Light & Dark: The Awakening of the Mageknight (2 page)

Finished, he made his way back down the short
hallway, into the bathroom. Standing in front of the mirrored
cabinet, he inspected his appearance. Not too scrawny, not exactly
built of brawn, Danny was, perhaps, the picture of an average
thirteen-year-old. His short brown hair didn't require much care,
but he ran a comb through it anyway. He stared back at the
dark-green eyes that regarded him in the reflection with interest,
eventually deciding that his appearance was as good as it was
likely to get. He sighed, splattered his toothbrush with paste, and
began pushing and pulling the brush across his teeth.

"Danny, are you almost done?" his mother
yelled from down the hall.

Refusing to respond with a mouthful of white
foam, he rinsed and spat.

The floor rumbled with the sound of heavy
footfalls. "Danny!" she said again, this time her voice coincided
with the rhythmic approach of her feet. She stopped just outside
the door. "Come on, Danny. The bus will be here soon."

Throwing his toothbrush back into the small
cup on the side of the sink, he finished, wiped his mouth and
opened the door. His mother stood there, in her blue cloth
nightgown and yellow slippers, with a camera in her hand. Her hair,
unkempt and frayed, was a faded brown, the same color as her eyes.
She was pleasantly plump; perfect for hugging, a fact Danny enjoyed
taking advantage of—just not in public.

"Come on, get your bag."

Since he had little choice, he moved with
purpose, picked up his book bag and his sweatshirt, and walked
outside.

"Okay, um… stand over by the bushes," she
said, gesturing with her hand.

The sun had just begun the long climb into
the sky; the bright morning rays forced Danny to squint.

"Don't squint, hold still," said his mother,
her tone stern and commanding.

In the distance, Danny could hear the hum of
the bus engine, the unmistakable sound of a deep, rumbling roar.
"Mom, the bus is coming!" he yelled through clenched teeth, still
holding his pose.

"Alright, just hold still." There was a
slight clicking sound as the camera snapped the picture. "Got
it."

"Bye, Mom." He didn't wait for her response,
just sprinted to the other side of the road where the bus would
pick him up.

"Have a good day!" Danny heard his mother
call out.

The large yellow bus turned the corner down
the street and had to stop at a stop sign, giving Danny just enough
time to reach the opposite side of the street. The bus hissed to a
stop and the sliding door squeaked as it opened. Taking a deep
breath, he climbed the three steps up and into the bus.

The bus driver smiled at him as he passed by,
"Morning, Danny," she said.

"Morning," Danny said, making his way down
the aisle, looking out of the side windows. He couldn't believe it;
his mother hadn't gone back into the house. She was still in the
same spot, vigorously waving at him in her nightgown and
slippers.

At that moment, he was glad that he was one
of the earlier pickups—sixth, when he counted the other kids on the
bus. They all wore familiar faces, but they weren't friends of his.
With a quickened step, he moved back toward the rear of the bus.
The door behind him squeaked as it closed and the engine thrummed
with power. The sudden movement forced Danny to grab onto one of
the seatbacks to slow him down. Using the slight force of motion,
he swung himself into the second to last seat.

Slumping down in the seat, he stared out of
the window as houses, trees, and cars flashed by, causing the
hypnotic spell of movement to force his eyes downward.

"Hey, Danny," said someone from behind
him.

Danny felt the weight of an impact as someone
sat down next to him. Looking out of the window, seeing the white
and blue house, he already knew who it was.

"Hey, Alonso," he said, turning to see the
familiar face of his friend.

The slender, black-haired boy smiled back,
his usual smirk. Of Latino descent, Alonso had a darker complexion,
accenting the blue of his eyes. On most days, Danny appreciated his
straightforward way of talking, but not today.

"Hey, your backpack is kind of
stupid-looking," he said, gesturing to the puke-green bag in
Danny's lap.

"Yeah, my mom bought it without asking me
first."

