[Sig – 13 years]


    All the fun I had playing World of Myst with Aunt Rachel last night is gone now. We''re on our way to… somewhere, I don''t know where. Aunt Rachel said it''s to celebrate and she had my bring my outdoor play backpack, but I don''t know where we''re going. Or care, really.


    My parents really don''t love me. They really don''t want me. They even said that to the judge. I really shouldn''t be feeling this awful over it, but why don''t they love me? I''ve tried being the best I can be and they don''t want me.


    The judge didn''t even go through all three binders of evidence the dads brought for the hearing. I don''t blame her, they weren''t thin ones at all and they were full of pictures, screenshots, texts, receipts, and more. There was even a flash drive with video footage – the dads apparently sneakily recorded them stocking the fridge and cabinets whenever they showed up with food for me, showing that things were completely empty when my parents weren''t home.


    Including when there was a note on the fridge beside the grocery list.


    I didn''t know they made those recordings. I also didn''t know my parents were back. They''ve apparently been back since Monday. Aunt Rachel says that they''d texted her to let her know they were going to be gone for longer and she let them know that they needed to be back by Monday at the latest and there was a court hearing on Friday.


    They apparently came back, but never even said hi to me.


    It feels like we''ve been driving for awhile now, and I still can''t bring myself to be happy over getting to live with Aunt Rachel and not having to buy most of my own food.


    "We''re here," Aunt Rachel says. "Come on, Sig. You''ll cheer up fast, I promise."


    "Whatever," I mumble and get out of the car.


    Within seconds, I''m tackled to the ground by something big, fluffy, and a little bit wet. It''s a large dog with blue-clear fur and blue skin with a faint green hue. Around his paws and ears, water "flows" off of them in a sort of wiggle-bubble pattern, smaller drops pulling away from them before vanishing.


    "Bubbly!" I giggle as he licks me. "Get off of me, Bubbly! Stop licking me! Wait! Bubbly?"


    Bubbly is one of Carter''s family''s dogs. He''s here?


    A sharp whistle sounds out and Bubbly gets off of me and trots over to Carter, who''s sitting in the grass about twenty feet away, dressed in jeans, his boots, and a brownish-red button-up that''s tucked into his pants. In addition to that, he''s wearing a black belt around his waist and a black cowboy hat with a flame-like pattern around the band atop his head.


    Sitting beside Carter is Tate, who''s dressed similarly, though his shirt''s a more pinkish-purple one and his hat is a deep purple. That outfit looks good on him.


    "Come here, you big goof," Carter messes with Bubbly''s head as the dog takes a seat beside him, and he looks at me. "Hey, S.G.!"


    "No wonder the ride felt so long," I say as we all stand and walk forward, giving fist bumps when we reach each other. "Wait. Aunt Rachel?"


    "I told you," she smiles. "It''s something that''s going to cheer you up."


    But this? I know she''s not really comfortable with them because of their ability to use mind magics, so her bringing me out here for this is just incredible. So much so that I give her a big hug before returning to my friends.


    "We only found out after you were on your way here," Tate tells me. "But were sworn to secrecy!"


    "Figured we''d have Bubbly out here to give you a lick attack on arrival," Carter tells me. "Your aunt''s paying for trail rides for the two of you, and I''m gonna be the guide!"


    "You''re allowed to do that?" I ask.


    "As of this summer!" He puffs up his chest.


    "With your dad or brother present," Tate adds.


    "Well, yeah," Carter says. "But it''s still me doing the actual guide work! Also, I know you don''t have riding clothes – that''s fine! You can borrow a change of mine, we''re the same size. The friend special! Come on, let''s go to the office! I''ve already got them in there!"


    We head to the first building here, the one right off the parking lot. Mrs. Martins is in the reception room when we enter, and she gives me a big smile when she sees me.


    "Afternoon, S.G.," she says. "Been quite awhile. How''ve you been?"


    "A lot has happened."


    "I''ve heard," she chuckles. "Carter said he''s letting you borrow some of his riding clothes, you boys can go get changed now, then head to the barn."


    "Yes, ma''am!" Carter salutes, then we head past his mom and into one of the changing rooms here, where the outfit''s already set out. "Here you go! And that''s a spare pair of boots but they''re broken in, so your feet should be fine."


    The outfit''s almost the same as theirs is, except the shirt is reddish-orange and the hat matches his own.


    "Oh, and the hat''s new," Tate adds. "I bought it before coming over and they altered it for the ranch''s design."


    "Why?" I ask as I start changing.


    "For you!" He grins. "To celebrate!"


    It''s a gift for me? That''s pretty awesome and makes me feel happy in a weird way.


    "Thanks, man!" I give him a half-hug. "It''s pretty cool!"


