held her there without any wobble in my arms. We were perfectly aligned.

  She slowly did the splits like we’d practiced a hundred times, then she shifted her weight a little so I could balance her with one hand, while my other got into position for her to set her foot onto it. This was the point in the routine when I was supposed to sabotage her. It wouldn’t have been hard to do without notice. It was a very difficult move, and not a lot of couples could pull it off. We’d practiced it several times without ever getting it 100 percent perfect. But I knew it could be today, right now. I felt it in every bone and muscle in my body.

  Marvel’s voice filled my head. “Pretty girls are a distraction from what’s important.” “Do your job.” “It’s for the best.” The image of Dani’s face when she knew I was going to betray her flashed in front of me, the fading light in her eyes squeezing my heart so hard it hurt. I knew how much she wanted this, how much she worked for it, how she’d promised her mother she’d be the best. I’d already hurt her; I wouldn’t take that from her. Not for anything. Not for anyone.

  Her foot touched my hand, and I prepared my legs and body to take her entire weight on it, and hold her while she straightened. The move was executed seamlessly, perfectly until she was standing on one foot, held on my one hand above my head. I looked up at her and from this angle I could see her face. She was beaming from the inside, and it nearly brought tears to my eyes. She was the most beautiful girl I’d ever seen. Inside and out.

  As a finale, I tossed her up, she sprung into the air, did a straddle split, then came down. I caught her around the waist, spun her around once, then we ended with her in my arms. There was thunderous applause all around us. I could feel her labored breath against my chest and hear her heart thudding hard in her throat. She turned her head and looked up into my face and I saw her tears of pure bliss, and it nearly brought me to my knees.

  We walked off the floor, as Samantha and her partner got ready to perform. The moment we were on the sidelines, Dani turned and hugged me hard. I closed my eyes and breathed her in.

  “Thank you, Cai,” she murmured. “You’ve made my dream a reality. I couldn’t have done it without you.”

  After we separated, I ran a hand through my hair, when in reality I wanted to put my hands back on her body and pull her close. “You’re welcome.”

  We had to wait another ten minutes while the other team finished up, then we were allowed to leave. As I gathered my stuff in my bag, I watched as Dani left with Anna arm in arm. She hadn’t stopped grinning, and I loved that I had been part of the reason. I avoided talking to Gisele or anyone else in attendance, and made my way out of the studio so I could hide in my dorm. I knew eventually I was going to have to face Marvel and justify my actions.

  I never made it out of the school.

  “In my office, now.”

  I trailed after Marvel to the stairs and up to his second-floor office. He walked in, I followed, and the door slammed shut behind me. The leather visitor chair moved toward me and I sat down in it before it knocked me in the shins.

  “This was not our plan, Cai.”

  “Your plan, you mean.”

  “Don’t be childish. You deliberately disobeyed me.”

  “This isn’t the army. I’m not one of your soldiers.”

  “This may not be an army, but we are at war. Don’t ever forget that. And you just put your friend Dani in the crossfire.”

  “She won’t be. You said it yourself that the students in the show aren’t in danger. That they are just the distraction, the misdirection. You assured the dean of that fact.”

  Marvel sighed and sat on the edge of his desk. “I know you have feelings for her. I know what I asked you to do was unfair. But you have to understand this is so much bigger than that. More important than—”

  I got to my feet. “Nothing is more important to me than Dani. Just like Glinda is the most important person to you. I’ll keep Dani safe no matter what, and you’ll just have to deal with it.” Before he could respond, I left his office.

  When I arrived at my dorm room, Leander was sitting on his bed chowing down on a burger and French fries. I tossed my bag onto the floor.

  “Dude, you have some giant balls.” He laughed. “Marvel’s going to tear a strip off you.”

  “Already did.” Sighing, I laid back on my bed. “I couldn’t do it, Lee. I couldn’t hurt her anymore.”

  “I totally get it. The heart wants what the heart wants.” Standing, he shoved the rest of his burger into his mouth, then grabbed his wool hat and pulled it on. “Heading into town to go sledding. You coming?”

  “Nah. I’m just going to chill out here.”

  Leander came over to my bed and offered his hand. “I’m proud of you, bro. I’m not sure I would have the courage to do what you did.” I shook it, and then he was off, bounding out of the room like, well, like a playful cat.

  After showering and changing my clothes, I decided to go for a walk around the grounds to clear my head instead of brooding in my room. I ended up near the girls’ dorm. Through the windows into the common room I could see some of the girls laughing and playing around. Then I saw Dani. She was smiling at Anna as she told some story. Then they were both laughing and hugging. It filled me with joy to see her happy
. Although I couldn’t be a part of it directly, I had some satisfaction in knowing that for now, on this day at least, I had contributed.

  I was about to leave when Maggie came out of the building, and shortly after so did Dani, looking none too pleased.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Dani

  When I had left the studio, arm in arm with Anna, I felt like a queen. I had worked hard and done my best. The rest was up to Miss Gisele and the committee. They would be the ones who picked the performer for the show. The announcement was going to be made tomorrow at a special assembly in the lyceum the morning before we left for winter break. All our parents would be present. Talk about nerve-wracking. Going through the audition was nothing compared to the agony of waiting for that.

  Anna decided the best way to get through the waiting was to have a girl party in the dorm. The plan was to order in pizza, drink soda, and play Dance Dance Revolution until our legs fell off. Sounded like the perfect day to me.

  By the time the pizza came, ten pies to be exact, the common room was brimming with screaming, giddy girls, high on soda and the fact that we would be on break soon. I think everyone was tired. It had been a hard term. At least for me, it had been, and I was looking forward to going home and being with my family and my kitty, Gypsy. I had missed them all dearly. Great Aunt Dottie had already texted me three times to tell me how excited she was to see me during Christmas, and that I had to tell her EVERYTHING. And yes, that’s how she texted it, in all caps.

  Just about every girl in the dorm was at the party. Even Nia and Shelby had dropped in. What surprised me the most was that neither of them was horrible. Shelby was quite funny. She had everyone in stiches several times. She had even hugged me and whispered in my ear that she hoped I got the spot in the show.

  Everything was going splendidly until Maggie showed up. She walked into the room, and I guess expected everyone to stop what they were doing to look at her or talk to her or something, but that didn’t happen. I think the only ones who really noticed her presence were Nia, because she immediately jumped up and went to her side, and me. The hairs on the back of my neck always rose when Maggie was around.