Denouncement Page 6
“How was your day?” Thorin asked when Iris climbed into his truck.
“Fine. Yours?”
“It was good. So, any food or movie requests?”
“Not really.” Her words sounded a little breathless to her ears. She picked at her cuticles and stared out the windshield. Consciously kept herself from chewing on her bottom lip.
“All right then, how do Chinese and a sci-fi movie sound?”
“Great!” Iris said with a smile. A flush ran up her cheeks and her eyes twitched.
Thorin’s smile increased. “I think I understand what it means when your eyes are purple.”
A twinge told Iris her eyes deepened in hue. Thorin chuckled.
She lightly backhanded him on the shoulder.
“All right, I deserved that one. It’s really cute. That’s all.”
Conversation was stilted at dinner. With them not being able to talk about magic out in the open, they tried to stick to topics like band and classes but they’d exhausted both topics already. Iris tried to switch the conversation to high school but there were some bad memories there; including the fact that Thorin and his girlfriend of three years recently broke up. At least she had an answer to that question.
They arrived at the theater early, purchased some popcorn, and found seats. Iris’s awkwardness continued throughout the movie. She was happy that all conversation stopped during the film but dreaded the end of the movie.
“You want to get some ice cream?”
“Sure,” Iris said without really thinking about what she agreed to. She took longer than needed to gather her stuff. Her eyes twinged. She hoped it was in the correct color direction. With all the emotions running through her, she was hard pressed to guess where they’d land.
Before they made it ten steps from the theater, someone called their names.
“Hey, Cameron. Marc,” Thorin called back with a wave.
“What’re you guys up to?”
“Ice cream.”
“You?”
“Same.”
The four friends crossed the street and wandered inside. Iris found conversation much easier with the addition of her section-mates. They discussed the movie and its believability before switching to all means of sci-fi movies and whether they were worth seeing. None of them mentioned a date. Iris found herself more at ease now than she had been the entire night. Thorin dropped her off and said goodnight with a one-armed hug and a huge smile.
“See you Monday,” she said with a wave and waited until he drove away before groaning. “Why am I so awkward? What is wrong with me?” Her eyes shifted hues with her mood as she headed to her dorm room.
“Hey!” a chorus of voices met her the second she cracked the door. Not only were her roommates there, but Cirrus, Roz, and Zarina were over to hear about her date.
Knowing full well they wouldn’t let her sleep without relating the whole evening, Iris kicked her shoes off, climbed onto her bed, and began the tale. “To be honest, I didn’t feel at ease until Cameron and Marc arrived,” she finished.
“That’s because you’ve never dated,” Rozlynd tried to cheer her up. “Don’t worry. That’ll pass with a little more practice.”
“Maybe. I’ve told my story, so get out so I can get some sleep.” More than a little grumbling surrounded Iris before the three non-roommates trekked out.
Iris debated skipping Monday’s rehearsal, but her roommates called Zarina, who got Jaden involved, and the pair of them practically dragged her out the door. She was glad they did. Thorin arrived a minute after she did and insisted on sharing a stand with her. They had a blast, as always, and it felt how it should.
“Can I give you a ride home?” Thorin asked her after practice.
“No, I—”
“It’s no problem. I have my truck, so we can throw your bike in the back.”
“No. It’s okay. I’m going to—”
“I swear, it’s not a problem—”
“Oh my god Thorin!” Iris said in a huff. She could tell her emotions were getting the better of her, so she took a moment to get them under control.
“What? I’m just trying to be nice.”
She’d made him defensive.
“I know. And I do appreciate your offer, but I told the clarinet freshmen I’d go to late night with them. Want to come?”
“Na. I’ll see you later.”
Iris waved and joined Zarina where she and the other clarinets waited for her. They headed over to the DC in high spirits—all except Iris. The knifepoint had returned. She knew they were close to Brett’s dorm, but this level of pain was much higher than it should have been. She fell to the back of the group, senses on overdrive.
Iris scanned the surrounding buildings. Her eyes darted from lit windows to people wandering around the grassy areas to the first floor common room in no particular order. She didn’t see him anywhere. Iris slowed her search from the frantic pace of her heart to a slow, methodical pattern.
On her second scan past the front of the DC to the dorm hall on the left, Iris saw him. He leaned against a pillar. Its shadow hid all but his face. They made eye contact. Brett grinned, uncrossed an arm and waved his fingers at her.
Zarina didn’t notice. Iris was grateful for that. Her skin prickled with cold. She watched Brett as he moved around the pillar so he could keep watching her until the whole group entered the DC. Iris last of all. The knifepoint disappeared. Iris glared back, but Brett was gone. Apparently, this was his way of saying hello.
Iris kept her eyes downcast until she got her breathing back under control. Just to be safe, she went in the opposite direction of her band-mates. After she’d stalled as long as she thought possible without alerting Zarina’s suspicions, Iris joined her friends. She hoped her eyes were under control.
Halfway through her second slice of pizza Iris realized there was a new sensation at the nape of her neck. A tickling sensation that could mean only one thing. One of the clarinets was a magic user. The thought both exhilarated and terrified Iris. She was glad for another friend to become a magic user, but she would be lying if she said she wasn’t concerned about Brett’s actions in the last few weeks. Something was coming.