    I finish changing outfits, then slip the hat on and give my best smug look, but that just sends the three of us into a fit of laughter.


    "By the way," Carter says once we calm down. "We do have someone else coming from Dragon Falls for trail rides. We got a call during asking about booking a slot for them."


    "Really?" I ask. "I know you guys do rides on Fridays during summer, too, but two groups from Dragon Falls?" I narrow my gaze at him. "They aren''t my friends, are they? That''d be an awesome surprise."


    "It''s not," he snorts. "Dad''s going to take them, it''s a rich kid named Lucas Gates. He comes out here usually two or three times a summer, though this is his first time this year. Which is weird, but I guess he''s just been really busy."


    Lucas Gates? If I remember correctly, he''s the one who normally hangs out during Xander''s classes so that he''s not alone.


    "His friend''s coming out, right?" Tate asks. "Parker, was it?"


    "Parker always comes out," Carter tells him. "It''s a group of five this time, so there''s someone else aside from them and Luke''s dad. Maybe his mom? Or one of Parker''s parents? Maybe both, since it''s two more."


    "I know Parker," I say. "He''s a cool kid and hangs out with us at the park sometimes. Come on! Let''s go ride horses!"


    We leave the office building and head to the barn where the horses available for riding are. In the prep area are several horses already, including both Tate''s and Carter''s.


    Carter''s horse is a flaremane, with a coal-black pelt and blue-and-white flames for a mane and tail, more flames drifting off his feet the same way water drifts off of Bubbly''s. It''s a gorgeous horse and I''ve kind of always been a little jealous that he gets his own… but he literally lives on a flaremane horse ranch, so he kind of has an unfair advantage in that regard.


    Though Carter''s horse isn''t a "standard" flaremane, but a high breed. Normal flaremanes – like what Aunt Rachel and I will be riding – have orange, yellow, and red flames. They''re still pretty awesome, though, and I love riding them regardless!


    Tate''s horse has a deep purple pelt with a faint pink hue to it, mostly seen when the light catches it just right. His mane and tail are both pink with a faint purple hue to them, mostly seen when the light catches them just right. Much like the flaremanes, it''s a magic breed. Thoughtwalls are a specialized breed of horse that was developed just for people who deal with beasts that use mind magics – such as mindwave cattle.


    Since his horse is here, that means he probably rode the big guy over. Did he ride to the store to buy the hat, too? The drive from Dragon Falls to here takes a few hours so he definitely had the time for that.


    Much like Carter, Tate gets his own horse because of his family. They actually raise thoughtwalls on their ranch, in addition to the mindwave cattle, but they aren''t open to the public.


    I kind of wish I had one of those, too, but I know I can''t. Both breeds require a lot of special attention so they''re not something someone can just have. With me living so far away, I doubt I could really make use of my own horse, only riding him on a rare occasion. They also probably cost quite a lot to care for, too.


    "Since your aunt''s never ridden before," Carter says as we reach the horses. "She''s going to get taught the basics and allowed to ride in the beginner''s pen for a little bit to get a feel for it."


    "Hi, Mr. Martins!" I call as Carter''s dad enters the barn with another horse.


    "Hey, S.G.," he says. "You boys getting ready to go out?"


    "Nah," Carter answers. "We gotta get his aunt riding a horse before we can go."


    "And here I am," Aunt Rachel says, and we turn to see that she''s changed into riding gear, though she''s not wearing a hat. "What do we do now?"


    "Saddle up!" I answer.


    "A bit more than that," Carter snorts. "I''ll show you."


    We prepare the horses for riding, then mount them. Collin, Carter''s seventeen-year-old brother, comes out and supervises and prepares and mounts his own horse. One thing I notice is that Aunt Rachel looks nervous about the guns that Carter and Collin have fixed onto their saddles.


    Ma''am, you are riding a horse with a flaming mane. Yes, it''s only a force of light right now, but it can turn it into real flames and incinerate you. Precautionary guns for some wildlife is nothing. And it''s not like Carter and Collin can''t actually handle things without the guns, those are just for "just in case", and I''ve never learned what that is.


    Ready to ride, we go out to the practice pen so Aunt Rachel can get a feel for riding. Just as Carter announces that she''s ready for a trail, the other group comes out. It really is Lucas Gates and Parker, along with another boy our age and Lucas''s dad, with Mr. Martins riding with them as well as a man I don''t recognize but am assuming is the other boy''s dad.


    They do look similar.


    "Hi, Parker!" I wave to him.


    "Hi, S.G.," he greets me as they get near. "You''re out here?"


    "Yup!" I answer. "Tate and Carter are my friends, and I usually come out here once a summer. Hadn''t yet, and Aunt Rachel decided we''d go riding to celebrate something. You guys?"


