Chapter Seven:
"Maggie. Wake up," a sweet voice said in my ear.
I blinked slowly and sat up, turning to Caleb, who lay behind me on the couch.
"Rise and shine, Sleeping Beauty," he said, smiling cheekily. (1)
I frowned. "I am nothing like that blonde idiot," I protested. (2)
He studied me. "You're right. You're more of a Belle."
I gave him a confused look. "And how do you know the Disney Princesses?"
He returned my look with one that said come on. "I live in the same house as an eight-year-old," he said. "Believe me, I've watched my fair share of Disney. And you are Belle. In appearance, at least."
"And what am I otherwise?"
"With your personality, I'd say you're Cinderella. You're willing to take on a lot of responsibility at once, without much complaint. And you're not like a ton of other girls, who only care about clothes and other material things. So, yeah, I'd say you're exactly like Cinderella."
"Except I'm terrified of mice."
"Really? I'd never have guessed that about you. Well, you learn something new every day." He grinned.
I laughed and shoved him playfully. "Whatever."
We got off the couch and headed into the kitchen, where my dad was at the stove. When he turned around, I was pleasantly surprised to see a plate of French Toast on the counter.
"Morning," Dad greeted before gesturing to the table. "Sit down. Food'll be done in a minute."
Caleb and I sat at the table and spooned some sliced fruit into little fruit bowls.
The TV was on, turned to the news. Suddenly, the image on the screen caused me to drop my spoon. I snatched up the remote and turned the volume up.
"... And in more recent news, here's something we haven't heard about in a while; an imprint! That's right, Tennessee. Two days ago Caleb Jacobson imprinted on a human girl named Maggie Masters. Maggie is a senior at Cannon County High School (3). We're here live outside her house in Auburntown."
My eyes widened and met Caleb's.
"I swear it wasn't me. Or my family," he said. "I made sure no one said anything to anyone else. They would never do this."
I turned my gaze to Dad.
"Don't look at me. Have you told anyone else?"
"No! I said I wanted to wait, to take time. Who would know -" I cut myself off.
"What?" Caleb asked.
"Yesterday after school, at Ritter's. Ashley sat right next to you." My face hardened. "That -"
"Okay, calm down," Caleb said, grabbing my hand to soothe me. "We'll deal with her later. Right now, the only option for us is to go outside and talk to them."
I sighed but realized he was right. "Okay. Let's go." I walked toward the door.
"Um, Mags?" Dad said.
"What?"
"You're in your pajamas."
~Knowing~
Ten minutes later I was dressed. (4) I had put on a black lace tee with black roses, paired with denim shorts. Caleb had slipped on a pair of khaki shorts and a striped polo shirt. We stood before the front door, hands clasped between us.
"Ready?" Caleb asked.
I took a deep breath. "Ready."
Caleb opened the door and we exited the house into chaos.
There were several cameras all over the front yard. I counted at least five different news stations. As soon as we set foot outside, everyone snapped their heads up and scrambled to their feet. Surprisingly, tiny Mandy Lee from Channel 3 (5) reached us first.
"Maggie, why did you wait so long to tell about this amazing event?" she asked, shoving her microphone in my face.
"That was actually Caleb's idea," I replied, glancing at him.
Mandy turned to him, expectant.
"When Maggie and I imprinted, it came as a complete surprise. We were both shocked: me because I knew I'd found my soul mate, and Maggie because, well, this usually doesn't happen with humans. We wanted some time to fully realize the amazing thing that's happened to us. So, we waited."
Mandy wasted no time moving on. "How did you meet?"
Caleb smiled. "That's the amazing part of our story. Two days ago, I was on a walk, but I was so distracted that I wasn't paying attention to much. But Maggie was.
She had been walking behind me, and when I suddenly stepped out into the path of a speeding truck, she yanked me back and saved my life."
Mandy was silent for a moment before continuing. "So you two didn't know each other?"
He shook his head. "Although I wish we had."
"Maggie, what is it like for you to know you have a soul mate?"
I thought for a second. "Well, I definitely never thought it could happen. I'd heard it was possible with humans, but you never think of it happening to you. And yet, here I am, with a significant. It's just... amazing." Wow, way to make a lame ending.
"For both of you: what are your future plans?"
Caleb gestured for me to go first.
"Well, I'm a senior in high school, and I plan on going to college next year. Other than that, my future is pretty much open to whatever Caleb and I decide."
"Same for me," Caleb said. "Except for the high school part. I'm a sophomore in college right now, though I'm considering online courses so I can stay close to Maggie."
"Maggie, what do you think of the Jacobson clan?" Dang, this lady wasted no time.
"I haven't met them yet, actually. I had school tomorrow and didn't have time afterwards. But soon."
"Have you met anyone other than Caleb?"
"Yes. The day we imprinted, I met five of his family members."
"After spending time with Caleb, how would you say Aces differ from humans?"
That made me pause. "Honestly, there really isn't a difference. Aces don't date, of course, but I think that's pretty much it. It seems to me that their families are very tight-knit. But they really are human. They're just a bit different."
"Caleb: what abilities do you hope you and Maggie receive?"
"Well, that's a tricky question. See, no two abilities are alike. There's never been two Aces with the same ability. So, really, they could be anything. Maybe even something that's never been heard of."
Apparently, that was the end of Mandy's questioning, though not the end of our camera time. The other four reporters proceeded to ask almost the exact same questions, with little variation. Finally we managed to sate everyone's curiosity and made our way back inside.
I let out a huge sigh of relief and leaned against the door. "That was torture."
"You're fine," Caleb reasoned.
"And now everyone at school is going to be all over me and wanting to hang out just so they can meet a real Ace."
"You'll be fine. Beck is your best friend, and from what I've gathered, she doesn't take people's crap. Just stick by her. Actually, I'm going to call her later. I'm appointing her your new bodyguard."
I gave Caleb a look. "Bodyguard? Really?"
"Well, if you want to be attacked by a mob of girls..."
I nodded. "Good point."
We sat down to eat our lukewarm breakfast. Dad had already left for work, slipping out the back and opting to take a bus instead of his car. "Coward," I muttered when I read the note.
Halfway through eating, I sensed Caleb's eyes on me.
"What?" I asked.
"You're not just Cinderella," he said. "You're Merida, too."
"You saw Brave?" I asked, staring at him incredulously.
He shrugged. "What can I say? Maria loves princesses."
*Hides behind hands* How was that? I know it's pretty short, but I wanted to give you guys something.
I know I've been AWOL lately, but life has been giving me a hassle lately. If you want the full explanation, check out my profile.
Also, good news: I've started beta reading!
Okay, not actually started, because I haven't gotten any stories yet. But I have a beta profile. If you have any questions or want me to take a look at your story, feel free to PM me.
Now on to the notes!
(1) My dad says this to me all the time when I won't wake up. He thinks he's hilarious.
(2) I don't really think Sleeping Beauty is an idiot. But Maggie just woke up. I'm always snappy when I wake up.
(3) I looked up towns and schools in Tennessee and that's what I found.
(4) You would get dressed that fast, too, if there were news people outside your house.
(5) Refer to chapter 1 if you don't know who she is.
Hopefully the next update will come soon, but don't hold me to it.
Next up: Maggie meets the Jacobsons!
Review please!
P.S. If you've read the Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima, PLEASE check out my two-shot, A Warrior Made, A Warrior Remains. It's about Ellen. Thank you!
