“Maybe I will,” Alex said. He held her eyes for a moment longer, remembering the time he kissed her cheek during Magical Warrior Training. He smiled impishly and looked down at his notebook again, sobering as he read over his reasons. It didn’t take much for him to realize that Lani or even Meghan or Samheed would make a much better ruler of Artimé than he.
After a moment he asked, still staring at his list, “Can I tell you a secret?”
“Sure.”
“You have to promise not to say anything to anybody.”
Lani hesitated. “Okay. I promise.” She put her pencil down and folded her arms in front of her, ready to listen.
Alex looked up at her. He bit his lip.
“Well?” Lani prompted.
“I . . . well, you see, Mr. Today . . .” He couldn’t say it. It sounded so insane. “Crud. Never mind. I’m sorry.”
Lani frowned. “Okaaay.”
“I shouldn’t have said anything. It’s just dumb anyway.”
Lani shrugged. “Whatever.” She pulled her book toward her and focused on it, and then’quite ceremoniously’turned her chair to the side so she wasn’t facing Alex anymore.
Alex squeezed his eyes shut and muttered under his breath. And then he looked at her profile for a long moment. The way her hair parted at her shoulder, her olive skin tanned by the sun. Her perfect nose and lips. He flipped the page of his notebook and sketched her.
When he was finished, he wrote in tiny letters in the bottom right corner:
For Lani, for always.
Alexander Stowe
He pulled the page out of the notebook, took a tiny piece of translucent rubber from his pocket, dropped it on the center of the drawing, and said, “Preserve.” The rubber melted and spread quickly to the edges, and the paper developed a glossy sheen that made it virtually indestructible.
Lani looked up when she heard Alex’s magical utterance.
Alex slid the drawing over to her and watched as her eyes flitted over it, coming to rest on the words. She smiled then, studied it a moment longer, folded it carefully, and put it in her pocket.
Aimless
It didn’t take long for Aaron to realize that he could never go home to his parents’not if he wanted to retain a shred of class distinction. A Wanted going back to a Necessary family? It stank of defeat and mistaken classification. And while his feet carried him in the direction of the Necessary quadrants, Aaron knew that he would not stop there, nor would he indicate in any way that he was doing anything more than taking a walk for his own pleasure . . . in the odoriferous, scorching heat.
As night fell Aaron’s feet grew tired. He approached the Necessary housing, unable to stop himself from stealing a glimpse of number 54-43 as he passed by his family’s row. It felt so familiar after years of walking home from school this way, yet that place was no longer home, nor could it ever be called home again. He increased his pace along the road and flipped up his shirt collar to partially shield his face, hoping none of his former neighbors would recognize him. But soon he discovered that the neighborhoods were all eerily quiet. Everyone is in Artimé, Aaron realized after a while.
Soon he left the housing quadrants behind and the land grew desolate. Late that evening he neared the well-lit entrance to the magical world and slowed his pace. Two stone gargoyles sat together on one side of the entrance, startling Aaron when they stood up and walked away.
Looking in, Aaron saw people and creatures on the lawn, laughing and having a good time. Eating and drinking and resting. A cool breeze blew through the opening, and Aaron closed his eyes, letting it wash over him. He swallowed hard, his throat parched. It would be so easy to sneak in and get something to eat and drink, he thought. Except for one minor problem.
He heard a snort and felt a hot, moist blast of air on his face. He opened his eyes and stumbled backward, knowing from experience what it was.
Arija, one of four enormous, silky-furred, long-necked creatures called girrinos, whose duty it was to guard the entrance, knew Aaron by smell now and had smelled him coming. “You again,” she said.
“What of it? I thought everyone was welcome here.”
“If you meant us no harm, you’d be welcome. But we’ve seen no sign of that. What do you want?”
Aaron shrugged. “I’m just taking a walk.”
“Looks like you’re just standing.”
“You have something against me standing in Quill now?”
“Not at all. Stand there all you like. Enjoy the fresh air.” Arija sat down facing him, the ground shaking slightly when she did so. Her face was still at eye level with the boy. “You want to talk? Let’s talk. What’s new at the university? How are things going for you now? Are you enjoying the stench as much as the others who have decided to come here to stay?”
Aaron scowled. “Be quiet.” He could see High Priest Haluki’s family sitting on a blanket, eating and drinking, and a wave of fury swept through him.
“Ooh, such a mouth on you. Do you speak to your mother that way? I should hope not.”
“Silence!” Aaron said.
Arija laughed merrily. “Such a demanding tone. I’m sure everyone pays great attention to you when you do that’all your minions. Where are they, by the way?” She tilted her head. “Didn’t you travel with guards once upon a time?”
Without a word, Aaron cast a final furtive glance at the food and water inside the gate, and then he turned away from Arija and began walking once again.