“Buddy, wake up; it's time for school.” Abel hovers over Elias, putting on his highest-pitched voice before breaking out in violent coughing.

  “Abel, move.” Elias wakes up groggy and sweaty, the memories of yesterday still fresh in his mind.

  “Now that everybody is here I think—”

  “Shut up, nerd,” Abel interrupted Ezra as he went to his bed to sit.

  “As I was saying, we have to go and leave this town if we're going to find Cain. Abel was able to get us a plane and a pilot, but the thing is, he does not like magic users.” Ezra explained cautiously

  Abel took targeted glances at Elias but was met with the finger.

  “What we need from you, Elias, is to go in and negotiate a deal with him so we'll be able to go. While you're doing that, me and Black Magic are going to steal cargo from a plane taking off just before ours. Any objections?” Ezra said, looking at Elias.

  Abel made a rude face at the name he was dubbed, “Bitch.”

  “Uh, yeah, why do I have to do that, and why would he let you through if I'm there?” Elias asked, getting nervous for something that hadn't even happened yet.

  “Because it would make a good impression, duh.” Abel says it like it's common knowledge.

  “Unbelievable”

  “Alright, we're doing this tomorrow at 11 pm. You could come with us and we'll go together or you follow through with the plan,” Ezra said, cutting Elias some slack

  It was already decided for Elias. He'd have to do this alone, and he'd have to do it well.

  Elias glanced at the time only to see that it was already 11:50. He quickly got up and rummaged through his drawer in search of any clothes that even remotely match.

  Quickly picking out jeans and a hoodie, he rushed to the bathroom to get ready. Ezra and Abel exchanged glances and waited till he left the bathroom.

  Elias left the bathroom to see Abel staring him down and Ezra to the left of him.

  “Where are you going?” Abel asks, although Elias didn’t have a choice to not answer.

  “I saw him with a girl yesterday,” Ezra adds, half serious.

  “Leave me alone,” Elias says, speeding past the two.

  “Hey, is that my cologne?” Abel yelled as Elias walked out the door, shutting it loudly.

  Elias laughed. “See ya!”

  Elias stepped out into the warm sun. Elias hadn’t actually felt real sun before. Greyharbor was always cloudy. Its temperature felt like it was always air-conditioned. Redwillow didn’t wait for Elias to get outside. Shops were already open, and people had already begun shopping.

  Elias fixed his hoodie, took a few steps, and kept fixing it again.

  It’s just some food

  He even fixed his hair as if he hadn’t just fixed it earlier.

  As the yellow building came into sight, Elias could only feel the butterflies in his stomach flutter.

  Sylvie was sitting on a bench in front of the building. She kept her wired earbuds in and stared off into the distance. She checked her phone and sighed before Elias got to her.

  “Sylvie!” Elias yelled out to her, picking up his pace.

  She looked up and smiled, straightening her posture and taking out an earbud. The uncontrollable type. “Hey, you’re late!”

  “Yeah, sorry,” he said, his hand gliding to his head. “Shall we?” He asked smugly, opening the door for her.

  Stupid

  “I guess you’re a real gentleman.” She brushes past his side as she walks through the door.

  He grinned as she turned around to face him. “Wait, is this like a restaurant or like…?” I didn’t look at the sign.”

  She gave him a dubious look. “It’s fast food, dummy.”

  Elias gave a nervous chuckle as he began to focus on the uninteresting self-order machine.

  They walked up to the register, where they waited in the longer-than-usual line.

  “Hey,” Sylvie whispers as the line moves up, “can you order for me, please? I get nervous.”

  “Dude—uh, whatever.”

  “Thanks, Eli.”

  Elias' heart flutters this time instead of skipping a beat. “What do you want?”

  “Um, I think the number nine meal and fruit punch, yeah, thanks.”

  “Yeah, yeah, Sylvie.”

  “Hello, welcome to Ceeny's. What would you like to order?” said the uninterested cashier, thinking of better days.

  There was a small pause as Elias forgot who was meant to be speaking.

  Sylvie’s gaze reminded him of what he was meant to be doing. “Oh, yeah, two number nines with fruit punch on both and size medium for both, thank you.”

  “Will that be all?” She said, entering their orders without even looking at the screen.

  “Yes.”

  “It will be 25 dollars and 36 cents. Cash or card?”

