Shattering Crystals

"Hurry, hurry!"

The adrenaline pumps through my body, for the thought of getting caught is thrilling. But as my heart rate speeds up, so do the breaths I take. I stop packing and flop down in a chair, unnoticed by everyone dashing through the house

"Don't forget anything!" Lorraine screeches. "Aaron's gonna be back and we'll have to leave right then!"

"At least you aren't cleaning up other people’s shit, Lorraine!" Elise yells from the bathroom.

“Do something, Dana,” Lorraine says, running by me and to the bedroom. Instead of getting up, I stare down at my legs, feeling a bit dizzy.

"Dana?" I look up to see Connor. "What's wrong?"

I shake my head and try to take slower breaths. "Worried."

"Just relax," he says, kneeling down next to my chair. "I think we're safe. It's not like we're really gonna get caught just yet, are we?"

"No..." I say, already feeling a bit better. His words remind me of Cody, and the way he thinks we’re never going to get caught. But they way Connor says it, it seems so much more rational.

"So don't worry. I'm already done, and Aaron will be back soon." He smiles at me and I notice that his smile isn't perfect like his brother's. It's perfectly white - unlike mine - but some of his teeth are slightly crooked. Imperfection.

I don't respond, but instead start to relax as Connor had told me. Eventually I start to feel normal again.

"Thanks, Connor," I say. "I guess we should go help out, right?"

"You're welcome, and I guess so." He brushes his hair out of his eyes. It's getting long. "I just wonder if Aaron's gonna get back soon. And like, his parents are probably gonna be really suspicious."

"You're probably right. But there's really nothing we can do about it," I sigh.

"I know. But even with all this craziness," he says, gesturing to the madhouse before us, "this trip isn't half-bad."

"Guess not. Any specific reason for thinking that?" I ask.

He tilts his head to the side and looks at me curiously, a half-smile on his face. "I made some new, really good friends."

----

"I always thought that California would be... better, somehow," Elise says. She and Aaron are walking dangerously close, their hands about an inch apart. I wonder if Dean is silently watching.

"Oh, it is," Ashlee says cheerfully. "It usually isn't this warm though, not in winter. But we just have to go to the better places in California. Like Hollywood."

"Well, we can't go there," Lorraine says. "I don't want to waste any time."

"So this is all about you?" Elise says. "Shouldn't we enjoy ourselves?"

"What, and fail our mission?" Lorraine retorts.

"Whatever." Elise rolls her eyes. They have arguments like this all the time. It seems to be natural, though – neither knows why it always ends up this way. Something from the past, maybe?

We continue walking along the cracked sidewalk in the direction of magic. Ever since we found out about the sparks, we have practiced magic detecting until the glow fades away.

The whole group continues walking in silence as we get closer to a strip mall. Everyone agrees (except for Connor) that the magic source is somewhere around there.

"Hey, Lorraine," Cody says suddenly.

"What?"

"You have pit stains."

"No I don't," she says, pinning her arms to her sides.

"Then lift up your arms," he says, chuckling.

"...no."

Anyone who really knows Lorraine would know that she's a bit... perspirationally challenged. Elise starts laughing hysterically at this. Lorraine quickens her pace, her head held high like it always is.

"This way," Dean says, pointing towards the center of the mall. We all murmur our agreement and wait to cross the busy street.

Once we're there, Lorraine looks eagerly at the stores, looking at every window display. Somehow, this reminds me of shopping with Leilani.

When was that last time I thought about Leilani? I don't even remember, as I try to keep memories of my life at home locked away, shut tight. I do have to admit to myself that I miss her. But it's not enough to pull me back into my old life, to abandon my goal.

It’s times like this when I wonder what would have happened if I stayed. It crosses my mind all the time, and it’s quite repetitive. Would I be in third period right now? Would I be listening to the teachers droning on and on, or would I be passing notes and laughing with my friends? It always happens. I just can’t help but wonder.

"Book store," Aaron says, pulling me out of my thoughts. Lorraine's smile fades and she starts walking more slowly. She was never that interested in reading.

"Oh, I love books!" Elise exclaims. Just more reason for a rivalry... and for Dean to love her.

"I don't," Lorraine says. "I'd rather live my own life than read about others'."

"I think we should just go," Ashlee says, walking ahead of Lorraine to the door. She tugs on the door handle, but it doesn't open. "It's locked!"

"Uh, Ashlee," Connor says, trying to keep a straight face, "it says push."

"Oh." She successfully opens the door this time and we all enter the air-conditioned building.

"Finally, somewhere cool!" Lorraine says with relief. She inhales the air and sighs.

"I don't like the cold," Ashlee says, shivering a bit at the temperature change.

"Me neither," Elise says.

"It's not cold," Lorraine says. "It's nice."

"It isn't so bad," Elise agrees - for once.

"I think they're in the café section," Aaron says. Out of all of us, Aaron has the most experience with magic, and we tend to trust his senses more than our own.

"Maybe we can get a drink or something," Cody says hopefully.

"You'd have to pay for it yourself," Lorraine says, though the idea of personal possessions doesn’t really exist anymore. We have to share everything, and it gets kind of irritating. But we manage.

We all walk over to the café for the person, searching through the tables for someone who looks about our age.

"Found her," Dean says quietly. He gestures towards a table in the very back of the café. A stack of books is piled on the top. Sitting in the seats are a pale girl with white-blond hair and a small brunet boy.

"She looks kinda... familiar," Cody notes. "I think I've seen her before."

"Me too," Aaron says. "Weird."

"Let's just go talk to her," I say.

"But she's not alone," Lorraine argues. "I think she's tutoring that kid or something."

"Well, what do we do, then?"

"We wait."