"What a long night!" Sarah yawned. Her light blue eyes were droopy, just like the rest of us, from the lack of sleep. Her light blonde hair was pulled back into a pony tail, and a very hurried looking one.
I had spent the last hour working on a spell that would change me into a completely different looking student. I now had it in place. So as to avoid missing the class, I was posing as a student reporter who was watching the reaction of students in different classes.
My first three classes went smoothly, Caleb gave me a few suspicious glances but seemed satisfied enough after a while. I made sure I was late to my last class, math, so that he wouldn't have a chance to stop me before it started.
He glared at me all through the class. I hurried to the back hallway that my sibling and I had agreed to meet, before the confrontation. But the footsteps that came down the hallway were not theirs. I was invisible to all that would rely on their sight, but I should have known that it wouldn't matter.
Tap, tap, tap. "Please. Just give us some answers." I looked up to see that I was cornered by a group of my classmates. Kevin was the one who spoke. "There are more of us and you are surrounded."
"Are you the leader then Kev? Where's Caleb? He's the one who's been trying to find me." I replied, ignoring his requests. The murderous intent coming from the group of them told me that, even though they didn't want to hurt me, they would if they had to. Kevin didn't say anything, he just waited for my answers. "What are your questions?" I finally sighed.
He seemed taken aback by this and had to look to his comrades for help, but they all just shrugged. I noticed my own family coming up behind them. They all showed up and, including myself, there was currently one more of us than them. So if Caleb was here, the two sides would have an even number of ten each.
"Doesn't really matter anyway." I stated calmly, they all turned back to me.
"What?" Chris practically growled at me. I had always taken him for a quiet, shy person, but something told me that my impression would change. And, I must admit, I had never really gotten along with this group of peers.
"It. Doesn't. Matter. Anymore. I'm no longer out numbered. Turn around and see for yourself."
"Hey Tim." Sam said casually, his oddly white hair messed up after gym. He and Tim had been best friends for many years, that relationship could help keep the peace.
Or not, there was instantly a hostile aura coming from every direction. "Back down Sam. You and your friends should leave, we won't hold it against you if you do. She – " he paused to indicate me – "stays though." Warning thick in his voice.
"I'm sorry. I can't do that."
"Please, we don't want to hurt any of you. I don't want to hurt you!"
"Then don't."
"We will if we have to. And right now, we will have to unless you leave."
"None of us are leaving, we –"
"You don't have to protect her!"
"Of course I do! All of us have to protect each other! Each of our siblings!"
"Tim froze, wide eyed. "Your. Siblings?" He looked down at his shoes and closed his eyes. "Then I'm sorry that she has made you an enemy." He shot me a glare so deadly it made me cower into the wall a bit.
Almost immediately after that a fight broke out amongst the two sides. I stood on the side, unable to help anyone.
Where was my fighting partner? Where was Caleb? I thought to myself as my eyes cast over the fight. Caleb has to be the leader, none of them are acting quite the part, and with a group that large, it wouldn't survive without a leader, same as us.
There! He was coming up behind my brother, Erik, in his fight with Lindsey. Erik's orangish hair was very easy to see, along with his eyes, which was colored orange with contacts. But behind him, Caleb was coming in to aid Lindsey. I had him pinned against the wall before anyone could blink. "What a rude thing to do to an ally!" I hissed, concentrating on putting up a barrier, so no one would know what's going on, around everyone.
"How is helping someone rude?" He questioned. Everyone had stopped and was watching our conversation. Probably because any outcome between us two would determine what their next move was.
"It is insulting to them. Think about it, you and your friends are in the middle of a big fight and someone helps you first and no one else. That practically screams 'You're weak!'" I explained calmly.
"Oh. I see your point. Sorry Lin, I honestly didn't mean that."
"It's okay, I know you didn't mean anything like that." She replied, smiling forgivingly.
I backed a foot or so away from Caleb and my sisters and brothers fell in behind me. I formed a string of magic, glowing a faint blue, between my hands, then formed a loop on each end. "This will connect two parts of the two people who place their hands through the loops. The hearts shall beat as one. Which means, if one stops, so will the other. And the minds are connected as well, no secrets." I placed one end on my wrist and offered the other to Caleb. "My siblings' minds and mine are connected, just as you and your group. This will connect all of us."
"And what about that heart thing?" Caleb questioned, eyeing the string suspiciously.
"Unless you plan on dying, it shouldn't be a problem, because I don't."
"Can it be removed?"
"Yes, if all the minds connected are in agreement. And that means absolutely all of them."
"There are no other details?"
"Well, the two connected people can't put more than 100 yards space between them."
"You have a weird way of putting things." But he placed his hand in the loop anyway.
It only took a second for the spell to set in, but it took at least a minute for our minds to get used to the new thoughts and perspectives.
"Okay, now none of us can act without the other's knowledge. And even though we can hear your thoughts, we still can't hear your secrets?" Caleb asked when it was done.
"The secrets we keep have to be kept. It can affect way more people than just us. We use our abilities without thinking about it." Erik replied.
"Some people don't have to have their minds connected to hear others' thoughts," I continued, "which means we still can't tell you."
"What?" Kev said, becoming a little irritated.
Caleb put a hand out to stop him.
This is hardly fair, we have trusted you with plenty but you have told us almost nothing.
I know, Erik is work… "Done!" Erik said, pulling us from our conversation. "There is just one little thing that needs to be added."
"Why do you emphasize the 'little' part?" Kevin asked suspiciously.
"Well, we have to link the spell to the people."
"How do you do that?"
"It depends on the spell, but this one requires one drop of that person's blood."
"Blood?"
I cut Erik off before he could reply. "Blood is one of the strongest bonds. Are you afraid of a little cut? Anybody got a knife?" Kevin pulled a small pocket knife. I held out my hand, palm up, "If you would."
"Gladly." He made a small slit on my palm. I walked over and allowed it to drip into the spell, which glowed a bright red.
"Oh look, nothing happened, your turn." They all gave in and allowed a drop of blood into the spell.
Have you noticed what happened after the connection was set in place for a little while? Caleb questioned in my head.
Yeah, the connections between us and the others was broken. "Vi? Our magic is protecting their minds now." Erik announced.
"Right, we might as well start with examples of our abilities. But we shouldn't do it here, too public. Follow me."
I walked over and tapped the wall. A portal opened, the beautiful symbol for Cantella hovering in the middle. I stepped and signaled for them to come too.
