by Wendy Knight
“You screamed. I didn’t think you made girly sounds like that.”
It was their turn. She followed Hunter and thunked down on the lift just as it started upward. The bars came down in front of them, locking them in place. Ari glanced behind her at Shane and Nev climbing on the lift behind them, and she waved. Shane grinned back at her and then whirled to catch Nev as she nearly tumbled off the chair. Ari laughed and turned back to Hunter.
“I did not scream. I was squealing. It was fun. Girls squeal when they have fun. Didn’t you know?” she asked innocently.
“Most girls. You are not most girls,” Hunter said gruffly. Ari nodded in amused agreement as she peered down at the ground, far below them. She couldn’t get over the view. Everything below was covered in wildflowers. In the winter, the resort was for skiing, but in the summer they made good use of the mountainsides with all their attractions.
“Look! An animal!” she cried, pointing excitedly.
Hunter tore his eyes away from Ari’s face and searched the ground.
“It’s a groundhog. Haven’t you ever seen one before?” he asked incredulously. There were a lot of furry little rodents darting through the wildflowers.
Ari kept her eyes trained on the groundhog as she shook her head. Red and black curls fell over her shoulder. “Never. Except in books. And the Internet.”
“Amazing,” Hunter said quietly.
Safely at the top, they hurried over to wait in line for the zip line. “Okay Ari, you raced Hunter on the slide, so it’s my turn. I’m not so easy to beat,” Shane said as he walked up, dropping an arm across her shoulders.
Hunter rolled his eyes. “Shane, the zip line is controlled by gravity. Racing is pointless.”
But Ari gave them both a reckless grin. “I can still beat him.”
She didn’t. But as they flew down the mountain in nothing but a harness strapped to a wire cable, it felt like flying. She looked over at Shane, who was laughing as hysterically as she was, his arms spread wide, relishing the feel of wind in his face. Her heart raced in her chest, and for a minute, just a quick flash, it seemed like they belonged there, flying through the sky together, with no ground to hold them down.
And then they landed, and the feeling was gone, shoved away where Ari could ignore it.
****
It was one of the best days Ari could remember, and she held on to that feeling as she collapsed into bed that night. For once, she wasn’t dreading the minutes between lying down and sleep. The minutes when she was usually wracked with guilt and fighting to not think at all. This time, Ari collapsed on her bed and her mind swirled through images of zip lines and groundhogs, beautiful mountain scenery and the sound of her friends’ laughter.
Chapter Eleven
Several nights later, Ari had just dozed off when the cheery little ring tone on her phone jarred her awake. “Ari! Seriously?” Brittany snapped, flinging up her mask to glare at Ari in the darkness. Ari tried not to snicker as she struggled up on one elbow to answer her phone.
Richard.
Sighing, she flipped it open. “Where to this time?”
“North Dakota. The jet is waiting and you have already been checked out.” Richard’s voice was too smooth, and then he hung up. Sighing, Ari untangled herself from her covers and threw on some clothes. A quick glance at Brittany showed her with her mask back in place, feigning sleep. Perfect.
****
The jet touched down in North Dakota. It was cold and barren and Ari was glad for the flames running through her blood to keep her warm. Across the field from the desolate landing strip where she stood, she could see the raging inferno caused, no doubt, by blue and red spells. With a sigh, Ari adjusted her robe around her, grateful for the shroud Will had covered her with even at two a.m. She was alone this time — no team had been sent to protect her. There was a battle already raging and all she wanted to do was scare the Carules enough so they would run away. No killing necessary. Of course, that wasn’t what Richard wanted, but Ari didn’t care.
She loped across the field, pausing to get a sense of the fight in front of her. There weren’t many warriors left, about sixty or seventy. Less than a hundred, for sure. Ari flung both arms out. Bright red flames shot forward, swallowing the fires blazing throughout the field. With another jerk of her wrists, her crimson flames raced back to her, and then were gone, leaving smoke wafting through the dark night in their wake. With the fire out, the field was black. There was a sliver of moon in the sky, and the stars weren’t much light.
