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Description
Chapter 3
I was thrown against the lockers and before I could react Lucas had already pinned me back, threatening to squeeze the life out of me as he pressed his forearm against my neck. Kal was beating on his shoulder and trying to pull him off me and Nariko simply watched in horror as I tried to kick him.
I should've seen this coming: the way Nariko was staring at me just a few minutes earlier, the way her eyes suddenly widened and her face reddened when she recognized my face. She told Lucas everything. I could see it in his expression as she whispered. The change from surprise, to disbelief, to anger and holy crap did he look mad.
I tried to kick him off again but he blocked it before kneeing me in the gut. I felt his arm move away and I fell to the ground trying to get my wind back. The scene had gathered quite a bit of attention from surrounding students. It was almost the end of lunch so we already had a number of people forming a half circle around where we were.
"Nothing to see here," Lucas said, I could feel him looking down at me and I saw him turn around to the others, "I said nothing to see here! Get out of here!" The rest of the crowd soon began to dissipate as I still tried to catch my breath on my hands and knees.
"Luke! What the hell has gotten into you?" Kal asked. She sounded like she was about to cry. Her voice cracked and I could see Lucas fall back a bit when she pushed him.
"It seems Donny has been stalking Nariko last night. She said he caught him peeping while she was getting changed in her room," Lucas replied.
I dropped my head in shame. It wasn't exactly peeping. I was investigating. It just happened to end up like that due to the circumstances. Still I could tell Kal's judgement on the situation was slowly changing. She was probably getting mad at me now. Thanks Lucas for making it worse than it all actually was.
The bell tolled and Lucas spoke to Nariko. "You should probably head to class. I'll clean this mess up, don't worry."
I looked up and saw Nariko nodding at him before staring down at me. Well, at least she looked worried about me. Or maybe that was pity. Luke waited until she was out of sight before offering me a hand up. I took it and tried to stand. Damn did my gut hurt. I saw the grin on Lucas' face and I immediately knew what was up.
"You could've pulled that knee a bit, you know," I said. This prompted a confused look from Kal and a soft chuckle from Luke.
"You're not a very good actor so I had to make it more convincing. So, tell me: what was she wearing?" Luke asked.
"Luke!" Kal cried out in disbelief as she looked from him to me. "What the hell?"
He raised a hand at her. "Strictly guy business. Nothing for you to worry about."
"A white bra, pink pajama pants and pink polka-dot panties," I replied with a smile.
"How'd she look?"
"She's small. Small breasts, kind of a flat butt. But it comes along nice with her hips-to-waist."
"See anything else?"
I shook my head. "Dude, I was seriously there just to see what was going on at her house, not to watch her undress."
"Uh huh, sure..." Lucas said with a slow nod.
"You boys are unbelievable!" Kal responded, setting herself in between us. "Lucas! I honestly thought you were defending her decency. And Donovan..." She didn't say anything but only shook her head. I expected something like anger from her but all I got was this incredibly upset expression that I couldn't help but turn away from. I hated that look so much. Well, not hated but it made me feel terrible. It was one that she only gave to me when I really did mess something up bad for her.
"I don't know why but okay, I'm sorry," I said with a forced sigh.
"It's what guys do," Lucas replied, wincing as Kal elbowed him on his side. "I'm sure Don's not lying. He would've told me more if he really was peeping."
Kal pushed him away, down the other hall where his class was. "Go away, you're not helping!"
"Alright! See you guys after school, yeah?" Lucas laughed.
I waved back at him as Kal and I went to our class. I felt Kal bump into me and I knew something was bothering her. Looking back at her I saw that she was still genuinely upset. Over what?
"You alright?" I asked, stopping at the door to our class as our classmates filed in before us.
She crossed her arms keeping her eyes away as she muttered to me. "So you interested in that girl or what?"
Is this what it was about? Really?" I waited for other students to pass before speaking. "We're not together anymore, Kal. So why would it matter?"
"It just does, Donny. You wouldn't understand."
Seriously, though. Girls are weird. She breaks up with me and now... I don't even know what this is. If it were anyone else I'd be laughing but this was Kal. I love her and I hate her at the same time and we put up with each other because we've been friends for close to six years. Normally I'd let it slide but this time I'm really being accused of something I didn't purposely do.
"No, you don't understand. Luke is right. I went to go do a bit of investigating. I'm not interested in Nariko like that. I just wanted to know who her family was, what they were doing here, all of that stuff."
"Uh huh. And how am I supposed to believe that?" Kal snorted.
"Because I'm not going to like someone when they almost kill my ex, alright? Simple as that. Think what you want, this conversation is over."
I could see the other students whispering to each other now. Oh this will be one hell of a rumor if word got out.

* * *
"You two fighting or something?" I heard Lucas ask Kal.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask Don?" Kal responded.
Lucas had to walk to the other side of the hallway to get to me, pulling Nariko with him since he had an arm wrapped around her. "Dude. What's up with you and Kal?"
