The Dark Ice Chronicles - The Magi

Chapter 12 - It Was A Long And Dark December

Harris texts me as I’m walking home, saying to meet him at the old firehouse the next day at the same time, right after school. I can’t imagine why we wouldn’t just be able to leave at the same time - which, sure enough, is what we end up doing. But Harris insists, when I ask him about this on Tuesday afternoon, that he just wants “all his bases covered.”

“Okay,” I say. “Guess it doesn’t hurt to be prepared?”

“You were never a Boy Scout, were you?”

“No.”

“Neither was I, but that’s no excuse.”

To our right, I hear a very familiar rude snort of laughter. I don’t even have to look, but I do anyway. It’s one of the boys from that Fire gang, the tall skinny one with curly hair - not the leader, or his brother - standing outside the Gas ‘n’ Sip, clutching a canned energy drink with a label I don’t recognize.

“Hey, you little Dark homos!” he crows. “Nice matching threads!”

I look at Harris, rolling my eyes. “Do we really look that gay to other people? Dressed like this, I mean.”

Harris shakes his head. “If only they knew how cool these clothes really are.”

“If only,” I say. “But I’m still not inclined to get into a fight just to test it.”

“Yo!” the Fire boy yells. “You can tell each other ‘I love you’ later. I’m talkin’ to you!”

I turn to look at the boy again, this time pulling my hood off so he can get a better look at me. His face falls as he remembers who I am - the boy who nearly Iced him and his cronies the other day.

“You!” he cries, his body starting to tremble with fear.

“Me,” I say simply.

“Me’s boyfriend,” Harris says, stepping forward and raising a flaming fist.

Boyfriend? I think to myself for a moment before deciding to go along with it and see what happens.

The Fire boy backs off, shaking his head. “Hey, I’m not gonna hurt another Fire. I’m not that messed up.”

“Sure you’re not,” I say, waving my hand and leaving some Ice on the ground in a near-perfect ring around the Fire boy’s feet. A bit of Ice coats his sneakers, but I don’t care. It’s too much fun to see him squirm as he tries to figure out how he’s going to get out without slipping and possibly breaking a hip like some old lady.

Harris whistles appreciatively. “Nice shot.”

“Thanks.”

“Sorry to bust up your handiwork, but…” Harris melts the Ice off the asphalt so the guy can leave. “Next time, use your brain and figure it out for yourself, buddy!” he calls after the guy as he retreats from us.

I high-five Harris as we continue on towards the firehouse. “Nice improv, buddy,” I say. “Of course, now that guy’s gonna really think we’re together.”

“You really think so? It’s not like we did any PDAs or anything.”

I laugh. “I’ve seen that guy before. I actually got him and his buddies with some Ice. You saw his face when he saw me - he was practically scared shitless. He really thought I was Ice.”

We come up to a crosswalk and wait for the light to change. “But you are Ice,” Harris says. “Half-Ice, anyway.”

“My point is, he’s hella gullible.”