Chapter 47
First Date
Two hours of Practice weren't an appealing perspective in normal times, add the tiredness and gloom for Giunia and Ioanna's decision and you could reach unexplored heights of nihilism. At least Faragonda was avoiding calling who participated to the mission, although soon she would have to: she couldn't torture five girls all the time.
While Mirta carried out the task (arriving to the end of a path without using active spells against trap doors), Cassandra had time to think. Her participation to class was rather useless, since she couldn't use magic at all, but she trusted that between Xavier and Faragonda she would have everything under control in the end.
In order to at least avoid getting bored to death, she thought back to the woman Icy was bound to. The age difference between the two had surprised her a little, because she knew that, until then, on the Earth it was mainly teens or preteens who developed magic while Lzzy was definitely closer to the thirties. At first, she and her brother seemed nice, even though he was much more bubbly. Lzzy gave her the impression to be more in defense mode, and you couldn't blame her given what happened in the previous days. Even just the impact with Magix justified a certain diffidence according to Cassandra, who remembered clearly the shock of her first encounter with Roxy years earlier.
It was the end of June, and the main responsible had been Artu. Roxy's dog had tried to befriend Cassandra's furball (without really succeeding) and the two of them had started talking. And Roxy's aura had begun a totally unpredictable domino, because a month after that the powers of Cassandra and her friends had begun manifesting in the most different ways: Adelaide literally vanished in a moment, any light bulb burnt out if Francesca sneezed, Rebecca could see in the dark, Cassandra saw way more stars than normal, Maria moved objects without touching them. They were in a state of total confusion. Luckily, Roxy and Cassandra had met again that summer, when the brunette had found Roxy behind a bar table, surrounded by fairy pets who flied around. Cassandra asked for an explanation and so she understood that no, what was happening to her and the others wasn't normal but not too strange either, and that there was a school for fairies on another planet and it would have been really convenient for her to attend it.
It hadn't been easy to persuade her parents. As if it wasn't enough, she had somehow felt infected, as if magic were a virus that could spread through her. Months would have had to go by before she could get rid of that feeling.
Miss Du Four was rather dissatisfied for the new defection in her class, but she couldn't do much about it. Instead of sitting behind her desk leaving the students to their study program, that day she waited for them to take their places to make an important announcement.
- Many of you will know the traditional Magic Tournament between Alfea and Cloudtower, - she began, - and will know that the last edition dates back to five years ago. Now, being held every three years the Tournament should have taken place last year, but there have been problems that prevented its celebration. -
Amaryl looked at the Trix and chuckled. With Cloudtower flying between planets, the Tournament had been canceled.
- Exceptionally, however, the Tournament will take place this year, and more precisely in the mid of November, a month from now. I know, I know, it's little time, but the decision was just taken by the Council. We can do nothing but get ready and get confident with formulas, which as you know are the only form of magic that can be used during the competitions. -
- You mean we can't transform? - asked Rebecca.
- Precisely. Thus, today we'll go over the fundamentals for the declamation of a formulaic spell... -
Icy was only listening with one hear. She hated formulas. She hated the Tournament. And she would have had to participate forcefully, and in advanced class of course. Considering her previous experience, she decided that she would have paid any price to be excluded from the competitions, also because she had the vague feeling that the sudden decision of the Council wasn't a case.
§§
- Kayaks. You didn't know what to do so you took two kayaks. -
- Uh...Yes? -
- I don't even know how to, I don't know, use a kayak. -
- It's easy, you just have to avoid flipping over. Besides, nobody can hear us on the Lake, right? Come on, stop laughing! -
But Darcy laughed even more.
As promised, Walter picked her up in the early afternoon. Darcy was persuaded to sit behind him on the bike without knowing where they were headed ("isn't it a surprise?" he said) and shortly after there they were, on the shore of the omnipresent Lake, in front of two kayaks that only waited to be pushed in deeper waters and she was laughing. She laughed because she did nothing but think about what Walter would have prepared, imagining several apocalyptic scenarios, as in terribly sweet and embarrassing, but this was really an eventuality she was not prepared for. And she liked it.
