The hot afternoon sun was beating down on the desert state of Nevada, the sands reflecting the light just enough to make one squint as they stepped outside for the first time in hours. Each high school student did this as they exited the building after a long school day in Jasper, a small town where everybody knew just about everyone, whether they got along or not. For one student, the sun's warmth was rather bothersome on her pale skin, and on her deep, ocean blue eyes. She would still look to the sky with a smile and close her eyes, silently thanking the sun for all it did for the world, despite it being unbearable where she lived some days. She acknowledged that without it, no life would be able to continue on this little blue planet, and accepted the slight burning of her skin and eyes without complaint.
This strange student's name was Alice, Alice Thornwood, she was always one to accept the heat without complaint, no matter how much she sweat or burned. She loved what little nature they had, and even cared for her own garden meticulously through the summer heats and winter chills. She grew herbs both common and not, to use them in her spells and suit whatever purpose she needed. For Alice Thornwood was a witch. Not the kind of witch from fairytales and fantasy books, but a real witch that worked through sensing the energies of living things and the planet around them, and through manifestations of what was owed and deserved in the universe.
Alice began walking down the steps of the high school when her books were knocked out of her hands by a student rushing past her, laughing as they did. It was the local menace, Vince. His mop of red hair glistened in the sun, which would come to burn his pale skin if he stayed out too long, just as it would for her. Alice would simply sigh as she watched the boy run off to his car with a couple of friends, shaking her head with disappointment. She figured that things at home had to be difficult for him if he was behaving such a way, and didn't hold it against him. Alice simply picked up her books, carefully weaving around other students as she dusted them off, and began scrounging up the papers that were beginning to fly away on the hot desert winds. She silently cursed the winds under her breath for being swift this day and chased after one particular paper that had escaped her grip, nearly snatching it up before a hand reached up and grabbed it for her. This person was closer than she thought and she crashed right into them as Alice couldn't stop herself in her converse-like sneakers very easily.
The person who had snatched the paper from the air fell back onto his rear on the pavement, letting out a gentle groan before chuckling awkwardly, looking down at Alice who had fallen on top of him. The boy would be the first to speak, his voice gentle but full of teenage awkwardness and laughter, not used to being crashed into by pretty girls. "Better watch your step next time. Alice, right?" The boy asked, the voice was familiar to her, though Alice didn't fully recognize the person until she looked up from where she had landed on his chest. It was none other than Jackson Darby, son of one of the best nurses at the local hospital.
Alice would begin to get up quickly, collecting her books and papers once again, though more swiftly this time as she nodded. Jack was quick to help her collect her things, placing the paper he had caught on top of the pile that she had collected when they were done. "Yeah, you're Jack, right? Jack Darby?" Alice had heard that he preferred to be called by the short of his name, and honoured how he wanted to be addressed. "I'm Alice." She repeated what Jack had already discovered, and then laughed awkwardly with him, looking down as she felt his eyes looking her over for a moment as he checked her for any scrapes or bruises. Jack knew some basic first aid from his mother, so it was a habit to check for injuries after a fall like that.
"As I figured." Jack would say with a chuckle as he finished looking her over for injuries. She had none thankfully, though he did carry a small first aid kit that was mainly full of bandaids in his backpack, just in case. Alice would realize that she had repeated what Jack already knew and she would go pink across her cheeks and ears, making it look a bit like she was burning in the sun already. Seeing this, Jack would take an awkward step back and walk to his motorcycle, putting his helmet on as he swung his leg over, waving over to her as he started it up with ease. "I'll see you around, Alice." Jack shouted over the motor of his vehicle before he would begin driving away. The one thing Alice found strange was that his motorcycle was blue and pink, perhaps Jack was more flamboyant than she initially thought, though she didn't dwell much on it. Alice had to get home to do her homework just like any good senior student would and to make dinner for her and her hardworking father.
