章 1: Ash Grieve
Losing a job sucks. Getting fired is worse. I was just fired from my last job. I worked in a cafe, well, I used to. Until today, that is. I didn't get the write orders down and ended up swapping three different orders. Go figure. I screwed up once again. This was already my fifth job.
My name is Ash Grieve. I live in a world of magic. Different kinds of magic that anyone can learn. Pretty sweet, huh? Wrong. Not everyone can learn magic. I, for one, can use magic. I like to use magic that tames and creates links with animals and nature in general. My sister, however, she doesn't have any magic of any sort.
My little sister, Annie Grieve I love my sister. She's the reason why I even use magic at all. Some people just don't have the ability to use magic.
"Big bro! You're home!" My little sister ran to the door to greet me home. "Why do you look so gloomy?"
"Ahaha, don't worry about it. I'll make dinner for you."
What would I make for dinner today? We're…poor. We have money, but not a whole lot. I can barely pay for school, rent and food. Annie needs so much more than that. After our parents died, I've tried to find jobs that would pay for everything we needed. It's a little harder to find a job when you're only fifteen years old. No one really accepts you since you're too young.
"Ash, Ash! What's for dinner tonight?" Annie ran into the kitchen as I pulled out a pan.
"I'm just making eggs and maybe a little bacon. Just some breakfast-for-dinner."
"Ooh, yummy! I'm gonna go play with Wilki!"
Wilki was a stuffed cat I had bought for Annie's birthday. She rarely ever gets anything special or entertaining. Why are stuffed animals so expensive?
Annie was always so positive. She never gives up with anything, unlike her big brother. I never committed to anything. My only goal was to help Annie with anything she might've needed. That was it. But she was such an adventurous girl. Who knows what she would become when she grows up. The positive gurl who couldn't use magic. It kind of rolls off the tongue, I don't know if that's a good thing or a bad thing.
Using magic isn't that hard for me. I can use different kinds that are helpful with cooking. I can't multitask without my magic. It's just difficult for me. Knowing that I can take care of things without using my hands makes me feel…I don't know, comforted?
I served out the eggs and bacon on a plate and brought one to Annie. Her eyes sparkled every time I made something for her. I guess food can do amazing things.
"Mm, yummy!" Annie said while shoving the food down her throat with a fork. "Ash?"
"What is it?" I answered while poking my food with my own fork.
"Did you get fired again?"
"Pft, nice joke. No, I didn't get fired again. If anything, a little misunderstanding happened. That's all."
"Are you sure? You have that look in your face again. Every time I see it, it usually shows that you were fired or you had a bad day."
I laughed at her thoughtfulness. Considering that she's not even a teenager yet she's so perspective. I walked over to her chair and grabbed hold of it. I tipped her chair over, then pushed her closer to her food.
"Hey! Ash! I almost fell off!"
"That's what was supposed to happen!"
"Uh- you jerk! I'm gonna punch you in the gut!"
.
.
.
.
.
School. I was always good at it. A straight A student. I was usually left alone, but there were a few obstacles. Why wouldn't there be? It's like those cliche stories where the rich, jealous assholes always picked on the poor but really smart pushovers. I was the poor but smart character and the rich assholes were the ones picking on me.
Not all are too bad. Like my friend, Neo. He's not the worst, but he's kind of annoying. I will admit, he does have a certain harm to him that makes him comforting to be around. He loves the ocean. I did mention that there are people you use magic, right? Well, there are different kinds of abilities. Elementals are often compared to magic users. That's what Neo was. He loves the ocean, and that led him to controlling water. He can breath under water, control the water, freeze water, turn it into steam. A lot of abilities come with water. It's a powerful element.
"Ash! Wait up, man!" I heard Neo as I was walking through the halls to my next class. "Dude, why do you walk so fucking fast? What are you, a cheetah?"
"Haha, very funny." I answered, turning around and crossing my arms. "Don't ever call me that again."
"As you wish, your royal highness."
"Would you stop calling me that cringey ass name? You son of a gun."
"Pft, I'll call you whatever I want, Earth Boy. You sureee you don't need anything, buddy?"
"Nosy Nancy, I will throw you off a cliff and the last thing you will see is a fucking bunch smirking at you."
"Backing off now."
Like I said, Neo is very annoying. He means well though, so I'm not harsh with him. He makes Annie happy, so it's a win-win. Neo has also offered money to us, which I rarely ever take. I guess my pride is a little over the top, but hey, I can't just accept money from Neo every single damn time he offers it. I don't want to have to rely on him for a life. Although, it would make Annie so much happier. My life is so confusing.
"Jamie and Ban said to meet up in the music room to practice later." Neo interrupted my thoughts. "Gotta keep up on that competition. So you gonna come after classes?"
"I don't know, I have to take care of Annie. I can't leave her at home for longer than I usually do." I answered, rubbing the back of my head. "Plus, there's still dinner and my magic-handling teacher will have a cow if I don't complete this certain spell by the end of the week."
