Chapter 7- Luther
(THEN)
“ALRIGHT, CLASS,” Professor Rodante announces as I walk into the center of the field. “The purpose of this exercise is to coordinate your magic. Threats will be coming at you on all sides.”
I gaze at the perimeter of trees in this woodsy area outside the Union building. It’s our first real hands-on demonstration day of the sophomore school year, and nervousness and excitement battle within me. I’m confident in my magical energy abilities, but this is a high-pressure moment.
My classmates are watching me; now is my time to shine. I know I consistently ranked second in my grades last year, but that was fourteen-year-old me. I’m basically a man now, and I have to prove my wizarding skills.
“Our volunteers will be launching these playing balls at you.” The professor points around at the adults using what appear to be wooden catapults.
Next to them are baskets of balls. My gaze tracks to the center, where several large dumpsters are arranged in a small circle.
“You must prevent them from entering the dumpsters.”
My classmates coo in interest. Clad in my blue tracksuit, I stretch my arms and walk to the center of the six bins. When I catch Taz Devries’s blue eyes, I grin. He’s staring at me with intent, probably because he knows I’m going to best him during this, our second year of weekend wizard school.
He smirks at me, and my pulse rises, just as it always does when it comes to interacting with my academic foe. We’re not friends, so this is yet another taunt, a secret exchange that only he and I share.
Admittedly, sometimes I find that I almost crave his attention.
He’s way more interesting than any of the girls who supposedly like me back in public school.
He’s also a classically handsome White boy―not that I’ll concede to any of that.
I’m not gay, and we’re just rivals. I want him to see me achieve greatness so I can rub it in his pretty-boy face. I mean, regular face.
“Get ready, Mr. Westbrook!” The professor’s words pull me out of my weird thoughts. She’s yards away, watching me along with the rest of the class. When she raises her hand, I summon magic into my fists. “On your mark…get set…defend!”
The sounds of projectiles flying through the sky are barely audible over the cheers of my classmates.
When the first two basketballs come my way, I easily deflect them with mini shockwaves, one from each hand.
One catapult behind me grabs my attention, so I turn and summon a gust of wind, parrying the flying ball.
It’s sixty seconds of ball after ball, flying in slow arches. I’m fixated on the mission; I can’t let any enter the bins. At last, the exercise is winding down, but Professor Rodante smirks at me. She gives a knowing nod to the volunteers, and suddenly, all the catapults fire at me at once.
The crowd quiets in shock and interest, and panic sets in. How am I gonna summon this much magic? I can barely conjure energy shields. There’s no time to plan as the balls come hurtling toward me.
With my hands raised, I step back and summon a small tornado, mid-air. That works to dispel three of the basketballs, but I’m afraid it’s not enough. My fears are confirmed by the sound of several bins clanging; I missed three projectiles.
After wiping the sweat from my brow, I walk back to the class. The volunteers scurry about, collecting the balls while my classmates clap. Necia hollers, and the professor gives me a thumbs up.
A minute later, it’s time for Taz to enter the field. The professor gives the signal, and the exercise starts. I squint as I scrutinize Taz’s every movement. There’s no way he can do better than me, right?
My heart threatens to leap out of my chest as the balls slowly descend upon him.
He parries them, using magic with ease. I’m disappointed, but not surprised.
I can admit that he’s adept. Really, it’s flattering, since he’s my foe; my rival needs to be skilled so that it means something when I best him.
And skilled he is. He summons magical whips with ease, and not a single basketball makes it to his center. Then, it’s the final segment, and all six volunteers launch at him simultaneously. He can’t do better than me, can he?
Time seems to slow down as the six projectiles fly right at him.
Curiously, he’s concentrating on his hands, and not the sky.
I can’t breathe, can’t blink, until I know what he’s up to.
Orange energy is pulled into his hands, and then, he waves upward.
Instantly, the basketballs are gone, bursting into dozens of glowing butterflies.
Alchemical magic! He morphed the toys into glowing creatures, now floating all around us.
The class goes wild, cheering and hollering. Taz stares right at me as he catches his breath, then gives a cocky bow.
“Well done, Mr. Devries!” Professor Rodante says.
“That’s not fair!” I shout as everyone laughs in awe at the wave of glowing butterflies. “He can’t…he can’t just…” I sputter like a shitty car engine.
“Actually, he can. There were no rules stating he couldn’t use alchemy. You just chose not to,” the professor says.
