Spellbound (Spellbringers Book 1) (20 page)

~Bryce

I read and reread his email, confusion making
my head spin. My first instinct was to wonder if it was really him
writing it. My second thought was that it was a joke. Surely, Bryce
wouldn’t be so cruel, would he? I reviewed every conversation I’d
ever had with Bryce, however insignificant. There was nothing that
would indicate he liked me. Well, there was the kiss. Oh, and the
time Mikael supposedly expressed an interest in me, so Bryce told
him I was only fourteen. That was weird. Oh, and the time where he
tried to claim me as his tennis partner. He was just messing
around, though. Besides those few little instances, there was
nothing. My general opinion over the last few months was that Bryce
could barely tolerate me. Not much to build a relationship on, I’d
say.

I needed to talk to someone about this, but
who? Jace’s face popped into my head first, but I immediately
discarded that idea. Bryce was his brother, a brother he could
barely stand. I would feel disloyal talking about it with him. I
wouldn’t want Jace to think I’d been scamming on his brother the
whole time we were friends. And besides, Jace had said some pretty
nasty things about Bryce. I didn’t want him to think I was some
heartless girl playing one brother against the other.

Rachel. I could talk to her, maybe. Or maybe
not. She and Jace had some creepy mind reading thing going on, and
I didn’t want him to pick my secret out of her brain. Not Rachel
then. I guessed the only thing to do would be to email Bryce. I
would keep it casual and not say anything much, just in case it was
a joke. Assuming Bryce was not joking, it would be cruel to keep
him waiting, so I decided to reply right away.

Bryce,

I don’t hate you, so don’t worry
about that. Everything is fine here. Jace, Rachel and I started
back to school today which was a nightmare. I nearly succumbed to
the boredom and pointlessness that is public education.
Unfortunately, I emerged unscathed and am still alive, only to have
to face another day of the same torture.

You probably attended high school
in some exotic, far-off place where everyone wore bikinis to school
and drank fruity drinks out of a coconut at lunchtime. Well, here
it is unbearably dull. I’m grateful, however, that no one wears
bikinis to school. I shudder just thinking about it.

I will continue to keep Jace in
line and will look out for your parents as well. I hope you’re okay
wherever you are. Please stay safe.

~Alisa

Okay. I thought my response was well written.
Light-hearted, but caring and concerned for his safety and
well-being. I congratulated myself on a job well done. Refocusing
on my research assignment, I surfed the internet for facts on
Napoleonic France. Maybe Bryce was in France, I thought, my focus
wavering just a bit. No, I told myself. I must get something done
today, or this assignment would snowball until I was left with a
massive project to complete at the last minute. Been there, done
that.

I forced myself to continue until I
successfully located four good sources, and printed about twenty
pages of documents to read later. After completing my math homework
and studying a few Spanish vocabulary words, I went downstairs to
set the table for dinner.

Dinner with my family was always a silent
affair with Dad in front of the television, and me and Mom at the
table, our noses stuck in some sort of reading material. Mom worked
for my Aunt Leanne’s real estate firm and often brought work home.
Dad was just plain obsessed with televised sports. I was an
incurable book junkie who dragged a dog-eared paperback with me
everywhere I went, even to the kitchen table.

After dinner, I cleared the table, started the
dishwasher, and said a quick goodnight to my parents. After
retreating to the comfort of my bedroom, I replied to a couple of
text messages from Jace and decided to check my email before
getting into bed.

My heart skipped a beat, then jolted back into
rhythm upon discovering another message from Bryce. I opened it, my
eyes darting quickly over his words. I read his message more slowly
the second time.

Alisa,

Thanks for writing me back. I was
afraid you wouldn’t. I’m happy everyone there is doing okay. It’s
cold here and I’m exhausted from training. Don’t tell my dad, but
I’m starting to rethink my career choice. Hanging out in the
tropics sounds pretty good right about now, but Georgia sounds even
better.

About your hatred of high school,
I feel your pain. I hated high school and sometimes have nightmares
that I’m back there all over again.

I can’t wait to come home in June.
The next few months will be torture. Write me as often as you can.
I don’t mean to sound desperate, but I kind of am. All this
dormitory type living and male camaraderie gets old. When I come
home, can you make me some more chocolate chip cookies?

I should probably sign off and get
some sleep. It’s pretty late at night here. Take care of yourself,
Alisa, and sweet dreams.

~Bryce

I decided I should go ahead and write back. If
it was only seven o’clock here, and it was really late there, he
must be… I didn’t know. Somewhere far away. I sighed and thought
for a few minutes about what I should say.

My cell phone rang, startling me. I looked at
the caller ID. Jace. I’ll have to call him back, I thought, turning
back to my computer screen.

Bryce,

Of course I’ll write as often as I
can. Fortunately for you, I have no life, so I have ample free
time. Even if I were extremely busy, I would make time to email
you. Are you able to get instant messages where you are? I can’t IM
or email from my phone because it’s an ancient piece of crap, but I
can IM from my computer.

I’m sorry you’re having such a
difficult time. I worry about you. I’m certain your parents would
support you in whatever you decide, should you choose to come home.
If there is anything I can do to help you, please let me
know.

On a more positive note, I have an
appointment to take my driver’s test this Saturday. If I pass, I
will have in my possession state issued identification which will
enable me to prove my age in the event that someone should decide
to mislead others into thinking I am only fourteen. Oh, and I will
also be able to legally operate a motor vehicle without an adult
present. That’s pretty cool too. When you come home, I can take you
for a spin, if you dare. See, that gives us both something to look
forward to.

~Alisa

P.S. Chocolate chip cookies are a
done deal.

