by R. G. Thomas
“My turn? I can’t create flames like that.”
“No, but you can do all sorts of other magic. I want you to show me.”
Thaddeus looked around. He didn’t want to move the stones surrounded by wildflowers, but he saw a few fist-sized rocks off to the side of the path behind the tree. Fixing his gaze on one of the rocks, he put his arms at his sides and turned his hands so his palms faced forward. The rock he focused on was half-buried in the ground, and it took some work for him to summon it. When it finally hit his palm with a satisfying thwack, the stone was cool to the touch, half of it layered in dirt.
His mother laughed. “Excellent! Do more!”
Thaddeus used magic to move more stones out of the woods and picked up some branches as well. When he grew tired, he took a break and watched his mother produce fire of all different types, including what looked like a whip made of flame. He made one trip to the stream to fill the bucket, but after that he used magic to send the bucket floating among the trees to dip into the water and brought it back. His mother applauded as he settled the full bucket at her feet.
It was late afternoon before Thaddeus realized he was hungry, and the sun was low in the sky. The hours had slipped by in what felt like minutes. Thaddeus was surprised to realize he hadn’t heard the miserable voice in his head the entire time. His headache had also faded considerably, and he hadn’t once thought about the pimple on the back of his neck, still hidden by the high collar of the mock turtleneck.
His mother dumped another bucket of water over the tree trunk, now liberally scorched from her practice shots. She noticed him checking the sun’s position and looked up herself.
“Goodness, it must be very late,” she said. “What time is it?”
“I left my phone at home,” Thaddeus said. “It’s got to be past three o’clock, though.”
“We’ve been out here that long?” She smiled. “I’ve been having so much fun with you, I lost all track of time.”
He smiled back. “Me too. Thanks for bringing me out here.”
“I’m glad to share this place with you.” She approached and pulled him into a hug. “You’ve grown into such a fine young man. I’m so very proud of you.”
Thaddeus savored the embrace. It had been strange having his mother live with his father and him after all of their years living alone. But today had been an important step forward for him and his mother, and he decided he was glad Teofil had gone off on a trip.
His mother released him and stepped back. “How do you feel?”
“Tired,” he said, then smiled. “But happy.”
“Good. Let me hide the bucket, and we can head back home.”
Getting back didn’t seem to take as long as their walk there, and soon Thaddeus and his mother stepped out of the thick line of trees at the back of their yard. Thaddeus’s father was striding along the fence from the Rhododendrons’ gate, and his eyes widened when he caught sight of them. He threw his hands into the air as he changed direction to intercept them.
“Where have you two been?” he practically shouted. “I’ve been looking all over for you!”
“I left you a note,” she said. “Didn’t you get it?”
He let out a breath and shook his head. “No. I didn’t see it. I was concerned.”
“Oh, Nathan, I’m sorry,” she said. “I took Thaddeus for a walk in the woods, and we lost all track of time.”
“You’ve been out walking in the woods this whole time?” his father asked with a frown.
“Well….” She glanced at Thaddeus. “We stopped in a clearing to practice a bit of magic.”
“Oh.” His father folded his arms and looked between them before settling his gaze on Thaddeus. “How did it go?”
“It went well,” Thaddeus said. “I was able to move some heavy rocks and big branches and stuff.” His headache seemed to have awakened from its low-key slumber, and he cringed at the first strong pulse of pain.
“Are you feeling all right?” his father asked.
“That headache is back,” Thaddeus replied. “And I am tired from practicing. I think I’ll go lie down for a bit.”
“All right,” his father said. “I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.”
“Okay.” Thaddeus looked to his mother. “Thanks for taking me. I really liked it.”
Her smile was brighter than ever. “Me too.”
Thaddeus kept his gaze averted from the tall privacy fence as he crossed the yard to his side door. The headache thumped in time with his heartbeat, and all he wanted was to lie down and sleep. He stopped in the bathroom at the top of the steps to pee and wash his hands and face before entering his bedroom and closing the door. The room felt stuffy, so he opened the window an inch, resisting the urge to look down into Teofil’s yard.