I could tell him that she's getting jealous thinking that I was trying to stare at Nariko. And I could tell him that it didn't matter since we weren't going out anymore.
"I don't f... I dunno, Luke. Time of the month, maybe? PMS or whatever you call it," I said with a shrug. Nariko didn't look like she understood anything I said. Good. Kal didn't seem to hear me either. Double good.
It looked like Luke and Nariko were getting along very well. She seemed quite comfortable where she was which meant maybe less risk of electrocution, today. Hopefully.
"Do they always fight like that?" Nariko said to Lucas.
"Ah, well. Sometimes. They've been kinda like this since late January. I ask them but they wouldn't tell me. It's been getting better but they get like this every now and then," Lucas reassured her. I could just barely make all of that out but yeah, it was true.
Today we were going to Kal's family restaurant, her treat. I'm surprised she invited us along with Nariko and I'm also slightly surprised she decided to invite the girl despite what happened earlier. It was a few miles away from the school so Lucas offered to give us a ride. Lucas's family had their own personal driver. He could drive himself but he often left it to the family driver to take him anywhere. This was the case for us as we saw a black limo waiting for us at the gate. He had a sports car as well but I guess it would be a bit crowded with four other passengers. But the whole thing just seemed a bit overdone for a visit to a restaurant. To me, at least. Maybe it was because all the girls are so impressed by how well off he is whenever the limo drives up to pick him up.
During our ride there, Nariko had begun asking questions about the city itself as she stared out at the yellow-orange barrier of light that hung over us.
"How many magical barriers like this do you have in this city?" she asked.
"Five," Lucas answered, "each divides the city into five separate districts, each spanning about five miles in diameter. It's sort of like living in separate cities since the culture in each is different. We're in the northern most and the one you see right now just south of us is the central district where my dad works. That's also where the emperor lives."
Nariko listened, nodding slowly as she sorted the words in her head. She turned her attention back to the window, and was actually pressing her face against it as she followed the wall up to its highest point. She must've looked funny to the school bus that drove beside the limo. "I've read that these walls were created to prevent the invasion of Dark Magi during the last days of the elemental war. Why are they still up now?"
Lucas shrugged. "It's more of a tourist attraction than anything else nowadays. It still functions as an actual barrier. None can pass in or out of it without passing through special security checkpoints. It's supposed to keep the Dark Magi out, really."
"So... then they still exist around here? I thought after the war their kind was almost wiped from the earth."
"Yeah, it's weird. They've actually started popping up a few years ago. No matter how strict our security, they always somehow crop up. Old neighbors, close friends, even family members are accidentally discovered to possess the Dark element," Lucas replied. It was true. It was often pointed out in the news that captured magi were known EV for years so it was a surprise to neighbors when they were found out. I didn't like this conversation.
"And what does security do to the Dark Magi when they are captured?"
Lucas scratched his head in thought. "Not too sure, actually. My brother knows more about it since he actually runs the operations sometimes but as far as I know, they ship 'em out on a train every now and then to I don't know where. I assume some maximum security prison or something."
"Do they execute them?"
"What? No. Not unless, you know, they're cold blooded murderers or whatever. That's what I assume. Our government system isn't like that. Our national element is Light, after all. We heal wounds. Not cause them," Lucas laughed. No one else did, however and there was a long period of silence that followed, ended only when the Limo pulled into the parking lot of The Roasting Pit.
It was a small red building, about twice the size of my family's store. Its design had a very artistic feel to it with grand swooping arcs on its entrance ending in sharp tips that rested over red carpet that led to a double glass door surrounded by two small waterfalls that emptied into two small ponds each filled with coins.
Upon entering, we were greeted with a giant clay pit, its insides black with ash. It was unlit during slow business hours but when it was lit, the heat of the flame was remarkably controlled despite its size. Moving past the thin walls led to the dining area where there were numerous tables and booths as well as three circular bars where guests can watch the show chefs put on in the evening.
Kal's father was there to greet us and lead us to our seats at one of the bars I sat on one end, Nariko in the middle and Lucas on the right. Kal disappeared into the backroom, leaving us to talk for a bit while we waited for our waiter and look through our menus. I wanted the ribeye. I always got the ribeye here. And by always I meant whenever Kal was treating which happens maybe once a year.
This time, however, our waiter didn't come out. Instead, Kal came in wearing a big black apron with her wavy brown hair tied back in a pony tail and wearing a chef's hat. She wheeled in a cart of meat and turned the gas valve as she got settled in at the center of the bar. With a snap of her fingers, the sound of igniting fuel could be heard under the range and she looked at us bearing a rather smug expression before speaking to us.
"Welcome to The Roasting Pit, my name is Kalindra and I'll be your chef today. Can I get you started on any appetizers?" she said. This was actually quite a surprise for all of us. Kal had worked as a waiter in the business for about a year and has just began working as an apprentice chef a few weeks ago, or at least thats what we've heard. We've never actually seen her work so this was all new to us.
