My pace quickened as I rushed down the main street. Focus. Have you felt this energy before? I turned the corner onto a larger main road, hoping that more people would mean relative safety. Another wave of power pulsated out through the evening air. A cold feeling of realisation crept up over me when I realised who it was. I am going to kill him. I spun around.
"What are you doing here?" I wheezed.
"Just coming to check up on you," he replied nonchalantly with a tone that implied he would rather be doing anything else.
"I don't need you to check up on me. I'm fine," the words came out about as hollow as my conviction.
I walked down the street and Lucas fell in step with me. I knew there was no point in trying to run and duck out, he would find me anyway. Stupid tether.
We walked in silence down the busy street, his suit was as pristine as ever.
"You know I don't enjoy it either," he replied.
I cocked an eyebrow and kept walking. We turned the street corner and headed down a quieter side road. We are not that far from my flat. All I have to do is say goodbye and go inside. Surely it's safe enough there?
"You're the one with the magic powers. You did this," I shot him an angry side-glance.
His hand gripped around my shoulder, stopping me and spinning me around to face him, "I'm not so sure about that."
I broke from his grip and started running. I knew it was fruitless but I couldn't help myself. My feet pounded against the pavement, bringing me closer to my flat. I turned the corner and spotted the familiar door at the far end. As I was laughably close, a swoop of the wind and a solid chest blocked my way.
"Have you not considered that you might be the reason why we are tethered?"
I shook my head as he continued, "You can do more things that I. You can take magic and you can also use it."
A hint of anger crept into his voice, "That's why I can't have you exposed. You shouldn't have been at court."
"So you heard about that..."
"I don't know what she was thinking..."
"Brownlow?" I looked up at him, for a second guilt crept across his face.
"Yes. I told Olivia that she doesn't have anything to do with what I do outside of our arrangement."
"You know her? The crazy person who kidnapped me?" I shouted back at him. Of course he did. Anything that was bad about magic came from him. He was there when I meet Aaron, so why wouldn't he know Olivia?
"She's my fiancé," his words came out with ease, as if it was the most natural statement in the world.
"The crazy girl who nearly exposed me to the royal court is your fiancé?"
He shrugged his shoulders, "It's just a business arrangement."
"I'm done with this. You stay on your side of town and I'll stay here. Just keep your distance. Clearly you are the only person who are bringing the danger with you!"
I shoved him away from me and headed for my front door. My feet managed a few steps before his fingers locked around my wrist.
I shot him a look filled with anger, challenging him to hold on.
"You might be relatively safe because you have the Grimstaw's protection. But don't think Aaron has forgotten who you are. As long as he is out there you are not safe."
"Neither are you," I replied icely. Puling my wrist away from his grip and rushing for my front door.
~*~
A smell similar to a boys locker room hit my face as a I opened the door to the reherasal studio. I pulled my camera strap higher up on my shoulder and stepped in, last time I had been here must have been six moths ago.
"Cara!" James shouted happily and dropped the microphone to the floor.
"Hey," I greeted him.
"I was so surprised to see your email. I thought you had forgotten about us," he smiled.
I waved gently to the other two guys, who were playing with a loop pedal in the corner.
"I just wanted to catch up and see if you needed some press pictures." I pulled the camera strap further up on my shoulder.
"We definitely do, we have been using the ones from the tour for ages."
I smiled back at him, remembering the tour and how it had not only given me but their band much needed exposure.
He held up a t-shirt with 'Amazing Eight' printed across the front, "Do you think it's too on the nose if I wear our own merch?"
"Better than the sweaty T-shirt you are wearing now," I teased back and pulled my camera.
"Get with it guys," I shouted at the other two, who reluctantly stepped away from the loop pedal.
"Let's just do a few shots, easy and spontaneous," I encouraged.
The guys where joking and playing around, half posing half trying to act like they didn't care. I focused my lens, snapping another photo. This could have been Josh's band. Click. If he just had focused more on music than money. Click. I can't believe he's still feels hurt. Click. Typical him, blaming everyone else.
I paused for a second, suddenly feeling drained of all of my excitement from catching up with Amazing Eight.
"Why don't we leave the guys to their loop pedal?" James suggested.
"Sure. We should set up a formal shoot anyway, when you are not all sweaty and stinky," I replied, trying to sound carefree.
The cold air of the courtyard felt crystal clear after the smelliness of the damp rehearsal room.
"Why do you guys not air it out more often?"
James shrugged his shoulder, "What's the point?"
He was such a typical musician.
"So what's going on with you?" he sat down on one of the steps of the entrance.
"I don't know," I lent my back against the wall.
"Photography going good?" he asked gently.
"It is. It's just hard to stay focused when there is so much going on around me."
"I know what you mean. After the tour, I thought we had it made. Opening for a big act like that. But turns out it's a longer road than what I thought to be successful."