The dark night worked for Ari. Less light meant her spells were more terrifying. With a quick flick of her hand, she traced a masas, a spell meant to attack several people at once. She burned it into the air and threw it, not seeking to hit anyone, just wanting to make sure they knew she was there. It shot out, lighting up the field, and she watched in satisfaction as her Edren warriors dove out of the way and several Carules took off running in the opposite direction.
But then she frowned. They hadn’t all left, and many seemed intent on coming after her themselves. “Seriously?” she muttered as she stalked forward. She threw her hand out, and a wall of flame shot from her fingertips, circling the brave but incredibly stupid Carules coming after her. Trapped inside, they all froze, unsure what to do next, waiting for her to squeeze the spell tighter and burn them all alive. She dropped her arm to her side, and the flames exploded into a thin layering of smoke.
The Carules on the inside jabbed at the mist tentatively, trying to find a way out. “Just walk through it and go home.” Ari clenched her teeth, trying not to scream at them. Finally, an adventurous soul dove into the smoke and emerged on the other side. The rest followed him, and the remaining Carules on the field chased their comrades as fast as they could go. Ari took a deep, satisfied breath, rolling her shoulders back and stretching her neck. She glanced at her Edrens, but they all stood silently, watching her. She lifted a hand in a brief wave and then turned and jogged back to the plane. She hadn’t had to kill anyone. Not one single Carules and that made her ecstatic.
She flipped her phone open to call Richard, but he didn’t answer. Weird, she thought with a frown. He was unreachable a lot lately. With a shrug she turned to the window and watched the dark sky as the jet took her back to school. She snuck in as the sun came up, sliding into bed just as her alarm went off. She reached over and smacked it off, glancing at Brittany.
“I thought you left,” Brittany said, yawning.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Ari answered, glancing away. Luckily, Brittany hadn’t taken her mask off yet. Ari dragged herself back out of bed. She had a feeling it was going to be a long day.
Over the next several weeks, her other life needed her twice. Both times she was able to sneak out at night and come back before Brittany even knew she was gone. The battles weren’t bad and for the most part she wasn’t wounded. Life was good. Too good, Ari knew, and she kept waiting for it to slap her in the face.
****
"There's a dance coming up. Girls choice," Livi said Monday morning as they walked across the frost-tipped lawns toward the school. The air was turning colder, especially in the mornings, and all four girls had their blazers on against the chill. Ari, of course, didn't get cold. But she was good at pretending.
Livi pointed to a banner hanging across the front doors announcing in bright pink letters the most fun night of the year. Right, Ari thought, rolling her eyes. Her breath made little puffs of white air in front of her face.
Shane and Hunter fell into step with them as Nev and Livi debated date options. Charity said nothing, and Ari glanced sideways at her. "Aren't you gonna go?"
Charity blinked and looked up at her in surprise. Clearly, she hadn't been following the conversation. Ari jerked her head in the direction of the banner. Charity's big silver eyes followed slowly, as if having a hard time focusing.
"You okay?" Ari asked, stopping to watch her. Shane and Hunter stopped too, closing in on both sides as o
ther kids flowed around them.
"Yeah. I'm just… I think I've got a headache coming on. I'll just take some ibuprofen when we get inside," Charity said with forced nonchalance, but her face was even more pale than usual and Ari noticed that she leaned a little on Shane as they walked. Nev and Livi were waiting for them a few steps ahead, but they hadn't stopped debating yet.
Ari hesitated to leave Charity. Hunter was having the same dilemma. "Nev, I'll catch up to you. Save me a seat, will you?" Ari asked, as Nev waited patiently.
"Yeah, me too." Hunter didn't look away from Charity as he said it.
"Okay," Nev said with a wave.
"Ari, I'm okay. I don't want to make you late," Charity said quietly.
Oh. With a pang, Ari realized she was being dismissed and tried to squash the hurt in her chest before it was fully realized. "Okay. See ya."
****
“Smooth, Charity,” Shane said, watching her go. It bothered him to see Ari’s face close up and hide the pain that had raced across it as she turned away. Hunter noticed it too and caught Shane’s eye, but said nothing.
