Lunan kept the details of his strange dream to himself.
Following the hubbub of the first week, he settled into the usual school routine. Because it was his senior year, the workload was heavier than ever, which was a constant source of complaint for him and Elena. However, the busyness distracted Lunan from his strange dreams, as he was too occupied with reality to ponder over them. The initial excitement about the new student died down as well, although she still had a fair share of admirers.
Despite Elena's warning, Lunan wanted to figure out how to approach Azrah, as the first day of class wasn't a fluke. She and Lunan had third and fifth period together, and it was only in those classes where his spirits wouldn't appear when called. Lunan wracked his brain on how to approach a stranger and ask her if she practiced magic without freaking her out, but it turned out that he didn't have to as she initiated contact a few weeks later. She came to him in the library during study hour and pulled a chair to his empty table. Lunan jolted in surprise when she cleared her throat.
"May I sit?" she asked. It seemed her refined speech wasn't restricted to first day jitters, Lunan noted.
"Yeah, sure," he said.
He shifted his textbooks to one side of the table to give her room, but she didn't take anything out of her backpack. Lunan inwardly shrugged and resumed his homework until she interrupted him again.
"You are Lunan, yes? I'm Azrah. I believe we have a few classes together." She held out her hand.
"Yeah," he confirmed before shaking her hand, and then gasped as they made contact.
A sharp tingle traveled from his hand and trailed down his arm. It felt like an electric shock but more intense. He felt his ears warm and hoped his face didn't betray his astonishment. He squirmed inwardly as Azrah's eyes narrowed slightly before releasing his hand.
"I don't mean to pry, but where are you from? Your accent is interesting, and I've never seen someone who looks like you before," Lunan said, hoping to draw her attention from his embarrassment.
She had a secretive smile.
"No, I am not from here. I come from a distant place."
He hummed in acknowledgement. He understood the hidden meaning, and wasn't about to push it nor invade her privacy.
"I would like to become acquainted with you," she said.
He couldn't think of what would draw someone like her to him, and he distantly heard Elena's warning in his mind, but disregarded it.
"I'll bite. Why?" he asked.
"You drew me in with those mismatched eyes of yours," she answered with another smile. "They are very distinctive."
Lunan chuckled quietly, mindful of the patrolling librarians.
"A common source of interest," he said.
"There is something else about you that caught my attention, too."
She leaned in towards Lunan, uncomfortably so. He could smell her earthy fragrance. With the exception of Elena whispering in his ear, he ordinarily didn't allow people this close. His hairs stood on end.
"I sensed your magic," she told him, her voice a low whisper.
Lunan immediately went to deny her claim. He laughed sharply, forcing himself to move despite his instinct to freeze, and looked at her quizzically.
"The magic of attraction, maybe. Not to be a jerk, but you wouldn't be the first person at this school to take interest in me. It doesn't bother me, but I'm not interested."
Azrah's eyes narrowed and she pursed her lips.
"Don't take me for a fool," she continued in a low tone. Lunan pushed himself to meet her piercing gaze with an uncaring expression.
"I know what you are. What is the saying? Birds of a feather are bound to find one another. Come now, do you feel nothing around me?" she said.
Lunan was conflicted. The way Azrah approached him intimidated him, and despite her all but confirming Lunan's suspicions, something held him back. Although time progressed and he no longer lived in fear of people like Heather, Lunan didn't want to risk uprooting the peace and security he finally held.
"I don't know how you can expect me to respond," he finally answered.
She took a deep breath.
"This is probably too sudden, yes? Can I at least have your number? I would like you to get to know me and to see that I'm not lying."
Lunan mulled over Azrah's words. That much he could do.
"Sure," he acquiesced, and they exchanged phones.
"She said what?" Elena said incredulously.
Lunan was at Elena's house, as usual, snacking on tea and cookies in her room.
"You heard me," Lunan mumbled over a cookie. "'I know who you are,'" he mimicked Azrah's serious voice.
"Horse shit. I would have sensed if she was a witch, or Bellara would have told me."
At the sound of her name, Elena's right shoulder brightened as the spirit woke from her slumber.
"You weren't immediately able to sense my magic, though," he said, ignoring her glare. "We still don't exactly know my affinity after all of these years, either. Not everything about magic makes sense."
"So you think she's a special case like you? You realize how unlikely that is, right?"
He shrugged. "I can't say for sure," he admitted.
Elena shifted a pillow to support her back.
"What do you feel around her? What kind of signals?" she asked.
"I'm not sure how to describe it. I felt a strong pulse go down my arm. She felt familiar, but I also felt a bit uneasy."
"Maybe you should listen to that warning."
Elena bit cleanly through a biscuit.
Azrah texted Lunan the following night.
Hi, Lunan! It's Azrah. How are you?
He debated responding to her, thinking of Elena's earlier warning. He decided to give Azrah a chance, wanting to at least hear her out first. He knew how it felt to be the new person in an unfamiliar place.
Good, he wrote. You?
Also good. If it's alright, I would like to reintroduce myself and talk to you about magic in more detail.
Lunan's fingers trembled as he typed, Go ahead.
OK. I've never been to America before, so I apologize if I come off as stiff.
No problem. Your English is fine, just a bit formal.
Thank you. I want to show you my abilities so that you no longer doubt me.
And what would these abilities be?
Many things. I can levitate and summon swords. But my greatest powers are over death.
Lunan paused. If she was being truthful, he wondered if she could also communicate with spirits to the same extent as him.
Care to elaborate?
A minute passed before she replied, I get a sense of when something is ready to pass, and I can will them to die. Plants, animals. People, too, I assume. But I haven't attempted that for obvious reasons.
