Okay, so here's the deal. My computer is partially back online. I can type my stories with a little less fear of them being deleted or something. So here is my next chapter for A New Kind of Magic. I don't know where my head has been lately. So, I'm going to write this out in one fell swoop, sort of. Here are review answers;
To Tortall gal: Thanks for the correct spelling. I was wondering about that.
To booksquirt: We'll see about that. I don't want to give anything away. I did hopefully make her look gorgeous. Enjoy the chapter.
To froggy moe: I don't know yet if anyone is staying in Tortall. I don't see an ending yet either. The fighting still hasn't begun, and I am having trouble easing my way into that bit of the story. I'm working on it, but I can tell you that this story is going to set a record for my longest story, and I'm hoping to make the number of chapters rather large so I will always have a lofty goal for myself. Please bear with me, and enjoy the new chapter.
To Celestial Secrets: The actual ball takes place in the next chapter, just so you know. The preparations all take place in this chapter. There is also another step towards Rick and Molly admitting their feelings to each other. Enjoy!
To Chief-Marmoset: Here's the next chapter! Enjoy!
To The Cat Who Walks By Herself: I will consider your idea, and give you credit if I use it. Enjoy the chapter!
To Trancefan: Just so you know, I have started doing the little thingy to seperate stuff in all of my stories. Thanks for the advice.
To Icelands: Thanks for the spelling, and I don't know yet if misgter cinceited is going to be there, I haven't decided. But it would be fun to have Thomas fight him for Mia, wouldn't it:)
To imakeladrygirl: Enjoy the update!
So, now that that is done, here is the newest chapter!
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The three friends trooped back to their rooms slowly. As they walked, they planned their next adventure. As they rounded the corner of the hall that had their rooms in it, Mia asked
"This goes against ALL of my morals to say this, but what am I going to wear tonight?"
Molly grinned evilly and nudged her in the side.
"Trying to impress a certain inventor, eh? Want him to notice you, eh?" She said with a devilish grin.
Mia stopped walking and glared at her. She crossed her arms, huffed, and then said
"I wouldn't talk if I were YOU, Molly. YOU can't even ADMIT that you have a crush on the guy you like. It's OBVIOUS to everyone but YOU that he likes you back, but you're just too chicken to say anything to him, right?"
Molly smacked her upside the head and Mia grinned. Molly smacking her meant that she had hit the nail on the head, which was what she had hoped for. Either that, or Molly was just pissed at her for being annoying. Mia guessed it was the first one.
"I KNEW IT!" She cried with a triumphant smile.
"Mia, shut up!" Molly said through gritted teeth as she glanced discreetly at Rick, to see if he had caught on.
"Just TELL him, Molly! The worst that can happen is that he'll say no! Then, that's his problem, and you move on with your life! I seriously do think that he likes you, though." Mia said emphatically, also watching Rick out of the corner of her eye.
"But that's just it! He might not like me back! Then I'll feel like and idiot and everything will be awkward between us! I don't want that."
"Molly, trust me on this, he likes you. Humor me, won't you, just this once?"
"I don't even trust myself on this one, Mia. Otherwise, I would have taken your advice and told him a long time ago."
"Why don't you trust yourself? Your heart loves him, what more could you need?"
"A sign, maybe?"
"Good luck finding one."
"Doubter."
"Not a doubter, just logical. You shouldn't wait for something that might not come."
"Thanks ever so much for your vote of confidence, Mia."
"You're quite welcome."
"Grrr."
"I'm being completely ignored, aren't I?" Asked Rick as a way to remind them that he was still in the hall.
The two girls stopped arguing and stared at him for a moment, as though he had just walked through a wall, or had grown horns. He laughed at them. Then, they changed the subject.
"I pose my question again. What am I going to wear?" Mia asked.
Molly shrugged.
"Just open your trunk and take whatever is inside on top of everything else. It will fit, AND it will look really good. It's like the clothes were DESIGNED for us and ONLY us. Is that possible?" She asked.
"I know! How come they can't do that back home? I swear the clothing sizes get smaller every day! Abercrombie's largest shirt wouldn't fit a seven year old!" Mia said.