Alonso Martinez was the kind of person who
could talk for hours upon end about any subject that he deemed
important. He was one of those who simply liked to talk, whether
anyone was actually listening or not. Worse still, he lacked a
filter; he would often say whatever came to mind, no matter how
socially awkward. However, he was also well-known for his athletic
ability on the wrestling team; his wiry build made him the perfect
choice for the lighter-weight classes. He had a reputation as one
of the best wrestlers on the team, allowing his mouth to get him
into trouble only with teachers, while deterring peers from picking
on him.

The bus, now full of students, screeched to a
stop on a slight incline and lined up at an angle to the sidewalk
that ran the length of the school. Danny, along with Alonso—in the
midst of discussing his summer—was one of the last ones off.
Familiar faces walked past Danny as he followed the line toward the
double glass doors that marked the entrance to the lower half of
the school. He allowed Alonso to go through first, holding the door
open for himself and one other, being polite.

He saw a flash of movement in the corner of
his eye; his heart sank to the pit of his stomach as he gazed upon
a new face. Her skin was the creamy color of the pale moon, dotted
by a collection of soft freckles. Her hair was jet black, draped
just past her shoulders, with a subtle indication of curling. Her
almond-colored eyes, accented by the slightest pull of an oval
shape, hinted at her Asian heritage; they seemed to glow with
golden flecks in the morning sun.

"Thanks," she said in a delicate voice as she
breezed past him, the scent of wild roses following in her
wake.

Danny gulped down hard, struggling for
something to say. However, time refused to wait forever; as the
moment passed, she disappeared into the crowd of incoming
students.

"Who was that?" he asked Alonso.

Alonso's blue eyes darted into the swell of
students. Turning back to Danny, he shrugged in response. "Must be
a new student," he said.

The ten-minute bell rang, forcing Danny out
of his sudden reverie.

"Well, I'll see ya later," said Alonso,
bounding off up the stairs.

Alone, in the middle of a sea of familiar and
unfamiliar faces, Danny walked down the hall that paralleled the
gym and looked for his locker number. He found it without
difficulty, made a mental note of its location and then ascended
the stairs to locate his first class.

The day progressed smoothly. His first class
was music, his second was math. He had yet to acquire any homework,
but since it was the first day, that was to be expected.

Looking down at his schedule, in the busy
hallway after math class, he confirmed that gym was next. He walked
through the double steel doors that marked the entrance to the gym,
just before the five-minute bell. He was surprised to see Chris
Greene standing over by the bleachers.

"Hey, Chris!" Danny yelled, waving.

Chris Greene was his best friend and his only
popular acquaintance in school, other than Alonso. Known for his
aptitude in the martial arts, as well as the wrestling ring and
football field, Chris had broad shoulders, intimidating biceps and
an ever-present look of confidence. Practicing the martial arts,
specifically Bushi Ryu Jujitsu, was a family tradition—a tradition
his father had insisted upon as soon as Chris had been capable of
walking. He was, perhaps, in better shape than anyone else in
school. He was the last person anyone would ever try to bully,
which often worked out well for Danny. He kept his brown hair
trimmed short and his green eyes always seemed to have an air of
wisdom about them. He was, over-all, the typical jock—except for
the fact that he was, above all, a nice person and a good
friend.

"Hey, Danny, how were your first few
classes?" Chris asked, after waving back, closing the distance
between them.

"Alright, I guess. No homework."

"Same here, but we still have three more
classes today."

"Oh, don't remind me," Danny said,
jokingly.

The final bell sounded, echoing throughout
the gym.

"Well, I guess that means it's time for
P.E.," said Chris, looking around, running his right hand through
his dark-brown hair.

"Alright, ladies and gentlemen!" Mr. Ingram
yelled. The gym teacher stood in the middle of the glossy wooden
floor. "Over here please, so that we can take attendance," he said,
pointing to a spot in the center of the gym floor. "Now, when I
call your name, I want you to sit where I direct you."

While Mr. Ingram called out names and
organized the group, Danny took the opportunity to investigate the
other faces that made up his class.

The first person he recognized was Steven
Rooney, the all-around jock and bully. Big and bulky for his age,
Steven used his size to intimidate others and push them around. He
had a bulbous nose and a rounded chin, giving him a comical look
that might have made others laugh if he wasn't a middle school
bully.

