I step forward and raise my hand, a magnificent wall of fire coming to my aid.
Maxim found his cane a while back, making my training fly by so much easier. He seemed smug most of the time, when I learned two spells per day, and forever embedded them into my mind. I absolutly loved the fact that I finally could do magic! I always was envious of Harry Potter, HocusPocus, and all the other magic movies.
Now I finally could also.
I made sure to excell, and Maxim's simple and slightly harsh training made me feel like I was digging deeper and deeper into all the spells in the world.
"Good tactic." I hear from the other side of my wall, before it goes out and I'm thrown back with a painful plasma ball. I struggle to get up from the floor and order some leftover metal to hold him back. It snakes around his ankle and seals shut, leaving him to melt through it slowly. It gives me enough time to run by him and wave my hand over the rug, placing a spell and turning it invisible, but I keep going. Maxim is just about to step on it in his responding attack when my phone suddenly rings and I groan, walking over and placing it to my ear.
"Hello?" I ask.
"Hey-hi, um, Sera." Dave's nervous voice responds on the other side. I smile and Maxim stares at me.
"Did you...did you want to learn more about my family?" I ask, hoping it wasn't true. I made the story up a few months back, the day after I told the lie to Dave. Why he finally decided to call was a mystery, even since we've been meeting each other on and off for the past month.
"What? No...that's not it at all. I was wondering if you maybe wanted to meet up?" He asks. I look to Maxim, who only stares me down.
"Sure, I'll meet you in a three hours, the deli." I plan out.
"Love is stupid, and a distraction." Maxim proclaims when I hang up.
"I don't love him, he's my friend." I correct.
"I can see it in your eyes, it's more than that." He points out.
"Oh, and what do you know about love?" I ask.
"I was in love, once. She didn't love me back, but instead fell in love with my best friend." He suddenly snaps at me.
"Oh, I see." I mumble, regretting my outburst.
"Go, leave. Maybe if you feel the same kind of rejection, a higher fire will burn in your soul." He says, waving me away. I don't clearly understand what he meant, but he was letting me go and I nod to him, briskly walking away. My confidence of safety had tripled, and I had no fear of going through this side of town. I pass through it with ease, some of the shady people waving, since I was seen so often. I wave back and keep walking until I find a familiar street, taking the subway and appearing closer to my destination and meeting Dave. The mall meets me first and I slip inside, passing the bokstore and a flustered Abby, then finding the deli I saw Marcus at a few months ago. Dave was sitting and waiting when I plop in a seat next to him, smiling.
"Hey." I greet, blowing a loose hair from my face.
"Hey. How's fire eating?" He asks.
"I haven't burned my clothes yet, or my windpipe. That should be good." I reply, eyes scanning the food court as he laughs.
"I have a question to ask you." He says.
"Ask away."
"Well, a few months ago I ran into you, correct?" He asks and I nod my head.
"The way I ran into made me loose just about everything in my hands. Now, did you see a long golden snake somewhere when you ran into me?" He asks. My hands under the table start to fidgit, the golden snake still there. I carefully take it off and set it in my pocket.
