The Magic Within You - NaNoWriMo 2018

~7~

**This isn't new, it's just another chapter I pulled from the NaNoWriMo YWP site. The story gets cringier soon, lol. Brace for impact.**

"Where the hell were you?!"

     Brayden's purple eyes flickered with anger and something similar to fear as he berated Angie about her abrupt exit that day. "Running away from the only person you know in a world that you're unfamiliar with - what did those Others teach you?"

He had cornered her as she was leaving the Dreyfuss home, trying to get back to Downtown Canvas.

"Sorry," Angie said defensively, a bit angered by Brayden's outburst. "I was trying to help Charlie catch one of their animals."

"Oh, Charlie Dreyfuss," Brayden sighed. "I was their Mentor, you know," he said, but something in his change of expression said more than that. "They had great potential."

Angie nodded, deciding not to ask why Charlie was so spooked by the mention of Brayden. Instead. she asked another question. "Potential for what?"

"To be a Worker."

"A what?"

     By then, they had reached Downtown. As if he hadn't heard her, Brayden gestured to a nearby hotel. The building was made up of several tapering towers like a fountain show. Now that it was darker, light cascaded across the building in all of the colors that only Artists could see. "You can stay here," Brayden said. "I already booked your stay."

     Angie blinked. She hadn't even thought of where she'd go, or what she'd eat or drink, or how she'd survive overall. "Th-thank you," she said, surprised at Brayden's generosity.

He simply nodded. "All in a day's work," he said.

     After walking her to the hotel, Brayden left on his own. Angie walked into the main tower and her breath was taken away. Inside was an actual decorative fountain show, but instead with fire. Glowing sparks put on a glorious performance as they curved into the air and shot back down, one after the other. The interior of the lobby looked as if it were made from smoothed-out diamonds, forming crystal-clear glass walls. Instead of the usual chemically-clean hotel scent, the atmosphere smelled like roses and fresh-baked bread.

     Each tower, besides the lobby, was made up of rooms. Just like the lobby, each room had shockingly clear glass through which one could see all of Canvas. Angie would be staying at the very top room of one tower. The lights of Downtown were tiny little pinpricks of light in the window, the occasional streak of color lighting the view. Those shooting-star like displays were Painters using their talents, Angie figured. When she finally cozied herself into the thick folds of the freshly-made bed, it was as if every single muscle in her body relaxed. Calming music, like that of a nail salon or spa, filled her ears, and sleep got to her before she could even process just how tired she really was.

     The musical chirping of Redmanes and the delicate streaks of sun were the first thing to wake Angie up the next morning. She stretched her arms out to the sides, unwilling to get up from the cozy spot she had snuggled into.

When she did get up, there was a single note propped on the desk. A single piece of cardstock folded in two with two lines of writing:

Breakfast?

A phone number followed, and then a stylized letter B.

     Ohhhh right, she still had to eat. She hadn't necessarily had any time to think about that in-depth. So she called Brayden and they ended up meeting in the cafe right across the street from Angie's hotel. The walls there were always changing color, like when Angie made an "ocean in a bottle" for her science class when she was little. The coffee she ordered smelled wonderful; a perfect mix of chocolate and coffee that swept Angie into a world of peace. Lost once again in the magic of this new world, Angie had almost forgotten everything she wanted to ask Brayden.

     Her mind was suddenly flooded with everything that was less than magical, like the conversation she had witnessed at Charlie's house, and the condescending disgust with which the man had spoken of Others. There was also that forever-existent curiosity in Angie, wanting to know even more about this world, bad or no.

She took a deep breath. "So I was at Charlie's house-"

"After you ran away from me without warning?"

Brayden's passive-aggressive tone silenced her for a moment. Another deep breath. "Yes," she said. "And, later in the day...someone stopped by."

The purple eyes met the blue with a careful wariness. "And who exactly was that?"

Angie squinted, trying to recall the name. "Gilles?"

Brayden's eyes went wide for a moment and he put his cup of coffee back on the table. "Arthur Gilles? The Worker?"

"That was my other question for you," Angie said. "What's a Worker? You said Charlie could've been one."

He sighed and looked down at the table. "Workers are part of something that you don't need to know about right now."

"I think I have every right to know about it," Angie said.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's a truth that you can't handle. This world isn't as magical as you believe it is, and I'm not planning to let you in on the secrets just yet."

"You think I'm not strong enough?"

"I didn't say that. I...thought it, but I didn't say that."

Angie sighed. "You're impossible."

He rested his arms on the table, his facial expression slightly angry. "You'll learn, Angie. In time."