As Alice walked across town to get back home, she would pull up the hood of the thin zip-up sweater that she wore over a tight, sleeveless red sweater dress on black leggings, keeping the worst of the sun off her face, neck, and shoulders as she took the fastest route home, taking her through the town centre and past the K.O. Burger, the city's only fast food joint. As Alice saw the fast food restaurant, it clicked in her mind that Jack used to work there, but hasn't been showing up for shifts lately, or so she had heard from other students who work there and have been forced to cover for him. Curious, and hungry, Alice decided that perhaps it was best for her and her father to eat some takeout. As much as she knew her father loved her cooking, after so much commotion at school, and with the load of homework she needed to do, he would understand that she would spend a little money on them both.
Alice made money doing online readings for curious people around the world who discovered her website or blog, so she had a little to spend of her own money here and there. She wasn't one to buy fast food often, so this would be a nice treat for her and her father, if he made it home before it got cold. She would cross the street and walk through the parking lot towards the front doors before she heard a familiar engine, Jack's motorcycle. With the sound fresh in her mind, she would look towards the sound to offer a wave, but she didn't see Jack riding it, it was a woman. She knew that June, Jack's mother, was still at the hospital, and likely wouldn't be caught dead riding one. The Motorcycle had come from the back of the K.O. Burger, meaning someone had dropped Jack off. Perhaps he leant the motorcycle to a friend, or it belonged to a friend and was being lent to Jack often. Alice simply dismissed it and headed inside, just in time to see the shift change from another student, to Jack.
The other student looked incredibly relieved that Jack had actually shown up for his shift and left as fast as possible. As Alice would walk toward the counter, still holding her books in her arms, she would smile before she spoke, though she felt a little awkward now, knowing that he and this female friend of sorts were close enough to be sharing a vehicle, especially one so intimate like a motorcycle, and she didn't want to look like she was intruding on any kind of relationship they might have, so she tucked some hair behind her ear and looked up at Jack. "Hey again." Alice chuckled slightly before looking up at the menu, placing her order and a double order for her father.
Jack paid little mind to the fact that Alice was avoiding looking at him and simply went to make the order, sighing heavily as he did. He was trying so hard to keep up appearances so that nobody would find out about his after-school activities, but he knew how much danger he could be in, and he didn't feel safe without Arcee around. Alice would notice that Jack was feeling a bit on edge and she would raise an eyebrow, feeling the tense energy he was giving off. She tried her best to ignore it, not wanting to intrude, but she couldn't help herself, it was one of the downsides of being so in tune with the energies around her. "Are you alright? You seem tense, on edge even." Alice asked, furrowing her brows in concern as she watched Jack prepare her order behind the counter swiftly, despite his nervous energy.
Jack would look up suddenly and then back down, shaking his head as he smiled and scoffed. "Tense? I'm not tense. I've just for a lot going on in my head, that's all." Jack explained, not knowing that she could practically see the stiff energy that surrounded him. Alice would simply nod slowly, looking at what Jack was doing to pack up her orders before taking her bag off her back and trying to stuff what she could of her papers inside it with the other books she was keeping in there. This was so she could carry the food on top of the hardcover books that she was carrying in her arms, and not have to worry about getting her papers all dirty and greasy.
When Alice was done rearranging her bag, she would look up to Jack as she was handed her order, both of them smiling at each other as the exchange was made. "That will be nineteen ninety-six." Jack would say calmly, trying his best to keep his nerves under control, this was why he rarely came to work now, not only because he was helping out the bots back at their base, but because he felt safer there with Miko and Raf. Alice would simply pay, glancing up at Jack once more and noticing the anxious energy swirling around his mind, making her frown and sigh slightly before she would take her food and things, heading towards the exit slowly.
Alice would turn as she reached the door and looked back at Jack, speaking with a kind tone and with a gentle smile. "I hope whatever's making you anxious and tense passes soon. Blessed be, Jack." Alice gave her farewell, which was just met with a smile and nod before she left the building, heading back in the direction of her home to wait for her father to come home.