The rest of the week passed without much excitement on the part of Dani or Dra. They seemed to be glued together at points, but then couldn't stand each other. When Dra said something, Dani would bite out an insult, and they would start fighting again. Then, the next day, it would all be okay. They never seemed to apologize, just cool down, only to fight again.

Señora didn't comment on it, although it was clear she was very concerned for Keyes. Keyes and Dani still refused to talk to each other, and Keyes even made a point to never been seen with Dani outside of being required to. Dani found he didn't particularly care about this change.

At the end of the week, Dani packed his stuff, saw everyone off on the plane, and went to find Dra, who was checking him out of the hotel room.
"You can thank me for modifying the memory of the Perez's and the mental workload of your teacher." She tossed him a peppermint, and smirked, walking out of the lobby with him.

"Thanks. So, we're talking a portal to your place, avoiding your mom-"

"Our mom." Dra corrected, interrupting him. Dani rolled his eyes. He didn't have to call her that if he didn't want to.

"And they you're going to teach me how to become a wizard."

"Silver Mage. Are you petty as a rule, or is that just because you're pissy?" Dra snapped at him, finally getting fed up.

"Are you acerbic as a rule, or are you like mommy, ready to abandon your kid when they don't turn out right?" Dani mocked, getting in her face. Dra didn't respond, clamping down on her anger.

"Keep walking."

-------------------------------

The room he was sharing with Dra was large. Large enough that Dani and Dra had a reed mat, called a petlatl, on both sides of the room, and couldn't bother each other.

A small blessing, Dani supposed. They could pretend like the other wasn't there, and maybe simmer in some animosity before actually doing anything productive.

"And Zaza's room is down the hall." Dra snapped woodenly, as she was being forced to do this.

"So, she's not married?" Dani asked, his curiosity overcoming his anger.

"She was. He died." Dra spat at him, not telling him another thing. He rolled his eyes. She crossed her arms.

"If you two are arguing again, I'm going to bite you both!" Zammi yelled from another part of the house. Something in Dra's eyes made Dani think that Zammi wasn't joking at all. Dani huffed, and set his bag down.

The house was an odd mix of old Aztec simplicity, and modern necessity. Dani could have had a room to himself, but Zammi had denied him that, on the basis that if Dra was going to teach him, he would need to be near her at all times. The living room had a massive flat screen TV, but there were scrolls in the library. The Wi-Fi signal was perfect, and Dra had a phone, but there was no computer.

As much as Dani was confused by it, he was unwittingly charmed by the confused tumble that the residents lived in.

But not enough to like them, of course.

Never enough to like them.

-------------------------------

There was no clouds the next day, the sky a perfect blue color. Dani was stretched out on his petlatl, staring out the window. He was relaxed, more relaxed than he'd been all week, having gotten a surprising good night's rest on the reed mat.

"Get up." Dra, the bringing of evil things, like morning time, nudged his side with a cold toe. She was speaking in Spanish, so Dani responded in Spanish as well.

"And what if I say no?" Dani smirked rakishly, rolling over to face her.

"I'm not one of those girls from your school. I'm not charmed by you." She deadpanned.

Dani's smirk fell, replace by utter disappointment. "Ugh. Leave me alone."

"I signed on for teaching a teenager. Not a bitch." Dra's voice was saccharine and sing-song, but brutally harsh.

"Swear to Huitzilopochtli, if you two are fighting again, I'm going to hit you!" Zammi called again, her voice boarding on pure annoyance now.

"It's not my fault Dani likes to be lazy!" Dra yowled back, her anger making her face contort into animalistic rage.

"That's it!" Zammi roared, and within moments, she was in the room, her white hair waving like a wrathful surrender.

But what terrified Dani the most wasn't her anger, so much like her daughter's, or even the slightly pointed teeth.

It was her hands. They glowed with an ethereal blue fire, like a flame from a lighter. Dani had a feeling this wasn't a normal thing.

"No, we're not fighting!" Dra yelped, and Dani nodded, agreeing with her for the sake of his well-being.

