All Things Magical

Chapter 2

   The next morning when I came downstairs there was already breakfast on the table. I sat down, my mom was already in her seat, slowly wearing down her pile of eggs. I glanced at the kitchen. "Where's Dad?"
   "He had to go to work early. Some sort of emergency," Mom said.
   I shrugged it off, not thinking much about it. I scarfed down my food then rushed to the door and grabbed my bag.
   "Remember to be home before eight o'clock!" Mom called after me. "It's a full moon."
   I waved as I went out the door. "Got it, Mom!"
   A tall, blonde girl stood beside my mailbox. Her naturally curly hair was pulled back into a pony tail in an attempt to tame it. She smiled as I walked up to her. "Morning."
   "Morning, Brianna," I said.
   "So I was thinking that after school we could all head over to the Snack Shack for a bit. As a kind of celebration." We started walking down our street.
   I cast a sideways glance at her. "And what are we celebrating?"
   "Our last evaluation of course!" She threw her arm over my shoulders. "I say we go out with a bang! Have a party at my house after we stop by the Shack. Wha do ya say?"
   I tapped my chin. "I can't stay long, it's a full moon, remember? But I'll definitely be there."
   Brianna seemed a bit disappointed but threw on that usual bright smile of hers. "Great! I'll tell the others. This is gonna be awesome."
   I caught the scent of worn leather on the breeze. A smile pulled at my lips. Brianna noticed and gave me a questioning look. "Mason's behind us."
   She turned to see the broad-shouldered boy jogging to catch up with us. She looked back at me. "I wish I had super senses like you."
   "You don't need them to smell him coming. He wears like a gallon of colon."
   Brianna giggled under her breath as Mason finally reached them. "Mornin, ladies." His voice held trace hints of a southern accent.
   "Nice to see you finally catch up," I said to him as we continued walking.
   "It wasn't my fault. My brother kept hogging the bathroom," Mason explained. When I looked up at him I could still see water droplets clinging to his dirty blonde hair.
   Brianna ruffled it, making him swat at her hands. "Aww, come on, your little brother isn't all that bad."
   "Try saying that after living with him." He flattened out his hair again.
   "I think he's kinda cute," Brianna said.
   "I'll trade you for your older sister." Mason winked at her. I laughed and Brianna hit him in the arm.
   Finally the two story brick building of East Knox High School came into view. Mason, Brianna, and I went our separate ways. There weren't very many seniors at our school so I had my friends in every class.
   I walked into first period and sat at my desk near the back. Olivia was already there, nose stuck in a book. There was a huge pile of them on her desk. "Hey, Liv, did you forget to do your homework or something?"
   She looked up at me. The thick, black frames of her glasses standing out against her pale skin. "No, I'm getting a head start on the next unit."
   "Whoa! Liv, you doing some light reading?" Kaitlyn, a bouncy redhead with no filter and no off switch. But she was the most beautiful girl in school. Grant it, it's because she's a siren and they all look strikingly beautiful. Everything about a siren is appealing, from their looks to their voices, even their scents.
   Olivia took the joke in stride and went back to her book. Moments before the bell rang Jessie came into class. She was wearing her usual all black ensemble, and her long black hair hung in her face. She sat down at the desk behind me, letting her head fall to the table. I twisted to look back at her. "You okay?"
   "No. This chemistry class is going to be the end of me," she grumbled into the desk.
   "Aww, buck up," Kaitlyn said, taking the seat next to Jessie. "Even if you fail this test you can bring your grade back up at that recovery day next month."
   Jessie lifted her head to glare at her. Kaitlyn only smiled.
   The final bell rang and our teacher stood up in front of his desk. "Alright, everyone! You knew this was coming. Test day." There were several groans from around the room. "Don't give me that. You've known about this test all week and had plenty of study time." He passed the test papers out. "You've got one hour. Good luck."