Runaway Magic

two

Eight years later, and my sister still loved to play with matches. Luckily, now she was much more careful, but I never felt the same around fire again. Unlike her, the greedy flames did not comfort me. Instead, they only reminded me of everything I had to lose.

So when I ducked into our room to find a small fire nestled in her palms, I did not react very well.

"Kenna," I snapped, tapping my foot. She whipped around, a guilty twist to her smile. Smoke curled away from her palms, fading into the air. "What have I told you about practicing magic in the house?"

"Don't do it," Kenna grumbled, rolling her eyes. What did she expect? Even if there hadn't been a witch-burning for years, she knew as well as I did that magic was dangerous.

I really didn't understand how Mama could do it. She was lucky I was the well-behaved daughter, though I didn't think Kenna felt the same way. I always tried to be on my best behavior, but Kenna never seemed to get the message. I only wanted to protect our family from any suspicion, which included stopping Kenna from using her magic whenever possible. The slightest hint of magic would be enough to send the entire village into a frenzy. If we were lucky, we could lay low until we were old enough to cross the border from Kenj into Ijinislj. There, magic wasn't outlawed, and Kenna could finally be safe. But if she kept ignoring me, we'd be stuck here forever.

"Exactly," I said, throwing a pile of wrinkled clothing at her. "Now go fold the laundry. Mama's going to be home late again."

"Why do I always have to do the chores?" Kenna whined, looking at the mess of dirty clothes with a disgusted expression.

I sighed. We both knew she knew the answer to that question. Mama worked long and hard at the bakery to support us, but it was never enough. Even though her job got us free desserts and coffee, it didn't help with much else. So as soon as I was old enough, I begged Mama to let me work. At first, she didn't like the idea. She insisted that I was too young and I needed to enjoy my childhood while it lasted. Her own parents had sold into her servitude when she was very young, and she wanted to protect me for as long as she could. But I pestered her until she caved. After that, it was only a matter of days before I had sweet-talked the local librarian into taking me on as an assistant. For now, Kenna was still too young to work, so she was stuck with the chores.

"I don't have time to tell you the same thing I always do," I groaned, cursing under my breath as I finally noticed the time. I was supposed to be at the library already. It was a good ten-minute walk from our house, five if I felt like sprinting (which I didn't). I was lucky enough to even have this job; we certainly couldn't afford to lose it.

Kenna sat up straighter at my frustration, her eyes sparkling with mischief. "If you're running late, I can help you," she said, rubbing her hands together. Her palms winked with light, as if the magic was just coursing through her fingertips, waiting to be called upon.

"Kenna, wait," I cautioned, taking a step away from her. After what I had seen, the mere sight of flames sent shivers down my spine. But sparks were already flying from her fingers, the pile of laundry completely forgotten. The sparks grew so bright I needed to shield my eyes, but I looked up just in time to see the magic flow toward me. "Kenna, I don't think -" I started, but the magic had already reached me. It buzzed around my skin like a fiery bee, a tingling sensation spreading from the soles of my feet to the top of my head. As the warmth of the magic engulfed me, I closed my eyes and grimaced.

Please, don't let me die, I prayed.

I stumbled right into a scrawny figure, sending both of us careening to the ground. Rain soaked my skin, pressing my clothes tight against my body as I blinked my eyes. Leftover magic tingled underneath my skin like fireflies zipping through my veins, dulling the pain of striking the hard ground. But scrapes still marred the skin of my knees and palms, just deep enough to draw beads of blood to the surface.

"Are you alright?" a voice asked, concern lacing through their words. For a moment, confusion flickered across my face until I remembered that I had probably injured someone else in my enmagicking. Another reason Kenna needed to be more careful with her magic. It was bad enough when she used me as her human guinea pig, but we couldn't risk affecting others.

"Yeah, I'll be alright," I said, getting to my feet. As I finally stared into the face of my victim, I had to stop myself from gasping. "Caellan," I said after an awkward pause, trying to hide my battered hands and legs.

Of all the people to fall into, it just had to be my childhood crush. His father owned the bakery my mom worked at, and we used to play together all the time as kids. But our flour-dusted adventures had become fewer and farther between, with me taking care of Kenna and working at the library and him studying to become a doctor. Truth be told, I had been the one to stop playing with him. The more friends I had the harder it would be to conceal our family's secret.

"Sera," he said, breaking into that stupidly bright smile that made his right - not his left - cheek dimple. The rain had slicked back his messy blond hair, drawing my attention to his clear green eyes. I had to remind myself that we hadn't really talked in years, that I hated the thought of him becoming a doctor, and that I was really, really late for my shift. My spiraling was caught short when he interrupted my thoughts with a sudden frown. His lips only turned down when he was concentrating hard. "Where did you come from?" he asked, his eyebrows creasing. "I swear you slammed into me out of nowhere."

"I guess I just walk really quietly," I offered, grasping for a semi-reasonable response. I cracked a smile at him, but not even my half-hearted jokes eased his confusion. When it was painfully clear he didn't believe me, I changed my tone. "Look," I said shortly. "I know it's been a while, but I seriously need to get to the library. Not all of our parents are rich, and I do not have the time to talk right now."

I strode away before he could respond, praying he didn't see the fingers I crossed in front of me. I was now even later to my job, and Caellan knew something was up. Unfortunately, he was also smart enough to figure it out. And if he did, Kenna and I were screwed. Seriously, going-to-be-burned-at-the-stake screwed.

Shit.