"Wha- you have so much to do! Why don't you just bring Annie here? It's after school hours during our practice time. She can come on campus. What's stopping you?"
"Well, I just don't feel safe if she's out and around. She's all I have left. Everyone else in our family is either dead or their location is unknown to us."
Neo crossed his arms as we walked to the cafeteria. "She wouldn't be out and about. She'd be in the music room with us. She could use the excitement too."
I sighed. He wasn't wrong, Annie loved being with Ban and Jamie. My band and I had a competition coming up and I wouldn't be able to hire a babysitter. She would have to get used to being near people. And she doesn't exactly favor being around strangers. Jamie, Ban and Neo are the only ones she sees outside the house. Maybe this would be good for her.
"I guess. I'll just have to pick her up than come back here." I finally agreed. "But if she's coming then I'm only staying for two hours."
"Pft, yeah right. You'll end up staying for longer. Just watch."
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"You're gonna bring me outside pass the fence?" Annie tilted her head. "Are we gonna see Jamie and Ban and Neo?"
"Yeah, I'm going to bring you on campus. You can see things outside of school and stuff. But we're only staying for an hour or two. I just need to practice with the band for our comp." I put my guitar in a guitar case and swung it on like a one-strapped backpack.
Annie held her stuffed cat, Wilki, and ran out the door. We were going to take a bus to get to my school. I wasn't about to have her walk the whole way like I usually do. I seriously can't wait to turn sixteen, that way I can drive a car. But, in order to pay for the car, I would need a job. Pushing the thought away, I had piggybacked Annie to the nearest bus station. Im glad I had some loose change, I was able to pay for the trip back to my school.
"Annie! Look at you!" Jamie exclaimed as Annie and I entered the music room. "You got so tall! I'm starting to feel short."
"That's because you are short. You're like the shortest person here." Ban said as he sat in front of his drum set. "You're a short vocalist. Not to mention flat."
"What? Flat- you perv!"
Annie giggled at the petty argument Jamie and Ban were having. She liked listening to drama. For her, it was entertaining since she never hears it back at the house, or in school for that matter.
"Which song are we gonna practice anyway?" Jamie asked.
"Ooh, ooh! I know!" Neo raised his hand, jumping in the air with his bass in his hand. "I want your love and I want your revenge, you and me could write a bad romance~"
"Blehh," Ban stuck his tongue out and pointed at his mouth. "We should do something more like…oh! Hey, hey! I said, 'hey!' So hit me where it hurts! Say my name like it's a bad word!"
"But then I can't sing and I'll be stuck playing the guitar again." Jamie complained.
I rolled my eyes and whispered to Annie. She was amazing with songs. She had good judgement with that. She loves music, after all. That's what inspires her to keep going. The messages from the songs she loves. She said to play a certain sign that she favors the most. I smiled and picked up my guitar. I started to play the right chords for Annie's favorite song.
"Every time that I say I'm gonna walk away. You turn me in like a light switch, when your moving your body around and around. Now I don't wanna fight this, you know how to just make me want."
Jamie smiled at the song. She held her microphone up to her lips and started singing along.
"You turn me on like a light switch, when your moving your body around and around. You got me in a tight grip, you know not to just make me want you, baby~"
Ban started to hit his firm set with the sticks in his hands and Neo started to play his bass, strumming the right chords. Annie started to dance around, listening to us play her favorite song. She started singing along with us, enjoying the mood. She was in the best mood now, it made me happier that she was excited. I knew that this competition was a good thing for us. The prize for the winners would be $500. I know it's not much, but it's better then nothing. And we really need that.
(Light Switch by Charlie Puth I just used the song because it's one of my favorites. All of the songs that I will be using in this story are songs in my playlist Ehehe)
We finished the song with smiles on our faces. Jamie jumped up and down with excitement. Of course, if Annie liked a song, so did she.
"That was so fun! I love that song so much! I can sing along this time now!"
"I actually preferred Neo's suggestion." I put my guitar down and leaned it against the wall. "Ohhhhh~ caught in a bad romance!"
"Yes! My main man!" Neo said while wrapping his arm around me. "We should totally play that one! It was our original plan anyway."
"Blehh," Ban rolled his eyes. "I didn't like it. But whatever."
While Ban was criticizing Neo's suggestion, Jamie and I were too busy singing along. Ban stared at us with an annoyed gaze. That was our specialty, annoying Ban, who was very easily annoyed.
"Want your bad romance!" Neo and I were yelling and singing. "I want your ugly, I want your disease! I want your everything as long as it's free, I want your love!"
"Shut up!" Ban threw his drumming sticks at us. He then jumped out of his seat and started chasing us. He absolutely hates that song. "Stop singing that before I pluck your eyes out!"
It was an enjoyable evening. Hopefully, a little bit of magic would add a little more luck. I applied Annie just a bit, and we flew home together, using just a bit of gravitational magic. Looking at the sunset as we flew through the sky made the evening all the better.
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