Read Online More than Magic: Semester Aboard by Elizabeth Kirke - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Elizabeth Kirke
Tags: Magic, vampire, mermaid, Werewolf, ocean, elemental magic, witches and wizards, cruise, gay acceptance, familiars, study abroad
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and the flame went out.
"Wow," I breathed.
I heard a muffled ringing and Thomas pulled a
phone out of his pocket. "Yeah?...Jon, I just ate. You were there,
remember?...I'm already back on the ship...I'm not going
to...but..."
"You should go," Dani said.
TS nodded in agreement.
Thomas glared at both of them. "No, I'm
coming, I'm outnumbered...Yes, I'll ask her, bye." He snapped his
phone shut. "Fine," he grumbled to them. He sighed and then looked
at me. "I'm sorry, Jennifer. I'm afraid I've got to go. Jon has a
question for you though."
"Oh?" I asked.
"He wants to know what you'd like to start
out with. Air, fire, water, or earth," Thomas said.
That was an odd question. "What do you mean,
start out with?"
"It's a bit complicated," he laughed. "Just
pick one."
"Fire!" Charlie said at the same time Dani
said, "Water!"
I considered choosing air or earth so that
neither of them felt bad, but I thought about how Charlie had just
made some flames appear. An absurd, but maybe not that impossible,
image of me with a wand conjuring fire popped into my head. It did,
out of the choices, seem like the coolest.
"Fire?"
"Wait, which did she pick?" Charlie said to
Dani. "Did she say fire? Cause I'm pretty sure she-" Dani shoved
him off of the bed and onto the floor. "Ouch." He pinched Dani's
calf right below his shorts.
"Ow! I hate when you do that!"
"Fire it is," Thomas said, ignoring them.
"I'm going to cut out. You're in 4098, right? I'll call you when
I'm back on board after tomorrow's trip."
He started out of the room and TS got up.
"I'm going with him. Wanna clear out of our room?"
Dani and Charlie laughed. The three of us
stood too.
"I have to go find Mariana and fill her in,"
Dani said.
After we all dispersed I found myself back
out on deck. A witch. Magic. My thoughts were whirling. I couldn't
believe it and yet, I had to. They had shown me proof. All of the
little strange things they did made sense now. I still hadn't
learned how Dani had gotten back on the ship and I had to smile. I
knew now that they'd answer anything I had to ask. I was one of
them: a magic, as they said. It was a strange thought.
I was disappointed the next day when none of
them were on my trip with me. Trekking through the rainforest and
visiting a Panamanian Indian village was really neat, but my mind
was elsewhere the entire time. When I got back on the ship I stayed
put in my room, waiting for Thomas to call. Laurie got back from
her trip and we traded stories and showed off our souvenirs. At
last, the phone rang. I headed down to Thomas' room and saw a pile
of sticks on one bed.
"Here we are," he said with a grin. "One of
these will be your wand."
I looked at the sticks, feeling rather
disappointed. I'd been picturing a carved, polished wand. Some of
these still had bark on them and most were bent or had joints where
other branches had been attached.
Thomas laughed at the look on my face. "Don't
worry," he said. "They'll get better. Have a seat."
I sat down in a chair at the desk and he sat
on the other bed. "First, I need you to forget whatever you've read
or seen in movies. Magic, real magic, is different. It's like a
muscle. You need to work it, keep it in good shape, stretch it. You
can't just see someone like Jon and do the same things he can. That
takes lots and lots of time and practice. Just like you couldn't
throw a football as far as Phil Simms can without practice. Make
sense?" I nodded and he hesitated. "I'm really not sure how much,
or how well, I can teach you, but it's imperative you start using
magic as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Like I said, magic is similar to a muscle.
If you never use it, eventually it will get weaker. You go long
enough and it starts to fade. You're what...nineteen?"
"Twenty-one," I said indignantly.
