Author Note: My schedule is going to change for taking up a summer job. But I will try my best to upload as much as I can. Also, modified this chapter.
I blink several times as I see my hair differently—no huge white streak and cropped. Instead, my hair is about seven inches long, and purple streaks are in the brown. I grab the top of my head, pull my hair and start to panic. I lose my breath and breathe uncontrollably and irregularly.
"Claire, calm down." I hear NotEnrique say softly.
"NotEnrique, look at me? My hair!" I snap, almost shouting at him, still looking at my face.
"I can see that, but you need to calm down or-"
A knock on the door interrupts NotEnrique. "Claire, is everything alright? I heard you scream. Are you ok?" I hear Mom say in a slightly shaky voice.
I start to panic more. She can't come in. "Yes-I'm fine! I'm fine, Mom! I just had a bad dream and thought I saw something in the dark!" I answer quickly, feeling like I'm heating up.
"Alright. Do you need anything?"
"No, no, I'm fine, Mom!" I snap.
A long pause echoes, and I feel a twitch of guilt for shooing my mom. How would any daughter not be? "Alright. I'm going to work now, and dad has already left to take Enrique to daycare. I assume you're biking to join Toby and Jim going to school?" Mom says more calmly, but I can hear a hint of sadness.
"Yes! Thank you for telling me." I reply.
"Goodbye, Claire! See you after school."
"Bye, Mamá!"
I hear footsteps go from my door and walk down the stairs. I sigh in relief, feeling I just dodged a bullet.
"Why treat her so harshly?" NotEnrique says with concern, making me look down at him.
"I was trying to keep her from turning the doorknob," I reply.
NotEnrique raises an eyebrow. "Yeah, but that tone was hurtful."
"NotEnrique! If my mother sees my hair, she will kill me!" I snap at him.
"But she treated you so kindly yesterday." He protests.
I sigh in defeat and facepalm myself. "Oh NotEnrique, what am I going to do? I can't go to school like this and let my parents see me." I groan, looking at the floor.
"Calm down, Sis. Don't you have friends who know these things and can answer this?" He says with concern.
He does have an idea. "Yes, but I won't be able to see Douxie until after school for magic lessons. Jim isn't a prodigy in this, and Blinky is gone in New Jersey, about 1,000 miles away! You have a point, but I'm in a sticky situation right now." I reply but feel more worried and panicked, seeing my limited options. "I need help now!"
"Hey, hey, calm down, Sis. It will be alright, but you need to go to school, or your mom will go mental on you." NotEnrique replies, trying to act calm.
I take a deep breath, nod, and turn to the clock. It's 6:30 AM. Early, but Jim is up. I rush up to my phone on my nightstand and quickly open it, disable my alarm, and find Jim's contact. I click on the call button and lift my phone to my ear. One ring, two, three, four. "Come on, Jim, pick!" I groan, impatient. But thank god, I hear the phone pick up.
"Claire? What's up? Why are you calling me this early? Is everything okay?" I hear Jim's soft but raspy voice.
"Hey, Jim! I'm sorry I called you this early. Did I wake you up?" I reply, trying to keep my composure.
"No, I got up five minutes ago, and your voice is a perfect alarm, but is everything ok?" Jim answers sweetly, making me think he has on a slight smile.
"Yeah, I'm fine... But I need to talk with you and Toby before school starts outside the building."
A short pause on the other line makes my stomach turn. "Oh-ok... Did something happen?" Jim asks, his voice a little confused and worried.
"It's hard to explain and think you should see instead of me talking. Just please meet me outside of the school. Please!" I beg, losing my composure.
"Ok, ok. I'll be there as soon as Toby and I can, but don't you usually bike to my house?"
"Yes, but I have to deal with some things before heading out. Just please promise you'll meet me outside of the school."
"Alright. You're scaring me right now, Claire, but I promise." Jim replies, shaking his voice.
"Thank you, Jim! Thank you so much!" I breathe a sigh of relief, smiling a bit.
"No worries, Claire. I love you." Jim replies before I hang up.
