Something To Remember

[Cosmic Fey]

"Caleb, can I see you for a minute?"

Caleb stiffened where he was shoving books into his messenger bag when the teacher called to him. He only had five minutes to get down three floors and to the opposite side of the school if he wanted to get to his next class on time, but… He sighed and shouldered his bag before striding over to the teacher's desk. "Yes, Professor Skylar?"

His redheaded Illusion professor sighed. "Look Cross, I'm going to be straight with you. You're failing my class."

The necromancer paled. "Excuse me?" he choked out. He gripped the edge of her desk as his legs threatened to give out on him. He couldn't be failing a class – that was unacceptable. His parents would be furious with him.

She pinched the bridge of her nose. "You heard me." She gave him a sympathetic look at the look of sheer horror on his face. "Caleb, I know you're a good student; you're getting A's in all your other classes, it's just Illusions you seem to be struggling with. Not surprising, given your family talent is Necromancy, but… Anyway, the point is, we can fix this." She said gently, noticing that his distress only seemed to be building. She opened a folder on her desk and pulled off a post-it note with a name written on it and handed it to him. "That's the name of one of the best Illusionists at this school. Ask him to tutor you. You do that, I guarantee you, you'll pass."

Caleb took a deep breath and looked down at the small piece of paper. Seeing the name scrawled across it, the hope that had been blooming in his chest at the professor's words, shattered into a million pieces.

Alexsandrei Whitaker

Fuck.

"Uh, Professor, not that I'm not grateful but…"

She raised an eyebrow. "But…?" she drawled, a hint of danger in her voice.

Caleb faltered. "Isn't there someone else?" Anyone else. Anyone would do, just as long as it wasn't Whitaker. "I don't think he and I…well, we won't get along."

"I'm not telling you to get along with him, I'm telling you to ask him to tutor you. You want to pass my class Cross? That's how."

The Necromancer ducked his head, gritting his teeth. "Yes ma'am." Turning on his heal, he strode out of her classroom, crumpled note in his fist.

Fuck. He was so screwed. He wanted to scream. He wanted a drink.

*~*~*

Finding Alexsandrei Whitaker wasn't exactly difficult if you knew where to look or knew who to ask. Caleb knew where to look – not that he'd ever admit it, not even on pain of death. Taking a deep breath to steady his nerves. He'd heard stories of Alexsandrei – and he'd seen him in passing at parties – but they'd never interacted.

But between Alexsandrei Whitaker and failing, he'd take Whitaker.

Goddammit, he dealt with dead people on a regular basis; why was this so difficult?

Taking a breath, he squared his shoulders and walked over, ignoring the way people stared at him. "Alexsandrei, right?" he asked, trying to ignore the blush he could feel creeping up his neck. "Professor Skyler told me to see you. She, uh, she said you could help tutor me?" His mouth felt dry and he absently licked his lips, staring intently at his shoes.

 

[EquinoxSol]

Aleks was hungover when he was asked to tutor Caleb Cross. Or at least, that's what he told himself. Why else would he agree to it? Secretly, he was hoping that Cross would chicken out and not ask him. As fate would have it, the complete opposite would happen.

That night, Aleks was at a bonfire in the forest, and was hanging out with his friends. He had a red cup in his hand and a joint in the other, and was enjoying both eagerly. It was a beautiful, clear night, and the fire seeped into his skin and warmed him nicely. He sighed contentedly and leaned back, taking a long drag from his joint. Once the smoke cleared, he noticed Caleb Cross approaching him, and he sat up a bit taller.

"Alexsandrei, right?" Cross asked.

"It's Aleks," he quickly corrected, then fell silent as he listened to Cross. He chuckled at his embarrassment, enjoying how ashamed he looked. Finally, he said, "Yeah, she asked if I could tutor you. Illusions, right?" Aleks took another drag, blowing the smoke in Cross's face. "Fine. Meet me at the tenth floor of the library tomorrow at one." As the smoke dissipated, Aleks wiggled his fingers and used a spell that made the smoke appear to curl around Cross and caress his skin. "Now, shove off. You don't belong here, Cross."