"What about our drinks?" I replied with a grin. I seemed to have pushed one of her buttons as she turned to Luke then Nariko then me, asking each of us what we wanted before leaving and returning with three iced-tea's.
Afterwards we made our orders and watched Kal work. It was quite a sight to see. Whenever she tossed in fresh food and the ingredients began to sizzle you could see the waves of heat begin to gather over each, temporarily turning it into a giant flambé before snuffing it out with a whisk of her hand and flipping the contents on a plate. She repeated this for all of us. Lucas got his salmon first, Nariko received her fettuccine after an my ribeye was served to me still on fire and it wasn't until after everything was put away that Kal snuffed the rather large flame with a snap of her fingers, leaving me with a burnt steak. So burnt it was that it crunched when I bit into it. I ended up just eating the peas and potatoes.
It was good, though, don't get me wrong. There was something about food cooked by a Fire mage that made it that much better. The food stayed hot longer, flavor wasn't burned out, and when they knew exactly how you wanted it cooked, they'd get it just right—with a little practice of course.
The entire time we ate, Kal sat on the bar table, tuning into the news channel on the bar's plasma screen while we talked about what we were going to do this weekend. Lucas wanted to take Nariko to the central district and give her a tour of the political landmarks over there. I was more focused on the television however.
Apparently there was another Dark mage incident today over in the neighborhood Nariko lived in. The bad news was they hadn't captured the mage yet. The even worse news was that it was a child. A picture of a blonde-haired girl who looked no older than ten years old appeared on screen. It looked like a school photo as she wore a rather colorful dress for a girl her age with a simple blue background behind her. She had long hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that was a little too forced for her photo.
Kal and I both looked at each other for a moment while Lucas was busy explaining the political system to Nariko. We both probably had the same thing going on in our minds. Just what the hell were they doing arresting a child? The girl didn't look anything like the typical Dark mage seen on the news. She looked healthy, happy, definitely no drug abuse. What did she do to piss of the authorities and why wasn't she captured yet?
The reporter on screen pointed out to the camera the mother and father being escorted to a patrol car in handcuffs. They looked like they were in shock. The mother was crying and the father looked more pissed off than ever as it took three men to actually get him into the car. It became apparent at this point that Lucas and Nariko were watching the news as well as no one said a thing during the whole segment of the father yelling at the officers to leave their daughter alone. Even Nariko seemed to have felt how wrong this scene was as she turned away from the TV, opting to instead focus on poking at her left over pasta.
"Done? Everyone done?" Lucas asked, prompting Kal to flip off the television before anymore detail was given out. He and Nariko stood and made for the waiting area.
"Yeah, let's get going. Thanks for the treat, Kal. The ribeye was a bit burnt, though," I commented as I helped her clean up the table. I could've sworn I felt my hair catch on fire after that.

* * *
We stopped by my place before we did any more adventuring out around town that friday night. Normally I would have to help out with the store but because of the new Gifted in town, my dad was pretty generous in letting me hang out with the other three, though I had to work saturday to make up for it. We had no real plan on what we were going to do and actually just wanted to show her more of our city. She had to be home by seven, though but that was still about two hours of time to check out the shopping area across the rain ditch from my place.
Fridays was when traffic around our area picked up so walking was the fastest way to get there. The area across the rain ditch was pretty much all commercial buildings. It wasn't a strip but several blocks of small businesses on the nicer side of town that formed a giant outdoor mall that spanned several tight streets. In this district it was the closest thing to a mall we can get since the eastern and the central districts were the more popular areas due to the east being right next to the shore and the central for all its political tourist attractions.
Nariko was clinging on to Lucas during the whole walk there, leaving Kal and I to follow behind quietly. I don't think Kal was mad at me anymore for supposedly peeping at Nariko but she still looked a bit aggravated by something. And that something seemed to be Lucas and Nariko. I guess that made sense. Since she showed up yesterday she's been nothing but trouble, at least for Kal. It probably bugged her even more that Lucas was all over her, too despite what happened before.
I wasn't able to think too deep into it because as soon as we crossed the bridge I felt that strange pulling sensation that I felt the night before. It was the one like an invisible web was pulling me towards something further ahead and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. What if whatever that thing was last night was here? I was scared. Was it fear? I wasn't sure but it was calling to me again.
I tried to ignore it but the closer we drew to the other end of the bridge, the louder this call came. It was more than a physical tug now, like my mind itself was telling me I had to go look for whatever this thing was.
I ran. I ran straight ahead, past Kal, past Nariko and Lucas, I crossed the street and almost got hit by the car but ended up sliding across its hood as I moved. I heard Lucas and them calling but the other voice was louder. I had to follow it, wherever it was. The voice was practically screaming in my head I was so close. I cut through the filled parking lot into an empty clothing store and stopped as I listened to the voice. It was hidden here, I knew it was and when I stopped at a rack of denim jeans I was rewarded with a flood of thought that seemed to happily say "you found me".
