The World Beyond the Mirror - 4. Magic

Sorry! I totally forgot to post this earlier  I'll try not to let it happen again!

I tore through the park, ignoring the surprised looks on people’s faces, and sprinted into the glade. I skidded to a stop, looking around desperately, but there was no friendly face waiting for me, no slight curve of soft lips to welcome me back. I felt what was left of my heart dying, and I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to trap the tears on the inside. I turned around to go, but like a phoenix, my heart was born again in an inferno of happiness as I saw Nate walking into the glade.

“I’m sorry,” he said, stopping a few feet away from me and looking dejected. His gaze was glued to the ground, and he looked extremely apologetic. I couldn’t keep my eyes from roaming all over him, taking in how his long sleeved shirt hinted at his muscular arms and how his jeans had a tear in them, on his right knee. “I shouldn’t have kissed you, or drawn that heart. It’s just… I didn’t know if I’d ever see you again, and I wanted you to know how I fel-”

He cut off as I wrapped my arms around him, pressing my lips to his. I heard a surprised noise that never made it out of his mouth, and then I was backing him towards the bench, kissing him furiously. The backs of his knees hit the edge of the bench, and he fell onto it, too shocked to resist as I followed him down, sitting on his knees as my tongue tickled his lips, begging for an invitation. His soft lips opened, and our tongues touched, dancing together between our lips. I felt his hands tentatively rest on my lower back, and I happily wiggled on his lap, kissing him even more passionately. I could feel myself hardening, and I scampered off his lap, blushing, as I realized he’d feel my erection against his stomach if I stayed any longer.

Neither of us spoke for a moment while we caught our breath.

“Hey,” I said happily, leaning against him. “I missed you.”

“Where…” he swallowed, wetting his throat. “Where did that come from?” he asked, a full smile on his face again.

I blushed again, and I saw Nate’s twinkling eyes were a mix of yellow, pink and green. “I have no idea,” I admitted. “I hadn’t even considered what I felt about that last kiss, but I guess I have a clue now.”

Nate smiled happily, looking up at the sky. “I have to admit, I didn’t expect anything like that.”

I punched him in the side, hard enough to hurt a bit, as I thought about it. “Where the hell were you?” I demanded.

He grunted, holding his side. “That’s the reaction I was hoping for,” he said, laughing.

“You hoped I’d hit you?” I asked, surprised.

He nodded. “If you were angry at me for leaving, then it would mean you didn’t hate me.”

I punched him again. “Bastard,” I accused. “As if I could ever hate you. Now back to my original question.”

“You mean the one where you were trying to find out what my tonsils taste like, or the one you asked out loud?” he teased, making me blush again.

“Let’s start with the one I asked out loud. I’ll worry about getting things into your mouth after I’ve gotten everything I want out of it.”

Nate’s eyes flashed a dark pink, and the look on his face told me he’d found more meaning in my words than I’d given them.

“I didn’t mean it like that,” I protested. “I meant my tongue, and I was kidding.”

Nate nodded, smiling slightly, and I attempted to glare at him. I couldn’t keep the smile off my face, so it was a miserable failure and his grin only widened.

“Where have you been?” I asked again, changing the subject.

Orange and purple flashed through his eyes, and he looked down. “He expected me, and he was ready,” Nate said quietly. “It all worked out, but I had to spend a week trying to lose his friends.”

“Who expected you?” I asked, worried.

He shook his head. “You wouldn’t know him, and he’s not important anymore.”

I put my hand on his shoulder, trying to reassure him, but I didn’t miss his flinch.

“Are you OK?” I asked, worried.

He nodded, his eyes turning more orange. “I’m just a little scraped up.”

“How long will it take to heal?” I asked, a little bit more calm.

He smiled coldly. “They’ll all be gone by tomorrow,” he said, a note of triumph in his voice.

“All of them?” I asked, gently touching his arm where the cut that hadn’t healed was.

“All of them.”

I smiled happily, leaning in to hug him. “Good,” I said, and we sat in silence for a moment.

“I’m amazed you haven’t asked any of the real questions yet,” he admitted, the corner of his mouth twitching upwards in a wry smile.

I snorted. “What, you don’t think I can control my curiosity when I want to?”

He gave me an incredulous look. “I don’t think anyone could control your curiosity,” he said.

I laughed quietly, nodding in agreement. “I’m not me right now,” I admitted, meeting his eyes so he could see how serious I was. “That really fucked me up.”

Nate looked down again, his eyes consumed by purple. “I’m sorry,” he whispered, and I hugged him tighter.

“Don’t feel bad,” I said, giving him a reassuring squeeze. “Just… don’t ever do it again.”

He looked at me, orange invading his irises again as he hesitated.

I shook my head. “Don’t say anything,” I begged. “Let’s just pretend, then.”

