IIIIIIII Ember IIIIIIII

Ember and Blackstar rotate every other night watching the grounds of Alfea. The girl with long black hair and eyes of gold, with a gold and ruby necklace, is difficult to find. But Ember masquerading as a fairy in the city of Magix isn't that difficult. Especially when so many fairies are eager to talk and spend their parents' money.

Scarlet Lusinga. The fairy whose magic of illusions are a little too powerful, a little too mysterious, and little too...dark.

Fairies love to gossip as much as witches, after all.

IIIIIIII Scarlet IIIIIIII

The Sun hangs low in the sky as I make my way down the path to the lake. Kal had called yesterday, asking if I would go on a date with him. It was an obvious yes. We had finally started texting these past few days, and it had been non-stop. I've already had my phone taken up three times during class, and Trisha would not stop teasing me about it.

It's weird. I can't stop thinking about him. I've seen this happen to other girls, but I never thought it would happen to me. He's athletic and enjoys pretty much every sport. He loves pizza, and as a kid, he loved that TV show "too adorable," where it shows newborn magical creatures. Which, of course, I think is adorable.

And he's super attractive. I mean, every specialist is in shape, so they're all attractive in some way. But Kal has such a positive energy about him, and his smile is contagious. Plus-

I focus back on the path ahead as it opens up to the lake. I need to keep my head together. Mistakes happen when I'm not focused, and I don't want to mess up whatever Kal and I are. But then I gaze ahead and realize that keeping my head together is going to be tougher than I thought.

A few large rocks scatter on its calm shore, and sitting on one of them is Kal. He's facing the water, and he hasn't heard me yet. Even in a hoodie, I can see the fabric tight against his muscles. I wonder what it would be like to be close to him, or run my hands through his hair. Alright, calm down, Scar.

I stop a few feet away and cross my arms. I take the illusion off my eyes off and say, "Just so you know, my roommate told me dates like these are how girls get kidnapped."

Kal stands and turns. Sunlight glints of the hilt of a phantomblade that's clipped to his side. But I'm already distracted when his dimple shows as he grins, and I fight smiling back. There are butterflies in my stomach, if I could call them that. Trish wouldn't stop teasing me when I told her about that, either.

"Oh, really?" He laughs. "Your friend is super protective of you, isn't she? Well, I promise to be a gentleman. No cursing, no making any moves, and no kidnapping."

He extends his hand. I roll my eyes, smile, and take it. It's like there's a spark when we touch, even though I know it's just hormones and neurotransmitters overreacting.

I follow Kal. We walk back up the path, all the while talking about our week- how our professors give too much homework, our roommates' expansive dating lives, and funny videos on TrikTrak. I'm still thinking about the fact that we're holding hands before I notice we've broken off the main path. "Where are we going?"

He releases my hand to push a tree limb up. "It's a place I found while I was scouting a few months back. I figured you'd like something more private since you don't seem to like crowds."

It's incredibly accommodating and thoughtful, but I don't show it as I reply, "I think I'm starting to warm up to the whole kidnapping theory."

"Please," he rolls his eyes, "I'm sure you'd kick my butt in no time with your magic."

I tilt my head and raise my eyebrows. "You're not wrong." Though we'd probably be even without my magic. My parents insisted I be able to defend myself and survive without my powers. There's only been one assassination attempt on my life though, and only one person came out of that alive. I'm still convinced my parents orchestrated it to test me.

The path steepens, and we're quiet the next ten minutes as we make our way up. The foliage is dense, and every few seconds we're pushing past tree limbs and overgrown bushes. There's rocks, too, and I wonder when we're going to stop. My legs aren't burning yet, but my shorter breaths tell me it'll happen soon. Kal stops and holds up another branch for me to pass under.

About that time, my shoes lose traction and I start to slide. My feet fly out from under me, and I fall backwards. My hands reach out, searching for something to grab hold of. But there's nothing, and I realize too late that I'm about to fall down a mountain. I thought my demise would be far more dramatic.

But then I hit something hard, smooth, and incredibly warm- definitely not the rocky ground. My breath catches in my chest, and when I blink up, Kal's staring down at me.

Kal has his arm around me, and it's wonderfully comfortable. "You alright?" he asks.

I am definitely not alright. My ears are hot, and I'm suddenly aware of our breaths mingling. Crap- what if my breath stinks? What did I eat last?

My eyes flicker away as I reply, "I"m fine. Thanks." I pull myself out of his arms and clear my throat. My skin has goosebumps, and it's so much colder when we're not touching. When I glance his way, he's looking away and running his hand through his hair. Thank god he looks nervous too.

"Um," I say, "Sorry about that." I brush my hair behind my ears and gesture as I say, "Lead the way."

He lifts the branch up again, and he smiles as he says, "Of course. Watch your step."

I elbow him, and he chuckles.

What ever charge that was in the air dissipates,and we're both smiling as we climb our way back up the path.

"So," Kal says, "the dance is coming up. Is that something you're into?"

"Hm," I reply. "Large crowds, an enclosed room full of people impractically dressed, heavily sweating, as they try to show off their dance moves in the worst ways possible? Of course," I say with a shrug. "I'm like every other hip teenager."

"Wow," he laughs. "Please don't ever say hip teenager again. You sound like my mom."

There's a lighthearted tone in his voice, and I reply, "Noted. So what about this dance?"

He slows his pace. His voice is hesitant as he says, "Well, if it's something you're interested in, I was going to ask you."

"Oh." I'm such an idiot. "Are you asking me now?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Well, yes." He stops and turns to me. He scratches the back of his neck and says, "Sorry, I'm not good at this. Wait." He frowns suddenly and stills his posture. His hand goes to the hilt of his sword, and he asks, "Did you hear that?"

I stop and listen. There aren't any animal noises, which is strange. But in the distance, there's the faint sound of fighting, and blasts of magic reverberate off the trees. My eyes widen when I realize it's in the direction of where we're going.

I nod back at him, and he brings his finger to his lips. We slowly make our way up the path and try to step on the mossier, quiet parts of the ground. The air is suddenly tense around us as we draw closer to the noise. It's definitely female voices, and I wonder if Bloom and Icy are fighting again- it's been a common occurrence.

But I frown when we get to a clearing. A blonde girl in a pink top is on the ground, and over her is a darker haired girl. My eyes widen when I recognize the thin frame and the purple outfit.

It's the witch from the alley.