(Author's Note: This Chapter is short, yet something you all wanted. Its short because I have a sneak preview of a new story that I would like opinions on . Thanks!)
Chapter Three – Trickery at its Best
The bell rang at Chapman, Josh sighed and ate the last bite of his sandwich, sitting on the stone bench by the bronze statue, he looked around, no sign of Chad. He stood up and threw the sandwich wrapper and empty soda bottle in the trash can. He looked around, he began to walk to his afternoon class, Spanish. As he walked through the Spanish arches and into the main courtyard of the school he was put back. The steps led down into a field that was the size of a football field. The field was craved by a stone pathway. In the middle of a path was a fountain, an Angel holding a harp, soaring into the sky, and between the paths were more stone benches and a tree in each section. The path lead off into four directions, each into the building.
Josh walked forward from the stone steps and into the English and Foreign Language buildings. He looked down on his schedule and saw he was in Room 503 LAN, he saw "LAN" obliviously meant language. He walked and before he walked into the building, he heard someone yell his name, he turned around and saw no one. He then walked more towards the building and then he heard it again, and this time it was closer, and before he turned, someone touched his shoulder. He saw an out of breath, Chad standing next to him.
"Hey!" Chad said, out of breath.
"Look, I got to get to class." Josh replied back.
"I am sorry, I got caught up in some shit, my friend was having some troubles."
"Okay." Josh replied, stopping at the stone steps.
"For real, I tried to come over. Even to bring you over to our group, I am really sorry."
"Its okay." Josh said, "I'll just see you tomorrow alright." With that Josh walked up to the stone steps into his Spanish class. As the day passed on, Josh finished out two hours of Spanish and then to World Cultures. As the final bell rang, he had never felt more relieved to hear something. He left the History wing, and to the front of the school. He looked around, and he didn't see his father anywhere. He saw many of the students walking up to Lexus', Mercedes, and BMW's, and it made him almost jealous that he didn't have one.
"Oh come on! Where are you?" Josh moaned. Then everything around him froze in time. Even the birds above froze.
"Right Here." Chris said behind Josh, as his son turned, Josh saw his father and uncle standing there. Josh smiled, and hugged his father and sighed. "Well hello! You okay?"
"I am better now, Whoa!" His son replied looking at his fathers, suit that Wyatt conjured earlier, "Where did you get this from?"
"Me!" Wyatt said proud fully, "I think he looks very professional, especially the sunglasses – hey where are they?"
"Uh, not now." Chris replied embarrassed.
"Oh come on, let me see!" Josh said.
Chris sighed, and pulled the glasses out of his pocket and put them on.
"Very nice." Josh said, "I like those a lot!"
"Thank you, you see this kid has Style!"
"And I don't?" Chris replied.
"No you do, but he and I are on the same wave length."
"Can we just get out of here." Josh said, "Did you orb?"
"Yep." Wyatt said.
"Oh its good to see you. It really is." He said giving Wyatt a Half hug. Josh having his arm around his uncle and the other on his father, they orbed away. And once the orbs were gone, time unfroze.
They all orbed into Spell Caster, the same way Chris and Wyatt orbed onto Chapman. Time unfroze, as they all appeared in Chris' office. Then Josh put his bag down and sat down on his father's desk chair. He sighed in relief. "I hate first days." He said, putting his head back and closing his eyes.
"What? Why?" Chris asked him, before Wyatt could, "In my Chemistry class, they had a test, the first day! On Chapters 1 and 2, and there is another test on Chapter 3 tomorrow."
"Well that's only three Chapters not so bad." Wyatt said
"The smallest Chapter is fourteen pages!" Josh stated, "And then we had a test on the first half of Cry, the Beloved Country and fifty vocabulary words, and then Algebra was just notes, thank god! Spanish wasn't so bad, just copying phrases off the board, and World Cultures, another test! I have to review section one tonight. I swear this is like College."
"Ouch." Wyatt said.
"I am sorry, you can have my office to work if you want." Chris said.
"Naw, I would rather work at home. Can one of you take me home?" Josh said, sounding almost defeated.
"New Schools are tough." Chris said, "You knew this coming into it."
"Yeah I know." Josh replied.
"It is the best Preparatory school on the East coast."
"I know. Can I just go back to regular high school."
"Hell no." Wyatt said, "It's only been one day, and you're not giving up this easily. And haven't you developed any teleportation powers yet?"
Chris looked up, the office door was open and he gave Wyatt a evil look. He flicked his fingers and the door closed. Josh smiled. "No."
"You have Phoenix, Witch, and Whitelighter in you and no teleportation?"
"Nope, sadly. All I have is Telekinetic – Pyrokinesis that's about it."
"Can you create fire yet?" Wyatt asked
"No, just reproduce it. Why you asking? I am not worried about my powers."
"No it's just thinking cause when Chris was your age he already had his telekinetic powers developed."
"Maybe he's just lucky." Josh said, "I'll be right back." He got up and left the office, closing the door behind him.
Chris walked over and sat on his desk, and Wyatt stood cross armed, leaning on one leg. "Why hasn't his powers developed more? He should be one powerful kid." Wyatt asked.
