Strength Read Free Page A

began to ask about what she needed to train for, but she cut herself off. “Wait! Two weeks?” That’s how long the pull in her mind had been bothering her. How much of a coincidence could it be if Aerigo had been looking for her just as long?
    “Yes.”
    “From which direction?” If his direction coincided with where she’d been trying to head, she just might pass out.
    Aerigo glanced at the night sky. “Judging by your sun, I came from a generally eastern direction. I crossed an ocean people called ‘the Atlantic,’ or ‘el Atlantico.’”
    Roxie then realized the mental pull was gone. Instead there was a sense of completion—not to mention relief. However, she took a couple of steps along the sidewalk, turned around, and braced herself as she walked back.
    Nothing. She was free to walk wherever she wanted.
    Aerigo raised an eyebrow at her.
    “For the past two weeks I’ve had this strange need to travel east. No clue why. And now that I’ve met you, it’s gone.”
    Aerigo’s face brightened. “You were subconsciously guiding me to your location.”
    Roxie gave him an unconvinced stare.
    “It’s called magic,” he said. “Although—”
    “Magic’s real?” Part of Roxie had often wanted magic to be real so she could magic her eyes into glowing and fading on command. Of course this never worked.
    Aerigo gave her a faint smile as he set the glass bottle on the ground and reached for his canteen. He unscrewed the cap and cupped his free hand, ready to catch the water as he upended the canteen. The water fell as Roxie expected, but when it almost touched Aerigo’s palm it began to collect as if falling into an invisible bowl.
    Roxie’s eyes widened as Aerigo began to mold the liquid into the likeness of a rose. He held his other hand over the reshaping globe of water, slowly moving it up and down like a musical conductor measuring out beats. The water rose splayed over his cupped hand, and the petals shimmered like pool water in the middle of the afternoon. Roxie raised a finger, but restrained herself from touching it.
    “Go ahead,” Aerigo said gently, letting his free hand relax. “It’s just water.”
    Roxie reached for the nearest petal, which was as big as a half dollar, and tapped its fringe. She looked at her fingertip and saw a drop of water on it. She dipped a forefinger in, noticing that the inside of the rose felt like a bubbling Jacuzzi. Again, her finger remained unharmed. “Weird.”
    Aerigo reached for his canteen as he turned the rose upside down, which began to dismember itself one petal at a time. Each piece congealed into a large drop and returned to the canteen. He screwed the cap back on. “Your turn.” He picked up the glass bottle, looked at it, and held it out to her. “I know this is going to sound odd but you need to drink this.”
    Roxie reached for the bottle, then stopped herself. “What is it?” She stared at the pale liquid. Even though she felt kindred toward Aerigo and his glowing eyes, she couldn’t ignore being trained to avoid accepting gifts from strangers.
    Aerigo looked at the bottle. “Being able to do magic is supposed to be normal for you.”
    “And that drink will make me normal?” It was more a statement than a question.
    “What’s normal for us, yes.”
    Roxie bit her lower lip, folded her arms, and stared at the bottle. For some reason the thought of drinking it frightened her. It would change the life she was familiar with, as lonely as it had sometimes been. Already things weren’t the same because she’d met Aerigo, but she was still herself. On the other hand, being able to do magic would be the coolest thing in the world.
    Roxie tentatively accepted the bottle, unscrewed the cap and sniffed its contents. It was odorless. Well, that’s a help. Summoning some courage, she closed her eyes and took a sip. The liquid tasted like water sweetened with the hint of a sports drink flavor. She licked her lips, enjoying the sweetness, then