He was intrigued. Ah, so you specialize in baneful magic. A safe gesture, as even the layman knew of "black magic."
That is not the case. I don't follow any disciplines. I just have these powers.
Like me, he thought, then replied, You have my attention.
Thank you for giving me a chance. Could we meet sometime so I can erase your doubt? Are you free Saturday at noon?
Yeah, I'll see you then.
Beyond occasionally waving at him in the hallways, Azrah gave Lunan more space for the remainder of the week. She only spoke to him on Friday afternoon after spotting him at his locker.
"We are still meeting tomorrow?" she asked.
As Lunan nodded, he noticed Elena's approach. Her face morphed in surprise as she caught sight of Azrah's platinum blonde locks.
"Did I hear that right? You're seeing Ms. 'I know who you are' tomorrow?" Elena asked. They stood side by side as they rifled through their lockers.
"She seems okay, and I think she's telling the truth."
Elena snorted.
"That, or she's a talented liar."
It was a warm Saturday morning, one of the many days Lunan wished his body wasn't littered in marks. He slipped on his usual all-black attire before going downstairs.
"Morning," Gabriel greeted. "Going out with Elena?"
He returned the greeting.
"No. I'm meeting with Azrah, actually."
Gabriel paused in the middle of eating and placed his fork down.
"You two are friends?" he asked.
Lunan paused at Gabriel's question. It was an innocent one, but it seemed laced with an accusatory tone.
"No, but I think she wants to befriend me," Lunan replied. "Why did you say it like that? Is something wrong?"
"I'm just used to you spending your free time with Elena is all."
Lunan nodded. "I get that, but there's nothing wrong with trying to make more friends. Anyway, I'm heading out now."
Gabriel waved him off and raised his mug to his lips. When he set it down, a long crack appeared on its surface.
Lunan noticed Azrah's hair before he saw the rest of her as he neared the park. He quickened his pace to a steady jog.
"Hey. Hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long."
"Not at all. I arrived not too long ago," she assured. "I'm glad you came. I'm ready to clear your doubts."
Lunan smiled. "Straight to the point, are we?"
A sharp look crossed her face, but it passed just as quickly. "I just want to prove my legitimacy. Can we go to a quieter place?"
Lunan smiled to himself, already starting to direct her to the part of the park where Elena showed him her abilities many years prior.
"Yeah, I know a place."
Azrah stopped before the rose bush that held the flower Elena grew for him with magic. She hovered her hand over the flowers.
"Something about this plant feels odd, as if it has been tampered with. There is nothing wrong with it, but I am going to kill it," she told him. Lunan flinched, but held his tongue.
Azrah made no circle, she drew no elemental stones from a necklace, and she did little preparation beyond closing her eyes for a moment and taking a deep breath.
She simply said, "Die," with the utmost conviction. Her eyes glowed white for a moment before the entire rose bush withered.
Azrah stepped aside and watched Lunan through level eyes as he walked to where the rose bush once stood and knelt before it. His hands trailed through brittle leaves and the remainder of the petals in silence. He looked up at her with a deep joy brimming in his eyes in spite of the bush's value to him.
"Impressive," he said.
It more than impressed him. Lunan had to hold himself back from hugging the woman before him.
"Thanks. Truthfully, I don't need to speak a command, either," she said. To prove her point, she stared hard at a patch of grass to her right, and it dried up after her eyes briefly glowed.
Lunan was about to praise her again while she stood, but stopped short as he remembered part of their text exchange.
"And you don't consider this to be darker magic? Even though you're willing things to die?"
"No," she confirmed. "It is a gift from God."
"God?" Lunan asked, unable to keep the surprise from his voice. It wasn't unusual for witches to have relationships with divine figures. What threw him off was her tone of voice, which was reminiscent of a certain someone that scorned him in the name of religion.
"Yes," she answered, somewhat hesitant as she noted the distrust in his eyes. "I have always had this power, but I refined it over time."
Lunan kicked himself for responding the way he did. His parents always emphasized the importance of respecting religious diversity.
"My abilities work similarly," he said. "They started to show after I became orphaned."
"I'm sorry." Her eyes shifted from him.
"It's ok. It was a while ago, and I should be the one apologizing. I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable."
"It's alright. I understand your unease," she said.
"So you worship God, attending church and all? I won't deny that I find it odd, considering our kind."
"Christians just do what they think is right. I don't blame them. We have terrifying power that is beyond comprehension."
He bristled. "That's no excuse for persecution," he argued.
"It's mostly a problem of the past," she said nonchalantly.
"It's not as far back as you think," he said darkly as Heather's smirk flashed behind his eyes.
"I chose to forgive. I know it seems strange, but learning about the very people who persecuted us made me understand their cause."
"I'm glad you were able to make peace with that, but I respectfully disagree with your opinion," Lunan said firmly.
Azrah held up her hands and let out a nervous laugh.
"Please relax. I'm not trying to convert you or anything. I just wanted to explain myself. Anyway, I'm glad you know I was telling the truth about my power."
He nodded in understanding and gestured to the earthen path. A soft smile returned to Lunan's face as he led them from the garden and reflected on what he saw.
"Yeah, that's pretty incredible. You're like one step from a psychopomp. I'd love to see what else you can do. How did you sense my magic, anyway? I was really surprised," he admitted.
Another secretive smile.
"You're like a beacon to me, Lunan. As I said before, I just felt drawn to you."
***
Hm, how are you all feeling about Azrah so far? I'd love to know your thoughts!
As always, please vote/comment. It's a major help with getting my story out there.