"Oh my! Nothing to wear!" Brystol screamed, throwing outfit after outfit onto the floor.
She stopped to look in the mirror. "This may be too dressy for bowling," she noted, looking at the purple jeweled evening gown she was wearing.
She unzipped it and took it off. She replaced it with a brown skirt and a dull green top. She twirled around. "Perfect!" she declared.
Just then she heard a car beep outside. "That must be him," she giggled.
Brystol ran out the door to greet Johnny. She smiled sweetly at him.
"You seem a tad overdressed for bowling," Johnny said, looking at Brystol skeptically.
"No matter where I'm going, I always have to look good," she stated wisely.
She walked over to the passenger door and opened it, only to find Truman sitting there.
"Oh it's you," Brystol cringed.
"Did you think you and Johnny were having a date or something?" Truman asked, getting out.
Brystol climbed into the back, her butt in Johnny's face. "Oh, sorry. Accident."
"I'm sure," Truman smirked.
Johnny drove them to Bowl-A-Rama, the local bowling alley. They all got out and walked in. Brystol moved cautiously toward the shoe counter, looking at the rental shoes as if they would explode at any moment.
"Yeah, hi." She smiled at the young man at the counter. "Um, do you only have those ugly red and white shoes. Because that would really clash with my outfit," Brystol complained, motioning at her skirt and top.
"That's it. Just the red and white," the man said, looking at Brystol strangely.
"So you don't have any earth tones? Like maybe moss? That would be great."
"Nope," the man replied impatiently. "Just the red and white."
"Anything in a heel? Preferably a two inch," Brystol was getting frustrated.
"Sorry miss. Can I get your size now, please?"
"Alright," she sighed. "Eight. But can you at least give me a new, unused pair."
The man laughed. "Sorry. These have all been worn before. No new ones."
Brystol stomped her foot. "Okay."
"You two?" he asked, looking at Johnny and Truman.
"Seventeen," Johnny answered.
"Whoa. We don't get that out often," the man commented.
Johnny blushed.
"I'm a twelve," Truman answered.
The man went to get all their shoes and returned quickly. "Here you are." He pushed the three pairs of shoes toward them.
Brystol picked hers up daintily and held them a foot in front of her as she walked to their lane.
They all got their shoes on as Truman typed their names into the scoreboard.
"Who's Fire, Light, and Water?" Johnny asked, looking up at the television screen.
"That would be us. I'm Water, Brystol's Light, and you're Fire."
"Oh," Johnny replied, embarrassed, yet again.
"Looks as though I'm up first," Brystol said, getting up and picking up a ball. "Ugh. This is so heavy," Brystol nearly fell over from the weight. "Johnny, do you think you could help?" she asked slyly.
Johnny got up and helped her carry the ball over to the line. "Now you're good," he informed, beginning to return to his seat.
"But Johnny, I forget how to roll the ball," she whined.
Truman almost gagged as Johnny obliviously returned to Brystol's side.
"You just go like this," Johnny instructed, putting his hand on Brystol's ball hand and making a rolling motion with it.
"Uh-huh," Brystol said, as she goggled at Johnny.
"Now you just do that again, only let go of the ball."
"Uh-huh," Brystol replied, still staring wide-eyed. at Johnny. She made no movement.
"Aren't you going to roll?"
"Oh," Brystol shook her head, as if getting out of a daydream. "Sorry."
She moved to the line, put her hand back and rolled. The ball almost immediately went into the gutter.
"Oh darn," she pouted.
Johnny patted her on the back. "You'll do better next time."
"Thanks," Brystol said, taking Johnny's hand.
"You're welcome," he replied uncomfortably as he took his hand away.
"Shoot," Brystol whispered.
Johnny and Truman both had strikes on their first rolls. It was now Brystol's turn once again.
She got up and picked up her ball, again with some difficulty. She smiled at Johnny. "Can you help me just one more time? And this time, roll the ball with me."
"Alright," Johnny sighed, getting up.
He took Brystol's arm and moved with her to the line. Brystol continued to look intently at Johnny.
"Okay, now I'm not going to put much force to this roll, so you do most of the work," Johnny informed.
"Uh-huh,"
Johnny put his and Brystol's arms back and made the motion to roll the ball. Only Brystol wasn't paying attention. So when the ball was about to leave their hand, it fell on Johnny's foot.
"AARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!" he screamed, holding his foot and hopping on the other in pain.
Brystol gasped. "I'm so sorry!"
Truman ran to his side. "Good job, Brys," Truman scolded. "If you hadn't been flirting with him this wouldn't have happened."
