Arcane Dropout 6 Read online

  “Claire?” he said.

  “Um…” She frowned and furrowed her brow. “Do I know you?”

  “Not yet,” he said. “My name’s Lee Amaranth. I need to talk to you. In private.”

  “Sorry, I have a boyfriend.” She turned and hurried off without looking back.

  “Wait!” he shouted. “Hold on. That’s not—”

  She’d already disappeared around the corner before he could finish explaining. Tess made a tsking noise and set her hand on his shoulder.

  “You should have opened with a joke,” she said. “Or at least something witty.”

  “I somehow doubt that would have helped.”

  “At least now you know where her locker is,” said Tess. “You should leave her a thoughtful note.”

  “You make it sound like I’m courting her.”

  Tess snorted. “How would you know? Have you ever courted a woman in your life?”

  “What? I courted you!”

  “You had sex with me in a closet on the first day we met.”

  “After strolling across campus,” he said. “That was basically accelerated courting.”

  “Ah, yes,” said Tess, rolling her eyes. “You truly are a romantic soul.”

  “I feel attacked.”

  “I’m not saying I’m any better,” said Tess. “Just so you know, I took my panties off while you were getting your lunch from your locker.”

  Lee felt under her skirt. “You liar!”

  “See! If you knew anything about courting a proper lady, you would have never dared to grope me like that without permission.”

  He rolled his eyes and got back to work. Leaving a note seemed like the best option currently available to him. It certainly had a higher chance of getting his point across than accosting her in the hallway again.

  He spent a few minutes considering what to write down, sensing how preposterous the full truth would sound in written form but also knowing that he needed to get her attention.

  Claire,

  I know your secret. I know you don’t understand it. Meet tonight in the park across from the school. 9 PM.

  A friend.

  “Hmmm…” mused Tess as she read it from over his shoulder. “That’s pretty good. I think it will reel her in.”

  “She’s not a fish, Tess.” He slipped the note through the slot of her locker and started down the hall.

  “It would probably be easier if she was. What are you going to tell her when she shows up? You still have to convince her that you can help and that you don’t mean her any harm.”

  “I don’t know yet,” he said. “I suppose I’ll have the rest of the day to think about it.”

  For whatever reason, he stuck around for his afternoon classes. One of them was physical education, and his lack of a change of clothing left him on the sidelines regardless. The other was entry-level Spanish class, which still managed to be far enough into its yearly lesson plan to be completely over his head.

  He didn’t look for Claire before leaving the school, trusting the note to do its intended job. He expected his sister to be waiting in the rented car somewhere outside, but she wasn’t. A glance at his phone revealed she’d texted him the address and room number of a nearby motel.

  “That would be scandalous coming from anyone other than your sister,” said Tess.

  As Lee soon discovered upon arriving at the motel, it was still somewhat of a scene. Zoe had apparently spent the day drinking beer and watching soap operas. She grinned and offered him one as he came into the room.

  “No thanks,” he said.

  “Don’t judge me,” she mumbled. “There’s literally nothing else to do in this town. Did you manage to talk to Claire?”

  “I left her a note. We’ll meet up later tonight.”

  He spent the next few hours watching TV and being entertained by his drunk sister. They ordered pizza for dinner, and soon enough, it was time for him to leave for the park.

  “You know, I will take a few of those beers with me, I think,” he said. “Might make the conversation go a bit more smoothly. There’s going to be a lot for her to take in.”

  Both Zoe and Tess gave him a look.

  “Promise me you’ll wear a condom with this one, at least,” said Zoe.

  “Jesus, Zoe!”

  “I’m actually with her on this,” said Tess. “At best, it’s inappropriate for you to be giving a beer to a high school girl. At worst, it’s borderline rapey.”

  “Fine, the beer stays here. I’m not allowed to have any fun, am I?”

  He made it to the park with time to spare. It was completely empty, the trees around the outer edge casting long shadows, making it hard to see much from the street. Lee took a seat on the bench beside the walking path that cut through the park’s center and started waiting.

  Ten minutes past the prescribed meeting time, a silhouette slowly began approaching him. He stood up and waved. It was quiet, and he could hear each footstep across the grass.

  “Claire?” he called.

  “She’s not coming, dickface.”

  It was the voice of Ronny, the guy Lee had bumped into outside the school and who’d tripped him in his first class. He glanced around, noticing three other shadowed, human shapes moving around the edge of the park. Claire had read the note, and she’d panicked.

  “I suppose I should have guessed this might happen,” said Lee.

  He took a few steps back from the bench, repositioning himself so that everyone who’d arrived to join the party was within his field of view.

  “Claire doesn’t want to see you,” said Ronny. “She’s a sweet girl, and the last thing she needs is some pushy transfer student trying to get in her pants.”

  “Is that so?” Lee slowly brought his hands together, falling into the conjuration casting stance, then hesitated.

  Using a spell, even a simple one, might risk attracting attention—which was fine for him, given that he had no intention of sticking around for longer than another day or two, but what of Claire? Even if he managed to convince her later on, it was possible that word of the incident could get around, putting her and possibly her family into the Order’s purview.

