Chapter Five: The Truth

"Dee! Kayle!"

Silence.

"Destin! Kaylen!" The voice chocked in the thickening smoke. It was farther away. Tayhe was being forced to retreat by the rapidly spreading fire.

Dee tried to open her eyes, but was forced to close them as she was blinded by the smoke. She turned around, feeling the ground in front her. Her hands felt nothing but dirt, rocks, and some pine cones.

"Kaylen, where are you?" she yelled as best she could. Nothing. She put her hand to the bottom of her neck, and a booming voice followed, "Kayle!"

She faintly heard movement in the direction of the lake. She crawled as quickly as she could towards the sound. The forest fire was growing and the crackling was starting to dig into her nerves. Dee's hands suddenly bumped into something softer than dirt, and she tumbled onto Kaylen.

"Kayle," Dee whispered as she ran her hands over his motionless body. She found his neck and felt for his face, bringing her mouth inches from his ears. "Are you alright? Answer me! Please," she sobbed, "Kaylen!"

He didn't say anything, but she felt his hand float to her head. She didn't think twice. "Accio wand!" Through the smoke her wand burned towards her, and her hand ready to accept. Seconds after her fingers were clutched around it, she did a complicated wave and she saw a wave of murky green and a dark shadow before her eyes closed and her body went limp on top of Kaylen.

"Tayhe," Destin whispers as she glances at Kaylen. "Does Kayle know?"

"He doesn't remember much, thinks he imagined a lot of it. Luckily the doctors said he'd inhaled enough smoke that he can't recall anything clearly," he whispers back.

"But he's okay?"

"Your spell did everything you intended it to, and everything you didn't."

Dee stared at him. "The ministry is looking into this?"

"Hermione is taking care of it. You'll probably be put on probation and you won't get you wand until Hogwarts starts again, but you'll still get to go at least. It's the best she can do."

Dee nodded. She didn't need her wand anyway, but this could mean no wand privledges for the rest of her underage summers. "Is he still coming back with us?" Dee had just woken up, losing a day of information.

"Yeah, he's already packed. Dad's moved his things to the house."

There was a pause which neither wanted to break.

"I can't tell him," Tayhe said finally.

Dee looked at him as if he were crazy. "Don't you think it'd be better coming from you?"

"No. I'd have to admit I haven't told the whole truth for years, there's no good way to tell him that."

She couldn't believe what he wanted her to do, but she couldn't argue his rational. She slowly lifted herself off the bed, sliding her feet off the side. The cool tile under her feet spread a shiver up her body. Dee slipped out of the door trying to bring no attention to herself as she moved towards Kaylen, who was sitting in an uncomfortable waiting room chair, head leaning against the wall behind him. She sat down next to him soundlessly.

"Looks like we made it out okay, then, eh mate?" she said softly. He jumped slightly, and his eyes were on her in less than a second. "At least you remember the details."

He slid his hand on top of hers. "Not really. I started hallucinating. I saw a wave of green liquid wash over me and the camp that extinguished the fire and the burns I'd imagined I had. I suddenly had an overwhelming sense of calm, and serenity. That's when Tayhe came and got us."

She waited. "You describe it very accurately. Most people are unable to describe magic when they see it."

"What are you talking about? I imagined it, it wasn't magic Princess." Kaylen straightened his posture in his chair, staring straight into Destin's eyes. They stared back, and were anything but joking.

"Yes it was. I conjured it with my wand, because I haven't found a way to harness the new spells I've learned this summer. Magic is tricky that way, some spells you know your whole life and you never have to practice. Others you have to really work on and you can make a lot of mistakes."

"I think you should go lie down, you're not thinking straight." Kaylen went to stand up to find a doctor, or help Dee back into her room. But he didn't move. A scared look spread across his face.

"You have to believe me, I'm a witch. Tayhe is a wizard. Our entire family is, so I knew we had to tell you before you came over."

"Why can't I move? What are you doing? You're delusional."

Tayhe came out from behind the door. "Keep your voice down, some of the other patients are starting to stare."

"Tayhe," said Kaylen, panic thick in his tone. "You might want to get a doctor, I think Destin hit her head, and I'm having some sort of a muscle spasm."

Tayhe gave Dee a hard look. "With the Ministry watching you, I thought you'd do less illegal magic. There is always better ways of dealing with these things you know."

Dee immediately took off the spell, but it didn't make a difference. Kaylen had passed out in the chair, and slumped down rather pathetically.

"It wasn't me," Dee said before Tayhe had finished turning his head.

"Because we're traveling by floo powder to England. And you'd have to find out eventually, for one reason or another."

They had gone back to their campsite, trying to gather what was left of it. Destin's protection saved a lot, which only made it more difficult to explain to the muggles. "Luck" was often attributed during these magical mishaps. Tayhe and Kaylen had left Destin by the quads while they finish organizing the area to make it like it was before to their best ability. Stocked firewood, extra lawn chairs leaning against a fallen tree, and a couple beer tucked into the water, buried enough so you could just see the lip of the bottle and the cap.

"Floo powder?"

"By fireplace. You get a little dirty, but it's the fastest thing you can use when you're not of age," he tried to explain.

"Okay. This is awesome, I can't believe this is real. I half expect to wake up and be told I've been a vegetable for a year or something," Kaylen said, grinning a little. It took a long time for him to believe Destin and Tayhe, but now he thought it was most amazing thing he'd ever heard of.

They reach Dee, who was staring at the view of the farm. Tay climbed onto his four wheeler, and Kaylen gets Destin to shove back so he can drive the other back to the house. They wait patiently for Tay to start up his quad, before roaring off to the house. Destin ducks her head behind Kayle's back to keep the whipping rain from hitting her face. She enjoys how her scarlet locks whip behind her, lost in the wind. Destin wraps her arms around his waist, fingers clinging to his sides. Leaning forward, she moves her mouth towards his ear.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier," she says loud enough for him to hear her.

He says nothing, unsure of his voice for a change. Instead he places his hand on hers, giving it a reassuring squeeze. It made sense - she made sense. She was no longer full of mysteries.

Destin sighed as she came back to reality. The video had ended, quite awhile ago, but her memory had continued without her realizing it. She began to stretch her legs, and realized she shouldn't have sit in such a crumpled position. Destin stood up slowly, she knew it was late and she'd have to sneak back to the dorms. After blowing out the candles, she crept towards the door. Her hand grasped the cold metal door knob gently then turned it in a smooth, quiet motion. Nobody was around so she slips into the dark hallway, and swept through the castle as fast as she could without making any noise. The school was dark, but she needed no light to guide her. Destin could practically roam the school with her eyes closed without ever getting lost.

She reached the Fat Lady without seeing anything but the pictures move. "Jitterbug."

The Fat Lady yawned impatiently. "Yes, all right, but try not to stay up so late Miss. Weasley."

"Sorry, I'll be in on time tomorrow. If I'm not, I'll spend the night out here instead." She hurried into the common room, expecting to be able to run straight up to bed. Unfortunately, he sat in his usual spot and was staring at her.

"What are you still doing up? It's past two already."

"It's only two. Why are you wasting your time with him and his presents? Kaylen will never be interested in you like that again. You have to get over it." His matter-of-fact tone taunted her to become angry.

Destin stared blankly back, refusing to give him anything. "Steve, he was never interested in me "like that," so it would be hard to get over something that never happened. We're friends, and I don't understand why that twists your knickers so much. Maybe you have something to get over. I'm tired."

Without giving him a second glance she started up the stairs. Steve was right, of course, but she'd never admit that she blindly fell for a guy without taking in the facts first. They were friends, and it will be that way as long as she held a wand.