He kicked off his shoes, peeled away his sweaty socks, and then stretched out on top of the comforter. In minutes he was sound asleep.
Chapter SIXTEEN
THE REST of the weekend passed in a daze, and Sunday evening arrived before Thaddeus knew it. He got busy working on his homework and had just finished it up when he heard Teofil’s familiar hum coming from the yard next door. Thaddeus got up from his desk and leaned out the window. It was after nine o’clock at night, and heavy clouds blocked the waning moon, but Thaddeus could see the fairies dipping and spinning around Teofil’s shadowy figure.
Loneliness erupted inside him at the familiar sight and sounds of Teofil. Thaddeus missed him, and he had no idea why it felt like there was such a distance between them now. It didn’t seem to be all due to the night Andy had stopped by. Had Teofil become jealous? Thaddeus hadn’t been able to spend much time with him because he’d been grounded, but that didn’t mean he didn’t still want to be with Teofil. Did it? Now that he was back in school, it was more difficult for Thaddeus to picture Teofil with him all the time, and that made his loneliness expand even more.
But then a sense of determination grew from the loneliness, and he gave his reflection in the window glass a firm nod before turning for his bedroom door. His parents were sitting in the living room, each engrossed in a book, and he said, “Teofil’s back. I’m going to go say hi.”
“Don’t stay long,” his father said as he glanced at him. “School tomorrow.”
Thaddeus rolled his eyes. “Dad….” Then he walked away toward the side door.
Once outside he moved quickly across the dark expanse of lawn toward the back corner of the privacy fence. Before he reached his goal, he saw a small, darker patch of shadow move from farther back in the trees. Thaddeus stopped dead in his tracks. His heart pounded, and his breathing grew shallow as he stared at the place where he’d seen movement. Had he truly seen something, or had it been his imagination? Could it be the Bearagon? Or maybe Lucian or Azzo?
“Who’s there?” Thaddeus called, his voice shaking as he took a backward step.
“Thaddeus?” Teofil called from the other side of the fence. “It’s me.”
“Stay over there,” Thaddeus said. “Something’s in the woods.”
“What?”
Thaddeus took another step back. A shadowy figure emerged from the trees, face concealed beneath a black hoodie. It ducked its head and charged toward him, running upright on two legs. It wasn’t much taller than Thaddeus himself, so it wasn’t the Bearagon. But the way it rushed at him definitely made Thaddeus feel threatened.
His mind locked up, and he couldn’t think of what spell to use in defense, so he turned and ran toward his house. Halfway there, a new sound brought him up short and he looked back. The figure lay on its back on the ground, rolling back and forth and… laughing?
Thaddeus took a few steps closer. “Who is that?”
The figure was laughing too hard to respond.
“Well, it’s not funny, whoever you are,” Thaddeus said, then moved a little closer.
Teofil hurried around the back corner of the fence and stopped halfway between the woods and the spot where the figure lay laughing.
“Are you hurt?” Teofil asked, looking over the figure to Thaddeus.
“No.”
“Who is it?”
“I don’t know.”
The laughter trickled off and, after a deep breath, the figure pushed itself upright. With a tug, the hood was pulled back to reveal Andy’s broad smile.
“Gotcha!” Andy said and started laughing again.
“Andy? Dammit, you scared me!” Thaddeus’s knees felt weak, and he sat on the cool grass.
“That wasn’t very funny,” Teofil said, still on his feet and crossing his arms as he glared at the back of Andy’s head.
Andy looked around at Teofil. “Oh, sorry. Did I scare you too?”
“No,” Teofil snapped. “You didn’t scare me in the least.”
“Yeah, okay, Home School,” Andy said, then let out a quiet, mocking snort.
He started to turn back to Thaddeus again when he stopped and stared. Thaddeus followed Andy’s line of sight and saw several of the fairies watching from near the top of the privacy fence.
