CAROM-EL

A strong and fast storm that didn't ease the heat, just drenched everything. The muggy and humid weather makes the poor guy here, who just destroyed a double hamburger with a lot of cheese, sleepy when he takes a bus to go to the Passeio Público downtown.

The trees inside the place, whose branches are dripping and moving slowly, seem dismayed at having been caught in the storm. I didn't blame them. I have an aunt on my father's side who can't hear thunder and the sound of heavy rain who runs to her sister's house and officially declares that day is a sad day. The trees look like this. Sad.

I have to be careful with the puddles, they get more water when a driver comes at high speed on the bus line, right next door, and launches a wave towards the cobblestones where people who walk try to protect themselves, walking fast and avoiding the face of others. I've seen reports of robberies here and there, and addicts usually staggered at that time of day with their stinky blankets and hair that would soon become dreadlocks without the slightest work. The perfect corner for me to wait.

It will be fast. A conversation. I'll have a chat with him and he'll come with me to the league shed. If he doesn't cooperate I'll have to put him to sleep like I did with Eduardo. With a little more strength, maybe.

I wait in front of the entrance that bears the name of the place carved into a stone arch above the central portal, flanked by two smaller gates, smoothing the blue triangle of air on my white T-shirt. Arthur pops into my mind. We've skated inside the Passeio Público countless times after taking a walk at the Muller mall two blocks away.

He's coming, remember his clothes?

I check Edgar's message right after the ring.

Max explained to me calmly, as we left the room where the plans were being organized, that Edgar's skill was that. He sees the clothes of magicians who get into bad situations and crimes.

“He thinks that his dream of going to fashion college shaped his ability.” Max ate the candy bar he'd smuggled out of Graciela's drawer while she printed sheets in the corner of the room.

I remember, I send to Edgar.

Good to remember. I don't like boys using magic for bad things. You have to be really stupid to do this.

There's a world of options we don't know about and I'm afraid to explore, but a bank robber is a bank robber. The idea even stirs me up, too. If I had the power to get money out of ATMs, what would I do? I don't like the answer that lit up in my mind. I will be hunted by my own league.

Max says that magic choose the host. She choose most of the time in situations of need, which led me to the day Arthur kissed me in public and I needed him to back off, then my hands pushed him with the air of a fresh ability of control air who woke up inside me. If I hadn't done that I could end up in worse way if my grandparents figure out. They live near the skate park and any slip is my end.

“The element chooses.” Max smiled at the Direction Where Arthur and me sit on our first night in the league, after the show with other element magicians and other had introduced themselves. “You can dominate more than one if he accepts you.”

Plaid shirt Blue and yellow, shabby and torn jeans, yellow sneakers too.

It's the new Edgar's message.

Almost a banana, I type and erase.

Okay, that's all I answer and go back to watching the water.

He will pass near the arched entrance. Almost in time. Get ready, Marcelo Esperança.

I answer with another ok and lean against the wall beside the gate below the stone arch, keeping a comfortable position, pretending to wait for someone or the next biarticulated bus and run to tube station, just to get wet with the puddles and pass the shame when the others inside bus stare at me.

After five minutes the plaid shirt boy comes running into my field of vision, this after three addicteds passed by counting coins for lunch and received two bills from me, and then four girls laughing, of which two blinked at me, doing my face heats up.

My target passes by the red building of the Arab Memorial and slows down when cross the street and pass the tube station leaving me lost.

Strange, if I were I would take a bus to get far away from here quickly as possible.

How ugly, Carom.

Blue, leave me.

It's not possible, you're thinking a lot about Arthur and I'm the heart here.

Sirens in the distance reach my ears. The garoto is good, now he walks with a calm that will not arouse suspicion, with his backpack on his back. He can be another poor guy who spend your life at the mall from Sunday to Sunday, if you doesn't pay attention to him turning everywhere, even with those calm steps.

I turn to the street, the hairs on my arm standing up as he approaches. His magic coming to meet mine. Another activated ability, I imagine, that one that had saved him from the police so far. The ability of a third dude, hiding his friend.

He steps into a puddle, the noise catches my attention. The same cold that had awakened in my soul two years ago returns. My brain cools down, giving me the feeling I've had ice cream too quickly and I visualize air and water working together.

