Working on Chapter 4...
Well, I got a little bit written... Still not much, but here's the new beginning of Chapter 4...
Riley squinted, blinking water from her eyes as the wind roared past her ears. She hadn’t ever flown in such an open area, before, and hadn’t fully been aware of what “the open highway” entailed to an unprotected flyer. She was currently slapping herself for not wearing goggles or gloves.
The headache the cold wind along the highway was giving her really only helped to fan the flames of her anger.
‘What the Hell does he expect of me?’ she thought, bitterly, as the first glimpse of the downtown skyline came into view. Houston was huge. The entire north sky was lit up by its light, like a strange second sun.
‘What had Erica called it?’ she thought, remembering their first day of astronomy. ‘The Greater Houston Nebula.’ She laughed bitterly at the apt name. Looking up, she could see only a few stars shining dully from the night sky. She didn’t know why, but their absence angered her even more, and her mind bundled that anger up with her previous one, and somehow Robin Goodfellow was to blame for this, too.
She glared at the quickly approaching city. ‘How am I supposed to find her in a place like that?’
She pulled up on her broom, slowing to a stop as she stared contemplatively at the city. “Well, this is kinda pointless if I can’t track her down, ain’t it?”
“Move it!”
“Wha…” Riley didn’t have time to finish before she was knocked aside by a huge gush of wind. She tried to steady herself, but she hadn’t been flying for long, and good as she was for a beginner, she felt herself losing control of the broom. She was spinning wildly, the parallel lights of Highway 288 blurring as they got closer and closer.
She stopped, suddenly and unexpectedly. Her eyes opened slowly, one after the other, and she stared at the road not 100 feet below. Her knuckles clinched her broom so tightly, she was surprised it wasn’t splintering.
“Hey! You ok?”
‘Breath in, breath out.’ She looked up to where the voice had come from, her movements slow and rigid. The first thing that registered was a wand pointing directly at her. She flinched, instinctively, reaching for her own wand in self-defense.
A hand appeared on hers, patting it gently. “Woah, there, Tiger.” She looked up and into bright, golden eyes, lit in a amused smile. “We’re not gonna hurt ya, kid.”
“I… Um…” She couldn’t look away from the boy’s eyes. They seemed to glow, almost, reflecting the light of the city back at her.
He laughed, a small, gentle laugh that made her stomach tighten, for some reason. “What are you doing out here, kid? Don’t you have curfew, or something?”
“Jackson, leave her alone and let’s get going!”
The boy looked back over his shoulder and Riley’s eyes followed, noticing for the first time the two other magics floating behind him. The one who had spoken, a girl with long red hair and neon green goggles, was sitting on her broom with her hands crossed impatiently in front of her chest. Riley was awed; she’d only seen the quidditch team captain do that, no one else she knew could control their broom without using their hands.
“She’s ok, isn’t she?” the third magic asked, voice calm and light and hard to hear over the wind and sound of cars. Riley couldn’t tell if it was a boy or girl, but she guessed a girl by the way she was sitting on the broom with her knees closed tightly together.
“It was her fault for just sitting there,” the red-head huffed, crossing her arms tighter.
“Green,” the boy, Jackson, said, his voice stern and commanding. The red-head stopped talking, instead turning to glare at Riley. Apparently satisfied, he turned back to face Riley, his smile flashing in the dark night. “You’re from Sonora Academy, yes?”
Riley nodded, keeping a wary eye on the other two magics and her hand within reach of her wand just to be sure.
“We’re 6th years from Shadow Creek University,” he said, nodding slightly in greeting. “My name’s Carl Jackson, the bad attitude back there is Heather Green, and the quiet one is Michelle Luna.”
Riley looked cautiously from one to the other. The two girls were still wearing their goggles, so she couldn’t see their eyes, and Luna had a mask covering the bottom half of her face. She looked back to Jackson, her eyes warily noticing the hand he had out waiting for a shake.
“Riley Devon,” she said abruptly, reaching out and shaking his hand.