I hit on a text group chat between Darci and Mary. I send the same message I gave Jim and turn around to look at NotEnrique. "Come on, brother, let us get ready for school," I say with determination. I walked to my closet, grabbed my usual clothes, and pulled out a teal hoodie Mom gave me for my 13th birthday present. I get dressed, pack my bag, and run downstairs. No one is around, and I eat a quick breakfast and grab my lunch bag. I look up and see the clock say 7:00 AM. I turn around to see NotEnrique at the edge of the staircase. "Stay here, and don't leave the house," I instruct him.
NotEnrique frown but nods his head. "I think everyone will love your new look." He replies.
"Thanks." I roll my eyes and walk out the door to the garage. I get on my bike and open the garage door. Before coming out, I secure my hoodie over my head and start peddling down the street to school. I take a detour to keep Jim and Toby from seeing me. But as I bike through an alley between two fences in the canal, a big dog stops me in my tracks.
I study the creature, but it doesn't look like a dog. It looks like a wolf, with fur as dark as night, but it seems more significant than a normal one. I tremble but try to stay calm, sensing it can feel me too. I try to think of everything in my head of what to do when encountering a wolf, but I can't back up and look large on a bike, but I can keep eye contact. I look into its eyes, and it looks into mine. I can see a sense of intelligence and calmness in the creature's brown eyes, and staring into its eyes makes me feel calmer. It blinks and bows its head before running off. I blow a sigh of relief but give myself a moment to recover. After two minutes of thinking about what had happened, I continued peddling to school. On the way to school, I take another route and pray my friends will show up. Within 15 minutes, I arrive at school and where I'm designated to be. I check my phone and see the clock reads 7:20 AM. I also see two texts on the Lock Screen. One from Jim, saying he would be there soon, was sent at 7:10 AM. The other one is from Darci in the group chat and was sent at 6:50 AM.
Darci: Are you ok, Claire? We'll be there soon and want to hear everything. (Sad emoji face).
I wait for five minutes until I see Darci and Mary running, allowing me to sigh with relief.
"Claire! We got your text. What happened? What's wrong?" Darci asks with worry, and it shows on her face.
"Yeah, girl, you scared us!" Mary says in the same tone and facial expression.
I look over their shoulders and see Jim and Toby run with their bikes to us. "Claire! What's going on?" Jim shouts.
I bite my lip, playing with my fingers. "I wanted to tell you guys in person to make sure you don't get confused instead of saying it on the phone," I say softly. Everyone turns to each other and becomes more worried.
"Claire, why are you wearing a hoodie?" Toby asks.
"Claire, what's going on!" Darci begs with worried eyes.
I take a deep breath, glance down at my feet and lift my head to see my four friends' worried faces, especially Jim's. "Guys, I don't know how to explain this, and don't freak out when you see," I say before slowly pulling down my hoodie to show my long, different-colored hair. All my friends gasped and stared at me with wide eyes.
"Wow." Mary finally speaks. "You dyed your hair and got extensions?" I see a smile come to her lips.
"No, this happened after I woke up," I reply, stroking my hair.
"Ok, but why tell us?" This isn't bad." Toby says, raising an eyebrow.
"Toby! I woke up with my hair sevens inches longer and purple streaks! According to logic, that's not supposed to happen!" I shout at him, pulling my hair.
"Calm down, Claire. It will be ok. We just need to go to Douxie after school, and he'll know what to do." Jim says softly, walking towards me.
"Then what should I do right now? I look like a freak!" I reply.
"No, you don't, Claire. I think you look good in your new hairstyle." Mary says kindly, smiling.
"Yeah, you look beautiful," Darci adds, smiling too.
"I agree too!" Toby adds, smiling as well.
I sigh in defeat. "Thanks."
Darci looks down at her watch and widens her eyes. "I'm so sorry, C-bomb, but I have to talk to our teacher before class starts." She says, lifting her head.
I nod my head, and all three of us girls hug. "See you later, though," Mary says before running with Darci into the school building.
