He smiled to himself as he realized it. It was totally true. Alex was a great fighter, and he was also an excellent spell builder’one of the best. Mr. Today said so. So did Simber, and Mr. Appleblossom, and Ms. Morning, and especially Ms. Octavia, who knew his skill level was far beyond many others his age.
“What are you smiling at?” Lani whispered.
Alex startled and looked at her. He grinned even bigger, and sort of goofily, because he realized that Lani was just as excellent in different ways. She was extremely stealthy and sly, and no one ever had to worry much about her’she could naturally get out of any pinch with her fast thinking and her intricate moves.
Lani grinned too. “What?” she asked again. And then she laughed. “Why are we smiling?”
Alex just looked at her, and his heart clutched and sputtered. “We’re awesome,” he said finally. “I’m smiling because we are awesome.”
Lani laughed again and shook her head. “You are such a dork.” But she said it in the sweetest way a girl could ever say it to a guy.
It was crazy. Alex felt like he was finally getting his energy back after the last battle, and he hadn’t even known he’d lost it until this excitement surged through him these past few weeks. He bounced on his toes in anticipation, focused now on the Unwanted opposite him’a woman who’d been purged about ten years ago, whom Alex had thought he’d seen around with a baby recently. He didn’t know her name, but she flashed a cheeky grin at Alex and gave him a nod that said “bring it.”
As Florence counted down nearby, Alex put all his focus on the heart-shaped bit of clay between his fingers, and when she shouted “Fire!” Alex pulled his arm back, whispered “heart attack,” and then sent it forward in the fluid motion of a true artist who knows that speed isn’t important’only focus is.
The little heart left his fingers and sprouted tiny white wings, which gave it an incredible range. It sailed perfectly at the woman, who still grinned, knowing she’d get him back in a minute. It struck her in the chest.
With the smile melting from her lips, the woman’s eyes grew wide, and she collapsed to the ground, her body in spasms. A few seconds later she stopped moving.
Alex gasped. The roar of the crowd around Alex sounded far away as all the others let go of their components and the row opposite them erupted into the strangest fits anyone had ever seen. Some ran away screaming, some flew backward and were pinned to the great gray wall, others hopped around, and still others froze and didn’t move.
There was complete silence from the beginner students who watched in fear, and a momentary collective pause from Alex’s row as they peered to see where their opponents ended up, and then a cheer. They ran immediately to their counterparts to release the spells. But Alex wasn’t cheering.
He ran to the woman he’d hit. Her body had curled up on the ground, still and pale as death itself. Alex’s stomach twisted in fear’what if it was a little too strong? He hurried to release the spell.
A tense moment passed and Florence approached. She looked at the woman and turned to Alex, alarmed. “What spell?”
“A new one,” Alex said, ripping his fingers through his hair anxiously. “I call it ‘heart attack.’ ” His own heart sank to his gut as Lani, Sam, Meghan, and a dozen other Unwanteds gathered around to see what the fuss was about.
Florence, never one to panic, patted Alex’s shoulder. “Okay. It’ll be fine. Look’she’s coming around now.”
The color slowly returned to the woman’s cheeks and her eyelids fluttered. She rolled to her stomach, coughed, and pushed herself up on one elbow, a dazed look on her face.
Alex sucked in a breath and let it out in a loud, relieved whoosh. “Wow,” he said. “Sorry about that.” He held his hand out to her and she took it, getting up slowly. “Are you okay?”
After a minute she grinned weakly and shook her head in wonder at the boy. “That,” she said, “was quite an experience.” She coughed a few times as Florence examined her.
“I’m really sorry,” Alex said again.
And then the woman looked Alex in the eye and said very seriously, “No, don’t be. I mean it. That was intense. I’d do just about anything for you, Alex, if you’d make me a dozen of those.” She straightened her vest and wiped a few blades of grass from her elbow. “As soon as possible, please. That’s the worst spell I’ve ever seen. Or felt. Or . . . experienced. And by worst, I mean best.”
Alex let out a rattled laugh, still slightly unnerved. “Okay, sure,” he said. “No problem.”
The woman held out her hand. “I’m Carina,” she said. “Carina Fathom. You can find me in the family hallway.”
Alex relaxed a bit when he heard her familiar last name. “Alex Stowe,” he said, giving her hand a firm shake. “I’ll make some for you, I promise.”
The woman chuckled. “You’re so modest. Don’t you realize that everybody here knows who you are? In our hallway you’re known as ‘the guy to stand behind’ if we ever have to go to battle again.” She laughed. “That’s a pretty big compliment.”
Alex felt his face heat up. “Wow,” he said, feeling extremely awkward. He thought he was still regarded as the one who almost ruined everything.
He felt a heavy hand on his shoulder and looked up at Florence, who had a very pleased look on her face. “Okay, everybody,” she said. “Back to work.”