    "That''s me!" Lucas says. "I usually come out a few times a summer, but got busy with stuff this one and hadn''t managed it yet. Then Parker, Tyler, and I were talking while waiting for the military to show up yesterday and it made me realize I hadn''t been out here yet. This is Tyler," he gestures to the boy I don''t know, then to the unfamiliar man. "And his dad!"


    "Waiting for the military to show up?" Carter asks.


    "Huh?" Lucas looks confused for a moment. "Oh, yeah. Some organization keeps trying to either kidnap or kill me. That''s twice they''ve sent golems after me. Will have to wait until the military finishes interrogating them to find out what''s going on."


    "You''re so nonchalant about getting attacked…" Aunt Rachel trails off.


    "Yeah," I say. "You''re not worried they''re gonna try again?"


    "Please," Lucas rolls his eyes. "If they were a group that actually had the ability to take me on, there''d be a concern. They''ve already proven they can''t. At most, they''re just annoying me. Ended up taking forever to get to where we were going yesterday because of them and having to deal with the military! But that''s not for today! Today, we''re having fun! Let''s ride!"


    They head off with Mr. Martins while we take a different trail with Carter and his brother. As we go, I try to see if there are any magic animals wandering around in the woods we go through. I don''t spot much, but I do spot some fish whose scales shimmer and shift between blues and greens as they swim.


    "Those taste so good," I tell Aunt Rachel. "At least, I remember them being so good. I haven''t had them since I stopped the week-long visits."


    "They are good," Carter agrees. "Their scales are useful in making a few things, too, so we''ve had to deal with poachers trying to catch them here. You can''t find them in many places and we''ve got a decent population on the property."


    "How do you deal with that?" Aunt Rachel asks.


    "Depends on who you ask," Carter grins.


    "There are some pretty good security enchantments on the property boundary," Collin tells us. "If they don''t stop someone, they sound an alarm and put tracking magic on the person. We''re able to find you anywhere, and these boys," he pats the neck of his mount. "Can run pretty fast when we ask them to. Most poachers aren''t willing to deal with someone with a gun on a flaming mount and the few who do quickly learn that magic beast ranchers tend to be pretty strong. Then they learn that there''s a pretty hefty fine and even jail time for poaching."


    "Collin and I are allowed to fish here, though," Carter adds. "It''s our family''s property. And guests can if they have a fishing license."


    "Though since I''m under sixteen," Tate says. "I don''t need one since under-sixteens don''t for fishing here. In this state, I mean. Just need permission from the owner!"


    "Oh!" I remember something. "Do you still have the picture of the one we caught last time? In the lake?"


    "It''s hung up on the wall in my room!" Tate nods. "That thing was huge!"


    We talk more about the fish for a little bit, then return to trying to spot other magical animals in the woods. After about forty-five minutes, the barns come into view once more.


    "This was pretty fun," I tell Tate and Carter as we make our way toward them. "It was nice seeing you again so soon!"


    "Yeah!" Tate says. "You coming out here again was pretty cool! Was starting to doubt it for this summer."


    "Speaking of that," Aunt Rachel says. "We''re not out here for just this evening."


    "What do you mean?" I ask.


    "We''re returning home on Sunday," she tells me. "And I already got permission from the Coxes and Martinses for you to stay with them tonight and tomorrow."


    "Seriously?"


    I know she''s not comfortable because of the mind magics and this is beyond anything I''d hoped for. She''s willing to let me stay the night here as part of a celebration, and I absolutely love it! It''s been so long since I stayed the night here and while I''ll miss out on hanging out with my friends for the weekend, it''s going to be totally worth it.


    "Seriously," she answers.


    "Awesome!" I pump my fists up into the air. "Wait, I don''t have a change of clothes for tomorrow or Sunday."


    "I packed a bag for you," she tells me. "I''ll grab it from the car after we dismount."


    When did she do that?


    "If he''s staying the night," Carter says. "Then we can go out to the lake and catch some fish for dinner! Hey, Collin! Let''s get the fishing rods!"


    "Why use a rod?" Collin asks. "You just use your magic to catch."


    "Because it''s fun!" Carter and Tate exclaim.


    "Also," Carter adds. "S.G. can''t do that."


    "Not yet," I say. "But one day… I''ll use magic to catch a bigger fish than any of you!"


    "Alright," Collin rolls his eyes as he responds to us before we can start goofing around, then he looks at Aunt Rachel. "I''ll get one of the hands to help you with the finish, those three look ready to burst out of desire to head to the lake."


    "The horses can go back out this soon?" She asks.


    "These are pretty high-quality magic beast breeds," Carter says before his brother can respond. "Their stamina and endurance are nothing compared to a normal horse. We can ride ''em on mountain trails all day and they''ll be fine! Oh! We should probably grab our bags to pack some stuff for the lake. Like more food and drinks so that we don''t just have trail mix and fish."