I looked at him, I felt like he had just describe my last six months. In a way, I had secretly hoped when emailing him that their careers had taken off more. I had hoped that coming here and hearing them talk about how well everything was going for them would help me feel motivated.
"So how do we even know that we'll succeed?" I bit my lip.
"I don't know," he shrugged. "I don't think there's any point of worrying about it."
I was about to argue back but he continued, "Don't start complaining about distractions. If you want to do it, you can."
"I find it so hard. It's so easy to get wrapped up in everything else that's going on." Like magic, like Lucas, like Brownlow, like Josh. I felt an iceyness form in my stomach.
"Find a way to get rid of your distractions," James countered.
I stared out into the air for a moment, trying to wrap my head around his advice.
"Hey," he nudged my arm, bringing my focus back to him, "I have to go back and force those two fools to rehearse now. But email me and we'll set up a shoot."
"Sure," I agreed and gave him a quick hug.
His words rung in my ears as I walked down the street. Find a way to get rid of your distractions. I flipped open my phone and spotted a text from Tanya, checking if I wanted to go for lunch. I quickly typed out "Sure. On my way." And pressed send. How was I going to get rid of my distractions? I turned the corner and headed towards the Royal Star.
I ran across the busy street, in the narrow space between two slow moving cars. Start with the none-magical one. Just give Josh his things back and talk to him. Eliminate any reason for him to be so hostile to you. As the thought entered my mind it seemed to make sense. I settled on starting with the distraction that didn't have magical powers. I smiled to myself, I never thought I would see the day when Josh was the least complicated thing to handle.
"What are you smiling about?" Tanya shouted at me.
I ran the few steps up to her and gave her a hug, "Nothing."
"Sure, nothing," she raised and eyebrow and linked her arm in mine.
I sipped my coffee and looked out of the roof terrace. Tanya was reapplying her lipstick.
"You'll just end up getting it on your coffee cup," I teased.
She rolled her eyes and demonstratively took a sip for her cup.
"So how's things with you and Taylor?" she wiggled her eyebrows.
"You know we're just friends," I replied.
"That's what he keeps telling me too," she admitted.
"But the two of you hang out awfully a lot for friends," she smiled, her eyes trying to pinpoint if there way anything in my facial expression confirming her statement.
"He's a nice guy, but it's not like that," I admitted. It was the closest I could come to the truth without revealing anything that could put her at risk.
Her face told me she was gearing up to try to coax more information out of me, under normal circumstances if it was just a guy I liked I would have gone along with it. But she knew me too well and I didn't want to tell her anything about the magical world. Of course she wouldn't believe me but I wasn't willing to place her in danger. My shoulders shuddered as the memory of what had played out in the magical court when they assumed I was human.
"I think I might call Josh," I blurted out. Not my most well thought of strategy of distraction.
"Josh?" Her wide-eyed expression was telling me she had not seen that one coming.
"I found some of his things in the flat the other day," I admit.
"Why don't you just post it to him? It's not worth it. He'll just make you upset again."
"We've been broken up for ages and I keep bumping into him. I think it would just be better if I saw him and had a rational conversation about it."
"Really?" she looked doubtful.
You can't keep hiding. Matthew's words bounced through my mind.
"In fact, let me text him right now."
I flipped my phone open and quickly typed, "Found some of your things. Want to meet for a drink tonight. Thought you might want them back."
"Just be careful Cara. I don't want to see you get caught up in all of that drama again."
"That's why I think it would be best if I just tried to talk to him. He's been so angry the last couple of times I've seen him. Maybe if I just meet him on my own it'll be better."
"Well, he wasn't too thrilled when he saw you with Taylor," Tanya admitted. I had completely forgotten that she had been around to witness that encounter.
"He asked if he was your boyfriend," she continued.
"Really?" I groaned.
"I think he's still got feelings for you. I think that's why he's lashing out."
"Maybe we both just need some closer and to be mature about it," I added, a small feeling of hopefulness blooming in my chest.
"Yeah, good luck with that." Tanya rolled her eyes. Ever since the last few months of Josh and I's relationship Tanya's dislike for him had increased. I guess I couldn't blame her.
~*~
I looked into the tiny compact mirror, swiping away some stray mascara smudges from underneath my eyes. It didn't make any sense, but somehow I wanted to look my best. I shook my head and clicked the mirror closed, tucking it away in my bag and taking another sip of my drink. You are just meeting him for a drink. Say what you have to say and be done with it. I tried to talk myself into being calm but clearly it was not working. I looked around, trying to look casual and not bothered as in reality I was searching for any sign of Josh. I had been so surprised that he had agreed to meet, the last two times I had seen him had been less than pleasant. I spotted his back of his head, his black hair and my stomach turned in knots. The last couple of encounters we've had had not been pleasant.
"Hi," he slid into the seat next to me, taking a sip of his beer.
