A Mix of Ice & Fire (First book in Obsidian Star Academy Series)

Chapter 10★★★The Next Day

Sadie's POV

        I sat on my big pink bed and watched the hours pass by on the clock. My head was swimming with questions. Figuring anything out just made my head hurt. I glanced away from the clock to my backpack across my room by my dresser, and remembered the little test tube looking thingie Mattias had given me. 'Didn't he say take it to help me sleep?' I got up slowly and dragged my backpack over onto my bed and dug around aimlessly until I found  the handkerchief wrapped vial. Luckily I never bring those heavy books home with me otherwise it would probably would have shattered. I pulled the cork off the top and sniffed it. It smelled like mint and strawberries. Real strawberries too not the fake flavoring of strawberry. I shook my head to try and focus my thoughts. It felt like I had been stuck in that basement for days not hours. There were no windows for the basement of the school and I hadn't seen a clock down there either. Glancing at the clock again which read 6:32am. Without another thought I sipped at the liquid in test tube till the pink liquid was gone. I laid back onto my horde of ultra soft pillows. Within seconds I was out like a light. And he was right. I didn't dream a thing tonight.

Rowan's POV 

        I sat on my bed with the only things I hadn't packed which was my super soft fuzzy purple bed spread and my white plushie dragon. I cuddled the dragon closer, my mom had made and given it to me so I could know what my father looked like in his dragon form. When I was little I talked to him like he was my dad. I still do when I get sad or lonely. I thought of Sadie and how she was probably lonely too after learning about her closest friends and her boyfriend. If that was all true. Danny could have made it all up after all. Somehow though I don't think he was making it up. I wondered if she would come with me to the school in Montana, which I had learned was named Obsidian Star Academy, she would be the only human there which would probably be cool but lonely too. I yawned and with a glance at my cell phones clock showed it was already 6:42am. I leaned back on my blanket I had curled around me and drifted off to sleep. 

A few hours later.... 

        With a gentle shaking I awoke to my mother who was smiling at me with an apologetic smile.

        "I'm sorry sweetie but Sadie and her mom are here for lunch, and I figured you would want to be up for it." I nodded at her and stretched out my back. 

        As I made my way down the stairs and into the living room I saw Sadie (still in her clothes from yesterday but looking fully rested) drinking probably a cup of my mom's special lavender and chamomile tea, which she shells out anytime someone has even considered being sad (and its super tasty) so its usually worth it. Sadie's mom was chatting quietly with my mother at the dinner table. I awkwardly made my way over and sat on the couch with Sadie. After a moment we both looked at each other and exchanged slight smiles.

        "So...um... Have you thought of coming to school with me. Its pretty cool from what I heard." I let my voice slowly stumble off and die. She sat staring at me for a few minutes while taking a few sips from the tea cup. With a deep breath she set the cup down and looked  at the floor.

        "I think.... I decided.... I'm staying here. I appreciate the gift I do. But I have a mess here I need to clean up. I can't runaway from this. Not that that's what your doing.I don't mean that at all. You need to go to this school. I've ruined the school here for you. Thanks to me no one even glances in your direction and I feel horrible for that. I was such a horrible person and I don't know how I'm going to fix what I've done but..." She reached into her black Prada bag and handed me a slip of paper. "I want you to know that from now on, I consider us friends. No one else would have saved me like that. I owe you so much and I hope you let me be your friend. You can call me whenever you want or text if you don't like calling.." She picked up the tea and sipped at it some more. I looked at the paper and then back at her before jumping up and heading to the kitchen. I grabbed the little notepad my mom keeps by the house phone, this one had little frogs on lily pads, and a pen. I beat feet back to the couch and wrote down my cell phone number and mattias' number as well. I handed the paper to her with a smile that felt weird but kinda right.

        "I would like us to be friends too Sadie. I put Mattias' number on here so if you have any problems or night terrors or anything like that, he can help you. He's completely reachable 24/7 and would love to be able to help. And so am I. Though text me first in case I'm in class but otherwise call me." She quickly leaned forward and hugged me tight with little tears in her eyes. 

        "Oh and Sadie... If you'd like to know more about my...supernatural stuff... I'm allowed to talk to you about it. So what ever you want to know I can help. Matt too. Oh and Matt talked with the council and they said so you don't feel isolated here or if you went to school with me, you can tell your mom what really happened. About me and what I am. It's okay. But the same rule would apply to her. She can't tell anyone or talk about it with any body else but you Matt or my mom. He texted me all this while I napped for a while." I said with another odd feeling smile. Had it really been this long since I smiled at someone who wasn't family? Weird.

Sadie's POV

        This morning when I woke up I knew I wasn't going to go to that school with Rowan. As cool and awesome as it sounded I couldn't just walk away from my life here. I felt awful knowing I was the reason Rowan was being driven out of her home and to Montana. But being her friend is the only way I can think to make it up to her. I had threatened and scared off every friend she had ever tried to make. By seventh grade she had completely shut herself off from making friends at all. I had felt elated at the time but now.. I've never felt so ashamed. So I would be her friend if she would allow me to. The fact that she seemed happy to be my friend brought me to tears. How could have I been so cruel to such a forgiving kind girl? 

        My phone beeped and I saw it was a text from my dad. His 'business' trip was running longer than expected but he should be home in a few weeks. I rolled my eyes and deleted the message. His 'business trips' were becoming more and more frequent once his secretary got pregnant. Mom is in denial but I knew it was my dad's. He was having a typical mid-life crisis where he ruins the lives of those who love and depend on him for a girl maybe three years older than me that had started out as a temp. I remember meeting her on take your kid to work days. I was fifteen at the time and thought she was so cool for having a job at a video game company like my dad's. She snuck me in to see the different games being tested and was always happy to get me ice cream or popcorn or something. She gave me advice on everything like make-up and boys, typical teen stuff. She was the big sister I always wanted. Until I saw her on her knees in front of my dad.... I avoided her and my dad for weeks. The trips started not too long after that.. I tried telling my mom what I had seen but she insisted that I must have been mistaken and that Missy was a sweet girl who was someone I should model myself after. Missy was now twenty two and round like a beach ball. Something told me my dad wouldn't be coming home from this trip. He was probably filing for divorce from my mom any day now and now that I'm nineteen he doesn't have to pay child support for me. My mom would be blind sided and devastated.. I couldn't just up and leave her here alone because no way would she move to Montana. Too cold she would say. I had secretly been working as temp now myself at a law firm just filing papers and fetching coffee but its a paying job. We wouldn't be able to stay in the house we do now but I have been saving every dime I have earned from the job and the allowance my dad sends me every week. I had enough for a two bed room apartment and rent for a few months. Tomorrow I plan on selling most of my closet and my car to the highest bidder on eBay. Mom thinks I'm just in drama club or something and that's where I'm off to everyday after school and on weekends. 

        With a sigh I gulped down the rest of the tea Rowan's mom had given me and forced a smile as I looked at Rowan. I could probably trust her with all this.. But now wasn't the time.

        "So, need help packing up your room? I think we have a while before lunch."