Page 15 of Mistaken Magic

Itdidn't seem like nearly enough time.

Chapter Eight

Justdown the hall was a pair of spotless glass doors.Iheaded straight for them, and since they opened easily,Istepped through.Theair in the atrium was thick and humid, but not cold.Italso wasn't warm, although considering it was nearly freezing outside,Iwas impressed.Thisfelt like spring, and the plants clearly agreed.Islowly made my way around the area, letting my fingers trail across some of the tropical-looking and unique leaves.

Therewere flowers everywhere - of all different colors.Someof the trees were impressively tall, but the roof was just a little taller.Andright in the center of it all was a treeIcould only describe as silver.Thebark was pale like a poplar, and the top sides of the leaves were green, but the undersides - which was pretty much allIcould see from down here - looked like they were shiny.Silverwas the best word for them.

Clearly, this was the silver oak the school was named for.Thebase of the tree was large.BigenoughIcouldn't reach all the way around it.NotthatItried, because this thing was massive.Likely, that meant it was very old.Ihad a feeling the school had been built around it instead of the reverse.Largeroots brokefrom the ground around the base, making spaces that looked like inviting places to sit.

Iloved it.Somethingabout this felt like a fantasy come to life.MaybeI'dseen too many pictures onPinterestor something, but it reminded me of the kind of place a girl in some fancy dress would sit to read a book.Makingmy way out from there,Ipaused at a collection of unique flowers.Oneset was blue, and the royal kind.Notbaby, not pastel, but a bright, vivid blue.Themost shocking thing to me was that no one had picked them all.

Butone acre of garden was a lot more space thanIexpected.Ata glance, it seemed to be about four times the size of theSpark'syard.Like, their entire yard, house included.Thenthere were all the flowers, shrubs, and even a little pond with some fat fish.EverytimeIturned around,Iended up bumping into another plant - even thoughIsworeIshould have enough room.

WhatIloved most were the trees, though.Therehad to be at least twenty different types in here, andIwas pretty sure no two were the same.Evergreens, normal trees, and strange ones that looked like they were from somewhere far away.Itwas like a damned tree zoo!Iwas looking up at a massive weeping willow when someone appeared beside me.

"Hey."

Isqueaked and jumped back, feeling one of those exotic flowers brush my leg.Thegirl was lean and willowy, but also beautiful.Herhair was so pale it was almost silver, complete with the darker streaks through it, and her porcelain skin looked like she'd used a filter to get her stunning glow.

Thesmile on her lips, however, was warm and welcoming, which made me feel stupid for jumping like that.Impishly, she held out a paper straw of some kind - oh, aPixyStix- like a sign she was sorry.Ilaughed off my fright and accepted the paper tube of colored sugar.

"Youstartled me,"Itold her. "KindathoughtIwas out here alone."

"Sorryabout that."Sheshifted from one foot to the other, her eyes jumping down beside my legs. "Soare you starting here?"

Talkingto her made me feel a little self-conscious. "Yeah, um,Iwant to.Ijust took the exam for theAdvancedPlacementprogram, butIthinkIfailed it."

Fora long moment, she merely looked at me.Standingso close,Icouldn't help but notice her eyes were the coldest shade of blueI'dever seen.Theyweren't pastel.Morelike electric ice.Likeeverything else about her, she was vivid in her lack of pigment.

"Um,I'mLorraine,"Isaid, trying to break the awkwardness.

"Yep,RainBrooks," she said, her gaze just a bit too intense.Itwas almost as if she could see straight through me.Thenshe blinked and shook her head. "Oh!Sorry.I'mAspen.AspenFox."

"Prettyname,"Isaid.

Sheshrugged that off. "Myguardian chose it.Whochose yours?"

"Ihonestly have no idea,"Iadmitted. "Ihaven't talked to my mom sinceIwas like five, and my dad's dead.KindahowIended up in the foster system."

"Mm," she said, tapping her straw of sugar against her fingers. "Basedon the shirt you're wearing, you're one of theSparks' foster kids."

"Wait, does everyone know about theSparks?"Iasked.

"Ido," she said with a little shrug.Thenshe turned to walk beside me, slowly ambling us both toward the trunk of the willow. "Rain, you don't want to be there."

"Whichis whyIwant to be here,"Iagreed. "Nevermind the chance to earn some college credits."

Thatearned me a little smile, the kind that made my lips want to match.Thenshe broke off the top of her ownPixyStixtube and poured a little onto her tongue. "So, the room that shares with mine is open.Ithink they just finished cleaning it.Whenare you moving in?"

"IwishIcould."Iopened my own straw and poured some into my mouth. "Fromthe wayMs.Rhodeslooked,Ihave a feelingI'mnot the kind of student they want here."

Withan almost childish giggle, she flopped her back against the trunk of the willow. "Ican help with that."

"How?"Iasked.

ButAspenchanged the subject. "Tellme,Rain, what kind of girl do you really want to be?Doyou look at the rich kids in your school and long for their money?Doyou watch the student council types and dream of futures like theirs?Wherewould you fit into your school if you could?"

"Truthfully?Inever worried about those things,"Itold her. "Ican't get the chance to beanythingbecauseIkeep having to move.It'slikeIhave the worst luck."

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