Of course, school had to start again eventually. It was the first day of school after the holidays. People were still quite cheerful from the holidays, so the prospect of long hours stuck in classrooms wasn't quite as unpleasant, yet. Well, for most people.
"I can't believe we're stuck sitting at those crummy desks all day again..." Jessica grumbled.
"Well, if you want to get to Princeton, you'll have to," Andie grinned.
The bell rang at that moment, so everyone gratefully escaped the cold snow and went inside. Emily and Isabelle went to their History class while Jessica headed to the gym. Bane and Andie made their way to Spanish.
"So... how are your parents dealing with you and me?" he asked.
"My dad's fine with it. He likes you, though he's clearly not comfortable when we're alone in my room," she added with a smile.
Bane chuckled.
"Yeah, I guess he wouldn't be. What about your Mom?"
"She's worse," Andie sighed. "But she seems to accept it."
Bane squeezed her hand.
"It's still new to us all," he said reasonably. "Just give it a little time."
"Yeah, I guess you're right. And at least they don't outright hate you," Andie mused thoughtfully. "That's something. Or they're just biding their time before they box you up and ship you to Australia."
They laughed and they walked on towards their class.
When it came to their powers, the girls had been finding they were improving daily. They still had to claim study sessions or group projects, and even that was getting tricky because their parents all knew no ordinary teenagers would study as much, so they sometimes stuck to meeting with each other for a smoothie or something like that. Lying wasn't any easier or more pleasant than it had been before, but they knew (thanks to over a hundred sermons from Balon) that now that Bane was back, Zorak and Zarias would only try harder to get what they wanted. Which was their powers. Because Andie and her friends, if you hadn't already guessed, were not like everybody else. She could create flames, warm the air in a room and was amazed her body heat was still normal. Her best friends Isabelle, Jessica and Emily had powers of their own. Isabelle, calm and composed unless you got on the wrong side of her, controlled water and could use it to heal certain wounds, Jessica, contrary top her fiery, impulsive personality, had the power of earth, known for its stability and calmness. Emily's power, on the other hand, fit her perfectly. Carefree, sweet and cheerful, her connection to air was like a second skin to her. And then, there was Bane. His powers were, in a way, both similar to Andie's and different. He had been given what was known as the Light of the Guardian. He was the one who had brought the five of them together. Not that it had taken much. Andie, Emily and Jessica had been friends for years, and it hadn't taken long for Isabelle, who had been the new girl in town, to join their group. Eventually, Bane had reached out to them and told them they had been chosen to incarnate the elements. By their former masters, Adena, River, Aera, Terra and Balon. They were still there, in their spirit form, guiding the five teenagers and training them to be able to fight Zorak and his son Zarias, whom we have also previously mentioned. Zorak was the ruler of the Demon Realm, and with his son Zarias, he had been trying to obtain their powers over the elements for some time now, his plan being to use them to recreate Earth to be like his world and expand his land. Of course, neither the former masters nor the new ones were planning on letting that happen, so they had been struggling against demon attacks for weeks since they'd discovered their powers. And from the looks of things, it wasn't going to get any easier.
But Andie wasn't thinking about any of that. She was working on the tests she would be taking that week. It was almost a good thing, that would give them a fresh excuse to stay out after classes together, claiming they were studying at the library. They'd soon decided not to say they were studying at one the others' house, because it would be too easy for that to blow up in their faces. All it would take would for Isabelle's mother to call Jessica's and ask how the girls were doing when Jessica had told her parents they were revising at Andie's. So they had chosen the library. So far, it was working. But it was strenuous, too. Between the long studying and exhausting training, not to mention juggling classes and reasonable time at home or with their boyfriends, it was a miracle any of them could keep track of anything. And it was even harder for Andie and Jessica who had drama and soccer practice. Andie had at one point considered quiting, since she'd obtained what she wanted, but because Vicki Chase, also a student at Olympia High, was clearly trying to outshine her, Andie had decided not to let that happen. So she kept at it, as tiring as it was. And there were some perks to this hectic lifestyle. She was growing more confident, her body was stronger, and she mastered her powers better than before. And she was starting to accept her talent for music and enjoy showing it. But Balon was worried and pushing them harder than he ever had, because every day with no sign of either Zorak or Zarias was, in his book, a bad omen. At least the training seemed to be taking a little less of a toll on their bodies, Andie thought. But it was good to be busy, it kept her from thinking about the Demon Lord and his son too much. Of course, Balon constantly bringing them up didn't make that very easy, but at least that was the only time she was forced to think about it. She could just about shut it out the rest of the time. She noticed it was easiest when she was with Bane. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't fight the fact that occasionally, she felt like she was being watched.
Snow flew through the air as Bane and Andie walked along the street towards the library to study before their mid term exams the next day.
"I am not looking forward to that history exam tomorrow," Bane sighed.
"Me neither, but we have to pass if we want to graduate next year," Andie smiled, squeezing his arm.
"Yeah. Oh, and my uncle was wondering if he could ask you a favor."
"Sure, what is it?"
"Well, the Devil Riot concert was such a great success, he was hoping he could borrow some of your newly earned popularity to bring in some costumers."
"...You mean in the bookstore?"
"Yeah. I know, it sounded odd to me too, but I guess it can't hurt."
"Well, I'd be happy to help." She said. "What is it he wants me to do?"
"Well, he's been getting a lot of books that have been turned into movies, recently," Bane explained. "And he was hoping you would do a kind of movie soundtrack special, or something."
"That sounds like a great idea," Andie said. "When does he want to do it?"
"How about this weekend? He just got a large order of young adult novels."
"That's fine with me."
"Great. I'll let him know."
He quickly pulled out his phone. They were outside the library so they paused so Bane could make the call.
"He's thrilled, and super grateful. His business is steady, but..."
"I know, it can't hurt to draw in more customers," Andie smiled. "Come on, let's go in before I become an ice sculpture."
She took his arm and they walked into the building, unaware of the eyes watching them in the shadows.
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Uh oh, I don't like the sound of those eyes in the shadows, do you?
What would you do in their shoes? Let us know in the comments :-)
Will the bookstore gig go okay? Or will the mysterious eyes interfere? Let's find out in the next chapter!
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