    "Already in your saddlebags," Collin says. "Mom informed me ahead of time that S.G. was going to stay with either use or the Coxes for the weekend and that y''all''d want to go to the lake upon finding out. I put everything we''ll need for that in the saddlebags while you were meeting up with S.G. Alan! Come help Rachel here with the finish. Rachel, you can just drop the bag off at the office."


    Aunt Rachel lets out a small shout when she notices how close I''d gotten while Collin was talking. I''m not close enough to risk an injury, but I did get fairly close.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    "See you, Aunt Rachel!" I tell her. "And thanks so much! It''s gonna be so fun!"


    Since we''re good to go, the four of us guys head back onto the trails, nearing the lake after about an hour. It''s one of their longer trails, and the part of the lake we''re going to is actually hidden from view – it''s below a cliff and we have to leave the trail to go to it. As for the trail itself, it''s about fifty yards from the cliff and only half of the lake can be seen from it.


    Thank goodness we''re that far from it. I don''t like getting too near to the edge from up here, and they avoid doing that on the horses just in case probably for the same reason.


    Once we reach the lake, we dismount and remove the gear from the horses, which are allowed to roam free here – all of the ones we were riding are good about staying near their set location.


    Collin opens up the saddlebags from his saddle, and he really did pack a lot of stuff for us to be able to come and swim and cook at the lake. The bags themselves have spatial expansion enchantments on them, and he was even able to bring a grill!


    "You packed fishing poles!" Carter exclaims while looking through his own saddlebags, causing his brother to laugh.


    "I had a feeling you''d ask for them," Collin chuckles. "You three have fun swimming. We''ll catch some fish to cook in about an hour or so, alright?"


    He doesn''t need to tell us twice and within five minutes, Tate, Carter, and I are in the lake, splashing each other with its cool, crystal-clear, and pretty pure waters. The magic of the lake keeps the waters clean no matter which, which means it''s safe to swim in, cook with, even drink without any additional treatment.


    It also means it stings our eyes a little if we open them while underwater since it''s not salty, but I love doing that and take a look around while trying not to giggle at the goofy faces Tate is making.


    Even after we get out and dry off and catch some fish to cook, Collin doesn''t seem to be in any hurry to make us leave, even after we eat dinner.


    "Shouldn''t we have started heading back by now?" I ask. "It''ll take awhile to get back and the trails will start getting dark if we take too long. Won''t that make it dangerous, since the horses won''t be able to see as well on the trails?"


    "Oh, right," Collin grins as both Tate and Carter realize that we really should be heading back. "The ''rents said if y''all wanted to camp out here tonight, we can. It''s a clear night with no rain so we can sleep under the stars, or I''ve got tents in my saddlebags we can set up. I figured y''all''d want to camp, so didn''t bother mentioning it."


    "Camping!" I pump my fists up into the air. "Let''s do that! Tate! Carter! What do you wanna do?"


    "Let''s camp!" They say.


    "No tent," Tate says. "Did you bring bedrolls, though? Or are we sleeping on the bare ground?"


    "Up to y''all," Collin says. "But I did bring stuff for s''mores, too. When I said I packed everything we''d need for tonight, I meant it. That includes changes of clothes for y''all for the morning, too."


    There''s zero way I''m going to tell Aunt Rachel about what we do… she''ll probably freak out if she finds out that we went swimming in the dark and there''s no way we''re not going to.


    Tonight is going to be amazing!


    <hr>


    [Xander – 12 years] → starts during Sig''s PoV.


    "-and I was just so excited and before I knew it, there were twenty of them and I was running late," I finish explaining why I didn''t show up on time. "And I didn''t want to leave things a mess, so I cleaned up my tools first, too. Even with accelerated time, that did take a few minutes. So I''m sorry for being bad and not back on time, Trey."


    Here''s hoping I''m not in too much trouble and Trey doesn''t cancel the trip.


    "So that''s why you took so long returning from Greyson''s workshop?" Trey asks.


    "Yeah."


    "Well, you''re not in trouble," he says. "The leave time was flexible."


    "So I''m not in trouble?"


    "Correct."


    "But I''m an hour late."


    "I did say you could come back later than that," Trey says. "The latest time I said was five, remember?"


    "But isn''t Russell coming, too?"


    "He is," Trey tells me. "But his dad said they''ll wait for us."


    This is so confusing but I don''t think I''ll be able to understand if even if I keep trying to get clarification.


    "Oh. Okay."


    "Did you pack clothes for the weekend?" Trey asks.


    "Yes," I answer. "Also extra clothes and Mr. Leviathan and plenty of snacks."


    "Alright," he says. "Let''s get going."