She then proceeded to go into her age old rant about the unfair sizes that brand name companies posed upon the teenage female. They again forgot that Rick existed. After another five minutes of being ignored, Rick glanced at both girls. He sighed, and said
"I'm guessing that even if I dressed up in a grass skirt and coconut bra and did the tango right here in this very hall with a well trained beagle that neither of you would notice me, so I'm just going to go to my room now. Let me know when you two are done with your girl talk, okay?"
"Will do, Rickie my boy." Mia said to him, waving him off with her hand.
Rick grumbled something about all that chocolate going to their brains and pouted. Mia patted him on the shoulder in a friendly and sympathetic manner. Rick shook his head and grinned sadly at her.
"You get crazier every day, Mia, you really do." He said
"But you wouldn't have me any other way." Mai said with a grin.
Rick shook his head sadly at her again and then went farther along the hall to his room. When they were sure that his door was safely closed, Mia looked at Molly intently.
"You really DO like Rick, don't you?"
"Yeah." Molly said wistfully as she stared dreamily at the spot that Rick had just vacated.
Mia rolled her eyes and shook her head.
"Girl, you've got it BAD!" She said.
"Please don't tell him!"
"That's your job, not mine." Mia said crossing her arms in annoyance.
But how can I tell him? He's one of my BEST FRIENDS! You aren't supposed to fall in love with your best friend!" Molly leaned against the wall, and then slid down to the floor, sitting Indian style while spreading her skirt across her knees.
Mia considered Molly for a moment; then joined her against the wall. She wrapped an arm around her friend's shoulder.
"Molls, I've seen the way he looks at you. He loves you too. But you two are both too scared to say anything. What is preventing the two of you from being together when it's so obvious to the rest of the world that you guys are a match made in heaven?"
"I don't know. I'm afraid, I guess."
"Of what, pray tell?"
"I don't know. I just am. I've spent so much time in my sister's shadow that it's come to the point where I sometimes think that no one will ever accept me unless I'm as good as she was. But I can't be her, I just can't!"
"I accept you for who you are, Molly. And I'm positive Rick does too."
"I know that. It's just so hard, you know?"
"I understand."
They sat in a moment of silence. Suddenly, Molly threw her arms around Mia. Mia was startled for a moment, but she hesitantly wrapped her arms around Molly.
"What would I do without you, Mia?" Molly asked, when they pulled away.
"Absolutely nothing, you would most definitely fall apart without me holding your hand. But that's what I'm here for." Mia said matter of factly.
"You are terribly conceited."
"There's nothing wrong with telling the truth." Mia said with a shrug.
Molly smacked Mia's shoulder gently.
"You are awful!" She said emphatically.
Mia grinned and said
"Yes, but it got you out of your bad mood, didn't it?"
"Yes, it did. Well, done, as usual Mia." Molly said and applauded her.
"I try." Mai said. She then attempting to mahe the best bow she could manage while sitting down.
"Try-ING is more like it."
"I'm just doing my job, ma'am."
Molly sighed dramatically at Mia, who grinned cheekily at her. A moment of silence past before Mia stood up and brushed imaginary dust particles from the back of her dress. She then turned and held out her hand to Molly.
"Come on. We have to like get ready for the ball tonight. OMG, I've never been to a like, dance before!" She said.
Molly grinned and took Mia's offered hand. Mia puller her friend up and they walked towards their rooms. They went to Mia's room first because it went without saying that Mia would pick the first dress that came into her hands and be done with it. Molly, being the pickier of the two, would go next. When they entered Mia's room, Mia rang for a servant to bring up some hot tea for them. When the servant had come and taken their orders of tea with sugar for Molly and tea with milk and honey for Mia and left to fetch it from the kitchens, Mia knelt on the floor and opened the lid of her trunk to peer inside. She rummaged around in the trunk for a while before she lifted two dresses out of the trunk and carefully laid them out on top of her bed comforter. Then she sat down next to them, but not before first picking the cat up gently and setting him in her lap. Then, she turned to Molly and said simply
"Of the ones in there, these are the two I liked the best."
"Well, go try them on then! How am I supposed to tell you which dress is better if I haven't ever seen either of them on you, ya goof?" Molly said with a grin.
So, looking extremely put upon and very dejected, Mia put the cat on the armchair she had vacated and slipped out of the dress she was wearing. She then proceeded to pull the first dress on over her head. Molly buttoned the back for her. Then, they went over to the mirror that was on the wall. The dress, which was black, has a slightly scooped neck and very puffy sleeves. The cuffs and the hem of the skirt were lined with lace. Molly shook her head at the same time Mia did.