I parted the hangers and found a young blonde girl crouching with her hands buried in her face. She was dressed in a black and white elementary school uniform, one I recognized to be from the school just down the street from my place. She couldn't be older than ten years old. What was she doing all by herself here?
The girl gasped when she saw me but didn't move. I didn't move either, afraid that if I did anything, she'd run.
She sniffled and wiped her puffy blue eyes as she seemed to recognize me. "It's you," she managed to hiccup as I stood there, trying to figure out what she meant, "My mum. My papa. Where are they?"
I knew who this was. This was the girl on the news earlier at Kal's restaurant. She was a Dark mage. Well I was called here, now what?
"You have to help me. They're coming to get me and I don't know where to go," she said, holding back more tears.
In any normal situation one would simply turn her in to the authorities and hope the mom and dad would pick her up, though this was one of those rare situations where turning a lost child into the authorities might be a bad idea.
"Okay," I said, trying to think. I was going to help her. There were too many reasons why I had to. Safest place I could think of was my place. I'd have to explain it later to Lucas and the others. "Come on. I'll carry you. I can hide you at my place. It isn't too far so we should be fine." She climbed on my back and I stood, looking around before making my way to the exit, only to bump into Lucas, Kal, and Nariko.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas said, looking at the young girl hanging off my shoulder. I readjusted myself as I tried to find the words to explain just what went on in my head over the past three or so minutes. "That's the girl from the news... isn't it? The Dark mage?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's her, but I don't have time to explain. I'll meet you guys at my place, alright?"
I was surprised to see Lucas block my path again and when I tried to move the other way, he followed, extending his hands to prevent me from leaving.
"Luke, what are you doing? I gotta get out of here."
Lucas shook his head. "She's a Dark mage, Don. Do you know how much trouble you'd be in if word got out about what you're doing?"
He was saying it as if I had a chance to get out unseen. The cashier was watching the whole thing and passersby were aware of the scene building right at the store's doorway. There was no way I was getting out of here unnoticed. But what really got to me was when Lucas cast a spell, placing a barrier of light on the doorway, separating me and him. I was trapped in this store. A Light mage's barrier strength really depended on the individual and it really did feel like a solid wall when you touched it.
Nariko and Kal didn't look too happy with Lucas's decision but took no action. I couldn't blame them, though. I was helping a Dark mage and now I was stuck here until the authorities came. So much for playing hero.
"Break the barrier," I heard the girl on my back whisper.
"I can't. He's a Gifted. Do you know how strong these things are from those guys?" I knocked on the golden wall and the light energy rippled throughout the whole thing.
"You can. You have the means."
"No. No I can't. I'd probably break my hand trying to bust through this..." I looked over my shoulder and she stared into me as if she already knew everything and for a moment I just wanted to drop her and get as far away from her as possible. As if sensing my fear she gripped tighter around my shoulders but gave me a reassuring nod as if she had made the decision for me. I knew what she meant and it was something I've been wanting to avoid for a long, long time. It was why I hated the news. I hated seeing Dark magi. I hated how they were shunned.
"Do you know how to use a dampening field?"
"Er... no? What's that?"
"What about shadow form? A night field?"
"The last one I think. I... I did it once," I said. I couldn't believe I was taking orders from a young girl.
"Do it," she said.
I nodded and looked at Lucas who didn't seem to understand what was going on. It had been years since I've even tried anything magic related and I had to search deep within my mind for that trigger. That small valve that, when turned, flowed pure mental energy. I found it. After some focus the energy was under my control and it swirled around me, enveloping the entire room into absolute darkness. Only the barrier was a faint glow right ahead of me. I could feel the girl on my back reach forward as some of the darkness swirled around her hand. The barrier waned and after a moment I struck it with my fist, shattering the barrier and immediately taking the opportunity to run.
Lucas was shocked to see this and immediately fell back as I came barreling through, carrying the girl with me.
"Donovan!" I heard Kal call after me but I didn't look back. I couldn't slow down, especially with this extra weight on me and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, across the intersection and back out of the shopping area towards the bridge.
My heart sank as I saw a patrol car at the other end of the bridge. I turned around and ran back, to the commercial zone as another patrol car reached the intersection. Nariko and Kal were on the sidewalk ahead of me and I hoped they weren't trying to stop me either. They didn't. In fact, they looked just as confused as Lucas was earlier. And as I ran past I could heard a powerful gust of wind followed by the sound of breaking glass and skidding tires. I glanced back only for a moment to see a patrol car had been knocked into a shoe store with Nariko looking back at me.
I didn't have time to thank her nor did she look like she understood exactly what was happening so I kept moving until the were no longer visible behind me. I pretty much damned myself by helping this girl. With the stunt I just pulled earlier, everyone's bound to figure out what I am: a Dark mage.

