Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 13 - The Emerald City (Part III) - IV

  "It's down through that alley," Cinza whispered.

  "Should I wait here?" Natalie had very mixed feelings about the whole idea. She didn't want to go into yet another strange place that night, with even more possibilities of terrible people, but at the same time she didn't want to be left alone. She didn't really want to spend more time with Cinza, but Cinza was the only person who could understand what she was going through. She desperately wanted her bag back, but she didn't want to be the one making the decisions to get it.

  She'd let Cinza decide. The other girl was so much older than her, and smarter and braver. Those were traits Natalie could admire, even if the rest of her was weird and confusing and frequently irritating.

  "I wish it were that simple," Cinza replied, "but I'm not confident in my abilities right now." She lifted an arm, and Natalie could see it shaking as she tried to hold it steady. "I haven't told anyone this. Only Ruby, and now you... I'm very weak. Doing most magic leaves me quite frail. Just that short span in the warehouse felt like it could kill me."

  Natalie was surprised Cinza was taking her into confidence, until Cinza went on. "I'm going to need your help, and I can't keep you invisible to do it, or I'd collapse in minutes. I don't suppose you ever managed to make the reflective wall we described, or manipulate photons?"

  She shook her head. "I tried it at home once, but I didn't understand what you wrote. It was too confusing."

  Cinza sighed. "And we don't have time to practice it now either." She began taking off her robes. "Make sure no one comes upon us, please? I need to change into something less conspicuous." From her bag, she produced a shirt and pants, quite plain compared to the intricately designed and magically enhanced clothes she'd been wearing.

  While she changed, Natalie glanced at her bag. "Do you have any more clothes? We're almost the same size, right?"

  Cinza shook her head, carefully folding her robes and most of her jewelry, placing them gently back into her bag before strapping it over her shoulder. "Only the pair, and I'm afraid my robes would stand out even more than your dress. Keep your jacket on and stay close to me."

  "Okay."

  She still seemed to be wrestling with something in her head, Natalie could tell. Halfway down the alley, Cinza stopped and turned to her. "...We're about to enter a—"

  "Really bad place, I know. I'll be careful."

  "Not just that," Cinza sighed. "This is an old life of mine. I left it years ago, but the players haven't changed. The game never changes. I'll be... quite different than what you know. I need you to pretend you've always known me—that this is totally normal. Stay quiet whenever you can, but if someone asks, you must play along. If anyone tries to get close to you, you can back away, but don't try to hurt them. Can you do that?"

  Natalie was never more aware of how strange Cinza's normal voice sounded, compared to what she was used to. She'd just come to expect the magical echo from the older girl at all times. Hearing Cinza speak so plainly, and knowing she was about to reveal some of her past that no one from town had ever known, made the seriousness of the situation sink in even deeper for Natalie. "...Do I need a new name too?"

  "Jenny will suffice. As long as you do not give away your last name—either of them—we should be fine, but I doubt anyone will ask for it."

  "And what's your name?"

  Cinza hesitated. She looked... embarrassed? Natalie wasn't sure. She'd never seen that expression on her, but it looked like embarrassment. "...Candy."