I turn to Toby, who also has the same reaction. "I need to go too, but I'll join you to see Douxie after school, Claire." He says with an awkward smile.
"Ok, see ya later, Toby," I say reassuringly. He walks away, following Darci and Mary's route into the building with his bike at his side.
I feel a hand take one of mine, and I turn to see Jim's smiling face and gentle eyes. "Are you going to follow them?" I ask, raising an eyebrow.
"Yeah, I'll go in a minute, but I want to ensure you're ok first," Jim answers sweetly. I blush and lift my hoodie over my head with my other hand, but Jim shakes his head and pulls my hoodie down. He wraps one hand around my waist and strokes my hair out of my eyes with his other. "Don't hide. You look beautiful, whether your hair is short or long with white, blue, or purple streaks. Wear your hair with pride." Jim replies, stroking my cheek.
I roll my eyes. "Of course, you would say that, and you are my boyfriend," I laugh.
"No, I do mean it. Of course, you're my girlfriend, but I love you, and no matter what you look like, I always will." Jim protests with the sweetest smile and gaze I've ever seen him make. "No beautiful haircut is going to scare me away from you."
I finally smile at Jim, and he gives me an angel kiss, making me giggle, but there's another problem. "Something else happened last night," I say with concern.
"What happened?" Jim replies more seriously.
"Before I fell asleep, I saw a pair of glowing yellow eyes and heard an animal growl," I answer, shaking a bit.
Jim's eyes widen. "Did you get a good look at it? Do you think it was a goblin?" He asks, a little worried.
I shake my head. "No. Its eyes were too big for a goblin, and the growl wasn't raspy, and it sounded more like a troll."
Jim glanced away from me, the gears looking to be turning in his head. "I don't know what it could be then, but call me if you see it again, ok?" Jim says seriously.
I nod my head.
"Anything else?"
"Umm..." I don't want to express my dream or the wolf. The dream might be just a flashback or nothing of importance, and the wolf might be nothing. Besides, wolves are ordinary in Arcadia, right? "No!" I answer, giving off a fake smile.
Jim looks suspicious but nods his head. "Alright, then, let's go to school." He replies, squeezing my hand.
I nod, and we walk to the school entrance; seeing people talking, shouting, and laughing.
"If you cover your head, I'll pull your hoodie down," Jim whispered sarcastically.
I chuckle and kiss him on the cheek before we let go of each other to prepare for class.
"Hey, Claire!"
I turn to see Shannon smiling and waving her left hand. "Hey, Shannon!" I reply as I walk to my locker.
"I like your new look. Your hair looks so cool!" She says as she walks by.
I blink, but as Jim says, I smile. "Thank you!"
Classes go on as usual. Morning announcements and boring lessons. However, I am getting a lot of attention for my hair, specifically from my classmates; some compliment me, some stare, and some talk behind my back. It leads to Ms. Janeth starting to grow impatient.
"What is going on here?" She says sternly in her sharp tone.
I glance around without moving my head and see some people trying not to giggle. I grow hot and slump in my seat. I think Ms. Janeth notices my hair and turns her attention to me.
"Miss Claire, do you intend to make a disruption with your new hair?"
Shit! I stand up straight and give her a fake smile. "No, Ms. Janeth! Is it not against the rules to dye and extend your hair?" I say proudly. Some students in the room giggle as Ms. Janeth glances away for a second.
"No. Everyone, please do your work without bothering Miss Claire!" Ms. Janeth is in defeat, and I sigh in relief.
"See, I told you." I hear Jim whisper next to me.
I smirked, rolled my eyes at him, and returned to work.
