GAHHH!!! Okay, updated this chapter, so I fixed some
mistakes, thanks SOOOO much to Wonder Jenny (I'd e-mail you thanking you, but
you didn't leave an e-mail ^^;). I don't have ANY of the books (besides TWD)
with me, and it's been half a year since the last time I re-read them and packed
them away for safekeeping, so thanks so much, and I apologize for the mistakes.
I promise if I had the books with me, this would be better. Thanks again, Jen!
*gives Jen ice cream* ^_~
At any rate, I have a plane to catch, so just this quick update, PLEASE read and
review. I've already got chapter 3 written, and part of 4 (though I don't like
it, so I might rewrite), so review review review! Thanks! 3
standard disclaimer I don't own any of the characters portrayed in this story, except possibly one or two of the extras (for instance, the fishermen and the hatchery staff?), and I don't own anything remotely related to the Young Wizards series by Diane Duane. I respect and love her work and have heard it said that imitation is the highest form of flattery, so here you go. Whirling disease isn't mine, either, that's God's hard-work (and the British--yarr!). If the related parties still decide to sue me... aw, crap. /standard disclaimer
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"Bowl of mint chocolate chip, and a scoop of vanilla in
a cone, please."
Kit rolled his eyes at his partner. "You're so
boring."
"What?" Nita gaped, paying the attendant.
"Nevermind," Kit smirked, stalking off to find a
table. Vanilla? C'mon, Neets.
What? A lot of people like vanilla, or they wouldn't sell it
everywhere, would they? Nita "said" defensively.
Kit rolled his eyes. A lot of boring people.
That's not very nice. Nita scooped up some ice cream and
dabbed it on Kit's nose.
Kit grinned, wiping it off with his napkin. I'm only
teasing, Neets. You're far from b---
"Well, if it isn't WAH-Neeta and her little boy-toy!
Aw, and they're on a little date!" Vicious laughter erupted from the
gang of boys now clustered around their table.
Kit glared furiously into his ice cream, slowly going over
the Wizard's Oath in his mind to keep from doing something he would regret. I
will fight to preserve what grows and lives well in it's own way; I will not
change any creature unless its growth and life, or that of the system of which
it is part, are threatened...
Nita stood up. Enough was far more than enough. I don't need
wizardry for this. The leader of the troop, Ricky Chan, sneered at her,
drawing himself up to his full height. He had picked on her since over a year
ago, merely because she found solace in books when others scorned her, and thus
was better in her classes than he. She stared fiercely at him, undaunted.
"Look, you pathetic excuse for a human being. I am sick and tired of your
tragic attempts to build yourself up by lowering the overall standard of others
with your cheap tricks and cowardly remarks. Just because you feel incompetent,
it does not give you the divine right to make everyone around you completely
miserable. My mother is dying," she choked, desperate to maintain
her composure. "I am going to have to go to my mother's funeral. It
won't be long, probably less than a year. In addition, you are making me out to
be a harlot and a slut, assuming I'm obviously sleeping with my best friend,
who, thanks to you badmouthing me, happens to be my only friend. But that's not
a problem. Kit's worth thirty-thousand of you selfish conformists and then some,
any day. So do me a simple little favor and find someone else to torment, since
you're apparently too weak to deal with your problems any other way..." she
leaned in close to him, hissing, dangerously low, "Before... I...
SNAP."
Ricky just watched her with a nervous look, flushed with
embarrassment and humiliation.
"C'mon, Kit," she said calmly, pushing him towards
the door. "Have a nice life, Mr. Popular."
As soon as Nita was out the door, she began to run, trying to
get the tension out of her system and stave off the tears that were creeping
down her cheeks. Kit raced after her, taciturn, until she finally stopped to gaze
wonderingly at the fireflies appearing in the evening sky.
Kit, unable to contain himself any longer, let out a whoop
and burst into excited laughter, grabbing Nita's hands and dancing around her.
"Neets, that was fantastic! Did you see the look on his face?
Well, of course you did, you were standing right there, but he was totally speechless!
I've been dying to do that for so long, and we didn't have to use
wizardry or anything!" He fell on the round, grinning madly.
Nita looked idly at the fireflies, singing their song to
welcome the night. "Kit?"
"Yeah?"
Those fireflies looked uncomfortably familiar. "Do you
ever miss... Fred?"
Kit was silent for a long time before answering. "Every
day." He turned to look at her, leaning on one elbow. "Not a single
day goes by that I don't miss him, and love and hate him for his sacrifice. Love
him for making it, hate him for... leaving." He watched her intently,
carefully picking his next words. "Do you ever miss Ed?"
She nodded. "Of course. I was afraid of him, but I do
think, even if only for the briefest of moments, we were friends." Aren't
we a funny pair? the Great White had said once, gliding ghost-like through
the ocean depths. You, young and never-loving, I, old and never loved...
And how her heart had ached at those words, how she had longed to be able to
take from him the burden of his destiny... and how he had freed her from her
own. How he had given her a new life, a promise of something wonderful in the
next. She had joked with her mother about the hazards of wizardry, being almost
eaten by the shark, but she would never have changed those events for anything.
She realized with a shiver that, had she accepted the choice the Lone One had
given her, to give up her wizardry and save her mother, she would have forgotten
completely about Ed, and the things he had taught her about herself. And she
eventually would have lost Kit as well...