  “I don’t like your tone all that much,” said Ronny. “I think you need to be taught a lesson.”

  One of the other boys attacked first, lunging toward Lee from the darkness to his left. The boy went for a tackle, which was a shame, as Lee picked that very same moment to slam his leg upward. The point of his knee cracked into the boy’s jaw, and he dropped into a whimpering heap.

  It was quick, and it was easy, but Lee was still left outnumbered. He barely had time to get his guard up and turn his attention back toward the others before more blows were raining down on him.

  He tried to protect his face, feeling a punch graze the side of his neck and chin. A kick slammed into his left knee, not tearing or breaking anything, but hurting all the same. Lee threw his fist into Ronny’s stomach, but the movement left his guard down. A blow sneaked through the opening, hitting his eye and sending pain rippling through the rest of his face.

  Someone with an extremely hard shoe kicked him in the back. Lee shouted out in pain, stumbling forward. He heard Tess screaming and tried to mumble out a warning. The last thing he wanted was for her to start trying to possess people.

  He could take a beating, which was good, as he was getting one. One of the boys pushed him at the wrong angle, and his legs fell completely out from under him.

  “Stupid fucker,” said Ronny.

  Lee shielded his head to the best of his ability as the boys released a savage barrage of punches and kicks. He didn’t make any noise, unwilling to give them that much and also just too tired to manage the act of creating sound.

  It felt like it went on for an hour, but was probably only a few minutes. His four attackers departed, and he heard Tess crying as she knelt by his side. He pulled her into his mystic stream and tried to soothe her by squeezing her hand.

  “I’ve
had worse,” he muttered. “Just a bunch of kids.”

  “Should I… go get your sister?”

  “Definitely. Have her bring the car.”

  CHAPTER 7

  Lee managed to pull himself to his feet, groaning as his various bruises and cuts each demanded their share of his attention. Zoe had parked the rental car on the street, and she hurried across the grass to lend him a shoulder.

  “Eldon!” She ran a hand across his face. “Names. Who were they? What do you know about them?”

  “It doesn’t matter.”

  “Of course, it does! I’m not about to let them get away with this. Why didn’t you fight back?”

  “I did,” he said. “Just not with magic.”

  She didn’t press that point, helping him to the car and speeding back to the motel. She brought him into the bathroom and made full use of a first aid kit she’d wisely decided to bring along. Lee winced at the burn of antiseptic as she cleaned the cuts on his face.

  “Quit making that face,” he said. “Both of you.”

  Zoe’s and Tess’s expressions were both ugly with worry and concern, Tess chewing on her lower lip while Zoe scowled ineffectually.

  “I should have gone with you,” said Zoe.

  “It doesn’t matter. It’s not like this was my first fight.”

  “I’m aware, but this is different from throwing spells around,” said Zoe. “There are strict rules in the mundane world. We could always reach out to the authorities if you’d just be open about who it was who attacked you.”

  Lee barked out a laugh. “It’s not my first high-school fight, either. I suppose you weren’t around for most of those, though.”

  Zoe winced and glanced away from him. “No, I… suppose I wasn’t.”

  “Look, I didn’t mean it like that,” he said. “Just trust me. Calling the cops over a minor scuffle would only waste time. I want to resolve the situation here with Claire as quickly as possible.”

  “I think I should take the lead on it, moving forward,” said Zoe.

  “She’s right, Lee,” said Tess. “I doubt she’ll be happy to see you after this, let alone listen to what you have to say.”

  “Well, that’s fine,” he said. “I don’t intend to open with words this time.”

  ***

  The combination of a black eye, a swollen lip, and a bruised cheek left Lee almost unable to recognize his reflection the next morning. He turned around and grinned at Tess, who covered her mouth in response.

  “That bad, huh?” he asked.

  “Well, I didn’t fall in love with you for your looks.”

  “Good to know. If anything, looking like this might help with what I have in mind for today.”

  He pulled on the stolen school uniform, reassured a worried Zoe that he’d be careful, and headed off to school. He arrived early, and most of the students were still congregating in the courtyard as they had the day before, as he’d been hoping they would.

  He spotted Claire as soon as she arrived, dropped off in a car by some family member or other. She glanced at him only once before refusing to look in his general direction, heading to join her girlfriends at a picnic table.

  Ronny and his friends were also present, clustered near the center of the yard. Ronny was eating a sandwich, and he muttered a joke that elicited a burst of laughter when he saw Lee headed toward him and his friends.

  Word of the fight seemed to have already spread through the school, as the thrum of chatter died down the instant Lee approached. He flashed a grin, aware of what it must look like on his busted face, and then slapped Ronny’s sandwich out of his hand.

  “Are you fucking kidding me?” Ronny shouted.

  Lee waggled his eyebrows and smushed the bread into the ground with the toe of his shoe. He could already see Ronny weighing his response, glancing around for teachers as much as to see who was watching. The tension of the moment was mirrored by the silence that had fallen across the schoolyard, and it felt like the only thing that could release it was basic violence.

  “Stop!” yelled Claire. She ran over, seized Lee’s wrist, and pulled him away. “What’s your problem?”

