Maddie
Most people freak out when they go to the principal's office. I go there to escape. Usually. This time it was to fuss at the headmaster again. Even though I'd already been once today, I always ended up finding new things to gripe at him.
He'd been mad the last time I'd come. I'd given him a few hours. He had a lot going on, being the headmaster and a Knight. Unfortunately for him, I had to talk to him. He could be Mr. Pissy Britches later.
Luckly Drew was already there. The two sat outside under the big oak tree talking. Their conversation must be deep because they didn't know I was coming until I fell on top of them almost. Simon's almond eyes were wide when my knees hit his back, and he turned quickly. Drew wasn't as surprised but he didn't greet me warmly. I was already used to it.
For two of the most powerful men in our group, they had more secrets than Beca's notebook. Drew I could almost understand, but Simon was a different story. I had never known a man to close himself off once the truth was revealed. Simon used to be so open and chatty. After my trip to Dallas, he was much worse. He always had a constipated look on his face.
I sat down and leaned back on my hands. The last several months had been a whirlwind. Magic, knights, wizards and shades. All sorts of things had been thrown at us, at me. Losing my dad then having my crazy stepmother side with Casey… If I wasn't losing my mind, why should they? I wasn't stupid enough to think everyone should have the same feelings as me. We weren't robots, but sometimes I thought Simon and Drew took it to the extremes.
I stared up at the big leaves and watched them sway in the gentle breeze. It was warm today. I could smell the pesticide that one of the larger farms dusted over his crops. On a clear day, we could smell things for miles as long as the groundskeeper wasn't mowing. He mowed yesterday so it should be okay.
The two went back to their quiet discussion as I sat quietly with my thoughts. I needed to talk to them, but it seemed their conversation had been important. I also needed to figure out how to ask the right questions to get my answers. Mainly, I wanted to know if they knew. I wouldn't be mad since I was used to their secrets. I just had to be smart about how I asked.
The necklace felt comfortable around my neck now. I picked up the pendant and looked at it. The rubies, emeralds, and sapphire winked up at me when the sun caught them. If I hadn't seen it myself, I would have never believed it was full of magic and intrigue. I would have never thought any of this was possible had I not witnessed it first hand.
Because of this one little thing, my whole world had expanded and crashed around me all at the same time. I had made new friends and lost someone very important. It was a rough transition, but I was beginning to understand it a little.
Every thought and emotion over this situation came roaring back. Things had changed so much that I wasn't sure how much more I could take though I knew I would take it. I knew I had a strong back, and it would take a lot to break me.
The one thing I didn't want to agree with was someone trying to tell me who I could and couldn't like. Darren had already tried, and that had gotten him some pretty mean words. I had barely seen him since I came back, but I'm sure I wasn't missing anything. I still wasn't sure if he'd back off or not.
Then there was Max. if Darren tried anything, I was fairly certain he'd come unglued. Not because of the magic that binds us, but because men didn't act like jackasses to women. Now that Darren was an adult, Max would have no qualms standing up to him.
Now that Darren was on my mind, all I could wonder was what was going to happen. Parker was supposed to betray Darren, but how? There was nothing between them now for Parker to betray him, and I knew he would never hurt Beca. I was unsure what else to think other than something was going to happen to drive a wedge further between the two.
"Maddie?" It tooka minute but I finally looked at them. They looked as if they'd been calling my name for a while. "Did you need something?"
I sat up and folded my legs under me. The pendant landed on my sternum lightly as I held out the notebook. Simon took it and opened it to the designated spot. I watched his eyes shift from side to side as he read. He pased it to Drew and looked at the ground.
They knew. I really wasn't surprised. Up until now, any time something happened they always knew. They were the only two we could come to when we needed a plan. When Arther was being stupid, Simon stepped up to help Drew. he was the real second-in-command.
"So Beca is starting to remember things," Drew mused. He closed the book gently. "Morgan le Fay bound Lionel and Camelot together because they'd found each other first during one cycle. They'd grown up together in Britain, and that Camelot was in the gentry. They were to wed before Christmas when she was killed by Morgan le Fay. Before the girl died, their souls were bound together. They will always find each other."
