"Pu pu pu paro, paro paro mashu pa!"
The squeaky voice blasted Theo's concentration into smithereens. Jerking back, he lifted his pencil from the page.
"Oops, there we go." Sam pressed on the phone screen, mercifully cutting short the Mashuparo theme song. "Okay, time for the moment of truth!"
She slapped her notebook down beside Theo's so they could compare the diagrams they'd spent the last two minutes drawing. Meg had suggested these timed memorization exercises and Sam had run away with it, turning it into a competition with each bout punctuated by her phone alarm. By now Theo was certain he'd memorized the entire Mashuparo theme song, though its meaning still eluded him.
That on top of what he was actually supposed to memorize, of course. He bent his head over the diagrams along with Sam.
"Huh, looks like we put the north symbol in opposite directions," Sam said, tapping her chin with her pencil. "Well, let's check!"
Theo obligingly flipped through his sketchbook to the page where he'd drawn the correct diagram. Sam groaned and flung her hands in the air.
"Aw, man! Not again!"
Theo smiled, a little awkward. More often than not, he ended up being right instead of Sam, but that didn't put any damper on her enthusiasm. She just dove back into studying with an enthusiasm she certainly never displayed when cramming for tests.
Sure enough, Sam had grabbed his sketchbook and was holding it inches from her face, squinting as if hoping to burn the diagram into her retinas. Just a week had passed since she had become a wizard and she'd taken to it like a fish to water. During every free moment at school, she insisted on testing spells, and after class, she not only took lessons from Meg but accompanied Theo when he went hunting for opponents. Even without a familiar, she could still use spells to help out Zenith and the others.
Sam was the type to throw herself headfirst into her passions, but this was extreme even for her. Then again, Theo had the sense she wanted to be fully prepared for her next encounter with Michel Rose.
In less than three weeks, they might deliberately walk into the territory of an Infernal Legion member. One with the power to enthrall wizards. Despite the lazy warmth of the spring day, Theo shivered.
'It'll be fine,' he told himself. He and Zenith were only getting stronger. Sure, the two opponents they'd fought this week were just Tielan monsters, one a giant centipede and the other a horse with fangs and bat wings, both equally trivial to defeat. Still Theo felt that it had become easier channeling his power through the contract.
Who knew, Sam might find her familiar before the gala. And who knew, Michel Rose might not even be a demon. No point in fretting about what hadn't happened yet.
"Theo! Theo?" Sam's voice snapped him back to the real world. When he blinked, her big brown eyes filled his vision.
"Hey, too close," he complained.
"Don't space out!" Sam waved her phone. "C'mon, lunch isn't over yet. Let's get some more practice done!"
"Okay, okay. Give that back first." As he grabbed his sketchbook from Sam, the pages flipped until they landed on one of his dream-diagrams. Theo hadn't drawn any in a while, but seeing it sent a pang through his heart. Complicated as they were, he often found his pencil drifting into their shapes if he didn't think about what he was doing.
His dreams remained as mysterious as ever. What was he supposed to do, ask Dad if Mom had been a wizard? Just the thought made him cringe. Besides, he had very little practice talking about Mom with Dad anyway; it was one of the many subjects they avoided discussing by unspoken agreement. Meanwhile he'd told Meg Mom's name, but she'd never heard of it. So if she'd been a wizard, she must not have been a very famous one.
His best bet for answers was probably still Victor. Which meant he'd have to keep training until he could face Victor in the arena again.
"Theee-ohh!" This time Sam punctuated her screech by pulling his ear.
"Ouch!" Theo swatted Sam's hand away.
Unapologetic, Sam slammed her phone down on the bench between them. "Time's wasting! Let's get to it!"
"Okay, okay." As Theo cracked open the sketchbook, a breeze stirred his hair and rustled the leaves in the tree above. Nothing unusual, but a strange prickle ran down his spine.
He whirled, heart thumping. All he saw were other students milling around the quad. Nobody looking their way. Still – if it hadn't been his imagination – he'd had the uncanny sense that somebody had been watching him.
"Theo!" Sam shouted again. "I'm gonna start the timer, okay? So get ready!"
"Right." Theo turned back to his sketchbook. Yet his pulse wouldn't slow down.
~*~
Theo didn't think much of it until after school let out. He and Sam had made it to the main gate when someone stepped in front of them.
Theo blinked at the tall, sandy-haired boy. If he wasn't mistaken, this was Ryan Crowley, who shared a few of his classes but otherwise might as well have lived in a different world, swaggering around with the popular rich kids who took their family jets to Aruba every spring break.
So why had he approached them now? It couldn't be an accident because he didn't move from the spot, fixing olive green eyes on Theo's face.
"Hey, do you mind?" Sam said loudly. "We're kinda in a hurry here."
