believe he was telling her so much. No wonder he’d been so reticent.
He shrugged and looked away. ‘I was arrested. I spent a night in the cooler contemplating the error of my ways.’ He turned back to her with a self-mocking smile. ‘The next day the first good thing in my life happened. One of my teachers went into bat for me. Apparently he thought I had potential to turn my life around. Anyway, I got offered a choice – Juvie or the Miliatary Academy. I picked the Academy and the charges were dropped. As soon as I turned eighteen I was straight into the Army.’
‘Did you like it?’
‘I didn’t so much like it as I was good at it. I never missed a target.’ He paused, his face thoughtful. ‘But now that I think about it, I was probably good at it because of the magic.’
‘But you didn’t know you could do magic then!’
He twisted around so he was facing Emilia straight on. ‘No. But when I do magic I’m throwing my will into making something happen. When I was training for the Army I used to spend hours lying in the dirt shooting at targets. That kind of thing requires a lot of concentration, so in effect I was probably unconsciously willing my bullets to hit the target. With that advantage there was no way I could miss!’
Emilia studied his face. He seemed both amazed and perturbed. ‘What are you thinking?’ she probed.
‘That I don’t know how I feel about that!’ He smiled sheepishly. ‘I thought I was really good. They loved me in the Army because I was by far and away the best shot and I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the respect that got me. And now I’ve realised it was the magic doing it, not any kind of talent of mine. I feel like a bit of a fraud!’
She bit back a wayward smile. She’d never seen Seb so uncertain. ‘The magic is part of you, Seb, not a separate entity. It was still you who hit those targets and your aim which was true, regardless of your added abilities.’
He looked away, embarrassed. ‘Will you answer something for me?’
‘Sure. It’s only fair.’
‘Why Stanford? Why the other side of the country when there’s a perfectly good university in Ithaca?’
His all-too-knowing turquoise eyes bored into hers. She looked down at her fingers, which were nervously pleating and re-pleating her skirt. ‘I wish I could give you a good answer, but the truth is I just kind of drifted into the decision.’
‘You mean Justin decided for you,’ Seb opined flatly, his disappointment palpable.
‘It wasn’t like that. Justin’s got his life all mapped out. I don’t. He started making plans, all of which included me, which was kind of sweet. Justin’s not big on verbal affirmations, but factoring me into his plans made me feel wanted. And, well, before I knew it I was going to Stanford with him. I went along with it because I don’t have any particular plans of my own.’
‘You must have some idea what you want to do with your life?’
Emilia shook her head. ‘I know I don’t want to be a Doctor, Accountant or Deep Sea Diver but I’ve got no idea what I actually want to be or do.’ She looked up at him helplessly, her gaze entreating. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any suggestions?’
‘It’s not my decision to make, Angel,’ he said, surprisingly gently. ‘Don’t stress about it, though. You’ll figure it out when you’re supposed to.’
She brought her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on her knees. ‘I guess.’ She darted an impish look up at Seb. ‘Would you consider going with me to Stanford, so we can do this kind of stuff from there?’
He rose to his feet and dusted off his pants. ‘Not a chance.’
She sighed, but she wasn’t surprised. Nor was she disappointed, which was a bit disturbing. ‘That takes care of half the decision then, now all I have to figure out is what I want to do with myself in
He shrugged and looked away. ‘I was arrested. I spent a night in the cooler contemplating the error of my ways.’ He turned back to her with a self-mocking smile. ‘The next day the first good thing in my life happened. One of my teachers went into bat for me. Apparently he thought I had potential to turn my life around. Anyway, I got offered a choice – Juvie or the Miliatary Academy. I picked the Academy and the charges were dropped. As soon as I turned eighteen I was straight into the Army.’
‘Did you like it?’
‘I didn’t so much like it as I was good at it. I never missed a target.’ He paused, his face thoughtful. ‘But now that I think about it, I was probably good at it because of the magic.’
‘But you didn’t know you could do magic then!’
He twisted around so he was facing Emilia straight on. ‘No. But when I do magic I’m throwing my will into making something happen. When I was training for the Army I used to spend hours lying in the dirt shooting at targets. That kind of thing requires a lot of concentration, so in effect I was probably unconsciously willing my bullets to hit the target. With that advantage there was no way I could miss!’
Emilia studied his face. He seemed both amazed and perturbed. ‘What are you thinking?’ she probed.
‘That I don’t know how I feel about that!’ He smiled sheepishly. ‘I thought I was really good. They loved me in the Army because I was by far and away the best shot and I have to admit I kind of enjoyed the respect that got me. And now I’ve realised it was the magic doing it, not any kind of talent of mine. I feel like a bit of a fraud!’
She bit back a wayward smile. She’d never seen Seb so uncertain. ‘The magic is part of you, Seb, not a separate entity. It was still you who hit those targets and your aim which was true, regardless of your added abilities.’
He looked away, embarrassed. ‘Will you answer something for me?’
‘Sure. It’s only fair.’
‘Why Stanford? Why the other side of the country when there’s a perfectly good university in Ithaca?’
His all-too-knowing turquoise eyes bored into hers. She looked down at her fingers, which were nervously pleating and re-pleating her skirt. ‘I wish I could give you a good answer, but the truth is I just kind of drifted into the decision.’
‘You mean Justin decided for you,’ Seb opined flatly, his disappointment palpable.
‘It wasn’t like that. Justin’s got his life all mapped out. I don’t. He started making plans, all of which included me, which was kind of sweet. Justin’s not big on verbal affirmations, but factoring me into his plans made me feel wanted. And, well, before I knew it I was going to Stanford with him. I went along with it because I don’t have any particular plans of my own.’
‘You must have some idea what you want to do with your life?’
Emilia shook her head. ‘I know I don’t want to be a Doctor, Accountant or Deep Sea Diver but I’ve got no idea what I actually want to be or do.’ She looked up at him helplessly, her gaze entreating. ‘I don’t suppose you’ve got any suggestions?’
‘It’s not my decision to make, Angel,’ he said, surprisingly gently. ‘Don’t stress about it, though. You’ll figure it out when you’re supposed to.’
She brought her legs up against her chest and rested her chin on her knees. ‘I guess.’ She darted an impish look up at Seb. ‘Would you consider going with me to Stanford, so we can do this kind of stuff from there?’
He rose to his feet and dusted off his pants. ‘Not a chance.’
She sighed, but she wasn’t surprised. Nor was she disappointed, which was a bit disturbing. ‘That takes care of half the decision then, now all I have to figure out is what I want to do with myself in
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