Disclaimer: I don't own Septimus or Jenna.

Author's note: In this chapter, Septimus and Jenna are 13 years old. These short stories are not connected to the books. They are from Jenna's personal life and thoughts.

…

Chapter 2- Spit Fyre

It was written on the floor, with big, colorful letters: "Good morning, Princess." I descended the stairs in front of the big, wooden doors from the palace and checked the surroundings. It was a beautiful day. The large garden was shining in the strong light of the sun. I didn't notice when he sneaked behind me and covered my eyes with his hands. It just happened too quickly.

"Guess who it is!" He said, snickering.

I tried to look irritated, but I laughed excited instead, took his hands from my eyes and turned around, smiling widely.

"Hey, Sep! Well, that's a miracle. I thought Marcia locked you in the dungeons or something like that. I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Well, I'm a busy person compared to you." He told me with a smug look on his face.

"Yeah, right. I check everyday the whole palace while you practice cheap charms." I replied, playing with his pride.

"Hey, they're not cheap charms! They are powerful spells which can kill persons if you are not careful with them!"

I laughed freely, amused that I annoyed him, and felt the wind tangling in my disheveled, black hair while I was running past the trees and the marvelous flowers that dominated the garden. When I looked back, I saw him a few steps behind me, laughing as well and trying to catch me. We chased a few minutes like that until I saw something big and green flying above us. I stopped suddenly, causing Septimus to bump into me and to fall to the ground.

"Spit Fyre!" He screeched, standing up next to me and watching his dragon making circles in the air and spitting fire like crazy.

"What's wrong with him?" I asked worried.

Septimus didn't answer. He just frowned, anxious, and whistled strangely, calling the agitated dragon. Spit Fyre flew abruptly like an arrow toward us and I remained petrified, not knowing what to do. I heard Septimus yelling at me to look out, before Spit Fyre hit me and I saw black before my eyes.

I didn't know how much time I stood unconscious, but, when I woke up, I discovered that I was in my room and that I had bandages wrapped on my left hand and middle. Fortunately, my head had no injury, or so at least I thought. I threw a peek on the window and I observed that it was dark outside. That meant I had spent my whole day in that bed, without even knowing what happened. And I had lost the chance to spend Septimus's free day with him. I sighed frustrated and hit the bed with my fist, only to feel a deep pain in my arm.

"Jenna! You woke up!" Sarah squealed joyous, coming closer to me and caressing my head. "I was dead worried! Don't you ever do that again! "

"But mom, I didn't do anything. Spit Fyre just aimed at me."

"I know, dear. But you have to be more careful in the future."

"Where's Sep, mom?" I asked worried. I secretly hoped that he didn't go to the Wizard Tower again.

"I punished him. Your father was very angry. Septimus let that dragon's cage open and then he forgot to give him food for a few days. Of course the poor animal starved and started to act like crazy. I told him clearly to be more cautious with Spit Fyre. He is a dangerous creature."

"But it's not Sep's fault that Spit Fyre hit me." I protested discontented.

"Yes, it is. Now go to sleep. You need to rest"

"No. I want to see Sep. I'm not going to sleep until I see him. I haven't seen him for almost two months and today was my only chance to spend time with him. Please, mother."

Sarah looked surprised at me. She shook her head, then opened the door and closed it behind her, letting me gawk at the dark. After fifteen minutes of waiting, when I was sure that my mother wouldn't call Septimus after all, I saw him standing at the door, with an uneasy look on his face.

"Are you all right, Jen? I'm sorry. I know it was my fault. But don't worry. Mom punished me and told Marcia to keep me under surveillance from now on. I'll try to control Spit Fyre better and I…"

"Septimus." I interrupted him frustrated. I saw him throw me an offended glance and then he started fidgeting. "I want to assure you that I'm perfectly fine. Except the fact that my hand and stomach hurt, so stop being so nervous because you make me nervous, too. It was just… an accident."

Even in the dark I could see his radiant smile appearing in the corners of his mouth. I smiled, too, although I believed my smile looked more like a grimace. He approached me, took my right hand, intertwining his fingers with mine and then he bent over me and placed his lips on my forehead.

"You have a good taste…" He whispered satisfied, deeply inhaling my scent, his eyes closed.

"What do you mean?" I asked confused.

"I mean your forehead… it has a good taste."

I smiled with a dreamy look on my face and then I told him about all the plants and remedies that Sarah put on my skin. He stood for a few minutes with his face almost stuck to mine, before he kissed my cheek and laughed again as he closed the door.

"See you tomorrow, Jen!"

I was taken aback by his confidence. He was punished after all, so how was he going to escape from Marcia? That boy was a wonder. I fell asleep peacefully with a contented face and with his radiant smile hunting my thoughts.