Luke laughed. “You know, if you were anyone else I would find that offensive, but from you it’s almost endearing.”
The boys laughed, glad to be back at school—even Ethan, who fought constantly against conformity. It was the first place in a long time he could call home, and it wasn’t some cold street corner or a friend’s old moldy couch in his basement. He had actually missed Peter, Luke, and the girls while he was away, not that he would admit that to anyone.
“Oh hey, I carved some cool shit while I was away.” He walked over to his closet and opened it carefully, trying not to let all his stuff come spilling out.
“You know, if you fold those clothes they won’t come tumbling out like an avalanche,” Peter pointed out.
“Yeah, yeah. Later.” He pulled out an intricately carved wooden dragon from the closet. “This baby took me all break.”
“Whoa,” Luke cooed. “That’s awesome, bro. I don’t know how you do it. I would end up cutting my finger off. You really have a talent for that stuff. Personally, I—”
Ethan put his hand up and frowned. “Shhh… Do you hear that?”
The boys stood silent for several moments as Luke waited to hear the noise again. Peter squinted, not hearing a thing. He was about to make a joke about Luke losing his mind when loud chirping followed by skittering across the floors echoed from the common area. Voices rang out in squeals of both fear and excitement.
“What the...” Ethan tossed the dragon on Luke’s bed, and the three guys ran to the door.
All three ducked as something flew past them, its furry tail swishing wildly. A crowd of boys had gathered, laughing and joking, sliding from one side to the other as the animal shifted nervously, trying to find an escape route. Peter peeked into the hall, coming face to face with a small furry brown squirrel. It gnashed its teeth and squeaked, frightening itself, Peter, and the room of guys.
The boys inched into the common room and stood watching the scene. Peter stood back a little, ruffled by his encounter, while Ethan and Luke laughed at the shenanigans. A couple of the older guys tried to be heroes, chasing the poor thing around. Ethan was rooting for the squirrel while enjoying watching the older kids get their asses handed to them. Luke crossed his arms and shook his head.
“What is it with people? If it has fur, they are afraid of it.”
“You’re a bitter shifter.” Ethan laughed, slapping Luke on the back.
“Personally, it’s not the fur.” Peter shuddered. “It’s the big chomping teeth that freak me out.”
Ethan laughed. “Are we talking about Luke or the squirrel?”
Luke rolled his eyes. “Ha-ha, very funny. But seriously, were you talking about me?”
“No.” Peter ducked with the other two as the squirrel launched itself through the air, latching onto the opposite wall. “I’m talking about that thing.”
One of the older kids ran across the room, leapt off the couch cushions, and dove for the animal. The squirrel tilted its head and chirped, and the kid missed and tumbled into an end table, knocking a lamp over. He caught it as he rolled onto his back. The guys cheered at his near fail and the kid stood up, put the lamp back, and took a bow. The squirrel squeaked behind him and the kid jumped, running back to the other side of the room.
Ethan pushed up his sleeves and bit his lip. “All right, I can get that furry little asshole.”
Peter put his finger up. “Uh, if I were you—”
“You aren’t.” Ethan smiled broadly, eyes gleaming.
Luke laughed as Ethan took off across the room, slamming his hands against the wall and nearly grabbing the animal’s long bushy tail. Ethan growled, still smirking, and ran around the perimeter of the room, one step behind the squirrel the entire time. After about three laps he slowed down, leaning over to pant with his hands on his knees.
“He’s fast!”
“I wonder what it’s thinking,” Peter replied, adjusting his glasses and, staring at it where it perched on the wall.
“That we are a bunch of slow-as-hell punks and he wants to get back to the nuts he hid in your closet,” Ethan teased.
Peter stood up, looking back and forth. “That was a joke, right? There’s no squirrel in my closet, is there?”
Ethan laughed and took off after the squirrel again, leaving Peter wondering if he was joking or serious. Peter glanced at Luke, who was still watching in amusement as the boys teamed up to catch the thing. “He’s kidding, right?”
