8: Cliques and Outcasts
“N-now you don’t have to leave right now!” said Chris, his hands twitching as if they couldn’t tell if they wanted to pull her back in, or grab the steering wheel and make a hasty retreat. Instead, he reached towards the controls and lowered the door back down.
“Thank you for the trip,” said Phantasia. Chris grunted dismissive thanks himself, glared at his two arch-enemies, and sent the car speeding forwards down the road and around another corner.
“Now there, Miss Celeste,” said Lysander as Angelo paced around her, studying her clothes with his unpatched eye, “It appears to me that you be dressed for the harshest of winter snows, and yet show nary a sign of overheating. You truly be a remarkable maiden,”
Dressed for winter?
Realising her mistake, she tried to hide behind a nervous giggle and pulled her hat off. “I guess I was hoping no one would recognise me!”
“Hey, I’ve know ya less than a week and I could tell it was you right away,” said Lysander, dropping his act, “Lysander’s Life Lesson Number One: Always be yourself!”
“I thought I might stand out…”
Lysander struggled to contain his amusement. “You’re dressed for winter! That’ll make you stand out a helluva lot more than your normal look. And I’m including the albino stuff and pointy ears in that equation,” he said with a wink.
“If you wanna blend in, go hang around Poe Street,” he added, “That’s Raven territory. You know, Kaori and Joel and those lot. Can’t move for the hair dye round there!”
He pointed out the location of Poe Street on the crumpled map Phantasia kept in her back pocket, while Angelo pretended to have a dramatic sword fight with a nearby lamp-post. Several passers-by gave him strange looks and one group in long robes even uttered scathing remarks under their breath, but Lysander just shrugged them off.
“Lysander’s Life Lesson Number Two,” he said, “Never take yourself seriously. That’s where grown-ups go wrong, don’t ya think?”
Phantasia left the two boys to their games, their behaviour still reminding her of the young faeries from the Wind Queendom. Faye had always criticized her for being irresponsible, but faeries like Princess Titania were more carefree than she could ever be! Phantasia, for all her irrational behaviour, still thought things through. Like her famous namesake, Princess Titania was the sort to jump into a situation and let the winds carry her. It was almost enviable.
Deep in thought, Phantasia almost missed a familiar face across the other side of the street, but her senses recognised his aura just as he disappeared into a run-down shop. It was no coincidence that John Smith, the boy who loved technology, had entered a shop called ‘Smith’s Electronics’, with windows filled with gadgets. Even without the obvious signs, Phantasia’s ethereal senses could tell he belonged there. Intrigued by the displays of picture-boxes and flashing lights, she decided further investigation was worth a short detour.
Electronic… VIDEOGAMES!