 

[Cosmic Fey]

Caleb wrinkled his nose when Whitaker blew smoke in his face, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. How stereotypically asshole-ish could you get? He sighed, shoulders slumping when Whitaker agreed to tutor him. He'd been hoping that the older boy would turn him down, forcing him to go back to Professor Skyler to tell her that Whitaker wasn't interested and could he please have another tutor? Preferably one he could get along with (and one that wasn't at high risk to find out about what he got up too at night, but he wouldn't be mentioning that little fact to his professor).

"Fine, great, whatever. I'll see you then." He muttered. He stiffened as Whitaker's smoke illusions moved across his skin and he scowled, holding back a snort as he turned on his heel and walked off into the woods, firmly gripping another bag (not the one he normally used for school) this one stuffed with things and clothes more… appropriate for his current location.

Once he was sure he was alone and well hidden, he opened his bag and grabbed a small, plain plastic ball. Shaking it, he tossed it in the air where it hung there, casting a dim, yellow light on the forest floor. It wasn't enough to alert anyone he was there, but bright enough that he could see what he was doing. He would have to thank Jade for enchanting it for him later. He quickly changed into a pair of tight, torn-up grey jeans and an equally tight, low-cut, black t-shirt before slipping earrings into a few of the holes that lined his ears. He would have changed at home, where he could have done more, before sneaking out but… well, he figured it was better if he still looked like his 'good boy' persona when asking Whitaker to tutor him.

Done, he stuffed his other clothes into the bag, followed by the ball – another sharp shake turning it off – and zipped it up before taking off in the opposite direction to Whitaker and his friends, to another clearing filled with partying teens. He'd risked a lot by sneaking out here and he planned to enjoy himself.

He belonged here more then Whitaker knew.

*~*~*

Okay, maybe he'd enjoyed himself a little too much, he thought the next day as he made his way to the tenth floor of the library. Being Saturday, it was quiet, for which he was thankful. It was nearing one in the afternoon and he was still hungover. Not that he acted like it. Or even looked it. He needed to keep up his good boy image. His parents would kill him if they found out what he did when the sun went down – and then bring him back just to kill him again. If avoiding that meant learning to function normally with a ranging hangover, then that's what it took.

Still, he was grateful for small mercies, he decided as he settled at a table to wait for Whitaker, and that included quiet, blessedly empty libraries.

 

[EquinoxSol]

Aleks was hiding amongst the shadows when Caleb arrived at the library. He liked people-watching, and the library was a great place for it. When he finally saw the blonde, he smiled to himself, and pulled the shadows closer around him, his dark eyes glittering a bit. Cross seemed normal enough, Aleks figured, but something about him made the back of Aleks's head tingle. For some reason, Aleks thought that he recognized him, more than just from in passing during school. Pushing the thoughts to the back of his head, he shook his head, then let his magic veil fall.

With that, he approached Cross, folding his arms across his chest as he sat down across from him. "What do you need help with, Cross?" he asked, raising his eyebrows a bit. "Like, specifically. Is it spells, incantations, what?" He leaned back in his chair, waiting for an answer. "Never thought I'd see you fail a class," he mumbled under his breath, glancing over at the other. From what he'd heard, Cross was usually a straight-A student. Yet, here he was, asking for help with illusions.

//sorry it's kinda short, exams got me dead inside

 

[Cosmic Fey]

Caleb kept himself from jumping when Whitaker seemed to appear out of nowhere, shooting the Illusionist a bored look. If his plan had been to put him on edge it would take more then that. Caleb had been helping in séances since he was six and Raising since he'd been eight. After being locked in a freezer with nothing but dead people to talk to – some of the corpses none too fresh – for hours before his parents would let him out, nothing really scared him anymore.

Well, nothing his classmates could do anyway. His parents on the other hand… Yeah, they scared him.

"It's spells." The Necromancer said with a sigh, propping an elbow on the table and resting his cheek against his open palm. "My incantations are fine, I just can't seem to get my magic to –" Here he wiggled the fingers of his free hand in a gesture that seemed to mean 'come out' or 'work'. "It probably has something to do with the fact that my magic isn't aligned with illusions in the slightest." He muttered angrily, pink splashing across his cheeks and nose when he heard Whitaker mention how he was failing the class.

Everyone's magic had a certain alignment, a magic they were naturally gifted in, and it usually ran in family's. Caleb came from a family of Necromancers, and while he was considered a prodigy, his magic was strictly Necromancy. It was possible that someone would develop a second alignment, like Jade who was a Necromancer and an Enchanter or his cousin Ivy whose magic was not only aligned with Necromancy, but also Healing in an odd twist, but Caleb had only one alignment.

