HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

After school, Calin came with me to the Manor. I quickly changed and packed a few things. We went to his house to look in the library before getting ready to meet Maible and Brant. We didn't find anything useful and, since Islene wasn't home, it was impossible to obtain an update on what she'd learned from Maible's mother. Around five, we went down to the kitchen and made ourselves sandwiches for supper, then left for the theater.

We went inside and met Maible and Brant, who had already purchased tickets and chosen the movie. Maible and I went to find seats as Calin went with Brant to the concession.

"We have the back row," Maible said as soon as we entered the room, which wasn't yet dark for previews.

"Okay." I shrugged and followed her to the middle of the row in back, placing my purse on the seat next to me for Calin.

"The middle armrest lifts up to become like a couch," she said, and raised the one that she was sharing with Brant. "If you press that little blue button, the seat reclines, too."

"Oh." I looked down and saw the button, pushing it. The seat began to recline as the leg rest lifted, and I smiled. I turned in the chair, bringing my legs up, and looked at Maible. "So, how are things?"

"Good." She nodded.

"That's it?" My eyes widened, and I gasped. "You have been hanging out with Brant all week and all you have to say is that things are good?"

"Yeah, they are good." A slow smile began to tilt her lips up. "He's really sweet. I like hanging out with him."

"Hanging out? As in friends or... friends?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "He's kissed me, and we hold hands, but we haven't talked about it."

"I can tell. He likes you." I nodded and turned so that my back rested on the chair and I faced the screen.

"You mean like I could tell about you and Calin?" She snorted.

"I didn't know we would end up together."

"Please." She laughed. "Everyone knew but you, apparently. Then you didn't even tell me."

"I... Yeah, you're right." There was nothing I could say to defend that. Not only had I not said anything, I hadn't planned on it. "Sorry."

"Mm-hmm."

I opened my mouth to ask if she was hiding her relationship with Brant in order to get back at me for not telling her about me and Calin, but the boys arrived with snacks. Calin smirked at me when he saw that I'd already reclined, not even bothering to lift the middle armrest for him. He set the drinks down and did it himself, then reclined his chair before tugging me toward him so that I cuddled against his side.

Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw Brant and Maible holding hands. She looked stiff and slightly uncomfortable, like she truly didn't know what they were yet. I felt bad for bugging her about it and promised to ask Calin what Brant had said later. Whatever boy-code they might have wouldn't trump girlfriend, and I wasn't too timid to pull that card.

As the room grew dark and the previews began to play, I cuddled against Calin but focused my attention on Maible. I reached out to sense her, once again feeling the familiarity of the magic hidden beneath the thin barrier that remained since the last time that I'd strengthened it.

Letting my shield down, I tried again.

The feeling like I was missing something remained, but I still couldn't place it.

I closed my eyes and strengthened the barrier on Maible.

When I looked up, Calin was watching me. As always, he looked as if he knew exactly what I was doing, but I didn't feel like he wanted to reprimand me. As he'd admitted, all I felt from him was astonishment and... warmth. I smiled and leaned against him, not bothering to erect my shield again. It was nice to feel what he did unhindered by a dampener.

*****

I blinked as we walked out of the dark theater and into the light, pausing to allow my vision to readjust. I could feel the emotions of everyone around me as though I was suffering from bi-polar disorder and my moods were merging together to drive me insane, but I didn't put up the shield. More than anything, I was hanging onto every feeling that I could sense from Calin, and it made me feel amazing.

"Do you guys want to go eat?" Maible asked, walking beside Brant as we followed.

At the bottom of the steps outside of the theater, we all paused, stopping off to the side so that we weren't in the way of the crowd. I felt Calin's happiness decline with the suggestion and shook my head in response. "No, we ate before we came."

"Oh." Maible's face fell. "Coffee then?"

"Uh..."

"I have to help my mom with some chores in the morning," Calin said quickly, covering up for my floundering. "Why don't we do something tomorrow night instead? I have to get Nora home soon."

"I'm free." Brant shrugged.

"Sure." Maible looked away, and I could tell something was bothering her.

I wasn't in the mood to decipher what Maible was thinking. Calin nudged me in the direction of the car and I followed easily, happy to get away. While the movie had been okay—nothing I would have willingly spent money on—and I enjoyed spending time with friends, I was still confused. That put an impediment on the possibility of a good mood, and I was glad that Calin was able to recognize it enough to bail me out before I got sucked into an extended evening of coupledom with Maible and Brant.

When we got into the car, Calin headed in the opposite direction of our homes. Right away, I recognized that we were heading to the clearing and sat back in my seat, content. The only thing that would have been better was if Onyx had been with us. I felt bad about leaving her in the place I wanted to run away from.

Calin parked along the side of the road and we got out. As though in silent agreement, we met in front of the car. He grasped my hand in his and helped guide me through the path to the clearing, lifting our hands to point at the cliff, then the logs around the firepit. I nodded to the logs and we went to sit.

"Are you cold?" I asked, leaning against his chest as he sat beside me but slightly behind.

"It's getting chilly, but I'm not cold yet."

"That's... vague." I laughed. "How about, do you want a fire? It's yes or no."

"Yes."

Laughing, I visualized a flame in the palm of my hand as easily as it was to think it. Looking down, I let it dance upon my skin as it grew larger and larger, creeping up to my wrist.

"Nora." Calin hissed as the fire nearly touched the sleeve of my jacket, but I didn't flinch.

"It's fine," I said and flipped my hand upside-down so that it looked as if my hand was encased inside the flaming ball. "Is it warm for you?"

"Uh, yeah."

"Not me." I watched as the flames constantly moved, transfixed. "It's nice. I used to feel so inept with the Craft when my powers were bound. Mostly when they were unbound, but yeah. I always resented having them but lately, they make me feel empowered." I sighed and threw the fire into the pit, watching as the logs sizzled. "Now, I feel like a failure again."

"Why?"

"I can't figure everything out and I know I should be able to. There's something that I am missing."

"There's a thousand reasons why you wouldn't be able to sense Maible's true parentage, Nora," Calin said.

"But I am only missing the one that matters." I bit my lip and rolled what he said around in my head.

Maible's true parentage....

Why couldn't I sense it?

I sat upright and turned to Calin, my eyes wide.

"What?" he asked.

"Let's go to the Manor."

"What? We just got here, Nora. The fire..." He pointed to the logs and I shook my head.

Closing my eyes, I imagined the flow of water from the lake coming to extinguish the fire. I could hear the sizzle and opened my eyes to see the steady stream flowing from the cliff as though there were an invisible hose with built-in pressure shooting the water from its end onto the logs. Once the embers died, I thanked the water and asked it to return to its source, and droplets landed in the line the water had come from.

"The fire is out," I said and stood. "Can we go?"

"Why?"

"There's something Devland taught me that I want to look at again."

"What?"

"I'll show you when we get to the Manor!"

Frustrated with the banter, I grabbed his hand and yanked him to his feet, not letting go as I began walking back to the pathway leading to the car. There had been something I was missing the whole time. If I was right—and the weight in my stomach told me I was—it was bigger than I had imagined it could be, and I didn't know how to voice my concern until I was able to confirm my suspicions.

I loved that I finally had an avenue to search, but I hated the road it led down.