Yawning, I shut down my computer,
grabbed my phone, and collapsed in bed. I quickly returned
Jace’s phone call, pleading exhaustion as my
excuse for cutting our conversation short. In truth, I had two
reasons for not wanting to talk to Jace. The first reason was I
didn’t trust myself not to let it slip that Bryce and I were
communicating. The second reason was I wanted to lie down in the
dark and think about this new development in the unpredictability
of my life. I fell asleep fairly quickly considering the fact that
I had a great deal to agonize about.

The next morning, I actually sprang from bed
the first time my alarm sounded. I showered while my computer woke
up. As soon as I pulled on sweats and towel dried my hair, I opened
my email.

Alisa,

Waiting for your messages has been
the only bright spot in my life since I’ve been back at WTB. No, I
can’t send instant messages from here. Security is tight. It’s
actually the first year they’ve allowed WTB students to have email
access, so I consider myself lucky.

I look forward to getting into a
car with you behind the wheel. It’s not that I have a death wish. I
just have a thirst for adventure. As for your state issued
identification proving your age, I won’t let any guys get close
enough to you for it to become necessary. Sorry to disappoint
you.

I’m not quite ready to bail on
training and come home. Adversity builds character, my dad always
says, so I guess when I come home in June I’ll be full of it.
Character, I mean. There’s a lot to live up to here. My dad trained
here, then Royce. I’m afraid I’m not living up to my instructors’
expectations. I just need to work a little harder.

How is your training coming along?
Jace isn’t much of a sparring partner. He gets distracted too
easily. His speed will be something to be reckoned with if he ever
learns to control it. I hate to admit it, but at his best, he is
faster than I am.

One thing I forgot to tell you
before I left to come here—you don’t need magic to be special. I
know you think less of yourself because you don’t have magic, but
don’t. There’s something about you that’s way beyond average. My
mom sees it and so do I.

Have a good day at school,
Alisa.

~Bryce

My face heated as I re-read the part where he
said he wouldn’t let any guys get close to me. His words sent
shivers through me, but he was probably just joking around. Wasn’t
he?

I shot off a quick email before finishing my
morning routine. Since I didn’t fix my hair or wear makeup, getting
ready wasn’t too time consuming. Jace had a dentist appointment
that morning, so I had to rely on my mom for a ride. When I finally
made my way downstairs, Mom was waiting impatiently. My dad was
long gone before my alarm even went off. Mom, although she would
never admit it, was perpetually running behind. Like me, she messed
around until the last minute, and then became irritated when she
discovered she was late.

“Alisa, what are you wearing?” she barked at
me.

“Um, sweats?” I tugged at the hem of my
hoodie. She narrowed her eyes before turning away and heading out
the door toward her car. I tripped over the curb, righting myself
before dropping all my books. My mom sighed deeply as we drove
away. I knew what she was thinking: too bad I’m not more like my
cousin Becky.

She saw me as an uncoordinated,
unsophisticated lump. If she could see me in Abe’s training studio,
she wouldn’t even recognize me. Around the Alexanders I was, for
the most part, graceful, confident—everything she wanted me to be.
When I was with her, I reverted back to the old Alisa. The socially
inept, clumsy, scatter-brained girl she was accustomed to living
with.

Even Jace was shocked by the way I reacted to
my mother. When he came to my house for dinner over Winter Break,
my mother was ridiculous in the way she overdid things. So anxious
to please him, it was as if she wasn’t confident in my ability to
keep him as a friend. She tried to make up for my shortcomings, as
she viewed them, by initiating conversation, complimenting him, and
eventually apologizing for my faults. The more she talked, the more
I tripped over my words. The more she tried to act the part of the
gracious hostess, the more I faded into the background.

My dad was no better, but at least he made it
through dinner without making an idiot out of himself. He tried to
carry on a conversation with Jace, but was stumped when he
discovered Jace didn’t play football, or even know much about it.
Poor Daddy. With my inability to catch a man, he may never have the
son-in-law he’s always wanted.

To make a long and painful story short, the
evening was a disaster. I hoped my mom learned a valuable lesson
and would refrain from trying to accelerate my friendships in the
future. For sure, Jace learned an important lesson. He would never
accept a dinner invitation to my house again unless I was the one
initiating it. And that would never happen.

***

The school day threatened to be even more
atrocious than the day before. There were already students milling
around in the hallways when I arrived. I despised entering a
half-full classroom and having to walk in front of everyone.
Feeling awkward and hideous in my slovenly sweats, I had barely
seated myself when I heard the most horrifying sound
imaginable.

“Who’s the new boy?” Becky shrieked. “Oh, I’m
sorry, Alisa. With your scraggly hair and boy clothes I thought you
were one of those foreign refuges…” She giggled maliciously, her
fans eager to join in.

“That’s okay, Becky. Don’t worry about it.
Common mistake. I mean, it could happen to anyone, right? The last
time I ran into you at Carol’s House of Beauty right before you got
your lip waxed, I totally thought you were a man. Actually,” I
said, squinting, “you may be due for another appointment.” Laughter
rang out across the classroom, the loudest, of course, coming from
Rachel.

Becky was livid and I knew she would never let
me live this one down. She would take swift and brutal retaliatory
measures. She wouldn’t waste her time trying to embarrass me in
front of the rest of the school. That was pointless. I feared she
would go after the people I cared about and would try to ruin my
friendship with Jace and Rachel. I spent the entire class mired in
apprehension.

Rachel caught me in the hall before second
period. “Hey, don’t worry about Becky. We’ll stay one step ahead of
her in whatever she plans. Right now, the only thing she’ll do is
say something to your aunt and try to get you in trouble with your
mom.”

I gave her a weird look, not quite certain how
she came by her information, but suspecting.