Double Life - Book 1 of the Vaiya Series (21 page)

“Sounds great. What time?” He glanced down at
his Spanish book, all worn down and beat up, William’s German book
looking brand new in comparison; for the first time, it bothered
him. Was he really that destructive?

“Five. Be ready for us to pick you up at
five.”

“Sure thing; you know where I live,
Will?”

He adjusted his glasses, appearing ever the
scientist. “North Maple Street, right?”

Ian stood visibly impressed. William was
good; how could he possibly know where he lived? “Yeah.”

Looking pleased with himself, William added,
“Be outside at five; Jimmy hates tardiness,” before walking
casually to class.

Ian smiled in obvious relief, glad to have
after-school plans, especially since Rowan Summers, Tianna’s
younger sister, was coming over today and would likely bother him
non-stop until he told her everything about the party last night
and why he wore the costume and perfume. Rowan could be so immature
at times.

Worse than her pestering, though, was her
clever wit which she had fine-tuned over the years. She had a way
with words that could embarrass anybody, and to top it off, seemed
to relish in awkward situations. The latter quality was of
particular importance.

One time, as he was just about to make his
after-school run down the blocks, Rowan interrupted him and asked
if she could join him. Of course, he told her no, but after she
insisted, he realized she was being serious and said yes, being the
diplomat that he was. Needless to say, it was one of the worst runs
ever, and it wasn’t because of lack of conversation, rather, it was
the conversation that made it so bad. She continued to ask him
about anything that came into her mind, like what his favorite
color was, which type of dog he liked the most, and all sorts of
questions, which really bugged him. At one point she even asked him
what people would think, seeing the two of them running together
like this. He didn’t respond.

Put all together, the
best
part of the
event was that she’d decided to keep his fairly new pair of shoes
that he’d loaned her for the run. As luck would have it, their shoe
sizes were eerily similar even though she was a year younger than
him and a girl. What could he say? His feet were small. It wasn’t
that unusual; yet she’d never let him forget it.

Sighing in relief again, thanking William
inwardly for inviting him over so that he’d not have to put up with
her antics today as he’d be gone before she came over at six, and
she’d most likely be gone before he came home, he saw Coach Sandler
strutting down the hallway and instantly knew what to do.

Though today had already gone far above his
expectations, he would make today even better. Remembering what
he’d said about joining Sandler’s team if he ever got out of the
other world, he sprinted up to the coach, who slowed down before
halting altogether and turning his way. Ian greeted him warmly like
a best friend: “Hey, Coach Sandler.”

“Hi there, Ian.”

If Ian had noticed the pompous glint in the
coach’s eyes or his overly conceited stance, he might have stopped
right there. But he didn’t and continued, completely oblivious,
just ready to get this over with. “Well, Coach,” he cleared his
throat nervously and subconsciously put his right hand to his chin,
“after thinking long and hard about it last night, I’ve decided I
want to join your team.” There, he said it. It wasn’t so bad. It
felt like a victory, not an admission of defeat. After what he’d
dealt with yesterday, competition was the least of his
problems.

Yet, as the words left his lips, a wry grin
developed on the coach’s face, followed by a triumphant gleam in
his eyes. “Nice try, Ian, but you’re too late.” He let the words
sink in, before proceeding. “Spencer’s already taken Skyler’s
place, and he’s even better than you.”

Ian sunk in shame like he’d taken a blow to
the head. All words were snatched from him, leaving him a helpless
listener. He’d vainly thought he was the coach’s only choice for a
runner, but obviously, he was wrong.

Sandler continued, rambling on about Spencer
Gordon with pride as if he were his own son. “He says he’s always
loved running ever since he was a kid; the only reason he didn’t
join before was because there wasn’t enough room and because he
didn’t want to provoke any jealousy in the other teammates--very
considerate, don’t you think?”

“Yeah.”
Yeah right!
Spencer couldn’t
be that nice … nobody was. Sure, last night when he’d bowled
against Darien and lost, he took it calmly as if he didn’t care at
all, but maybe that wasn’t the full picture. Maybe he was hiding
something.