Hours and lunch pass with more looks and compliments. Of course, some were nice, but some were hurtful, teasing me about looking attractive. History and last class started, and I sat next to Mary and Darci while Jim and Toby were behind me. A different teacher is replacing Mr. Strickler. He's still in troll form and can't return to school. It's a shame because he was a great history teacher, and I wouldn't call him a good stepparent. After Jim and I came home, I saw he wasn't with Barbara. When I asked Barbara about it, she told me two weeks after Jim and I left for New Jersey, Strickler suggested using Jim's bedroom to keep the changeling children in and moving in with Barbara. She was already raising many babies from the Darklands with Strickler, and he thought it would be easier, but that was a big no-no to Barbara, feeling punched in the gut. Jim was still her son, and she had hoped he would return home, and raising many babies while still being a doctor gave a significant toll on her. She decided not to and suggested placing the babies up for adoption, and she didn't think this relationship would work. Barbara and Strickler had a fight, and in the end, all the babies were put up for adoption, and they broke up. When Jim heard of this, he was too angry at Strickler and glad his mom did that, even if he didn't say that out loud. We don't know where Strickler is now, and for Jim's sake, I hope he never returns. The new History teacher is a young man, Philip George, an African-American man in his early 30s. We've had him since the beginning of the school year, and I like him; he is laid back, fair, intelligent, and passionate about history.
"For this week's assignment, I want you to write your family heritage tree. Where did your family come from around the world and do a story about your family that connects with you on a personal level? You can put this on a computer presentation or a poster board. I am grading this based on appearance, writing, communication, and details. So don't slack on this. I want to get to know you more." Mr. George says while passing out papers to the front seats; the students pass down one paper after another in their rows.
After passing it to Jim, I looked at my rubric and smiled at the assignment. I've never done this before, but I know much about my family. This can be a fun assignment and help me clear my mind from recent events. I turn to my friends, and we all share glances, smiling. The bell rings, I gather my things, and my friends walk with me out of the class.
"Ready to go?" Jim asks next to me.
I turn to him and smile. "Yes!"
"See you tomorrow, C-bomb!" Darci shouts as she and Mary run away from me, Jim, and Toby, waving.
We get to the school courtyard, and I see Krel, Eli, Aja, and Steve walk toward us.
"Hey, guys! We heard rumors of Claire's hair and wanted to see if it's true." Krel says to the boys.
I lean against Jim's shoulder and blush. Steve, Aja, and Eli turn to me, and their eyes widen.
"Whoa, nice hairstyle, C-bomb!" Aja says.
"Thanks!" I say with a fake smile.
"Didn't you have one huge white streak and a bob cut yesterday?" Steve asks, raising an eyebrow.
I roll my eyes. "Yes, and me, Toby, and Jim are going to visit Douxie and find out what's going on," I answer. "Wanna come?"
My friends glance at each other but shake their heads. "Sorry, Claire. I have football practice." Steve replies.
"I have a science club," Eli replies, with Krel nodding.
"Sorry, guys," Aja says, grabbing Steve's arm and snuggling up against it.
"It's alright. Bye, guys!" I respond, and the three of us walk to get our stuff from our locker and bikes. We're ready and walk out of school to ride to Douxie's place.
Douxie isn't far away, only about 15 minutes from my house. Since Douxie's return to Arcadia, he still has to work to make a living. But he's living in an apartment with Nari and Archie, and since he doesn't go to school, I can visit him to do our lessons without interfering with his work.
"We're almost there!" I shout to everyone behind me as I'm the only one who knows Douxie's address. After turning another corner, we reach a friendly but not luxurious six-story apartment complex.
"He lives here?" Toby asks, making me roll my eyes.
"Yes. Douxie can't live a lifestyle as we can from our parents' money." Jim groans.
"He lives on the fourth floor," I reply.
Jim, Toby, and I get off our bikes, lock them up, and walk into the complex. I lift my hoodie over my head. We take the elevator to the fourth floor, and I knock on door 456. It takes a minute, but I hear footsteps, and the door opens.
"Claire, guys! Hello! Come in!" Douxie says with a welcoming smile on his face. We walk into the door, and I see Archie on the couch in the modest-looking living room with green walls and dark furniture. "Please sit; make yourself at home!"
I sit beside Archie, Jim beside me, and Toby in a chair.
"I wasn't expecting you to take Toby and Jim here, Claire. We usually do these lessons alone. And why are you wearing a hoodie?" Douxie asks in confusion as he sits in another chair beside Toby.
