"Good morning, San Francisco!" Lyn called loudly as she opened Jordan's door, came in without knocking, and proceeded to fall down on the foot of the bed just to annoy her sister. "Time to get up, sleepyhead. In the immortal words of Dad on my first day of college, 'You have a big day today!'"
Jordan pulled her pillow over her head and yelled something unintelligible into the pillow.
Lyn rolled her eyes and promptly stole said pillow. "Come on, don't make me open the curtains and blind you. It's your first day of California high school today!"
Jordan flipped on her back and said, "Yeah, and it's also the day you leave me and go to college! And, if I go to school, I'll have to deal with being the freaky freshman girl in junior classes! And that stupid blonde bimbo who keeps trying to steal Drake from me…"
"Then use your mind to throw something at said stupid blonde bimbo," Lyn suggested with a smirk. "And if anyone asks, write it off as being a matter of life and death in which you had to use your powers... because she was about to smother someone with her attitude. Or just throw something outright, that's so much more fun."
Jordan rolled her eyes. "You know what Lizzie said about using our powers. Besides, that's just the cherry on top of the entire pile of really irritating and painful crap. You're leaving, Lyn… I'll have to deal with all this stuff without you here to make some sarcastic remark."
"Well, you can always learn to make your own sarcastic remarks," Lyn said, shrugging. "Anyway, you knew I was gonna go. The only reason I never went to a university in Tennessee is because Mom wouldn't let me. Community college was supposed to get me ready for it or something insane like that, like I couldn't get a scholarship to almost any school I wanted. Though I must admit I had some of the awesomest teachers ever there... but still. Not the point."
"Yes, I'm aware. But that doesn't change the fact that you're leaving and that I'll miss you..." And with that said, Jordan practically tackled Lyn with a bear hug.
Lyn laughed and hugged back. "Alright, alright, I'll miss you, too. Now come on, you're gonna be late!"
Jordan let out a single whine and walked over to her dresser, grabbing a tunic top, skinny jeans, bra, and underwear and running into the bathroom. "Y'know, if that blonde bimbo insists that she has to steal my man, I seriously might have to maim her," she yelled from the bathroom as she got ready.
"Just as long as you call James first and let him bring me back so I can see it," Lyn said, grinning.
"Agreed," Jordan said as she stepped out of the bathroom, no makeup on and hair slightly tousled.
"Then we have an accord," Lyn said in her best pirate voice.
Jordan grinned. "Come on, let's go downstairs. I gotta wait for Drake."
"Ooh, Blondie picking you up again?" Lyn asked, grinning because she knew her sister hated that nickname.
Jordan glared at Lyn. "His name is Drake, and as a matter of fact, yes, he is picking me up. And then we might go get something to eat after school." She grinned stupidly.
Lyn chuckled. "Okay, okay. You know I'm just kidding. I mean, come on! When's the next time I'm gonna get a chance to do my elder-sisterly job of annoying you?!"
"Okay, okay, fine. I will allow you to call him Blondie but just today!" Jordan said, pointing a stern finger at Lyn.
Lyn snickered. "And how are you gonna stop me, shorty?"
Jordan's face flushed. "Oh, I'll find a way, gigantor."
Lyn responded by hugging her sister. "You know you're gonna have to call me and let me annoy you some more later, right?"
"Definitely." Jordan smiled and squeezed her back. The doorbell rang as they parted and Jordan walked to the door to answer it, smiling as she saw Drake. "Hey, I just gotta get my bag."
"Okay," Drake said, smiling at her but looking at Lyn a little uncertainly. "Uh, hi..."
"Hi," Lyn said pleasantly, not sure why he kept looking at her like that. Did he think she wanted to talk Jordan out of seeing him or something?
Jordan grabbed her backpack and small stack of 99 cent notebooks and practically skipped back to the two, not noticing the tension in the room. "Ready?" she said to Drake.
"Of course," Drake said, regaining his smile. "Are you ready? For your first day?"
Jordan shrugged. "As ready as I'll ever be."
Drake smiled encouragingly. "Don't worry, you'll have fun. As much fun as it's possible to have at school, anyway."
"I hope you're right," she said as she turned to Lyn, giving her one last hug and saying, "Love you, sis," before smiling and walking out with Drake.
"Your sister's going away to school?" he guessed as they walked to his car.
"Yeah. I don't know how I'm gonna live without her." Jordan smiled sadly.
"She'll be back before you know it for Thanksgiving," Drake said reassuringly.
"Yeah, you're right." Jordan smiled brightly and kissed him on the cheek. "Thanks."
Drake beamed and opened the car door for her. "You're very welcome."
---
"Lyn, you wanna start packing?" James asked, walking in from the kitchen.
Lyn sighed and looked up at the ceiling as if she could see through it to her room. "Yeah, I guess I'd better. Seems like I just got here, though..."
"Yeah, I know. But it'll all be okay, I promise." He pulled her into a hug and kissed her temple then orbed them up to her room.
