Chapter 1
Deep in a mid-sized house, sat a little boy staring at a candle.
He was imagining the wind taking form and moving through the fire to put it out. The more he tried the more he felt something, and little by little his control over the feeling got stronger.
One day after returning from a long trip back from school, he was finally able to achieve something.
"It moved, I saw it this time!" "It looked like I split the fire in half, but it didn't go out." He said his mood calming down in the second part due to frustration.
"This was my last chance and, well I guess I succeeded, but it was wimpy."
"With this much, I would only be laughed at."
'I know what to do. In high school, all mages have competitions to determine which colleges would accept them as apprentices.' 'Then in the final year, the closest cluster of schools will compete. I'm sure she will be there, wait for me and I'll wait for you.'
As he thought of this a tear went down his cheek as he thought about the recent events that had transpired. His father had left again and this time probably for a long time.
His mother had just told him that they wouldn't be able to afford travel back and forth to that school.
For the time being, he would have to go to the school here and could go back later to see his "old friends".
"But why now, why after what she told me."
A few weeks ago
Alex was sitting across the table from his best friend and crush. His younger sister had just told his crush that he had a crush on her.
He was upset and embarrassed, he didn't know what to do so he left the school in a hurry. Alex ran and hid in a spot close to the parking lot hoping no one would find him. By the time school closed, his mother was there to pick him and his sister up.
He ran and got in the car. His tears and red face were now gone and hidden.
"Hi mom."
"Alex how did you get out here so fast"
"I already finished mathematics yesterday, the teacher said I could study my books today, so I was just sitting on the bench reading."
"Oh, okay."
His sister arrived a minute later.
"Hey, miss Tara said to pack for a field trip tomorrow, and that you forgot to tell her where you were gonna study."
She didn't even mention what happened, had she no guilt, or did it mean that little.
"Oh I was just on the benches we rarely use, it was much calmer than the library."
"Okie."
The next day he saw Tori and her friends Gwen and Gab, but for some reason, he avoided them and quickly got on the bus for the field trip when they were called to get on.
However, they sat directly behind him. He didn't know why but this made him somewhat relieved.
"Good Morning Alex"
'Who?' he turned around 'oh it was tori.'
"Good morning"
He turned around 'she was smiling, was she enjoying my embarrassment?'
The trip was long and people started to do things to pass time. Alex pulled out his book and continued to study, he wasn't good at studying but he didn't care Tori was very smart and he wanted to prove himself, so it became a habit.
The girls just played some truth or dare.
After a few minutes, Alex didn't know why, but he shivered the atmosphere around him changed. It was quiet the girls had stopped playing truth or dare. He didn't know it but he was feeling the same feeling as when practicing with the candle, but he was using his ears to listen to the girls he couldn't hear anything clearly but with his ears focused and part of his mind he was able to feel their movements. They stopped and were whispering.
Sure enough, his gut feeling was right, a second later he felt a soft tap on his shoulder.
He turned around "yeah, do you need something."
"I like you too."
He froze 'is she serious why would she like me I'm from a poor family, well not too much poorer than hers, but a lot less stable. Wait maybe she does and I'm being quick to judge, but I... I can't take that chance.'
He didn't know the disparity between the poor and middle class, was just as big as the middle class and high class. He was able to live quite well, But his parents never save up money and lived paycheck to paycheck. They couldn't afford a vacation, days off, or any fancy toys for the holidays.
However, he also didn't know that other kids at his age weren't as matured as him who shared the burden of taking care of siblings as a step-in for when his father left. Other kids would say directly what's on their minds. She did and all he did was say
"Okay." and he turned around to hide again trying not to show the conflict of emotions.
'I heard them giggle after I said that were they laughing at me was okay a stupid response?'
He wished that he knew what the truth was, it ached his brain and heart for quite a few days.
Till eventually, he decided it was true she did like him, but he wasn't good enough she had been able to gain control of the light element like her mother. She was also incredibly smart. He struggled just to try and focus on any subject other than math.
Unfortunately, that was when the bad news came his mother and father had an argument and he was leaving to go live with his relatives for a while. It hit him like a truck 'but why? I can move the flame now and soon I can put it out.'
His mother had a bad habit that would be a dagger in all of her future relationships, she would berate his father after coming home from his long day of work for more money. She'd spend it all, any extra would be spent on things that weren't necessary, and then ask for more.
When Alex was younger he thought his father was being selfish and keeping all the money to himself, but he later learned that he was trying to save up for things that would be useful in the future. He worked in hard labor tiring him, and the constant abuse from his wife made him an alcoholic, the alcohol making him brave enough to step away from it. It was a dumb type of brave but it still fit the word. His father wasn't from this kingdom, he had fled from his kingdom of origin. He never knew the reason until his sister, who was closest to their father, told him that he had watched his best friend get decapitated in front of him. He knew it wasn't safe there. What's worse was that he was not a citizen of the kingdom, making the chances of him getting custody of the kids nearly zero, unless he encountered a small fortune.
Alex carried on, after making a conviction, he was motivated to finish his goal before he had to leave.