I bite my lip, pull out Morgana's spell book and pull my hoodie down, showing my problem. Douxie blinks with wide eyes and stares at my hair. I bite my lip and play with my fingers. The silence in the room lasts for more than a minute, and I feel uncomfortable. "Ummm... Douxie?"
He blinks and shakes his head. "Sorry. I was just examining and processing what I was seeing. When did this happen?" Douxie asks with concern.
"Last night. I woke up this morning with my hair like this, and I swear I didn't go to a hair salon and did this." I answer, slumping into the couch cushion.
Douxie looks more concerned as I finish my sentence. "So your hair last night was in a bob with a big white streak, and you woke up several inches longer with purple streaks in it?"
"Yes! This isn't logical, and I don't know why it happened!" I shout, pulling my hair.
"Ok, ok, calm down, Claire," Douxie replies, holding his hands up. He taps his chin and thinks for a moment. "May I have your book?"
I grab the spell book and hand it to him. Douxie opens it up and reads it while flipping through the pages. While Douxie is busy, Nari's innocent face peeks out the door.
Within a second, her face lights up. "Claire, you're here!" She shouts and runs to me past Toby and Douxie.
I reach the floor and open my arms as Nari wraps hers around my neck. "Hey, Nari! Nice to see you again." I say kindly as she grips me tightly. Nari often watches my lessons; she and I have grown close over the past few weeks.
"You're hair has changed! I like it! It's like a beautiful blooming flower." Nari says with happiness as she pulls away.
"Thank you!" I say with an awkward smile.
"We need to head to Hex Tech, but I think I know why your hair became this way." I hear Douxie finally says, making us turn to him. "When wizards feel a strong emotion, come of age or did a great achievement, they often go through physical changes, including longer or different color hair."
"What does that have to do with Claire's hair?" Toby asks.
Douxie ignores Toby's comment and turns to me. "Claire, did something strange happens before you fell asleep or when you saw your hair?" He asks with concern.
I think for a bit and remember the events before going to sleep. I explain everything that happened to me last night and what I saw vividly in my nightmare, making everyone's expression more worried. "What?"
"Claire, why didn't you tell me about this earlier?" Jim asks with worry and a bit of anger.
"This is what you care about? I didn't think it would matter! And besides, the heartstone I saw was most likely the one that was destroyed in Arcadia and not New Jersey." I defend myself, turning to Jim.
"Calm down, you two." Archie hisses at us.
"Claire, what does the voice saying your mother's lullaby sound like, and what did the voice in your dream say after it turned pitch black?" Douxie asks, making me shiver.
"Douxie, don't let Claire relieve the pain." I hear Jim hiss.
"No, Jim! It's ok." I protest and take a deep breath. "The voice was a female but with a different tone. It sounds ghostly, soft, and loving. It wasn't a familiar sound, but it reminded me of my mom's voice when I was young, giving me a calm feeling to close my eyes. The voice in my dream said a weird message." I stop and glance down at the floor.
"What did it say?" Douxie asks. I don't answer. "Claire?"
"It says of what I think is a poem. I don't remember the whole thing, but it said at the beginning, 'A birth of a child in the middle of the 10th month of the year, another wizard born 900 years ago.' And the ending said, 'The choice is theirs to make.' What does that mean?" I answer and ask, but Douxie's eyes widen fast as he can blink, and he looks pale as a ghost.
"Douxie?" Archie calls out.
Douxie shakes his head again and clears his throat. "I'm sorry, guys," Douxie says apologetically before facing all attention to me. "Claire, we must go to Hex Tech and talk to Zoe. I know I'm over 900 years old, but I have no idea what's going on. We're not going today, but this coming weekend. Do you still want to have magic lessons?" He explains with concern.
I glance slightly away to the right and think without looking at anything. It is time for my lessons, and there's nothing the boys can do about my situation, but a master wizard can at least monitor me for two hours. I turn my head to Douxie, nod my head, and smile. "Yes."
