The river was in a shallow valley running along the side of the town, almost like a moat protecting the border. Rika nimbly slid down the slick grass on the slope, still damp from the rain, and landed neatly at the sidewalk that ran alongside the riverbank. "Come on!" she called back up.
Alden was... less successful following her.
"You okay?" Rika asked, trying not to laugh.
"Yes," he muttered, looking at the mud stains now spattered across his arm and legs.
"I can lend you some clothes later, if you want," she offered.
"Now what do we do?" he asked, trying to change the subject.
"We wait," she said, nodding at the brick wall underneath the bridge. The concrete was dry there, and the rain was starting to pick back up, so Alden quickly took a seat before he got soaked even more. To his surprise, Rika sat down beside him, close enough to touch. With everything he'd seen in the last few hours, having her right next to him like this was intoxicating. Alden was still a guy, after all. He'd be insane not to find her attractive. Plus, there was that aura about her, an exhilarating feeling he got just from being close to her. Or was that...
"Rika," he started.
"Hmm?" she murmured, her eyes closed.
"Why do you feel like lightning?"
She laughed, a sound that sent waves of joy through Alden. "That's the best way you could phrase that?"
Alden's cheeks went red yet again. "Sorry."
Her tone grew serious. "I was experimenting with something, it went wrong. Now I'm like... this. It's actually pretty fucking inconvenient, to be honest. I set off metal detectors everywhere I go, screw up electronics, mess with people's heads without meaning to. Took me forever just to figure out how to keep it under control so I wouldn't just straight up shock you right now."
"That sounds annoying."
"Yeah, well, I can also shoot lightning from my fingertips whenever I want, so it's a trade off." She opened her eyes and sat up. "Wanna see a trick?"
"What?"
"Gimme your phone."
Alden hesitated, but handed it over. "It's dead. Didn't have time to charge it."
"Perfect," Rika said. She picked it up and looked it over for a moment, then held her finger up to the charging port. After a few moments, the screen lit up with a battery icon.
Alden laughed aloud. "Seriously?"
"Hey, you don't know how impressive this is. Cell phones are very picky about what they'll take." She handed back his phone, which he turned on gratefully.
A few moments later, it turned back off again, the battery icon flashing red.
"That's it?"
"What more do you want, Mr. Tesla?" Rika said grumpily.
"I expected it to be more charged or something."
"Well I could, but then your battery might melt. Or explode. Which could be fun. Wanna try it?"
"No thanks," Alden said quickly, before the eager glint in Rika's eye started something worse.
"Well, at least this explains why you were so lost earlier. You didn't seem the type."
"Thanks, I guess?"
"No problem." Rika glanced down at her watch, which Alden had somehow missed up until now. It was an old analog watch with a cracked leather strap, but it looked like it was pretty expensive. Alden guessed there was a story behind it, but before he could ask anything she put her hands back in her pockets. "Almost time."
Neither of them said a word for a few minutes. Alden was doing his best not to look at her too often. He didn't want to seem creepy or obsessive. Partly because he liked her, but more importantly because she was the closest thing he had to a friend so far in this entire town. If he was going to be here a while, and odds were it was going to be a long while, he was going to need friends. Rika seemed powerful and had at least a few strong connections in town like the councilor, Rachel DuValle. She seemed like a good friend to have. Even if she was claiming their friendship as fate or something nonsensical like that.
Alden had never believed in fate or a higher power, but he was quickly becoming a believer in the supernatural—for obvious reasons. If Rika wanted to think they were somehow destined to meet and work together, he wasn't about to deny it totally out of hand.
"Why haven't you asked yet?" Rika said suddenly, opening one eye in his direction.
"About what?" he asked, though Alden was pretty sure he knew the answer.
"Awakening." Again, Alden imagined it a proper noun in his mind, with the weight everyone seemed to give the word.
"I..."
"If you don't want to talk about it, that's cool. But seeing how curious you've been about everything else, I just assumed—"
"I'm scared, okay?" Alden interrupted. The honesty of that statement surprised even himself. The magic itself was exciting and mysterious, but there were pieces around the edges that put him ill at ease. He hadn't meant to let it be known yet. Showing vulnerability this early seemed like the wrong move. But he couldn't help himself around her already. He trusted Rika instantly, against his better judgment.
