Careless Magic book 1

Chapter 10

I never thought I would miss school, especially Kingsley, but sitting in front of my window Sunday night, I could not wait to get back there. Or rather, I could not wait to get out from under Aunt Syl's watchful eye.

The tests at the hospital all came back normal. I knew they would, I knew that whatever was wrong with me was not going to show up on a hospital chart or graph, unless maybe it was a mental hospital.

Aunt Syl was less than convinced when they told me everything was fine and I could go home. Since she decided to use some of her accumulated vacation days just to be sure I didn't die, I was under constant supervision.

My week was full of manicures, pedicures, hair appointments and hours and hours of yoga. I had done enough up-dog, down-dog, Warrior-two for a lifetime. I enjoyed spending so much time with Aunt Syl, but so much relaxing proved hard for both of us to accomplish.

My aunt, an important ER doctor, was most comfortable with constant movement and nights of sleeplessness. I was accustomed to her absence for days at a time, and taking care of myself. I wasn't sure if we had ever spent that much quality time together. It was nice at first, but we were both in the habit of being alone.

Finally, that afternoon, she could stay home no longer and found an excuse to go to the hospital. Since I had never experienced an episode at home, I was sure she believed I'd be Ok by now.

The only other person I had seen was Lilly. She faithfully brought me my homework every night and stayed for supper. She also sat with me for hours explaining it, especially French. She was just as fluent as everyone else; having already finished her required French classes and moved onto Latin. Why I didn't think to ask her for help to begin with was beyond me.

Lilly was what Kingsley called a "beardy"; which meant that her parents lived elsewhere and rented her an apartment during the school year. Apparently, most of the students at Kingsley lived like that. Their parents, all super important and super rich, sent their children far away and provided them with all of the teenage necessities: food, lodging, chauffeurs, cooks, maids, tutors and no-limit, black, American Express cards.

I had heard of that sort of thing before, but my idea of a prep school, worth all that trouble, was located usually near an ocean, not in the middle of nowhere. When I asked Lilly why these students didn't go somewhere like New York, or North Carolina, she informed me that Kingsley was the trifecta for people of our stature. Since that only confused me more, she explained that Kingsley was not only the best of the best in the world of academia, but it was located where students couldn't find too much trouble and most of the parents were either close friends with the school board or Principal Saint.

I doubted that I fit in to any of those categories for attending, but remembered Aunt Syl's sizable donation to the science department before my admission forms were accepted. Despite all of her freedom, however, I could tell that Lilly was lonely. Thankfully, Aunt Syl loved her just as much as I did, so she spent most of her time at our house, refusing only to spend the night. Eventually I figured I would just convince her to move in with us.

The flash of headlights in my driveway pulled me out of my musing. Aunt Syl must be home from the hospital. I threw an oversized navy-blue Kingsley sweatshirt on over my tank top; it hung down over my shorts, making me look like it was the only thing I had on. I gave up on my Calculus homework and headed down to the kitchen, hoping she brought home something to eat with her.

The cooler weather brought a nice breeze through the windows, giving the house a freshly mowed grass smell. I inhaled the pleasing aroma, thankful the humidity was finally letting up a bit. Soon the leaves would be turning colors and the rain would come; fall was my favorite time of year.

Just as I entered the kitchen, the doorbell rang. I turned around and walked back through the living room to the front door. Wondering why she chose the front door instead of the garage, I flung the door open, expecting to see my aunt. To my utter shock, Kiran was standing in the doorway looking like a page out of magazine. What was he doing here?

"What are you doing here?" I blurted out, completely aware of what I was wearing and the mess of hair piled on top of my head.

"Don't you look cute?" he said mischievously, in his crisp English accent. He gave me his signature smirk and let his eyes drift over my legs. His wavy blonde hair, slicked back away from his face and wearing a black motorcycle jacket, he could have been cast in a scene from "Rebel without a Cause."

"What are you doing here?" I repeated, stunned and practically drooling.

"I came to see if you were Ok. You haven't been at school all week; I thought maybe something terrible happened to you," he stepped past me into my house and I inhaled his scent, feeling suddenly dizzy.

"Um, come in then," I still managed some sarcasm though my mind was swirling and I could feel the pin pricks of electricity start to return.

"So are you... Ok?" he turned back around to face me, his smirk still playing at the corners of his lips. His voice relayed no real emotion of concern and I could tell that he knew I would be fine before he came.