Spellbinders Secret

Preparing for a date is harder than preparing for war

Callum and I walk to his first lesson, Magical Theory, in silence. He keeps giving me angry glances that he seems to think I don't see. For the most part, I ignore him. I don't know what his problem is, or why he's mad at me, but I won't let it ruin my day. Finally, we reach the classroom, but before Callum opens the door, he lets out a frustrated grunt.

"I can't believe you're going on a date with him," Callum accuses me. I shrug, he really needs to get over it.

"And why is that such a problem?" I ask, trying not to let my anger enter my voice. Callum scowls, avoiding my eyes.

"You don't know what I know. Ella, whatever he's told you, he's only saying it for..." Callum trails off, looking extremely uncomfortable.

"For what?" I snap. Callum gulps, unable to get the words out of his mouth.

"For... uh, well, pleasure."

I let the information sink in, and then, all emotional hell breaks loose within me. One part of me believes that Stephan would never do that to me, he's to sweet and kind for that, right? But the other side of the battle, keeps reminding me of those greedy looks, like I was some kind of possession he'd recently acquired. I had to admit, it was quite unnerving, and then there was what Callum had just told me.

"What makes you think that?"

My voice is even, despite the fact that my thoughts weren't. Callum looks at me, his face depicting a battle of his own. Everyone has their demons, even Princes and Moon Fairies, and people who can drain the life out of you. People like me. I wonder... should I tell Stephan? Doesn't he have a right to know if he's going on a date with me?

Chill! It's just a first date, he doesn't have to know anything, not unless things get really serious, I tell myself

"I've uh, I've heard rumours. He's had girlfriends in the past, and at first, he was really sweet, but then he just... took what he wanted, if you catch my meaning."

Unfortunately, I did. Callum glances at me nervously, clearly wondering how his revelation is sinking in. If I could use words, I would tell him that I wasn't taking this very well, but I didn't. Or rather, couldn't. It just didn't make sense, I mean, he was so nervous just talking to me. Was it all an act? Something fabricated so I would give myself to him? Was I just another pretty face to him? Did I have any worth at all?

"Ella!" Callum cries out in alarm, shaking me. I snap out of my trance and try to tell him that I'm fine, but I don't think he believes me.

"Look, I'll go to the Flower Dance with him, but I'll be careful, ok? If things start to look iffy, then I'll leave as quickly as I can," I reassure him. He nods, but still looks worried. It's the first time someone apart from Leo and Clark has bothered to care about what happens to me. Everyone else thinks I can just handle whatever life throws at me. Either that, or they don't care. It's usually one or the other. "Hey, Callum?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for..." I take a deep breath. "Thanks for looking out for me, most people wouldn't."

He looks genuinely shocked, and I guess I can't blame him. I'm not one for apologies, or feelings, so this is bigger than Selena de Argent, in a way.

"No problem. You're kind of my only friend. Out of all the people who tried to reach out to me, only you got through and made me realise what an idiot I'd been. Without you, I'd still be a lazy, arrogant and stupid boy trying to pretend he knew what he was doing," he mutters quietly. He wears a sad and slightly remorseful expression. I want to comfort him and tell him that he wasn't that bad, but lies are horrible things, even good ones. So instead, I say something honest.