Archie jumps and transforms into his dragon wings, flying to Douxie. "I'm sorry, boys, but class is in session." He says politely as he lands on Douxie's shoulder.
I glance at Toby and turn to Jim, seeing his worried but content eyes. "I'm sorry, Jim, but you have to go," I say apologetically.
Jim scoffs and smiles. "It's alright, Claire." He says before pecking me on the forehead, making me smile. "Text me when you get home."
"I will." I agree.
We all get up, and Jim walks to the other two boys. "Come on, Tobes." He kindly orders his best friend. Toby nods and steps closer to Jim. Jim turns to Douxie and gives him a protective yet friendly look. "Bye, Douxie!" He says with a smile and pats Douxie on his right shoulder. Douxie breathes a sigh of relief and smiles.
"Bye, Claire!" Toby and Jim say in unison as they walk to the door and exit.
I sit back down, and Douxie does the same across from me. He grabs Morgana's book and opens it to set it on the table. He gets his spell book and sets it down beside Morgana's. Douxie looks up at me. "Ready, Claire?"
I take a deep breath and smile. "Yes!" I say with determination.
Douxie smiles and claps his hands. "Alright, let's start!"
During the past few weeks, Douxie has been teaching me to do the basics outside of shadowmancy because he thinks it will help me better in the world of magic. But I think it's more that he doesn't know shadow magic very well. History of magic and making things float on week one, history of magic and spark shooting to a tiny target on week two, and transfiguring items and history of magic on week three. The history of magic is significant in understanding how to use magic, but it's the most boring topic in the lessons. (If you ever read Harry Potter, you know what a first-year learned.)
Also, I'm learning Wizard-ese to read the spell book for myself. I'm almost fluent in it, thanks to my quick linguistic skills. This week, it's different. Douxie sets a rock on the table. The stone looks more like a gem, sapphire blue, and the size of a ping-pong ball. It reminds me a bit of Heartstone Trollmarket.
I glance at him from the table and raise an eyebrow. "What is this?"
Douxie looks at me and smiles. "You're going to grow the gem. You've done this in school before, right?" He answers and asks.
I shrug my shoulders. "Yes, but we had to wait a few weeks for the crystal to grow from six inches to a foot wide. And that was lucky."
Douxie chuckles and shakes his head. "No, I mean grow a crystal with you're magic."
I look at him with confusion.
"You can do it, Claire. Just remember to let the magic flow within you." Douxie reassures me with soft eyes.
I take a deep breath and hold my hands toward the gem. I close my eyes and imagine seeing the broken heartstone from my dream, and I want to fix it and turn back time. I hear a familiar ticking sound like a clock, but I see the shadow realm and an image of the Amulet of Daylight breaking and fixing itself back together. I gasped slightly and opened my eyes, seeing the gem grow slightly.
"Good Claire! Keep it up." Douxie encourages me, smiling.
I take another deep breath and close my eyes. I hear the same ticking sound, but louder. The image of the Amulet again and see it changes from blue to red. I feel tensed up, but a warm aura fills my head. The Amulet disappears in the shadows, but the ticking becomes louder and louder. I gasped and shot my eyes open to see the gem was the size of a baseball and red.
"Whoa." Douxie, Archie, and Nari say in the union, and I lean down on the couch, feeling like my head is on fire. I shut my eyes and pull my knees to my chest.
"Claire, are you alright?"
I open my eyes and see Nari sitting on the couch beside me. She looks worried and confused. I straighten up and smile at her. "Yeah, I just feel a bit fatigued."
We turn to Douxie, who is holding the gem, examining it, and looks flabbergasted. "How in the..."
I start almost to crawl back into myself inside. "You told me to grow the gem," I say innocently, playing with my fingers.
Douxie turns his eyes to me and looks guilty a bit. "No, no. I mean, how did this gem turn from blue to red? What did you do?" He asks kindly.
"When I close my eyes, I hear ticking sounds and an image of the Amulet of Daylight you and Merlin made. I opened my eyes and saw the gem growing. When I closed my eyes, I heard the ticking again, and the Amulet changed from blue to red, all while I heard ticking sounds like a clock." I explain, hugging myself.