He nodded, the purple pushing the orange back out.

“It’s almost time for me to go back home,” I told him. “Will you come with me?”

He hesitated, and I squeezed him again.

“Please?” I asked.

He nodded hesitantly, and I smiled happily.

“Thanks,” I told him quietly. “I really don’t want to be alone right now, and I hate the idea of you being hurt and not being able to help.”

Nate smiled. “You don’t need to help,” he assured me, standing up. “I’ll be fine.”

I followed him up, and he turned to me.

“I can’t let anyone see me, but I’ll be right behind you the whole time.”

I nodded, and he disappeared again. A small, irrational part of me was terrified that he was leaving again, but his hand on my shoulder silenced it.

“Lead the way,” his disembodied voice said, his hand leaving my shoulder. I walked back to school and got on the bus, ignoring the weird looks I was getting from everybody. Apparently, I’d been depressed and suicidal for long enough that seeing me be happy was a surprise, now. That couldn’t even dent my enthusiasm, now that Nate was back and safe. I walked onto the bus, and I sat down in an empty seat, making room for Nate. I felt his hand touch my elbow, reassuring me that he was still there, and then we waited silently for my stop. I stood, pretending to adjust my bag so Nate would have time to get into the isle before I tripped on him, and walked out. As the doors closed behind me and the bus pulled away, I walked towards the house, carefully not looking around.

“Nate?” I whispered, not moving my mouth.

“Right here,” his voice whispered back, comforting, from my left.

I smiled, and we reached the door. “Sorry in advance,” I told him, my smile diminishing, and opened the door.

“What the FUCK, Erin!?” my foster mom demanded. “What’s so hard about going to your damn classes? You’re making us look like shit parents!”

I snorted, not giving the obvious response.

“If you miss any more classes, we’re putting you back in the system!” she screamed.

I outright laughed. “As if you’d give up your precious tax cuts, you greedy bitch,” I said, and walked upstairs. I felt Nate’s hand on my shoulder as I reached the room they’d given me, and I smiled at where I guessed him to be, opening the door. I waited for a moment so he could go in, and then followed, closing the door behind us. As soon as I locked it, Nate became visible again, as sudden as his disappearances.

“Sorry about her,” I said.

“No, I’m sorry,” Nate told me, wrapping his arms around me reassuringly. “You shouldn’t have to put up with that.”

I shrugged. “I’m fine with it,” I said, hugging him back anyway. “They’re using me, but I’m using them right back, so I can’t blame them. Besides, they won’t get rid of me until they’ve gotten all the money they can, so I’m safe until I turn eighteen, and then I’ll be perfectly happy to go.”

I led him to the bed, which was the only place to sit down, and we perched on the edge.

“Will you tell me about why you’re here?” Nate asked tentatively.

I hesitated, but I eventually nodded, taking my necklace off and holding it in my hands, reassuring myself. I sat like that for a moment, and then began to speak. The words poured out of my mouth, and soon I couldn’t stop if I’d wanted to. It felt really good to have someone to finally confide in, and I could feel a weight I’d never been aware of lifting from my shoulders. Nate was the perfect listener, quiet and attentive, and when it was painful for me to remember, he helped me focus on the good things. I told him everything, and when I was finally done, it was almost dark. We’d skipped dinner. Nate’s arm was around my shoulder, and mine was around his waist, the proximity to him comforting me.

“Thanks for trusting me with that,” Nate said, squeezing me to him in appreciation.

I smiled, leaning into him. “Thanks for listening,” I said quietly. “I really needed to get that off my chest.”

I ran my thumb over my necklace, admiring the intricate pattern of the metal, and then slipped it over Nate’s head. I adjusted it on his chest until I was satisfied with how it hung, and then I leaned into him again. “I want you to have that,” I told him, feeling content.

I could tell that he was speechless, and I squeezed his waist gently, letting him know he didn’t need to say anything.

“I can’t take it. This… this isn’t just a necklace,” Nate said, looking down at it. “This is from your parents. They were from my world, and this has magic in it. It’s probably a message, and it must be for you.”

“Wow,” I said, feeling like myself again now that my curiosity was burning me up inside.

He nodded, starting to take it off. I pulled his hands away from it. “Keep it,” I told him. “If I want to see the message, I’ll just ask.”

“Really?” he said, his brow wrinkling. “You don’t have to give me any gifts, you know.”

I smiled. “It’s not a gift,” I confided, looking around conspiratorially. “It’s a bribe. I was hoping you’d stay here tonight.”

Nate laughed, and looked outside at where the moon was beginning to rise. “Full moon tonight,” he observed, his voice sounding a little weird as he watched the pale outline of the lunar giant. “Are you sure that’s a good idea?”

