The door slammed open and Aiden and I looked over. Dawn was standing in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest. “Honestly, Gwen. Do you ever read fantasy novels?” She walked over and pointed down at Aiden. “He just said that you are a princess with bodyguards who all have magic powers for the sole purpose of protecting you. And now that he’s connected with you or whatever, his magic can’t hurt you because that would be the exact opposite of his sworn duty.”
Aiden laughed and got to his feet. “Basically.” He confirmed. “And now that you have the gem, my powers are magnified.”
Dawn rolled up onto the balls of her feet. “So, this is a whole thing, then?” She shot me a sideways glance. “Drama club?”
I shook my head. “No, it’s… it’s kind of a real thing.”
She nodded. “A ‘no one can know’ thing?” She grinned and started bouncing excitedly. “And I know! I promise I won’t tell.” She raised her hand. “Scouts honor.”
I frowned. “I believe you, Dawn, but I know you were never a scout.”
Aiden laughed at our exchange. “I wish I had friends like you, Gwyneira. I’ve always been too busy with my training.”
“What’s stopping you now?” Dawn offered her hand. “Dawn White. My hobbies include travel and handicrafts.”
Aiden shook her hand. “Aiden Ignis. My hobbies are…” He thought for a moment. “Reading? I like books.”
“So does Gwen.” Dawn laughed. “Although, she mostly sleeps on them.”
***
After our impromptu meet and greet, I agreed to meet Aiden on the roof after school. Dawn, of course, said she’d tag along as well.
To my dismay, Daren showed up for final period. He didn’t say anything, but I could feel him eyeing me.
When the final bell rang, Dawn turned around in her chair and, seeing Daren, gave a wide smile. “New kid?” She asked.
Daren glared back. “Cheerleader?”
Dawn waggled her finger at him. “Tsk, tsk. And here I thought we could be friends. You shouldn’t judge a book my it’s cover.”
“Whatever.” Daren stood with so much force, his chair toppled backwards. He shot me another glare before stomping out of the room.
“I don’t think I like him.” Dawn said as I righted Daren’s forgotten chair.
“Well, he doesn’t like me very much.” I filled her in on what happened before classes. Her eyes grew wide as I finished. “So, yeah, not my fan.”
“Wait, wait, wait.” Dawn pointed to my bag. “Are you telling me you have a magic crown in there? Can I see it?”
I rolled my eyes. “Not here.” I shouldered the bag, careful not to crush anything. “I’ll show you on the roof.”
“Then let’s go!” Dawn raced from the room, pulling me behind her. She didn’t slow down until we were on the roof with the door closed behind us. “Let’s see, let’s see.”
I pulled the tiara from my bag. The ornate snowflake in the centre glistened in the afternoon sun.
“That looks kinda weird.” Dawn said, pointing at the red gem Aiden had added. “Is that what Ignis was talking about?”
“Yeah. Daren has one, too. But he doesn’t want to add it.” I traced the curving wire that held Aiden’s gem with my finger. Despite having only learned about everything that morning, the feeling of the stone and tiara felt nostalgic.
“This is so cool!” Dawn pulled her phone from her bag. “I can’t believe my best friend is the reincarnation of a magical princess. I need a picture of this. Put it on for me.”
I sighed, but did as she said. As soon as it touched my scalp, I felt icicles crawling through my veins and pooling in my hands. I shivered.
Dawn opened the camera on her phone and held it up to take her picture. The decorative charm she’d made the year prior lifted itself and tugged her phone toward the tiara.
“What the--” I gasped, taking a step back.
Dawn grinned. “So epic.” She moved her phone back and forth, up and down, watching the charm get pulled in different directions. Eventually, she stopped and pulled it away. The charm fell away with it. “You don’t think that messed with my phone, do you? Like, with magnets?”
“Magic magnets.” I grinned. “I’m sure it’s fine.” I took off the tiara and stowed it safely in my bag. My fingers immediately started to warm up. “What’s that thing made of, anyway?”
She shrugged. “Lots of embroidery floss, some beads, and a yellow stone I found in elementary school. Took me three days to get it to stay in place.”
I leaned closer to see for myself. Through the floss, I could barely make out the yellow of the stone she mentioned. With beads on either end, it just looked like a giant knot. “I think you need to rethink this. You can’t really see the stone.”
“I know, but what else can I do? Any less and it’ll fall out. And I can’t use wire. It might mess with the reception.” She sighed. “I wanted it to be the focus, since it’s really pretty, but it’s just being concealed.” She stretched the strands and popped the stone out. “I’ll figure something out.”
I heard the door open and looked over to see Aiden closing it behind himself. I waved and he gave me a slight bow. “Glad to see you’re safe, Princess.” As he walked closer, his eyes traveled to Dawn’s hands. He stopped a few steps away. “I had a feeling.”
“What’s up?” Dawn moved to put the stone in her pocket, but Aiden grabbed her wrist. “Hey, Ignis, let go.”
“Where did you find it?” He didn’t sound angry, but genuinely curious. “Where did it end up?”
“What is it?” I reached around him and took the stone from Dawn. As her best friend, I had the special privilege of taking it and her knowing I’d give it back. When my fingers touched it, a pale warmth washed over me and I was hit with a sense of realization. “It’s…”
“It’s a power gem.” Aiden confirmed. “Dawn, you’ve been chosen as the Guardian of Light.”
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