Chapter Fourteen

T h e moment I stepped inside the badminton club and heard the familiar popping go shuttle-cocks against rackets, I knew I felt at home. I twirled the racket in my hand, not wanting to waste anytime, I walked over to the information desk. A tall blond man was folding polo shirts on the counter. While older, he was in good shape and I assumed he taught some of the classes here as well.

"Is the coach for the girl's tennis team here yet?" I asked, drumming my hands on the counter and wishing that I had found the coach's name ahead of time.

"Lilian!" He called to an open door in the back. "We've got someone here for you."

"Yes?" A stout, muscular lady with a grey neat bob walked through the door. She had purses lips like she had just eaten a Toxic Waste.

My hands shook and I tightened my grip around it racket. I assumed Scarlett was half asleep or just trying to frighten me away when she said the coach was tough this morning.

"Hi," I plastered a smile on my face and tried to act confident although my insides were squirming. "I'm Aidan Sterling - I just moved here and I heard that you ran the junior tennis team. I'm a sophomore at Falcon Bridge High, and since I hadn't moved here before the regular tryouts I was wondering if there was any way for me to try now."

She held her pen to her chin and eyed my racket - it was the only birthday present from my Mum. "My name is Coach Stone. How long have you been playing?" she asked finally and I drew out a long held in breath.

"Ten years," I straightened my spine. "I played on my school team in North Dakota all through school since Eighth Grade. We were the Red Spinners."

She placed down her own and studied me. "You were with the runners up of the biggest school tennis competition in the whole of the US?"

"Yes." My cheeks heated. I hoped she didn't think I was making it up. I enjoyed Tennis and I liked to think I was pretty good at it. If she watched me play, she could see for herself.

"You can try out for the team today." I contained a squeal of excitement. She hugged the clipboard to her side. "I can't guarantee you a spot as we are a very competitive team, but I'll assess you and we'll go from there."

"Thank you!" I tried to remain calm but failed miserably and a grin set in my face. I resisted the urge to give her a big hug. I didn't think she was the touchy type. She looked down at her clipboard again. "Be on the top court at 10:00." She instructed.

I nodded. "Will do."

She seemed done with the conversation and walked away. I was glad I wasn't late. I had woken late, convinced Ducky to role over so I could leave Gabriel's house, and made Lee let go of my leg. I'm pretty sure they were all still drunk.

I headed to the balcony and watched the other lessons over the banister. I smiled to myself as I watched a group of younger kids hit tennis balls against the walls with the rackets. That had always been my favourite drill as a kid, I was especially good with accuracy. See where the ball is going, aim, hit. Easy.

"So you had the guts to show up." Summer said from behind me. I narrowed my eyes.

"Yup. Coach's giving me a chance to try out to get on the team." I snapped back, trying to equal her confidence. Even though I was slightly taller than her, she had this aura around her that made me shrink back.

"How sweet." Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail that made her eyes seem almost cat-like. "Scarlett's not here yet. But she's the best. Don't think for one second you could beat her or me.

I bit back a smirk and thought about what Scarlett had said to me last light and how she was probably still passed out on Gabriel's bed, suffering an awful head ache.

"Good luck." She eyed me warily, before turning head to talk to another group of girls that had just arrived, swishing her skirt for good measure.

After a few minutes, Coach Stone made us warm up, then divided up into teams of four for another warm up. I will admit to breathing a sigh of relief when she didn't place me in the same group as Summer.

The girls in my group were good players, but discovering their weaknesses was easy. Since we were only warming up, I played my shots gentle. I didn't want to sound cocky, but they didn't come close to my level.

"Times up!" Coach Stone blew her whistle. I let my racket drop to my side and Coach Stone beckoned me over.

"That was a very impressive warm up." She said, her voice almost glowing, and her face was softer than from when I first met her. "Next, I'll put you with the varsity single girls then we'll go from there as to where we'll put you on the team."

"Awesome," I grinned as I noticed she said where not if. "Thank you so much."

"You'll be a strong addition to the team." She looked down at her watch and her face hardened again. "I'll let the other girls know what's happening."

I twirled the racket again, then when I made sure coach wasn't watching, let out a squeal and did that jump where you numb your ankles together.

"You'll be on court one." Coach said to me after she told the other girls what happened. "With Trinity, Summer and Tamesha."

The three other girls were already there when I arrived. The girl on the left smiled at me. I assumed she would be my partner and headed over.

She was tall, with ebony skin and long intricately braided hair. She was made for Tennis.

"Hi," I said. "I'm Aidan."

"I know." She smiled. "We're in Homeroom together." After she said that, I recognised her. I looked across the court and recognised the other girl, Tamesha, too.

I was sure it wasn't a coincidence that the top girls were all witches.

"You can serve first." Summer Said, which struck me as weird. I'm sure she wasn't the type to give her opponent the chance to get an extra point. I doubted she'd offered it out of the kindness of her heart but all I could do was try my best and relax.

So I threw the ball, aiming and swinging the racket with my whole body so it was an almost perfect serve.

The ball hit the rim of my racket and fell into the net.

"Fault." Summer squared her shoulders. "Nice try, though."

I didn't react to her fake compliment, bouncing the ball again. This time I'd hit it so hard Summer didn't notice what happened. I tossed the ball up again to hit, but this time my racket hit it too late. It arched and hit behind the base line.

"Another fault." Summer's annoying voice chimed. "15-Love."

I glared at her for calling the score. That was the responsibility of the server; mainly, me.

I twirled my racket again to quench my nerves. There had to be something I could do to relax myself. I couldn't use the electricity - it didn't have any use with regular magic - plus it didn't want to be caught with it. And I couldn't use the energy shields and channeling; since Harlow or Ducky weren't here with me.

I closed my eyes and breathed out through my nose. I imagined the blue energy, shifting from one foot to the other to try and look like I was centring myself. I pictured the blue in my mind and pulled it towards me until it surrounded me, then I imagined it entering though my palms, filling my body and soothing my begets.

With my hand gripped around my racket, I could tell that something about it felt fuzzy and off - perhaps because I hadn't used it in so long, so I sent some of the blue energy in there.

I frowned when I felt something already in the way of the energy, as if my racket were already full. I tried to push the blue in again but it was just repelled.

Maybe I needed more energy. I needed to think of more colours. Red didn't only increase compassion and desire, but confidence as well. So I called the red energy into my body, feeling refreshed in an instant. Then, I thought about yellow and how it increased focus. It surged through my arms, immediately sharpening my attentiveness on the game. Lastly, I drew in some blue again, and tried not to let the frustration of my poor playing mess me up.

The three colours flower together, and i tightened my grip on my racket, sending the colours down it as well. I felt the energy in the racket again, but I pushed the colours in and suddenly the other energy burst out, leaving it free for my energy to circulate freely. I felt my body crackle with new found power.

I opened my eyes again, and tightened the hair band around my hair. I bounced the ball a few times on the floor, and my senses felt sharper.

Faster.

Suddenly, I was playing better than ever. I was in control of every shot, each one full of strength and precision. It didn't take long for Trinity and I to take the lead.

Eventually, Coach Stone blew her whistle to signify the end of practise. She was waiting for me at the exit of the course, and I jogged over to her, heart pounding in anticipation.

"I'm going to call that start up to nerves," she said before I could even open my mouth. "But that end game was extremely good playing. I'll watch you next practise and see how it goes. If you play the way you did to say, I can almost guarantee a spot."

"Thank you," I said, my stomach going happy flips. "I can't wait."

"Don't thank me." She managed a small smile. "You earned it."

My lips curled into a smile and I walked out of the centre. Yes. I had earned it.

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