“Do fireflies hover like that?” Andy asked.
“Um, no,” Thaddeus said and quickly got to his feet. “Not usually. It’s probably because the nights are getting cooler, slowing them down.”
Andy took a step toward the fence but stopped as Teofil said in a commanding voice, “I think you should leave.”
Andy changed direction and stepped toward Teofil. “Oh you do, do you?”
“Hey, both of you….” Thaddeus started but had no idea what he could possibly say to cut the tension between them.
“Are you threatening me?” Andy took a couple more steps closer to Teofil. He put a hand behind his ear and cocked his head as he leaned in toward Teofil. “Did I hear you right, Home School? Was that some kind of a threat?”
“Andy…,” Thaddeus said but again had no other words to add.
“It wasn’t a threat,” Teofil said. “It was a strong suggestion.”
“Oh, like an order?” Andy said. “So now you’re ordering me around like I’m your servant or something?”
Teofil looked to Thaddeus, and in that look Thaddeus could see that Teofil felt cornered. But Thaddeus had no idea what to say to defuse the situation, so he kept quiet, and that most likely made Teofil feel like Thaddeus had abandoned him. There had to be something Thaddeus could do to intervene and keep things from escalating, but he didn’t really know what to say or do. His mind was a blank, and all he could seem to do was stand there and watch.
That quietly sinister voice spoke up again after being mostly silent all weekend: You want them to fight over you. You like it.
Teofil looked away from Thaddeus and back to Andy. His arms hung at his sides, but Thaddeus could see he had clenched his fists. Teofil held his chin up and said, “If that’s what it takes to get you to go, then yes, it was an order. Now leave.”
Andy laughed. It sounded mean, and Thaddeus managed to ignore the voice in his head that kept encouraging him to keep out of their conflict. He stepped between them and stood facing Andy.
“I think you should go, Andy,” Thaddeus said. “It’s getting late, and we have school tomorrow.”
The minute the words left his mouth, Thaddeus regretted them. Even before Andy’s shocked expression and louder—and, if possible, meaner sounding—laugh.
“Are you serious?” Andy said as he managed to get his laughter under some kind of control. “That’s the basis of your argument? That it’s a school night?”
Teofil stepped up beside Thaddeus. “Shut your insulting mouth and leave. Now.”
Andy’s laughter cut off abruptly. Before Thaddeus knew what had happened, Andy had launched himself at Teofil and tackled him to the ground. Thaddeus heard the heavy impact of fists and the resulting grunts and groans of pain, but he had no idea which boy was winning the fight. He tried to pull them apart, but a stray punch sent him stumbling backward, and he sat down hard on his butt. At first he thought he saw stars, but then he realized the fairies had come over the fence and were circling the brawlers. Luckily Andy was too preoccupied throwing punches to see them. Thaddeus got on his feet and waved the fairies off, whispering frantically, “He can’t see you! I’ll protect Teofil. Go back to the yard.”
The fairies buzzed him angrily a few times but retreated to the top of the fence where they hovered once more. Thaddeus turned back and was about to try again to stop the fight when Teofil managed to get on top and use his knees to pin Andy’s arms. Teofil glared down as Andy struggled beneath him.
“Are you going to leave now?” Teofil asked.
“What the hell is wrong with you two?” Andy said, still struggling to free himself. “Do you go to bed at nine o’clock or something?”
“So what if we do?” Teofil said.
Thaddeus winced and wished Teofil had said nothing at all. Now word would surely get around school that he went to bed at a baby’s hour. Teofil didn’t understand the pressures and complexities of going to school.
Andy’s gaze shifted to Thaddeus, and his eyes widened. “Do you two sleep together? Are you boyfriends?”
“What? No!” Thaddeus said. The dull headache sharpened into pain that made him have to squint his left eye. As if answering some kind of call of pain, the pimple on the back of his neck throbbed as well. And then the voice responded: You’d never be able to keep Teofil anyway.