  He let her lead him into the school and down the mostly abandoned hallways. She brought him to a unisex, single-stall bathroom, opened the door, and locked them both in.

  “Why are you here?” she demanded, poking him hard in the chest. “What do you want from me?”

  In way of response, Lee held his hands up and cast a basic illumination spell, creating a floating orb of glowing light. Claire staggered back, though there wasn’t much space for her to escape into within the tiny bathroom.

  “I want you to know that you aren’t alone,” he said. “That’s all. I know what you’re going through and I’m here to help you.”

  He released the spell, holding his palms up in an attempt to demonstrate that there were no hidden mirrors or mechanical methods of trickery. Claire’s eyes went wide, her mouth moving soundlessly for a moment before she managed to find her tongue.

  “How?” she whispered. “You can do it, too?”

  “In my own way, I can.” He grinned and glanced at Tess, who’d sneaked into the bathroom after they’d entered. She looked tired and strangely pained but returned the smile after a moment.

  “Who are you?” asked Claire.

  “My name is Lee Amaranth. I’m a friend. I work with a group of people that has an interest in helping those with the Potential, the ability to generate and use arcane essence to cast spells.”

  “Spells?” She slowly shook her head. “You’re telling me I can use magic or something?”

  “You’ve done it before, haven’t you?” asked Lee. “I’m assuming that’s how you ended up on my radar.”

  Claire hugged herself, fear creeping into her expression. “You’re with them, then? The Order of Chaldea.”

  “No, I’m not.” Lee held up his hands. “See, this is where things get a little complicated. The Order of Chaldea has its own agenda, one that they sometimes enforce against people’s will. They—wait, how did you know about them?”

  “I’m really scared,” whispered Claire. “I don’t know if I can trust you, but I… I don’t what else I’m supposed to do.”

  “You can trust me, but obviously me saying that isn’t worth all that much in this context.” He shrugged. “It’s up to you. I’m not going to force you to go anywhere, but if you want help, whether it’s with hiding here or running away or whatever it is you feel like doing, I’m here. At least for now.”

  Claire took in what he was saying with grim resolve, closing her eyes and nodding. “I want help. Can you meet me later today? I don’t have any classes in the afternoon. Can you skip yours?”

  “Of course,” he said.

  “I’ll wait for you in the park you wanted to meet at last night right after lunch ends.”

  “I’ll be there,” he said.

  Claire breathed a sigh of relief and moved toward the door, brushing by him as she left the tiny bathroom. Lee didn’t leave immediately, instead leaning against the wall and considering how the encounter had played out. Tess was still there, and still strangely tired in appearance. He frowned at that.

  “Are you alright?” he said.

  “Fine!” she said quickly. “It’s been a while since you’ve done any casting from my essence. I guess I’m just a bit rusty at it.”

  “I might need another spell or two before we’re done here,” he said. “Do you still have essence left for that?”

  “Probably just one spell at most. Is that enough?”

  “I’ll manage.”

  Tess folded her arms and stared at the closed bathroom door. “Do you think she’ll actually meet you this time? She might get scared and send a bunch of goons to meet you in her place again.”

  “I asked her to trust me. I suppose I’ll have to do the same and trust her if I want to make this happen.”

  CHAPTER 8

  Lee was mentally checked out for his firs
t two classes of the day, his thoughts on anything and everything but what the teacher was saying. He’d forgotten just how boring normal high school could be, and it was a relief when the bell finally rang.

  Zoe had packed him a bagged lunch again, and since he wasn’t due to meet Claire for another half hour, he figured he might as well eat it. The cafeteria wasn’t as crowded, and he managed to find an empty table to settle into.

  He opened his bag to find another tuna sandwich, more chips, an orange, and most interestingly, one of the beers Zoe had been drinking the day before. Lee sighed and considered whether he should try to discreetly dispose of it or discreetly drink it.

  “What do you think of this, Tess?” he asked. “Honestly, Zoe has poor taste when it comes to her choice of—”

  “Lee!” Tess gripped his shoulder, her ethereal fingers tingling as they passed through his arm. “Look!”

  She pointed to one of the long lunch lines across the room. It took him a couple of seconds to spot what had rendered her so concerned.

  A girl in her late teens with blonde hair and blue highlights stood holding an empty tray, waiting her turn at the food. She’d mostly covered up the x-shaped scar on her left cheek with makeup, but he didn’t need to see it to recognize her, and moreover, to know the danger she presented.

  “Willow,” he said. “Unbelievable. She must be here for Claire.”

  Lee had been wondering how Claire knew of the Order of Chaldea, and now it looked like he had his answer. It seemed as though his plan to pose as a student to get close to her wasn’t as original as he had initially assumed.

  He considered what to do, trying to keep sight of his former Primhaven classmate without staring directly at her.

  “What do we do?” whispered Tess. “Should we try to find Claire and warn her?”

  “I don’t know,” he muttered.

  He felt a growing sense of paranoia as he wondered if Claire was already working with the Order, perhaps intending to lure him into another trap. Willow didn’t seem to be acting with much purpose beyond maintaining her disguise, however, which seemed contrary to that theory.