Secrets of Yden (13 page)

****

When Casey joined Jon in the library, he was using a cleaning spell to remove all traces of January's perfume. Casey raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"I thought you and January hated each other."

"We do."

"Anastasia L'Amour says different.
"

"Yeah, well, don't believe everything you smell."

He wasn't sure why he was being so defensive
. I managed to have a decent evening with January Beck and it's no big thing.
He still didn't trust her… but the look of panic on her face before the dance had made her seem more human. She'd been scared to death, and in that brief moment when her guard slipped, January showed she was vulnerable. She'd needed his strength. He'd brushed it off when she called him noble, but he had to admit his bruised ego enjoyed the compliment. The night was hardly anything to build a relationship on, but it was nice to be needed.

A muscle tightened in his jaw.
Kira doesn't need me and for all I know, she never will.

With that happy thought, Jon sat down at the table and began to skim scrolls. If Casey's theory was correct, the next event window was coming up quickly, and it seemed as if they were no closer to finding a solution. Jon planned to copy more dark magic scrolls later that afternoon to stash in his duffle bag. Since he was learning all about Efysian's dirty tricks, he'd begun to think the scrolls should be required reading for everyone.
I can't believe a wizard so obsessed with extending his own life wouldn't have spells about time in his possession. I just need to find them before it's too late.

****

Wednesday night, Jon found an email from January containing Internet links to several celebrity gossip websites. Baffled, he almost deleted the email, but then his curiosity got the better of him. When he clicked on the links he was shocked to see photos from outside The Blue Room restaurant. One caption read: "January Beck's latest boy toy, art prodigy Jon Hansen." Another read: "New Dynamic Duo — Jan & Jon 4Ever."

"I'm going to
die
," he said, aghast.

One of the links led to a short interview with January, in which she talked about her work on
Immortal Soule
and her new boyfriend.

"It was love at first sight for the both of us," Miss Beck gushed. "Jon's absolutely devoted to me. He's a brilliant artist and I get to see the world through his eyes. We couldn't be happier."

Love at first sight? Boy toy? It was humiliating. Jon shot back an email to January, telling her to knock it off. She responded by calling him a poor sport. Easy for her to say
.

****

Friday night was Dr. and Mrs. Hansen's wedding anniversary and they planned a night out to dinner and the theater. After his parents left, Jon went to find his sister. She was sprawled on the floor of her room, reading a comic.

"Hey, Squirt. Want to go to the movies?"

She jumped up and practically screamed with enthusiasm. He drove her to the theater at the mall, where their first choice of movies was sold out. Jon bought tickets to their second choice, which was starting in a half hour. To pass the time, his sister dragged him over to the food court to buy her a slice of pizza and a drink.

Jon suddenly spied Brett and Max on the far side of the food court, sitting at a table half-hidden by a pillar.

"Hey, let's go say hi," he said.

As Jon and Sela cleared the pillar, he could see Brett and Max were seated with another couple — Kira and Davy. Jon paused midstep and reached for Sela's arm to steer her in the other direction. Unfortunately, Brett spotted them at that exact moment and waved.

Rats.

Jon forced a pleasant expression onto his face as he closed the distance, although he suspected he looked as though he'd overdosed on a dish of Sela's favorite Sour Puss Lemon-Lime Sorbet. "Hey," he said, nodding at Davy. "This is my sister, Sela."

"What's up?" Davy gave Sela a wink.

"We're going to a movie!" she exclaimed.

Davy was sitting in a wheelchair, and Jon felt a rush of satisfaction. No casts or braces were visible, but Jon guessed he must have hurt something during football practice. If he was in a wheelchair, Davy wasn't going to be doing a lot of dancing with Kira at homecoming tomorrow night.
Too bad
. Maybe Kira and Davy weren't going to go at all now, though, which would make Jon's appearance with January Beck less of a triumph.

"Congratulations on your art exhibit," Davy said. "My parents are patrons of the museum. They just got a couple of passes to the exhibit in the mail."

"Thanks," Jon said. "I'll be at the preview, so if they come, I hope they introduce themselves to me."

"I'd like to see that
Warrior Princess
picture in person." Davy smiled at Kira and reached over to squeeze her hand.

Jon wondered if his eyeballs had begun to bleed. "Well, we gotta go. Have a good one." He nodded at Brett and Max, collected Sela, and pulled her toward the multiplex.

"Ouch," Sela said, twisting out of his iron grip. "You don't have to take it out on me you know."

"What do you mean?"

"All I can say is, 'jealous much'?"

"You want to go to the movies or do you want to bust my chops?"

Sela wisely zipped her lips. Jon bought her popcorn, candy, and a huge slushy drink in the theater to make up for the fact she hadn't gotten her pizza.

****

After the movie, Jon and Sela returned to an empty house. He tucked his sister into bed and spent the next hour reading dark magic. Although he didn't find anything about the anomaly, his choice of reading material fit his dour mood. It seemed as if his life had started to careen out of control, and none of the choices he'd made were working. He'd wanted to become somebody to impress Kira, but apparently she couldn't have cared less.

