Page 39 of Mistaken Magic

"It'sa careful thing," he explained. "Butyou don't get to ask all the questions without answering a few in return."

"Fairenough,"Iagreed.

"Whatdo you think ofAspen?" he asked.

Ihad to pause to really consider that. "She'sreally nice to me, butIget the impression she's not really a nice person.Like..."Thatsounded so bad. "Imean she's the kind of person who treats people the way they treat her, but exponentially more.Iwant to like her, butIdon't really know her that well."

"Anddo you like the flower she gave you?" he asked.

Ijust ducked my head. "Yeah, it's cool.Imean,Ithink it's a pretty plant and all, but yesterday was a little crazy for me, andI'mterrifiedI'llkill it.Ican't imagine how bad that will piss her off."

"Youwon't kill it," he promised. "Justbe kind to it."

"Toa plant?"Becausethat sounded a little insane.

"Toa plant," he agreed. "It'sa pretty universal rule for all things fae.Dounto them how you hope they would do unto you."

Ismiled, looking up to meet his eyes. "Which,Ihave a feeling, is the second important lesson you've taught me today, and probably the most important, huh?"

"Secondmost important," he assured me. "Theiron trumps that.It'salso the one place where you can excel and we will always fail."

Myeyes narrowed asItried to read his bland expression. "Thatalmost makes it sound like you're rooting for the weird human girl."

"Kindaam," he assured me. "Afterall, you're interesting."

Chapter Eighteen

Whenbiology let out,Iheaded to meet up withLynnin front of the school's main entrance.Nevermind thatIhad to walk past the cafeteria to get there.Shealso wasn't alone.Afew girls were standing around, talking to her.Ididn't want to interrupt, butIalso didn't want to make her wait, soImoved where she could see me, then waved.

"Rain!" she called to me, pushing through the group to hurry over. "Thecafeteria's right over here."

"Friendsof yours?"Iasked. "Becauseyou didn't need to rush off.PrettysureIcan tackle a cafeteria on my own."

"Notfriends," she assured me. "So, how was your morning of core classes?"Shewas clearly changing the subject.

"Nothinglike the core classesI'mused to,"Iadmitted. "Ihave a feelingI'llbe reading my textbooks for the next week just to catch up.Atleast math was pretty normal."

"It'suniversal," she agreed, turning to grab the cafeteria door for me. "And, here we are.So, over there is the line for the buffet.Justgo get whatever you want, and while it may not be thebiggest serving, you can always have seconds, or even thirds, so go crazy."

WhenIfinally got to it, the food smelled good and looked better.Itwas served up by a trio of people on the other side of a glass partition.Itkinda reminded me of theSubwayline, actually.OnceIhad a meal picked out,Ilooked over the mass of bodies at all the round tables, hoping for someplace that had enough space for me to not interrupt.Itdidn't exist, and all the tables seemed to be taken, soIstarted walking toward the back, maybe even outside.

Atleast thereIwouldn't have to ask if someone minded ifIjoined them, andIwasn't sureIcould do any more groveling today.Lynnwasn't exactly going out of her way to be friendly.Sure, she was nice, but it felt a bit like an obligation, andIreally didn't want to bethatgirl, the one people only talked to because they felt sorry for me.Ialmost made it to the far side of the dining hall when a voice called my name.Followingthe sound,IsawLynnwaving.Well, if she was calling me, then maybeIreally was welcome?Notwanting to pass up my good fortune,Ichanged course, weaving through the student body for her table.

"Hey,"Isaid, tipping my head at the empty chair across from her. "Youmind?"

"Sit!" she said, making it clearIwas expected to. "So, any horror stories yet?Readyto go back to a safe and normal school?"

"No, it's actually more interesting this way.Schoolused to bore me,"Iadmitted. "Thisfeels more like reading a good book."

"Ican see that."Shegave me an understanding nod. "Istarted here last year, soIkinda felt the same way."Thenshe pointed around the table. "Ok, that'sMatt,Chris,Amy, andCharlotte."

Thegroup all looked up with a smile, but none of them stopped eating. "Lorraine,"Isaid, sinceLynnhadn't offered my name.

"Weknow,"Amyteased. "Trustme, everyone knows who you are.SilverOaksisn't that big.Wealso know we're supposed to call youRain."

Iopened my bottle ofCoke. "Yeah.Iguess that was my suitemate's idea.So, how bad is my life about to be?"

Mattshrugged. "Secondperiod said you were a complete burner, but by third you were deemed tolerable.SomethingaboutAspenpassing you her crack?"

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