***
Dinner was satisfying. The fox tasted amazing, or maybe it was just because Shade was starving. It was such a long hike that day, her muscles ached and burned intensely. She had never felt so hungry before, and now, so tired. Sitting on a fallen log by the main campfire, she watched the flames lick the twigs and branches smoldering with soot. Ashes littered the ground around the fire as it flickered and crackled. The heat felt comforting, forcing the chill of the evening away.
It felt cozy in the blanket Dylan had provided, making her feel just a tad bit guilty for snapping at him, especially since his gift had turned out to be so useful. Okay, I’ll try to be nicer to Dylan. This isn’t his fault. She hadn’t meant to snap at Dylan, but everything was really overwhelming her. She’d been attacked twice in less than a week. It was hard enough for her to keep up with everyone in the group physically. Her lack of appreciation for outdoor activities didn’t help. Taking a deep breath, she knew these were the least of her problems.
Dad… isn’t my real dad, she thought sadly. It was difficult to accept. She wasn’t glad he was dead, but she was relieved he would never have to know this. How would she deal with it? To make matters worse, she was bound to Dylan, sharing some kind of mutant blood bind connecting her to him, and to Darren in some weird sadistic way, too. Dylan’s blood is Darren’s blood…. She cringed at the thought.
Her life was not turning out quite as she planned. She was supposed to be in high school, cramming for finals, and graduating in three weeks. This was not supposed to happen, and she missed Brisa so much. Who else could tell so many jokes, especially around a warm campfire on a freezing night? She wished Brisa had been pulled into this mess so Shade wouldn’t be alone right now. Even with her new friends surrounding her and their happy chatter floating about the fire, she felt the loneliness creep in again.
Sary walked over and sat next to her on the log. She winked at Shade and then settled her gaze on the fire. The silence between them was thick; Shade could sense she was aching to ask her something. She wondered what it could possibly be. Sary was quiet, for the most part unless she was with Stephen. Shade saw how Sary stared dreamily into his eyes whenever they were talking. His face was a mirror of hers, and their devotion radiated around them like some protective, blissful bubble. Shade couldn’t help but feel a little envious of their bond.
Shaking the thoughts away, she scolded herself. She wasn’t the type to get jealous. She was actually quite happy being the responsible older sister in a single parent home with four kids. It gave her tons of freedom to do whatever she wanted to, and she felt like she was the other adult in the house. She had no time for boys. They just mucked things up, anyway.
Her thoughts wandered to her mother, Jade. She had shoulder length hair, a beautiful shade of brown with caramel highlights streaked throughout it. It was wavy and never wanted to stay where she'd like it. She was happy just running her hands through and did not fuss much with it. Her big, brown eyes were fascinating, too. They had a glint of gray and honey running through both of her irises. The hazel coloring in her eyes definitely stood out with only a touch of makeup on her olive skin. Shade was glad she took after her mother; she’d always seen her mother as a beautiful woman.
“Shade?” Sary’s voice gently broke into her thoughts.
“Yes, Sary?”
Sary paused for a moment, studying Shade’s face before speaking. “When this is over, will you return to Faerie at all? Or will you want to forget this all happened? I wonder because, you see… I can feel your reluctance even now about completing this task. I know it’s a hard thing to ask of you, being that our world is so alien.” She sighed nervously before continuing. “But we need you more than you could possibly perceive or understand. I can’t even imagine what you think of all this, especially after everything that’s happened so far.”
Shade felt anxious and slightly guilty because she’d been so caught up in herself and hadn’t thought about the rest of the group. She hoped she hadn’t seemed too antisocial tonight. Maybe it had an adverse effect on them. She let her eyes linger on the fire, thinking hard about how to answer Sary. It was so difficult to predict the future. She never thought this would be happening to her. She searched for the right thing to say.