Although it was nearly midnight, Jon changed into some sweatpants and went down to the garage to work out. When his parents returned home, he was still at it, wild-eyed and soaked through with perspiration. Even though he'd worn hand wraps, his knuckles were bloody and bruised from hitting the heavy bag. His parents exchanged a glance before Jon's mother went into the house to check on Sela.

"You and Mom have a good time?" Jon asked, blinking sweat out of his eyes.

His father peered at him. "It's kind of late for you to be doing this. Is everything okay?"

"I don't know." Jon gave the heavy bag one last punch. "I thought I knew what was going to make me happy, but it's all turning to slime."

"I don't know what will make you happy. That's something you're going to have to work out for yourself. But you might just be looking in the wrong places."

"What do you mean?"

"Other people aren't responsible for your happiness. Not your friends and not Kira. If I were you, I'd look back at the times in your life you were happy and figure out why. That might give you a few clues."

Jon managed a weak smile. "Okay. Thanks."

His father shooed him into the house. Exhausted and frustrated, Jon took a quick shower before falling into bed. Just before he closed his eyes, he set his alarm for dawn so he could get a full day of training in on Dragon Isle.
I hope Max is feeling mean because I'm in the mood for some no-holds-barred, hardcore sparring.

****

Max, Ian, Finn, and Jon spent a good part of Saturday at Dragonhenge practicing some three-on-one sparring. At one point, Jon whispered, "Boo!" into his cupped fingers and magically threw his voice right behind Ian's head. Ian flinched and turned, which allowed Max to nail him with a repulsion shot. Ian went flying, face first, toward one of the massive stones ringing the outdoor classroom.

Oops.

With a wave of his fingers, Jon barely stopped Ian before impact. Although no harm was done, he felt bad about it. Ian was a perpetual practical joker, but Jon hadn't wanted him to get hurt.
Sometimes I have the good judgment of a pea.
Nevertheless, when Ian realized what Jon had done, he made him pay for it. To Jon's delight, Ian, Max and Finn all ganged up on him.

Bruised and battered, but in a better mood, Jon transported home in the late afternoon to dress for his homecoming dance. He and January would be meeting Fred, Ronny, Casey, and Mo for dinner beforehand at a Polynesian restaurant on Shelter Island. Jon wore a pair of khaki pants and a silky black camp-style shirt with hibiscus blossoms on it. He'd borrowed the shirt from Charles, who'd acquired it in Hawaii a couple of years before. For January he'd bought a fragrant orchid wrist corsage, and just for fun he also bought an orchid lei for Lynn. He arrived at Lynn's house just before six. When Lynn let him in, Jon put the lei around her neck. "Aloha."

Lynn took a moment to enjoy the fragrant flowers. "How heavenly! This is so thoughtful, Jon, but I suppose I should say something strict about not keeping my sister out too late."

Jon laughed. "You're tough, but we won't stay out too late, I promise."

"What a shame," January said as she sailed into the living room. "I like to stay out late."

January wore a short satin dress in black with a tropical flower pattern. The centers of the flowers were dotted with eye-catching crystals. The most remarkable thing about January, however, was her nearly straight hair. She'd parted it on one side and it flowed down her back like a dark, wavy waterfall.

"How'd you do that?" Jon asked, amazed. "What happened to your curls?"

She exchanged an amused glance with her sister. "It was magic."

Jon's eyes widened, but Lynn shook her head slightly and gave him a wink. "Not magic, exactly, but we girls have our little secrets."

I have my secrets too, so that's fair.

"Whatever it was, you look fantastic," Jon said.

****

On the way to Shelter Island, January and Jon managed to keep a civil conversation going. According to January, she'd been hanging out with Phyllis and settling into her class work.

"I'm also planning to audition for the school play," she said.

"That'll be a knuckle-biter. You're a cinch."

"I don't know. It's a musical. My voice is okay, but the competition is steep."

"Ha! The other girls aren't as pretty as you are," Jon said before he could stop himself. Afterward, he wished he hadn't said it. Out of the corner of his eye he could see January studying him.

"You think I'm pretty?"

"Of course you're pretty. You're a movie star. That's why you get paid the big bucks."

January was quiet for a several long seconds. "So… how do you want to play it tonight?"

"Huh?"

"Do you want to be madly in love, somewhat attracted, or just friendly?"

"What? We don't have to pretend or anything. We should be… normal."

"Well, which girl are we trying to annoy?"

Jon winced. Admittedly he'd said that before, but now it sounded mean and petty. "Just forget about bugging anyone, okay? Let's just have fun."

His friends did their best not to stare when January and Jon entered the restaurant, but they were the only ones. Several people approached January for autographs during the meal. To her credit, she was always gracious. One of the younger tweens even shoved a piece of paper at Jon.

"Sorry?" he said, confused.

"You're Jon Hansen, aren't you?" she said, trembling. "Can I have your autograph, too?"

Feeling once more as if he'd entered a twilight dimension, Jon smiled, drew a quick, cute caricature of the girl, and signed it. To his embarrassment, the girl squealed with delight and left. He stared out the window afterward, praying none of his friends said anything. Fred merely waved to the waitress and ordered chocolate éclairs for dessert. January was on her best behavior through dinner, and Jon could tell his friends had warmed to her right away.

They don't know her like I do.