Sequel: Twisted Returns ›
Status: Complete - 71,220 words
Shattering Crystals
once again the sparks glow
"Why do we have to go to all the warm places?" Lorraine complains.
"It's not like I choose where I want them to live," I say. "But I know, Texas, seriously?"
"Looks like the weather beats me again," Cody says.
"Alaska, Cody. Remember Alaska," Lorraine says.
"Dana," Connor says, "can we go inside? It's just way too hot..." I wipe the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and nod.
If something good came out of the experience at Elise's house, it was that Connor is finally talking to us again. Something happened at that small, disorganized house that made him finally realize how important our secret really is. Unfortunately, his speaking doesn't make up for Elise's lack of it.
"Elise, why so quiet?" Dean asks. "Is it because you had to leave your girlfriend and all?"
"I - no, Dean." Elise says. At least she speaks when spoken to. "That's not it."
"Are you sure? Because I thought it was kind of impressive."
"How so?"
"Because you just left like that, and broke up with your girlfriend."
"Well..." Elise starts biting her fingernails. "Living there was alright - there were a bunch of parties. Not like I knew anyone, but still. And Becca... I don't know. We weren't serious. Maybe we were just together because she gave me money for... stuff, and she could tell the guys she slept with that she was already taken when they asked.
"Oh," Dean says. "Well, if that's not is, what is it?"
"Nothing, I've just... been thinking about it all.”
----
"Why are we in a clothes store?" Connor asks.
"Because it's cooler in here. And clothes can define who you are," Lorraine says. "Plus, Elise needs to get some stuff to wear."
"Sorry," Elise murmurs. "I just wanted to leave it all behind."
"It's okay," I assure her. Although it isn’t really.., we can’t always spend money like this, and we only gained a bit with the addition of Elise.
"Elise, pick out a few things. Me and Dana are going to the bathroom." She drags me by the wrists, leaving Elise and the guys standing awkwardly in the women's department.
We reach the empty, light-smelling restroom and Lorraine heads straight to the sink. She turns the knob and splashes cold water on her face.
"Hey... you're not wearing makeup," I say. I had thought that she looked different. This reminds me of how badly I wanted to wear it on my birthday. Once I actually tried it though, I figured that it wasn’t worth it to put it on every morning and just got too lazy, really. And eventually, won’t I be so beautiful that I won’t need it anymore?
"Yeah, it would sweat right off anyway," she says, patting her face dry with a paper towel.
"'Kay," I say. "Let's go back."
"Wait!" Lorraine says. "I... feel something. It's getting closer." The tingling sensation starts up again in my fingertips. Are we really this lucky? I think that our theory about magic making us lucky might actually be right. Then a round girl with mousy brown hair walks into the room.
"Uh, hi?" she says. I notice that we are staring at her in an extremely creepy (or at least strange) way.
"Hi," Lorraine says, sticking out her hand. I wonder if this straightforward method will work well. She shakes with the puzzled expression on her face, and once again the sparks glow.
Here we go again.
----
"...so will you come with us?" Lorraine finishes.
"Of course! How could I not?" Ashlee - the girl's name - exclaims, gray eyes widening. Lorraine shoots me a shocked look. I realize that she didn't even expect her last minute plan to work. Is this girl forewarned, or just gullible?
"I also know where you can stay," Ashlee says, fixing her hair in the mirror.
" That’s awesome. Oh, and Ashlee? Did you know that there are unicorns living on Earth? You just can't see them. No one can at all, not even themselves."
"Really? That's so cool!"
Just gullible.
----
"Here, you can stay here with my friend," Ashlee says, knocking on the door of an apartment room. "It's gonna be a bit cramped... but I don't think she'll mind."
"Thanks, Ashlee," I say. "We're lucky that we found you so fast. Or rather, you found us."
"It's no problem," she says, blushing. "I mean, I think this is all really cool." The door opens to reveal a tall, thin woman.
"Ashlee? What are you doing here?" she says, her voice higher pitched than I had expected.
"My friends need a place to stay... but let's talk inside," Ashlee pushes past the woman and into the apartment.
"What? Ashlee, why?"
"They're runaways, Kelly," Ashlee says, plopping down on a couch. My mouth opens slightly, no words coming out. Had she been planning to blow our cover all along? Is Kelly some type of cop?
"Oh," Kelly says, dragging out the sound.. "Come right in then, quickly."
"Thanks, Kelly, I knew I could rely on you," Ashlee says.
"Yeah, you know I can care for people just like me." Just like me?
"Uh, Ashlee," Lorraine says, "why are we staying here? I don't mean that this place isn't nice, but..."
"Kelly is a runaway too," Ashlee explains. "Or, well, she used to be. Now she lives here, with my help."
"I still owe you," Kelly says, shaking her head. I wonder how everything happened, but I know that now isn’t the right time to ask.
"You can repay me by letting my friends stay here."
"Okay. We might be a little squished..." Kelly says, eyes darting around the room.
"It's fine," I say quickly. "We can sleep on the floor in our sleeping bags."
"Yeah, and I’m just gonna go home," Ashlee says. “I’ll come here tomorrow, though.”
"Alright... I'll do what I can," says Kelly. "You guys can start unpacking and everything, I'm gonna go buy us some food and stuff." Ashlee hands her some money and she leaves the apartment.
We all relax, in the presence of each other. Like what I noticed before, the magical connection stays consistent with everyone. We start unpacking and showing Ashlee our magic, also teaching Elise.
"It's so annoying how guys can't use magic," Cody says enviously.
"It's not my fault," I say. "You know the story - we were all of fairy blood in our past lives, and usually only females got enough magic to be able to use it."
"Yeah, but it's still unfair."
