Her First Mistake

Chapter Nine: Okay, This is New

   "Ew, what is that?"

   Alexie looked at my distasteful look at the fabric he had procured from the bag. He held it up, curious. "Do you not recognize it?"

   "Should I?"

   He unfolded the rest of it and held it up. It was a silky fabric and dark grey in color. The only way I could describe the pattern was storm clouds. In fact, it looked as if it were shimmering and shifting across the fabric. It was long with billowing sleeves, a hood, and a button to fasten with at the collarbone. I realized what I was seeing and snorted.

   "Oh. You were wearing that in the alley back in Memphis. Did it shrink in the dryer or something?" It was an exact copy of his outfit back then, but smaller. 

   "What are you going on about?"

  "Nothing, nothing at all."

   He shook his head and held it out to me. "This is yours. It is customary that the apprentice wear the same type and color cloak as their master until they are no longer an apprentice."

   "But why wear them? It doesn't really help blend in." I knew that much -- magicks worked hard to hide their existence from humans. Wearing this type of clothing was the exact way to get spotted. It was the whole reason I'd labeled Alexie as crazy when I first saw him.

   "It hides the staff or other weapon of magicks," answered Alexie. "A sword or a staff is more noticeable than this cloak." He nodded at the table. "We are almost done for the day." We'd only stopped because there was a knock on the door as the package containing the cloak was delivered. Though I didn't see a UPS or FedEx guy, so I was seriously questioning how it got there.

   I set it on the table and followed him back into the attic. Alexie looked out the window -- it was a habit, I'd learned -- and turned back around while I shut the door. "Retrieve your staff." He put his hands behind his back.

   I grimaced. We'd been working on this particular trick for two days now. It wasn't easy but I was starting to get the hang of it, even if the repetition was tiring. I stretched out my hand and focused. Scarlet covered my hand as I reached out mentally, the color intensifying the further I went. Finally, I sensed the barrier approaching, and twisting my fingers. My hand sealed around something invisible and I pulled harshly with my power.

   The practice staff appeared in my hand. I exhaled. It was the same way he made his own staff disappear, and he called it a safe. I had stored the staff near the barrier, which somehow made it disappear until I grabbed it again. Only I could get in with the code -- the motion I made when reaching for it. I gave Alexie a flat look once I had the staff. 

   "Again."

   I tossed it up and it flashed scarlet before it disappeared. Soon, I was doing a sort of dance where I reached out, summoned the staff, knocked away Alexie's attack, and threw it back. Whenever he wasn't actively attacking me, the staff wasn't allowed in my hands. 

   It was incredibly difficult -- more than I'd ever think it could be. The amount of focus it took to be able to watch Alexie for an assault and then delve so deep into the vibrating against my skin was astronomical. But, to my own surprise, I somewhat enjoyed it. I liked challenges and didn't often get one this hard. A maniac smile would be against my lips as I spun around, knocking aside the spike of white, and throwing the staff up. It vanished.

   A white flash caught my ankle and I was suddenly wobbling. I quickly snatched my staff from thin air and smacked the white rope away. Then I pulled the staff diagonally across my chest and focused. Crimson seeped from my pores and crashed into a box before attacks rained down from all sides.