Excerpt: Honako Mage: The Mind Walker

PART ONE:
Fumbling through her purse, Lia mumbled to the cashier, “Just one moment. I know it’s in here somewhere…” Her fingers tested each object she came across. Keys, chapstick, old movie tickets- this was no good. “Why is my purse so unorganized?” she whispered desperately. She sorted through everything once again. Not there. Lia cleared her throat nervously.

“Um. I kind of forgot to bring my wallet, so I won’t be needing the sandwich,” she said with a nervous laugh to the patient teenager behind the counter. “I am really sorry for-”

A hand was laid on her shoulder, making her jump. “I’ll cover it.” The counter jingled with change and she heard the soft slap of a few paper bills, but the sounds slipped her mind as she concentrated on the man’s voice. “Eat lunch with me?”

The offer sounded innocuous. After all, he was paying for her lunch. As Lia followed him to the dinky little plastic booth, though, she felt like she was taking a step forward. A step forward into what? She didn’t know. She was in the dark, literally and figuratively, she thought with an ironic smile.

Something slurped up a straw, and she realized that he- for it was him- had already gotten his food. Had he been waiting for her? she wondered idly. Was he going to do anything to her? He was a fool if he thought he could pull anything on her, blind or not.

Then again, she had no idea how strong he was. Mentally speaking, he was capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound.

All her fears and pondering were interrupted by a single word: “Eat.” Oh. Her grilled chicken was getting cold. How perfectly ordinary.

PART TWO:
"Schwoop, schwoop, schwoop," the bored blond muttered, keeping in time with the fan blades passing overhead. Ever since his encounter with his new roommate, the fire house had been quiet and utterly... dead. "Schwoop, schwoop, schwoop." He chewed on a straw absentmindedly.

A bag dropped in front of him, dragging him from his reverie. "Your new clothes," a slightly apathetic voice informed him, floating above his head for the second time that day. "Don't worry, they're the right size." Bryan simply stared at the cloth as the girl slide into a chair across from him, crossing her arms.

After a full minute without any conversation, the boy grinned tentatively and stretched. "So what made you decide to be a firefighter?" he asked as neutrally as possible.

"Oh, you mean aside from the fact that I can bend any water that happens to be in a one hundred meter radius?" she replied flatly. "Because, you know, that didn't affect my career choice at all."

"Um... oh." Searching his mind for a more appropriate question, Bryan finally asked, "How old are you?"

An eyebrow quirked. "Don't you know that it's not polite to ask a lady her age?"

"I- uh, that is-"

"Don't sweat it. I don't consider myself a lady anyways. I'm eighteen."

"I'm eighteen too!" he supplied. "Nineteen in November."

In what could have possibly been a cough, Bryan thought he heard the words, "don't act like it." Narrowing his eyes, he asked, "Does your family live nearby?"

Kris blinked. "No, not really."

"Aww, that must be hard. My family lives right here in the city. We just moved here about two years ago, though, so it's a new place for all of us."

He could have sworn that he saw her eyes roll skyward.

"You seem to be the type that poops rainbows," she remarked dryly.

"Well, you seem to be the type that enjoys kicking puppies," he shot back. "Who shoved the proverbial stick up your butt?"