“Jackson…” Green started, again, but stopped as Luna laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Devon,” he said, smiling as his hand lingered around hers. “Would you care to join us, tonight?”
Riley stared up at him in shock. “Join? In what?”
“She’s just a kid, Jackson,” Green snapped, glaring at the hand Luna still had on her shoulder.
‘A kid?’ Riley thought, bitterly. ‘Like she’s much older. I can do anything she can.’ Riley narrowed her eyes at her, dangerously, moving her arms purposefully to cross across her chest. She was very proud of how steady she was able to keep the broom, ignoring the slight trembling in her thigh muscles from the strain.
Jackson laughed lightly. Green turned away as if slapped. “You’re not a kid, are you? I’m betting… 4th year, yes?”
Riley blinked. Had she really fooled him into thinking she was 15? “Yeah,” she croaked out. “4th years have extended curfews…”
He smiled wider. “Then you -have- to come with us.”
Riley stopped breathing for a second, his eyes swimming in her vision. His invitation sounded like a good idea. She didn’t ever get a chance to just go out and play with kids, anymore. She had too many responsibilities at the school to just kick back.
Too many responsibilities…
“Wait!” She pulled back, her hands back on the broom for balance. “I’m looking for someone. I really need to find her, and soon.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed, slightly, though his smile didn’t fade. “Looking for someone? In Houston? Do you know where?”
Riley shook her head dejectedly. She was back at square one.
Jackson looked over his shoulder, again, and Luna nodded curtly in his direction. He turned back to Riley, smile back in his eyes. “We can find her, for you.”
“What?” Riley balked at his claim. What could he do to find a complete stranger in such a huge city?
He nodded enthusiastically, reaching up and pulling sleek black goggles over his eyes. “Keep up, okay?”
“Keep up…?”
He smiled, again, and they were gone, zooming off towards the gleaming city.
Riley’s face settled in a determined grimace, her hands gripping her broom tightly, her body bent low over the front. So, they were going to play this game, eh? She smiled to herself. Her balance on the broom might not be the best, but speed she could do. She’d show that Green chick who was ‘just a kid.’
Riley squinted, blinking water from her eyes as the wind roared past her ears. She hadn’t ever flown in such an open area, before, and hadn’t fully been aware of what “the open highway” entailed to an unprotected flyer. She was currently slapping herself for not wearing goggles or gloves.
The headache the cold wind along the highway was giving her really only helped to fan the flames of her anger.
‘What the Hell does he expect of me?’ she thought, bitterly, as the first glimpse of the downtown skyline came into view. Houston was huge. The entire north sky was lit up by its light, like a strange second sun.
‘What had Erica called it?’ she thought, remembering their first day of astronomy. ‘The Greater Houston Nebula.’ She laughed bitterly at the apt name. Looking up, she could see only a few stars shining dully from the night sky. She didn’t know why, but their absence angered her even more, and her mind bundled that anger up with her previous one, and somehow Robin Goodfellow was to blame for this, too.
She glared at the quickly approaching city. ‘How am I supposed to find her in a place like that?’
She pulled up on her broom, slowing to a stop as she stared contemplatively at the city. “Well, this is kinda pointless if I can’t track her down, ain’t it?”
“Move it!”
“Wha…” Riley didn’t have time to finish before she was knocked aside by a huge gush of wind. She tried to steady herself, but she hadn’t been flying for long, and good as she was for a beginner, she felt herself losing control of the broom. She was spinning wildly, the parallel lights of Highway 288 blurring as they got closer and closer.
She stopped, suddenly and unexpectedly. Her eyes opened slowly, one after the other, and she stared at the road not 100 feet below. Her knuckles clinched her broom so tightly, she was surprised it wasn’t splintering.
“Hey! You ok?”
‘Breath in, breath out.’ She looked up to where the voice had come from, her movements slow and rigid. The first thing that registered was a wand pointing directly at her. She flinched, instinctively, reaching for her own wand in self-defense.
A hand appeared on hers, patting it gently. “Woah, there, Tiger.” She looked up and into bright, golden eyes, lit in a amused smile. “We’re not gonna hurt ya, kid.”