Embarrassment painting his face a light shade
of pink, Ian looked at the coach, wondering how he was going to end
the conversation, when the coach looked him square in the eye and
patted him on the back. “I know how much you wanted to join, Ian,
but there’s no need for you now.” He chuckled to himself, not
holding back any of the smugness that came from his
Spencer-inflated ego. “If there’s ever another opening though, I’ll
let you know.” He left just as quickly as he’d come, putting an end
to the dialogue himself, his stride like that of an officer who’d
earned his badges.

After five seconds of utter misery, Ian shook
himself out of the dreary malaise and grudgingly accepted this turn
of events. He knew it was better this way: the coach didn’t hate
him anymore, the team now had a replacement for Skyler, and he
didn’t have to go to state. Still, a part of him felt like it was
missing. He buried this thought as he strutted to class, finding it
easy not to copy the coach’s euphoric stride.

School had gone better than expected. Aside
from being humiliated by the coach, questioned by Shayla about why
he’d worn a costume four days before Halloween, teased again by
Tianna about the princess gown and the expensive perfume he’d put
on last night, and mocked by Mrs. Dane, his English teacher, for
using incorrect grammar, nothing else embarrassing had occurred and
that was reason enough for celebration.

Back in his room, throwing darts at the
dartboard, every so often hitting the bullseye, he smiled. His
spirits were high. Things were returning to normal. He didn’t have
to run for the cross country championship anymore, and even better,
the incident at the party would soon be forgotten and his life
would return to the way it used to.

Whatever had brought him to the other world,
he believed that Hazel’s attic had something to do with it, and
though not superstitious, he wasn’t dumb enough to go back there
again. He’d make sure there was no return trip to the land of the
elves.

Getting his second highest score ever at
darts, Ian, overjoyed by his improvement, went outside and ran for
two miles, burning off his excess energy. Returning home, he
showered and then started his government homework, memorizing the
powers of Congress. He’d do better on his next test … he’d make
sure of it, even if it meant studying every day. He’d never get
another D+ again.

After finishing his homework and setting down
his papers on top of his dresser, he changed into blue jeans, then
stuck his cell phone, wallet, and a packet of wintergreen gum in
his blue jean pockets, as he heard a vehicle pull up the driveway.
Instinctively looking at the clock in his room, he saw it was one
minute past five.

Racing out of his room and down the steps,
oblivious to his parent’s caution-inspired stares, he pulled open
the front door and headed out into the warm fall evening, the
leaves of the trees in various transitions of red, brown, and
yellow. A leaf blew down and alighted on his face. He brushed it
away as he headed over to Jimmy’s dark orange truck and then opened
the back door.

“You’re late, Jimmy,” teased Ian, as he sat
down on the leather padded seat cushion in the back of the Chrysler
Dodge truck, remembering what William had said about him hating
tardiness.

Raising his back to appear stately and
poised, Jimmy replied, “A wizard is never late, nor is he early--he
arrives precisely when he means to.”

Ian smiled nervously, not really knowing what
Jimmy was getting at. “What’s this?”

“Oh, just a quote from Lord of the Rings,”
explained William, as he grinned knowingly. “Jimmy’s always saying
stuff from them.”

Ian laughed. So the rumors about Jimmy being
obsessed with fantasy were true. As a silence fell over them, a
vivid image of the Elayan sorcerers grabbing onto his sleeves and
firing magic at him flashed through his mind, breaking past his
mental defenses. Annoyed and somewhat frightened, he quickly
switched the topic to take his mind away from the other world. “So,
you ready for Sparta’s Diner, Jimmy?”

“You bet I am,” he exclaimed, a twinkle in
his dark eyes, apparently not noticing Ian’s inward turmoil. “I’ve
been looking forward to this all day.”

As they talked about their favorite foods,
their most-hated foods, and how Jason was handling having only one
chemistry partner, Skyler, when every other team had three people
on it, the time flew by, and before they knew it, Jimmy had pulled
into the restaurant. Searching for a good spot, he managed to
squeeze his truck between a red Corvette and a brown full-sized
van, soon putting it in park and turning it off.

