Please Remember Me Like This

City is a Graveyard

Please Remember Me Like This

Chapter 5: "City is a Graveyard"

"So... Tina invited us to the Hallow's Eve party her sorority is throwing."

"Really?" Ian blinked, looking up from his Calculus homework to smile at Aeric. Even though they had half their classes together, they never really got to talk unless it was during study hall. "You think that's okay even though we're measly high school seniors and she's in college?"

"It's gotta be, right?" Aeric shrugged. "It's not like she's doing it out of obligation. I think she actually wants us there so we can see what a Willowdale party might look like."

"Wow... a real college party," Ian murmured, looking off for a second. It'd never been something he really fantasized about, at least, not until dating Aeric. "So we dress up and everything?"

"Seems like. Although I was thinking..."

And Ian got it right off the bat. "You wanna tour the campus first before the party?" he guessed, glad that he was getting better at knowing what his boyfriend was thinking at pretty much any given moment. At least, it seemed a little easier, and Ian felt like he could relax a little bit, now that they'd filled out the majority of their applications, sans ORC results and polishing off their essays for early admission.

"Well, wouldn't that be great?" Aeric asked, trying to goad him on. "It's on a Sunday, so most of the campus will be empty, and we can get a feel for it. By this time next year maybe we'll be doing the same thing! Holding hands, walking around Willoughby Hall and the quad, studying outside..."

Ian tried to picture it, but given he had yet to tour the campus, or see it like Aeric had, when the team had to practice at Willowdale during school repair. Sure, both his parents had gone there, but given Barley had no plans to attend college until now, Mom never took the time to explore.

"Hallow's Eve this year is supposed to have full moons," Ian said, just a little randomly. But he remembered Victoriana mentioning it at the last meeting. "Apparently it's the best time to be in tune with some powerful magic."

"Ooh, spooky." Aeric nudged Ian's shoulder playfully and lightly with his own. "I bet everyone will love if you show off what you've been learning in this secretive club of yours."

Given how private Victoriana was about meeting locations, or even any real details about her own life, Ian didn't feel very comfortable relaying any information or things he learned about magic to anyone, not even Aeric or Barley. Hell, he just barely had gotten around to telling Barley that he found a wizard community, but felt awful once he had to dash his brother's hopes and dreams by saying he couldn't attend simply because he didn't have "the Gift."

"I mean, the staff goes with the costumes. We'll see if Tina's sorority is okay with magic first." But he loved what he learned—the past few meetings had been about using nature as assists with staffs: planting seeds, multiplying pure coffee beans, growing plants. Ian could probably start a garden in the yard, if he wanted to. Showing it off would definitely be fun, especially since he hadn't seen Tina in a while.

"I'll ask," Aeric sighed. "You've been kind of secretive with the magic thing, you know. I miss when we'd just toss a ball around in the park or that time we flew my car to the lookout..."

Ian felt the guilt tug at his throat again. There was something he'd been working on that the group didn't know about; like Dad, he started to make a few of his own spells (albeit way simpler than, well, raising the dead for a day). Maybe he could tell his boyfriend? It should be okay, right? Dad believed magic should be used to help people and should be shared!