"I don't know." Chris replied, "I've been waiting for weeks now. Nothing."
"I could get a Power Broker."
"Hell No! Look Josh is hip deep in School Work, and he's not that interested in his powers, - in fact I don't recall him ever being interested. He's always working."
"Maybe that's his problem, he's always working. He's not developing it much."
As Wyatt bid his brother farewell, he orbed Josh home. As he orbed back into the house, Wyatt whistled. "I like this."
"Thanks." Josh replied, putting his bag on the couch, before sitting down himself. He pulled off his tie and threw his blue blazer on the chair, and sat in his long sleeve white shirt. He unbuttoned the top few buttons, and then Wyatt stood next to him.
"Josh, can I ask you something?"
"Sure." Josh replied, has he head was laying back, eyes closed.
"Do you want more powers?"
Josh lifted his head, and looked at his uncle. "Uh, I don't know. I am not really big on big magic, except the whole orbing from place to place."
"Well, you could have that, if you developed your powers more."
"Maybe, I guess."
"I could give you some powers." Wyatt said, pulling a ball of white light from his palm. "It's my orbing power."
"What?" Josh said, "No. You need to get home."
"I have shimmering, look it's okay."
"No thank you. I want to earn my powers, develop em."
"You sounded just like you're grandmother right there." Wyatt said. Josh smiled. "Well I got to go kid, prepare for you're new cousins."
"Cousins?" Josh said surprised.
"Peace out."
As the week rolled on, Josh got more a custom to, his new school, and the massive work load. Chad lived up to his word and Josh soon became friends with his group of what Josh referred to as "Preppy Crowd." Allyse, Chad, London, Destiny, and Ashely, made up Chad's group. They were all very accepting of Josh, Allyse is the fun, spunky one, London was the very laid, back, handsome shy guy, Destiny was the all American blonde hair girl, and Ashely was the surfer dude. Josh, who always had a itch for Football, had to end up dropping it because of the massive workload, and thought about joining the Volleyball team later in the year.
Josh managed to win over one of his teachers, Professor Binns, his English teacher, with his six page essay on what is the "American Dream and how we live it." He was still taunted by his Chemistry Professor, and sat at the back of the class, but he had fun drawing stupid mindless pictures of him during class. But as the week went on, Josh became ill. He still went to school, against his fathers wishes to try and not fall behind.
"You have a high temp!" Chris said one morning.
Josh was putting on his shirt, over his white under shirt. His eyes were swollen and dark circles around them. His nose was dripping of mucus, and his voice was fading.
"I'll be fine." He replied in almost a whisper.
"No. You're staying home today." Chris demanded.
"I have to go."
"I will call you're professors and get the work."
"But I need the notes."
"Then I will have the teacher fax or email them to me. You're staying home!"
"Okay fine, I am staying." Josh said going to his bed and laying down. Chris raised an eyebrow.
"Huh?"
"I'll stay home." Josh said laying on his stomach.
"Never in your life, have you given up that easily."
"Well first time for everything." His voice was now cracking, "Now go away."
"I'll bring home some soup at lunch." Chris said, he walked over and kissed his son on the forehead, then he put his hand on his son's face. "You're really burning up." Chris gave Josh some Tylenol to reduce the fever and some allergy medicine to help clear up his sinus'.
"I'll be home at lunch to catch up on you." Chris said, orbing out. Josh waited until the orbs had cleared the room. He then grabbed his bag, and his chemistry book. He pulled out a piece of paper from in between the mattress, and looked at it. On it was a spell he wrote, a few days before, just in case his father wouldn't let him go to school.
"I hope this works." He said, then he read the spell. "I call upon the ancient power, take me to school, at Chapman's Memorial Tower." He looked around him, and fire circled him, and then towered above him. For a second he thought he was going to burn, but then the fire fell, and he was standing in the bell tower of Chapman Preparatory.
As Josh sat in his English Literature class, over the loud speakers which the daily announcements were made from the Headmaster's Secretary, he heard his name being called. He was demanded in the Attendance office, at once. Feeling very drowsey and light headed, he got up and walked through the giant courtyard of the stoned angel and into the Admissions building, but before he walked up the steps he saw his father knelling against the wall. He was not happy.
"He's here, thank you." Chris said to the Attendance Lady through the door. As Josh walked up, he figured he was going home. Chris just said Come on, to his son and they bothed walked off campus. They arrived in their black truck, and when he closed the doors, Chris vented his anger.
"What has gotten into you?" He asked backing out of the parking space.
"You don't understand, I had to come."
"And risk getting more sick?"
"I was drinking water all day."
"Josh, that is no excuse."
"Please don't yell, I am not feeling good." Josh said putting his head in his hand, with his elbow leaning on the door.
"Then maybe you shouldn't have gone to school." Chris said, trying not to get to angry with his son. "You understand Josh?" He looked forward, waiting for an answer. But he didn't get one. "Josh." He said, when he looked over he saw Josh passed out, hanging limp over his seatbelt. Chris stopped the car. He then shook his son.
"Josh!" He said, he pulled his head back, and saw Josh's face was dripping with sweat. "Oh my god! Hold on, we're going to a hospital." And Chris drove off, at high speed, nearly missing a car.