    "Are we taking the truck today?" I ask as we walk toward the garage. "Or still the SUV?"


    "Did you want to take the truck?" Trey asks.


    "I don''t know," I tell him. "But we''re going out to the country, right? Don''t they drive pickup trucks there? There''s gotta be a reason for that, right?"


    Trey snorts for some reason.


    "We can take the truck," he says. "Come on."


    For the ride out to Autumn Hills, I listen to the sound of waterfalls on my headphones while doing some programming tweaks on my magitech development laptop. We''re going to Autumn Hills instead of Autumn Vale because they have a better hotel and Trey only wants the best. The two towns are next to each other, though, so I don''t think it really matters.


    "You looked pretty thoughtful there," Trey says as I pull off my headphones when he parks. "Confused?"


    "No," I answer. "Well, a little. This isn''t a hotel, is it? It''s a restaurant."


    This definitely looks like a restaurant to me.


    "It''s past seven in the evening," he says. "So we''re going to get dinner before heading to the hotel. There''s a decent population of mages around here due to the numerous magic beast ranches in the area, so there are a more than few restaurants which cater to them. This is one of them and with how much magic you''ve done over the past few days, I felt you could use it for the recovery boost."


    "Oh," I say. "Thank you. I''ve been doing my best to stay full of food with magical ingredients so that my recovery is faster. But then I went and used a bunch of time magic again yesterday and today. Thank goodness Greyson decided it''s okay for me to have his mana potions. He put a bunch of them in my zone at his workshop. I had two whole bottles before returning home and that wasn''t enough for me to recover all the way. Or even halfway."


    "Don''t over-cast," Trey tells me. "I''m not sure if there will be negative effects from that."


    "I''ll try not to," I tell him.


    "Alright," he says. "So want to share what had you confused?"


    "Oh, I wasn''t confused," I put my laptop back into my backpack, then pull Trenton out. "Not fully. More… uh… not confusion but still not unconfused. About what to do?"


    "Indecisive?"


    "Yeah, that!" I say. "Indecisive! So Grandpa Adrian said I could do what I wanted for the demonstration tomorrow, as long as Mr. Milton and his workers got a good look at the functionality of the AR set, right? And so I was thinking, there''s no better way to do that than to have actual kids play the game. Like, my friends and me. I know Russell was coming along just because you suggested I invite him so that I''ve got another kid to hang out with, but Carter lives in the area. He''s also a streamer, and I was thinking I could stream the demonstration as well, so that it could demonstrate the streaming abilities of the set. And if it was two different streamers doing that, that''d be more effective, right?


    "But," I continue. "S.G.''s out here to hang out with Carter and Tate as a celebration for getting away from his neglectful and abusive parents. And I don''t want to interrupt that. But then at the same time, I also know that S.G. would probably love to play the game. And so would Connor, Sam, and Isaac, who are going to be meeting up with them in the morning."


    Except no one is allowed to tell S.G. that bit as it''s a surprise. Connor, Sam, and Isaac keep sending messages in the chat and I think it''s them attempting to not let S.G. know there''s a surprise. A lot of their conversations seem even more random than usual, and they aren''t posting any pictures at all. Just images of memes from the internet, and it''s never just those.


    They often include pictures they take as well when talking this much. I would be very suspicious, but I guess S.G. isn''t. If he''s figured it out, he''s definitely not saying.


    "So I want to invite them," I say. "But at the same time, I don''t want to interrupt their fun."


    "Xander," Trey says, but then doesn''t say anything else.


    Does he want something, or did he change his mind? I can''t figure it out. Better to ask.


    "Yes, Mr. Trey?"


    "You can still invite them," he says. "They might say ''no'', but you never know – S.G. and Carter might enjoy coming to hang out and play your game."


    "Okay," I say. "Um… can I do that before we go in?"


    "Sure."


    I pull out my phone and call Carter. He gave me his number and asked for mine on Sunday, for potential future collaborations for if he wants to while back in the Dragon Falls area again. But maybe it counts for if I come out to his area?


    "Hi, Xander!" Carter answers the call on the second ring. Is that a fire I hear? "What''s up, man?"


    "I''m a boy," I say. "Not a man. And I''m in Autumn Hills right now and will be doing a demonstration of my augmented reality stuff for a company tomorrow in Autumn Vale. Mostly, its gaming capabilities. It''s at ten in the morning, at the Dream Best Entertainment ''live gaming zone'', as they''re calling it. It''s okay to stream it if you''d like. The game itself is a first-person shooter that mixes laser tag and zombie apocalypse aspects, where you go around shooting zombies in the game. I know you''re hanging out with S.G. this weekend, so I''ll understand if you decline. I just thought I''d invite you just in case. And S.G. and Tate can come as well. I''m going to ask S.G. as well, but I don''t have Tate''s number so I can''t ask him."


