nodded and they joined hands. Power surged to life, awaiting their command. She felt Julia draw it to her. For a split-second Angie saw students sitting in the cafeteria, people at bus stops and in coffee shops, in office buildings and gardens. Everything was a jumble of images that made her head spin. Angie’s heart constricted at the thought of Kaitlyn with a share of this power, and for a moment she resisted the flow of time. Julia frowned, pulling in more of Angie’s magic until the whole world surged forward and back to life.
Chapter 5
Julia
Julia hated running. Detested, loathed, whatever other words there were for it. Angie would know them, but Julia thought hate summed it up best.
“Pick up the pace, Corona,” Coach Hamden yelled.
She ignored Coach Hamden, panting through the ache in her side as she pounded away on the dusty track. It was so unfair that athletic types like Angie were excused from PE for participating in a sport, while she had to suffer through the school’s underfunded fitness program.
She turned into the curve around the track, watching the girls in the middle of the field. Angie was there, spending her free period today being thrown in the air like the pebble in a human slingshot. Julia stared at her murkily.
Maybe she should have told Angie about how her history book changed.
If she had told her, Angie would’ve felt like she had no choice about sealing with Kaitlyn. Angie deserved a choice.
Angie saw her and offered her a bubbly wave, her ponytailbouncing. Julia was too tired to curb her annoyance and too exhausted to wave back. Hopefully the moan she gave her sounded like a ‘hello.’
“Are you excited about prom tonight?” a girl next to Julia said.
Julia’s lungs ached. Her head hurt from trying to think while running, which was always a bad idea. Who was this girl? Mindy? Cindy? And why did she want to start up a conversation and run at the same time?
“You’re going, right?” the girl asked.
“Right.” Right, right, right.
“Wow, you’re so lucky that your boyfriend’s a junior,” the girl said. “I would kill to go to a dance on the Queen Mary ,” the girl continued, oblivious to Julia’s aching side or her annoyance at being talked to while enduring this agony. “It’s the actual retired steamship. Aren’t you excited?”
“Excited,” she huffed. Yes. So very excited.
“You don’t look excited.”
Couldn’t the girl see she was about to die? Please, somebody, shoot a meteor at her so she’ll shut up and leave me alone.
Angie joined in on their little running group. When cheer practice ended she liked to run a lap. For fun.
How did the girl always manage to look so happy? Even while running ?
“Excited about what?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Two gasps later, Julia said, “Prom.” Oh, goodness, why must everyone keep talking? She managed the few more steps to the finish line and grabbed her knees for dear life.
“Wow. I don’t know how you do it,” Angie said, pinching the skin on Julia’s arm. “You don’t like eating healthy and you never exercise.”
“Shut ... up,” Julia managed. Even in her weakened, deoxygenated state, she didn’t forget about the girls within earshot, and no girl liked hearing about a semi-thin girl who ate crap and never exercised.
The lunch bell rang and everyone headed to the locker room. Julia hesitated. This was it. Lunchtime. The moment they would mark Kaitlyn and release her magic. Or try to.
Kaitlyn and her crew took tennis for their PE requirement. They would be coming up from the courts any second.
“Are you sure,” Julia whispered, “absolutely positively sure you want to do this?”
Angie looked back at the side of the hill where Kaitlyn would be coming from. “Yes.”
Dread rushed through her. Mixed with the dread was something else. She couldn’t deny it. Excitement. It pumped through her veins like a dizzying overload of adrenaline. By marking Kaitlyn and then
Chapter 5
Julia
Julia hated running. Detested, loathed, whatever other words there were for it. Angie would know them, but Julia thought hate summed it up best.
“Pick up the pace, Corona,” Coach Hamden yelled.
She ignored Coach Hamden, panting through the ache in her side as she pounded away on the dusty track. It was so unfair that athletic types like Angie were excused from PE for participating in a sport, while she had to suffer through the school’s underfunded fitness program.
She turned into the curve around the track, watching the girls in the middle of the field. Angie was there, spending her free period today being thrown in the air like the pebble in a human slingshot. Julia stared at her murkily.
Maybe she should have told Angie about how her history book changed.
If she had told her, Angie would’ve felt like she had no choice about sealing with Kaitlyn. Angie deserved a choice.
Angie saw her and offered her a bubbly wave, her ponytailbouncing. Julia was too tired to curb her annoyance and too exhausted to wave back. Hopefully the moan she gave her sounded like a ‘hello.’
“Are you excited about prom tonight?” a girl next to Julia said.
Julia’s lungs ached. Her head hurt from trying to think while running, which was always a bad idea. Who was this girl? Mindy? Cindy? And why did she want to start up a conversation and run at the same time?
“You’re going, right?” the girl asked.
“Right.” Right, right, right.
“Wow, you’re so lucky that your boyfriend’s a junior,” the girl said. “I would kill to go to a dance on the Queen Mary ,” the girl continued, oblivious to Julia’s aching side or her annoyance at being talked to while enduring this agony. “It’s the actual retired steamship. Aren’t you excited?”
“Excited,” she huffed. Yes. So very excited.
“You don’t look excited.”
Couldn’t the girl see she was about to die? Please, somebody, shoot a meteor at her so she’ll shut up and leave me alone.
Angie joined in on their little running group. When cheer practice ended she liked to run a lap. For fun.
How did the girl always manage to look so happy? Even while running ?
“Excited about what?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Two gasps later, Julia said, “Prom.” Oh, goodness, why must everyone keep talking? She managed the few more steps to the finish line and grabbed her knees for dear life.
“Wow. I don’t know how you do it,” Angie said, pinching the skin on Julia’s arm. “You don’t like eating healthy and you never exercise.”
“Shut ... up,” Julia managed. Even in her weakened, deoxygenated state, she didn’t forget about the girls within earshot, and no girl liked hearing about a semi-thin girl who ate crap and never exercised.
The lunch bell rang and everyone headed to the locker room. Julia hesitated. This was it. Lunchtime. The moment they would mark Kaitlyn and release her magic. Or try to.
Kaitlyn and her crew took tennis for their PE requirement. They would be coming up from the courts any second.
“Are you sure,” Julia whispered, “absolutely positively sure you want to do this?”
Angie looked back at the side of the hill where Kaitlyn would be coming from. “Yes.”
Dread rushed through her. Mixed with the dread was something else. She couldn’t deny it. Excitement. It pumped through her veins like a dizzying overload of adrenaline. By marking Kaitlyn and then
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