Chapter 18 — Old Friends, Forgotten Friends

  Every time Hailey flew, she felt like her mind was wiped clean. She could just bask in the sunlight, never too hot with the wind rushing across her entire body and keeping her cool. Over time, she'd learned how to shape the incoming air so it didn't blast her face so painfully, which included the side effect of reducing drag and helping her fly faster and with less effort. With massive, puffy white clouds forming breathtaking landscapes for her to dive and roll around, she enjoyed a never-ending expanse (mostly) to herself and her best friend.

  She'd long since stopped diving into clouds though, after spending a whole afternoon uncomfortably drenched. If she'd had Jessica with her, they could have dried off quickly enough with magic, but instead she had to keep above the rain clouds, feeding herself a supply of oxygen while slowly drying out in the sunlight and hoping her sunscreen hadn't worn off. She felt like she might freeze, but she got through it.

  Today, Hailey couldn't clear her mind. Flying fast only had the effect of making their destination that much closer, building up stronger emotions with every unsuspecting human town they swept past. Did she dread reuniting with her old friends? Was she excited? She wanted to just take it stoically, as a mission to recruit for the army she'd suddenly decided to build.

  "Nah, not an army," she mused aloud, while Jessica slept bundled up against her. "More like a team. Just enough people to find him, stop whatever he tries, and take him down. No one else has to get hurt."

  They were flying through the night sky, which they both felt was dark and quiet enough to not need her invisibility. Jessica was getting sleep wherever she could, since they still had a long trip ahead of them. Hailey couldn't see how she managed to sleep strapped into the harness, but Jessica's breathing was quiet and steady and she hadn't moved in hours. Either she was asleep or way better at meditation than Hailey knew.

  She wished she could get some sleep, but after a whole night tossing and turning, Hailey resigned herself to quick catnaps whenever they took a break. It got so bad that Jessica gave up too and stayed awake with her, watching TV while they waited for nightfall. As soon as it was dark, they were up and in the air again, leaving the cheap motel they'd rented a single night at. Hailey didn't expect they'd even bother for night two.

  As they cruised south, passing over cities with familiar landmarks, Hailey pulled out her phone. She occasionally got coverage at their flight level, depending on what towers were nearby, but it was spotty at best. Still, the GPS function gave her enough to keep them on track as they flew, and she could always use the highways or the coastline as a guide.

  Her real fear was planes. With exhaustion really setting in, Hailey kept seeing phantom planes popping into the corner of her peripheral vision. Even though she could consciously tell herself that commercial planes stayed miles above her, she couldn't shake the vision of herself splattered across the front windows of an airliner, or sucked into a jet engine, or worse.

  She did spot the occasional small plane and the odd helicopter, but they were easy enough to dodge. One close call in a low fog bank with a buzzing prop plane, though, and Hailey's worst fears were almost realized. Jessica woke with a start to a hard roll as Hailey dove out of the way, almost clipping the plane's tail.

  Maybe I should get a radio and listen to air traffic…

  As it turned out, they didn't need to stop for a second night. They arrived in Norwalk just as the sun began to set. Hesitantly, Hailey pulled out her phone and — for the first time since May — logged into her old social accounts. Cinza insisted that the phone's location could not be traced under any circumstances, but Hailey didn't know enough about the internet to ever be sure. She stayed far up in the sky, gliding on thermals rising up from the streets. She could see the L.A. sprawl stretching in every direction.

  On her phone, she double-checked the address, then began a slow wide spiral while she held the map out for Jessica to see. They both scanned the area, looking for a grid of streets that looked about right. Hailey turned them around to face north so that the map lined up with what they could see.

  Jessica squeaked and pointed. She'd spotted it. A house that looked right. Simultaneously, they both muttered the spell to enhance their eyes, spying through the windows.

  Ian Wong was home. He grabbed a drink from the refrigerator before rushing back out of sight.

  Hailey didn't hesitate. She knew that if she did, she'd never work up the nerve again. They dove, hard and fast toward the house, while Jessica shielded them from the view of the setting sun. As the house rushed up to meet them, Hailey flared a wing and practically skidded through the air, banking to the side to come to a soft, running landing in the small empty backyard.

  She was getting really good at landing. Her legs barely felt it anymore.

  As Jessica unstrapped and took a few steps to steady herself, Hailey walked right up to the sliding rear door. She muttered another quick spell, and suddenly she could hear everything in the house. Every tiny sound, from the padded footfalls of a cat wandering the upstairs, to the rapid clicks of Ian's keyboard, the churning dryer, the hum of the refrigerator, the fans. It was So-Cal, so even in November it was still plenty warm out. Hailey already felt the heat settling in, clad in her flight outfit.

  No one else seemed to be home, just the rapid clicking of the keyboard and Ian's voice as he chatted with someone online. Hailey glanced at Jessica, suddenly at a loss. Do we just break in…? She gestured at the glass, making a punching motion with a questioning look.

  Jessica rolled her eyes. She pointed at the door and flicked her finger upward. The lock clicked — so loud that Hailey winced. She'd forgotten to let go of her own spell.

