August 5, 2014

Bellwood Hotel; 10:41 am

Gwen was out of breath. Her hands were shaking, and her legs were on fire. Still, she strengthened her stance and prepared for another round against the punching bag.

After weeks of no improvement, Charmcaster suggested they switch from magic to martial arts. Her magic was at its strongest when fighting, so it may help her mana flow if she picks up karate again. Gwen hadn't practiced in years, so she'd been using the hotel gym frequently.

Once satisfied, Gwen went to Charmaster's room to shower. She had given Gwen a spare key after being woken up for the third day in a row. Sure enough, Charmaster was still asleep when Gwen walked in.

The hotel shower was much hotter than her own and helped soothe her aching muscles. She thought about her training for the last few weeks. There was less than a month until school started, and she'd made little progress. At the rate they were going, Charmcaster would abandon her for a new apprentice by the end of the month. She's surprised the magician hadn't already. Once she finished her shower, she saw a groggy Charmcaster waiting outside the door.

"Morning, Hope," Gwen said cheerfully.

Charmcaster was wearing nothing but her underwear and the shirt Gwen had lent her. Charmcaster normally slept naked, but Gwen complained about constantly walking in on her naked after she got her key. So Charmcaster started using Gwen's shirt as pajamas stating that if she had to pretend to be her secret girlfriend, she might as well dress like one.

"I told you not to call me that," Charmcaster grimaced. She walked past Gwen, desperate to use the bathroom but continued to talk through the door. "You busy today?"

"Not really." Gwen had planned on practicing her magic some more, but she could guess how well that'd go.

"Good, 'cause I'm in need of some retail therapy, and you need to update your wardrobe."

"What's wrong with my clothes?" Gwen scowled at Charmcaster as she left the bathroom.

"You dress like you're going to a job interview. Now get ready," Charmcaster tossed Gwen her backpack. "The Mexican place up the street stops making breakfast burritos at noon." Charmcaster began to strip, causing the other girl to lock herself in the bathroom.

Gwen finished drying off and looked over her clothes as she got dressed. She knew it wasn't conventional to wear long sleeve shirts during summer, but she liked it. And who was Charmcaster to judge? She was constantly wearing dark colors and leather. Gwen swore the woman had to be using magic to keep herself from overheating. Still, Gwen thought it might be time to try something different.

She was beginning to regret her decision after being dragged through eight stores for the last three hours without buying a single thing. Charmcaster would search through every inch of the store before moving on to the next one. Gwen hasn't hung out with many other girls, but she could have sworn that "retail therapy" was more than a fancy word for window shopping.

They were about to leave for the ninth store when something caught her eye. There was an off-the-shoulder blouse hanging on the back wall. She'd never worn anything like it, but she knew it'd look great with her favorite skirt.

"That's cute," Charmcaster said. "Do you want me to call someone to grab it for you?"

"Oh no, it wouldn't look good on me," Gwen said.

"You'd look great, don't be so hard on yourself."

"No, really, it's ok. This is more my style anyways." Gwen grabbed a blue sweater off the clearance rack. "It's the same shade as my mana, and it's soft and warm. Perfect for fall!" Gwen left to buy the sweater before Charmcaster could say another word.

The two spent another hour window shopping before they stopped to eat in the food court. Gwen was exhausted; why did she love the mall so much as a kid? Charmcaster was idly drinking a smoothie while staring off into the distance.

"What are you looking at?" Gwen followed her line of sight and saw a couple walking into DICK'S Sporting Goods. A brunette boy in a green jacket was holding hands with an Asian girl. "We should go." Charmcaster gave her a curious look but continued to drink her smoothie in silence.

Gwen practically dragged Charmcaster into the neatest store. They quickly got back into the motions of looking at everything in the store before moving on, and Gwen's odd behavior would have been forgotten if she wasn't constantly watching the stores' entrances.

By the time they finished, the mall was close to closing. The two were quiet as they walked to Charmcaste's car, but Gwen soon spoke up when she saw the older woman walk past the vehicle.

"Where are you going?" Gwen asked.

"Let's go for a walk," Charmcaster replied. She pointed towards the park across from the mall, causing Gwen to grimace but follow along anyway.

The silence was deafening. No one comes to this park after dark since an incident that happened the day Ken was born. The news said it was a purse snatching gone wrong, but Gwen heard rumors of an old man in an RV fighting a tiger. The mayor installed new lights throughout the trails, but it did little to stop the rumors.

"Take a seat," Charmcaster ordered. Gwen recognized the bench they stopped at. Dread continued to fill her stomach, but she did as she was told.

"Why are we out here?" Gwen asked.

"I figured you could use some fresh air. Also," Charmcaster pulled out a bag from her satchel, giving it to Gwen. "You looked like you really wanted this."

It was the blouse Gwen had looked at earlier. She was stunned by the gesture but noticed the security tag still on the sleeve.

"Did you steal this?" Gwen asked.

"Of course. You didn't think I'd spend all day at the mall and not get anything did you?" Charmcaster began to pull out different things they looked at throughout the day.

"What the heck!" Gwen was furious. "What's the point of robbing banks if you're not even going to buy your own clothes!?"

"I'm still a little hung over from robbing a liquor store last night. It shouldn't be a surprise that I'm not above shoplifting."

"Take it back!" Gwen threw the blouse at her. Gwen can turn a blind eye to Charmcaster's criminal actions, but she draws the line at being An accomplice.