Nothing about the Lone One, the rogue Power that created
death and entropy, even came out alright in the end. She knew this now. And
watching those fireflies, and seeing that little ball of light that helped her
through her Ordeal, Bob... those experiences had shaped her, had made her into
who she was, and had she given up her powers, her place in the big scheme of
things... she would only be half of what she was.
A hand on her shoulder brought her out of her trance. Kit.
She hadn't even noticed him getting up... "It's late," he murmured,
his voice, getting deeper these days, was already able to send vibrations down
her bones. "Maybe we should head back to your house? No school tomorrow,
but the folks will want to know where we are, eh?"
She looked down to hide her blush. "Yeah, that'd be
good." She reached for the transit spell to take them...
Kit grabbed her hand to stop her. "Let's go the
old-fashioned way. It's not far."
Kit went over the items of the Whirling-Disease-spell in his
head to keep from staring at Nita's hand. The more he stared at it, the more he
had to fight to keep from taking it in his. She was a friend, nothing
more than a friend, she always wanted to remain a friend, he had
to keep her as a friend... what if he didn't want her to be just a
friend? No! She was a friend!!--Converting everything to Scientific
Notation with logarithms would shorten the spell, make it more compact--Her hand
was so pretty, so graceful... he'd never noticed before... her thumbnail
was shorter than the rest, thinner, she tended to nibble on it when she was
concentrating...--Logarithms! For God's sake, logarithms!!
Nita focused on the ground, ignoring the buzzing noise from
Kit's thoughts invading her own. Kit must really be frustrated about
something... She was tempted to ask what it was... but he would tell her if he
wanted to...
Kit began to walk faster, stretching out his legs, longer now
than ever before. He was finally catching up to those around him in height and
build, being level with the guys in his school, and not just taller than the
girls. To at last be normal... well, he'd never really been normal. But
at least he wouldn't have to endure any more jokes about his height (or lack
thereof). And maybe... if he were even taller... Nita might just...
He shook his head, walking even faster.
"Jeez, Kit, wait up!" Nita panted, jogging to keep
up. She hadn't really noticed before... Kit was much taller than she'd realized.
He was growing faster than she'd imagined. She couldn't be getting shorter, was
she? Of course not...
Kit stomped up the front steps, through the hall, and into
the kitchen, slumping down in a chair and burying his head in his arms on the
table to hide his embarrassment and disappointment in himself. Nita came up
behind him, worriedly reaching out to touch him but stopping just short. Where
had this invisible barrier come from? This awkwardness? She had only wanted to
avoid losing the closeness of their friendship by keeping it a friendship
alone... but perhaps denying what was forming was the wrong answer. It seemed as
though ignoring her feelings, and possibly his, was only creating a strange discomfiture
instead of preventing one. "Kit?" she asked cautiously, putting a hand
on his shoulder.
He pulled away as if he'd been burned, and immediately felt
awful as Nita fidgeted with her bracelet, hurt. "I... I'm fine.
Really." An outright lie. But he wasn't speaking in the Speech. Lying
wasn't deadly in plain English, it was necessary.
"No you aren't," Nita sighed, rifling through the
fridge. "Tell me what's wrong, please, Kit."
"I... I really..." Kit tripped over his words,
almost hoping to stumble on something believable, but without the energy to make
something up. "I really had fun tonight." This, at least, was the
truth. "I always have fun when I'm with you," he smiled weakly.
"But I just... I feel like... I'm letting you down." There. It was
out. That wasn't the only problem, but it was certainly a starter.
Nita stood up, almost dropping the pitcher of lemonade she
held. Letting me down? "How could you possibly be letting me
down?"
Kit stretched. "I don't know. It just feels that way.
Like I could be doing more to help you."
Nita set a glass in front of him. "Kit, you're doing so
much already. I can't imagine anything else you could do... I'm holding up, Kit.
Really. Tonight was a victory; things will get better." I hope.
"I guess." Kit waved off the lemonade, standing.
"I'd better go. Listen, just... don't be afraid of telling me when
something's wrong. I promise, no matter what it is, I'm always here for you, and
I won't ever judge you. I..." Love you. I love you. Just say it, it's
true, isn't it? It's... real. But it's hopeless, too. And it's complicated. And
the last thing Neets needs is more complication in her life. He scooped her
up into a tight hug. I wish I had the courage to do more! he sighed
mentally. "See you tomorrow? Come by for breakfast--Carmela's cooking for
once, and she wants you to try it, too. Not sure how great it'll be... probably
something involving chopsticks, huh?" he joked. "Thanks again for an
awesome birthday."
Nita nodded, blushing.
"Bye," Kit breathed, wincing at the slight pain in
his heart as he stepped outside, checked that the coast was clear, and pulled
the edge of the transit spell to take him home.
-------------------------------
Well, this is as good as it gets (given that I don't have the
other books with me to reference from). I actually blew up at a guy a little
while ago, just like Nita, only I went on to tell him that he'd never amount to
anything and he'd be in a minimum-wage job and I'd be a best-selling novelist
(yes, more wishful thinking). I didn't really think Nita would go that
far... in fact, I was just ticked at him in general for messing with my head.
^^;;; Yeah, it's complicated. Much like poor Kit's overworked brain.
At any rate, another chapter is up, so I want at LEAST
another 15 reviews on it before I do the next chapter. This chapter was full of
N/K fluff (for all you fluff-lovers, just like meeee), but there IS a plot. I
promise. I just have to remember where I was going with it. Eheh... Oh, and I
figured that at least by now Kit has to be going through his growth
spurt. Hooray, Kit! ^_^
Luv,
- MKD