from his grip and landed squarely in hers, where it shrank and grew for a few moments before settling once more. Lily stared into the fire floating just above her palm, then back into the illusionist’s face. His eyes were serious, but his mouth twitched nervously.
“I’m not controlling it anymore,” he said, “so if you want to put it out, or make it bigger, smaller, it’s up to you.”
It was absurd, but Lily did feel as though the veins in the arm that held the flames were sort of humming. As she looked back to the sphere she imagined it shrinking to the size of a penny. The blood flushed inside her forearm, bringing blue veins to the surface of her skin, and slowly the ball of fire started to shrink. It didn’t quite make it to the size of a penny, but she knew by the tingle in her own blood that she had made it change. As the prospect sent a major freaked-out shiver through her limbs, the fireball extinguished itself with a pop.
“Tell me about your parents,” Novel said. “Your mother, she’s human?”
Lily gave him a horrified look. “Of course she is.”
“And your father?”
Lily looked beyond Novel to the open door of the common room. The corridor outside was still void of activity.
“He left before I was born,” she revealed.
“That’s it then,” the illusionist said, slapping his knee with a nod. “Your father must have been a shade.”
“Okay,” Lily said, holding out her hands suddenly, “you keep saying ‘shade’, but you don’t actually tell me what it means.”
Something flashed behind Novel’s eyes as he caught her gaze again.
“My apologies,” he began. “A shade is a being with the ability to generate and control the natural elements of this world.”
She didn’t want to believe it, but everything pointed to his words being true.
“So that makes me what? A half shade?” she asked.
Novel shook his head.
“There’s no such thing,” he countered. “It’s about blood, you see. You either have shadeblood or you don’t. And you most certainly do.” He shook his head slowly, rubbing his sharp chin. “I felt it when you came to the show in September. I really ought to have done something sooner, but I didn’t expect you not to know what you are. I had to rile you, you understand, to see if the powers would surface. I really am sorry if it upset you.”
He didn’t actually look sorry, but his voice was sincere enough to keep Lily in her seat. She fumbled over her words until the right ones came to mind.
“Say that this is all true,” she began slowly, “then what happens next?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Novel answered, his hands returning to smooth out his hair. “I suppose it would be prudent for someone to teach you how to use your abilities.”
Lily shook her head. “How come I haven’t noticed them before? Why can’t I just shoot lightning out of my hands like you?”
“Overexposure to humans is very bad for shades,” Novel said. “I would imagine it’s been keeping your powers hidden, especially since no-one told you they were even there.”
Lily processed the information very slowly.
“Are you saying I’m not human?” she asked, her sharp breaths making her clip the end off each word.
“Yes, I am,” Novel replied.
There was talk of arrangements that Lily couldn’t fully take in, but when she got back to Room 13, Jazzy was waiting at her desk and cradling a cup of tea that had long-since gone cold. She leapt up as Lily re-entered the room, chucking the cup down where its contents splashed over her notes.
“It was the Monsieur,” Jazzy said with wide eyes. “I saw him when you started off down the corridor. What did he want?”
Lily bit her lip, remembering the alibi he had suggested.
“He offered me a job.”
Disco Inferno
“Why on earth do you want to work in a dusty old theatre?” Michael asked as he refilled Lily’s drink from the pitcher. “I mean it’s a cool show, but restoration work? It’s
“I’m not controlling it anymore,” he said, “so if you want to put it out, or make it bigger, smaller, it’s up to you.”
It was absurd, but Lily did feel as though the veins in the arm that held the flames were sort of humming. As she looked back to the sphere she imagined it shrinking to the size of a penny. The blood flushed inside her forearm, bringing blue veins to the surface of her skin, and slowly the ball of fire started to shrink. It didn’t quite make it to the size of a penny, but she knew by the tingle in her own blood that she had made it change. As the prospect sent a major freaked-out shiver through her limbs, the fireball extinguished itself with a pop.
“Tell me about your parents,” Novel said. “Your mother, she’s human?”
Lily gave him a horrified look. “Of course she is.”
“And your father?”
Lily looked beyond Novel to the open door of the common room. The corridor outside was still void of activity.
“He left before I was born,” she revealed.
“That’s it then,” the illusionist said, slapping his knee with a nod. “Your father must have been a shade.”
“Okay,” Lily said, holding out her hands suddenly, “you keep saying ‘shade’, but you don’t actually tell me what it means.”
Something flashed behind Novel’s eyes as he caught her gaze again.
“My apologies,” he began. “A shade is a being with the ability to generate and control the natural elements of this world.”
She didn’t want to believe it, but everything pointed to his words being true.
“So that makes me what? A half shade?” she asked.
Novel shook his head.
“There’s no such thing,” he countered. “It’s about blood, you see. You either have shadeblood or you don’t. And you most certainly do.” He shook his head slowly, rubbing his sharp chin. “I felt it when you came to the show in September. I really ought to have done something sooner, but I didn’t expect you not to know what you are. I had to rile you, you understand, to see if the powers would surface. I really am sorry if it upset you.”
He didn’t actually look sorry, but his voice was sincere enough to keep Lily in her seat. She fumbled over her words until the right ones came to mind.
“Say that this is all true,” she began slowly, “then what happens next?”
“I’m not entirely sure,” Novel answered, his hands returning to smooth out his hair. “I suppose it would be prudent for someone to teach you how to use your abilities.”
Lily shook her head. “How come I haven’t noticed them before? Why can’t I just shoot lightning out of my hands like you?”
“Overexposure to humans is very bad for shades,” Novel said. “I would imagine it’s been keeping your powers hidden, especially since no-one told you they were even there.”
Lily processed the information very slowly.
“Are you saying I’m not human?” she asked, her sharp breaths making her clip the end off each word.
“Yes, I am,” Novel replied.
There was talk of arrangements that Lily couldn’t fully take in, but when she got back to Room 13, Jazzy was waiting at her desk and cradling a cup of tea that had long-since gone cold. She leapt up as Lily re-entered the room, chucking the cup down where its contents splashed over her notes.
“It was the Monsieur,” Jazzy said with wide eyes. “I saw him when you started off down the corridor. What did he want?”
Lily bit her lip, remembering the alibi he had suggested.
“He offered me a job.”
Disco Inferno
“Why on earth do you want to work in a dusty old theatre?” Michael asked as he refilled Lily’s drink from the pitcher. “I mean it’s a cool show, but restoration work? It’s
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