Page 75 of Mistaken Magic

"Uh..."Torianlooked over atAspen.

Shejust shrugged. "Notour real names,Rain.That'swhy everyone fromFaeriehas these pretty names.Wepick them.Ourreal names have too much power over us, so we leave them behind.Theyalso don't blend in."

"Oh."Becausewhat else couldIsay?

Theguys went on about how it was a common practice, and how knowing someone's full, real name could be used against them.Iheard them, butIfound myself glancing over toAspenwhile they talked.Shedidn't look back, butIcould tell she knewIwas watching her.

Ijust couldn't stop thinking about how she'd kissed me.WasIbisexual?HadIliked it?Wouldthis makeHarperand the jesters target me the way they had her?Notthat iron would hurt me, butIhad a feeling there were a lot of other things which would.Mostof all, why couldn'tIstop thinking about it?

Abouther.

Itdistracted me enough that it wasn't untilIwas done eating whenIrealized the entire table of jesters was staring at me.Iwas sitting with the court.Noone sat with the court, and all four of them were talking to me.Ihadn't pushed myself in.Itwas clearI'dbeen invited.Andstaring right at me wasHarper, watching it all.

Well, it seemedI'dmade an enemy.Toobad for her,Ihad bigger things to worry about.Namely, whether or notI'dlost my best friend beforeIreally got her as one.

Chapter Thirty-Three

Thingswere awkward that weekend.OnSunday,Iwent to use the shower just asAspencame out.Wemet in the pass-through area in front of the sinks - and she was wearing nothing but a towel.Oureyes met and we both looked away quickly.Sheblushed, which made me blush, but it was like neither of us knew what to say.Iwas convinced she was mad at me, or upset, or disappointed.Something.

Then,Mondayin our math class, she passed me aPixyStix.Fora brief moment, our fingers brushed.Aninnocent and accidental gesture, but it felt like a zap of electricity straight up my arm.Ismiled.Shesmiled.Thatwas it.Icouldn't even explain how huge of a moment it was, butIfelt it.

Forthe rest of the day,Ikept thinking about that touch.Thenabout the kiss in the garden.Iliked it, butIwasn't sure ifIliked the boost to my ego, the simple fact someone liked me, or ifIactually liked her as more than a friend.

BecauseAspenwas beautiful.Shehad the type of charisma that made her stand out in a crowd.Somethingabout her felt almost infectious, as if she drew my eyes right to her.Now, after that kiss,Ikept thinking about more.Aboutthe plant she'd givenme, the way she'd pushed back my hair, and how she was always on my side.

Ijust liked her - but like was such a fickle word.Ifelt stupid, giddy, and most of all confused.I'dnever kissed a girl before.Itcertainly hadn't been disgusting, but didIwant to do it again?More?Needlessto say, by the time we got to lunch,Iended up stealing glances at her all through my vegetarian meal.Evenworse,Wildernoticed.

Iwas seventeen years old.I'dbeen to dozens of schools - literally - andI'dnever been attracted to a girl before, so this had to be a fae thing.Maybesome fae magic?Acompulsion?I'dheard people mention those, andIknewEnticementwas one of the many magical specialties they could have.BecauseIhad none of that,I'dfocused on learning the things which actually mattered to me every day.Thingslike how not to say thank you to anyone.

Butmy distraction made me take a beating inSelf-Defense.Thefaeling girlI'dbeen paired with had no intention of going easy on me.Sheattacked, forcing me to dodge and evade, but my brain kept getting stuck on my suitemate.ThewayAspenhad smiled at me so shyly.Aspenwasn't a shy girl, but she'd turned that way around me ever since we'd kissed, andIkinda liked it.

Whenwe broke to get ready for my last class of the day,OffensiveCombat,Brackenpulled me aside. "Rain,Iwant you to work withKeirtoday."

"Ok, why?"Iasked.

Thecombat instructor just stared at me.Fora little too long, he said nothing.Then, "Whateveris distracting you is going to get you hurt.Atleast withKeir,Iknow he won't break anything.Liamwould not take it well if you got hurt.ButI'mhoping that maybe you'll decide to talk to someone.Idon't even care who."

Whichwas how the pair of us ended up alone in one of the non-mirrored training rooms.Keirheld a pair of martial artssticks.Anotherset waited in the middle of the room.WhenIwalked in, he gestured for me to close the door, making this session private.

"Youseem to haveBrackenworried," he said. "Iwas told to go easy on you."

"Prettysure that's not going to help,"Igrumbled asIpicked up the sticks and tested their weight.

"Whathappened between the brave and brazen savior onFridayand this distracted and flighty girl today?"Hepushed away from the wall. "Swingat me while you talk."

"It'snothing,"Isaid.

Sohe took a poke at my side with his stick, making me block it. "Lie.Tryagain."

"Howabout none of your business?"Iasked, striking out at his elbow in one of the few movesIknew.

Hesimply twitched his arm, proving he was much more skilled at this than me. "I'mguessing you had a wild make-out session with..."Hiseyes narrowed. "TorianHunt?"

"No,"Isaid, throwing my best combat moves at him.

Ofcourse, he dodged them without even trying. "HawkeWoods?"

"No,"Isaid again, this time aiming for his legs.

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