Hurricane

 Chapter 1

When invisible means lonely

Lyla Bleu drove her car into the parking lot.  She was new to Lakeland and thank god, it was her senior year.  She said a small charm and watched as her body disappeared, she said another one and her car vanished.  The charm made it impossible for anyone to park in her spot they would feel the need to keep driving past the space or avert their eyes.

               Lyla hoped this school would work out.  Her family was essentially on the run, moving every few months since she was born. Her parents never told her why they moved and she grew tired of asking.  Besides, she only had two months until her eighteenth birthday. Until her powers reached their full potential.  Until she wasn’t bound to her parents anymore and could go or stay wherever she chose.

               Lyla got out of the car, shut the door and walked toward the front of the school.  A car backfired and she paused to look behind her.  A pixie of a redhead got out of a beat up old red Chevy followed by what looked to be a football player Lyla dubbed Mr. Tall and Big.  He had short buzzed blonde hair and the pair made an interesting contrast.  A movement to the right caught her eye.  Standing next to a new black Camaro was a tall athletic god.  Lyla stared for a moment knowing he couldn’t see her.  His hair was chocolate brown and a little messy with a few curls.  He smiled to the pixie and Mr. Tall and Big. It made Lyla’s knees go weak and she found herself rooted to the spot.  To her, the tall athletic god was exactly what Lyla was missing in her life and her feet seemed to agree, as she couldn’t bring herself to move.  When Lyla finally looked around she noticed he had the same response from almost every girl in the school.

               Lyla took a second too long and it happened.  The god locked eyes with her.  Panic rocked through her body and she moved quickly behind a wall to her right.  Lyla re-did the vanishing charm and peeked around the corner ever so slightly.  The god was bewildered, looking around like someone had hit him in the head.  Lyla sighed relief and walked into the school.  She had been the week before to speak with Mr. McCown, the school liaison for people like her.  The Charmed, they called themselves.  People with the ability to cast spells, speak charms and get through life with a little help.  The other’s had no idea they existed, you could say they were a secret society.  Mr. McCown was a family friend although she had never met him.  Lyla walked up to the classroom and knocked.

               A tall lanky man with stylish gray hair opened the door.  “Ah, there you are Lyla, come in.”

               She walked into the untidy classroom and looked around while he walked to his office in the back.  Clearly, you didn’t need to be organized to be a teacher.  Mr. McCown came out of his office holding a piece of paper.  He had a tall bookworm sort of look with a long sleeved shirt un-tucked, sports jacket and glasses perched on the tip of his nose.  His gray hair was a little long which suited his teacher look, but his eyes were warm when he met hers.

               “So, here’s your schedule.  Did the cloak hold?”

               “Yes, for the most part.”

               “For the most part?  Tell me what happened.”  His eyes narrowed with concern.  He crossed his arms as he waited for her to answer.

               “There was this guy in the parking lot.  He looked straight at me.”

               He rubbed his chin.  “What did he look like?”

               Lyla gave a small laugh.  “Like a tall athletic god.  He came out of a new Camaro.”

               Mr. McCown laughed.  “That’s Chase, most girls say the same thing.”  He stopped and looked sideways at her. “Interesting though, he’s from a well-established group here.  Decent enough family.
He’s my son’s best friend but still, he shouldn’t have broken through the charm.  He’s not eighteen for a few more days.”