"Hi," I allowed myself to reply, as I was rifling through my bag subtly until my fingers closed around the small plastic bag containing his belongings.
"So I was surprised you texted me," he started, speaking in a tone I hadn't heard since before our break up.
I looked into his carefree face, he was acting as if our break up and all the nastiness after it never had happened.
I placed the plastic bag between us on the table, "I found some of your things and I just wanted to give them back." Before he could say anything I continued, "The last couple of times we've seen each other it hasn't been the nicest so I just wanted to see you, one on one..."
He smiled lightly, "Look Cara, I was hurt. You just left me and I couldn't understand why."
I wanted to reply 'but I told you why so many times' but I held my tongue, nodding along to his statement not rising to the discussion he was bating me into.
"I have done a lot of growing up since then. I am a changed man. Losing you really made me realise I wasn't the person you needed to be."
So that's why you have been acting so childish the last couple of times I bumped into you? That's why you are still supporting yourself by selling drugs... Have you even done anything with your band?
"So how are things going with your music?"
I watched him as he want into full on bullshit mood, starting to tell me all about the things that would happen soon. The meetings he had lined up, the connections his friends had. I had once been naïve enough to believe him, but now when it came to him I was jaded. I knew his grand conversation would only amount to my crushed expectations.
I cut him off, "So I just wanted to hand back these things. It would be nice if we could be friends. I mean, we do have some friends in common so maybe it would be for the best."
I looked over at him, he nodded and smiled back before getting distracted by his phone. I saw the notifications flash up on his screen and I knew I no longer had any obligation to wait around.
"It was nice to see you," I got up and gave him a quick hug before walking off.
As the night air hit my face, I felt the tears well up. I didn't even know why I was crying. It had been the right thing to do. There was no point in trying to challenge him about being rude when I bumped into him with Taylor and Lucas, he would only twist my words and make me doubt myself. I had succeeded in my goals, I had handed over his things and we had parted on a cordial note. So why was I feeling so empty? My mind flashed back to when I had met him two and a half years ago, how safe he had made me feel. Part of me wished it was that easy, but deep down I knew that now that I was a target in the magical world, feeling that safe wasn't a possibility anymore.
I turned the corned, looking over my shoulder per automatic and feeling the sinking feeling of dread as I spotted a well known silhouette. I turned around, keeping my feet moving forward as if I had not spotted him.
He moved closer, I could feel the waves of his magic as he apparoach.
"Cara?" he asked in a low voice as he came up beside me.
"This is not the right time," I replied, catching a quick glance of Lucas' questioning blue eyes before turning my attention to the street ahead.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently.
"I'm fine," I replied in an as steady of a voice as I could muster.
His arm wrapped itself gracefully around my shoulders, as we walked along in silence for a minute. I tried to stop the slow trickle of tears, internatlly lecturing myself as I didn't even understand why I was crying. I don't want to be with Josh so why I am crying?
"So is everything okay with you?" it was the most gentle and caring way he had ever asked me a question before.
"I think so," I replied.
"So what happened?"
"I saw my ex for a drink," as soon as I said the word 'ex' I could feel Lucas stiffen up next to me.
"Oh, relax it is not like that," I pushed out, my annoyance at his reaction somehow brought me out of my unexplainable sadness.
"So what is it like?" his eyes searching me, as if I held some great mystery.
"Well... We were together for two years and then... it just sort of fell apart. I guess it only hit me now in a way," I said, shrugging my shoulders.
"What do you mean?" his eyes were examining my face.
I dug into my memories, trying to make sense of my emotional reaction. Lucas fingers were gently stroking the top of my shoulder.
"He was my safety, for most of my time in university he was my point of home. Until..."
"Until one day he wasn't," Lucas filled in.
"Until one day we wanted different things and I guess even though I knew it was the right thing to do. I still felt like I lost something."
My feet stopped and I felt myself freeze, my body felt cold. Ultimately, whatever I felt now it wasn't Josh's problems, it wasn't Lucas' problem either. It was mine. I have done a pretty good job so far of getting myself set up and sustaining myself as a photographer, but seeing Josh had made me realise that since we broke up I had just been locking my emotions away and focused all my attention on the tangible things.
"What's going on in there?" Lucas grabbed both of my shoulders, pushing me up gently against the wall.
I looked out past him at the slow trickle of cars passing by, trying to control the swirl of thoughts storming through my brain.
"I think I just need to go home and sleep," I admitted, taking the easy way out.
"I'll walk you home," he replied, offering out his arm for me.
Author's Note: From here on out I have no idea - NO IDEA - of what will happen in the next chapter. So we are all living in a dangerous territory. Please do comment your predictions below. I would love to hear them and hopefully they will inspire me to continue this story.
I love you all for being so supportive. Please keep voting, sharing and reading this story - it means so much to me.