Standing beside him as he scratched a scalp
of long, curly, brown hair stood Marie Topeland, a mean-spirited
young girl who thought the world owed her everything and more. With
cold grey eyes, accented by a heavy dose of eye shadow, she looked
lazily around the gym while sighing at her own misfortune. Her
clothes mimicked those of the most fashionable. The popular girl in
school, she seemed to always have the same smug look on her face.
Mean, vicious, and condescending, she could often be crueler with
words than Steven could ever hope to be with brawn.

Danny sighed at his luck. Of all the classes,
why did he have to end up in the same class with these two?

Continuing to search through the crowd, he
stopped, noticing one familiar person, in particular.

Her black hair, now tied up in a ponytail,
left her softly freckled face revealed for him to investigate
further. She wore a white T-shirt and blue denim jeans. She was
slender, yet commanded an aura of strength.

"Chris?" Danny asked, nudging his friend in
the side.

"What?"

"Who's that?" Caught in his own trance, Danny
neglected to point out the person he intended his friend to
name.

Without questioning him, Chris followed his
friend's gaze. "I don't know, man. I've never seen her before. She
must be a new girl."

No matter how hard he tried, Danny couldn't
take his eyes off her. He had suffered the curse of crushes before,
yet nothing had ever felt this strong to him. For some reason, he
had to get to know this girl.

Her head swiveled in his direction. Danny
felt his heart skip a beat as he moved to avert his eyes, hoping
she hadn't noticed him staring.

Someone said his name. "Danny! Danny
Firoth!"

Danny searched the gym and found that all
eyes were on him.

"Pay attention, Danny!" Mr. Ingram yelled,
giving the other students an excuse to laugh. "Quiet!" he
commanded, pushing a pair of black-rimmed glasses farther up the
bridge of his nose. With slinky, black hair cut in the shape of a
bowl and a bulky build, Mr. Ingram was a humorous, imposing sight,
but no one ever laughed at him, openly. "You're in group B, Danny,"
he said, pointing to a spot on the gym floor.

Beyond embarrassed, Danny stalked over to his
designated spot and sat down. He sighed as the teacher called out
three more names, one of which, to Danny's sullen surprise, was
Marie Topeland. However, Danny felt a little better when Mr. Ingram
announced Chris's name next.

The students sat in rows of four, which
placed Chris right next to Danny, and Marie to his upper right.
Both boys gave each other a high-five as Chris walked over to where
Mr. Ingram pointed.

"Alright, and now those of you who will be in
group C," continued the teacher, after calling off the last three
names of the students who would be in Danny's group.

Danny kept his attention focused on the new
face. He was desperate to know her name; he figured he was
relatively clever to wait until the teacher placed her in a group,
calling her name out loud.

Mr. Ingram went down the list as Danny waited
with a growing impatience. He listened painstakingly to name after
name, and he grinned triumphantly when he heard the unfamiliar
one.

"Sabrina Drake?"

Danny watched her with a focused stare as
recognition flashed in her body’s posture; she raised her slender
right arm in confirmation. "Here," she said in a soft tone.

To his upper right, Marie snorted. "The new
girl looks ridiculous. Just look at her clothes. And her hair—I
mean, come on."

Danny glared at her, intent on doing or
saying something in Sabrina's defense.

As if sensing his anger from behind, Marie
turned around. "Boo, can I help you?"

Danny bit his lip and turned his gaze back to
Sabrina Drake as she walked to her designated place and descended
with a practiced grace, folding her legs as she sat. She flicked
the length of her long black ponytail behind her so that it rested
in the small of her back just before turning and looking in Danny's
direction. Whether she'd sensed his gaze or heard Marie's comments,
Danny wasn't sure. In either case, her eyes stared into his.

He felt his heart skip a beat for the second
time as his body temperature jumped ten degrees. He dropped his
gaze with a quick jerk of the head and turned to Chris, who looked
interested in a girl of his own.

In group A, in the first row, second back,
sat Ann Nelson. She was athletic, labeled by most as a tomboy,
which Danny surmised held Chris' attention. Her deep-red hair
danced as she talked with another girl behind her.