It's Just Magic

Troublemaker

The sound of a ringing alarm roused Edendir from his slumber, dragging him from under his sheets and depositing him on the floor, searching blindly for his uniform. The red and blue seemed to merge perfectly with the floor and it wasn't until he crawled over them did Edendir find his clothes.

"I hate you," Dylan groaned, appearing in the elf's doorway. "Why did you set your alarm for so early?"

"So that we can get the cookies before Lilly does," Edendir replied, tugging his tie from underneath his bedpost and tying it loosely around his neck.

"Did she say she was going to eat them?" Dylan yawned. His pyjamas dragged on the floor, covering his bare feet with a blue blanket.

"No, but I saw how bitter she was yesterday," Edendir replied. "We can only assume she would be so evil as to eat our rightful food."

"You have to stop talking so proper," Dylan muttered. "Someone'll punch you for it otherwise."

"Why?"

"Jealousy, mainly. Oh, and prepare for a lot of slang. And chav. And people thinking that 'cheeky Nandos' is a good thing to shout at the top of their lungs in the cafeteria." Dylan sighed and brushed his fingers through his hair, grooming it to its usual spiky standard. "They're mad, the lot of them."

"Do you actually have any friends there?" Edendir asked. Dylan scowled and walked back into his room, slamming the door shut behind him.

"That went well," Edendir murmured, straightening out his shirt. "I'm going to have to apologise somehow. Dylan?"

"What?" the American snapped in reply.

"You can have my cookies."

Dylan whizzed through the door and wrapped the elf in a massive hug, squealing with glee. He'd already got half changed, robot pyjama top not quite matching his school trousers.

"I'm getting them now!" he yelled, running out of the room. Edendir shook his head at his friend's antics, smiling.

"And you call these other people mad?" he shouted.

"Yes!" Dylan called faintly back.

*

Once both boys were ready and had argued over the last piece of toast they set off for the bus stop. Dylan had lost the spring in his step and had his head hanging low, hands shoved into his pockets. Edendir watched his friend walk so desolately and wondered what went on in his brain. So he decided to ask.

"What are you thinking about, Dyl?" the elf queried.

"School."

"A one word reply," Roxie said wisely, catching up with them. Unknown to the boys she'd been walking behind them ever since they left the house, waiting to see how long she could go unnoticed.

"Never a good sign," she added once the teenagers had calmed their sudden fright.

"Why not?" Edendir said curiously.

"A bad mood, unwillingness to explain, internal troubles," Roxie said, ticking the things off her fingers. "What's got into you? Has a bad mood fairy cursed you whilst you slept?"

"There's no such thing as a bad mood fairy," Edendir growled. "All fairies are evil. In Elfir, fairy is another word for witch."

"And?"

"If there can't be warlocks or wizards I'm not allowing witches."

"Become king." Dylan said it as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "Then you can change things."