Silverlake

Chapter 15

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm getting a ride from Sky after the cheer competition," I tried to keep my voice steady but there was a fury in his eyes when he didn't get his way and I've never been on the other side of it. 

"Fine." He stormed off leaving me holding my books and shaking in the middle of the hallway. 

I met Tanner's gaze from across the hallway. He looked concerned, which was an emotion that I didn't think I'd ever see on his face. I shrugged and turned away from him and from all of it. 

~~~~~~

"Okay, Boss, what do you want us to do?" Carrie and Sky were warming up on the different sides of the gym. Sky was dressed in yoga pants and a long sleeve white shirt. Carrie on the other hand was in spandex and a small tank top, in other words, she was trying too hard. 

 I had convinced Dr. Kibel, our Student Athletic Director to let me use the small gym for a class project, and then seeing the size of the turnout, convinced him to let us use the main gym. I had also persuaded some of the freshmen to run the lights and music. 

"See those kids just standing there? Get them to sit in their seats, and you," I pointed to a small boy standing next to me, "go get me a mic." He nodded nervously and raced off to find me a microphone. 

I kept myself busy between talking to Sky and figuring out what songs to play and when. 

"Here's your mic." 

"Thanks." I could've found my own microphone and done this whole thing by myself but first, there was way more people here and second, my parents would disapprove of me using magic in front of all of these people. 

I stepped into the middle of the basketball court, avoiding Tanner's gaze, and repeatedly not to look over the faces to find Sterling's. 

 "Thank you all for coming tonight. Now, give it up for two talented girls, but before they do, know this, only one of them can win. Yeah? Let's do this." I threw up my hands and the crowd erupted into cheers. 

Carrie went first with an entire pre-planned dance. Everyone clapped, and I had to admit that she was good, but that't not what they came for. They came for Sky. 

She was flawless and spontaneous and had the cheer that got a whole crowd to stand on their feet. Where Carrie was good, Sky was perfect, and me and all of the other girls in the room knew it. We could never be her. Maybe that's what good magic did to people, it made them beautiful. 

Carrie was nowhere to be found when the lights came back on. I heard rumors after that she had left crying. 

I went back to the center of the court, but I didn't have to talk. The crowd said it all. 

"Well, I guess we have our winner." I paused while more cheering commenced. "Anyone else want to try?" A boy sitting in the back stood up goofily and received a chorus of boos from the audience. To appease them, Sky got up and took a bow. 

The crowd went wild and then, the lights turned off. 

Silence swept through the gym. 

Sky was by my side before the lights went out and she turned towards me, "what are going to do?" 

"Find Tanner and stay with him. I'm going to check if this was just an electrical error." But I didn't go outside the gym to find the janitor, instead I pulled out my phone and called Sterling. 

"I'm coming to where you are, don't let anyone out." I told him I promised. 

I went back to find Tanner and Sky. 

"There's magic here, I'm calling my parents."

"No, don't. Your parents will call mine and it would't be pretty." I heard Sara whisper to Tanner as I walked back over.  By now the entire gym was filled with phone lights and muttered whispering among the students. 

"I can feel the magic too. Someone here did it." 

"But what did they do?" I shook my head. That was the question. 

"Let's split up, I'll take the front entrance, Sara start talking to people, Tanner, everything else," I said it because it made the most sense to spread out, especially if something was going to happen, and because I saw Sterling coming in through the front doors. 

I moved from them, watching everything and everyone that I could see as I did so. No one moved or seemed out of place. Whoever cut the lights wasn't here anymore. They didn't do it as a pre-show, they did it as a trick. Whoever was here just wanted to show us what they were capable of. 

"He's not here," Sterling breathed into my ear as soon as I reached him. 

"I figured that out. Nothing's going to happen tonight. Dark magic?"

He nodded, "Sort of. There's different types. Well, two types really." I sighed as he pulled me against him, of course there were. "I'm glad you're safe," he pressed his lips softly to mine, but I didn't say anything. I wasn't going to put up with his bipolar nature. 

"I'll tell Sky that everything's okay." He nodded. 

"Yes, and tell Tanner to go fetch someone to turn on the lights. And, I'll take you home." I rolled my eyes and went back to find Tanner. 

The room was still dark, but it was easy to spot both Tanner and Sky. I had to be right about good magic. It didn't just make them beautiful, it made them radiant and different. Sky came back down the bleachers as soon as she saw me. 

"No one knows anything, and the magic is fading."

"Yes, whoever it was isn't here anymore." She nodded and relayed the information back to Tanner who had just joined us. She then turned back to me as Tanner went off to turn back on the lights. "Who do you think it was?"

"I don't know enough people from this city to say." She nodded and luckily the lights turned back on before she could ask anymore questions. I was scared that somehow in the dark she could see that I wasn't like her. That she could see that I wasn't full of only good magic. 

I left shortly after that, not wanting to wait for everyone else to file out of the gym first. Instead, I slid into the front seat of a Morgon's car and tried to forget all about good magic and bad magic. I didn't want to face the facts. 

I couldn't. 

But deep in my heart I knew that I wasn't made of good magic. Maybe not even at all.