Chapter 33

The fourth of July arrived and Peter was throwing a party for everyone. No potluck this time, he was providing everything, all they had to do was show up. Alex finished her chores early with magic but waited until enough time had passed to have been able to do part of them the normal way. She used the time to get gussied up, something she hadn’t done since she’d been here. She drove over to Peter’s and paused before heading up to the door. This would be so different without Steve; she felt so alone without him by her side. Peter answered the door.

“One minute, I know it’s in here.” Peter rooted through a box that was next to the door. “Ah-ha, here it is.” He handed her a piece of metal filigree.

Alex took the object and inspected it. “I loved the dragon. He was unique.” Once she orientated the piece of metal she could tell it was an openwork design that had swirling tendrils and crystals. “So why the masks?” She tied the mask on.

“I thought a masquerade would be fun. It’s too hot for heavy costumes, so we have masks.”

“But you have AC? Just set it a little cooler.”

“No, we’re going to have a cook-out with fireworks once it gets dark enough.”

“I’ll have to go back for a while to take care of Anna Belle.”

“I know, we’ll wait. If you go before dinner it should all work out.” He headed her into the living room where most of the other residents were. “Once everyone gets here we’re going to have a short game.”

Alex picked up a glass of water and looked around the room. There were all kinds of masks, some made from metal or feathers, heavily adorned with various colored rhinestones. Some were papier-maché animal masks. Everything from fancy and elaborate to simple bands with eye cutouts like Zorro or the Lone Ranger. It was hard to figure out who the men were with their masks covering most of their faces. She sipped the water while she figured everyone out. One man’s eyes struck her for some reason. She knew him, but who was he? She edged closer and closer until she could hear him speak. The laugh and joking didn’t ring any bells, but the authority in his mannerisms did. “Principal Vale,” she whispered and clamped a hand over her mouth. He was probably using another name, but why was he here?

She maneuvered through the crowd to join his group. She extended her hand. “I’m Alex.”

“Derek.” He shook her hand. “It is a pleasure.”

Peter joined them. “Ah, I see you’ve met Derek. He’s been giving me some great input on one of my games.”

“Which one?” Alex took another drink.

“The one about wizards and magic.”

Alex spit some of the water out. She grabbed a napkin off a table and wiped the water off. “Wizards and magic?”

“Yeah, Derek here has been giving me some great ideas. I’m so glad we met.” Peter placed a hand on Vale’s shoulder.

Alex stifled a laugh. “Where did you meet?”

Peter patted Vale’s shoulder. “We met at Comic-Con. I was there watching some of the wizard characters when Derek here introduced himself.” Peter looked at Vale. “I loved your wizarding outfit, I’m going to have to get one. You’ll have to let me know where you got it.”

Blue Columbine she bet. “Where did you get it?”

Vale smiled at her then looked at Peter. “I will get one for you.”

“You don’t need to do that.” Peter tipped his face down and shuffled a foot.

“It would be my pleasure. You invited me to this wonderful party,” Vale answered.

The doorbell rang and Peter hurried off to answer it.

“Where did I get my robes, good one,” Vale said.

Alex looked around to see if anyone else was close. “So why are you here?”

Vale moved closer and whispered, “I need to meet the little girl.”

“Caroline?”

He nodded.

Alex looked over at the door and saw the Gibsons. She nodded her head that way. “That’s Caroline by the door. Are you going to ask about the unicorn?”

“If I get a chance.”

“We made a promise to not tell anyone else. I’ll let her know that it’s okay to tell you.”

Vale nodded and moved off to mingle. Alex followed his cue and went to talk with Daniel and Henri. Moments later, Caroline came bouncing over wearing a mask made out of peacock feathers.

“Look which mask I get to wear,” she said to Alex.

Alex touched one of the feathers, “It’s really beautiful. It’s perfect.”

Caroline grinned from ear to ear. “I like yours too, but it doesn’t have any feathers.”

Alex pulled Caroline a few feet away and knelt down to her level. She nodded over to Vale. “You see that stranger over there?”

Caroline nodded.

Alex leaned closer and whispered into Caroline’s ear. “He also believes in unicorns.”

Caroline looked over at Vale, her eyes wide and mouth gaping. “No kidding?”

“No kidding, we were just talking about them. I bet he’d love to hear about what you saw.”

“But we promised not to tell anyone.”

“I know, but I think he’d be okay.” Alex straightened up.

“If you say so, I’ll let him in on the secret.”