    "I can ask both!" Carter says. "S.G.! Tate! Xander''s apparently doing some testing for his augmented reality set tomorrow at ten! It''s a first-person zombie shooter. He wants to know if we''d like to come! Streaming allowed!"


    "I don''t want to head back to Dragon Falls yet," S.G. says in the background. "I don''t think Aunt Rachel would want to go there and then come back, either."


    "He''s doing it in Autumn Vale!" Carter tells him. "At the place where I did that freerunning video I showed you! Apparently, the demonstration is for Dream Best Entertainment!"


    "Oh!" S.G. exclaims. "Yeah! I''d love to go, then! Can you tell him that?"


    "Same," Tate says. "If y''all are going, so am I."


    "They both said they want to go," Carter tells me. "And I already know the location! I did a recording there not long ago! You said it''s at ten?"


    "Yeah," I answer.


    "Then we''ll be there!" He says. "See you tomorrow, Xander!"


    "Bye, Carter," I say, then hang up and look at Trey. "Okay. They said they want to come."


    "Alright," he chuckles. "Let''s go get food."


    I nod, then we exit the truck and head into the restaurant. It''s a burger place that really caters to the mage population of the area, and they even use beef from Tate''s family''s farm, so it''s a higher breed of magic cattle. Pretty much all of their ingredients are sourced in similar ways – higher breeds of crops and beasts – so the food will probably taste really good to me.


    When we enter the small lobby of the restaurant, Russell and his parents are waiting inside. Something about Russell is different. Not just how good his outfit looks, but it''s like he''s got an energy inside of him that I don''t normally feel.


    "Hi, Xander!" Russell holds out a fist.


    "Hi, Russell," I say as I bump his fist with a fist of my own, then with one of Trenton''s paws. "Can I give you a hug?"


    "Sure!"


    I give Russell a hug, and he pats me on the back for a moment.


    "Guess what?" Russell asks.


    "Dragon butt."


    That just came out and I don''t know why, but before I can apologize, Russell just starts laughing while his parents and Trey chuckle.


    "No, no dragon butts here," Russell tells me. "But Dad told his work that he noticed how unhappy I was with having to move again so either they were keeping him here or he was getting a new job. So we''re not moving anymore!"


    "Really?" I ask. "That''s awesome," I look down at Trenton for a moment, then back to Russell while moving Trenton''s paws in a clapping motion. "Trenton agrees."


    "Yeah!" Russell nods, then suddenly fidgets a little. "So. Um. Since I''m not moving anymore, um… do you wanna date?"


    "Yeah."


    "Just remember the rules I went over with you," Trey tells me.


    "I''ll do my best."


    Of course I will. I want to get to hang out with Russell more and not get told I can''t invite him to hang out with me and my other friends, or that I can''t text him anymore. Or sit by him when eating. I don''t understand why some of the rules exist, but I''ll still try my best to follow them.


    "Same with you," Russell''s mom ruffles his hair a little. "Okay?"


    "Yeah!" Russell nods.


    "Let''s let them know the full party''s here," Trey says.


    Ten minutes later, we''re sitting at a table and looking over the menu options. I''m sitting at the end of the table, with Russell on my right, and the adults are sitting on the other side of it from us.


    There are so many choices on the menu, but most of them aren''t interesting to me. I just want mozzarella sticks, onion rings, fries, and a plain cheeseburger. Just… three cheeseburgers, each with their side of fries, but also an extra four sides of fries, and extra two servings of mozzarella sticks, and an extra two servings of onion rings. That should be enough to fill me.


    The waitress doesn''t seem surprised at all by the quantity of food I order, but I think that''s because I''m not the only mage who comes here. I''m probably ordering more than she''s used to seeing someone order, but she''s probably just assuming I''m a powerful mage.


    I do share one of my mozzarella sticks and one of my onion rings with Russell, but he mostly eats fried pickles for his appetizer, sharing them with the adults.


    When we finish eating dinner, we''re served dessert and I order a slice of key lime pie and two slices of strawberry cheesecake. Russell seems indecisive and wants to order the chocolate cake, but goes with cheesecake.


    "Not a bad choice," I whisper to him. "Cheesecake beats chocolate in every way except chocolatiness, and that''s not something that''s good to be the best in."


    "You don''t like chocolate?" The waitress asks.


    I must have only lowered my voice instead of whispered.


    "Chocolate is nasty," I tell her. "And evil. I don''t want to even touch something that touched chocolate."


    "Alright," she says. "Then I''ll note down not to send some with your cheesecake."


    "The menu doesn''t say it comes with chocolate."


    "It''s not on the cheesecake," she says. "But we normally give a condiment cup with chocolate sauce, in case the guest would like to pour it on themselves. No extra charge for that."