"No worries, promise I'll be quick." Ryan smiled, but it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Just wanted to say hi. You're Theo, yeah? And you're, uh, Sharon?"
"Sam! Sam Rowland!" Sam squeaked.
"Right, right. My bad." Ryan flicked a careless hand through his hair. "So, Theo and Sam. Nice to meet you. I'm Ryan Crowley."
"Uh, we know who you are." Sam sounded as puzzled as Theo felt. "Why do you wanna talk to us?"
With a trickle of foreboding, Theo wondered if this wasn't going to end with him getting beaten up. While he definitely didn't fit in with Ryan's popular crowd, he'd never had to deal with outright bullying before, and he was not looking forward to getting started.
'I'll be fine,' he admonished himself, digging his nails into his palms. He'd already been through several life-or-death battles; what was one teenage boy in comparison? Though granted, Zenith had been doing the fighting.
All facetious thoughts fled upon the next thing Ryan said. "Well, I'll say it straight. You two are wizards, aren't you?"
Theo lurched back. No way. Had he imagined – ? But no, next to him Sam looked just as stricken.
Ryan, damn him, remained relaxed as ever, still wearing that insincere smile. "Why're you guys so surprised? Saw you studying diagrams earlier today."
"W-w-w-wait!" Sam jabbed her finger in Ryan's face. "What're you – does that mean – are you a wizard too?"
"'Course I am," Ryan said. "Don't tell me you've never heard of the Crowleys before? I'm the heir."
Theo breathed in, struggling to collect his whirling thoughts. Yeah, he and Sam hadn't been exactly secretive about their practicing, but he still hadn't expected another wizard might be attending the same school as him.
"You guys don't seem that strong, if you ask me," Ryan kept talking, infuriatingly cocky. "Looked like pretty basic spells you were studying and you don't even know who I am."
"What? You wanna say that again?" Sam shook her fists.
"Is that a challenge?" Ryan's grin became even more smug, if possible. "Sure, I'm game. Crowleys never back down from a duel."
"Oh – well – " Blushing, Sam shrank bank. "I, uh, I...I kinda don't have a familiar yet...? But when I do – "
"Wow, you're that new, huh?" Ryan sounded delighted. "What about you, Theo? You also a total amateur? Don't be embarrassed now. I could give you guys some pointers."
The more Ryan spoke, the more Theo hated him. He'd always had the impression that Ryan was kind of a douche, and the guy seemed in no hurry to make him think otherwise.
"I have a familiar," he said without thinking.
"Oh?" Ryan tilted his head. "You game for a duel, then? I could always use the practice. And maybe you'll learn something too."
"You jerk!" Sam yelled. While she seethed, doubts fluttered in Theo's mind. Was this really a good idea? He should focus on training...but didn't dueling another wizard count? If anything, it'd make a better use of his time than fighting weak monsters.
"You'd better kick his ass to hell and back, Theo!" Like always, Sam's shout blasted Theo out of his thoughts. She was facing him now, fists clenched and a vein throbbing in her temple. Wasn't often he saw her this angry.
Not that Theo didn't understand. His mind made up, he turned back toward Ryan. "All right. I accept."
His voice came out so thin and tight he barely recognized it. Ryan, on the other hand, kept grinning like the world's smuggest jack-o-lantern.
"Sounds great. What do you say...around five today? We can meet at a location of your choice. Should give you some kind of advantage, since I doubt you know how to create arenas yet, huh?"
Theo clenched his teeth, not wanting to admit Ryan was right. "Okay, fine. At the tulip garden in the historic shopping district. You know where that is?"
"Sure thing, pal. See ya there." Smirking, Ryan shifted his backpack strap to the other shoulder before sauntering out the gate. Theo watched him go, pulse thudding in his ears.
Truth be told, he had no idea if the tulip garden would give him an advantage; he'd only chosen it because it was close to Meg's place. Well, pretty soon he'd find out.
He wouldn't lie and say he wasn't nervous. Ryan was obviously a far more experienced wizard than him. But it was too late to back down now, and Theo didn't want to. He only had to remember Ryan's arrogant grin and the vicious urge to tear it off the jerk's face seared through him.
It kind of alarmed him; Theo had never thought of himself as the type of person who held grudges. Then again, Ryan had gone out of his way to be a dick.
"All right!" Sam slammed her fist into her palm, practically breathing smoke. "Make him cry, Theo! There's no way Zenith won't beat whatever lame familiar he's got!"
Theo breathed in, amazed at how the pressure in his chest relaxed. He thought about Zenith, proud and implacable in his shining armor, and his remaining doubts swirled away. Zenith had defeated the dragon, stood his ground against Victor, always protected Theo with everything he had. Theo might not be a great wizard yet, but he'd be fine as long as he believed in his familiar.