“What’s up, Char?” he asked.
“I just saw… one of the students here… I can’t. I don’t know…” She was shaking and her teeth were starting to chatter. The halls cleared as the bell rang, leaving them alone in the deserted corridor.
“Calm down. Look at me. Charity, look right here.” Shane tugged Charity’s chin until her eyes met his. He didn’t let go, and Hunter stepped closer to hide the faint blue glow that pulsed from Shane’s hands. Shane felt the warmth spread through him as the flames swirled into Charity’s blood, healing and calming.
Charity stopped shaking. Her face cleared, and she leaned heavily against the wall, her backpack sagging to the ground at her feet.
“What’d you see?” Shane’s face was intent, still holding her gaze.
“The dance… I saw a girl. I don’t know her but she must be a student here. Her date attacked her in the woods the night of the dance. I don’t know him either, but he left her there. She was so cold and she didn’t know where to go and she was hurt. She didn’t get up…” Charity choked on a sob.
“Okay, Char. Okay. Look, the dance hasn’t happened yet. It’s two weeks away, right? We’ll just find the girl and tail her. This guy won’t even have a chance to get her alone,” Shane said, blue flames flickering under his skin, glowing against Charity’s pale face. She closed her eyes and said nothing.
“You saw this for a reason, Charity. So that we could stop it. And we will. Just put it out of your head,” Shane said.
“I hate what your gift does to you!” Hunter exploded, his hand clenched into a fist.
Charity flinched but didn’t open her eyes.
Shane frowned at him but said nothing.
Hunter eyed the wall like he wanted to put his fist through it, but he refrained. “Well, I do,” he muttered.
“Sometimes it’s not a gift at all.” Charity whispered. “It’s a curse.”
****
Hunter came to class late, but he scowled the whole time and no one dared say a thing to him. Ari would have dared, if she had anything to say, but she didn't even look at him. Class ended and she got up and walked out without a word when Nev stopped him to ask how Charity was.
Ari turned the corner and stopped cold, not even noticing when several kids ran into her from behind. A blue mist glowed, faintly, pulsating through the hall. Her bag dropped to the ground and she stared in disbelief. Then she ran, forgetting the students, forgetting her bag, forgetting where she was. A smart person would run the other way when faced with obvious proof of Carules magic. Ari ran toward it, her heart pounding in her chest. Carules magic in her school. They had found her.
It hadn't been a powerful spell because by the time Ari had raced down all three flights of stairs, knocking people out of her way as she went, the mist was gone. She couldn't find where it had originated. She stood in the hallway, turning in circles, her breath coming in and out in fast, ragged gasps. A red curl had escaped from her ponytail, and she shoved it furiously behind her ear.
Nothing.
The mist was gone. Shaking her head, she dropped onto the last stair, her head on her knees. The halls were empty now. The bell had rung sometime during her mad dash down the stairs and she hadn’t even realized it. Not that it mattered now, anyway. Slowly, she got up and walked out the door to her dorm to pack her things, her heart numb. It was time to go. She dug her phone out of her pocket. She needed to call Will.
****
"Will, it doesn't matter. If Richard finds out there's Carules magic here, he'll send in the troops. I have to go." She sat on the floor, her back against her bed, half-heartedly shoving clothes into the duffle bag between her outstretched legs.
"No you don't. How's he gonna find out, Ari?" Will argued. She didn't answer. "You said it wasn’t a powerful spell. That means that whoever threw it isn't powerful, right? Anyway, do you have any reason to be afraid? Have you thrown any spells or said anything that might give away who you are?" Will’s voice was intense even through the phone. "Think, Ari."
Ari leaned her head back against the bed, staring up at the ceiling. "No. I haven't," she said.
"Then you have no reason to run. Stay there, keep an eye on things. Do you want me to come?" he asked.
Ari laughed despite her best intentions not to. "And say what when everyone asks who you are? That you were held back for the last ten years? Or we could tell them you’re the new janitor. I think telling them you’re my bodyguard might be a tad bit counterproductive."