- Sorry, I'll stop. Uh, ok, let's do this crazily normal thing. - Darcy said, taking a deep breath.
She tied her hair in a tidy braid and turned the clothes she had, definitely not adapt to the situation, in a long adherent suit with sneakers and a jeans jacket, everything in various hues of purple, and followed Walter's instructions. In two attempts she got in that light and, in her opinion, not stable shell. Walter put the paddle in her hands, showing her how to hold it and how to move it, and a shiver run down the witch's spine when he hugged her doing so. Then, Walter tried to push the kayak in the water, which caused some problems to Darcy's balance.
- A boat would have been fine, or a sailing boat, something that stays up on itself... - said Darcy, trying not to flip.
- I thought it would have been too romantic… and the deck is very crowded. - replied Walter, snickering.
When he was reasonably sure he could let her go without her falling in the water he took place as well and pushed himself away from the shore.
- Come on, try to move further. One row left and one right, easy… okay, keep it up. -
They got far enough from the shore to see Walter's bike like a simple red dot. There was a gentle breeze and the water, turquoise next to the shore, was almost black due to the clouds covering the sun. They stopped and stood silent for what felt like many, many minutes, then Darcy said:
- Listen, what happened the other day is something I hope won't happen again. I mean, panicking that bad. It's not my habit to cry over myself, or crying in general. Or speaking like that for that matter, or have others worry for me. -
Walter froze for a moment hearing the first sentence, but then calmed down.
- Well, the last thing can change. - he said timidly, not knowing where the witch would end up.
- Yes, it can change. But you have to be really, really sure of it. -
- I am. I didn't stay there with you saying those things just because you were crying. -
Darcy turned around and looked at the ripples the kayak created on the water, not knowing what to say.
- Somehow, you always surprise me. Usually, it annoys me to be taken aback, but not with you. With you it's sweet and funny and good. - she said in the end.
Walter smiled and moved close enough to take her hand.
- Now I really wish I had settled for a sailing boat. -
§§
When she came back to Alfea, Darcy was happy like she had been few times in her life. She was also happy that she lost her balance trying to splash Walter and that she flipped over, dragging him down with her. She was happy of the long swim to the shore, with her hair sticking to her face and the cold of the water that made her feel alive and of how they continued to splash each other and play after taking the kayaks on the shore. She was happy that she got to a point when she was too cold to continue, that she dried both of them with a spell and that she let Walter hug her before taking the way home.
She was so happy that she forgot she had roommates until she found them in front of her as soon as she opened the apartment's door.
Stella dragged her in from one arm, Icy took the other arm and Stormy closed the door while Darcy got not really gently placed on the sofa.
- Spill it. - commanded Stella, - And explain me where the boots I lent you are. -
In fact, Darcy didn't even change back her clothes.
- Where did you go? - Icy asked with a malicious smile, sitting on the armrest.
Darcy knew it was useless even to just think of avoiding the interrogatory. She knew the three of them too well.
- To the Lake. I had to get changed, you can't get in a kayak wearing heels. Your boots are at their place, Stella. -
- Kayak? Seriously? - asked Stormy.
- Yes. -
Stormy chuckled.
- How was it? - Stella stepped in.
- Well, we talked, we laughed, we fell in the water... -
- And? - Icy urged her.
- And... we're together. -
At that point Darcy had seen the squeals coming, but she didn't expect a choking attempt from Stella.
- I knew it! I've been saying this since the ball, you two are perfect together! - she chirped.
- Are you happy? - Icy asked rhetorically.
Darcy attempted to nod.
- It doesn't seem like it, you know? Your face says otherwise... - the witch of ice said, making fun of her.
- Stella, let her breathe. - Stormy laughed.