Description
Chapter 3
I was thrown against the lockers and before I could react Lucas had already pinned me back, threatening to squeeze the life out of me as he pressed his forearm against my neck. Kal was beating on his shoulder and trying to pull him off me and Nariko simply watched in horror as I tried to kick him.
I should've seen this coming: the way Nariko was staring at me just a few minutes earlier, the way her eyes suddenly widened and her face reddened when she recognized my face. She told Lucas everything. I could see it in his expression as she whispered. The change from surprise, to disbelief, to anger and holy crap did he look mad.
I tried to kick him off again but he blocked it before kneeing me in the gut. I felt his arm move away and I fell to the ground trying to get my wind back. The scene had gathered quite a bit of attention from surrounding students. It was almost the end of lunch so we already had a number of people forming a half circle around where we were.
"Nothing to see here," Lucas said, I could feel him looking down at me and I saw him turn around to the others, "I said nothing to see here! Get out of here!" The rest of the crowd soon began to dissipate as I still tried to catch my breath on my hands and knees.
"Luke! What the hell has gotten into you?" Kal asked. She sounded like she was about to cry. Her voice cracked and I could see Lucas fall back a bit when she pushed him.
"It seems Donny has been stalking Nariko last night. She said he caught him peeping while she was getting changed in her room," Lucas replied.
I dropped my head in shame. It wasn't exactly peeping. I was investigating. It just happened to end up like that due to the circumstances. Still I could tell Kal's judgement on the situation was slowly changing. She was probably getting mad at me now. Thanks Lucas for making it worse than it all actually was.
The bell tolled and Lucas spoke to Nariko. "You should probably head to class. I'll clean this mess up, don't worry."
I looked up and saw Nariko nodding at him before staring down at me. Well, at least she looked worried about me. Or maybe that was pity. Luke waited until she was out of sight before offering me a hand up. I took it and tried to stand. Damn did my gut hurt. I saw the grin on Lucas' face and I immediately knew what was up.
"You could've pulled that knee a bit, you know," I said. This prompted a confused look from Kal and a soft chuckle from Luke.
"You're not a very good actor so I had to make it more convincing. So, tell me: what was she wearing?" Luke asked.
"Luke!" Kal cried out in disbelief as she looked from him to me. "What the hell?"
He raised a hand at her. "Strictly guy business. Nothing for you to worry about."
"A white bra, pink pajama pants and pink polka-dot panties," I replied with a smile.
"How'd she look?"
"She's small. Small breasts, kind of a flat butt. But it comes along nice with her hips-to-waist."
"See anything else?"
I shook my head. "Dude, I was seriously there just to see what was going on at her house, not to watch her undress."
"Uh huh, sure..." Lucas said with a slow nod.
"You boys are unbelievable!" Kal responded, setting herself in between us. "Lucas! I honestly thought you were defending her decency. And Donovan..." She didn't say anything but only shook her head. I expected something like anger from her but all I got was this incredibly upset expression that I couldn't help but turn away from. I hated that look so much. Well, not hated but it made me feel terrible. It was one that she only gave to me when I really did mess something up bad for her.
"I don't know why but okay, I'm sorry," I said with a forced sigh.
"It's what guys do," Lucas replied, wincing as Kal elbowed him on his side. "I'm sure Don's not lying. He would've told me more if he really was peeping."
Kal pushed him away, down the other hall where his class was. "Go away, you're not helping!"
"Alright! See you guys after school, yeah?" Lucas laughed.
I waved back at him as Kal and I went to our class. I felt Kal bump into me and I knew something was bothering her. Looking back at her I saw that she was still genuinely upset. Over what?
"You alright?" I asked, stopping at the door to our class as our classmates filed in before us.
She crossed her arms keeping her eyes away as she muttered to me. "So you interested in that girl or what?"
Is this what it was about? Really?" I waited for other students to pass before speaking. "We're not together anymore, Kal. So why would it matter?"
"It just does, Donny. You wouldn't understand."
Seriously, though. Girls are weird. She breaks up with me and now... I don't even know what this is. If it were anyone else I'd be laughing but this was Kal. I love her and I hate her at the same time and we put up with each other because we've been friends for close to six years. Normally I'd let it slide but this time I'm really being accused of something I didn't purposely do.
"No, you don't understand. Luke is right. I went to go do a bit of investigating. I'm not interested in Nariko like that. I just wanted to know who her family was, what they were doing here, all of that stuff."
"Uh huh. And how am I supposed to believe that?" Kal snorted.
"Because I'm not going to like someone when they almost kill my ex, alright? Simple as that. Think what you want, this conversation is over."
I could see the other students whispering to each other now. Oh this will be one hell of a rumor if word got out.

* * *
"You two fighting or something?" I heard Lucas ask Kal.
"I don't know. Why don't you ask Don?" Kal responded.
Lucas had to walk to the other side of the hallway to get to me, pulling Nariko with him since he had an arm wrapped around her. "Dude. What's up with you and Kal?"