Luke laughed and nodded, putting Peter out of his squirrelly misery. Peter put his hand on his chest in relief before stopping in his tracks, frozen. The squirrel had leapt through the air and attached itself to Peter’s back, and the boy’s eyes grew huge as he slowly turned his head to see the squirrel’s beady eyes looking back him.
Luke laughed. “I think he likes you!”
Peter looked at him for a second before jumping into the air and screaming at the top of his lungs. The squirrel screamed too, leaping off him and running underneath the couch. Peter continued to slap his back until finally Luke put his hand on his shoulder and looked at him with amusement.
“He’s gone, buddy. You are okay.”
“I should get a rabies shot,” Peter grumbled. “I mean, do they carry disease?”
“Yep, the black plague,” Luke teased.
Peter got annoyed as Luke laughed at him. Just then, Conner, the twenty-something boy’s hall manager walked into the room and leaned against the doorway, folding one foot over the other and crossing his arms. The guys loved Conner. He was cool, calm, and collected, and always had something witty to say. His hair was perfect, his teeth were straight and pearly white, and anytime he walked the halls the girls swooned around him. He was a hero to the boys, and was finding the situation at hand a little more than humorous.
“I hear there’s a Peter-eating squirrel in here.” He smiled.
“Not funny.” Peter grimaced, still jumpy.
“All right.” Connor sighed and grabbed a small metal trash can in one hand and the lid in the other. “This process is very technical. I want to humanely catch this squirrel in this can, get the lid on, and get it outside so we can release it. It will take cunning—”
The boys cheered.
“Strength—”
They cheered again.
“Courage, and last, but not least, a little bit of luck.”
One of the boys yelled from the background, “Or we could just lock Peter in here with it. They will be friends in no time.”
Another boy yelled, “Or it will die from one of his experiments.”
Everyone but Peter laughed. He flicked off the kids on the other side of the room and Connor chuckled, pulling the lid off the trash can and pushing everyone back. He got down on one knee and very slowly lowered his head down to peer under the couch. Before he could get a good look, though, the squirrel shot out, jumping high up on the wall. It started lapping the room.
“Maybe the thing will run itself to death.” Luke chuckled. “You know, shifters are pretty good at catching squirrels.”
“Yeah, but then we would have a wolf and a squirrel loose in the common area.” Ethan winked. “It would be like a zoo in here.”
Luke playfully punched Ethan in the stomach and they watched Connor as he stalked his prey, moving slowly around the room, the lid in one hand and the trash can in the other. He moved toward the squirrel on the wall, clicking his tongue to try to get it to stay. The squirrel chirped back, tilting its head and flirting its furry tail.
“That’s right, little buddy, I’m your friend. Just trying to get you back home. Don’t move.”
Connor lifted the trash can and quickly smacked it down on the wall, holding it firmly in place. He smiled, leaning forward with the lid, and slowly lifting the edge of the can to cover it. He peeked inside, but nothing was there. He furrowed his brow lifting the empty trash can up and looking around him. The squirrel squealed loudly and the boys stopped laughing, slowly looking up at the ceiling. The furry ani
mal dropped to the floor in front of Conner and ran back and forth, then took off across the floor. The guys shouted, moving in waves away from the thing as it tried to find a place to hide.
Ethan chuckled and put his arm on Luke’s shoulder. “Funny how so many of these macho magical guys are terrified of a furry little rat.”
The squirrel made a beeline for Ethan and he yelled, jumping out of the way and hiding behind Luke with his hand on his shoulders. Luke laughed and nodded.
“It is amazing how many of them are scared of a furry rat, isn’t it?”
Ethan scowled and stood up straight, clearing his throat. “It caught me by surprise, that’s all. I didn’t see it coming.”
“Right.” Luke smirked. “Do hamsters and puppies have the same effect on you? Because if so. I’ll never invite you over to my house. You just might shit your pants if you saw a wolf.”
“What scares you? Because whatever it is, I’m putting it in your bed. Snakes? It’ll be Temple of Doom up in our room. Horses? You’ll have a Godfather moment.”