Lyn chuckled. "You know, there are stairs that work almost as fast."
"Yeah, but when you have your own personal whitelighter, why use them?" He smirked.
"Oh, so you're my own personal whitelighter now, are you?" Lyn asked, smirking too as she looked straight up at him, her lips just brushing his chin.
"Absolutely. I'm at your service." He kissed her softly.
There was a crashing sound of something heavy falling to the floor and a soft gasp from the doorway. "Oh my!"
Lyn broke away quickly, whirling to face the sound with wide eyes. There, clutching the doorframe for support with a box fallen at her feet, stood Lizzie.
James rushed over to pick up the box. "I'm so sorry, we were just... It's not what it looks like."
Lizzie's eyes were wide blue saucers as she looked at James. "It looked like you were kissing my niece."
"Well, we... uh..." James looked back to Lyn, silently asking for help.
"Aunt Lizzie, we were kissing," Lyn tried to explain; there really was no denying that. "James and I are... well, I mean..."
"So soon?" Lizzie asked, blinking as if this made things much more clear. "I have a much stronger power of premonition than you or your mother, dear -- I knew you and James would become... close... I just had no idea it was happening already."
Lyn had never understood why people in cartoons fell over when they were told something but now she suddenly felt like doing it herself. "Wait, what?"
"... Oh... Well, we became close when Lyn's powers began to develop," James said, standing there awkwardly with the box in his hands.
Lyn blinked and stared at Lizzie, repeating again, "What?"
Lizzie laughed. "Well, it was a bit of a shock is all! I thought I was looking into a vision for a moment!"
"... So... You're okay with us?" James asked slowly.
Lizzie smiled. "You know I consider you like family, dear. Of course I want whatever will make you both happy."
James smiled happily and looked down at Lyn. "Thank you, Lizzie."
Lyn hadn't understood until she saw that smile on James's face just how worried he had been about this -- just how bad he had felt about not telling Lizzie. Now that she saw just how relieved he was, her own smile appeared and she nearly tackled Lizzie with a hug. "Yeah, thanks, Aunt Lizzie!"
Lizzie laughed again. "Well, at least now I understand why James insisted on going to school with you to be sure you were safe."
Lyn blinked and looked at James this time. "Huh?"
James watched Lyn with an affectionate smile on his face then said, "Well, since that's taken care of, I should probably tell you my other idea..."
"The one where you take your stalking to a new level and follow me to school, too?" Lyn asked, half teasingly and half seriously.
James let out a nervous laugh. "Uh... Actually, yeah. Given the fact that someone already tried to kill you and your sister, I don't feel comfortable letting you go on your own."
"... What are you gonna do, sit in the back of all my classes?" Lyn asked dubiously.
"Uh... No, actually. I just enrolled in your classes..."
"... So you're gonna sit beside me in all my classes," Lyn amended.
"Yeah..."
"... So help me, if you tell me next that you somehow got into my dorm room, too, I'm gonna report you to campus security."
"No, I'm in a nearby guy's dorm."
Lyn narrowed her eyes at him. "You know, at my old school there was a guy who followed me around all the time and I punched him in the face for it."
"I'm only trying to keep you safe. I can't -- won't let anything happen to you."
Lyn's expression softened. "Okay, I guess I understand. But if you go with me, who's going to be here to make sure nothing happens to Jordan?"
"If she's in trouble, she can just call my name and I'll be there in seconds."
"So I get a stalker and she gets phone-a-friend?"
"If you wanna put it like that, then yes."
Lyn's eyes narrowed again as she pretended to evaluate him. "I guess I could have gotten a worse stalker..."
"I'm flattered, truly," James said with a smirk.
"Hey, you should be," Lyn said, grinning. "I mean, I've had a lot of stalkers." She paused and blinked, looking thoughtful. "The scary part is that's not even an exaggeration. I mean, seriously. Five or six since I was like thirteen years old. It's kind of weird. But hey, maybe if you're stalking me, then other stalkers will decide stalking someone who already has a stalker would be too difficult."
"That's kinda creepy."
"Yeah, no kidding." She shrugged. "Apparently I attract psychos."
James considered that. "Or warlocks..."
Lyn blinked. "What?"
"Warlocks kill witches and steal their powers," James said slowly. "It's possible some of them have found you in the past and you never knew it because your powers were sealed."
"... Well, that's kind of unpleasant. But it would explain a lot."
"Which is why this is a good idea."
"Okay, okay, I'm through arguing," Lyn said with a sigh, sitting down on her bed and wrapping her arms around herself, looking mildly disturbed. "I guess it makes sense since there's so much I don't know yet..."
James, who by now had put the box down, went over and wrapped an arm around her, kissing her temple. She leaned against him and closed her eyes.
"... Is it always so totally overwhelming or does it get better someday?"
"It gets better, believe me. You'll learn to control it with practice."
Lyn was silent for a moment before saying quietly, "Control my powers, maybe... but nobody can control the world. And that's the scary part."