  They crept inside, sliding the door closed behind them. Almost immediately, they heard the cat bounding across the upper floor and reaching the stairs. It peeked its head around the corner, eyed them both suspiciously, then backed away again.

  Wish we could've called him first… Hailey hadn't kept his number when she'd had to ditch her old phone, and he didn't list it on his profile anywhere. She thought about calling out, but she didn't want to alert anyone she might have missed, or scare Ian into doing something impulsive and drastic. He's got the same kind of power I've got. Be careful, Hales.

  Jessica latched onto her hand. Hailey glanced around, but she just nodded, indicating forward. Hailey nodded back, and together they started walking toward Ian's voice, issuing from the office on the other side of the small house.

  Everything's always sneaking, or keeping secret, or just hiding. I'm so sick of this. He's my friend! Or… he was my friend. But come on!

  Hailey shook her head vehemently. She'd had enough. With a squeak of surprise from Jessica, she gave up on the slow creep forward and simply walked right into Ian's room, opening the door as if it were a totally normal thing.

  "Did you see that new build I ma…"

  Ian didn't notice right away, his eyes locked on his computer screen. But, as the door swung wide in the corner of his eye, he glanced over briefly. His eyes slid back immediately to the screen, as if he hadn't even seen her.

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  Hailey just stared at him, mouth open slightly. Hello, Ian? Your dead friend is back. Say hi, at least? She was suddenly too nervous to make a single move. Now that she was finally in the room, face to (side) face with one of her old friends, she had no idea what to say.

  Suddenly she realized: he hadn't pressed a single key since she walked in. He kept staring at the screen, but he'd completely frozen up. She could barely hear Hugo's voice from his headset speakers, asking something she couldn't make out.

  Jessica finally broke the silence. She 'hmm'ed excitedly, and finally, Ian slowly rotated in his chair to face him. She gave him a little wave, still clutching Hailey's hand with the other. He slowly lifted a hand and waved back.

  "Hi Ian," whispered Hailey.

  Ian reached over to his keyboard and held down a key. "Uhh, Hugo? You should come over here."

  Pause.

  "Yeah, right now. Just trust me, man."

  Pause.

  "See you in a bit." He took off his headset and set it on the desk, and shut off the monitor, before swivelling back to Hailey again. "...So."

  "Yeah."

  His face lit up in a smile. "Holy shit, you're alive!"

  Hailey grinned. Without warning, Ian leapt to his feet and rushed them. Hailey only had an instant to react before he'd buried them both in a hug.

  "You're alive!"

  "Yeah, we're alive," she choked out, patting him on the back. "Wanna get off me now?"

  "No," he shot back, but he relented, retreating to his chair again. "When I saw the news… I figured, you know, they finally did it. They blew the place up."

  "Not exactly," she sighed.

  "I can't believe you're really alive." Ian looked practically giddy. "Where have you been this whole time?"

  "Hiding out, duh."

  "Yeah, but where?"

  "Here and there," she shrugged.

  Ian frowned. "...Hales? What's up?"

  She shook her head. "Come on, let's just enjoy this a minute, all right? I haven't seen you in forever."

  "Yeah, no kidding." He turned slightly. "Hey, Jess." He grinned, nodding at their clasped hands, since Jessica still hadn't let go. "Nice to see you two finally hooked up."

  Hailey shook her head quickly. "We didn't."

  "You… oh, shit, sorry." Ian's face got red. "I just thought, you know—"

  "Yeah, I know." She smiled. "There was actually this one girl, back in Seattle, that Jess… Err…" Hailey trailed off, remembering how that story ended.

  "...You guys want anything to drink?"

  "Oh god, yes please. We've been flying nonstop for hours."

  Ian stopped halfway out of his chair. "You figured it out?"

  She felt like she couldn't possibly smile any wider. "Oh yeah. Big time."

  "Show me."

  Hailey shook her head. "Not unless you want your room to look like a tornado blew in. Later, okay?"

  "Fine." He headed to the kitchen. "Beer alright? I'm sure I've got something stronger if you want."

  "Nah, beer's good."

  "Jess, what about you?" He grinned. "I think we've got some vodka, actually. I'd love to hear some more improv from the best drunk rapper in Rallsburg."

  Hailey's heart sank. She knew it was coming, but she'd still hoped they could somehow avoid the topic. She tried to put it off, though she knew it wouldn't last. "Beer for both of us."

  He glanced at her funny, since Jessica (of course) hadn't reacted in the slightest to his question. "Alright."

  Hailey wandered back into the living room and plopped down on the couch. Jessica laid down next to her, grabbing a few pillows and closing her eyes. Ian returned in just a few moments with the bottles, and Hailey had to nudge Jessica to get her attention. She looked around, saw the drink and floated it to herself right out of Ian's hand.

  "Nice," he added, taking the opposite chair. "Still got it, huh?"

  "You wouldn't believe some of the stuff we've seen." Hailey popped the beer open with a spell and drained half of it with a satisfied sigh. "It's been a crazy year."

