The Magitrix: A Flame Awakens

Chapter 1: The Art of Accidental Arson

Chris was lost in thought, thinking about the impending school day and the strange dream he had the previous night, when his best friend crashed into him.

"Hi!" Jasper said cheerfully, wrapping his arms around Chris and he staggered underneath his freind's weight. "Nice to see you, too!"

Chris sighed. "Please, Jasper," he snapped at him, looking down. "Don't? I nearly just died of shock.

Jasper looked up at him, grinning and obviously ignoring the grumpy look on Chris's face. Chris was about half a foot taller than Jasper, so looking down on him was necessary. "Sorry," Jasper said, his smile gradually waning. He tilted his head at Chris. "Lemme guess, you're grounded for that fight."

Chris gawked. "How- how did you know that? Are you stalking me?"

Jasper smirked. "Yes, I watch you every second of the day, even in the shower."

Chris stared at him, mortified.

Jasper rolled his eyes. "No, of course not. That's really creepy. Why would I do that?" He snickered a little. "Anyway, knowing your dad, he definitely punished you. Plus, it's quite obvious when you have your feelings written all over your face like that. You're usually better at not doing that."

Chris sighed again, this time in apology. "Sorry," he mumbled. "I didn't meant to. That was rude."

He knew what fight Jasper was talking about. A few days earlier, Jasper dragged Chris to one of the school's soccer games. Chris personally thought sports were pointless, and so did Jasper, but someone his best friend admired was on the team, so, of course, Chris had to go to support him.

When they were finding their seats, three boys walked up to them. The ringleader, Dylan, was a boy with dark brown hair and eyes. Dylan was one of the few that actually had the nerve to come up to Chris and insult him, probably because he could actually stand a chance against him in a fight. One of the others, Caleb, was grinning cruelly, while the other one, Odin, looked down and rubbed his wrists together repeatedly. His short blonde hair hung into his eyes, which usually glittered like the ocean their color took after. He was certainly attractive, Chris admitted so himself. But he had always found the other boy to be rather strange. Odin fidgeted a lot and didn't talk much, at least around Chris. He didn't know exactly why Odin was popular, but he didn't tend to think about it too hard, especially now.

"Hello, Chris," Dylan purred. (How? He didn't know.) "Enjoying the game?"

Chris froze, and Jasper tugged on his arm. "Let's go sit down," he whispered, his eyes locked on Dylan. "They don't even have good insults."

He knew that his best friend was right, but it still didn't stop his temper from flaring at the sight of the bully.

"Who's talking?" Dylan's gaze cut to Jasper. "You?" He sneered. "I would recommend you shut up before something bad happens to you. You won't be able to hide behind your friend forever, you know, so I recommend you learn to respect authority."

Jasper's grip on his arm tightened. "Let's go before I start getting unnecessarily angry from stupid, cliché insults."

Dylan scrunched up his face. "Cliché? How dare you, you-" and then he spat out a transphobic slur so bad it can not be named. Jasper flinched, startled. Dylan stepped forward, aiming to push Jasper while he was distracted.

"Dylan, what the heck?" All the sudden Odin grabbed his arm and pulled him back, causing him to stumble with surprise. It was so funny in the moment that Chris snorted. "That's homophobic, dude. Not okay."

Dylan regained his composure. He still looked shocked, though. "No, what's wrong with you?" He shoved Odin back against the railing. His body hit it with a clang, and he gasped, looking both hurt and afraid. "You've never been like this before! Are you okay?"