Convergence - The Last Science #2.1 - In Plain Sight

B2: Chapter 2 - The Goddess of Kent - IV

  Hailey waved goodbye as they took off and hurtled through the air. Jessica summoned up their small shield of invisibility and they set off back towards home. Practically, Hailey felt frustrated her diffinity for Nature magic prevented her from ever using light manipulation to hide herself like Jessica could—but at the same time, she liked how it made them a duo, always flying around together and keeping each other warm through the night skies. It felt nice to always have her around to talk to.

  She wondered if they'd ever show up on radar though.

  As they coasted back over Tacoma, Jessica noticed that they weren't taking their usual route home and tugged at her sleeve to indicate Hailey might be going the wrong way. While they were still heading for Kent like normal, Hailey's angle was wrong. They were going too far north.

  Hailey shook her head. She held up a single finger, saying they had one stop to make first. Jessica nodded, then buried her head back below Hailey's to keep warm from the chill. Hailey started circling them down gently, enjoying the lazy glide and the gentle breeze as opposed to a fast and flashy dive. She pulled out her phone and texted him, letting him know she was about to touch down and to open up his window.

  She saw a slant of light open on the second floor and smiled. She tucked her wings and started to dive. In a second she'd flown through the tall open pane, throwing out a massive gust of wind in front of her to come to a stop before she slammed into the opposite wall. Anything lightweight in his room went flying at the brief tornado, while Hailey flipped upright and landed gently on his floor, just in case anyone else in the house was still awake.

  "Nice," said Alden Bensen dryly, starting to pick up his stuff. His brown hair was growing out, covering up his ears. It actually didn't look too bad that way, but with the brief hurricane his hair was now totally messed up. Hailey suppressed a laugh, grinning wide. She unstrapped Jessica and together the three of them quickly put his room back in order. "So what's the big news at two in the morning here?"

  "I just got back from Cinza's," Hailey explained, while Jessica plopped down on the bed and started poking at Alden's cat.

  "Yeah, I figured," Alden added. He glanced at the wall clock, which Hailey noticed he'd swapped over to a slightly glowing analog one instead of digital. She smiled at the thoughtfulness, since he was one of the few people Jessica spent regular time with. "This has to be big though, if you're rushing over here so late."

  Hailey shrugged. "Honestly, it could've waited til morning, but since you were awake and we weren't back yet, I figured why not drop by?"

  They both froze as they heard the door handle click slightly. "Shit!" Alden hissed. He ran for the door and pulled it open. Alden's younger sister Meg was standing there, pajama-clad, staring wide-eyed at them both.

  "Hi," Hailey greeted awkwardly. Jessica looked up and waved cheerfully, before returning to the cat.

  "Zack, wha—" Meg started, before Alden pulled her inside and closed the door as quietly as he could.

  "You forgot to mute us, didn't you?" Alden muttered to Hailey.

  She slapped her hand to her forehead. "Jess," she said, getting Jessica's attention. Hailey pointed all around the room, then put her hands over her ears. Jessica nodded, then murmured something under her breath. Hailey could sense the airflow in the room shift slightly, but it was barely perceptible even to her. She still had no real idea how Jess did it, besides that it was a Nature spell.

  "Was it always Jess doing that spell?" Alden asked curiously. "I thought you could do sound stuff too."

  "I can hear people from far away by helping sound bounce around the air, but it's harder to make us quiet without just making tons more noise," Hailey said, shrugging. "Jess can do it for real." Jessica gave her a thumbs-up, understanding that she'd just explained how it worked, then went back to playing with the cat.