Silverlake

Chapter 12

Sky and I both drove over to my house so I could drop off my car. I told her I would just walk home since she lived so close.
Her drive way was deserted as usually when we finally pulled into her house.
"My dad won't be home until late tonight, he has meetings, but my mom said you can stay for dinner if you want."
I nodded politely but declined, Katherine had insisted that tonight she was going to make dinner and that I just had to try it.

I couldn't wait to tell her everything, so as soon as she locked the front door I was rambling. "Oh my gosh. So the car accident' I still don't know who did it, but I'm totally fine and guess who helped me?" I didn't give her time to answer, "Yeah, Sterling pulled me out. That's not even the best part. He came to the hospital and talked to me. Like talked talked. He's kind of cute, but now he's acting like a complete jerk and by the way did you see that stunt in English today, well I'm sure you did because the entire class was watching, and before you ask, no I do not know why I stepped in between all I can tell you is that I could feel Tanner's magic and I didn't want him to hurt anyone, not to mention the fact that he's a complete ass and is completely bipolar, did I mention he stopped me in the hallway to 'thank me', yeah I didn't believe that." I took a deep breath and threw myself onto her living room couch. She was already sitting and looked more winded than I was from that speech.

"Okay then, seriously, Sterling has dark magic. It's just bound to be bad. I can see that you actually like him though, so just be careful, okay? And OMG! Yes, I can't believe you stepped in between them! You know what made you do it?" She narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice into a dramatic ghostly whisper, "It was... the triangle!" I threw a pillow at her and she laughed. I think we both laughed not because it was funny, but because we both knew that it was true.

"What about Tanner? Is he always like that?"

"Moody? Yes, but he always means well." She smiled slightly whenever she talked about him. 

"You don't like him do you?" I prodded her, jabbing her side. 

"Uhhhhh.... No, what? Of course not."

I jumped off of the couch and started dancing around the room, "Sky and Tanner sitting in a tree, K. I.S.S.I.N.G-"

She threw a pillow at me from behind and continued to chase me into the kitchen. 

"Shut up!" 

Call it the energy or the first time I started to feel happy again, but I was in the mood for something fun. 

I turned back to face her, leaving enough room between us, and stared at the fridge. Her eyes widened as she started to understand what  I was trying to do. With a motion of my hand, I had the fridge door opened. With each day that came and went I could feel my magic getting stronger and yet easier to control. 

I pictured the eggs first, and with little effort, they floated out of the fridge and drifted over the kitchen floor. 

"That's cute," Sky smiled and before I could stop her she had the egg carton back in the fridge and the doors closed. 

I rolled my eyes, "That's not fair you know, you've had more time to practice."

"I also wanted it more. My dad would kill me if we had a food fight." With that she walked out of the kitchen, grabbing her backpack as she did so. 

"Are there spells to learn?" I grabbed my bag and followed her up the stairs to her room. 

"Not really. I'm sure there are from like way back when, but it's mostly all up here," she tapped her forehead. 

"Makes sense. Practice Practice Practice," I sighed, hovering my pencil in the air. "What about Carrie?"

"She's not magic, if that's what you're wondering. She's determined to become cheer captain, or should I say co-captain, so she's practicing." I nodded. 

She went back to her notes and I went back to lifting things into the air. I wanted to try something bigger.

"Sky, what can you do?"

Without turning to face me a pillow came flying towards me. I could see it in front of me, almost close enough to taste the coolness, before it stopped, barely missing my face and exploded. It was as if time had slowed down. The pillow hovered, unmoving, at little by little each seems unthreaded itself and then suddenly, time picked up again and the feathers sputtered and moved from within the light pink fabric to falling slowly inside the room. Each feather shuffled around the room in its designated place, each careful not to touch the carpet. 

"That," she smiled and finally set down her notes. She looked around the room, waved her hand, and swiftly all of the feathers found their way back into the pillow just as it sewed itself up and landed delicately back on her bed. 

I applauded her, although it seemed like more of a party trick than real magic. I wanted to try something real, something with passion, something that could save this town from the bad that was coming. 

It was getting close to dinner time, and I had barely accomplished any of my homework when I decided that it was time to go home. 

"Sky, I'm gonna head out."

"Okay," she got up and hugged me before walking me to the door. "It's not easy for me either, but at least we have each other." She was always surprising me with her random outbursts of affection. At school, she always put up a facade, as if she was nothing but the cold popular girl. She hid behind the mask of a girl whose looks kept her safe, and I found myself envying her and feeling sorry for her all at the same time. 

It wasn't getting later, and Katherine would kill me if I showed up even a minute late for dinner, but I wasn't ready to get home yet. I wanted to be able to do more than party tricks and elevate pencils. I wanted to push my limits and know my abilities. 

I dug my phone out of my pocket and clicked on Sterling's number. 

"Hey, you okay?"

"Yes, meet me behind the school in ten minutes?'

"Why?" His voice was intrigued but guarded. 

"I want to try something."

"And I have to be your test subject? Why don't you call Tanner?"

"Jealous? Let's just say Tanner wouldn't agree with me on this. He doesn't trust me."

"And you think I do?"

"Don't you?"

"I'll be there." He hung up before I could reply. 

I walked to the school briskly, almost running. Adrenaline flowed throughout my veins, heating me despite the bitter sweep of cold. Tanner wouldn't approve of what I wanted to do. He was what seemed to be old school magic, and no matter what he claimed, he doesn't like my family. To him, I'm a mere pawn in the master plan of what's about to happen. To him, I'm the reason his magic now comes at a price. 

I sighed, who cares what he thinks? 

Sterling, Sterling wouldn't mind. He'd be ready for me to try everything and he'd help me find my potential. There was something about him that I knew he wouldn't back down. After all, if dark magic coursed through his veins, he'd have a lot more to teach me than the triangles ever could. 

He was leaning against the side of a tree when I walked up. Despite the excitement that continued to build, I walked calmly up the rest of the way to meet him. 

There was something about being here that gave me new boldness. When I reached him, I grabbed the front of his shirt and pulled him close to me so my lips rested on his ear. I felt him shiver and then smile as I said, "teach me everything."