Page 34 of Returning to Everton

“Oh. Well, that explains how you found me,” I laugh at myself for not questioning that when he got here.

He smirks at me again. “You feeling okay Rowe? You normally would have given me the third degree wondering how I knew where you were,” he teases me.

Damn it I missed this asshole. I smack him in the shoulder since he’s still on his haunches in front of Violet. “Shut up. I’ve got a lot on my mind lately, okay,” I retort.

Sadly, it has the opposite effect I was hoping for. I have always enjoyed Nate’s levity. But my statement sobered him up. He stops smiling and gets serious with me. Serious Nate is normally not a good thing.

He stands up and turns to me. “I know Rowen, I’m sorry. Your life has changed a lot recently. I’m sure you do have a lot on your mind,” he responds dejectedly.

I’m about to comfort him when he turns and starts talking to Violet again. I’m surprised at how good he is with her, though I shouldn’t be. He’s pretty much raised Logan since he was a baby. He’s had plenty of experience dealing with kids. I just stand back and watch in awe as the bad boy of our group completely charms my little girl.

Violet comes running up to me screaming, “Mommy! Mommy!!”

“What sweetie?” I ask her with wide eyes.

“Mr. Nate said he can magic me a new playhouse! Can he Mommy? Can he???” she implores.

I look up at Nate. “You want to magic her a playhouse?” I ask incredulously.

“Yeah? Why? It’s not hard,” he replies.

“Well okay then. Have fun. I’m gonna go inside and get ready for the movers. Be good Violet,” I tell them. I get a couple of head bobs and hand waves, so I grab Quinn and go back inside.

“Oh my god, he’s so good with her Rowe. Look at how well they’re getting along,” she points out the window.

I sigh. “Yeah, I know he really is. I wasnotexpecting that. But I guess he’s had a lot of practice with Logan,” I say.

“Well, yeah, but little boys and little girls are a whole different animal,” she retorts, and we both laugh.

“Alright walk with me. We can make a list of everything I need to fill this giant house,” I order Quinn. She obediently follows me and magics up a pen and notebook.

14

Nate

Iam loving this kid’s enthusiasm. She’s just a ball of energy. She reminds me of Rowe when she was her age. The sweetest girl you’ve ever met unless you were picking on her friends. Then she became a devil child.

“Alright, Violet. Tell me what you want in a playhouse. If you could have your dream playhouse, what would it look like?” I ask the little girl staring at me with wide eyes.

“Anything? You can make it look however I want?” she looks at me in wonder. If I didn’t know she had such little knowledge of magic and how it works, I might be offended at her questioning my abilities.

“I can make it however you want Violet. You just have to be very specific about what you want when you use magic. That’s your first lesson. Your magic will build around your intent. So, if you intend to make a red ball, your magic will conjure a red ball,” I explain to her. “It helps to really visualize what you want when you use your magic. What can you do with your magic now?” I ask her.

She frowns at me. “I can’t do anything really cool like that,” she pouts. “I can only move things. Like this,” she says then waves her hand through the air. I see bright pink sparks going from her hand to her doll on the porch, and she flies the doll to her hands.

“Well,Ithink that’s pretty cool! Could your friends back home do that?” I ask, knowing damn well they couldn’t.

She shakes her head. “No. My daddy couldn’t do magic and neither could anyone we knew back home. It wasn’t like Everton where everyone can do magic,” she tells me.

“Well, then you’re already on your way. You taught yourself how to move things, didn’t you?” I ask her. When she nods her head at me, I continue. “That type of magic is instinctual. We can do that as babies, but as we get older, we learn how to control it. When you were a baby, I’m sure you were moving things all over the house driving your parents crazy.” She giggles and my heart melts.

“So don’t be too upset that you can’t do some stuff. You’ll learn. The only reason you can’t already do more magic is because you were never taught. And I don’t blame your mom for that. If you weren’t allowed to do magic, it would be easier for you if you didn’t know a lot about it. Now that you’re here, I’m sure your mom is going to teach you all sorts of new magic. You’re going to Everton Elementary this year, right?” I ask.

“Yes! I’m so excited! Mommy said they teach magic there not just normal school stuff,” she exclaims.

I chuckle at her zeal. She seems like a very excitable little girl. I’m going to blow her mind by the time I’m done with her playhouse.

“Okay, what’s the first rule about magic?” I quiz her.

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