I could tell him that she's getting jealous thinking that I was trying to stare at Nariko. And I could tell him that it didn't matter since we weren't going out anymore.
"I don't f... I dunno, Luke. Time of the month, maybe? PMS or whatever you call it," I said with a shrug. Nariko didn't look like she understood anything I said. Good. Kal didn't seem to hear me either. Double good.
It looked like Luke and Nariko were getting along very well. She seemed quite comfortable where she was which meant maybe less risk of electrocution, today. Hopefully.
"Do they always fight like that?" Nariko said to Lucas.
"Ah, well. Sometimes. They've been kinda like this since late January. I ask them but they wouldn't tell me. It's been getting better but they get like this every now and then," Lucas reassured her. I could just barely make all of that out but yeah, it was true.
Today we were going to Kal's family restaurant, her treat. I'm surprised she invited us along with Nariko and I'm also slightly surprised she decided to invite the girl despite what happened earlier. It was a few miles away from the school so Lucas offered to give us a ride. Lucas's family had their own personal driver. He could drive himself but he often left it to the family driver to take him anywhere. This was the case for us as we saw a black limo waiting for us at the gate. He had a sports car as well but I guess it would be a bit crowded with four other passengers. But the whole thing just seemed a bit overdone for a visit to a restaurant. To me, at least. Maybe it was because all the girls are so impressed by how well off he is whenever the limo drives up to pick him up.
During our ride there, Nariko had begun asking questions about the city itself as she stared out at the yellow-orange barrier of light that hung over us.
"How many magical barriers like this do you have in this city?" she asked.
"Five," Lucas answered, "each divides the city into five separate districts, each spanning about five miles in diameter. It's sort of like living in separate cities since the culture in each is different. We're in the northern most and the one you see right now just south of us is the central district where my dad works. That's also where the emperor lives."
Nariko listened, nodding slowly as she sorted the words in her head. She turned her attention back to the window, and was actually pressing her face against it as she followed the wall up to its highest point. She must've looked funny to the school bus that drove beside the limo. "I've read that these walls were created to prevent the invasion of Dark Magi during the last days of the elemental war. Why are they still up now?"
Lucas shrugged. "It's more of a tourist attraction than anything else nowadays. It still functions as an actual barrier. None can pass in or out of it without passing through special security checkpoints. It's supposed to keep the Dark Magi out, really."
"So... then they still exist around here? I thought after the war their kind was almost wiped from the earth."
"Yeah, it's weird. They've actually started popping up a few years ago. No matter how strict our security, they always somehow crop up. Old neighbors, close friends, even family members are accidentally discovered to possess the Dark element," Lucas replied. It was true. It was often pointed out in the news that captured magi were known EV for years so it was a surprise to neighbors when they were found out. I didn't like this conversation.
"And what does security do to the Dark Magi when they are captured?"
Lucas scratched his head in thought. "Not too sure, actually. My brother knows more about it since he actually runs the operations sometimes but as far as I know, they ship 'em out on a train every now and then to I don't know where. I assume some maximum security prison or something."
"Do they execute them?"
"What? No. Not unless, you know, they're cold blooded murderers or whatever. That's what I assume. Our government system isn't like that. Our national element is Light, after all. We heal wounds. Not cause them," Lucas laughed. No one else did, however and there was a long period of silence that followed, ended only when the Limo pulled into the parking lot of The Roasting Pit.
It was a small red building, about twice the size of my family's store. Its design had a very artistic feel to it with grand swooping arcs on its entrance ending in sharp tips that rested over red carpet that led to a double glass door surrounded by two small waterfalls that emptied into two small ponds each filled with coins.
Upon entering, we were greeted with a giant clay pit, its insides black with ash. It was unlit during slow business hours but when it was lit, the heat of the flame was remarkably controlled despite its size. Moving past the thin walls led to the dining area where there were numerous tables and booths as well as three circular bars where guests can watch the show chefs put on in the evening.
Kal's father was there to greet us and lead us to our seats at one of the bars I sat on one end, Nariko in the middle and Lucas on the right. Kal disappeared into the backroom, leaving us to talk for a bit while we waited for our waiter and look through our menus. I wanted the ribeye. I always got the ribeye here. And by always I meant whenever Kal was treating which happens maybe once a year.
This time, however, our waiter didn't come out. Instead, Kal came in wearing a big black apron with her wavy brown hair tied back in a pony tail and wearing a chef's hat. She wheeled in a cart of meat and turned the gas valve as she got settled in at the center of the bar. With a snap of her fingers, the sound of igniting fuel could be heard under the range and she looked at us bearing a rather smug expression before speaking to us.
"Welcome to The Roasting Pit, my name is Kalindra and I'll be your chef today. Can I get you started on any appetizers?" she said. This was actually quite a surprise for all of us. Kal had worked as a waiter in the business for about a year and has just began working as an apprentice chef a few weeks ago, or at least thats what we've heard. We've never actually seen her work so this was all new to us.