The element chooses you, Max had told me, especially in times of need and if you know how to rhyme it helps too.

The words come together in my mind, an easy path that with mind visualization of elements makes my chest warm with the certainty that it will work. To get rid of getting punched.

“Path of air” I whisper as I visualize the elements working together with certainty burning my heart “And water” My target steps into the third puddle, my gaze follows her foot sinking deeper than I expected. “Look, stupid boy, won't ignore me. Thanks to your stupidity, your foot will now freeze.”

The water rises at his feet, cools, and the ice rises to his soggy shin. He stares at his foot stuck in the hole as I approach with a nice smile.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

I feel partially stupid for abandoning water control years ago, but the air is easier and I don't depend on a wet environment to enjoy my power.

“Hey” I see a police car speeding down the bus-only lane toward us, still looking for it “You choose: me or the police excited to find you and put you behind some bars.”

“No” He pulls his foot hard, bringing ice with him. “Don't you guys from the Street have nothing better to do?”

So he knows where I came from.

“I would have” I smile, things are easier with him knowing who I am “If you weren't stupid enough to rob a bank and think you'd walk out without attracting our attention.”

He turns to the oncoming vehicle via the bus-only lane. Soon the vehicle will arrive at the bank, will receive a report from the thief and the police will remember two boys at the entrance to Passeio Público. One of them in the description of security cameras. That boy knows this, that he'll waste precious time getting that ice off his feet before he turns around and runs into the tube station to catch a bus to rescue him from the police.

“Okay” He taps his foot on the ground, the ice remains firm and I smile again, now that another element has given me his blessing. “If you get me out of here, I'll give you a share.”

“I'll pass.” I turn and wave to the police, he pushes me.

That way we'll look like two idiot friends.

“Okay, dude. I hope your travel hit us with speed.”

“Let's go, dude. Hold my hand because we're going to use traditional step-count travel” He holds his hand out to me. “And if you don't count with me...” I change my expression to one that makes him startled “You'll meet a fate worse than the police.”

***

“Traditional travel” He leans beside me and have urge to vomit “You are a snooty, stupid and silly boy” He sits down and takes a deep breath after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand “I can't do something like that.”

“I told you to close your eyes” I observe him. “It's not my fault if you didn't listen to me halfway there.”

“Well, well” Edgar approaches with Max, who is wearing pajamas that are too tight for those muscles. “First success, Marcelo.”

It's already dark, but it doesn't look like it's time to go to bed yet. It's hot and stuffy, most will enjoy the river before bedtime.

My body softens when I think about my bed and my face heats up when Max approaches and smiles.

“Relax.” He massages my shoulders. “You did it well, cadet. First mission, a success.”

“I need to go home” I check my phone “My parents will go crazy if I don't get there soon.”

“Won't you stay?” Max stops massaging me and I regret it in the same moment, but if he continues, he might put me to sleep right there, where the other magicians approach to see the newcomer thief. “I know you like to see Tulio entering the mind of thief and discovering things.”

He smooths his hair, smooths his forelock back and smiles once more, making me wish for a world where he's not straight.

“No” The thief lifts his hands to the ground “No one said anything about entering my mind.”

“Oh.” Edgar smiles at the poor guy. “It's part of the secret's charm. Not everything is revealed in the beginning. We saved you from the police and now you cooperate or we hand you over to the bank manager who will deliver you to a crowded prison cell.”

“I'll stay.” I turn to Max. “But you owe me a hot dog with two sausages and cheddar when this is over.”

“Right.” Max turns to the crowd that has gathered around us. “Tulio?”

Tulio stands out from the crowd, wearing only shorts and drying his platinum hair with a white towel. I see his body still glows from wet as he approaches and tossed the towel over his shoulders. He smiles at me, at Max, at the thief.

“Sup” Tulio fixes his hair further and gives a Colgate smile, and the girls nearby sigh.

“Same as Always” Max points to the newcomer, still on the ground “If they work alone, if they've been sent by someone. Or if they are part of Rowdys.”

For the past two years, I've known from other wizards' updates that there was another league: League of Rowdy Magicians. I didn't know if it was their official name, but most of the newcomers who were caught by our vigilantes were part of the other league.

