by Kayla Bashe
She bites her lip, moves away a little, pretends not to hear. He keeps pursuing her.
“Hey, girl, you speak Common? You hear what I’m saying?”
People keep walking by, and you know you have to do something.
“Excuse me,” you say, sliding smoothly in between them. Your accent is intimidatingly strong, and you stare him down with the detached, almost disdainful force of pure nobility. “Please leave her alone.”
He squints at you. “Oh, yeah? You know her?”
“Yes, we know her,” Shani says, emphasizing the we.
“We’re her bridesmaids,” Char adds sweetly. Malou, meanwhile, sets her stance a little wider, crosses her arms over her chest, the action emphasizing her muscles. Together, you give off an air of unstoppability—woe betide anyone who messes with someone under your protection.
He scowls, mutters something inaudible, but peels away. The woman looks a bit stunned.
“Hey, you okay?” you ask.
“Yeah,” she says with a small, shy smile. And “Thank you.”
It’s no problem, you almost tell her as she heads away. I would have done it for anyone. No one deserves to feel unsafe. Exchanging smiles and fist-bumps with your squad, you can tell they’re thinking the same thing.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
It’s your last night, and the girl in the bed next to yours keeps moving around. You wonder if she’s okay…seriously, though, what’s up with
* * *
Shani?
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Slowly, your hosts allow you to encounter more and more challenges. Working together to stop a leaking kayak from sinking (you’re positive that Testimony put that hole in the bottom of your boat by folding her arms and giving it a sideways glare, but you wouldn’t dare mention it. ) Building a fire and setting up your own tents—even sleeping in the wilderness! (Okay, you’re only half a mile away from the cabins—but when the owls hoot at night, and the crickets buzz and the stars shine and the trees rustle in the wind, it seems pretty wild. ) You develop a sense of faith in your own inner invincibility.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
It’s your last night, and the girl in the bed next to yours keeps moving around. You wonder if she’s okay…seriously, though, what’s up with
* * *
Malou?
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Slowly, your hosts allow you to encounter more and more challenges. Working together to stop a leaking kayak from sinking (you’re positive that Testimony put that hole in the bottom of your boat by folding her arms and giving it a sideways glare, but you wouldn’t dare mention it. ) Building a fire and setting up your own tents—even sleeping in the wilderness! (Okay, you’re only half a mile away from the cabins—but when the owls hoot at night, and the crickets buzz and the stars shine and the trees rustle in the wind, it seems pretty wild. ) You develop a sense of faith in your own inner invincibility.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
On your last night, you can tell that the girl in the bed next to yours is having trouble sleeping, and you wonder what’s up with
* * *
Char.
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
“What if we…”
* * *
Went for a walk by the water
* * *
Played card games
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
It’s your last night, and you’re usually asleep by now, but…you’re not really tired. There’s a soft sound of movement from the girl in the bed next to you. What’s up with…
* * *
Char?
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
On your last night, you can tell that the girl in the bed next to yours is having trouble sleeping, and you wonder what’s up with
* * *
Shani.
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Shani can’t seem to settle. She keeps flopping around on her bed, moving and rearranging her pillows. Finally she sighs and blows a raspberry, and you hear her get out of bed. “Verdie? You up?”
“I’m a light sleeper,” you admit.
“And I can’t sleep at all! This is our last night here—I have so much energy. I just want to do something.”
“Me, too. What if we…”
* * *
Went for a walk by the water
* * *
Played some card games
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
It’s your last night, and you’re usually asleep by now, but…you’re not really tired. There’s a soft sound of movement from the girl in the bed next to you. What’s up with…
* * *
Shani
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
You hear Malou grumble incoherently. She keeps flipping over and moving around, trying to get comfortable. Once she relaxes for a few minutes, and you’re like, Okay, I can sleep now. But just as your eyes are closing, Malou yells in her sleep and jolts you both awake. Now it’s as if you’ve had a whole mug of caffinated earl grey breakfast tea.
“Sorry,” she says, not meeting your gaze.
“It’s nothing. I’m wide awake now—that means we can enjoy our last night here. Do you want to get up and
do something instead of just lying here?”
“I’m up for that,” she says, starting to smile a little.
“Okay. How about we…”
* * *
Walk by the ocean
* * *
Play a board game
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
It’s your last night, and you’re usually asleep by now, but…you’re not really tired. There’s a soft sound of movement from the girl in the bed next to you. What’s up with…
* * *
Malou?
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
You hear pages turning—then, after a few minutes, a sigh. “Verdie?”
“Yeah?”
“I can’t sleep, even with a book to distract me. Can I drag you out of bed so we can talk?”
“Sure, Char,” you say, a smile in your voice. “What if we…”
* * *
Go out for food
* * *
Sit on the balcony
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
The moonlight makes Char’s skin seem to glow. She’s darkly luminous, more beautiful than ever.
Suddenly, she raises her head, surprise in her gaze. “Verdie, look out-”
Before you can ask her what she means, an unexpectedly huge wave slams into you.
The next thing you know, you’re on the sand, further away from the waves, and your teeth are chattering so rapidly that you can barely talk.
“I’m cold—I’m soaked-”
“I can fix that.”
She conjures up magical fire in her palms, gorgeous flickering light in orange and yellow and red, and runs her hands over your body—not touching you, just hovering.
You’re so close, you could take a half-step forward and press your body against hers. You could stand on your tiptoes and lean in and kiss her.
But then she steps back. The moment has passed and your clothes are perfectly dry—and then, with a casual smile, she links her arm through yours. “Come on, I think the tide is coming in—let’s go inside.”
You lean against her warmth as you walk up the beach.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Char knows surprisingly few card games—“I never had anyone to play with, so all I know is Solitaire.”
“We’ll play War, then! It’s really easy.”
While you’re flipping over cards, you talk about your lives and families.
Char’s been traveling for her career since she was young. Since she had several younger siblings, her parents couldn’t always travel with her, and she had to figure out a lot of things about life on her own.
In a way, Char is just like you. You’ve both learned how to be responsible in a way that’s usually reserved for older girls—you from the siege of Castle Vestri, and Char from her travels. And that makes you feel so much less alone.
“Verdie, I’d love to take your picture someday.”
“Me? Really?”
“Yes, you’re adorable. And you have that kind of beauty that just shines through whatever you’re wearing. Nobility of spirit. You’re a real heroine, and I think that’s amazing. The public loves stories like yours! At least, I do, and I think I’m a good judge of taste. I mean, people like you remind everyone what humanity is like at its best.” From the way she looks at you, you can tell she’s serious—and having someone so glamorous praise you feels good. “Let’s head to bed, yeah? I’m getting tired.”
“Yeah, we need our cutie sleep.”
Making her smile feels good, too.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
You hear pages turning—then, after a few minutes, a sigh. “Verdie?”
“Yeah?”
“I can’t sleep, even with a book to distract me. Can I drag you out of bed so we can talk?”
“Sure, Char,” you say, a smile in your voice. “What if we…”
* * *
Eat oatmeal on the porch
* * *
Sit by the river behind our cabin
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Shani can’t seem to settle. She keeps flopping around on her bed, moving and rearranging her pillows. Finally she sighs and blows a raspberry, and you hear her get out of bed. “Verdie? You up?”
“I’m a light sleeper,” you admit.
“And I can’t sleep at all! This is our last night here—I have so much energy. I just want to do something.”
“Me, too. What if we…”
* * *