"What about our drinks?" I replied with a grin. I seemed to have pushed one of her buttons as she turned to Luke then Nariko then me, asking each of us what we wanted before leaving and returning with three iced-tea's.
Afterwards we made our orders and watched Kal work. It was quite a sight to see. Whenever she tossed in fresh food and the ingredients began to sizzle you could see the waves of heat begin to gather over each, temporarily turning it into a giant flambé before snuffing it out with a whisk of her hand and flipping the contents on a plate. She repeated this for all of us. Lucas got his salmon first, Nariko received her fettuccine after an my ribeye was served to me still on fire and it wasn't until after everything was put away that Kal snuffed the rather large flame with a snap of her fingers, leaving me with a burnt steak. So burnt it was that it crunched when I bit into it. I ended up just eating the peas and potatoes.
It was good, though, don't get me wrong. There was something about food cooked by a Fire mage that made it that much better. The food stayed hot longer, flavor wasn't burned out, and when they knew exactly how you wanted it cooked, they'd get it just right—with a little practice of course.
The entire time we ate, Kal sat on the bar table, tuning into the news channel on the bar's plasma screen while we talked about what we were going to do this weekend. Lucas wanted to take Nariko to the central district and give her a tour of the political landmarks over there. I was more focused on the television however.
Apparently there was another Dark mage incident today over in the neighborhood Nariko lived in. The bad news was they hadn't captured the mage yet. The even worse news was that it was a child. A picture of a blonde-haired girl who looked no older than ten years old appeared on screen. It looked like a school photo as she wore a rather colorful dress for a girl her age with a simple blue background behind her. She had long hair, bright blue eyes, and a smile that was a little too forced for her photo.
Kal and I both looked at each other for a moment while Lucas was busy explaining the political system to Nariko. We both probably had the same thing going on in our minds. Just what the hell were they doing arresting a child? The girl didn't look anything like the typical Dark mage seen on the news. She looked healthy, happy, definitely no drug abuse. What did she do to piss of the authorities and why wasn't she captured yet?
The reporter on screen pointed out to the camera the mother and father being escorted to a patrol car in handcuffs. They looked like they were in shock. The mother was crying and the father looked more pissed off than ever as it took three men to actually get him into the car. It became apparent at this point that Lucas and Nariko were watching the news as well as no one said a thing during the whole segment of the father yelling at the officers to leave their daughter alone. Even Nariko seemed to have felt how wrong this scene was as she turned away from the TV, opting to instead focus on poking at her left over pasta.
"Done? Everyone done?" Lucas asked, prompting Kal to flip off the television before anymore detail was given out. He and Nariko stood and made for the waiting area.
"Yeah, let's get going. Thanks for the treat, Kal. The ribeye was a bit burnt, though," I commented as I helped her clean up the table. I could've sworn I felt my hair catch on fire after that.

* * *
We stopped by my place before we did any more adventuring out around town that friday night. Normally I would have to help out with the store but because of the new Gifted in town, my dad was pretty generous in letting me hang out with the other three, though I had to work saturday to make up for it. We had no real plan on what we were going to do and actually just wanted to show her more of our city. She had to be home by seven, though but that was still about two hours of time to check out the shopping area across the rain ditch from my place.
Fridays was when traffic around our area picked up so walking was the fastest way to get there. The area across the rain ditch was pretty much all commercial buildings. It wasn't a strip but several blocks of small businesses on the nicer side of town that formed a giant outdoor mall that spanned several tight streets. In this district it was the closest thing to a mall we can get since the eastern and the central districts were the more popular areas due to the east being right next to the shore and the central for all its political tourist attractions.
Nariko was clinging on to Lucas during the whole walk there, leaving Kal and I to follow behind quietly. I don't think Kal was mad at me anymore for supposedly peeping at Nariko but she still looked a bit aggravated by something. And that something seemed to be Lucas and Nariko. I guess that made sense. Since she showed up yesterday she's been nothing but trouble, at least for Kal. It probably bugged her even more that Lucas was all over her, too despite what happened before.
I wasn't able to think too deep into it because as soon as we crossed the bridge I felt that strange pulling sensation that I felt the night before. It was the one like an invisible web was pulling me towards something further ahead and the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end. What if whatever that thing was last night was here? I was scared. Was it fear? I wasn't sure but it was calling to me again.
I tried to ignore it but the closer we drew to the other end of the bridge, the louder this call came. It was more than a physical tug now, like my mind itself was telling me I had to go look for whatever this thing was.
I ran. I ran straight ahead, past Kal, past Nariko and Lucas, I crossed the street and almost got hit by the car but ended up sliding across its hood as I moved. I heard Lucas and them calling but the other voice was louder. I had to follow it, wherever it was. The voice was practically screaming in my head I was so close. I cut through the filled parking lot into an empty clothing store and stopped as I listened to the voice. It was hidden here, I knew it was and when I stopped at a rack of denim jeans I was rewarded with a flood of thought that seemed to happily say "you found me".
