LOVE & MAGIC

Chapter Eight: Let the Games Begin

Marco went home a week after the masquerade ball.

It wasn't a big tearful good bye. The goodbye between Carla and Marco, now that one had been tearful... on Carla's part at least. She was really smitten with Marco, and I could tell Marco felt pretty much the same way. I knew I would see him again soon enough.

As I walked Marco to his horse I whispered, low and fast: "I want to be Maid of Honor, pink will play no role in your wedding, and you will not make Sergio your best man, I'm taller than him. Understood?"

Marco didn't even yell. He just nodded and smiled.

Ah, my little brother Marco discovered women... they grow up so fast.

As for Chris and me, well, things were weird.

I wasn't true to my word of not seeing him again. Of not seeing him again as Cass, I mean. I saw him everyday as Kyle. I thought he would forget about Cass but he didn't. A couple of days after Marco's departure, Chris told me all about his night with Cass... he apparently liked her very much, and he said he would want to see her again. He also asked me to not say anything about her to Wes and Landon, "They'll make fun of me," Chris said, "You know I still can't hear the end of it with them about Kaze Lhite."

What could I do?

I saw him again. Cass saw him again, I mean.

At first it was all casual, like we would bump into each other in the market of Cloud City or near the river in the woods. Chris was always very respectful and no more than friendly. It was nice and I felt I could really talk to him even in a way Kyle couldn't, in a way Kaze never would.

"What do you think people are most afraid of?" Chris asked one time we were walking in the market.

"Consequences," I said. "We are all afraid of facing the consequences of our actions, that's why we always hold back and never go and do what we really want, we are afraid that things won't be like we imagined them to be. And in consequence you have to live with what you did for the rest of your life. That's why we hide too. Why we are more like ourselves when we pretend to be someone else... because that way we don't face consequences."

"How old are you?" He asked sounding amused.

"Nineteen, in three months." I answered wondering how fast time went by; I had been living at Windam Valley for four months, pretending to be Cass for more than a month already, only three months left till September.

"Well, for an eighteen year old you're terribly... fatalist" Chris said with a laugh. "Besides, I, for one, don't care about consequences. If I really want something I'll go for it; I know I couldn't live with myself if I didn't try." He really meant the last part. It was something I had discovered about him, he could be laughing and be serious at the same time.

"But sometimes you try and all you manage to do is get yourself hurt," I said thinking of Adam, I had loved him, I took a chance on him and he only hurt me.

"It's true." I hadn't expected him to agree. "Especially when you talk about love but," he sighed, for once there was nothing playful about him, "Sometimes you have to take risks to win what you treasure the most. Your heart might get broken but at least you put it out there for something to happen with it. Life is all about taking risks. And you can't be afraid. Is a terrible way to live: Being afraid, making up lies and excuses to avoid being who you're supposed to be, who you really are."

We walked in silence for a while. His words were weighting heavily on me but I hoped it didn't show.

Chris was right, I couldn't be afraid forever. Unfortunately I had done was most humans do, on a moment of desperation and sadness I swore out of love but unlike most humans I couldn't take that back. If I ever fell in love again... No, I couldn't do that.

I felt fear gripping my heart. A different kind of fear to anything else I had ever felt. I couldn't love again, I couldn't dare. For His sake -whoever Mr. He might be- I can't love again.

I had to choke back a cry as I heard the wind whisper in my ear: "Too late."

"Are you alright?" Chris asked, "You look pale." He reached and ran the back of his fingers against my cheek, "Do you feel ill?"

"A little." I said. It was another lie to cover myself, "I better get going." I added.

"What me to walk you home?" he asked but I pretended not to hear and got myself lost in the market.

I was more afraid than what I was willing to admit. When I got to my room that day I called Jadzia, she came as she did when I called, it wasn't really her, it was a bubble of magic that showed me her form. I saw her standing in the middle of her forest

"You called?" She said kindly, Jadzia could read emotions very well, she knew there was something wrong with me but wouldn't push it.

"Yes, I- I was wondering something, about magic," I said and Jadzia looked exited, she loved to talk about magic. "Remember what you told me about oaths?"

"Yes," she said calmly.

"Well, here is the thing... what if someone with magic makes an oath, never to fall in love for example... and then falls in love. What happens?"

"The person you speak of will know a pain greater than what she or he could ever imagine," she said seriously. One thing you didn't toy with was oaths.

"What about the object of this person affection? What would happen to him or her?"

"It depends," she said, "I thought I already had told you this. Anyway, if the second person loves the first – being the first the one that made the oath – then magic will turn against him or her. If the second person doesn't feel love for the first person then he or she is... safe, I guess you could call it that."

"Oh," I said, "I just wasn't very clear about that,"

Jadzia eyed me suspiciously, "What have you done?"

"I haven't done anything,"

I didn't think she had believed me, not entirely. But Jadzia chose not to ask more and the bubble of magic popped, living little fairy dust behind.

