Her First Mistake

Chapter Ten: So Not Trashy, is What You're Saying

   Alexie stood up and carried his empty plate to the sink. "We are leaving in half an hour. I suggest you change into whatever you would like to be in when you meet your peers."

   "So not trashy, is what you're saying."

   The door closing after him was his answer. I snickered and put my plate away. Heading to my backpack, I considered my options to wear. Maybe putting my hair up would suffice. I was wearing wearing a grey blouse and jeans, not to mention my converse. I brushed my hair out and fingered the ends, reminding myself that I needed to trim the ends. It tickled my waist now. 

   I smiled faintly, recalling how Simone had always wanted to dye it for me. She was my best friend throughout high school. The way my hair changed between dark red and brown in different lighting drove her crazy. My smile faded. I hadn't seen her for years now. She'd moved to Nevada a long time ago. Man, what I wouldn't give to sit down with her and vent.

   Shaking my head, I dug in my backpack and grabbed the bright red ribbon I always kept in it. It made it easier to see my bag when I traveled. I used it to tie back half of my hair. Though I had no intention of trying to impress these people, Alexie wouldn't have advised checking how I was dressed without a reason.

   My backpack across my shoulders, I waited in the living room until Alexie exited his own room. An overnight bag was across his shoulder. He was wearing black slacks, a pressed white collared shirt, and shiny shoes. He tugged at the collar with a distasteful look. He then made his bag disappear and headed for the door.

   "How are we getting there?" I asked him, trying to hide my laugh at his obvious discomfort. That'd just be mean.

   "Through the nearby nex gate," he answered and pulled open the door.

   "Say what now?"

   He stepped outside with me right behind him. I blinked past the sun in my eyes and squinted at the path that Alexie headed down after locking the door. Small lights sat along the way that helped me understand this path was somewhat used.

   I'd missed being outside, too. My dad and I had always gone camping once a year. Gah. Stop getting nostalgic. I shook my head as Alexie finally answered my question. "Sometimes I forget you were raised as a regular human," he remarked. "You already behave more like a mage that has been training for longer than five months."

   "Thanks?" I gave him a questioning look.

   "A nex gate is a point where nex lines cross. It's similar to a river that flows with a current. Mages can tap into the current and use it to travel."

  "Like teleporting."

   "Similar, perhaps. I suspect that is where humans got their inspiration from."

   A dot connected. "That's how you brought me here, right?" I remembered how we had simply disappeared. The breath had been wrenched from my lungs so quickly that I blacked out. "Through a gate? My dad's apartment was just conveniently sitting on one?"

   Alexie shook his head. "No. That was a nex tunnel. It could be considered a small branch off of the tree of nex lines. The trunk and larger branches are the lines. The smaller branches and twigs are the tunnels. They are considerably smaller and harder to travel through. Many major cities sit on nex gates -- large intersections."

   "Oh." 

   We walked in silence for a bit. I watched my step and followed him down the path. He finally spoke up again. "During this trip, I need you to keep your head down, alright?" He halted to face me. I knew he was serious then. My eyes narrowed as he continued. "Lay low at first. Don't show too many tricks until your peers figure out who you are the apprentice of. If they are forced to figure it out on their own, it ought to lower the chances of someone attempting to take a chunk from you."