“I… Um…” She couldn’t look away from the boy’s eyes. They seemed to glow, almost, reflecting the light of the city back at her.
He laughed, a small, gentle laugh that made her stomach tighten, for some reason. “What are you doing out here, kid? Don’t you have curfew, or something?”
“Jackson, leave her alone and let’s get going!”
The boy looked back over his shoulder and Riley’s eyes followed, noticing for the first time the two other magics floating behind him. The one who had spoken, a girl with long red hair and neon green goggles, was sitting on her broom with her hands crossed impatiently in front of her chest. Riley was awed; she’d only seen the quidditch team captain do that, no one else she knew could control their broom without using their hands.
“She’s ok, isn’t she?” the third magic asked, voice calm and light and hard to hear over the wind and sound of cars. Riley couldn’t tell if it was a boy or girl, but she guessed a girl by the way she was sitting on the broom with her knees closed tightly together.
“It was her fault for just sitting there,” the red-head huffed, crossing her arms tighter.
“Green,” the boy, Jackson, said, his voice stern and commanding. The red-head stopped talking, instead turning to glare at Riley. Apparently satisfied, he turned back to face Riley, his smile flashing in the dark night. “You’re from Sonora Academy, yes?”
Riley nodded, keeping a wary eye on the other two magics and her hand within reach of her wand just to be sure.
“We’re 6th years from Shadow Creek University,” he said, nodding slightly in greeting. “My name’s Carl Jackson, the bad attitude back there is Heather Green, and the quiet one is Michelle Luna.”
Riley looked cautiously from one to the other. The two girls were still wearing their goggles, so she couldn’t see their eyes, and Luna had a mask covering the bottom half of her face. She looked back to Jackson, her eyes warily noticing the hand he had out waiting for a shake.
“Riley Devon,” she said abruptly, reaching out and shaking his hand.
“Jackson…” Green started, again, but stopped as Luna laid a hand on her shoulder.
“Nice to meet you, Miss Devon,” he said, smiling as his hand lingered around hers. “Would you care to join us, tonight?”
Riley stared up at him in shock. “Join? In what?”
“She’s just a kid, Jackson,” Green snapped, glaring at the hand Luna still had on her shoulder.
‘A kid?’ Riley thought, bitterly. ‘Like she’s much older. I can do anything she can.’ Riley narrowed her eyes at her, dangerously, moving her arms purposefully to cross across her chest. She was very proud of how steady she was able to keep the broom, ignoring the slight trembling in her thigh muscles from the strain.
Jackson laughed lightly. Green turned away as if slapped. “You’re not a kid, are you? I’m betting… 4th year, yes?”
Riley blinked. Had she really fooled him into thinking she was 15? “Yeah,” she croaked out. “4th years have extended curfews…”
He smiled wider. “Then you -have- to come with us.”
Riley stopped breathing for a second, his eyes swimming in her vision. His invitation sounded like a good idea. She didn’t ever get a chance to just go out and play with kids, anymore. She had too many responsibilities at the school to just kick back.
Too many responsibilities…
“Wait!” She pulled back, her hands back on the broom for balance. “I’m looking for someone. I really need to find her, and soon.”
Jackson’s eyes narrowed, slightly, though his smile didn’t fade. “Looking for someone? In Houston? Do you know where?”
Riley shook her head dejectedly. She was back at square one.
Jackson looked over his shoulder, again, and Luna nodded curtly in his direction. He turned back to Riley, smile back in his eyes. “We can find her, for you.”
“What?” Riley balked at his claim. What could he do to find a complete stranger in such a huge city?
He nodded enthusiastically, reaching up and pulling sleek black goggles over his eyes. “Keep up, okay?”
“Keep up…?”
He smiled, again, and they were gone, zooming off towards the gleaming city.
Riley’s face settled in a determined grimace, her hands gripping her broom tightly, her body bent low over the front. So, they were going to play this game, eh? She smiled to herself. Her balance on the broom might not be the best, but speed she could do. She’d show that Green chick who was ‘just a kid.’