Love Cast For A Boy Who Doesn't Exist

A Caster Chronicles fanfiction

oneshot

"Ugh, I hate this dump – I hate it so much, I can't even," groaned Julia Duchannes, rolling over – arms lifted above her head dramatically – in the narrow brass bed. It creaked under her. "I'm so glad we only have to stay here another week, then we get to try school in Barbados. I bet the boys there will be much more fun than the–" She noticed, then, that her cousin, in the identical creaky bed across from her own was preoccupied with writing something in a battered spiral notebook; and so she trailed off. "Leanie-Beanie, you don't have to do my homework – we're not going back to that clown school. Didn't you hear me? Mama said we're going to Barbados. Larkin's coming, too; he got kicked out of that stupid boarding school Uncle M made him try for the semester. The headmaster had a fit after Larky made him think his ruler was a snake." She pursed her lips. "Come on, Leanie, I know you only do my homework so I don't try to make the boys do it for me."

The dark-haired little girl's green eyes darted – momentarily – away from her notebook to glance at Julia. The squeak of her Sharpie – pressing down too heavy on the thin notepaper it was rapidly bleeding through – stopped for a second. "It's not your homework, Julie." It's something for me.

"One a your little poems, Cuz?" Her expression wasn't unfriendly, even if it was a little teasing.

Lena sucked in a breath. "No, it's something else."

Julia sprang up, all attention. Squeak, squeak. Creak, Creak. "It's a Cast?"

"Yeah," she admitted.

"Juicy, Cuz!" Julia's smile was wide as a Cheshire Cat's. "What sort of Cast were you tryin' for?"

"Love Cast," Lena admitted in a low mumble, moving her hair in front of her reddening face.

Pretty blonde brow furrowed, Julia jumped off the bed and rushed over, tugging on the notebook till she'd pried it free from under Lena's elbow. "May I?" She seemed puzzled as she read without waiting for an answer. "But you never even look at boys. What do you want with a love Cast?"

"It's for a special boy," said Lena, her small white fingers playing with the charm necklace she never took off as she looked at her cousin askance.

Clearing her throat, Julia read aloud, "He'll have brown eyes, be tall – at least 6'2" – she grinned, "Ooh, nice start. I think I like your guy, Leanie. I might have to fight you for this one." Then, "– and be brave and kind and self-sacrificing. The kind of guy who would literally throw himself off a water tower to protect the people he loves." Her grin became a wince. "Nah, you've lost me now; he's all yours." She sighed – sounding vaguely disgusted – before continuing. "He plays a sport, he's strong and athletic, but he's not just some dumb jock; he loves reading books, especially if they've ever been on a banned list. He'll have three crazy maiden aunts who he takes care of like a total sweetheart; after he gets his learner's permit, he'll drive them to church every Sunday, just because they expect him to. He can't help oozing charm and fitting in anywhere. He's never lost; he can find his way through anything, even Caster tunnels. He can Kelt, even if he's not a Caster, or any other kind of supernatural." Stars above, what a square! She snorted. "Leanie, you know that's impossible. Mortals don't Kelt." There were plenty of Casters, even, who couldn't. "They don't have any real power. They're just too dumb. Even the cute ones."

"That's the whole point," she explained, considering, as she spoke, what sort of charm she would need to use to seal these words she'd written down. "He's a boy who doesn't exist. A boy who can't ever exist. He's too perfect."

She'd never hurt anyone, Lena had realised, if the person she made a love Cast for, even as a child, was incapable of ever turning up in real life – because he was the kind of person who couldn't be. She'd never harm someone who loved her the way her father... The way her mother had... That is, Macon and Gramma and Aunt Del didn't tell the whole story, they always changed the subject, but she always did assume her mama, Sarafine, did something to him. She knew there'd been a fire at least, when she was a baby, and that fire was her mother's best Cast, part of her Natural powers.

Whatever.

This way, even if she went dark someday, her "true love" would never be in danger.

"Well, you have fun with that, Cuz," snorted Julia, hitting her on the arm with a lumpy pillow and thinking what a dull love life poor little Lena was setting her future self up for.

Lena giggled and playfully swatted her away. "Get off!"

Perhaps, assuming they both went the same way after their Sixteenth Moons, had matching Claimings and kept their green eyes, maybe they'd just grow old together, her the forever flirt who never liked anyone well enough to actually marry and Lena the permanent prude with her crazy cast for a fake guy, neither of them ever really needing anyone else.

It wouldn't be a bad way to live – they already shared the same suitcase, after all.

A/N: Reviews welcome, replies could be delayed.