#Chapter 215 – Between Us

Alvin folds his hands in his lap, shrugging one shoulder. “Ever since we were very little –“

“Since we can remember, I guess,” Ian picks up, miming his brother’s action.

“We’ve always been able to see the magic. To notice it, when others don’t,” Alvin finishes. Both boys look apologetically Victor and I, then, as if they’ve been keeping a big secret and are sorry for it.

“But what is it?” Victor presses.

“It’s just…extra stuff, I guess,” Ian says, frowning, trying not to be vague but failing. I sit back and try to be patient, to let them work through it. “Like, it is the thing that is between Alvin and me. The thing that makes us able to talk to each other. The thing that makes us able to do…extra stuff.”

I frown at this, confused. What kind of extra stuff?

“When we were little,” Alvin says, “it was just around, the magic. And it was just between us – like always floating there, in the air.”

“Do you mean,” Victor says quietly, “that you can see it?”

Ian nods lightly. “Sometimes, we can. Not all the time. Or maybe we just don’t notice. But when we look for it, and it’s there, we can see it.”

Alvin nods, agreeing. “And then,” he continues, “as we got older, we learned how to start to use it.”

“That’s actually pretty new,” Ian says, excited. “Alvin figured it out most – like, he was able to use it just a little bit ago – on the battlefield –“

“The Alpha command,” Alvin clarifies, nodding. “I was able to…grab the magic. In the air. There wasn’t a lot. But I was able to use it to make the command work, even though I’m not technically their Alpha.”

Alvin smiles at Victor then, the Beta’s actual Alpha from whom he had briefly stolen command. Victor just shakes his head at him, not in denial, but in wonder and confusion.

“We thought,” I say, hesitating, “we thought you could just do that stuff because you’re smart. But you’re saying it’s because you’re…magic?”

idea of it. “We can just see the magic, and now, I guess, move it around sometimes. But,” he quirks his head, considering. “Maybe

my head,

the smoke forms that I now imagine brushing up against the fabric of the tent. I shudder at the thought. “They’re

likewise curious. He saw them

head. I can see that he’s starting to get tired, but no way in hell I’m letting him go

there’s a lot of magic out here,” Alvin says, his eyes going wide and excited at the thought of it. “Like, so much, that it

says, thinking even harder, “maybe you could see it tonight because you have

ask, the word sputtering from my mouth. “I – I have the

smiling at me. “Yes,” he said. “You always had a little bit of the magic,

up at his father. Victor just blinks at him, shocked. “When we met you at Quiz Nation. You had a little magic

scrounges through it. “And then,

Ian pulls a chocolate bar out of his pack. He takes a bite, looking between Victor and my shocked

lots more right before the wedding. And then more and more

my head, disbelieving, and then snatch the candy bar out of my son’s hand. He gives a little squeak of protest, which I ignore as I take a bite and hand it back to him. I need the sugary comfort of

now,” Alvin says, looking at us in disgust.

and frankly a little offended.

we didn’t want to hurt your feelings – and because, like, you wouldn’t

around me for any sign of the magic.

through the air around me, like he’s scattering flies. “You can’t sense it? It’s

both know that it…well, it kind of makes sense. I still don’t know what the hell

so many unexplainable

and takes a bite. “That’s what the ghosts were drawn to, tonight. All the magic around you two. They were just curious.

I say, looking down into my

I

Explaining it. If there

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