“You’d cut a horse’s head off?” Luke feigned shock.
“Normally I would frown at animal cruelty, but for you, I might make an exception.”
The loud clanging of the trash can lid to the can brought their attention to the corner of the room, where Connor had again missed the squirrel. His face had started out cool and calm, but now he looked pissed. Sweat was starting to bead on his forehead, and he was getting frustrated at fruitlessly chasing the damn thing.
“Come here, you furry little—” Connor jumped forward slamming the trash can down on the floor. He missed the squirrel by an inch.
The squirrel chirped and ran full speed up the back wall, leapt from one side to the other, and then launched himself directly for Connor’s head. Connor’s eyes grew as big as saucers and he dropped the lid and the can, letting out a high-pitched scream. He took off for the doorway and didn’t stop, running down the stairs. The boys all looked at the squirrel in a panic and started screaming as well, running for the exit.
The older boys who hadn’t come to help stuck their heads out of the hallway on the other end, watching as a horde of males bolted from the common room and ran as fast as they could down the stairs and out the front door. The other dorm manager was walking back from the library and looking down at a book when they all came pelting down. He stopped with a curious look on his face and his book still open in his hands. He watched in bafflement they ran through the front door and jumped down the front steps.
He tilted his head to the side in confusion as the front door shut behind them. Something skittering against the wood caught his attention, and as he watched a small fluffy squirrel jumped playfully down each step and ran across the foyer in front of him. It stopped at the door and the manager shook his head, realizing it was waiting to go out.
“Oh, sorry.” He closed his book and opened the front door. “There you go, then. Have a good day.”
The squirrel chirped and ran outside, bounding down the front steps. The guys all gasped and backed up. Some of them were in nothing more than their boxers as they stood in the ankle-deep snow. The squirrel squeaked and ran through the snow toward the fields, and everyone let out a deep sigh of relief and looked around at each other. Several of them were patting Connor on the back as he attempted to recover from the fear.
“I think the monster is gone,” the dorm manager called dryly. “It’s safe to return to your rooms.”
Mara Berens walked around the corner and looked at them in shock. “What... What in the name of Oriceran? Where are your clothes? What are you doing down here in the snow?”
Connor stopped in front of her, his hair a mess. “There was a squirrel in the common room.”
“And…what?” Mara replied lifting an eyebrow. “It had machetes and guns and posed a serious threat to your life? Enough of one to warrant half of the male population of this school standing half-dressed in the front yard shaking for their lives?”
Connor pursed his lips, realizing how ridiculous it looked. “Pretty much.”
“Well, now that you are back, I am assuming the kamikaze squirrel is under control?”
“Yes, ma’am. It ran out into the field.”
“Good. You boys have ten minutes to get down to breakfast.” Mara watched as Connor started up the stairs, looking slightly defeated. “And Connor?”
He turned back. “Yes, ma’am?”
“Next time use a trapping spell.”
He nodded and went back up the steps. Mara shook her head, looking down at the papers in her hand and muttering to herself.
“Every day it’s something. It hasn’t been twenty-four hours, and there are killer squirrels in the dorms. This year is going to give me gray hair. I can feel it.”
She looked at the other dorm manager, who was standing there watching her talk to herself. “I can feel it, Mosely. Insanity is sweeping this place.”
“It was a rather large squirrel, ma’am.”
She raised an eyebrow and walked away, holding in a laugh.
5
The cafeteria was loud and boisterous, the boys recounting stories of the squirrel—which had somehow morphed into a man-eating beast—and the girls laughing at them. Others were simply having their normal morning conversations. Today was the first time they were all in the same room together, so the noise level was a bit higher than usual. A group of the older kids sat at their tables, eyeing the other students and making quiet comments here and there.