Teofil’s wounded expression as he looked up at him made Thaddeus immediately regret his knee-jerk response. Andy saw that Teofil was distracted and took the opportunity to buck his hips and toss Teofil off. He got to his feet and jogged a short distance away before he turned back.
“You’re both weird.” Andy looked at an imaginary watch on his wrist. “You babies had better get yourselves to bed. It’s past nine o’clock. You need as much sleep as you can get.” This was followed by his mean-spirited cackle before he turned away and called over his shoulder, “Later, losers.”
Thaddeus watched Andy go. His stress level dropped, and he was glad his headache dimmed as well. He extended a hand to Teofil to help him up from the ground, but Teofil ignored it and got to his feet. Without a word he turned his back and walked toward the corner of the fence.
“I’m sorry,” Thaddeus said.
Teofil stopped and turned back. “For what part?”
Thaddeus shrugged. “All of it.”
“Even the part where you said we weren’t each other’s boyfriend?”
Say it, tell him it’s best if you break up now.
Guilt mixed with aggravation, and Thaddeus made sure to choose his words carefully to avoid hurting Teofil’s feelings any further. “Yes, I’m especially sorry for that. But you don’t know what it’s like for me at school. There are so many things that the other kids pick apart, I didn’t want to give them one more.”
“I thought we were good together,” Teofil said. “I thought we belonged together. But I’m seeing that things have changed now that your mother is back home and safe. Never mind that Leopold had to die to get it to happen.”
Each word Teofil spoke was like a fist to his gut. Anger quickly surged up within Thaddeus, pushing out the hurt, and he heard himself saying words he never thought he would have said to anyone, let alone Teofil.
“I know Leopold’s ghost told you to stay away from me. And I know you and Astrid and Dulindir have been going off on trips to look for Fetter. But there are other things going on around us too, if you weren’t so blind to them with hope that your brother is still somewhere waiting to be rescued after all of these years. I think you’re going to be very disappointed.”
“Is that how you really feel?” Teofil asked.
“Yes, it is.”
“I wish you and your new friend Andy all the best.” Teofil hurried around the corner of the fence.
Thaddeus stood where he was, unable to move. He stared at the place where Teofil had left his sight as something dark and cold shifted within him. He was stunned and could not seem to move.
From his peripheral vision, he saw the fairies drop out of sight behind the fence, and that seemed to break through his daze. He stomped to the side door and entered the house. His father was at the kitchen sink and did a double take when he saw Thaddeus’s expression.
“What happened?” his father asked.
“Nothing.” Thaddeus stomped past. “I have to finish my homework.”
“I won’t see you in the morning, remember,” his father called after him. “You’ll have to take the bus until we get your bike back.”
“Yeah, I know.”
Thaddeus went upstairs without a word. As he brushed his teeth, he glared at his reflection. He realized he should have wished his father good luck on the first day of his new job and told his parents good night. But the fight between Andy and Teofil, as well as the argument afterward with Teofil, was replaying on a loop in the front of his mind like a bad movie marathon. The pimple on the back of his neck ached again, but all he could see of it was the redness slowly spreading across his skin.
He smeared a thick layer of acne cream over the back of his neck before going into his bedroom. Keeping his gaze determinedly away from the window overlooking Teofil’s yard, Thaddeus stretched out on his bed. He sent Aisha a text, fingers flying over the number pad. When she didn’t respond within a few minutes, he set the phone aside and opened a textbook. After some time, he realized he’d read the same paragraph several times without retaining any of the information, so he set the book aside. He checked to see if Aisha had responded, but she hadn’t, so he switched off the lamp to surrender to sleep.
Chapter SEVENTEEN
THADDEUS DIDN’T see Andy until lunch the next day when he found him sitting with Crystal at their usual table. Andy looked up and grinned.
“Get enough sleep, baby boy?” Andy asked.
“Ha-ha,” Thaddeus said with a sneer. “You were pretty mean last night.”
“Me? What about that homeschooled kid who lives next door?” Andy rubbed his jaw. “He really knows how to throw a punch.”