    "Oh," I say. "Please don''t give me that, and thank you."


    "Same, and thanks," Russell says.


    "You''re welcome," she smiles, then takes the adults'' dessert orders.


    When the dessert comes out, there''s no chocolate sauce on my plates or Russell''s, and the cheesecake is amazingly delicious. I''m not really fond of the key lime pie, but I still eat the whole thing.


    Trey pays for everyone''s food once we''re done eating, then we head to the hotel. I think he rented the room Russell''s parents are staying in, too. Part of the reason Russell was invited was so that I wasn''t doing the demonstration completely by myself so it''d make sense that his parents'' room is covered for the trip as well.


    "Oh," I say as we enter the hotel''s lobby. "Hi, Luke."


    Luke is here with Parker and Tyler, all three of them wearing jeans, cowboy boots, and button-up shirts. Luke''s shirt is maroon, Parker''s is orange, and Tyler''s is brown. Luke''s dad and Tyler''s dad are both here, but Luke''s mom and Parker''s parents aren''t.


    "It was you!" Luke exclaims as Trey heads over to the reception desk. "I thought I was feeling your electrical signals, but I wasn''t completely sure. What brings you here?"


    "I''m doing a product demonstration tomorrow," I tell him. "This is Russell and those are his parents, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson."


    "The hoverboard?" Luke asks. "It''s so much fun to ride on!"


    "No," I shake my head. "Augmented reality glasses and gear. The demonstration will act as a beta test as well. Do you want to join? It''s for a first-person shooter game I developed. Though it''s okay if you''re busy."


    Even if I don''t really feel comfortable with Luke because of how noisy he is, that doesn''t mean I can''t invite him to join us. The more people who are testing the equipment, the better. And I trust him to not break things or try to abuse them or me. He already has his own work and he does a lot of testing there, too.


    Mostly, I want Tyler to join us, if he''s willing. As a monster hunter, he''ll probably have insight into what''s good with the game''s design. I think.


    Hunting monsters isn''t the same as playing a video game, but there might be overlap. That''s why I want to see if he''ll join us.


    "Sure!" Luke looks at Parker and Tyler. "What about you guys? Wanna stay a bit longer than just ''till breakfast?"


    "Sure," Parker shrugs.


    "A first-person shooter?" Tyler asks.


    "Yeah," I nod. "Like a combination between that, a zombie shooter, and laser tag. Except it''s augmented reality rather than laser tag or on a TV. You wear special glasses and use a special gun."


    "That sounds pretty cool," he says. "Sure, I don''t mind. Will be a big difference from hunting down monsters, I''m sure."


    "Thanks," I say. "It''s at the Dream Best Entertainment live gaming zone that they''re setting up in Autumn Hill. I''ll text you the address, Luke."


    "Cool!" Luke says. "Want to hang out tonight?"


    "I want to save my tolerance for you for tomorrow."


    Oops. I said that out loud.


    "Oh," he says. "Okay! I''ll see you tomorrow, then! Come on, guys! Now let''s go to the pool!"


    They leave, and I look at Russell, who looks upset for some reason.


    "What''s wrong?" I ask.


    "You called me your friend."


    "Because you are."


    "But I''m your boyfriend now."


    "You''re also that."


    "But you introduced me as your friend."


    That was a problem?


    "One of the rules Trey gave me for dating was that I''m not allowed to publicize when I''m in a relationship," I tell him. "That''s why. He said it''s a safety issue, because someone who wants to try and manipulate me might go after my boyfriend, even if they''ll leave my friends alone."


    That didn''t make any sense to me, but he''s an adult who owns and runs a security company, so he probably knows what he''s talking about. Though I did make a pretty clear threat with my time magic use the other day, I think, so I don''t think it''s a problem.


    It''s not like I want to go around telling people I''m dating. All it means is that I want to be closer to Russell now, like sitting next to him when we eat and inviting him to hang out more when I''m with my other friends.


    "Oh," he looks calmer now.


    "That''s not what I meant," Trey looks over. "It''s okay to tell your friends, if you feel comfortable doing so. I was referring to posting about it online or talking about it in streams."


    "Oh," I say. "Well. Luke''s not my friend."


    Trey snorts as he looks back to the receptionist.


    "He''s not?" Russell asks. "But you invited him to join us."


    "Yeah," I nod. "And I invited Carter and Tate, and they aren''t my friends, either. It''ll give us more people to test with during the demonstration, and Luke already knows how to test things since he does it for his family''s company, and Tyler''s a monster hunter. And I know that Luke and Parker play games a lot, too. So I should be able to get lots of useful feedback."


    "Oh."


    We wait for Trey to finish checking in, then he comes over with some keycards, handing each of us one.