“Sary, I hope you don’t feel like I could just say goodbye and be done with everyone so easily. You’ve helped me so much already. I have to admit that this new world is confusing to me. It scares me to death, and I don’t feel like I belong here. I don’t have the strength or the right training for this. Everyone has said I have magic in me, but I don’t know how to use it. How could I ever survive in your world? I just feel terribly vulnerable. I would love to visit you guys when this is all done, but I don’t think I could live here.
Sary was staring at Shade, an amused look dancing on her face. She started laughing so hard she almost fell off the log.
“What’s so funny?” Shade asked, annoyed at her reaction. She was definitely confused. What the hell could be so funny about what she said?
Sary stopped and shook her head as she cleared her throat. “I’m so sorry, Shade. I don’t mean to insult you. I just never thought of our world as that different. It’s nice to get an outsider’s view. You’re right, though. How inconsiderate of me. Of course, you don’t feel safe. Ilarial did tell us that it was our job to show you how to use your magic. You have more to you than you think you do. I’m still baffled on how you managed to trap Darren in the mirror shards. He was bloody mad about it, but I can’t say he didn’t deserve it though. He deserved that glass prison and more for what he did to you.” She paused, looking a bit more serious. “So how would you like your first official magic lesson?” She grinned, her eyes twinkling in the firelight.
“Oh, I don’t know, Sary. I’m kinda tired and was about to go to bed. Maybe tomorrow?”
“No, no, right now. I promise it’ll be a short one.” She watched Shade squirm uncomfortably. “How ‘bout it?” she pushed.
Shade pressed her lips tight in frustration. There’s no sense in fighting it, she admitted to herself. “Ok.”
Sary jumped up and clapped her hands, and her vibrant enthusiasm cheered Shade up. “Okay then, pick up any stone–really it can be any one that you find. Come on Shade, just pick the first one that catches your eye,” Sary repeated when Shade hesitated.
Shade groaned but bent down from the log to study the ground. Searching the particles around her, she looked at each possible stone, but none seemed to stand out. Sitting up, she shook her head slightly, about to complain that she couldn’t find one when a glint of rock flashed in the corner of her eye. She reached out toward the edge of the log and retrieved it. The gray and white stone looked slightly out of place among the other white ones embedded in the sand. Dusting it on her jeans, she put it in the middle of her palm. “Like this one?”
“Yes, perfect! Now, take your stone and place your other hand over it. You have enough power within you. I can feel it radiating off of you like a fire.” Sary waved her hand at her to make her go faster.
Shade protested but did what she was told. Her hands felt cold in the night air, and the stone was cool in the center of her warm palms. About to give up, she stopped, feeling it get warmer on her skin. She opened her hands, her eyes widening with amazement.
The rock was glowing with a dim yellow hue. The heat was radiating to her fingers from it, feeling as if it should have burned her, but it didn’t. Shocked, she dropped it and cradled her hands on her chest. The sand puffed up around it like a meteorite landing. The stone lost its glow until it sat still and dusty once more. She peered up at Sary, who appeared pleasantly surprised.
“Wow, that was faster than I thought it would be. You just made your first light stone! You can make your own light with it and keep your hands warm too. It won’t burn you if that’s what you are thinking. This comes in handy on a dark and cold winter’s night,” she said with a smile. Bending down, she plucked the rock out of the gravel, hold
ing it out to Shade.
“It’s ok, Shade. Take it. It will only glow when you want it to. Remember, to activate it again, put it in between your hands once more. It belongs to you and only you now, so keep it near.” She gave her a quick hug as Shade took it and stuffed it into her jeans. It was small and did not bulge out too much. “Good job! I’ll let you get to your sweet dreams now.” Sary jumped up and joined Stephen, who was calling out to her. They walked away from the fire and over to their tents, chatting quietly.
Shade let out a nervous breath. She’d been taken by surprise with the light stone, but she liked the idea of it. She fished through her pocket and brought the stone out once more. Reactivating it, it burned brighter this time in her palms and warmed her chilly fingers.
Staring at it for a moment before stuffing it back in her jeans, she rose and walked back to her tent.
Maybe, just maybe… I can do this after all.
Chapter Twelve