Like she had in high school, Iris retreated into herself. Though she tried to act normal around her friends, she knew they knew something was off. Iris used excuses like Thorin, schoolwork, and the mansion dream in an attempt to explain away her closed-off behavior, but she could tell they weren’t buying it. She decided she needed to focus on some new magical problems, so she spent all her free time in the 24-hour reading room or the library.
Instead of working on homework like she should, Iris tried to determine if the house in her dream existed. Or which clarinet freshman could do magic. Or Brett’s weekly schedule. She wanted to be as prepared as possible if an encounter came.
A resounding bang sounded through Iris’s mind Friday evening. It startled her awake so fast she almost fell out of her window perch. Realization the noise came from the Gallery sent Iris’s mind inwards to suss out the situation.
“Where the hell have you been?” Thorin demanded.
“What?” Iris tried to figure out if she’d promised to meet him or something.
“I’ve been texting and calling you. I even tried going to your dorm room. Your roommates said you’ve been off and barely home the last four days.”
“Oh. Sorry. Been studying,” Iris lied.
“Bull shit.”
“What do you want?”
“You promised me another private lesson this week. Remember? And I promised to help you out in chemistry and calculus. Does any of that ring a bell?”
“I totally forgot. Sorry.”
“It’s all right. Just respond when someone’s trying to get in contact with you, okay?”
“Okay.”
“So, what’s really going on because we both know it’s not something school related. You were around way more often last quarter than you’ve been this week and you thou
ght you were going to fail a few classes.”
“It’s nothing. Just a magical problem I’m trying to figure out. I’ve been told I get a little obsessive,” Iris elaborated after Thorin gave her a look that clearly said he didn’t believe her.
“I won’t force you to tell me what it is, but I will ask for a lesson. You think you can swing that tonight?”
“Yeah. What time is it?”
“Almost six. Where are you?”
“The library.”
“Would it be safe to assume you haven’t eaten lunch let alone dinner?”
Iris nodded.
His tone softened. “My place is empty. I’ll order a pizza and meet you by the parking lot near First and A in ten to fifteen. We should make it back to my place before it’s delivered. Sound good?”
“Sounds great. Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Taking care of me?” Iris shrugged.
“I’m pretty sure you’re the one who takes care of everyone, but you’re welcome. See you in a few.”
Iris brought both halves of her mind together, packed up her books, and exited the library. She had to wander around to find her bike amongst the dozen large bike racks, but she still made it to the parking lot before Thorin.
The tutoring and training session started out great. Thorin got into helping her out with her calculus and chemistry homework while they ate. Her understanding of both subjects increased significantly in the forty minutes they spent on them. Unfortunately, things started to fall apart when they switched to magic.
Chapter 10
Thorin seemed to have developed a block on doorways. As his frustration increased, so did his sarcasm. It didn’t go over well with Iris. She left his apartment and went for a short walk to keep from blowing up at him. The cold of the night helped her pull herself together and clear her mind. She decided the best thing for Thorin would be a different perspective on doorways, so she sent her little self to the Gallery and knocked on Jaden’s door. He arrived promptly in the Gallery.
“Hey, I need some help.”
“Okay. What with?”
“I can’t seem to explain doorways in a way Thorin can understand and he’s becoming frustrated with me. Think you can give it a shot?”
“Sure. Is it safe to come over via a doorway?”
“Hang on. Let me head back inside. We’re at his place.” Iris quickened her pace. She knocked on Thorin’s front door and he let her in. “Still just us?” she asked him.
“Yeah, why?”
Iris held up a finger to indicate she’d get back to him as she switched her focus back to Jaden in the Gallery. “Yup. It’s safe. Are you able—”
Jaden left Iris standing alone in the Gallery of Doors. She rejoined both halves of her mind in time to see a flash of light form in the living room in front of her.
“Huh. I never thought about trying that. Could you sense where I was or was it something else?”
“You were somehow projecting your location. I followed the path.”
“Interesting. I’ll have to try that sometime, but not now. Now is for Thorin’s sake.”
“Um, thanks?” Thorin told Jaden.
“No problem. So, show me what you can do and tell me what you’re thinking of when you form a doorway.”
Iris fell silent and watched Jaden teach Thorin. In less than ten minutes, he completely overcame his block on doorways. Now he could form doorways to Iris’s dorm room, and his room in Temescal.
Though Iris tried to find a difference in the way she explained doorways versus how Jaden explained doorways, she couldn’t. Perhaps it was all the effort Jaden had to put into his magic that allowed him to break down the task better than she could. Or maybe it was something else like learning style. Either way, she and Thorin were grateful.
“Thanks again,” she told Jaden before he took off.
“No problem. I was wondering if you’d ever realize you weren’t the best at everything and needed help. Bye.”
Jaden left before Iris could think of a response. Iris left soon after through a doorway of her own. She was so focused on Jaden’s statement, she forgot she’d parked her bike on Thorin’s back patio. She decided she’d get it later.
