No one said a thing until the boys finished eating their burgers. They were all just so quiet. No one tried to race anyone. They were all okay with this silence.
"So?" Though I tried not to sound too nosey, my inquiry held more enthusiasm than intended.
Ethan drank the last of his beverage and wiped his mouth and hands. "So what?"
Ugh! Such a smarty pants.
I shifted in my seat. "What do you mean, what? Are you guys okay and over this girl thing?"
Ethan's shoulder bounced. The act irritated me more than it should have.
"They are both going to confront Amanda today," Bellamy filled in.
Oh, they were still going to approach her. At least, everything was out in the open. It would be better to confront her together.
Brucie wrinkled his nose. "Are they coming here?"
The question intrigued me. I thought this place was a haven for the males. Who would have thought they would bring the girl here? I guess she meant a lot more to them than I thought.
"Ethan wanted to do it here," Jason grumbled.
Bellamy checked his naked wrist. "We should get back to the alley. The girls are probably waiting on us. I don't want Blue to get even more annoying. I can bet she's billing us for every second we are late."
I signaled the waiter and we paid the bill.
Jason snickered. "We all know you like it when she's annoyed. It's the only time she pays you any attention."
"Speaking about attention," Ethan butted in, "now is your chance to ask her out. You did say you were going to if we confronted Amanda."
We exited the bakery.
Bellamy glanced at Brucie but his friend was of no help.
"You did say that," Brucie confirmed.
Bellamy's shoulder's slouched.
He was right. Three girls loitered in the alley. Amanda was among them. Our pace slowed. Two of the three girls—a brunette and another with dark lavender hair with two streaks of blue highlights at the front—strolled towards us.
Me, Bellamy, and Brucie stopped in the middle of the alley. The two girls met up with us just as Jason and Ethan reached Amanda at the end of the alley.
"Thanks," Bellamy murmured to the lavender-haired barbie.
She nodded to me and leaned against the wall. "Why? I'm getting paid."
Bellamy rolled his eyes but smirked when she looked away. So sneaky.
This girl was Blue. I wondered why they called her that. It could be the highlights in her hair. It was not uncommon for witches to be born with odd hair colors. The highlights were not natural. Only a few witches were born with it. Those were marked as extraordinary sorcerers.
The brunette smiled at me. The innocent look vanished when she spotted Brucie. They shared a glare. My smile widened at the two. Brucie was too adorable to display a stern look.
"Bellamy?" The brunette's voice was soft and delicate as she appeared.
"Hmmm?" Bellamy hummed.
"Wouldn't it be wise if we hear those three?" She watched the three adolescents down the alley. "You know how hot-headed they can get. Especially Amanda and Jason."
Our eyes trailed hers.
Brucie wiggled his nose. "You want us to eavesdrop on our friends?"
The brunette displayed a sweet smile. "It's called monitoring the process of their confrontation. What? Is that too low for you, Your Highness?"
Brucie narrowed her eyes at the girl.
Bellamy's sigh cocooned us. "Not you two too. Fine, I'll do it." He turned to the other girl. "Blue, do it."
"It's gonna cost extra," Blue deadpanned.
Two of her fingers swirled in the air. Just like that, the wind brought the private conversation to our ears.
Just as I suspected. She was talented. It took most witches to master a spell without a chant. Yet, both Bellamy and this Blue girl could do it. Caroline, Father's best friend, and Kyleon's mother would be impressed. Mother would be enraged at the very idea of children having such power. She hated when I didn't use my power to make others fear me.
"Are you going to be honest?" Jason's voice was coated with uncertainty.
"When have I not been honest?" Amanda snapped.
A strong personality. For some odd reason, I couldn't see Ethan with her. Their personalities would clash. Two bulls never ruled peacefully in a pen.
Kids and their trivial affections.
Jason scoffed. "You're right. You're just too good at—"
"Why did you have Bellamy summon me here?" Amanda interrupted in a no-nonsense tone.
Irritation radiated from Jason and heated the atmosphere. I could see why Ethan thought they liked each other. Their squabbling told us a lot.
"I was the one who summoned you," Ethan intervened. His tone was calm, a little aloof. "I want to know if you have feelings for Jason. The school dinner is coming up and we want to ask out dates. I wanted to ask you but won't if you want to go with Jason."
