Magic Resilient
Page 25
“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Shani says breathlessly.
“That was incredible,” says Malou. Then, revising her statement: “You are incredible.”
As you sip peppermint tea and nibble a vegetable omelette, you manage to fit together some details about current events. A few hours ago, every magical girl got a sudden burst of energy. They were able to fight more valiantly, aim their attacks more accurately, and shrug off more injuries than ever. Working together, everyone was able to repel the current wave of invasions, and it’ll probably be another year or two—at least!—before things get that bad again.
“And I think a little bird here had something to do with it,” Char teases, nudging you.
“We won,” you say modestly, brushing a stray curl back behind your ear. “That’s what matters.”
“Yeah, but you really should tell everyone about what you can do,” Shani says, excitement bubbling in her voice. “Lending another warrior strength remotely—no one since Maona has gotten the hang of that. Maybe you could even teach other people the technique, too.”
You imagine how your younger self would have felt about that. Verdie at twelve, a wisp of frightened gray eyes and storm-tossed curls, holding back an invasion by herself. What would it have felt like if someone, no matter how far away, had rested an insubstantial hand on her shoulder? Told her “We’re here for you, you’re not fighting alone. Let us support you, let us teach you how to get through this.” What would that have meant?
Everything, you think. It would have meant everything.
And something in you that’s been curled up nursing its hurts for far too long unfurls like a bloom in spring or a kite in the wind. Now I can rest.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
When you wake up again, there’s only one other person in the room:
* * *
Char.
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
When you wake up again, there’s only one other person in the room:
* * *
Shani.
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Once, when you and your squad are walking back to the apartment from an impromptu macaron run, you spot a man following a young woman who clearly doesn’t want to be followed. “Hey, what’s your name? What’s your number? You’re pretty cute, girl.”
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
* * *
When you wake up again, there’s only one other person in the room:
* * *
Malou.
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
“Hey, so…I have something I want to tell you.”
You lean back and smile at her, hoping you can figure out why she looks so serious. “Okay, go ahead.”
“You’re funny and interesting and…so unique, Verdie. And kind.
I feel like I can talk to you about all the nerdy things that no one else gets. You’ll watch old movies with me and actually understand the dialogue.
I’ve always been the girl who has everything, but I’ve discovered that what I want most is you.
Even if you don’t feel the same way, I just…I’ve wanted to be able to say I love you, even if you don’t feel like saying it back. I’ll…stop talking now." In an instant, she turns on her heel and heads for the door. You get the sense that if her skin were lighter, she would be blushing.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
“Hey, so, umm..” She smooths her skirt, plays with her hair. “Verdie, here’s the thing—I’ve kind of had the hugest crush on you for ages. You are the sweetest, funniest, smartest person anyone would ever want to fall in love with. I really think so. If you don’t like me as anything other than a friend, we can just pretend that this never happened. No biggie.”
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
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
* * *
Malou.
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
malou says she likes you
* * *
respond in way one
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
“Wait, why are you leaving?”
“To go have a good cry in private.” There’s something almost glassy about the way her eyes gleam—did she mistake your “is-this-really-happening” silence for a rejection?
“Char, please don’t go. I like you. I love you. I’ve had this hug
e crush on you for ages. We could have been datefriends for, like, weeks, and I think that the fact that we haven’t smooched yet is kind of atrocious.”
“Yeah,” she agrees softly, moving towards you. “Pretty wild, huh?”
And her lips meet yours.
One long, exquisite moment later, you both withdraw, giggling.
Char rubs her eyes, then frowns. “Is my mascara smudged?”
“Very,” you reply, “but you’re still completely perfect.”
Smiling, she winds a hand through your curls and kisses you again.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
“Are you kidding? I, like, like you. I double-like you. Much like, very feelings.” All your normal ease with words seems to have temporarily gone on vacation, so you take a deep breath and try to collect yourself. “I mean, I love you, and I’ve wanted to kiss you for a very long time.”
Shani brushes your hair aside and puts her lips to yours.
You’re pulling up her shirt, breathing in her floral perfume and kissing her stomach, when there’s a knock on the door.
“More kissing later?” Shani asks as you re-button your gray pintuck shirtdress and fix your curls.
You nod, grinning. “Definitely more kissing.”
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
You hear Malou sigh. 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…”
* * *
Go out for food
* * *
Sit on the balcony
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Malou covers her mouth with her hands. Then a slow grin spreads over her face, and she swoops forward to nuzzle her nose against yours. Pulling back, she asks, breathless, “Can I kiss you? On the mouth?”
“And a lot more,” you reply, smiling.
You’re in your lacy white bra, and Malou’s just wriggled out of her tank top, and you’re unhooking her sports bra and planning on feeling up her biceps and kissing all the way down her stomach and, yeah, hooking your legs between hers seems like one of the best ideas you’ve had in your life—
When there’s a knock on the door.
“Verdie! Hey, guys! Let us in! You have to see this.”
“Why?” you mouth silently. Their timing could have been way better.
“It’s okay,” Malou says, kissing your shoulder gently. “We’ll have time.”
Lots of time, hopefully—and a whole planet to explore together once you’ve cleared it of monsters. Quickly, you get dressed.
“Can we come in now, or are you still making out?” That’s Shani, getting right to the point.
“We’re dressed,” Malou replies, stifling giggles as you unlock the door.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Suddenly, there’s a knock on the door. “Verdie, let us in—you have to see this!”
“More kissing later,” Char mouths with a saucy wink, and “I completely agree,” you whisper back as you open the door.
“Verdie, we got a power-up!” Shani yells as she charges in.
“Let’s all transform—I want to see what you look like,” Malou says, her dark eyes gleaming.
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
Malou’s inside as soon as you open the door. “We got a power-up,” she intently, practically vibrating with excitement.
Char grins and gleams at you and bounces on her heels. “Transform, everyone!”
* * *
>>
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *
Please turn forward a page
* * *
Magic Resilient, by Kayla Bashe
* * *
“Let’s go to an all-night fast food place!” So you do, and you eat fries.
Now that she’s no longer hungry, Malou’s so tired that she can barely stand.
On the subway back to the apartment, she asks “Can I rest on your shoulder?” Glancing at her, you see that she’s already fallen asleep.
Malou’s such a brave soldier, so strong and beautiful. But she has this hidden soft, vulnerable side. And that’s something you like, too.
* * *
End
* * *
Return to beginning
* * *
* * *
* * *
Please turn back a page
* * *
* * *