"You were flirting with me?" Johnny asked, sweat streaming down his face.
Brystol looked around anxiously. "Can we get some help here?" she yelled.
The shoe guy ran over to them. "Do you want me to call for an ambulance?"
"No. We can drive him. It's just his foot," Truman answered, rather nonchalantly.
"At least let us take him out there," he said. "Bill, get over here!"
A burly man behind the snack counter jogged over.
"You take his legs, I'll get the upper body," the shoe guy instructed.
They picked him up, but only a few inches off the ground. "You know what," the shoe guy said. "Alan! Come over here!"
A young man with significant acne came over from a large rack where he was shining bowling balls.
"Help me with the upper body," the shoe guy said.
Each got a shoulder and they finally got Johnny up.
"It's the black truck," Truman called.
Brystol was whimpering.
"You better hope that his foot heals by the regular season," Truman scolded coldly, jogging after the three men carrying Johnny.
Brystol began crying hysterically as she ran after them.
*****
Idonea glared at the door. "Where the hell are they?"
"Calm down," Demisses instructed, absently throwing small fire balls around.
"Shut up you fool!" Idonea roared.
Demisses got up and looked into Idonea's eyes menacingly. "I am sick of how you treat me! I am of the same blood as you! I am Superior!"
Idonea chuckled. "Have you been rehearsing that?"
Demisses turned a beat red. He sent a circle of fire balls at his sister.
She easily dodged them. "Would you stop with the fire balls?" she asked, throwing a huge one at him.
He fell back.
"Did we miss something?" a female voice asked.
Idonea seemed agitated. "Invitara, why are you in human form? What have I told you about that?"
Invitara walked up to her. "I happen to like my human form," she said with her hands on her hips.
She was quite beautiful. She was tall and skinny with light mocha colored skin. Her dark black hair fell to her mid-back.
"I like it too," a male, a little taller approached. He had short brown hair and was rather muscular.
Invitara blushed. "Thank you Nimius."
"Get a room." Another male came into view. He was shorter than Nimius with blonde hair. He wasn't very muscular, either.
Invitara and Nimius glared laughingly at him.
Idonea looked down at them all with disgust. "You're late," she declared over Demisses's groans of pain.
Invitara looked down at him, concerned. "Is he going to be okay?"
"Yes," Idonea rolled her eyes. She threw her hand out and Demisses was thrown out of sight. "He was becoming an annoyance."
"Why are we here anyway?" Temerius asked, ignoring the recent event.
"New assignment."
"No!" Invitara yelled. "I really think they were the Ones!"
"The fact that they were in Hawaii makes no difference I'm sure."
Invitara looked down at the floor. "No."
"Have you seen any improvement in their powers?"
"No," Temerius answered.
"Then that is grounds for reassignment! Your next post is the city of Pittsburgh."
"Ugh. There's nothing to do there!" Invitara whined.
Idonea ignored her. "There's a new group there. They just got their powers, but just trust me on this one."
No one answered.
"Well then. Get going. I want you ready within two weeks."
They all walked away.
"Pittsburgh," Invitara shuddered.
"It can't be that bad," Temerius said.
"This new group... I wonder what they'll be like," Nimius pondered.
"If Idonea has sent us, I'm sure they're good," Invitara commented.
They continued walking, wondering what this new group would have in store for them.
*****
"Hi, is Truman there?" Brystol asked.
"No, I'm sorry. He went down to the tennis courts, Brystol," Truman's mother answered.
Brystol frowned. "Okay, thanks Mrs. James."
"You're welcome, bye."
"Bye."
Brystol grabbed her coat and headed for the park. She nervously walked down the steep hill that led to the tennis courts. This was going to be difficult. Truman only did tennis without his instructor when he needed to blow off steam, and Brystol knew that his sessions were never during the fall. It didn't surprise her to hear the loud whacking of the tennis ball as she neared.
"Hey," she called.
Truman let one of the balls being spit out by the machine at the other end go by. She knew he heard her.
She opened the gate door and walked to the side of Truman's court's net. "I'm really sorry for my behavior."
Truman stopped again. "I'm not the one you should be apologizing to."
"I know. But you deserve one as well."
"The doctor said he'll be out for a week. Do you realize what that means? Our chances at a top ten ranking are down the tubes because of you. You know just as much as anyone how important the preseason is," Truman reminded her, returning to his forehand.
"I know," Brystol admitted. "Did you tell Allora and Morrigan?"
"Nope. I figured I'd give you the honors."
