"If you had training, you could do quite a bit, and I think you do more than you know."
"I do?" That worried me. I didn't want to be doing magic without realizing it.
"I'm not going to teach you, but you should find someone who will. You'll be safer. You should also let Doc know about your background," Sam said.
"Why Doc?" Victoria asked.
"He's…" Sam hesitated. "He's not someone the local black market is going to mess with lightly. If he wants to tell you more, that's up to him."
"And why won't you train Sofia? You're a mage, right?"
Sam shook her head. "I am, but I'm not a teacher. If the shop is open and you feel uncomfortable, you're welcome to drop in and hang out for a while. I'll let the staff know you have access to the back room. Otherwise, I can't really do anything."
"Thank you," I offered and glanced at the cookie I still held. Before I could take a bite, the air filled with the sounds of thousands of tiny bells. Sparkles appeared before my eyes and descended on all the cookies in a crazy clash of sound and light, and then everything that was left, including the cookie in my hand, was gone.
I laughed when a few faeries came back and landed on my hand.
"Hold still," Sam ordered.
"I've met them before," I breathed quietly so as not to disrupt the faeries with my breath.
I thought I heard delicate laughter before the entire group took to the air again and vanished.
"Where?" Sam asked once the fae were gone.
Victoria and I both smiled broadly with the experience.
"Doc and the brothers took us to Lost Lake," Victoria replied.
"Really?"
We nodded.
"Wow, they've got it bad." Sam shook her head and stood.
"Got what bad?" Victoria demanded.
"I shouldn't keep you from your dinner. Be careful, keep your eyes open, and make sure you tell Doc your family are normal humans." Obviously, Sam wasn't going to answer.
"Thanks, Sam," I said as I also stood.
Victoria also got to her feet, and we followed Sam to the front of the shop. At least we had a little more information, if nothing else. I still had more questions than answers, and a great deal of fear. Was I putting Victoria in danger? Was I putting everyone in danger? I didn't want to leave school, but if it was safer, maybe I should find a college somewhere else. Should I tell my parents? Magic talk made them uncomfortable, and while they'd never told me not to do magic, they had made sure I only did it in the house.
I twisted my hands together as we headed to the pizza place.
"Hey, cheer up," Victoria ordered. "Everything will work out."
I forced a smile, not convinced, but not willing to drag her mood down either. Maybe she was right.
Chapter 10
Sofia
"You haven't said a word since we left the shop except to order. What's on your mind?" Victoria took a sip of her drink and stared at me.
I took a deep breath, and was about to answer when our pizza arrived. The silence stretched while we each got a piece, and I took a bite.
"You do know that it's weird that you never burn yourself on fresh pizza."
"I didn't realize that was a thing." I pursed my lips.
"Maybe it's magic." Victoria winked.
I dropped my pizza, hands shaking. The fear that had slowly taken a hold of me at Sam's clutched at my chest, and I gasped for breath.
"Hey, it's okay, Sofia."
I shook my head, not wanting to cry, but not able to contain the fear any longer. I'd lived so long trying to keep my secret hidden from everyone except my parents, and now so many people knew, and some of those people were trying to capture me. Why though? I wasn't an orphan, I would be missed. I didn't seem to fit the profile of people they would target from what little I knew. Obviously, I didn't know enough.
"Hey, it's okay," Victoria said again. We were at a corner table again, and she slid around and put her arm around my shoulders and squeezed. "We're going to be fine. You've got powerful friends here. They'll keep you safe."
"I'm worried about me," I said. "I'm also worried about you, and the others. It sounds like they had things worked out until I showed up. Maybe I should leave."
Victoria held me for a moment before she shook her head. "It depends on why they want you. If it's for more normal reasons, like exploiting your powers, then going home will keep you safe. If it's for something different, then I don't know what will work. What we really need to do is find someone to teach you magic so you can defend yourself."
I took a couple of deep breaths, and Victoria slid back to the other side of the table and picked up her pizza.
"I think you need to have a long conversation with Doc, Ed, and Allan. They've been relatively open with us, and I bet they can help."
"Well." I picked my pizza back up. "I should have a lot of time this weekend."
"If there's anything I can do, please let me know. I don't want to have to find a different roommate." Victoria grinned at me. "I like the one I have."
"Thanks," I whispered.
"Now, let's eat this perfect-temperature pizza before it gets cold. Wait, does your pizza ever get cold?"
I shook my head.
"Yeah, definitely magic."
I sighed, and she nudged me with her foot. "Hey, I'm loving not having to wait until the pizza cools to eat it. We'll figure this out, Sofia. Do you know any self-defense or martial arts?"
"Yeah. Some."
"Good, we'll get your boys to practice with us. I bet they know how to fight."
I sputtered.
"You know, you can date them all, right? If they agree." Victoria winked at me.
"What?" The switch in topics caught me off