"Have they?" I asked.
"Not until now. You've never made it this far in several hundred years." I shook my head at him. "The last few cycles ended before they even really began."
"The last few cycles didn't have a girl named Maddie Bates." I looked up at Simon. He had a gentle smile on his face. "This time is different, Maddie. You're not the others. They wanted to know everything about their past lives and it hindered their progress until they were killed. You've not given two hoots about it. You've learned from it, but it doesn't consume you."
"Why should it? None of it happened to the person I am now. It shouldn't be a factor as to how I function," I said.
"Can you tell that to Darren?" Drew asked. He was only half joking. I could see the stress in his face as he talked about his best friend.
"We do need to discuss Darren." Their faces sobered as they waited. "If we're following the lore, Darren and Casey are related. Correct me if I'm wrong."
Simon shook his head. "You're not."
I crossed my arms and looked at Drew. He made a face but didn't argue with me. He didn't have a leg to stand on. He already knew I'd come asking questions. To see the future, he stared blankly ahead. To look back, he closed his eyes. No matter what he did, he could see what he wanted, but he never told anyone. It had to be forced out of him.
"Darren is adopted," he said. "He told me about it freshman year. His parents wanted him to know in case anything happened while he was away at school."
"So you, being you, delved into his past." I could figure out where he was going with it. "When did you find out about Casey?"
"It took some digging, many headaches, and some not so straightlaced methods. I found out several weeks ago, but I needed time to piece everything together."
Everyone around me tried to keep things straight so they wrote it all down. Drew was no different. He handed me a notebook with Darren's name scribbled on the front of it. I wondered if he had one for all of us. I'd never been into his room, but I pictured leatherbound books with all our names on them.
There wasn't much about Darren now except his birthday, height, weight and graduation day. He had his designationa s well before he went into his past.
Darren was born in Tulsa on May 8, 1995. His mother had been unwed and had decided to give him and his sister up for adoption. The girl was placed in one foster family and he to another because there had been no placement for both of them. The girl had been adopted almost immediately by her foster family while it had taken Darren several months. After that, he'd grown up happy and healthy.
I read more. Things had started to progress when Darren and Drew had met. Being roommates had brought them in close proximity with each other on a regular basis. One of Drew's dreams had awakened Darren's past.
"So you're the one who got the ball rolling," I mused. "It doesn't explain why Darren has gone bonkers."
"It's my magic," Drew said. "He's been around it for so long, but he's not had any means to express it since he can't rightly train with it. Not even sports could quell it."
Simon laughed. "Is he magic drunk?"
The mage nodded. "Yep, and it makes him very irritable and stupid. Not once in the past did he have romantic feelings for you."
"So what changed?" I handed the book back to him.
He took it and tucked it under his knee. "My best guess is that my magic and Casey's are intermingling. I haven't had a chance to look into it." His green eyes sparkled. "What are you thinking?"
"What if we set up some training for all of us? It could help us as a whole and possibly help Darren with his anger. We could use it."
Simong looked at Drew. "She's got a point. If Casey's gorup decides to attack us, we need to be able to defend ourselves. The new guys may have an advantage in life, but I'm not sure if they know much else."
"Speaking of the others," I said. I looked between them. "There aren't any more Knights, are there?"
Drew shook his head. "No. Many were killed. If they died twice in the previous cycles, they wouldn't be able to come back."
I nodded and took it all in. There wouldn't be anymore to find. It was relieving honestly. I didn't have to be friends with anyone else. I could barely keep up with those I did have.
"Alright. I'll go find Max and see what we can come up with." I stood and dusted off my legs. "Oh and, Drew, if you ever keep secrets from me again, you won't have to worry about Casey. I'll take you out myself."
He smiled and nodded. I said my goodbyes and headed back across campus. Max would be somewhere by the track. He'd been helping clear the stables and rebuild. If anyone had any ways of planning some training, it was Max. My only concern was Darren. I wondered if he would behave long enough to do so. Knowing their tempers, they would fight longer than we would train.
I sighed as I walked away from them. Sometimes I wondered if those two really knew what would happen.