The Beginning (book one)

Chapter Thirty-One

Ann woke up to her stomach rumbling loudly. Jack was laying on her shoulder, breathing softly and evenly. Ann looked out the window and saw the ocean. Back at the beach, huh? Ann wasn't too fond of the idea of swiming again any time soon. Her arms were still burnt and aching from her last couple of interactions with water. Ann carefully leaned down, reaching into her bag of food, and pushing Jack off of her softly.

"Morning." Jack mumbled, sitting up. He brushed his hair out of his eyes softly. His hair was like really long chicken fluff to Ann. It was lightly colored, almost white. And it was so soft looking. Jack had let it grow out down to the half-way point of his neck. Ann thouht it'd be delicious if Jack pulled his chicken-fluff hair into a ponytail, and used hair clips to hold any loose strands of hair back.

Ann had a knack for fashion. She couldn't sew new outfits for people, or anything like that, but she could certainly pull together a nice outfit. Astrid usually dragged Ann out to the mall to assemble new outfits for school. Ann just stuck with sweatshirts and leggings, but Astrid was a great model for new outfit creations.

Astrid and Ann had been best friends since Ann had moved to Florida in seventh grade. Astrid was a dark-skinned, frizzy-haired bottle of sass (although, Astrid was disappointedly shy when it came to her romantic interests). Ann liked her immidietly. Ann hadn't really wanted to try and make close friends at the time, and some of the girls were mocking her for it. One day at lunch, Astrid made a point to--loudly--tell the girls to shut it, and sat with Ann. Astrid had plopped her lunch tray down, and ssat in the seat across from Ann, a wide grin was on her face. Ann had raised an eyebrow, chewing on her sandwich slowly. Astrid didn't leave Ann alone after the event. The two became close friends, always at the other's house after school and on the weekends.

Ann smiled softly, thinking about the first time the two had gotten detention together for the first time. Astrid had hit one of the boys who wouldn't leave Ann alone. Ann was standing behind Astrid, laughing her a** off at the boy's look of shock. A teacher had seen what happened, and the two eigth grade girls had immidietly gotten detention and Astrid had gotten a phone call home. All throughout detention, the girls would send  each other glances, and tried to control their laughter.

"You should smile more." Jack commented. "It's almost shocking how adorable your smile is."

Ann growled at Jack, flicking his arm. "I'll shock you if you don't stop being so stupidly corny."

"Don't you mean so stupidly cute?" Jack asked with a smirk.

He yelped loudly, clutching his arm. Ann leaned back and smirked, blowing her still sparking fingers. "I told you I'd shock you. Maybe you're just stupid."

"Wha's happening?" Kyle asked from the back, yawning loudly.

"Nothing," Ann told him, peering over her seat. "Go back to cuddling with Astrid." Kyle shrugged, and complied.

"Where's Sophia and Emily?" Jack asked, looking out his window. "Where are we?"

"No idea," Ann said, pulling a box of chicken wings out of her bag. She held a wing out to Jack, who took it with a smile.

"Why, thank you, Annie, my queen!" Jack said smugly. He didn't look so smug when Ann hit the back of his head.

Ann opened her car door, and stepped out, a chicken wing n her hand. "I'm going to go find the two, and maybe try and find out where we are"

"I'll go with you!" Jack said excitedly, scrambling out of the car.

"Who's going to tell Astrid and Kyle where we went so that they don't freak out?" Ann asked. Jack poked his head into the car, woke the two teens who were still sleeping, and told them where he and Ann where going. Jack looked at Ann with a smug grin.

Jack grinned smugly a lot.

The two walked around the beach. Well, Jack flew.  

"Always have the plants summoned." A familiar voice instructed. "Don't ever loosen your control of them when fighting."

Ann walked forward, and saw Sophia and Emily fighting. Sophia's hands were engulfed in fire, and large vines were waving around behind Emily. Sophia shot some fire forward, and the vines behind Emily shot out, shielding Emily from the fire. Sophia grinned widely, a look of pride for Emily was on her face. Ann pulled Jack back, and the two walked back to the van.

"Why'd we leave?" Jack asked, staying on the ground.

"The two were in the middle of something." Ann answered, a knowing look was on her face.

"Are they in love?" Jack asked Ann.

"That's just way too cliche," Ann scoffed.

"Are we in love?" Jack asked after a moment of silence.

"It's too soon to tell." Ann said, hiding her shock.

"I hope so."

There was another moment of silence.

Ann replied in a vice that was just above a whisper. "Me too."