Lux [h.s]

twenty

The next two days went by quickly, bringing no solution but straining the relationships around Cora even more.

She was now sitting on the ground in the woods, away from everything and everyone. She wasn't far away from the Fair enough to be in danger, but she'd still managed to put a considerable distance between them.

She closed her eyes, listening to the low chirps of birds and shouts coming from afar, trying her best to block out any sound that wasn't peaceful. She needed some quietude after the loud reality that she was now a part of.

"Cora, hey!"

Cora's eyes snapped open, her heart beating wildly in her chest, not having expected anyone to be there. She'd walked away into the woods not to encounter anyone else—she didn't expect to be found so quickly.

Oden was walking towards her, and she relaxed. She'd always enjoyed talking to him—he wasn't one of the people she was running away from.

"Hello," she greeted him back. "What are you doing out here?"

He shrugged. "I was trying to play with my ball," he said, showing her the small wooden sphere resting on his palm. "Harry gave it to me, he said I have to make it a flower."

"Can you do that?" Cora asked, mild curiousness in her voice. Maybe, she felt a little jealous.

He sighed. "I'm not sure. It's harder than it looks, it never looks right. That's why he insists I keep trying."

Cora smiled. She found impressive the way Harry acted with the children, always teaching them to use their magic better. At the same time, though, it also upset her. It upset her, because while he spent so long with them, he couldn't even be bothered to look at her after what he'd done. And also because they were way better at magic than she could ever be. That was how it was supposed to look like, beautiful and effortless. She wasn't like them. Her magic, if it indeed was there, was buried so deep inside her that it'd carved a home for itself inside her soul, and now it was too comfortable to ever want to set itself free.

"It is," Oden admitted. "Thanks to him I learnt to play with air. They say it's my ability, you know. I'm not that sure, but I like air. It's fun, it makes me happy."

"It's an amazing ability to have," Cora gave in, ignoring the ache in her heart as she spoke. She too was supposed to have one, but she didn't know what it was. If she had one at all. Thalia had said she did, but she didn't truly believe her.

"And I can make leaves spin higher and higher. Harry says that if I manage to break a branch he'll teach me to carve wood," he continued, holding up the wooden ball with happiness in his eyes. "I'd like that, but so far I could only make leaves spin. I almost broke a branch some days ago, but I didn't in the end."

"I'm sure you'll be able to break it, you just have to believe in yourself. I know you can do it."

Oden smiled at her. "You really think so?"

Cora nodded. "I know so."

"Thank you!" he said cheerfully, and then turned to look at the light of the fires she could see on their right. The Fair was so close, but so far away. "I have to go back and sell tickets now," he stated, giving her the wooden sphere. "You can make this look like a flower."

She smiled at him, but the sign of happiness was wiped away from her face in the instant he left her alone again.

She grazed the surface of the ball and tried to etch a line in it with her nail, wondering what it'd be like to actually use magic to make something beautiful out of it. After a moment of hesitation, she stared at it and tried to make it to do something, anything that would show she was indeed magical—but nothing happened.