"Oh," Rika answered slowly. "Scared of what?"
"Isn't this all just... creepy?"
"I guess?" Rika brushed her hair to the side, opening her eyes more fully. From this distance, he could see her eyes were very blue, the same as the streak in her hair. He assumed it must be deliberate, but he liked the effect nonetheless. "I mean, once you're on this side it just seems normal."
"But, Hector back there, his eyes... He looked like he was being possessed." Alden shivered involuntarily at the memory, or perhaps it was just the evening chill.
"Sounds about right." She sounded so calm, which did nothing to soothe Alden's concerns.
"That doesn't bother you?"
"Look, there was always going to be a price, right?" she replied patiently. "I don't feel any different, my friends say I don't seem any different. Rachel certainly doesn't seem different to me. Hell, she barely even uses magic, even though she's got it. Maybe we're all gonna get screwed down the line somehow, but for now I like what I've got."
Alden must have still looked skeptical, so Rika continued. "No one's gonna force you into anything. We're all pretty accepting here. A few assholes, but accepting assholes." She grinned. "Lighten up, Alden. Watch this."
She held out her arm, pointing at a few blades of grass bending under the rain. As he stared, one of the blades stood straight up. Rika crossed her middle finger over her index finger, holding it taut, then after a moment let them snap apart. The blade of grass sliced cleanly in two, both of which began moving in unison. Rika sent them dancing through the air, spelling out something.
"I can't keep up," Alden said after a few mesmerized seconds. He'd completely lost track of what she was spelling.
"Ugh. The joke's not worth it anymore," she replied. Her voice sounded hoarse. He looked back to see her gritting her teeth in concentration. She lowered her hand, and the grass fell to the ground again. Instantly her face lightened up, and she relaxed back against the wall, letting out a huge breath from the exertion.
"It's that bad?" Alden asked.
"For me. I'm not so good with movement stuff. Everyone's got different talents. I need more practice." She seemed to be embarrassed by Alden's disappointed reaction. She stuck out her index finger again, and a tiny bolt of pale blue lightning burst forth with a sharp crackling sound. Alden whipped his head around, following the trail of steam in the air to the suddenly very blackened blade of grass.
"Whoa," he muttered.
"Mmhmm." Rika reached into her bag and pulled out an energy bar, which she started nibbling on.
"Hang on, you didn't use any topaz that time?" Alden asked, curious.
"Nah, that was easy. I need the gems when it has real energy behind it, or if I'm in a rush like earlier. Small stuff like this gets covered by the electricity running through my body."
"And the bag?" Alden asked.
"You just can't get enough, can you?" Rika laughed. "The bag isn't mine. Bought it here, actually. Paid a fuckload, but totally worth it, right?" She opened it and let him glance inside. By all appearance, it was normal. He saw a few pouches stacked on either side, but there was a clear bottom right where it was supposed to be. "Go on, reach in there."
Somewhat apprehensively, Alden stuck his hand into her bag. It didn't feel like anything, but as he felt down one side, there was another row of pouches, and then another, and yet another. He looked in, and his hand was clearly only touching the second row, beyond which there shouldn't have been a third—yet he could feel at least six or seven rows.
"How?"
"Magic," Rika answered. She yanked his arm back up and out before snapping the bag shut. "Speaking of which," she started, glancing at her watch. "It's time." She stood up, and Alden was quick to follow. They took a few steps away from the solid brick wall underneath the bridge, which still seemed unremarkable to Alden. It was just an empty wall of pale red bricks, aged and mossy.
There was a wooden door in the wall.
Had he blinked? Alden rubbed at his eyes. There was clearly a door there. Rika reached forward calmly and opened it. Beyond the threshold was a veil of black blocking their view of the inside. Without a word, she brushed aside the heavy curtain and stepped in. Alden stood still, uncertain. Rika's hand shot back out through the veil and took his, sending that small surge of electricity through his skin once more. She pulled him inside and swung the door shut behind them.