“Hey, Ian,” William said in a curious tone,
deciding that they’d talked long enough about their upcoming
project, “before I forget, how was Hazel’s party?” They got out of
the truck carefully, not wanting to scratch the two surrounding
vehicles, and headed towards the crowded restaurant, glancing at a
family of eight leaving with satisfied smiles who were making a
beeline for the van, and watching two girls briskly walk into the
restaurant.

“Well, let’s see,” Ian replied warily. “I
played some foosball, ping pong, chess, and euchre.” His mind
unexpectedly raced back to the elven palace. He saw Prince Taishan
searching for him in the garden room; he heard Princess Saeya
explaining to her father what could have happened to him. He saw
King Kadeth reacting in fury, pounding his scepter onto the jeweled
floor, and shouting death threats at his escaped captive. Then his
imagination took over as he saw Master Thargon, dressed fully in a
doctor’s white garb and armed with a fiery hot needle and a pair of
serrated scissors, pacing back and forth waiting for him to show
up, a steady eye fixed upon his Rolex watch.

Slamming the door of wild speculation and
releasing his anxiety, he smiled ironically, knowing that now he’d
never even have to meet the evil wizard. “Overall, I’d say it went
pretty well.”

“You forgot to mention the best part,” said
William with a sly grin, pushing open the front door of the
restaurant, as the girls ahead of them glimpsed back at them
sharing suppressed smiles with each other. “Tell him, Ian.”

“The food?” asked Ian innocently, dreading
what was coming.

“No, your costume.”

He couldn’t back down, though he hated to
keep on lying. “Well, last night,” he began, in a boring furtive
tone, “after sitting upstairs by myself for an hour waiting for
Eddy to find me, I decided to come downstairs and surprise everyone
with my elven costume.”

“Wait! You wore an elven costume?” asked
Jimmy emphatically, suddenly deeply interested in the conversation,
despite Ian’s dull explanation. The two teenage girls ahead of them
glanced their way again and snickered as if sharing an inside
joke.

William’s smile widened, not distracted by
them. “Yeah. Jason even said it was authentic, with the silk tunic,
thick yet light cloak, silver belt with ornate designs and a gold
buckle, black brooch embedded with an onyx stone, and unusual
leather boots.”

“Authentic?” blurted out Jimmy, catching onto
the word that interested him the most. “What, did he steal it from
the elves themselves?”

“Not exactly,” replied William, raising his
left eyebrow in amusement. “I think an elven princess
gave
it to him.” Trying to stop himself from laughing, he covered his
mouth with his hand, removing it long enough to finish with flair.
“I think it was part of her wardrobe.” With that, he burst out
laughing, his contagious fit of mirth soon spreading to Jimmy.

Ian just sighed, then frowned, the creeping
embarrassment altering the color of his face. It could just be his
imagination, but it seemed that everybody in the restaurant was
looking their way and for good reason; William didn’t have much of
an inside voice. “Really funny, Will.”

William quieted down. “Come on, man; you’ve
gotta admit it’s a little amusing.”

“It’s sad more than anything,” said Ian,
scratching his chin. “Hazel and Tianna just can’t distinguish
medieval clothing from women’s clothing.” He studied William’s
amused face, as the girls ahead of them moved down the line. “With
Halloween just around the corner, I’d say that’s a serious
problem.”

“I can’t disagree with you there.” William
buried a smile, as he stepped up in line.

Once they’d all ordered their drinks and paid
for the buffet, a waitress immediately directed them to a
blue-colored booth, covered with a white and black-striped
tablecloth decorated with pumpkins.

As soon as she left, William gazed out one of
the windows, trouble brewing a storm on his face. “It looks like
it’s going to be another rough night.”

“Yeah.” Ian looked outside and noticed dark,
billowing clouds. Trees were swaying in the breeze; leaves and bits
of trash were swirling through the air; a sickly green permeated
the sky. His heart thundered. Something about this reminded him all
too eerily of last night. If it started lightning, he didn’t know
what he would do.

Though he wanted to believe that Hazel’s
attic was responsible for teleporting him to the other world, and
not the lightning, right now he wasn’t so sure and it made him feel
like going berserk.