The Magic of Cain

Reverting To Old Stress Hobbies

A/N:
Released on April 4, 2018

This chapter goes a bit more into the heads of the characters. I hope you enjoy it!

Word Count: 2358

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Chapter 17: Reverting To Old Stress Hobbies

It almost feels normal today, with everyone sitting at the usual cafeteria table for breakfast. The Delaney twins join Mason, Lucas, and John at their table.

"Hey, John." Vanessa says as she sets her bag down and sits across from him.

"I'm going to get breakfast." Selynn announces, rolling her eyes as she leaves her twin sister alone with her romance.

"Vanessa, it's been a while." John replies with a smile, wondering if she's been okay lately.

A lot has been going on, and a lot more stress is yet to come. Anyone who knows this group of friends can see that.

"Yeah, and I'm sorry about that. I've been helping Selynn with her visions and trying to figure out what they mean." She tells him sincerely but tiredly, thinking of how they haven't gotten very far in their task.

Actually, they haven't figured out anything more than when Selynn told Adrian her latest vision, even though they spent hours going over it to try uncovering something new.

"I get it. I've been busy too, being forced to spend time with my family." John adds teasingly, grinning even though he's serious about his latest activities.

She laughs along with him for a moment, easily falling back into the relationship they'd been forming before.

He brushes his fingers through his golden blonde hair to keep the strands out of his eyes. "Yeah, they're not that bad. But my parents want to spend a bunch of time with me and my sisters before they leave for their second business trip this month. It's an emergency and they're trying to make up for it."

"Right. How are Evie and Alisa doing?" Vanessa questions since they haven't been around very much.

But that isn't out of the ordinary since they're younger, which usually means no classes with everyone else. Plus, they hang out with a lot of different people, never really sticking with one group. When they do hang out in this specific group, it's usually with Lena and Jerica.

"Oh, they're just being their typical selves I guess. Evie drags Alisa around to meet people and go places she doesn't exactly want to go. But Alisa almost always has fun. You know, she just has to get out of her comfort zone a little bit." He answers, not surprising anyone in the least.

Evie has always been a sort of party girl, always wanting to be in a large crowd, running around or dancing with her little sister. They're both in high school and don't get into trouble, so Evie's lifestyle has never been a problem.

"That reminds me... I've been meaning to tell you guys something." John confesses reluctantly. Lucas and Mason turn their attention to him just as Selynn sits down next to her sister with a breakfast tray.

"My parents have offered to let me and my sisters go to this sort of prestigious magic camp in the Cloud World. It's a week or two, depending on if they ask you to stay longer based on your magic skill level, and they have these camps scattered throughout the year." John informs them.

"Anyway, the next one is this coming week and we're supposed to go, but I've decided to stay behind this time. I'm telling you guys this because I want you to know that I'll be here for you. And because my parents and my sisters will be gone, I'll be free to use my magic however I want to help." He explains, finally getting to the point.