First Magic by Raven Steele (ebook reader screen txt) 📖

He studied me for a moment then said, “Early.”

“You’ll easily get the job.” I came to my feet, practically springing out of the chair. “I have to get some homework done but dinner later?”

He nodded with narrowed eyes. “Fine, but we’re going to finish this conversation at dinner.”

“Whatever you say, Jake.” I hurried to my room and closed the door behind me, my chest tightening along with every muscle in my body.

Like a caged tiger, I paced the worn carpet, opening and closing my hands. Fevered Light raced through my veins igniting my body as if it were on fire. I had to expel this extra energy and fast. Already, my body temperature was rising.

I threw open the window. My feet hit the ground running.

I’d specifically chosen this house because of the backyard, which wasn’t a yard at all but more of a steep hill. The old home had been built against the Wasatch Mountains; they loomed over the house like a sleeping giant.

I raced up the giant, anxious to get as far away as possible. The steep grade proved no problem for my energized muscles. I dodged in and out of the trees like a ferocious wind until I reached the top. I’d never pushed myself this hard before, but then again, I’d never been this anxious before, either. With the clear blue sky laid out before me, I realized it wasn’t just fear over finding the dead woman’s shoe that had spurred me on, but something else.

I couldn’t find the words to express how I felt. Sure, I was frightened, but I also felt something I thought I’d written off long ago. The longing to love and be loved in return. Christian’s touch had made me feel this, but so had Mr. Steele’s. Desire. Attraction.

These feelings turned my body into an emotional blender, and the only way to sort through them was to run them right out of me.

After a few hours, I calmed down and decided to head back. I’d convinced myself that everything would be okay. I just had to get through my senior year, then could move wherever I wanted. I could ignore my feelings for that long.

As for the shoe on my porch, I wasn’t afraid anymore. It was unlikely the shoe was tied to the murder, but just in case, I decided to call the police later and tell them about it. I did consider myself a good citizen, after all.

I crawled back through the window and opened my bedroom door. Immediately, I knew Jake was gone. The house was void of the familiar gaming sounds that were about as constant as a ticking clock.

“Llona?” a voice called from the living room.

I frowned. “May?”

I found her standing near the open door in gym clothes.

She grinned awkwardly. “Jake just left. He said I could come inside to find you.”

“What are you doing here?” She’d never been to my house before.

“I came to take you to basketball tryouts.”

I reared back in surprise. “But I didn’t say I was trying out.”

“Neither did I, but I decided that we’re both going to, so go change. I don’t want to be late.”

“May, I—”

She stepped forward, shushing me with a finger to my lips. “I know we don’t talk about it, Llona, but we’re different from others. And this has caused us to live in a protective bubble where we shut ourselves off from not only connecting with others, but letting ourselves do the things we really want.”

When I opened my mouth to speak, she shushed me again. “I know you like basketball, all sports for that matter. I’ve seen you in P.E. You’re extremely competitive, and you’re good. I feel like I might have a little skill too, but I don’t want to do it alone.”

She paused, watching me with hopeful eyes. “Please don’t shatter my dreams.”

The way she was staring at me, the pleading, desperate tone of her voice, made laughter bubble past my tight lips. The tension in my muscles left with it. “Whatever. I’ll go get dressed.”

She yelped with joy and jumped on top of me. We both stumbled into the wall laughing.

I had to admit, the thought of being competitive, pushing myself to my limits, made Light’s magic grow inside me. I could feel it urging me on, whispering encouraging and exciting words. It was a strange feeling. I’d always suppressed it before.

When May and I entered the high school gym, a few girls were already practicing. I resisted the urge to turn back. The thought of belonging to a team, socializing, playing in front of a crowd scared the hell out of me.

May stopped and looked back at me as I stood in the entrance. “What’s wrong?”

I continued forward, trying hard to ignore my racing pulse that came from both fear and excitement. “Nothing. I’m good.”

I don’t think my mother would’ve approved of me playing a sport. Auras were supposed to be gentle, loving, and kind. But most of all, because of our Light, we were supposed to be humble. According to my aunt Sophie (and probably my mother, too, but I was too young to ask) sports were prideful. Sophie thought they were a form of fighting—man pitted against man to see who was better.

A few years ago, I asked her if I could play soccer, just a rec league through the city, nothing serious. She’d completely flipped out. I tried to explain that I only wanted to join because it made my body feel better, especially around the full moon, but she’d thought that was just an excuse.

“Go running for five hours instead,” she’d told me. I didn’t bring up sports ever again.

May and I only had a few minutes to practice before Ms. Lindsey, the basketball coach and also my P.E. coach, yelled from across the court. “Let’s get started!”

I sat down on the bleachers next to May while Ms. Lindsey handed out a schedule. She was a tall, barrel-chested woman with short, blonde hair. Her shoulders were much larger than the rest of her body, making her look a little like an anime character.

“It’s great to see so many of you here today. I see the usual group and some new faces.” Her gaze settled on me and May. “That’s good. It means we will have a much better chance of creating a winning team.”

I glanced behind me. There were about twenty girls. Most of them I recognized. Even though I’d never played before, I often went to their games.

She continued, “Now I know you girls are mature enough to realize I’m only keeping the top ten and maybe a few alternates. Just the hardest-working players will make the team, is that understood?”

May and I shared a look. We had to both make it. I didn’t want to do this without her. By the nervous look in her eyes, she was thinking the same thing.

“All right. Let’s get started. Laps first. Everybody on the court.”

The girls stood looking a little nervous, except for me—I jumped up. My body was more than ready to run.

Ms. Lindsey turned to me. “You seem awfully anxious, Llona. Why don’t you get started first? The rest of you follow. I’ll tell you when to stop.”

After fifteen minutes of circling the gym floor, a whistle blew again.

“Line up beneath the basket,” Ms. Lindsey barked.

I jogged over to the edge of the basketball court. The others weren’t so quick.

“Ladders next, girls. You know the routine. For those of you who don’t, follow the girl in front of you. Go until I say stop.”

I took off running, moving back and forth between the lines on the court. I thought I was focused on the task until my eyes caught movement in the doorway of the gym. Christian. My legs suddenly became like strings of licorice. The effect was ruthless.

I fell flat on my face and slid a short distance from him. The sound of flesh tearing on the polished gym floor screeched as loudly as Ms. Lindsey’s whistle. The other girls, thinking they’d heard just that, stopped. Several of them laughed when they saw me sprawled on the floor.

Christian knelt in front of me, his brows drawn together. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” I said and scrambled to my feet.

He shook his head. “No way. It sounded like your skin peeled off.”

We looked down at the same time. Sure enough, the top layer of skin on both my knees and part of my shins were gone. I grimaced.

“You all right, Llona?” Ms. Lindsey called.

Before I could answer, Christian said, “She could use some bandages, Coach.”

I cast him a sharp look.

“You know where the stuff is,” Ms. Lindsey said. “Can you take care of it?”

He grinned and met my gaze. “Sure. I’ve got this.”

My heart skipped a beat at his intense gaze.

“Who told you to stop?” Ms. Lindsey snapped at the other girls.

A few audible sighs lifted into the air, but they did as they were told.

Christian nodded his head toward the locker rooms. “Let’s go, speed racer.”

I reluctantly followed behind him, inhaling his wake that smelled like sandalwood with a hint of citrus.

“You know,” he said, once we were out of earshot from the other girls. “I can’t keep taking care of you.” He held his mouth tight to keep from smiling.