  "I'd believe anything. If you told me you could turn into a pink giraffe, I'd just wonder how tall you could get," he grinned. His face fell though as he remembered why he'd left. "I still had nightmares after I got home. Didn't go outside after dark for weeks."

  Hailey shook her head. "You don't have to worry about them anymore."

  "What happened?"

  "One of them's dead, and the other won't bother anyone."

  He raised an eyebrow. "Did… you?"

  "No. There's… a lot more people with magic than just us. They call us 'awakened'."

  Ian rolled his eyes. "Nice and conceited."

  "Hey, I didn't come up with it."

  "How many, then?"

  She shrugged. "Who knows? Whoever read from those pieces of paper, right?"

  "Right…" He looked uncomfortable, and quickly changed the subject. "But hey, you're both alive. That's amazing."

  "Yeah, we made it." She put an arm around Jessica, who hugged her back before laying down again. "A lot of people didn't though."

  "I saw… They published lists of people, you know? Everyone they'd confirmed, so that extended family would know." He shuddered. "I kept watching for your name, but it never came up. I called you so many times."

  "I ditched my phone that night," she said apologetically. "Sorry."

  "Nah, I totally get it." He grinned. "You know the FBI came to question me?"

  "Seriously?" She felt a spike of fear, glancing around as if Jeremy Ashe and his men might pop out of any corner. "...Did they ask anything about me?"

  He snickered. "So vain, Hales. Relax, that was way back in May. It was just routine shit, asking about the town. You were like a footnote. They just got my name off a student list."

  She breathed a sigh of relief. "Sorry."

  "So that 'fake' video a couple weeks ago, that really was you?"

  "Yeah."

  "Oh, and the mystery person you flew off with was Jess!" He tapped a hand to his forehead. "I'm catching on now. So you two are what, a crime-fighting duo now or something?"

  "We were just in the area. I couldn't just stand by," she replied nonchalantly, though she felt a little bit of pride in the description.

  "Jess, how do you put up with a head that big?" Ian grinned, glancing back to her. As usual, Jessica ignored his statement entirely, though she was clearly listening into every word, eyes open and darting around the room. He faltered. "...Jess? Is this 'cause of the vodka joke?"

  "It's not…" Hailey grimaced.

  Of all the people she'd ever had to explain to, Ian was by far the hardest. He'd been Jessica's friend before any of them — before Weston, before Hugo, and long before Hailey.

  They'd met freshman year and hit it off, sharing the same taste in almost everything, and Ian was easily the most emotionally intelligent of the group. Hailey wasn't surprised that Jessica had confided in him. He'd introduced the two of them, bringing Jessica along to one of Hailey's parties. She could see Jessica confessing her secret crush to Ian, desperate for advice on how to approach Hailey.

  If only she'd done so sooner, instead of that day…

  "Do you remember that theory Jess was working on?" asked Hailey. "Rituals?"

  "...Yeah." He glanced at her again, then back to Hailey. "Permanent magic, right?"

  "Pretty much. Stuff that you didn't have to keep going. She figured it out."

  "I'm sensing this is going to have a depressing ending." He took a deep swill of his own drink.

  "If a ritual gets interrupted, by even the slightest thing, before you finish…" Hailey choked up.

  "Oh man…" He put his hands on his face. "How bad is it?"

  Hailey took a deep breath. "She destroyed her sense of language. Completely, and it's never coming back until we fix it."

  "Her… sense of language?"

  "She can't understand a word we're saying. Or read anything, or speak anything. At all." Tears sprung to her eyes, and Hailey quickly brushed them away. She felt like this should have gotten easier, with the number of times she'd explained it — but seeing Ian's face fall, as the depth really hit him, was overwhelming.

  Ian didn't say anything. He just stared at some vague spot halfway between the floor and the couch, processing. Hailey felt too overcome to keep talking.

  "Mmm!"

  Jessica had no such qualms. Seeing both of them fall silent, she clapped her hands together. She sat up straight, and there was real anger in her face. She glared at each of them in turn.

  "Huh?"

  Jessica pointed at her, at her eyes specifically. She reached out a finger, brushing a tear away from Hailey's cheek. Jessica pointed at the tear, then at Hailey, and shook her head. She held up her hands to her own mouth, covering it up, then her ears and covered them briefly as well. She pointed at herself and shrugged, gesturing wide with her hands.

  "Jess, I—"

  Ian spoke up. "She's right." He nodded to Jessica and smiled. "This happened when?"

  "A year ago. Last September."

  "And you're still beating yourself up about it." Ian turned to Hailey, and Jessica nodded emphatically. She pointed at Hailey again, shaking her head vehemently. Her brown-blue hair whipped Hailey in the face as she did.

  "Well, it's my fault!" Hailey cried. "If I hadn't—"

  Ian shook his head. "Hales, you blame yourself for everything. I'm gonna be the judge here, all right?"

  "Judge of what?"

  "Start at the beginning, and tell me everything. I'll decide whose fault it is." Jessica, seeing Ian confront her, got up off the couch and took the chair next to his. Hailey was left alone, facing down her closest friend and her oldest foe, united against her. And yet… She felt right at home.