Alex nodded. “But make him swear to keep it a secret.”

“Of course…”

“If I can have everyone’s attention,” Peter said. “Now that everyone is here we can start the game. I’ve hidden strands of Mardi Gras beads around this room. Whoever finds the most will be crowned king or queen of the party and will win a special gift.” Peter held up a fist. “On the count of three.” He counted to three raising one finger each time and everyone started searching.

Alex located a bunch of strands hidden behind the DVDs and games, then a clump under the sofa cushions. As the minutes passed, it became harder and harder to find any beads. Any time Alex passed Caroline, she’d hand the girl all the beads she’d found.

After a half hour, Peter shook a cow bell interrupting the search. “Everyone count how many strands they found and pick up a glass so we can toast the winner.” The kids were all given a small black cow for their drink. The adults were given a small tumbler that contained an amber liquid that smoked over the top, curling down the sides.

Peter stepped forward and lifted his glass. “Three cheers for our queen. To Queen Caroline.”

Everyone lifted their glass and chanted, “Long live the queen.”

Caroline turned to face the others. “Thanks,” she whispered.

Peter handed her a bag that exploded with ribbons and beads. “The rest of the prize is that one of the women in my next game will be named after you.”

“Me? Wow!” Caroline looked at her feet, then sat down on the sofa, and dug into the bag. She pulled out one of his game packages and looked up at him. “Is this the new one?”

Peter nodded. “It will be in the stores in another month. You get the first copy, signed by me.”

“Wow! Look, Tommy.” She rushed over to Tommy to show him.

“The lunch buffet is open, so feel free to make a sandwich whenever you want,” Peter said.

After getting some lunch Alex introduced Caroline to Vale. “You gotta see this,” Caroline grasped Vale’s hand and pulled him to the bedroom. Once inside, she dropped his hand and started rooting through the jackets that had been laid on the bed. She yanked her backpack out along with a couple of jackets and flung the coats back on the bed. Setting the backpack down, she plopped down next to it and started to pull items out. A scarf, a zebra striped box, and a pencil case.

“This is my favorite,” she said and pulled out a stuffed unicorn. “I saw one, you know.”

“You saw one?” Vale asked.

“Yeah, but nobody believed me.” She handed the unicorn to Vale. “Except Alex.”

“What did Alex say?”

“She thought it should be a secret. But that I should tell you.”

“Did you want to keep it a secret?”

Caroline shrugged. “Might as well. Everyone laughs at me when I tell them.”

“Why don’t you tell me,” Vale said.

Caroline repeated her tale of seeing the unicorn wandering around the valley.

“Do you like stories about unicorns, dragons, and wizards?”

Caroline touched the unicorn’s horn. “They’re my favorite, especially the ones about the boy wizard.”

“Would you like to go to a magic school like he did?”

“I don’t know. I wouldn’t want to fight an evil wizard.”

“But would you like to go to a school like that without the evil wizard?”

“Oh yeah.” Caroline beamed up at Vale. “That would be so great. But I’d have to have magic to go, wouldn’t I?”

Vale nodded, “What if you had magic and you did not know, like the other kids that got their letters?”

“That’d be like a movie. Nothing that good ever happens to me.” Caroline looked down at the stuffed animal.

“Let me see if I can do something, but until then…”

Caroline looked up.

“You have to make a pledge. You have to keep this just between the two of us until I tell you otherwise.” He looked straight into her eyes. “Deal?”

Caroline nodded.

Vale spit on his palm and held it out.

Caroline looked at his hand for a moment before spitting into hers and shook his hand with a single pump. “Deal!” She stuffed everything back in her backpack, zipped it shut, and tossed it on top of the coats. They headed back out to rejoin the party.

When Alex got a chance to be alone with Vale, she whispered, “Is she?”

Vale nodded. “As well as her father. I cannot quite tell with her brother, he is still young. He might not have come into his power yet.”

“What are you going to do?”

“See if I can convince her parents to let her come to school.”

Alex nodded. She looked at her watch then headed back to the cabin to get the evening chores done. She returned as soon as she could. Peter was grilling up some steaks and hamburgers. A long table was set up on his back porch so everyone could eat together. They enjoyed the food and company, talking well past sunset. The candles flickered, lighting up everyone’s faces. After dessert, Peter gave all the adults a glass of champagne. He lifted his glass. “To the best friends a man can ever have.”

“Hear! Hear!” everyone answered and drank the delightful liquid.