  Elias pulls out three crisp 10-dollar bills he'd been saving ever since they came to Redwillow. “Yeah, here, and keep the change.”

  Coins were too much of a hassle.

  Before Elias knew it, he had spent all his money on their food, so now he was absolutely broke.

  “You know I have money, right?” "Said Sylvie," as she sat down at their table, sitting directly across from Elias.

  The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  “Yeah, I kinda panicked.” Elias avoided eye contact desperately.

  “Geez, man,” she says, her voice running from her thoughts, “anyways.”

  Elias slouched slightly further in his seat as the embarrassment faded slightly.

  “Two number nines and two fruit punches?” The same cashier asks with a tray of 4 burgers, two fries, and drinks.

  Elias quickly looks at Sylvie, hoping she'd answer.

  “Yes, thank you.” Sylvie answers as the lady places the tray down and goes back to the growing line.

  “Holy shit, that was fast; we just sat down,” Elias said, genuinely surprised at the speed.

  “Too bad their food is kind of mid,” said Sylvie, already mid-bite, “and they load your drinks with ice. Like, look at this.” She swallows her food and shakes the drinks, but it sounds like nothing.

  “Dude, this food is amazing. What do you mean?” Elias digs into his first burger, surprised at how something so good could be made so fast. “My parents never let me go to fast food places like this. It's my first time. Said they cooked it in magic or something.”

  “You really are new here, huh? Sorry, I didn't order. I get nervous with strangers sometimes.” Sylvie said, now also avoiding eye contact.

  “Really? You seemed pretty confident when you led me to your own shop,” mocked Elias, smiling while sipping his drink.

  She rolls her eyes, “It's different, man, anyways,” her voice trailing. “You asked about my family yesterday, right?”

  “I did, yeah; I forgot.” Elias didn’t actually; he just hoped she did. It would’ve been better if she answered in the moment.

  “It’s complicated.” Her voice dies down slowly. “They’re torn between letting me go to college or making me get a husband.”

  “Damn.”

  “Yeah.” She sounded like the green from her eyes was fading

  “What do you plan on studying in the future?” He asks, trying to shift the attention away from her parents

  “You see,” she said, the green coming back, “I want to be a psychiatrist; it’s always been a dream of mine!”

  "That's amazing, Sylvie!" Said Elias with a smile, “I can see that for you.”

  There was a small pause

  “So, where are you from? You said you were travelling.”

  “Well, I've only just started; I'm from Greyharbor, not too far from here.” Elias said, looking off into the distance.

  “Hm, never heard of it.” She relaxes in her seat. “Who else do you travel with, or is it just that one guy?”

  “Yeah, there's another one; he’s kind of dumb though.” Elias says, thinking of the morning.

  “Elias,” she says, getting all serious, “Where are your parents?”

  Sylvie puts her drink down and raises her eyebrow.

  “Oh—it is a pretty long story I could tell you if you promise you won’t tell anyone.”

  “Of course you can trust me.” Sylvie puts her second burger down and leans forward.

  Woah

  “Okay, so basically it all started when I got into a fight with some scary guy, and then the idiot I mentioned came in and popped the guy, like deadass, with magic too. It was crazy. The guy then had the audacity to try and recruit me. I said yes, but still, dude. We went, and we picked up the guy you saw yesterday, and then we left Greyharbor. Actually no, we broke into some guys' houses, some rich guys' houses, and then we left. While we were driving, we got attacked by some beast. I almost fucking died, but it's all good because Abel used his weird, like, black magic or whatever Ezra called it. Oh yeah, Abel is the idiot, and Ezra is the guy we saw. But anyways, we went to Dr. Shaw’s, and he nursed me back to health, and then I met you here.”

  “What!” She shouted, coming even closer and alerting the restaurant. She slowly got back into her seat. “You’re a criminal, Elias, and so is your group!” She whispered, trying not to make a scene.

  “Well, if you put it like that—”

  “The hell!” She whispered loudly, “Sorry, but why? What?”

  “I was just kind of bored and, like, discontent with stuff back there, and stuff spiraled from there, really,” Elias laughs nervously.

  “That's kind of real, but what!” Her voice escalates up this time instead of down. “This is scary, man.”

  “Yeah, it does sound kinda bad if I say it like that,” Elias laughed again, “but I haven't killed anyone, I promise.”

