Reincarnation BOOK 2 (Shidge AU)

Chapter 4 - Brewing

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Pidge asked even though she already knew the answer. Magic never died. Now, it had found root in her being, seeking to finish the story Katie and Shiro could not.

Takashi looked down into her eyes, "You already know." Then his eyes traveled up to her hairline, where her beanie safely hid her long hair. Subconsciously, she pulled the winter hat down to block her locks. As if he knew exactly what was happening, Takashi ripped the beanie off.

"Hey! What was that for?" Pidge cried, furiously trying to reach for her hat back. Her newly founded long hair swished around her small structure, taunting her neck with warmth.

Takashi stared at it as he reached up and removed his own winter cap to revel a huge fluff of white hair pooling out of his cap. "We are turning into our true selves—our past selves." Pidge looked between the strange white hair and Takashi's dark eyes. Weren't they lighter before, she asked herself.

Pidge barely could handle the information as she turned around, facing the away from the upperclassman. Her hair fell in front of her face in a foreign way, brushing her cheeks. One word ran through her head: Magic. This was happening to her. It wasn't some dream and it wasn't a passing thing. Her blood ran cold, the world fell from focus, and her breathing rushed.

Pidge could not handle this. All her life, she had known nothing but science. She thought only science could save her. Now, magic ran through her body in pulses. The reality had hit her like a train. Takashi was right. The dream she had before was proof enough. She was the reincarnation of Katie Holt even if she didn't want to be.

Her knees suddenly found their place into the chilled pavement below her in shock. Her mind became swamped. She couldn't breathe. Her chest was too tight as she fell onto her hands. Tiny prickles climbed their way down her limbs as the panic attack reached its height.

Takashi was at her side, though she did not know we he had gotten there, desperately trying to calm her down. His soft rubs and smooth voice got her to focus on a flower across from them, standing proud despite the cool atmosphere. Despite everything, his presence made her feel warm and calm. Pidge's breathing evened and the spots and narrow vision faded from her vision.

For a moment they just sat there, both surprised by what just happened. "Don't touch me, Takashi," Pidge spat and stood up hastily, losing her balance for a second. She hated he could make her feel that way. It wasn't even her own emotions. When she was fully recovered from the strange happening, the underclassman rushed off inside, away from the nightmare she found herself in.

The day passed slowly as Pidge avoided any and everything involving Takashi. Then there was after school Track. It was the only thing she somewhat shared with Takashi. The male was on the football's practice field, roughhousing with his fellow teammates. Before, Pidge would see Adam on the sidelines, but now the dude was nowhere in sight.

As she ran, the cool wind whipping her warm skin, she threw all her emotions into sprinting faster. Her desperation to leave her hometown, her desire to live a normal life, and her need to get Takashi out of her life fueled her false energy. It was how she got through every track. This time, Takashi was a distraction. He would eye her down, watching her run when he was taking a drink break. His darkened orbs would follow her every move when he could. It made Pidge want to run away and go home.

And she never felt the need to go home.

"It looks like Holt is watching you, Pidgy," Shay pointed out when she caught up to Pidge's sprint pace. The shorter girl did not respond and just kept running. Whatever Takashi desired from her, she wouldn't care. It wasn't her problem.

Shay did not ignore the situation like Pidge. "Do you think you did something that made him upset?" the taller, more extroverted girl questioned the other, a smile placed happily on her lips. Pidge's feet were beginning to hurt and a foul taste rested on her tongue.

"No. I don't," Pidge informed, willing her nugget legs to move faster away from this conversation. She could feel Shay's warm eyes trained onto her head as she pushed further. Her legs were beyond their limit, her knees red and her heart rate up severely. It felt like her body would collapse any second.

But she knew it wouldn't. With that at the back of her mind, she finally finished her ten laps, her feeble body slamming against a nearby bench for rest. Grabbing onto a water cup, she chugged it quickly before tossing into into a recycling bin a little ways from her.

That's when her eyes met Takashi's. He was on his way over to where she sat. Panic filled her numb mind, her tired muscles not ready to move. "Ignoring me are you? That's not gonna help you hide from the truth, Pidge. We are the last two magical people in this town," the buff football captain announced under his breath.

Pidge gave him a glare. "I don't care. I don't want this, so listen here, Wand Lover, I do not have this power and you are delusional. That's final," she spat, already done with the exchange. The girl knew that even if she was left alone that the knowledge of her magic still remained. A part of her still begged for this to be a hoax or crazy dream.

Then Takashi grabbed her arm and her mind went off the rails. Pidge jerked her arm, seething as she shouted, "Let go!" Then the earth beneath them erupted upward, throwing the upperclassman away from her. Vines came forth, wrapping around his limbs in an attempt to hold him down.

Staring at the mess she had caused, the football field half destroyed and the track team's bench completely uprooted before her, Pidge shook violently in fear of her own powers. She did not dwell there for long before she turned and fled, eyes stinging with regret. Now everyone would know. Takashi didn't cause the incident the other day. He wasn't the out-of-control wizard. Pidge was and she was terrified about it.

Winding through the halls, she found that breathing was difficult. She was tired and sore from practice. Sweat engulfed her entire body and the walls around her seemed to close in. The girl could remember how warm her skin felt, how her cap fell to the floor and her hair stuck to her skin.

Pidge could remember her first real panic attack clearly.