7
The fire inspector called it an electrical fire based on the old faulty wiring. What had existed in Waverly Place since 1843 had burned up in less than five hours, leaving behind a partial shell of the outside walls and the caved in remains of the structure filling the basement that was under the first floor. The fire department continued pouring water in the pit of blackened wood and demolished floors and walls. Theresa couldn't stand the smell of the debacle and forbid Max from hanging around outside on the landing and letting that smell into the place. However, amidst the local news reporting on the devastation of the nearly historic edifice, there was a minor news item trying to usurp the top spot. Jerry listened to the radio to get news of the fire, but started getting tales of this new local legend.
"Witnesses are reporting something they describe as something between a long haired Peter Pan in black clothes to a bigger version of Batgirl from the comic books." Jerry switched it off and looked to Alex over her breakfast.
"Sorry…" She sipped her juice. "I just didn't want to be late getting home."
"You could have called to say you were running late. The fire was a big hindrance to a lot of people, and I would have understood." Jerry stood over her. "And running into that fire was not a very smart thing either."
"I was taking a short cut." Alex exhaled embarrassed. "And I saved Phoebe's dad."
"Well, Alex..." Harper spoke up. "I for one am proud of you." She hugged and squeezed Alex.
"All I know is that I have to buy you new jeans." Theresa came carrying laundry from the basement. "I washed them twice and they still smell like smoke."
"Mom…" Justin finished his breakfast. "How can you tell? The entire neighborhood smells like smoke. The theater on the corner burned down!"
"I loved that place." Max was mourning. "I was going to move into it when I got older. I had my comic books in a room above the stage." He sniffed a bit depressed. "Some of Justin's too."
"What!!!" Justin shrieked.
"I didn't like you hanging round in that place, Max…" Theresa was loading the dishwasher. "That place was old, dusty, spooky, dangerous and… Oh who cares, it's gone now."
"Yeah, well, I'm curious, Alex…" Justin confronted his sister as if she was the old Alex. "Are you going to put on a cape and go fight evil like Maddie in Boston?" Her referred to a cute blonde candy girl they knew.
Alex looked away as if she were considering it.
"I don't think so." She sipped the last of her juice, checked her watch and tapped Harper. "We got to get to school."
"I love this new responsible Alex!!!" Harper was giddy as she ate her last piece of bacon and grabbed her purse. "Oh, by the way, Alex…" She collected her jacket and books. "What song are you going to be doing in the talent show?"
"I don't know..." Alex was heading to the door already. "How do you feel about Britney Spears?"
Harper looked back to Justin with a terrified look on her face. She loved the new responsible Alex, but why did she have to come with Alex the flirt? Justin made a face of disbelief and turned round to get ready for school himself.
"Dad, question…" Justin gestured his father over. "Technically, Alex almost revealed magic last night, so what do you think… did Flick wipe her slate clean or is her giving her a trial basis?"
"I honestly don't know." Jerry answered as headed down to start getting the shop ready for opening at 11AM. "I sent messages to a lot of my friends in the wizard communities, and while many of them knew of this Wizard Comptroller position, none of them actually knew anyone who had encountered him." He reached the bottom of the spiral staircase, turned off the alarm to the shop and switched the lights on. "The one thing they did tell me… he's a lot more merciful that his predecessor, Old "Blast-Them-Into-Non-Existence-And-Then-Explain-The-Rules" Dix."
"Old "Blast-Them-Into-Non-Existence-And-Then-Explain-The-Rules" Dix?" Justin sometimes felt his life was a really bad comedy on Disney Channel. "That was his name?"
"Oh, yeah," Jerry turned the light on in the kitchen. "He had a much shorter nick-name than Old "Belching-Volcano-Breath-Shoot-Them-In-The-Face-and-Laugh-Behind-Their-Backs-While-Stealing-The-Money-Out-Of-Their-Pockets" Atkinson." He answered with a straight face.
"Dad, you're making this up!"
"I wish I was, Justin…" Jerry pulled out the ingredients for the sandwich making area. "I really wish I was…"
"Alex, I was thinking..." Outside on the sidewalk, Harper lead the way from the shop to the corner where they caught the bus for school. These days, it was mostly them since Justin was riding with his friends. "The other day before Justin turned into a baby... Oh, we had such a great date last night..."
"Yeah...." Alex heard police cars down the block racing by. There was one and then another one. "Um, what about the other day?"
"We haven't had manis or pedis in a long time..." Harper referred to their recurring female ritual of getting their nails done at the mall. "Why don't we do that at the mall after school? A girl's afternoon out..."
"Uh-huh..." Alex pulled her school books tight to her chest like a shield as their bus turned at the corner where the police cars had come from. The big orange monstrousity stenciled with New York City Public Schools along the side and further disfigured with signs of graffiti from a rival school lumbered toward them, brakes squealing, diesel engine roaring and the female bus driver bringing the mechanical dinosaur to a stop to swing open the door by a lever.
"It can be so cool..." Harper shined planning their day as she boarded the vehicle two feet off the ground and lifted herself up into the bus. "We'll get our nails done, get some cappucchinos, cruise the mall... How's that sound?" She wandered down the aisle of the bus, swung into the first empty seat and turned back to Alex... who should have been in the empty space behind her...
"Alex? Alex?" Harper looked up and around. The bus started pulling away... "Mrs. Pack, Alex is not on the bus!!!"
"Big surprise..." The working housewife was used to that little brunette truant.
Three blocks away, Leon Harding Jr. had split from his partner and was racing the alleyways behind the shops on Decatur Street and trying to elude the cops. If robbing the gas station didn't violate his parole, then shooting the attendant certainly did, and once the cops found the drugs in his car, he was certainly going to go away for a long time. He vaulted a fence ahead of one officer, came down the other side and practically had it home free until he saw the other patrol car blocking his exit stragedy. That forced him to veer off path through the old garage. Racing as if he was still playing football in school, something he was dropped for by using drugs, he raced for the other door to vanish into the street... getting closer and closer... as the door vanished and turned to a brick wall. Harding smashing into it hard and dropped unconscious to the hard floor with officers swarming him.
"Yes!!!" Alex was on the second floor cheering herself and placing her wand back out of sight. Checking her watch, she had a bit of dashing to do herself. Turning and running from the room overlooking the garage bay, she dived through the window, landing on the roof next door and racing over the shoe store, the Chinese place, the hobby store and the McDonalds with the site of the trees before her school in her line of vision. It was about two blocks... maybe not that much. Her sneakers pounding the roof tops, her long hair flailing behind her, her energetic legs racing with conviction, she was nearing her destination, but running out of roofs and she did not want to be seen jumping down to street level. Down on the street next to her was another bus rolling alongside of her for the same destination. Hoping not to make this a habit, she pulled her wand out again to heighten her abilities again.
"Give me a ride but not inside..." She invoked and was lifted up and placed atop the roof of the bus by streams of psychokinetic force. Anyone seeing her might just have thought she was some sort of female daredevil, but there was not much of that happening. Closer to the school, there were several more trees blocking pedestrian views. Catching up with her own bus ahead of her, Alex rode the second bus on to her school grounds and clung to the outside nervously as it rolled to a stop. The door beneath her opened and she jumped down to mix into the students piling forward. Turning her back to reconjure her books, Alex hurried to catch up with Harper.
"Hey, Harper..." Alex recaught her breath and looked fresh-faced and carefree. "Getting our nails done after school is a great idea, let's do it!"
"Alex?" Harper was confused. "Where'd you come from?!"
"I rode on the outside of the bus..." The cute female wizard confessed. "It's really cool, you ought to try it sometime..." She led the way into the building...