  “Well, I guess that's a relief, sort of,” she sighs, but the panic still stays in her eyes. “I wouldn't have expected all this from you, Elias.”

  “Well, yeah, I wouldn't either.” He laughed, but she only gave a chuckle.

  “I wish I could leave like that too sometimes.” She looks up, thinking of her past.

  “I probably shouldn't tell you this, but I have to go and negotiate with some smuggler so we can have a lift in a damn plane. You could come with me if you want.” Elias figured that it was too late to not speak his mind and tell the truth about his situation. He was too far gone.

  “You're unbelievable. I'm supposed to keep my record clean here.”

  “If everything goes right, nobody will suspect a thing.”

  “You're lucky I like you.”

  “Huh?” Elias leaned closer to hear properly

  “I said you're lucky I'm already involved.”

  “Oh yeah, sorry, you could stay if you want.” He said, suddenly feeling regret for dragging a promising student into his affairs.

  “Well, it's not like I'm for sure going to college, and I don't want to see you get kidnapped, so I'll help,” she says, smiling, her green eyes glistening in the sun. “I need some excitement in my life anyway.”

  “Wait, you're still in high school, right?” Elias hadn't asked her age, and he wanted to in the least rude way possible.

  “Yeah, I'm a junior. What year were you in before you ran away?”

  “I was a sophomore.”

  “Damn, you’re young, too young to be asking me to do illegal stuff with you.”

  “Dude!” Elias rolled his eyes. “Anyways, tomorrow just come to my apartment by 11 pm, and I'll meet you there.”

  “Geez, man.”

  “I think we should clean up now,” Elias said, looking at the destruction he created of his meal.

  “Yeah,” she laughed, looking at her own.

  Decisions began to weigh in as they left the restaurant. The sun didn't feel as warm and reassuring now. More like a ball of heated gas.

  They walked slowly and silently. Far enough that a passer-by would walk straight through them. They both were unsure for different reasons.

  Elias felt responsible for a possible future ruined, although it wasn't for sure. Them even being able to convince the guy wasn't for sure.

  “Hey Sylvie?” He gets closer to make sure she hears, “You use magic, right?”

  “Oh yeah, I do, actually, though not much.” They stopped as she lifted her hand in front of her face.

  Liquid began to bead from her hands, and when Elias looked, he saw that same liquid everywhere on her skin. Her soft lips lost their life and turned dry and pale. She began to blink rapidly as the tears were ripped from her eyes.

  As the first drop fell, the rest began to fly and converge at a single point on her finger. A ball of water levitated in front, rotating and changing shape as drops fell onto the pavement.

  It smelled of Clorox, the type you’d smell in a pool.

  The ball retracted into her fingers, going back from where it came. Slowly the moisture in her lips came back, and her tears returned.

  “I kind of overdid it, but yeah, it works nonetheless.” Sylvie said, avoiding eye contact as they kept walking.

  “Holy moly, dude.” Despite his prejudice, he knew when something was to be appreciated. “That was actually kinda cool. I don't really mess with magic, but that was cool.”

  “Oh, you're like one of those magic racist people.” She smirks and then laughs in his face.

  “Well, no, my parents were, but I don't really use magic. But don't go doing that around the smuggler; he's more like my dad than I am.”

  “Ohh, so that's why your group asked you. I thought you were like a genius at negotiation or something.

  “Oh God no,” he chuckled, “You can fight, right?”

  “I thought this was meant to be safe, Elias.” She sides with him.

  “Well, it is, but I don't trust those two to not bring trouble.”

  “Well then, in that case, yes, I can. I'm actually a martial artist; I've practiced since I was a child.” She smirks to herself. “The real question is, can you fight?”

  “Of course I can. I've been practicing martial arts for the better part of a month,” he sarcastically smirks to himself, “But yes, I can.”

  Warmth flooded Elias’ heart as they shared a laugh together.

  “Okay, well, this is my stop.” He stared up at the tall brown building and then back down at Sylvie and her bright green eyes.

  Woah.

  “Bye, Elias, I'll see you tomorrow; don't be late!” She walks away facing Elias. Waving before she turns around.

  “I live here, by the way. I live here!” Elias yells back to her, “Bye!”

  And again Elias yelled for himself in the stairwell.

  As he opened the door, he sensed the aura of the two accusers inside.

  “How was your date?”