Taz approaches us and shrugs. “You mustn’t be afraid to get a little creative with magic, mate.” Like always, his cocky smirk has my blood boiling.
“Whatever. You were prepared because you watched me do it first.” I frown and cross my arms, but he steps closer to me. “And I’m not your mate.”
“If that’s what it takes to help you sleep at night, Lulu.” Taz looks me up and down with a challenging gaze, and anger burns in my chest.
“My name is Luther. And I will do better than you this year.”
“Keep telling yourself that.”
Before I can fire back, one of the glowing butterflies lands on my nose. I step back in surprise, and moments later, several other butterflies land on my shoulders.
Taz laughs, and I grumble. “Unsummon these shits,” I mutter.
“I don’t know, I think you look quite pretty this way.” He can barely talk through his laughter, and I frown again.
Holding my palms together, I focus on the magical energy in my immediate proximity. After closing my eyes, I concentrate. Alchemical properties…butterfly versus basketball…
When I open my eyes, the butterflies get pulled into the area between my palms. In moments, there’s a basketball in my hands.
“Good job, Lulu. One day, you’ll be as good an alchemist as me.” Taz smiles, and I don’t miss the way his blue eyes shine. He looks like a clear sky day, beautiful and perfect…
This, of course, infuriates me. I shove the ball into his chest, and the surprised noise he makes is gratifying.
“I’ll be better than you at anything. I swear it.” Before he can say another word, I stride away to join the rest of the class as they watch Girish attempt the same exercise.
(Now)
“Yo, Devries.” I holler at the man sitting at a library table. This gets his attention, but the librarian wizard gives me the stink eye, and I flinch. I point my thumb behind me, and Taz flips his blond bangs and stands up.
In moments, we’re in the hallway, and I don’t bother slowing down as he strides next to me. “Where to, Lulu? I mean, Agent Westbrook.”
“Quebec. Unknown dark magic activity at some farmhouse.”
“Oof. Do you think it’s another possession?”
“Unclear. Which is why they’re sending four of us there.”
“And I’m one of the four?” I can hear his cocky grin even though we’re both striding down the stairs.
I haven’t told anyone about what the monster revealed to us in New Mexico last week. Since we’re alone in the stairwell without any earpieces, now is the perfect time to confront my former academic foe. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, I turn around, forcing Taz to freeze in place.
This, of course, brings his crotch to my eye level, clad in those sinfully tight gray trousers. Focus, Luther.
“Westbrook?” he asks.
“What the hell was that in New Mexico? I thought you had my back.”
He looks away, his arrogant mood immediately dissipating. “I…I like…panicked, or whatever…”
As I glare at him, it takes five seconds until he makes eye contact. “Bullshit.”
“It’s true!” he argues.
I want to push further, I want to take apart the mystery of Taz Devries and put him back together, and I want more answers. Most of all, I want to ease him of his troubles. I want him to trust me and let me in.
With the heat coming off his toned body in this tiny stairwell, I want a lot of things from Taz. Oh, what he and I could do in a bedroom…
Clearing my throat, I shake my head. “Fine. But if shit goes sideways, can I trust you in the field?”
He steps forward and levels his eyes with me. Has he always smelled this good? “I swear to you, Luther. I have your back.” When he touches my shoulder, sparks go up and down my arm.
All too soon, I pull away and stride onward, leading him past the double doors to the lobby. “Good. Because I’m gonna be on you during this mission.” Shit, why did I say it like that?
“My kind of plan,” he replies softly. I can hear his smile even without looking at him, and dammit, I’m smiling, too.
It’s dusk by the time Max parks the rental car near the farmhouse. The journey to Quebec was instantaneous, but procuring a vehicle and driving all the way out to the middle of nowhere took some time. At least it’s not just Necia and me in the dead of night.
My gaze drifts to Taz only once in the side mirror as we get out of the car. He looks delectable in his blue-striped button-down shirt and black tie, but I need to focus.
Clearing my throat, I ask, “You have the binder’s jar?”
“Yup,” Necia replies, patting her trench coat pocket.
“There weren’t any reports of Other Side activity here,” Max remarks as we walk past the tall grass.
“That’s what they said last time. Now we have to always be ready,” I reply.
“We got four of us. We’ll be ready,” Taz says with surety.
“Gosh, I’m glad we’re back on a mission together.” Max beams at Taz and touches his shoulder. “Just like our school days.”