Iris wondered if she’d done or said something to Jaden that upset him in the last few weeks. She had commandeered more of Zarina’s time of late. Perhaps he was mad at her for that. It made sense. Jaden was very protective of Zarina. Whatever it was, it seemed stressed-out-due-to-school-and-life Jaden was back. She let it go.
Iris apologized to her roommates for her aversion to contact in the last week, crawled into bed, and fell into the dream about the mansion. She knew she wouldn’t be able to keep it from her roommates, so she didn’t try. Instead, Iris called a last-minute meeting for all magic users. They met on their island Sunday morning.
“So I know I’ve been elusive the last week—”
“That’s an understatement,” Aerianna announced.
“But I realized I have to share what’s going on with you guys. So, here it goes. Brett Moreno is at Davis and he and I are kind of in a game of spy versus spy. Neither of us is getting close to the other, but I know he’s been keeping an eye on me and I’ve been keeping an eye on him.”
“Wait, who’s Brett Moreno?” Thorin asked.
“This jerk from high school who can also use magic. So can his dad. Anyway, they threatened Iris, and we backed her up at the end of senior year,” Cirrus supplied.
“Yes. He also attacked me after Grad Nite, but I didn’t tell anyone.” Iris had to wait for all the muttering and exclamations of indignation to subside before she could continue. “I know, I know, I know. I shouldn’t have kept it from you and I suck, but it’s in the past now.”
“Where does he live?” Jaden asked.
“Segundo North.”
“So you mean to tell me this asshole lives less than a two-minute walk from my girlfriend and you didn’t have the decency to warn her?”
Iris had no response. She’d never seen Jaden so pissed.
“It’s fine sweetie. If he were a danger, Iris wouldn’t have kept it to herself,” Zarina tried to placate him.
“If you say so,” Jaden told Zarina. He kept his eyes locked on Iris’s for a few more seconds.
“So, why are you telling us now?”
Iris mentally thanked Cirrus for the shift in topics. “On the off chance something happens, I want everyone to know about him. I’m not sure what, but he’s up to something. I can sense him practicing magic late at night sometimes. It’s woken me up once or twice.”
“Do you have any clue what he’s doing?” Rowen wondered.
“None. I think he’s in a single, though. Which would make it easier for him to practice magic whenever he wants to.”
“Do you know what his abilities are?” Jaden tried to keep his voice neutral, but there was a sharp edge to it.
“He can do a lot with air like we can, but instead of using it for useful things, he turns it into weapons. I showed you guys some of them over the summer, but I think we got sidetracked before practicing all of them. He can also use something similar to a doorway, but it was more a shrouding in darkness and—”
“Is this the stuff he used on you at grad nite or are these new skills?” Morrigan asked. “And be more precise about how he uses air as a weapon.”
“Those were what he used during our fight—though I’m positive he can do a lot more. As far as using air as a weapon goes, he used a combination of large, battering-ram-like columns followed by quick, piercing needles or bullets. The combination meant I had to keep asking the shield of air I’d formed to alter its properties so I could combat both attacks.”
“It was a good tactic. On both your parts,” Morrigan acknowledged.
“Thanks.”
“I don’t see why we’re praising this guy. We should go beat the crap out of him.”
“Dude, that’s a dumb idea,” Rowen told Jaden before Iris opened her mouth.
“Morrigan has a good point,” Zarina agreed. “It’s probably best not to give him a reason to come after us.”
Jaden rubbed his eyes, shook his head, then threw his hands up. “Fine! We’ll sit on our asses until someone gets hurt and then deal with the problem.”
Not even Rowen bothered to respond. Instead, they sat in awkward silence for several moments. Iris had to refrain from picking at her cuticles or biting her bottom lip.
“I have a question. Why is there suddenly a bright light in the Gallery of Doors?” Thorin asked and broke the silence.
“Oh, yeah. Thanks for the reminder. It’s a new door forming. One of the clarinet freshmen appears to be a magic user. I’m not sure which one, though.”
“Cool!”
“That’s awesome!”
“Much better news.”
“I know, right?” Iris agreed.
“I think it’s Sienna,” Zarina said after a moment of quiet pondering.
“Which one is Sienna, again? There are too many clarinet freshmen to keep them all straight,” Thorin asked.
“You could try getting to know us rather than continually referring to us as freshmen.” Iris crossed her arms. She knew her tone betrayed her disgusted attitude towards Thorin.
“She’s the one with really curly, kind of frizzy hair that’s a pretty shade of burnt sienna with hints of red and gold. I might be a little jealous of her hair, actually,” Zarina finished with a huge grin.
“Me too,” Iris agreed. “Why do you think it’s Sienna?”
“I'm pretty sure she used magic to flip to the precise song at rehearsal the other night. She must’ve done it five or six times. That means she can already access the flows of power surrounding us, right?”
“It sure sounds like it. But she may have no clue she’s doing it. Anyway, her door hasn’t formed yet, so no one is allowed to talk to her about magic. I don’t want her to develop a block.” Iris waited until everyone gave her nods or murmurs of ascent before continuing. “Those are all the announcements I have. I know it was a last-minute meeting, so thank you all for being able to make it. Since we’re all here, does anyone want to get some training in?”