Liv decides to stay over tonight."I don't think I would be able to sleep by myself after knowing that something is going on," she says, as we put on our pyjamas.
I nod."I can understand that. I don't think that I will be able to sleep anyway. Grandpa's right. I can't shake the feeling that something is about to go very wrong."
"Don't say that! You're really freaking me out!" Livia exclaims, rubbing her arms as if she's cold.
"Sorry," I grin. "You are so easy to freak out, Liv." She rolls her eyes.
I wring out my hair, wet from the shower I took as Liv had gone home to tell her parents where she was. I guess she showered too, for her soaked hair drips on the floor as she pulls on a pair of pyjama pants.
We're ready for bed by now, but we walk back downstairs, and find Ryder and Grandpa waiting for me so that we can start training with magic.
"I know, we've talked about turning invisible before, but tonight I'm going to teach you how to turn other people invisible," Grandpa says. I shoot a sideways grin at Liv, and she grins back. This will be cool.
"It is just like turning yourself invisible, only in the spell, you concentrate the energy into their body instead, and work their name into the spell. If you are running low on energy, you can even set up the spell to use their energy instead of yours.
"Just remember, when someone isn't a Temerary, if they lose too much energy, or get hurt, the magic will cut off, because their body's main priority is keeping them alive, so if magic threatens that, their bodies cast the spell aside to make sure they survive.
"Anyway, it's a simple spell, just use the same words, but the other person's name. You've had practice with smaller spells, like enhancing hearing and eyesight, and I think that we can jump right in, so Ryder, you can go first. Turn Livia invisible." I hear Ryder mutter a couple words, and a few seconds later, Livia disappears.
A little while later, Liv and I collapse on my bed. Ryder and I each turned Livia invisible, and we were about to each take another turn, but Liv was too tired, and couldn't maintain the spell.
"Ugh, I'm so tired, and it's only 9:00," Livia says, glancing at the clock on my nightstand.
"I know, me too. I'm getting into bed now before I fall asleep on top of the covers," I say, climbing into bed. Liv crawls in next to me.
We are silent for a few minutes, then out of nowhere, Livia says, "When it comes time for me to die, I want to be known as a hero. I don't think I'll die anytime soon, I just know that I want to be a hero. The only thing is, who will I save? And when? I mean, you don't normally hear about eighty year-old people jumping in front of cars or bullets to save someone."
I imagine an eighty-something-year-old Livia, hobbling along with her walker, trying to move fast enough to save someone. The thought is so ridiculous, it almost makes me laugh. Almost. The thing that holds back the laugh is the thought of Livia dying, even if it isn't for a long time.
Instead, I say, "Where did that come from? It was pretty random."
Liv tells me that she thinks I'll be known for being a Temerary, but she's got nothing going for her to be remembered by. I always have to remind her that she's only fifteen, and she has her whole life to build her heroic reputation.
"We were talking about it when we got sidetracked from the math homework, remember? I just wanted to expand on my speech," Livia says, bringing me back to the present.
I think for a moment, then say, "Right. Now I remember your speech. I don't even know how we got from the topic of math to heroes, but, okay."
We are silent for a few minutes more, and I am about to continue our discussion on heroes, but I hear a muffled snore come from Liv, and realize that she is asleep.
YOU ARE READING
The Dangerfields
FantasyWillow Dangerfield never had a normal life, being a Temerary. But when a misunderstanding causes the government to become suspicious, the Dangerfields are named a threat to society. The government tries to prosecute Willow and her family, so they go...