"You look like you're in mourning," Molly said. "That's no good for a party!"
"I suddenly feel very depressed." Mia said as way of agreement.
"Go try on the other one, quick!"
"Okay, okay, keep your skirt on, jeez!"
Mia quickly took the black dress off and put the other one on. This one was forest green, with the top ending in a point in the front and back before the skirt flared out slightly. The sleeves were off the shoulder, and to Mia's great relief, there was a serious lack of lace on the hem, and the dress's flared sleeves. Mia walked over the mirror, and spun around. She smiled at her reflection happily.
"I feel pretty, oh so pretty." She sang at Molly, whose grinning face she could see over her reflections shoulder.
"You should wear your hair up." Molly said decidedly.
"Absolutely." Mia said with an amused grin.
Mia went over to her trunk again, whose lid still lay open, and pulled out a small wooden box, whose lid was carved with the image of a rearing horse with a flying mane. She opened it and fumbled around inside for something. Finally, she pulled out a pair of teardrop shaped emeralds set in silver for her ears, and a diamond shaped silver pendant with a round quarter sized emerald in the middle. At each point of the pendant was a small pencil eraser sized diamond. The pendant was strung with a dark green ribbon.
"I'm sure I have a green ribbon for my hair in my bag somewhere. Do you think there are going to be matching dancing slipper in that trunk of mine?"
When Molly didn't answer, Mia looked up at her friend quizzically to see a very strange expression on her face. She raised and eyebrow at Molly and said
"What?"
Molly shook her head.
"It's nothing, just that I haven't seen you act like this in a while."
Mia closed the lid of her jewelry box and smiled.
"I guess you're right. It's probably because I haven't had a real reason to smile in a very long time."
"What does that mean, Mia?"
"Don't worry about it. So, let's get YOU a dress now."
"Okay! Oh and, by the way, yes there will be shoes in that trunk."
Forty five minutes and three cups of tea each later, Molly decided on a pale blue dress with a flared skirt and sleeves that ended in points at her middle finger. Since her ears weren't pierced, she chose a silver ring for her left pinky and a sky blue silk ribbon for her necklace. As she was curtseying in front of the mirror, Mia informed Molly that she needed to show off her long dark brown hair and that the way she was going to do that was to wear it down. Molly frowned at this idea, but relented when Mia agreed to let her wear a matching blue hair band.
"As long as you wear it DOWN, Molls. You have beautiful hair, so show it OFF already!" Mia said.
Molly had grinned and said
"As if you're one to talk miss my idea of doing my hair is wearing a different colored hair tie."
Mia had promptly poked Molly in the side as retaliation. The two friends laughed together for a few more minutes before they went to Rick's room. Once there, the three friends made a list of things to ask the servants for before they went out exploring the next day. When the sun began to set, Molly and Mia departed to their rooms to change, promising Rick that they would meet him at the ball.
Ta-dah! There it is, my friends. I'm so sorry it isn't longer. I promise to make it up to you. Also, a quick notice to my faithful reviewers; I am having a bit of trouble writing the chapters of this story, a bit of writer's block, you know? So, to get the creativity back, I am going back and editing the chapters I've already written as well as the next two chapters. I'm also inserting a chapter that SHOULD have been there, but wasn't. It will be titled, 'the lost chapter'. I will let you know when and which chapters have been replaced at the end of each of the new ones so you can go back and read them if you want. Of course, with the lost chapter, all the chapters will move up a number, so I'll keep you posted on the changes, okay? Thanks for your cooperation, and I promise to try and write more frequently. Don't worry, the original review answers will stay with each chapter so that each and everyone of my wonderful reviewers will get credit for my editing if they pointed something out to me that should have (and has) been changed.
A/n: (added later) Okay, so it took me a while to post this because my internet isn't working and I had to drag the floppy disk to the library to post the poor thing. While I was waiting for the appearance of a floppy disk, I rewrote chapters one through eight, most of which are longer than they originally were, and quite a bit more than I expected was changed. I really suggest you read them over again. Feel free to mention the retypes in reviews for this chapter. I really want to know how I did. Thanks! The rest will probably be updated with the next chapter. Reviews are love!
bookworym