I parted the hangers and found a young blonde girl crouching with her hands buried in her face. She was dressed in a black and white elementary school uniform, one I recognized to be from the school just down the street from my place. She couldn't be older than ten years old. What was she doing all by herself here?
The girl gasped when she saw me but didn't move. I didn't move either, afraid that if I did anything, she'd run.
She sniffled and wiped her puffy blue eyes as she seemed to recognize me. "It's you," she managed to hiccup as I stood there, trying to figure out what she meant, "My mum. My papa. Where are they?"
I knew who this was. This was the girl on the news earlier at Kal's restaurant. She was a Dark mage. Well I was called here, now what?
"You have to help me. They're coming to get me and I don't know where to go," she said, holding back more tears.
In any normal situation one would simply turn her in to the authorities and hope the mom and dad would pick her up, though this was one of those rare situations where turning a lost child into the authorities might be a bad idea.
"Okay," I said, trying to think. I was going to help her. There were too many reasons why I had to. Safest place I could think of was my place. I'd have to explain it later to Lucas and the others. "Come on. I'll carry you. I can hide you at my place. It isn't too far so we should be fine." She climbed on my back and I stood, looking around before making my way to the exit, only to bump into Lucas, Kal, and Nariko.
"Dude, what the hell are you doing?" Lucas said, looking at the young girl hanging off my shoulder. I readjusted myself as I tried to find the words to explain just what went on in my head over the past three or so minutes. "That's the girl from the news... isn't it? The Dark mage?"
"Yeah, yeah. It's her, but I don't have time to explain. I'll meet you guys at my place, alright?"
I was surprised to see Lucas block my path again and when I tried to move the other way, he followed, extending his hands to prevent me from leaving.
"Luke, what are you doing? I gotta get out of here."
Lucas shook his head. "She's a Dark mage, Don. Do you know how much trouble you'd be in if word got out about what you're doing?"
He was saying it as if I had a chance to get out unseen. The cashier was watching the whole thing and passersby were aware of the scene building right at the store's doorway. There was no way I was getting out of here unnoticed. But what really got to me was when Lucas cast a spell, placing a barrier of light on the doorway, separating me and him. I was trapped in this store. A Light mage's barrier strength really depended on the individual and it really did feel like a solid wall when you touched it.
Nariko and Kal didn't look too happy with Lucas's decision but took no action. I couldn't blame them, though. I was helping a Dark mage and now I was stuck here until the authorities came. So much for playing hero.
"Break the barrier," I heard the girl on my back whisper.
"I can't. He's a Gifted. Do you know how strong these things are from those guys?" I knocked on the golden wall and the light energy rippled throughout the whole thing.
"You can. You have the means."
"No. No I can't. I'd probably break my hand trying to bust through this..." I looked over my shoulder and she stared into me as if she already knew everything and for a moment I just wanted to drop her and get as far away from her as possible. As if sensing my fear she gripped tighter around my shoulders but gave me a reassuring nod as if she had made the decision for me. I knew what she meant and it was something I've been wanting to avoid for a long, long time. It was why I hated the news. I hated seeing Dark magi. I hated how they were shunned.
"Do you know how to use a dampening field?"
"Er... no? What's that?"
"What about shadow form? A night field?"
"The last one I think. I... I did it once," I said. I couldn't believe I was taking orders from a young girl.
"Do it," she said.
I nodded and looked at Lucas who didn't seem to understand what was going on. It had been years since I've even tried anything magic related and I had to search deep within my mind for that trigger. That small valve that, when turned, flowed pure mental energy. I found it. After some focus the energy was under my control and it swirled around me, enveloping the entire room into absolute darkness. Only the barrier was a faint glow right ahead of me. I could feel the girl on my back reach forward as some of the darkness swirled around her hand. The barrier waned and after a moment I struck it with my fist, shattering the barrier and immediately taking the opportunity to run.
Lucas was shocked to see this and immediately fell back as I came barreling through, carrying the girl with me.
"Donovan!" I heard Kal call after me but I didn't look back. I couldn't slow down, especially with this extra weight on me and I ran as fast as my legs could carry me, across the intersection and back out of the shopping area towards the bridge.
My heart sank as I saw a patrol car at the other end of the bridge. I turned around and ran back, to the commercial zone as another patrol car reached the intersection. Nariko and Kal were on the sidewalk ahead of me and I hoped they weren't trying to stop me either. They didn't. In fact, they looked just as confused as Lucas was earlier. And as I ran past I could heard a powerful gust of wind followed by the sound of breaking glass and skidding tires. I glanced back only for a moment to see a patrol car had been knocked into a shoe store with Nariko looking back at me.
I didn't have time to thank her nor did she look like she understood exactly what was happening so I kept moving until the were no longer visible behind me. I pretty much damned myself by helping this girl. With the stunt I just pulled earlier, everyone's bound to figure out what I am: a Dark mage.