His parents still expected only the best from him however, and that meant A's in subjects his magic wasn't even aligned with. He'd done his best, busting his ass off in order to make it happen, but illusions seemed to be the one class where it just wasn't working. If Caleb wasn't so terrified of what they would do to him if he failed, if he just didn't care, then it wouldn't be a problem. But it was. And so here they were, in the library on a Saturday afternoon, Caleb asking for tutoring from Whitaker of all people.

((It's cool dude; I understand))

 

[EquinoxSol]

Aleks thought for a second and said to Caleb, "Well, you're a necromancer, right? Just think of necromancy like illusions. It's like this: raising the dead is like raising an illusion, y'know? A spirit is like an illusion of a dead person." Aleks smiled and added, "Try and think of it like that. Which spells are you having trouble with?"

He sat back, yawning, while Caleb answered. Aleks knew that he wasn't the best student in all of his subjects--okay, most of his subjects--but hew knew that when he was having trouble in a subject, it always helped him to relate it to illusions or languages. Maybe that would help Caleb too.

Aleks stretched and said, "The key is to relate these two ideas, understand? It's called...um...synthesis. That's what it is."

 

[Cosmic Fey]

Caleb stared at Whitaker, eyes wide as a blush slowly spread across his cheeks. He'd never thought of it like that before. Visualizing the illusion, sure, he'd tried that loads of times, but he'd never tried thinking of making illusions rise like the dead that rose so easily for him. God, he felt so stupid… He mentally shook himself. Just because he felt stupid, didn't mean he had to be so obvious about. He didn't want to give Whitaker any more ammo against him. Having the other boy as a tutor was bad enough. "Thanks for the tip." He murmured. It would be worth trying at any rate; Caleb was desperate at this point.

The Necromancer snorted, "Uhh, everything?" He leaned back in his chair. letting his breathe out in a rush, running a hand through his hair. "Mostly the ones that deal with hiding. You know, making yourself look invisible, having the shadows wrap around you. Things like that." Basically, all the spells he needed to know. Due to the nature of their magic, Necromancers needed to know ways to hide themselves and whatever they Raised. Some relied on charms; others, like his Aunt Tam, used enchanted objects. Not many used Illusion magic – they weren't usually aligned for it. Caleb was pretty sure that was why his parents wanted him to use it. Something about an edge.

He thought it was bullshit.

 

[EquinoxSol]

"Okay. Let's start with the simplest one. 'Obscuron.' It'll make you invisible in shadows for a minute, if you don't move." Aleks stood, smoothed down his shirt, and went to an empty area. He took a deep breath, then murmured the spell. He moved his hands in a 'come here' motion, and the shadows rose from the ground, wrapping themselves around him. He broke the spell a couple seconds later, and revealed himself to Caleb.

"You do that now," he said, sitting back in his chair. He crossed his arms and waited, wanting to see the technique that Caleb used.

((Sorry it's kinda short :( ))

 

[Cosmic Fey]

Caleb shoved his chair back and stood, following a few steps behind. He folded his arms across his chest, watching intently as Whitaker murmured the spell and wiggled his fingers. If he watched hard enough, maybe that would help him understand how to do it. The shadows swallowed up Whitaker easily, and if Caleb hadn't been watching, he could easily believe that Whitaker had never been there in the first place.

When it was his turn, Caleb nodded and took a few steps forward, arms dropping to his side. Breathing deeply, he whispered the spell and crooked his fingers like he'd seen Whitaker do not even a minute earlier. The magic humming under his skin went unwillingly, reluctant to bend and do something it wasn't meant too even as he imagined the shadows rising around him like the spirits and dead so easily did.

Slowly, his magic did as he willed it too, the shadows curling up his arms inch by inch to his elbows. After that however, it stopped, his magic snapping back. He waited a couple moments, hoping to coax his magic into working with him, but nothing came of it. With a scowl, he dismissed the illusion.

Turning back to Whitaker, he crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow as if to say, 'Well?'

((It's okay, no worries. I'm sorry this took so long; holidays, are more stressful and more time consuming then they have a right to be.))