Peter got up again, “If you’ll all stay seated, my new friend, Derek, is going to give us a short fireworks display.” Peter sat and a few minutes later several balls lit up the night sky. It only lasted a minute when there was a pause and then the whoosh of a firework shot echoed. They watched it travel up then expand into a dragon. Everyone gasped. The dragon spread its wings and circled the sky three times. It disappeared with a pop. They sat there for a moment then started clapping. Shortly after, the partygoers collected their jackets and started to wander back home, Alex being one of the earliest. She didn’t have the luxury of sleeping in. Anna Belle and Mandy would be wanting attention.

****

A dozen students from Aspen Glen arrived in three trucks a week later. They cast an ignore spell so no one would watch what they were doing. They magically cut the hay, dried it, and moved it from the field to hay stacks closer to the barn. After they finished that step, they baled it and moved the bales next to the barn. It took all day, but by sunset they were finished. They piled up a ring of stones and started a bonfire. Then they sat around the ring and roasted hot dogs. As they fixed and ate their dinner, they told stories about school—especially those involving the various magical creatures that resided on the school grounds. A mean nanny goat took center stage in a lot of their tales. As Alex listened, she stroked a finger down Ginny’s chest. How similar the stories sounded to hers with the hen. They partied until late in the evening. Alex had them bunk in the barn and cabin so they could leave the next morning after breakfast. The whole time Ginny rode around on Alex’s shoulder. The students teased her mercilessly about having a chicken for a familiar. For the first time she didn’t mind being teased. Over the winter and summer, she’d finally become comfortable with who she was. She no longer minded that her magic wasn’t as strong as a lot of the other wizards. It was enough for her.

In August, a series of storms passed through bringing the stifling temperatures down to comfortable levels. Each afternoon, she’d take a book and drink out to the back porch. Sometimes she’d simply sit and watch. The wildlife would scatter as a storm approached and then gradually reappear after everything was over. The birds bathed in the short-lived puddles before searching for their evening meal. She sighed; it was so peaceful and quiet. If anyone would have asked her if she would ever live in the mountains, she’d have told them they were crazy. Not now. She’d changed. Denver’s hustle and bustle had now become a pain. She wanted this quiet life. Or did she want this because she wanted Steve? To be with him the rest of her life.

The summer was winding down. Steve would get back in a few weeks. She shut the lid on her laptop. All morning she’d tried to get some work done, but she couldn’t focus. Her thoughts kept turning back to the previous day’s phone call from Steve. He asked about Mandy, Anna Belle, and the chickens, if they were all healthy and managing. He asked if she was having any problems with taking care of everything. How often she was going over to Peter’s. He was business, all business. He never asked about her. Then he found an excuse to end the call after only a few minutes. She knew school would be hard for him, but this?

“Why? Why is he doing this?” Alex said.

Ginny was on her shoulder as usual. “Maybe he isn’t interested. Maybe he can’t stop shifting and doesn’t want to risk having you around. Maybe he’s found someone else and is afraid to tell you.”

Alex shooed the hen away. She picked up her iced tea and wandered out onto the back porch.

Mandy shuffled out after her and approached the screen windows.

Alex settled into the chair and looked out across the valley.

Mandy sniffed the air and carefully scanned the area, then plopped down next to her feet.

Alex sipped her tea as she watched the evening fall. The birds were stilling as the sun set behind the mountains. Only the robins called out as darkness claimed the valley. She spent the time going over possible scenarios. She knew he’d be worried about his animals, his family, his home. He would be curious about his friend, Peter. She knew he hated going to school, dealing with the new magical subjects, and learning about the magical world. Would he continue on with the schooling? He probably didn’t even realize he’d been abrupt.

If she hadn’t shown up, he wouldn’t know about magic. She was responsible for all this. She’d thrown his life into disarray. He could blame her for all these changes. Was he trying to distance himself? Did he want to end their relationship?

Now that was the problem. Her future hinged on what he wanted, and it would be weeks before she could find out. Mañana. Why was everything important always mañana? The cow might jump over the moon before then. Alex kept going over the possible scenarios. Of all the possibilities, the most likely was that he was trying to distance himself. She’d been responsible for all the changes he’d been forced to make ever since she’d shown up on his doorstep. Was he blaming her for everything? She had thrown his peaceful life into chaos.

Mandy picked up her head and nudged Alex’s leg.

“I know, girl.” She stroked Mandy’s head. “Everyone is waiting for dinner.”