"Or what? You'll kick my ass?" Charmcaster joked. "How about me make a bet? If you beat me in a fight, I'll return everything I stole." She walked across the path, giving them some distance.

"And if I can't?" Gwen wasn't confident about her fighting ability but still kept a look of defiance.

"You have to tell me what happened with Ben."

It was then that Gwen's resolve shattered. Before she had time to compose herself, Charmcaster had dashed towards her. She dodged the attack, instinct taking over, but she was out of practice.

"Nobody talks about him; it's like he doesn't exist." Charmcaster sent out a fury of punches and kicks, which Gwen narrowly blocked or avoided. "And then we see him at the mall with some girl hanging off him. I thought you two were inseparable."

"That's enough, Charmcaster. Drop it," Gwen growled. Charmcaster ignored her, pushing harder with her assault.

"What's wrong, Gwen? Did your loser cousin dump you?"

"I dumped him!"

Charmcaster was stunned for a moment allowing Gwen to counterattack. Charmcaster barely dodged Gwen's kick and was now on the defensive. She tried to hold the girl back long enough to regain her footing. Gwen wasn't giving her any breathing room, though, quickly rushing in at every opportunity.

The fight was getting too heated. Charmcaster shot out her mana to try and hold Gwen in place. But, right before it grabbed her, Gwen cut through it with her own mana. She could only control it for less than half a second but timed it perfectly to stop Charmcaster's attacks.

"You need to stop, Gwen," Charmcaster ordered.

"Oh, now you want to stop!? What happened to the cocky attitude?" Gwen's attacks became faster. "You're a real jerk, Charmcaster. I thought things were different now, that you had changed. But then, just when I thought we were friends, you treat me like garbage!"

In a desperate attempt to put space between them, Charmcaster shot out a solid beam toward Gwen. Gwen formed a barrier in front of her preventing any damage, but it still knocked her back a few feet.

"But that's all I've ever been," Gwen said between breaths. "Just a toy to be played with, then thrown away when the next best thing comes. You, mom, Ben!"

Gwen rushed forward to continue her assault. Charmcaster formed a barrier separating them, but Gwen punched it anyways, sending cracks throughout it whenever her mana connected with it. Charmcaster was about to reinforce the barrier when she noticed Gwen could no longer call her mana. Still, the girl continued to attack the barrier causing her knuckles to bruise and tear.

"And so what if he has a new girlfriend? I broke up with him so he can date whoever he wants. I don't care! I DON'T!"

The pounding stopped. Gwen was on her knees, head against the barrier. She was coughing between catching her breath and sobbing. Charmcaster dropped the barrier allowing the girl to fall into her arms.

"He told me he loved me…." Gwen whimpered.

"They always do," Charmcaster rubbed back as she spoke. "They're gonna tell you everything you want to hear. Insert themselves into your lives, becoming someone you can't live without. And right when you've given them your everything, they leave. That's what you did, didn't you?"

Gwen didn't answer; she just continued to cry in her arms. They stayed like that until Gwen was able to walk again. Their fight had destroyed the surrounding trees, so they had to leave before someone saw them.

The drive back was quiet and calm, much different from how Charmcaster usually drove. She'd normally take her old muscle car speeding around corners and swerving in between lanes but tonight was different. She even made complete stops at stop signs, not that Gwen noticed. She was trapped in her thoughts, oblivious to the world around her. Only when she sat on Charmcaster's bed did she realize where she was.

"I let your mom know you were staying with me," Charmcaster said.

"How'd you get my mom's number?" Gwen's question went unanswered as Charmcaster tossed her an oversized shirt and shorts.

"Get changed; I'll be back." Charmcaster left before Gwen could say another word. She was confused about the whole situation but did as she was told. About twenty minutes later, Charmcaster returned with a couple of bags. "I got some Chinese food and some ice cream so we can watch movies and cry later. And don't worry, I paid for all this. Now we need to clean your hands."

Gwen hadn't realized how torn her hands were. Charmcaster took out a bottle of alcohol and some bandages and then cleaned the girl's wounds. She was halfway through the second hand when Gwen spoke up.

"Why are you doing all this?"

"What kind of teacher would I be if I abandoned my student in need?" Charmcaster finished bandaging her hand and performed a healing spell on them. "The cuts aren't as bad as they look, so they should be fine by morning.

"Thanks," Gwen said softly. Charmcaster smiled at her and then went to the bathroom to change.

They ate their food in peace, neither feeling up for a conversation. So instead, they watched a cheesy rom-com on the hotel TV and ate ice cream together. It was the closest thing to a girl's night either of them had. But Gwen couldn't ignore the elephant in the room any longer.

"How'd you know all that? About the promises I made and stuff."

"I've broken my fair share of hearts, kid. My life doesn't allow the luxury of attachment, so when things get too serious, I run." Having lost her appetite, Charmcaster put her ice cream aside and looked at the girl lying next to her. "I know there's a story you're not ready to talk about, and that's okay. But you can't let it stop you from living your life. You're going to need to move on; it doesn't have to be soon, but someday. And when you're ready to put yourself back out there," she pulled Gwen's blouse out from her bag. Gwen held it in her hands, feeling the fabric and taking in her teacher's words.

"Either you grew a heart, or you got really good at lying," Gwen quipped. She leaned her head against the woman's shoulder. "Thanks, Hope."