    "Our suite is on the third floor," he tells us; there are only three floors. "Let''s go up there now."


    There aren''t any rooms on the first floor, and all of the suites are on the third floor. I don''t want to sleep on the third floor, but I think I can manage it for two nights. If not, Trey promised he''d find a reputable hotel with rooms on the first floor for me to stay at.


    The suite itself has four bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. There''s also a living room, dining room, kitchen, extra bathroom, main room closet, and a balcony with a view of the hotel''s back garden and the pool. Luke, Parker, and Tyler are goofing around in the pool, along with a few other kids who are in there right now.


    Apparently, Russell and his parents aren''t getting separate rooms, they''re staying in the suite with us.


    Trey claims one of the bedrooms for himself, while Mr. and Mrs. Jackson take another one. Russel and I are allowed to have the other two rooms, and he lets me pick the one I want, then puts his things in the other.


    It''s starting to get late, so I start to wind down for bed. Russell comes to my room as I''m debating if I should wear my new usual sleepwear or my old usual. Both are an option, but I can''t decide. Maybe I should just go with the old usual, since a lot more is covered in it and there are others around.


    "What. Is. That?" He seems amazed by something.


    "What is what?" I ask.


    "The big plushie!" He answers.


    I look over at Mr. Leviathan, who''s sitting on the bed.


    "That''s Mr. Leviathan," I tell Russell. "I sleep snuggling him now. He''s very comfortable. Want to feel him?"


    "Sure," Russell answers, and I pick up Mr. Leviathan so Russell can feel him. "Whoa! He''s so soft!"


    "He is, yeah," I nod. "I like him a lot. Um. Did you want something?"


    Please don''t think I''m being rude, I''m just curious since he came to my room.


    "Oh!" He says. "Yeah! Just wanted to talk a bit before bed?"


    That sounds serious.


    "Um… what did you want to talk about?"


    "Anything!" He answers.


    So it''s not serious? Or maybe this is just him trying to warm me up before the serious talk.


    "Oh," I set Mr. Leviathan back onto the bed, then climb up and pat the spot next to me. "Make sure to take off your shoes before getting on the bed."


    Russell takes off his shoes, then climbs up onto the bed and sits next to me.


    "Do you like making magitech?" He asks.


    "Yeah," I nod. "It''s fun to do, especially when I manage to solve a problem or complete a piece. I like to reward myself, too. I decided that after completing a project, I''m going to reward myself with a cheesecake. Or at least, a major part of a project. So getting the AR set ready for testing got me a cheesecake. And getting the game ready for testing and the demonstration also earned me a cheesecake. Oh, but not normal cheesecakes. These ones are special, made with magic ingredients and filled with blueberries, strawberries, and sprinkles, then drizzled with berry cream cheese icing and caramel sauce and topped with more sprinkles. That makes it celebratory instead of just a flavored cheesecake."


    "That… sounds like an interesting combination," he says.


    "I love it," I tell him. "Is it my turn to ask a question?"


    "We''re not taking turns," he snorts. "Just… talking. Did you have something you wanted to ask, though?"


    "Yeah," I nod. "You do a lot of art, right? Do you want to be an artist when you''re older?"


    "Nah," he answers. "I want to be an enchanter, actually. But enchanting requires making clean lines, and drawing, carving, and painting runes has overlap with art. When I first started wanting to be an enchanter a few years ago, my parents told me to try drawing first, to help me learn how."


    "Drawing helps with enchanting?" I ask. "Oh, I guess it would. So do you just wanna make magic items? Or magitech?"


    "Magic items," he answers. "But I haven''t done any yet. Kind of nervous to, I guess? There''s a class at DFHS for enchanting, so I''ll take it then. That''s probably when I''ll give it a try."


    "Well," I say. "You''re really good at art. I still think you should''ve won the contest, but I guess a kraken beats fruit. Kind of makes sense when you think about it. Fruit can''t really fight."


    "What''s a kraken?"


    "A giant sea monster that looks kind of like an octopus," I tell him. "That''s what Travis drew, a kraken. You haven''t heard of them?"


    "No," he answers. "Do they have magic?"


    "Oh, yeah, lots," I answer. "That''s why you can''t really fly or sail across the Pacific Ocean – it''s full of krakens and they attack ships and planes that try. You know those stories you''ve told me about? Like where there''s a giant plastic trash heap in the Pacific Ocean? I bet the krakens would try to invade the land if that happened in the real world."


    "That''d be scary," he says. "What kind of powers do they have?"


    "Water manipulation and generation," I answer. "Acid as well, sonic waves, and, um… something else I can''t remember. They also have a very far range. Can shoot their water and acid for miles. So if fruit had magical powers and minds and could fight, they''d have to be some really powerful fruit. We''d probably not be able to eat them at all."