He attempted to give me a grin, but something was off about it. It looked too forced, and his yellow eyes were aimed a little too far to the left, staring intently at nothing. He shivered a little bit, and I felt a chill as I noticed his teeth sharpening, turning into fangs. His eyes were bright yellow as he leaned in slowly, shuddering slightly again, his eerie grin creepily unchanging. He moved towards my neck, licking his lips slowly and shuddering once more. Every one of my instincts screamed at me to run, to jump away, to get as far as possible from this demon, but my curiosity kept me glued to the spot. My eyes widened in morbid fascination and terror, but I stayed still, thinking it through. First of all, I trusted Nate. There was no one thing that I could point to that made him trustworthy, but as a whole, I’d never trusted anyone as much as I trusted him. If there was a danger that he’d attack me, he would have told me by now. I had a nagging suspicion that he wouldn’t ever attack me anyway, so my curiosity felt a little bit vindicated. Second, this was exactly what he’d do to scare me. It would be entertaining for both of us, once it was over at least, he knew it would drive me crazy for an explanation, and he’d expect it to make me warier about things I didn’t know about. This was a joke, but it was also a freely given gift of knowledge, the best kind. My curiosity was slightly sated now that I’d deduced his reasoning, and I watched him approach my neck with a faint smile on my face, not worried.

The tip of his tongue slowly traced a path over his lips again, the slight contrast between the lighter pink of his tongue and the more medium color of his lips drawing my eyes like a magnet.

He’s kinda sexy when he does that, I thought, aware that I was under-exaggerating hugely but not willing to admit it to myself. The idea of Nate nibbling on my neck made me shiver, and fear had nothing to do with it. There really wasn’t anything scary about Nate, to me at least. He wasn’t giving anything away with his acting, but his eyes were even worse than mine for betraying what he really felt. They were dancing in amusement as his lips paused within millimeters of my neck, his teeth teasingly close to my skin, but my curiosity finally won out over my desire to see what he’d do. I grabbed his chin and pulled his mouth open, running my finger over his sharp teeth and gently pulling at one, fascinated. They were definitely real, and even the slight pressure I was applying was close to breaking the skin on my finger.

“You’re no fun,” he declared around my finger, his teeth morphing back to normal while I explored them. “Who the hell wouldn’t be scared by that?”

I smiled, letting him go now that he was back to normal. “Me. Now how’d you do that?” I asked, my curiosity making me shift excitedly.

Nate smiled, letting go of me. “Magic,” he said, wiggling his fingers at me mysteriously. I copied his finger motions, mocking him, and brought my hands to his stomach, tickling him mercilessly. He tried to roll away, across the bed, but I dived and caught him, moving my tickling to his ribs.

“You’re gonna need a hell of a lot of your ‘magic’ to get away now,” I laughed, and he curled up into a ball, tears of laughter running down his face as he tried to cover his ribs.

I finally let up, and he uncurled, lying on his back and gasping for breath in between fits of giggling.

“What a powerful wizard you must be,” I commented sarcastically, tickling his neck for good measure.

He glared at me, trying to be serious. “I’m not a wizard,” he said, offended.

I smirked. “Then what are you?” I asked. “It must be pathetic, for you to be incapacitated so easily. Are you an imp?”

He snorted. “I have no idea what that is, but fuck you anyway,” he said.

I laughed, pulling him up so he was sitting with me again.

“Really, I don’t know what I am,” he said. “Whatever it is, I’m the first.”

I nodded, smiling. “Unique,” I observed. “That suits you.”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to be one of a kind,” he said. “It’d be lonely.”

I hugged him, trying to comfort him. “Maybe another one of you will come along,” I said.

He shook his head. “We’re not born, we’re made. Anyone that has the ability to use magic can do any type of magic, if they learn how. The only problem is that most people only seem to have any sort of talent in one area.”

“Well then maybe someone who can use magic will want to learn,” I said, hugging him closer.

He looked at me knowingly, smiling. “Yeah,” he said. “Maybe.”

“Oh no you don’t,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m not letting you mind-fuck me right now. This has been an exhausting day, and I need to sleep.”

Nate smirked, but he dropped it, thankfully. “So I’m staying?” he asked, unsure.

I nodded hesitantly. “If you want to…”

He smiled, his eyes a beautiful mix of yellow and pink. “I’ll stay, then,” he said happily. “Mind if I steal a pillow?”

I grinned. “Steal all the pillows you want,” I told him. “You’re sleeping on the bed. I’m not letting you crash on the floor.”

“You’re… OK with that?” he asked cautiously. “If you’re still uncomfortable about kissing and everything, I’ll be fine on the floor.”

“I don’t know what to think, or feel, about any of this,” I admitted. “But I’m not making you suffer just because I’m being an indecisive little bitch. Let’s just get in bed, and sleep.”

Nate nodded, and I stood, pulling my shirt off. I could feel his eyes on me as I took my shoes off and dropped my shorts, peeling off my socks last.

