Wielder

Chapter 2 - Safeton

The magic sucked her in with a thundering force, leaving her no chance to brace herself before being consumed by it. It crackled around her, pounding at her ears and prickling at her skin. It tasted a little of burnt marshmallows and ocean water, and made her unbearably dizzy. It spiraled her into a whirlwind, sending her flying in a tumbling mess of awkward limbs. Her stomach flipped, and then she became weightless for a moment, before falling rapidly back into its pull. Pressure thrust the breath from her lungs, refusing to let her take in air.

Panic clenched around her throat. If this kept up, it would kill her. She'd been so terribly foolish. How could she have allowed herself to be so tempted, when she knew so well what the consequences were for meddling with powers beyond her control?

But in a half a second, it was over. The magic spat her out like a child rejecting a vegetable, sending her tripping forward over her own feet. Michael stumbled out behind her, throwing an arm out wildly to catch the brick wall beside them for support.

Alie doubled over, fighting to catch her breath. Her fingers trembled from the rush of adrenaline now racing through her blood. Her plain brown hair tickled at her face, having come loose from its low pony tail. Every hair on her arms stood on end. Her vision swayed, still off balance from being thrashed about so wildly.

Michael ran a hand over his face. "Holy crap." He reached out a hand to steady her, his brows furrowed in worry. "You okay? Are you hurt?"

She breathed in a deep breath. She was great. Better than great. She could feel the echoes of magic tingling across her skin, like a light breeze that swept across her soul. The ride had been a rush, she realized, not a threat. She pushed back her hair and stood up, a laugh rising from deep within her. Giddy: that's how she felt. Lightheaded and daring and giddy.

Michael released a heavy sigh. "Glad to see you enjoyed yourself," he said dryly.

Alie forced the stupid grin stuck to her lips to straighten. "Sorry."

"I'm just glad we're not dead."

"Well... yeah." She looked to the archway behind them. It held the same appearance as it had on the other side, except the view within it was of the cul-de-sac leading back into their neighborhood. Even the butterfly still sat atop the arch's crest, its glowing antennae twitching now and then. "Looks like we can go back home whenever we want, too."

Michael's tense shoulders slowly began to relax. "That's a relief."

"So!" Alie yanked her hair tie from her messy hair, and re-tied the tangled strands back behind her head in a rush. "Since we have nothing holding us back, let's get exploring!"

"Now, Alie." Michael's voice was stern, almost scolding. "We don't know anything about this place. We have to be careful."

She rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious. I don't trust this magic stuff."

"So, you admit it? There really is magic?"

He stared at her in annoyance. "I'm just not sure what else to call it."

She couldn't keep the grin off her face. "It's magic, Michael."

"And as long as we can go back home," he added, before she could run off, "we probably should."

"Seriously? But we just got here!"