Brystol bowed her head in shame. "I guess I'll go now," she looked hopefully up at Truman. Maybe he'd forgive her.
"See ya," he said icily.
Brystol skulked away. She decided she should stop in at Johnny's. As she walked she thought of Truman. He rarely got mad at anyone. It was only a week, after all. What could happen in a week? Before she knew it she had reached Johnny's. He lived in a large red brick house which was overgrown with moss on the sides and front. The front yard was well kept and his large black truck sat next to the family sedan in the driveway. It seemed like a perfect house. She walked up to the front door and knocked. Johnny's dad, an even larger and burlier version of his son, answered.
"Hi, Brystol. Johnny's in the den," he welcomed, pointing down a long hallway.
She walked slowly toward the room. "Hi," she whispered meekly upon entering.
Johnny smiled at her. "Hey,"
Brystol grimaced as she looked at Johnny's swollen foot, which was propped on an ataman, bare and purple.
"It looks worse than it feels," Johnny informed her as he looked at her expression.
"Look, I'm really sorry," Brystol began.
"Don't worry about it. Can't get mad because you stink at bowling."
"But…it happened because I…couldn't…I couldn't control myself."
"I know," Johnny replied soothingly. "It's really no big deal. I'll be back on my feet by next week. There aren't any scrimmages scheduled, so I'll just miss practices."
Brystol looked confused. "But Truman said that this hurt our chances at a top ten seed."
Johnny chuckled. "We're not going to get a top ten seed, but this isn't the reason."
"But he seemed so mad."
"He has been for awhile. Ever since Morrigan started going with Drake. And then the powers. It all piled up I suppose."
"And I didn't notice," Brystol said gloomily. "Some friend I am."
"Hey, don't be like that. Allora and the others had no idea either. I just know because Truman told me. He is my best friend, after all."
Brystol nodded. "I suppose you're right."
"I know I am."
Brystol dug her foot into the plush carpet. "But, about today. I want to apologize not only for your foot, but also my behavior. My behavior, actually, for some time."
Johnny looked away. "I've thought about us too, you know."
"You have?" Brystol beamed.
"Of course I have. But you know that can't be possible. Not with this whole demon thing. The time is just not right."
"So, we're just friends, then?"
"For now, yes."
Brystol walked over and gave Johnny a big hug. Johnny, for the first time, hugged back.
*****
Allora stroked Poison lovingly as he desperately tried to get away. "Get back here!" she commanded as she held him tighter. She sighed. "Silly bird." She put him in his cage and flopped onto her bed. Something had been bothering her. Lately she had been having a different dream than the usual one. Ever since she got her powers, her dream had changed. . She hadn't told anyone about it because they'd all continued having the same old dream from early summer.
Now, rather than a fight and Egypt, she dreamt about a strange light with blue-green eyes that went into her head and read all her thoughts and feelings. Maybe it's just stress…
She quickly got up and started cleaning her room. Cleaning always helped clear her thoughts. And with all that had happened, her room was beginning to look like Johnny's school locker. After about ten minutes of cleaning, she came upon the outfit she had worn to Trey's lying on her chair. I really was a bit harsh. But why does everything always go back to him? Ugh! She had barely spoken to Trey since the "incident" and had really felt terrible about the whole, thing even though she wasn't at fault.
She picked up her phone and dialed Trey's number. She couldn't have the group fighting she decided to herself. So apologizing was a must.
"Hello?" a female voice answered.
"Hi, this is Allora. Is Trey there?" she asked.
"Just a moment, please," his mother said.
She heard some muffled sounds and then heard Trey's voice. "Hi."
"Yeah, hi," she replied. "Um… I was wondering when that wedding was? You know, so I could mark it down in my calendar."
Trey nearly choked. "You mean you're going?"
"Well, yeah. I told your family I'd go. And I don't go back on my word," she stated firmly.
"Oh. Well I'll have to get it from my mom. Can I give it to you tomorrow in school?"
"Sure. Uh, bye the way, I'm sorry for how I acted."
"I understand. You have a lot on your mind and you really didn't need that."
"Yeah. But I also want you to know that the reason I'm going to that wedding is not entirely because I told your family that I'd go."
Trey froze on the other end of the line.
"Well, it's because I'd like to be your friend, Trey."
Trey didn't know if should be sad or happy. On one hand, the girl of his dreams wants to be his friend, but then, she didn't want to be his girlfriend either. "I want to be your friend, too, Allora."
"Good. I'll see you tomorrow then. And I'll expect you to have that date for me."
"Yeah. See you tomorrow. Bye."
"Bye bye."