"Ugh," the brunette brushed loose hair from her face. "I hope she doesn't try to dodge the question. Amanda can be so…"
"Don't you mean, you hope she chose Jason," Brucie tainted.
The brunette didn't answer. Instead, she turned her back to us. I caught a glimpse of her red cheeks.
I liked this side of Brucie. He had a backbone.
I studied the brunette. Crushes. It was always hard to watch our crush liking someone else. A huge gap stood between her and Amanda. She was beautiful. One would say even more than Amanda. It was a delicate beauty that painted innocence. I couldn't tell what creature she was by her scent. It gave me an uneven sensation. I could tell she was a mixed species, but hard to pinpoint which ones.
However, while Amanda came off as confident and powerful, this brunette was soft. Judging by her confrontation with Brucie, she had it in her to sting. But putting the two girls together, boys would gravitate to Amanda's surety.
"Well," Amanda drawled, grabbing back my attention, "did you both plan to ask me out?"
"Would you just answer the question, Amanda?" Jason clipped. "You said you were going to be honest."
Amanda tsked. "I'm getting to that, stupid. I don't even know what you want from me. Am I supposed to just believe you two want to ask me out? Especially you." She pointed to Jason.
"Why wouldn't I?" Jason asked, now on the defense.
Hmm, this girl was smart. She was using her head on the boys. Jason was falling into that pit.
She rested her hands on her hips. "Why would you?"
Jason raked a hand through his hair. "You're so frustrating. Why won't you answer the question? Why do you always have to be like this?"
"It's simple," Amanda answered. "I can't see it. You won't even answer my question."
Jason growled and Ethan walked away from the two. They didn't even notice until he was almost to us.
"I thought he wanted an answer," Blue frowned.
"He got it," Brucie mentioned as Ethan reached us.
Amanda liked Jason. She was uncertain he reciprocated the feeling. This was why she didn't want to answer the question. If she did, Jason may reject her. She didn't want that.
"Are you okay?" Bellamy asked his friend.
Ethan showed no sign of disappointment. If anything, he appeared to be relieved.
"Yeah," he buried his hands in the pockets of his jeans. "What do you guys want to do? I have a little more free time."
The brunette beamed. "We could go back to that place we did the last time we were here."
"That's in another Realm," Brucie groaned. "I didn't even pack a towel or any swim shorts."
Blue pushed off the wall. "I wouldn't mind going there."
It didn't take anything else to convince Bellamy. Brucie glanced at his friend with a long sigh.
"Then, it's decided," Ethan announced. "We're going. We'll get beachwear and food from the shops here."
Amanda and Jason strolled up to us. "What's going on?"
"We're going shopping for swimwear," the brunette gleamed.
"This is my time to leave you, kids," I stated. "Be careful with whatever it is you are all up to."
I wished I could monitor them but I had other things to do. These kids were used to being rebellious and adventurous. It would be weird to have me following them around. Plus, I wanted to get back to the room before Angel.
"Thanks for everything," Ethan nodded. "We had fun. We hope to see you again."
Everyone bobbed their heads in agreement.
Brucie clasped my hand in his. A sting shot through my wrist. I attempted to snatch my hand from his but he held it in place.
He drew a design on the back of my hand. "Be aware, never let your guard down. Follow your heart. He'll guide you." His eyes glowed with every word.
I didn't get to ask what he meant before Bellamy wrapped me in an invisible web. The warlock got the help of his witch friend and chanted a protection spell. Frozen in place, I could do nothing more than watch and listen.
At the end of the chant, Brucie's eyes went back to normal and the chirpy attitude returned. "You can go now. If you need help, you can just call."
"Thanks," I laughed, flexing my hand. Motion returned and left a numbness in my body.
These kids were something. I doubt they would be needed anyway. No matter how powerful they were, I would never put their lives in jeopardy.
Still, it was puzzling. Brucie had to see something in my future to wrap me in a protective barrier. I couldn't help but wonder what it was. One warning I wasn't going to take lightly was to never let my guard down. As he said, every friend was a potential enemy.
We went on our separate ways. I went back to the bakery to get the cake and burgers. My trip back to the hotel was short. I felt much better going in than I did going out. Those kids were lifesavers.
Before I knocked on my room door, it swung open. A wet Sabastian stood on the other end. A small pink towel hung loosely around his waist.
I swallowed aloud.
Why hadn't I gone with the kids?
"Are you going to stand there staring at me or are you going to come inside?"