Douxie grabs Morgana's spell book and flips through the pages.
"I have no idea how I did that, Douxie," I say, trembling.
"It's ok, Claire." He says softly, heads down and flipping the pages until he stops. "Ah-ha! Found it!" He cheers.
"What did you find?" I ask with a bit of anticipation and curiosity.
Douxie looks up and smiles. "In this book, it says when you see or hear something familiar, your mind goes to that. You remember the Amulet of Daylight and its ticking sound, making you turn the gem from blue to red." He explains.
I raise an eyebrow but shrug my shoulders. "But that doesn't explain why I saw the Amulet of Daylight, which was destroyed!" I say with my hand on my temple, feeling confused.
"I don't know either, Cheeky. Memories are a complex subject in magic." Douxie sighs. He turns to the clock on the wall, which turns white again. "I'm sorry, Claire, but we must end lessons early." He says while turning to me.
His face looks nervous, and his smile looks awkward. I've seen that look before. Whenever Jim was talking to me before we became a couple. I cross my arms and smirk. "Oh, do you have somewhere to go?" I ask. I can hear Archie and Nari holding a giggle, making Douxie's face red.
"I-I need to m-meet up with Zoe, but I will tell her what's going on with you, ok?" He says hesitantly.
I raise my eyebrows but nod. "Ok, Teach!" I agree and get up. Douxie hands me Morgana's spell book, and we hug. "Thanks for talking with me, Douxie."
"You're welcome, Sis." He mumbles and rubs my back gently.
I freeze. Did he just call me Sis? Like, as in sister?
We let go, and Douxie places a hand on my shoulder. "Since your parents know about magic, I want you to tell them what's happening, and since you know how to read Wizard-ese, I want you to read your book. This is your homework for tonight." He adds.
I raise an eyebrow and hold up the spell book. "You know this is Morgana's book."
Douxie scoffs and rolls his eyes. "I think she would've wanted you to have it; you can call it yours." He reassures me as I stuff it in my backpack.
I roll my eyes and playfully smack his arm, making him chuckle. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to contact me." He states and gives a warm smile.
I nod and smile back. "I will, Teach."
Douxie pats my shoulder. "Good, then go home." He says kindly.
I nod and walk to the door with my backpack.
"Wait!"
I turn around and see Nari running to me. I kneel, and she wraps her arms around me. I wrap my arms around the small Demi Goddess's waist, trying not to get poked in the eye by her antlers.
"Bye, Claire!" Nari mumbles, squeezing me affectionately.
We let go, and I smile at her. "Bye, Nari!" I reply and tap her nose, making her giggle. I get up and look up at Douxie. "Good luck on your date, Teach." I laugh and exit the room to the hall. I didn't bother to look at Douxie's reaction, but I think it's either he's embarrassed or is rolling his eyes.
I walk to the elevator, the building door, and my bike. I unlock it and get on my bike. I cycle off and head to my house. I smile as I think about Douxie seeing Zoe and how awkward he looks. Whenever I see Zoe and Douxie together or when she is brought up into conversation, Douxie is red or stutters. Since Douxie can flirt with almost any girl with supreme confidence, it's a bit fishy that he can't in front of a 923-year-old punk-style, calm and cool witch like Zoe.
Author Note: I wanted to put notice on Claire's hair. In Trollhunters until season 2 (part 2) episode 13, Claire had a small blue streak on the right side of her face. In Trollhunters season 3 up to the end of the series, Claire's steak is white, still in the same place as her old streak and same size after creating a portal to help the trolls escape Trollmarket. We finally see her again in Wizards episode one, Claire streak is still white, but two inches bigger, coving half of her forehead. It's a sign and from reading mythology in Norse, Celtic and even mermaids, when hair changes, something magical is going on. As for Stricker. I like him, but hate him dating the woman who son he tried to kill more than once. I had to explain a reason of where he is. Time to go and visit Douxie. Fear not, Claire will get help. Please review.