Every student was required to wear the official school uniform, but as red-blooded teenagers they pushed the boundaries, modifying as best they could to suit their own style. The jocks rolled up their sleeves and flexed their muscles. The nerds kept Dungeons & Dragons manuals in their front pockets, and their pants were always an inch too short, pulled up high around their waist and cinched with a belt. The popular girls went with whatever the trend was, which at the moment was sweater vests over their white button-downs, their skirts hiked incredibly short, striped knee socks, and Mary Janes with at least a two-inch heel. They did their makeup and hair like they were going out on the town, and always had mirrors in their hands.
Kids like Ethan—the stoners, the slackers, and the urban kids—walked around with their shirts untucked, their ties half-down and crooked, and oversized zip-up hoodies open in the front. They never wore the dress shoes, instead walking around in Vans of different varieties. Their hair was always messy but looked sleek next to their wrinkled shirts and slightly-too-big khaki pants.
Alison’s group all had different styles. While Alison did her best to be properly dressed, Izzie was a bit less put together. Her shirts weren’t always ironed, and her shoes were whatever she grabbed from the closet. Kathleen dressed like the popular girls, with expensive bangles, dangling earrings, and some sort of funky necklace she had picked up in her travels. Aya and Emma were perfect to the tee with their uniforms, Emma even carrying a small iron in her bookbag in case she needed to do a quick refresh on her skirt between classes.
Peter was nerdy but messy. He always had some kind of dust or dirt on his shirt, and half the time a smear of soot across his cheek. Luke had his own style—laid back, shirt sometimes untucked, sometimes not, clothes reasonably unwrinkled, and always with his hand in his pocket. They were all different, but fit together perfectly as friends. It was a hodgepodge of personalities, and Alison hoped that didn’t change as they got older and moved up in school. She would hate to see them split apart just because of the kind of clothes they wore.
She knew that she and Izzie would stay friends. They were too much alike and too different from the others to fit into any specific clique. They were just two orphaned kids trying to figure out their pasts and their powers.
“French toast, perfect.” Kathleen smiled as the toast filled her plate, adding a side of sliced strawberries for good measure.
Emma looked down at her bowl and smiled as it filled up with Fruit Loops. She reached across the tab
le to pick up the milk, but Kathleen slapped her hand away.
“Watch this.”
Kathleen took a deep breath and closed her eyes, letting her palms rest face-up in her lap. Light shimmered over her and symbols appeared on her neck and arms, flipping very slowly. She lifted her hands and opened her glowing eyes, fluttering her fingers at the table. The milk carafe shook slightly and Kathleen looked at it with stronger intent. Slowly the bottle rose off the table and floated over to where Emma was sitting, hovering in front of her. Kathleen slowly turned her wrist and watched happily as the bottle tipped milk into Emma’s bowl. When she was done, she moved her hand gently to return the bottle to the table.
The light disappeared from her eyes and the symbols faded, leaving a proud smile on her face. “See? Why do it yourself when you can do it with magic?”
Ethan chuckled. “That seemed like a lot of work to pour milk on cereal.”
“I thought it was cool,” Emma replied, winking at Kathleen. “I can’t do that, and I doubt you can either.”
Ethan took a bite of his bacon and set the rest on his plate, pushing up the sleeves of his robes. He pulled his wand from the inside pocket and sat up straight, his chin tilted upward. He waved his wand while whispering under his breath and a stream of blue light came from the end. The light moved across the table and wrapped around the top of the orange juice carafe. Gently the magic picked up the carafe and floated it in front of Emma.
“Orange juice this morning?” Ethan asked.
“Yes, please. Thank you.” Emma giggled.
Ethan bit his bottom lip and concentrated as his magic tipped the carafe, missing the glass and pouring into Emma’s cereal bowl. He frowned, floating the carafe back over and setting it on the table. Emma looked down at her bowl and back at Ethan.
“The glass would have been better.” She laughed.
“You didn’t specify,” he replied with a humph. “Either way, it made it there.”
“Yes.” Kathleen laughed. “Because we all love a good helping of orange juice in our Fruit Loops in the morning.”
Bright Is Her Sight_An Urban Fantasy Action Adventure Page 4