I sighed with relief. Even if the wind was right – and it wasn't – and I was in love with Chris, he was safe. Don't get my wrong, I wasn't worried about him because I was in love, no, it was because I had come to care about him as a friend. And that was it.

Only that it wasn't.

And I found out soon enough. Actually, it only took two weeks.

I meet with Chris in the river.

He didn't believe me when I said I loved fishing so he dared me to go fishing with him and I did. I was winning at the "who catches more fishes" contest but I didn't particularly cared. It was hard to care about a competition when you were in the middle of a river – water up to your thighs. We started to talk about old stories we had heard as children. Chris was giving me a load of Wind Warriors lore.

"It was a very sweet love story, actually. Rafer and Merle where very happy. The funny part was that King Roger always wanted Rafer to marry Merle but both of them refused stubbornly till the son of King Bolek asked to marry Merle. First she refused, but then Bolek said he wouldn't invade Windam Valley if Merle married his son, to avoid a full on war the court decided that Merle had to marry. It was Rafer's mission to take her to Terra, but on their way there he decided he wasn't going to let it happen and that's when the power of the Wind Warriors awoke. The four of them –Rafer, Merle, and two other men by the name of Michael and William – stormed Terra with the aid of the phantom army that only answers to the call of the wind, and then Terra was split in Circe, Mhalta and Lhite."

"I never really understood what the Wind Warriors power was about,"

"It's a total control over the wind. My line carries the power to control the Hot Wind that comes from Fireland; Wes's family controls the wind mixed with water that comes from Seaside, Landon can create twisters over the land at will... and there most be someone able to control the Frosty Wind from the high mountains of what once was Terra. Supposedly my family carries that power too, if I had a younger brother or sister, he or she would be the master of the cold wind."

"It must be nice to have that kind of magic,"

"Is kind of neat, I will admit. And it does serve to preserve the peace."

We talked a bit more about magic. Chris wasn't really that interested in his powers, he knew to control them but just that; whereas I had worked very had since I was a girl to make my magic stronger.

It was a nice sunny afternoon. After Chris finally admitted that I was better at fishing that him we got out of the river.

Then it was quiet, both of us lying on the grass letting the sun dry us. I was starting to wonder what would I do with the fishes I caught... it would be kind of difficult to sneak them to my room in the palace. I was musing about this when Chris voice pulled me out of my thoughts.

"Cass," It always took me a while to remember that's what he thought was my name.

"Yes?" I said closing my eyes against the sun.

"Remember that I once told you I didn't care about consequences?"

"Vaguely," I said, I was starting to feel drowsy.

"Remember that I told you that when I wanted something I went for it?"

"Yeah," I was seriously about to doze off.

"Then I hope this doesn't come as much of a surprise,"

Thought my sleepy mind I was about to ask 'What?' But I never got the chance.

And a second later I didn't even felt drowsy anymore. I felt wide awake.

Chris kissed me.

He was gentle, I hadn't expected that.

He made forget everything around me, anything that wasn't him suddenly was unimportant. And as a sweet rush went through me I could fell my heart starting to beat again – painfully but happily so – and the blood that I suspected had frozen on my veins in the wake of the post-Adam Era was flowing again, making me feel warm inside in a way I had never known.

It wasn't rushed, we weren't hiding.

That was different too.

Most of Adam's kisses were rushed; all of them were while hiding.

Adam had always been ashamed of me because I wasn't all the things Emily was. Only now that I was being kissed by someone that couldn't care less – or at least that made me feel as if he couldn't care less – if someone saw us, I realized of that.

Was it really my fault that I kissed back?

My brain was screaming that this was Madness. My heart tried to convince my brain that I had just died and gone to Heaven.

End of Chapter Eight.

Notes:

You'll get what Chris was thinking in the next chapter.

EreshkigalGirl: Usually it takes me forever to update, lately hasn't been the case :D

znadias24: I have only read Ella Enchanted, I don't know the other book... is it good? I got the mail, it sucked, but the board are back up.

Trinity: Thanks for your coments. Could you give me an expample of what you mean? Usually I make things go in full circle but sometimes I fail to mention certain details that make things make sense to me but not to other people... is weird. I try to be very careful about what I write, the hardest part is doing the cuts. You shouldn't abandon your story, writin is like any skill, needs practice.

angel-kiss7: Nop, Kaze isn't perfect. I like that because I like flaws, it makes things intereting. Perfection will bore you out easily and quickly. Her looks are very average and I like that.

jammi: Hello Quote Genie!!!! Ain't you glad that the MCBC is back up!!! I was doing a happy dance the other day.

sealednectar: I get what you mean, it irritates me too when the protagonist has it all because that's not real and it will rarely be. And even when everything looks perfect and squeaky clean... there is something wrong going on... Sorry I was babbling, but perhaps you'll understand better when I introduce Emily - who seems to be perfect.

UnangelicHalo: Thanks for the seamed/seemed, that one always slips. :D.

LindyLou78: :) Chris wasn't waiting, he went after her. Hope you do ok in Chemistry.

Much love,

Crazy, lovable me. ;)