Shattering Crystals

I set the place mat gently down on the white lace tablecloth, wondering why I even bother.

My mother is having a dinner party tonight, and I find myself dreading it. She always invites the strangest people, from crazy relatives to rude neighbors to strange co-workers. And I’m always forced to sit quietly while the adults laugh over things that don’t even make sense.

I hope things will be better this time, because I’ve been allowed to invite Lorraine. My plan is to go upstairs for the first half of the party and practice magic.

Ding dong. The sound rings through the whole house, signaling that the first guests are here, and that I don't know or really care who they are.

"Dana, get that!" my mother shrieks from the kitchen.

Opening the door, I see that it’s the Northons and their son, Dean. He’s cute, with a straight nose and dark brown eyes, but I’ve never really talked to him. He’s in my grade, but he’s too quiet to be noticed by most. So people usually avoid him.

“Uh, hi,” I say as I awkwardly stand there, unsure of what to say next.

Then my mother comes up behind me and greets them cheerfully, saving me from having to make conversation with near-strangers. While she makes small talk with t hem, I sneak upstairs, my bare feet making almost no sound on the carpeted staircase. I head into my room.

“Hi there.”

I jump in surprise, accidentally slamming the door. I slowly turn around to find someone already sitting on my bed.

“Lorraine! How did you get in here?” I ask, once I realize that it’s her and not some crazed killer.

“Invisibly. I snuck past the Northons and ran up the stairs. Can’t believe you didn’t hear me,” she says.

“I was kinda checking out their son,” I admit sheepishly.

“Better not let Jesse know,” she says, smirking. “Although he is cute. Just… kinda weird.”

“It’s not a crime to look at someone, is it?” I say, even though Jesse and I are going nowhere these days. Not after my realization. I sit down beside her.

“Guess not,” she says, flipping through the pages of a chapter book.

“So, how long can you stay invisible?” I ask, changing the subject to something more important. I fix my eyes on the book in her hands, wondering where she got it.

“Fifteen seconds, I’ve been practicing,” she says, setting the book aside.

“I’m up to twenty,” I tell her. “It’s not that easy, though.”

“Yeah, but you had a head start,” she says. “You knew about this whole magic thing before I did, really.”

“I didn’t practice it or anything,” I say. “I had to talk to you first to prove to myself that I wasn’t going crazy. I really thought I was.”

“So did I. But whatever. What do we need for this… trip?”

“Money. We should slowly steal from out parents and hope they don’t notice. And don’t go shopping, because we need all the money we can get.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know. I’ve been doing that, just like you said.”

“You’re still chewing that cinnamon gum though,” I point out. “Do you go through like, a pack a day?”

”It’s an addiction, I can’t help it!” she says. “It’s like smoking.”

“Whatever. What else do we need?”

“Well, money, like you said. But we need to be disguised.”

“I know. I thought we could dye our hair on the night we escape. And cut it.”

“I’ll be happy to do that,” Lorraine says. “I always do people’s hair for things. I can cut my own too.”

“Good, cause I wouldn’t trust me with scissors,” I say.

“Let’s go ginger,” she says. “We’ll be so hot.”

“I’m not sure if ‘hot’ is the right word,” I say. “More like ‘weird’. But anyways, have you done anything with magic that would help with disguises?”

“I can add freckles to my face, to help with the ginger thing. Except they only last for a few minutes.”

“Helpful. Anything else?”

“I can change my eye color for a few seconds.”

“Like that’s gonna – “ I start to say, but my sentence is cut off by my head spinning and my vision blurring.

“Dana? Are you okay?” Lorraine asks.

“Sorry, transformation coming on,” I say, rubbing my temples. It doesn’t seem to help much, or at all. “Marigold says this will only happen for a while longer until it comes slowly, but right now it’s just annoying. I’ll be good for ten minutes though, before anything really happens.”

“Okay,” she says. “You know what, though?”

At that moment, there’s a soft knock on the door, cutting her off.

“Come in,” I say, wondering who it is. I turn to look.

Suddenly there’s a flash of light as the door opens, so bright that I can’t see who is entering. Panicking, I look towards the mirror, seeing that the transformation has come early. I turn back to the hallway, and I see Dean standing there in shock as the light fades.

“I can explain,” I say, a million excuses flying through my head at the speed of light. I can’t find a good one to explain the sudden change in appearance, the flash of light…

But he doesn’t say anything, he just stands there blinking rapidly, trying to make sense of this sight before him. After a few seconds of staring, he opens his mouth to speak one word.

“Diana?"