I turned, feeling distinctly awkward that a guy who’d kissed me, a guy I’d kissed back, a GUY, sat on my bed watching me strip with an appreciative look on his face. My boxers didn’t seem like a lot of protection from his piercing gaze, so I crawled past him, getting under the covers quickly.

“Sorry if this makes you uncomfortable, but you’re really hot,” Nate said approvingly. “I imagined you were sexy, but wow.”

I gave him a slight smile, not sure how to respond, and he stood up. I let myself look at his ass as he bent down to take off his shoes, and I decided it was attractive, in a different way than a girl’s would be. It was different, but it definitely wasn’t… unpleasant. Actually, it was hot. Really hot. I could easily picture my hands running over those beautiful mounds and-

I looked away, blushing, and I kept my gaze on the opposite wall, at least until the rustle of cloth inflamed my curiosity and I glanced over again. His shirt was halfway over his head, and I watched as more and more of his flawless golden skin came into view. When he tossed his shirt under the bed, hiding it just in case, the casual rippling of his muscles made my eyes widen. His arms and back were far more attractive than a woman’s. My eyes were fixed on him as his hands reached down, out of my view, and I shivered in anticipation as the loud sound of a zipper shattered the silence. His thumbs slid into the waistband of the jeans, and he pushed it down, revealing his snug black boxer briefs. He bent again, sliding his socks off, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from his bubble butt. The black fabric hugged his ass, hiding nothing of the shape, and I had to admit, if only to myself, that he had an amazing butt. He kicked his socks and pants under the bed with his shirt, and I admired the way his cheeks flexed and moved. Nate turned, and my eyes roamed all over his muscled chest, taking in the multitude of scratches and cuts, before going up to his face. He was biting his bottom lip nervously, and he jumped a little bit when he saw I’d been watching him. I blushed and turned away again, and I heard him getting into bed behind me. We lay there for an awkward moment, and Nate shifted uncomfortably, expecting me to make a big deal out of his injuries.

“I don’t think I can call myself straight anymore,” I whispered, painfully aware of my throbbing boner. “Also, we forgot to turn off the light.”

I heard him laugh incredulously, and I smiled, getting out of the covers and walking across the room to the light switch, careful to keep my erection facing away from him so he wouldn’t see. I glanced back at Nate before I flipped it, wanting one last glimpse of him, and I saw him watching me with a content smile on his face. Everything turned black as I turned the lights off, and as I walked back to the bed, I decided that I didn’t mind him watching me.

“That’s pretty cool,” he whispered as I climbed under the covers. “Isn’t it a lot of work, though?”

“What?” I asked, confused.

“Tying the lights in to a physical switch,” he explained. “Wouldn’t it be easier to keep it all as light energy?”

“I don’t think science works the same way as your magic does,” I laughed.

Nate nodded. “Yeah. I have no idea how you’d make a bus with magic.”

I smiled, even though he wouldn’t be able to see, and we lay there in silence for a while.

“Nate?” I eventually whispered.

“Mmhmm?”

I inched over to where I could see the outline of his face, and I slowly leaned in, nervous about consciously doing this for the first time. Nate tilted his head, meeting me halfway, and our lips touched gently. His lips were soft against mine, and I felt his hand run slowly through my short hair, releasing a waterfall of serotonin in the form of shivers down my spine. I pulled back after a moment, smiling happily, and rolled over again, facing the wall.

“Goodnight,” I finally answered, a hint of my happiness creeping into my voice.

I heard Nate moving, and I felt his strong arm rest on my side, his gentle hand on my chest. The warmth was comforting, and I could hear Nate holding his breath, hoping I’d be OK with it. I squirmed backwards a little bit, wanting just a little bit more of that warmth, and he sighed, content, as my back made the slightest contact with his bare chest. I felt his hot breath on my neck for a second, and then his lips followed, making me shiver again.

“Nate…” I protested weakly. I wasn’t really comfortable with this, but at the same time I wanted him to keep going. We were both painfully aware that I wouldn’t resist, no matter how far he took it, but his lips left my neck instantly.

“Sorry,” he told me apologetically. “It’s hard to resist you.”

I didn’t respond for a minute, not sure what to say. Finally, I couldn’t keep in one last question, and eventually it slipped out.

“What color are your eyes right now?” I asked, curious.

He laughed softly. “I can’t see them,” he said.

“Take a guess?” I requested, and I felt his lips touch my hair.

“Pink,” he breathed. “Definitely pink.”

I smiled, and went to sleep.

I’m dying to know what theories everyone has! If you’re suspecting something that wasn’t explained yet, please message me (or email: _uno_@writeme.com) with what it is! I promise I won’t make fun of you or spoil anything I will give you a very enthusiastic glomping, though!