"Deal with it," Lorraine says. "Let's just unpack."
"It's not like I choose where I want them to live," I say. "But I know, Texas, seriously?"
"Looks like the weather beats me again," Cody says.
"Alaska, Cody. Remember Alaska," Lorraine says.
"Dana," Connor says, "can we go inside? It's just way too hot..." I wipe the sweat off my forehead with the back of my hand and nod.
If something good came out of the experience at Elise's house, it was that Connor is finally talking to us again. Something happened at that small, disorganized house that made him finally realize how important our secret really is. Unfortunately, his speaking doesn't make up for Elise's lack of it.
"Elise, why so quiet?" Dean asks. "Is it because you had to leave your girlfriend and all?"
"I - no, Dean." Elise says. At least she speaks when spoken to. "That's not it."
"Are you sure? Because I thought it was kind of impressive."
"How so?"
"Because you just left like that, and broke up with your girlfriend."
"Well..." Elise starts biting her fingernails. "Living there was alright - there were a bunch of parties. Not like I knew anyone, but still. And Becca... I don't know. We weren't serious. Maybe we were just together because she gave me money for... stuff, and she could tell the guys she slept with that she was already taken when they asked.
"Oh," Dean says. "Well, if that's not is, what is it?"
"Nothing, I've just... been thinking about it all.”
----
"Why are we in a clothes store?" Connor asks.
"Because it's cooler in here. And clothes can define who you are," Lorraine says. "Plus, Elise needs to get some stuff to wear."
"Sorry," Elise murmurs. "I just wanted to leave it all behind."
"It's okay," I assure her. Although it isn’t really.., we can’t always spend money like this, and we only gained a bit with the addition of Elise.
"Elise, pick out a few things. Me and Dana are going to the bathroom." She drags me by the wrists, leaving Elise and the guys standing awkwardly in the women's department.
We reach the empty, light-smelling restroom and Lorraine heads straight to the sink. She turns the knob and splashes cold water on her face.
"Hey... you're not wearing makeup," I say. I had thought that she looked different. This reminds me of how badly I wanted to wear it on my birthday. Once I actually tried it though, I figured that it wasn’t worth it to put it on every morning and just got too lazy, really. And eventually, won’t I be so beautiful that I won’t need it anymore?
"Yeah, it would sweat right off anyway," she says, patting her face dry with a paper towel.
"'Kay," I say. "Let's go back."
"Wait!" Lorraine says. "I... feel something. It's getting closer." The tingling sensation starts up again in my fingertips. Are we really this lucky? I think that our theory about magic making us lucky might actually be right. Then a round girl with mousy brown hair walks into the room.
"Uh, hi?" she says. I notice that we are staring at her in an extremely creepy (or at least strange) way.
"Hi," Lorraine says, sticking out her hand. I wonder if this straightforward method will work well. She shakes with the puzzled expression on her face, and once again the sparks glow.
Here we go again.
----
"...so will you come with us?" Lorraine finishes.
"Of course! How could I not?" Ashlee - the girl's name - exclaims, gray eyes widening. Lorraine shoots me a shocked look. I realize that she didn't even expect her last minute plan to work. Is this girl forewarned, or just gullible?
"I also know where you can stay," Ashlee says, fixing her hair in the mirror.
" That’s awesome. Oh, and Ashlee? Did you know that there are unicorns living on Earth? You just can't see them. No one can at all, not even themselves."
"Really? That's so cool!"
Just gullible.
----
"Here, you can stay here with my friend," Ashlee says, knocking on the door of an apartment room. "It's gonna be a bit cramped... but I don't think she'll mind."
"Thanks, Ashlee," I say. "We're lucky that we found you so fast. Or rather, you found us."
"It's no problem," she says, blushing. "I mean, I think this is all really cool." The door opens to reveal a tall, thin woman.
"Ashlee? What are you doing here?" she says, her voice higher pitched than I had expected.
"My friends need a place to stay... but let's talk inside," Ashlee pushes past the woman and into the apartment.
"What? Ashlee, why?"
"They're runaways, Kelly," Ashlee says, plopping down on a couch. My mouth opens slightly, no words coming out. Had she been planning to blow our cover all along? Is Kelly some type of cop?
"Oh," Kelly says, dragging out the sound.. "Come right in then, quickly."
"Thanks, Kelly, I knew I could rely on you," Ashlee says.
"Yeah, you know I can care for people just like me." Just like me?
"Uh, Ashlee," Lorraine says, "why are we staying here? I don't mean that this place isn't nice, but..."
"Kelly is a runaway too," Ashlee explains. "Or, well, she used to be. Now she lives here, with my help."
"I still owe you," Kelly says, shaking her head. I wonder how everything happened, but I know that now isn’t the right time to ask.
"You can repay me by letting my friends stay here."
"Okay. We might be a little squished..." Kelly says, eyes darting around the room.
"It's fine," I say quickly. "We can sleep on the floor in our sleeping bags."
"Yeah, and I’m just gonna go home," Ashlee says. “I’ll come here tomorrow, though.”
"Alright... I'll do what I can," says Kelly. "You guys can start unpacking and everything, I'm gonna go buy us some food and stuff." Ashlee hands her some money and she leaves the apartment.
We all relax, in the presence of each other. Like what I noticed before, the magical connection stays consistent with everyone. We start unpacking and showing Ashlee our magic, also teaching Elise.
"It's so annoying how guys can't use magic," Cody says enviously.
"It's not my fault," I say. "You know the story - we were all of fairy blood in our past lives, and usually only females got enough magic to be able to use it."
"Yeah, but it's still unfair."
"Deal with it," Lorraine says. "Let's just unpack."