Black Mist: Budding [on hiatus]

2. Granted

Monday couldn't arrive fast enough. Rose avoided eating at home by faking sick. When Avery went out both Saturday and Sunday, Rose snuck down to the kitchen and dumped her dinner into the garbage disposal. She smeared some food on a napkin and placed it atop the trash, and left wet dishes in the drying rack by the sink so he would think she ate. She searched the cupboards hoping to find the Binding Potion, but there was nothing.

Her stomach rumbled like distant thunder, but she refused to eat anything in his house, and she was scared he'd catch her out if she went to pick something up to eat.

She lay now in front of Mrs. Bennett's class reading a book, her head propped on her book bag. A crisp white paper bag dropped on her chest just in front of her book. Tommy plopped to the floor beside her.

"I figured you'd be starvin' this morning."

Even though she had eaten on the way to school, Rose nodded, sitting up and opening the bag. It was a bagel with cream cheese, which she ate in four large bites. He handed her a can of Diet Cherry Coke, which she drank nearly as fast. She slumped back against her bag. Rose reached her hand toward Tommy and opened her palm. "Thank you."

"It was just a bagel."

A tiny flicker of lavender mist bloomed from her fingers, then sputtered. "No. You brought my magic back."

"Well, Cali, you're very welcome," he chuckled. "But nothing could really take away your magic." His hazel green eyes glittered with his grin. His words, his smile, his eyes all made her heart beat just a little faster.

Rose made another bloom, this time stronger.

Tommy extended his hand and slid his fingers over hers gently. "Beautiful." His touch was warm and soothing, not so intense as it had been at school last year, and she liked it.

It still took another four days of fasting at home for Rose's magic to come back completely, Tommy taking her out for lunch each of those days, but it did come back. And Rose and Tommy played music every day after that. The second day they played, a blonde dude was waiting for them. "This her?"

"Yeah. Evan, Rose. Rose, Evan," Tommy made the introductions.

"Are you as good as he says?"

Rose shook her head and laughed, thinking, I doubt it. The three of them practiced together for the next two weeks. The last day of summer school, Evan and Tommy walked her home.

"See you next week?" Evan asked.

Rose shrugged. She had nothing else going on. Tommy stepped forward and hugged her. He breathed promises of food in her ear, which made her giggle as she stepped away. "All right, all right," she whispered, trying to tame the ridiculous laughter he had elicited from her. Rose was not a giggler. "See you next week." It was sort of disturbing how much she was looking forward to that.

««•»»

Alastair never did go back to his summer classes. The more he Amped with Keira and her friends, the more comfortable he got slacking off. Besides, they had better things to do. Like getting more Amp. But Keira said they couldn't risk another break in, so they had to find a way to get money. It had been a few days since they'd had any Amp, and now they just required the final ingredients, some of which could be bought at the grocery store, if you had money. But they didn't, and Alastair was aching with need. He wanted more now.

"I'll sell my watch," he offered.

"Dude, don't be crazy," Cesar said.

"Naw, it's cool. We need the stuff."

"Don't sell it. Just pawn it. Then you can get it back."

So the five of them made their way to a pawn shop near Times Square, where the guy paid out a piddly 60 bucks.