It hurts your head to think that there is a league where magicians organize to rob banks and markets. The League of Street Magicians was structured to handle these differentiated robberies like a magical police. Max organizes everything together with Graciela, Edgar and the others. We catch thieves and turn them over to the police if they don't cooperate. It can still get worse. They use a hypnotist to make you forget your powers and then they throw you to the police with a poster saying: hey, I stole that market that day.

The problem is that the police don't know how to deal with young people with supernatural powers, so they are always the last case. Tulio finds out about people by getting into their minds, Max and the others try to help with their return to society after a period of time in our league. But if they don't cooperate, if Max's chances are thrown in the trash, and God only knew how many chances he give, then Max throws them to the wolves.

The young on the ground tries to move away, he crawls on his back until he hits Xavier's legs.

“Open your eyes wide.” Xavier's eyes widen, to demonstrate how he should do it, and our guest on the floor shudders. Xavier's blue eyes gleam as if a storm is about to descend on the young thief “Or I'll make you forget your powers and then we'll turn you over to the police. And delivering you tied up will surely give pleasure to the managers you stole.”

“It's showtime.” Max rubs his hands and I turn away, it'll be a while longer before he search for me and walks out to buy my hot dog.

“Hi.” I bump into Arthur's body before he grabs me so I can see his tired face. “You didn't wait for me on our skate park as we agreed.”

“I had my urges, Arthur.” I let go of his arms.

Kiss him.

It's just Arthur holding me and Blue already appears to suggest a kiss.

He is a good kisser.

He kisses, Blue, but this is not the time.

“Since when have you…” He stands up and I turn in the same direction.

Xavier is sitting in front of the thief, speaking sweet words that hypnotize him before Tulio bends down too and pulls the poor guy's face up to face his.

“You've become a vigilante.” Arthur bends down.

“Kinda like that” I try to contain the eletricity of the truth, but it's not easy with that little face waiting for me.

Arthur is my best friend and, despite he left me for two girls in the last two years, I still rely on him for a lot of things. Magic is one of those things.

“So it's going to be a double celebration.” He takes his phone out of his pocket. “Because we're signing up for this here.”

He plays a video that starts with calm music, some young people sitting in the stands, until the camera turns to one who do tricks in a closed skate park.

The Paraná Skate Federation, together with the Grawlek brand, announce the Skate Championship in Curitiba. The qualifiers will take place on March 5th and 6th at Paulo Leminski quarry. For more information, visit the websites.

The video blurs and the link to the Federation and Grawlek websites appears on the screen. And then the video ends and Arthur puts away his cell phone.

“We're going to kick some ass.” Arthur hugs me and I reciprocate. “But I won't take it easy.”

“Neither did I ...”

He interrupts me by getting too close and I push him away at once.

Wow, Carom.

Blue, go to sleep, this is not the time.

He kissed you and you pushed him away.

I have my reasons.

There is no reason to push Arthur away.

There are, Blue. And one of them is the chest pain you suffered every time he left us for a girl.

“Arthur?”

Blue doesn't piss me off anymore, so I better focus on my friend whose face is red.

“Sorry.” He smooths his hair. “I'm too excited.’

“You have a girlfriend”

“So...” He smiles and clasped his hands “I don't have any more.”

I'm still processing the upcoming championship, my first successful mission as a vigilante, and the hot dog that stays in my mind. So it takes me a while to understand that he ended up with the girl who made him suffer.

“I have a championship to prepare for.” He comes over and throws a hand around my shoulders. “And so do you.”

“Yeah” I surrender to the comfort of his gesture “And rightly so.”

“Hot dog to celebrate!”

Max still watches Tulio connected to the young thief's mind and my stomach begs for that unhealthy crap, with two sausages, chicken and cheddar, which will shorten a day of my life.

Max senses my hunger as I clutch my stomach and stare at him.

“Soon” he smiles at me.

“I'm waiting”

I see Tulio turn away from the thief and turn to our leader.

“There, Max.”

Max turns toward him and approaches.

“Let's see what he has for us today.”

Tulio connects his mind with Max's and my hunger goes down the drain when I imagine those two hunks kissing while sharing secrets of the other league.

“Will it take time, Elo?”

“I don't know, Arthur.”

I turn to him, who is biting his lip.

“Better we sit down?”

He turns toward the bleachers.

“Better we sit down.”

I turn and walk away from Tulio and Max before other things light up in my body.