Shattering Crystals

"Definitely!" I hear Lynda and Wessley enter the building, laughing about who knows what. I still wonder if Lynda knows what happened a month ago...

For once, everyone's slowly getting ready to leave - and it's not because we have to. We all sit in the lobby, a good mood hovering over us all.

The exception is Elise. She's not as outspoken as she had been before - which really does improve Lorraine's mood. She stays in her room all day, just reading any book she can find. And Dean is by her side once more - honestly, just hurting himself.

Ashlee and Dean hadn't worked out - they had nothing in common. The only similarity that they really had was that they're both afraid of heights, something that we had already found out at the carnival. The carnival that I had once thought was so magical...

Lorraine and Cody are still the same. I wonder why nothing has happened when everyone knows it's inevitable - even them.

And just like them, Aaron is still unchanged, for the most part - as firey as his hair. But he has taught us some useful tricks with magic. He just can't do as many practical spells - unless they have to do with heat.

"I'm so glad school is finally over," Wessley says, sitting down and joining our circle.

"School isn't that bad," Lynda says, sitting down beside him. She drops her bag by her feet.

"True," Wessley says, "but that’s because I got to see you everyday."

"Aww," Lorraine says, her voice dripping with sarcasm, "how adorable."

"Well, we're gonna leave for Hawaii in a month," Lynda says, changing the subject. But a faint pink tinge is noticeable in her cheeks. "I already told my family and they gave me the money."

"How much?" I ask.

"Enough," she states simply.

"My mom said to do whatever," Wessley says. "But she gave me the money too."

"You parents let you do anything," I remark, a hint of jealousy in my voice. "My parents never really let me do anything. So I mostly avoided them."

"I don't think my parents care about me that much, honestly," Lynda admits. "My sister, the model, was always the favorite. I'm used to it... so it doesn't bother me too much."

"That's how I recognized you!" Cody exclaims suddenly. "Your sister... her name's Chelsea?"

"Yeah. Chelsea McPhee."

"I saw her on TV a few times. I think you were there, too, in the background."

"I know," Lynda says. "I'd rather not be, though. I try to keep my distance from her."

"But it sounds like a lot of fun, being related to someone famous," Lorraine says. "I would like it."

"It could be, I know. I just don't like it. People always use you to get to them," Lynda explains, cracking her knuckles. I wonder if she will ever lose that habit. "They don't even get to know you, and their only goal is to get to the famous person. They just use you like that."

"Some people don't," Wessley says quietly.

Lynda suddenly grins. "If I remember correctly, you were the exact opposite." When Lynda sees everyone's confused looks she explains her statement. "Wessley is that opposite... because he used my sister to get to me."

I automatically think, who would do that? Has he ever seen Chelsea? But then I mentally slap myself for being so shallow. Still...

"She was boring anyways," Wessley says, putting an arm around Lynda. Lynda laughs, her mouth wide open and showing her huge metal braces - as if just to disprove my shallow thoughts before. Looks aren't everything... But how can they not be, when I'm destined to be beautiful? Would it all be worth nothing?

"She hates me."

"She..." Wessley stops, unable to answer.

"See, you can't deny it."

"Anyways..." Wessley says, introducing another awkward subject change. "I think the magic thing is cool. I mean, out of all people, you all found each other."

"Magic has a way of doing weird things," Aaron explains, picking up a decorative candle from an end table. He touches the wick and it instantly begins burning. "It attracts each other, so inevitably we would meet each other anyways."

"I wonder if it causes bad things to happen too," Elise says suddenly, after not speaking for about an hour. Her eyes are fixed on the flame. It's as if she wants Aaron to notice her again, as she’s only speaking when he does. "I believe in balance... and in this world, on Earth, there isn't magic. So it's logical that something would have to happen to balance it all out."

"Maybe," Aaron says. Elise seems hurt by his short response, but he turns away from her, not noticing. Or maybe he does notice, but doesn't want to say anything about it. I keep looking at Elise, her expression so hopeless and hurt.

Suddenly Lorraine screams, so loud that I thought the windows would shatter like the crystal I had held in my hand a year ago. I had never been able to create a crystal after that...

But I turn my head to the left to see what she's screaming about. I see a strand of her hair on fire and Aaron laughing hysterically. Elise looks like she's trying to perfect the looks can kill method of murder as Aaron quickly pinches out the fire.

"Not funny, Aaron," Lorraine says as she inches her seat away from him.

"It is..." he says, but she only glares at him and holds her long hair protectively.

"Kinda is," Wessley says, laughing a bit "It's cool, though, the whole phoenix thing. Mainly because I could never picture it until I saw it."

"Connor couldn't see me when everyone else first saw me. That's because I hid myself from non-magic people."

"I just saw fire," Connor adds in. "Like the clouds were burning or something. But it was cool."

"That's why I can't fly around a lot... People would see me and then everything would be over."

"Can you do the transformation again?" Wessley asks, grinning. "It's awesome."

"As long as he doesn't burn anything..." Lynda says quickly.

"Don't worry," Aaron says, getting up out of his seat. He walks to an empty area in the room. "The fire only burns things when I want them to. Like with Lorraine's hair."

"I hate you, Aaron," Lorraine grumbles. Aaron just laughs again and suddenly, he's gone as his form shimmers.

In his place is a large bird, its wingspan about six feet. It is beautiful in a way, the feathers ranging in between red and yellow in the color spectrum.

"So awesome," Wessley says, getting up to take a closer look. Aaron doesn't move and lets everyone gather around him. Lorraine doesn't get up from her seat, and neither do I. Just too lazy to get up, really. As everyone pokes Aaron's brightly colored plumage, Lorraine and I just sit there, watching.

"Lynda!" A voice suddenly calls. Everyone turns around to look, their heads moving so fast it's as if their necks are snapped that way. Aaron takes a few steps back from everyone and conducts the quickest transformation I've seen him do. But it's too late.

The damage is done.