" Wow , you're lucky. It’s not exactly
something people are willing to volunteer in studies for, so we
don’t know much, but from what I hear most witches and wizards are
out of luck once
"Wow," I breathed.
I heard a muffled ringing and Thomas pulled a
phone out of his pocket. "Yeah?...Jon, I just ate. You were there,
remember?...I'm already back on the ship...I'm not going
to...but..."
"You should go," Dani said.
TS nodded in agreement.
Thomas glared at both of them. "No, I'm
coming, I'm outnumbered...Yes, I'll ask her, bye." He snapped his
phone shut. "Fine," he grumbled to them. He sighed and then looked
at me. "I'm sorry, Jennifer. I'm afraid I've got to go. Jon has a
question for you though."
"Oh?" I asked.
"He wants to know what you'd like to start
out with. Air, fire, water, or earth," Thomas said.
That was an odd question. "What do you mean,
start out with?"
"It's a bit complicated," he laughed. "Just
pick one."
"Fire!" Charlie said at the same time Dani
said, "Water!"
I considered choosing air or earth so that
neither of them felt bad, but I thought about how Charlie had just
made some flames appear. An absurd, but maybe not that impossible,
image of me with a wand conjuring fire popped into my head. It did,
out of the choices, seem like the coolest.
"Fire?"
"Wait, which did she pick?" Charlie said to
Dani. "Did she say fire? Cause I'm pretty sure she-" Dani shoved
him off of the bed and onto the floor. "Ouch." He pinched Dani's
calf right below his shorts.
"Ow! I hate when you do that!"
"Fire it is," Thomas said, ignoring them.
"I'm going to cut out. You're in 4098, right? I'll call you when
I'm back on board after tomorrow's trip."
He started out of the room and TS got up.
"I'm going with him. Wanna clear out of our room?"
Dani and Charlie laughed. The three of us
stood too.
"I have to go find Mariana and fill her in,"
Dani said.
After we all dispersed I found myself back
out on deck. A witch. Magic. My thoughts were whirling. I couldn't
believe it and yet, I had to. They had shown me proof. All of the
little strange things they did made sense now. I still hadn't
learned how Dani had gotten back on the ship and I had to smile. I
knew now that they'd answer anything I had to ask. I was one of
them: a magic, as they said. It was a strange thought.
I was disappointed the next day when none of
them were on my trip with me. Trekking through the rainforest and
visiting a Panamanian Indian village was really neat, but my mind
was elsewhere the entire time. When I got back on the ship I stayed
put in my room, waiting for Thomas to call. Laurie got back from
her trip and we traded stories and showed off our souvenirs. At
last, the phone rang. I headed down to Thomas' room and saw a pile
of sticks on one bed.
"Here we are," he said with a grin. "One of
these will be your wand."
I looked at the sticks, feeling rather
disappointed. I'd been picturing a carved, polished wand. Some of
these still had bark on them and most were bent or had joints where
other branches had been attached.
Thomas laughed at the look on my face. "Don't
worry," he said. "They'll get better. Have a seat."
I sat down in a chair at the desk and he sat
on the other bed. "First, I need you to forget whatever you've read
or seen in movies. Magic, real magic, is different. It's like a
muscle. You need to work it, keep it in good shape, stretch it. You
can't just see someone like Jon and do the same things he can. That
takes lots and lots of time and practice. Just like you couldn't
throw a football as far as Phil Simms can without practice. Make
sense?" I nodded and he hesitated. "I'm really not sure how much,
or how well, I can teach you, but it's imperative you start using
magic as soon as possible."
"Why?"
"Like I said, magic is similar to a muscle.
If you never use it, eventually it will get weaker. You go long
enough and it starts to fade. You're what...nineteen?"
"Twenty-one," I said indignantly.
" Wow , you're lucky. It’s not exactly
something people are willing to volunteer in studies for, so we
don’t know much, but from what I hear most witches and wizards are
out of luck once
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