Young Writers Society

A cold wind rolled over Salem as the cloudy sky rumbled. People rushed by, collars turned up and umbrellas at the ready. It was going to be a bad thunderstorm, and everyone was hurrying t get to shelter before the rain came down.

Sheila merely watched the dark clouds as they billowed in the sky. The occasional flash of lightning, followed by a chest thrumming thunderclap. This kind of weather was Sheila's favorite, for reasons she wasn't free to explain. She sighed and began walking down the sidewalk towards the Salem State campus. She'd give anything to just stay in the rain and the wind, ignoring the electricity flashing through the air.

She held up a hand and twirled the air above it into a small vortex, murmuring quietly. She let the air go and watched it disperse. She dropped her hand and looked up at the buildings ahead of her. She was starting her first day at Salem State College today. She transferred to the school over the summer and was going to finish her studies here in Massachusetts.

She entered the school just as the rain began falling.

Eric ran inside the building through raindrops. He didn't like the rain. Got him cold. As if it wasn't easy to warm up.

He let a shiver go up his spine and sent heat along with it. Every shiver that went through his body got the same treatment. He shook his head and walked more into the building. First day of second year was always interesting. Eric knew his way around, and he had an idea who was in his classes from last year. But that wasn't on his mind. He was looking for the girl he'd been walking behind. People didn't just hold their hands up when expecting a thunderstorm. He thought the wind had brought a murmured voice to him, as well.

"Hey Eric!" a familiar voice called from behind. "What's your first class?"

Eric turned to see Josh, his roommate from last year. "Lit. Yours?"

"Tech." Josh slung an arm around Eric's shoulders. "On for lunch, then?"

"You know it." Eric continued absently chatting with Josh. He doubted being able to find the girl now; she was most likely at her first class already. He'd have to look for her later.

Sheila sat down at a table position under an awning outside the campus cafeteria. She sat alone outside, watching the rain fall. It had calmed some over the course of the day.

Sheila fiddled with the soup on her tray. She wasn't really hungry. All of her classes had been flying by. She started the day in Chinese, followed by Lit., and then a Journalism class that ended right before noon. She still had Drama and a business class left in the day. So far, she was enjoying Salem. Her roommate was taking her to dinner tonight, and she'd already convinced Sheila to go with her to a party Saturday night.

Sheila smirked and looked out at the gray, soaking campus. She only worried about her secret getting revealed. It was the reason she had left her other school; too many close calls. She'd figured that a smaller campus would mean less people to see her, and then she'd get to use it more often. Not using it was never fun, especially on full moons and rainy days like this. Her whole body would get tingly and she'd be anxious. The less she used her secret, the worse the anxiety and tingling got.

Speaking of which, her fingers were beginning to tingle, now. Sheila looked around, making sure no one was looking, lifted her hand, and began to murmur. Several raindrops broke off from their path to the ground and came to swirl over her palm. The tingling began to ease as the magic flowed from her to the droplets. She let the water merge and shaped it into a small dolphin that swam through the air and dove into a puddle.

Sheila sighed and returned her attention to her food. She needed to get control of those urges. She scooped up some soup and took a bite.

Eric walked out of the shadows, into the cafeteria.

Found her.

The grey sky mostly concealed the water she had controlled, but he had seen the shine. He let the shadows around him go, slowly, so he'd just look like he walked into view, and went to get his food. She was good. Just not in complete control. He knew what would help. Just didn't know if they'd like it.

That was for later, though. Eric would need to be positive she had powers. And even if the Covenant didn't want her, he might make the effort to make sure she didn't cause a flood. It was possible, in theory. If she got too close to water she might lose control.

He just had to make sure she really was the one.

Tray loaded with a burger and fries, he went up to her table and sat across from her.

"Hey," he said casually. "I'm Eric."

Sheila looked up. "Oh, um, hi. I'm Sheila."

"You're new here?" Eric asked, taking a bite of fry.

Sheila nodded. "Yeah, I just moved here from New York. I didn't quite like the crowded atmosphere."

"The Big Apple. It is crowded there." Eric said.

"Tell me about it. You couldn't hold your arms out without hitting someone." Sheila fiddled with her soup again. "So, do you like it here in Salem, Eric?"


***Sorry it's short.***

*Jeeze. Deadlines slammed down on me and I couldn't post till now*

"It's pretty good for a school," he said with a small grin. "But the Business admin. course is pretty good."

"I see," she said quietly. Eric let his eyes wander over her. She was shifting in her seat just a bit. He softened his gaze and smiled at her.

"How are you liking it here?"

*And that was shorter than yours*