WaterMage Rising

Chapter 7

To Selena's horror, her tea tipped over in the collision, and the spray headed straight for her unfortunate victim. Her heart thudded hard against her chest. Reacting on instinct, Selena channeled her magic to prevent her drink from drenching him and staining his white polo shirt. The dark brown liquid froze into a solid wave of ice. Passersby stopped and stared in confusion at the display, the only thing visible jutting from her air bubble of invisibility.

"Oof!" The solid wall of flesh she'd bumped into said, and Selena tilted her chin upward to study him. The young man in front of her appeared to be about her age, maybe a year or two older judging by the slight stubble he sported. He had classically handsome features set in a square face, with a strong jaw and wide-set grey eyes. His auburn hair was shoulder length and had a slight wave ending in a curl, with far more shine and volume than Selena's thin, mousy brown hair. "Show yourself."

Stupid, stupid, stupid. She never should have taken the risk to come here for brunch. This guy would turn her in, and she'd be carted off to prison for sneaking onboard.

With a snap, her stealth magic burst apart and fell to the floor, revealing Selena for all to see. She had no idea whether he'd used his own magic to make her visible, or if she'd stupidly dropped her magic in the distraction of bumping into him. She suspected the latter.

"Careful, there," the young man grinned, dimples showing. He steadied Selena's tray, and she wanted nothing more than to sink into the floor for having allowed herself to be seen. "That was some impressive magic, I have to say. Thanks for avoiding what could have been a disastrous spill on my favorite shirt."

"Don't mention it," She said, heart in her throat. "Excuse me."

"Wait," he said when she tried to step past him. "I don't know why you're hiding, or who you're hiding from, but if there's anything I can do to help —"

"There isn't."

What was his ulterior motive for offering help, anyway? Cute guys like that only bent over backward for gorgeous girls like Olivia, never her.

"Oh, don't be so quick to go," He said, reaching out to place a gentle hand on her arm to stop her retreat. "I have no one to eat with, and I could use the company. Who are you?"

Selena swallowed. Her mouth felt dry, and every instinct she had told her to run. Of course, she couldn't be one of those girls who had a normal, fun cruise where she could get to know a cute guy. No, for her doing so meant danger and the possibility of getting caught. It would be sheer lunacy. She had to stay away from him.

"Someone who was never here." Selena stepped back out of his reach, concealed herself with air magic once more, and fled the cafe, heart still pounding.

"See you around, mystery girl!" the guy called after her, and Selena could hear the amusement in his voice.

How had her magic and her emotions turned so erratic? It was like ... it was like ...

Like she'd caught Mom's troubles with her magic.

After fleeing the cafe from that disastrous encounter with the cute guy, Selena found a remote area of the boat deck to hide away from passengers and picked at her stolen brunch. Her heart pounded a frantic rhythm and refused to settle, and she had little appetite. Even her limbs, normally strong and steady, felt limp and shaky after getting caught. Now this guy had something to use against her — he knew she was hiding. At least his mind didn't immediately leap to her being a stowaway.

He'd made the somewhat harmless assumption there was someone onboard she was avoiding. Still, his discovery could prove troublesome. As long as she avoided him, she might be able to limit the damage. To him, she was just some random passenger he wanted to eat with, probably because she was about his age, anyway, and he wouldn't know her father or Olivia.