"It doesn't matter what I say. I'll be there to protect you," he said quietly.
Ari abruptly stopped laughing. He was serious. "It's not me that needs protecting, Will. This place… if someone decides to attack me, Richard will level it. I can't let that happen." Her mind whirled with devastating images of her friends under an Edren attack.
"And by leaving, you think you'll be stopping that? What reason will you give the Family when they ask why you left? They'll know, Ari," Will said. "If you're afraid something is going to happen to you, then come here. But if it's to protect that school and the friends you keep insisting you don’t have, the best thing you can do is stay there. Whatever you do, watch your step. No magic. Ever."
Ari hung up the phone and bit her lip. She didn’t know what to do. Maybe she could just ask Richard if there had been any Carules activity in the general area that she should know about. She mulled over how to pose her question as she dialed his direct line. She had to phrase it right, so that he didn’t suspect it was at her school or somewhere close by.
But the call went straight to voicemail. Sighing, she hung up and called his front desk. She had been hoping to avoid this, as calling Richard’s secretary was always awkward.
“Richard Delacour’s office. This is Vivian,” the quiet, no-nonsense voice answered.
“Hi Mom. It’s Ari.”
“Arianna? What’s wrong? Are you in trouble?” Ari could hear the panic flood her mother’s voice. This was why she hated calling.
“No, no. Nothing’s wrong. I was just trying to reach Richard — er, Grandfather, but he isn’t answering his direct line. Could you patch me through or whatever it is you do?” Ari didn’t want to talk to her mom. She didn’t understand her mother or why she put up with Richard running — and ruining — her life. Ari had been told that Vivian was a powerful sorceress, but Ari had never seen any indication of it. All she had ever seen her mom do was cower.
“Sorry, Arianna. I can’t seem to reach him. Is there something you need that I can do for you?” Vivian asked.
“Umm, no. It’s okay. Could you just have him… no, you know what, forget I called. It isn’t important.”
“Are you sure? Arianna, how are you?” Vivian’s voice was even quieter than it had been before, and Ari had to struggle to hear her. Fear often choked her mother when she was forced to talk to Ari.
“I’m fine, Mom. But I’ve go
t to go. I’ve got class. I’ll talk to you soon, okay?”
Ari hung up. Yeah, that had been just as awkward as always. Sighing, she got up. Guess I’ll go back to class, then. She flung her backpack over her shoulder and trudged out the door, tucking her phone in her back pocket as she went.
Chapter Twelve
The day of the dance dawned overcast and cold. Nev and Liv both had dates. Shane, Hunter, and Charity were all going as a group and they had somehow talked Ari into going with them, even though she had rarely seen them for the past two weeks.
She had kept her distance as much as possible; it hadn't been too hard since they were always MIA. They showed up to classes, mostly, but even at lunch they were making lame excuses and never sat still long. Nev had mentioned a few times how bizarre they were acting, and it got worse as the days went on. Charity got more and more pale and looked downright ill. Dark circles framed her eyes and her cheeks had taken on a sunken appearance.
Ari tried not to care. Charity obviously didn't want her to care. But she couldn't help it. She worried, although she refused to admit it. She had her own problems anyway, driving herself nuts watching for any trace of Carules magic.
That was the whole reason she had let them talk her into going to the dance at all, so that she could watch for Carules. Or at least, that’s what she told herself.
****
"So what I want to know is, how did Shane get out of going with someone? I know he had like ten thousand girls ask him," Nev said as she painted her toenails bright candy-apple red. The dance was casual, but it was still a dance, which in Nev’s eyes meant they should all spend the day making themselves beautiful.
"Yeah. Brittany asked him. I know because she just about broke the door to our room down after he told her no. She accused me of asking him first, and wow — can that girl shriek." Ari shook her head in disbelief, her eyes wide. Livi snickered. "We know. We heard her from clear over here." She was painting her fingernails bright pink, her long brown hair up in big curlers, and still dressed in pajama pants and a tank top.