"Well, then get out of here, and start learning and teaching, before I decide that you are!" Zammi hissed, her quiet anger unlike her previous, clamorous, outburst.

Dani threw on some clothes once the two women left, and rushed down the stairs, to find Dra half way out the door, and gesturing for him to follow her. Dani grabbed an apple from a dish of fruit.

"Dani," Zammi called to him before he could disappear with Dra. "Just a word." She blinked slowly as he approached her, like a panther trying not to move, as to not disturb her prey.

For some reason, Dani didn't like the feeling of being prey.

"The whole village know who you are and what you are. The whole village is trying to destroy you, seduce you, or a small few, help you." Zammi listed, ticking them off her fingers like a grocery list. "You must be strong. To them, it doesn't matter that you are new, that you don't know anything about the Silver Mages-"

"Don't listen to her." Dra snapped at her mother, who gave her a sharp look. "They all remember Dani from before. They all know him. They won't do anything to him because they know." Dra packed a lot of meaning into that last word, and Dani didn't know why.

"Fine." Zammi snapped, staring her daughter down. To Dani's impress, Dra didn't flinch under her mother's gaze.

"Mother, just because you have a high position doesn't mean that everyone is gonna come after you." Dra soothed, her face softening. It was delicate moment, but Dani didn't really care.

"I'll be outside then." Dani said carelessly, turning on his heel.

Dra caught up with him after a little bit. To Dani's complete and utter horror, she was holding a knife. "Uh, what are you doing with a knife?"

"Not stabbing you, if that's what your concerned about." Dra snipped. "You know, you could have been nicer to Zaza. She's had a hard life. She doesn't need your hate as well as everyone else's."

"Whatever hate she gets from me, she deserves it. She left me." Dani hissed, seeing red. "You seem to forget that, or just don't understand what that's like. As a kid, getting left was traumatic." Dani had to look away from her, so Dra didn't see the tears in his eyes. "All I wanted to know was why someone who loved me for six years suddenly decided I wasn't good enough."

Dra looked like she was about to respond, before a different girl came up to them. She was small and slight, with skinny legs and long arms. Her skin was pocked with scars, or maybe lighter freckles, like Dra's vitiligo. "Hey, Dra! So," Her eyes glittered, the familiar slit pupils focused on Dani. "This is the great Dani Coatl."

"And you are? Sorry, I don't remember you." Dani inquired politely. She blushed, batting her eyelashes.

"I'm Chusi. But, you used to call me Usi. We used to play together as kids. Before you left." The way she said 'left', like it was his choice, or decision, made Dani mad. Why was every one acting like he'd was a naughty little kid who'd run away?

If he'd had a choice, didn't they think he'd would have wanted to stay? In a place full of magic, and creatures, and culture, and-!

Family.

That was why he was being a bitch, wasn't it? He wanted a family, even one he'd never know, and now he was trying to make them feel what he'd felt.

But they deserved it. That justified it for him.

"Thanks, Chusi. It was nice to meet you again." Dani said, politely. Chusi's secretive smile fell, He turned back to Dra, and she snorted.

"See ya later, Chusi." Dra crowed to the other girl. Dra grabbed Dani's elbow like she'd done when she'd shown him the portal.

She lead him to a clearing in the jungle, where the sun had already burned away most of the sparkling leaves.

"So," Dra said, sounding bored as ever. She drew out the word, and gave him an annoyed look. Dani was getting the feeling that, though they may share parents, Dra and him would never really see each other as siblings. "You're a Silver Mage. I assume you don't know anything about what that is." she drawled, and Dani rolled his eyes. All he knew was they had magic.

"If I did, I wouldn't be here with you, Dra." Dani said, a bit snappishly. "I would be doing something useful with that information. Not wasting mine and yours precious time."

"Hold your horses," Dra said, almost approving at his attitude. "We'll get there. But before that, you need to understand what we are." she gestured at a knife, and Dani smirked. The knife. Just like the one she'd held to his throat when she'd first met him. "Cut your hand."

"What?" Dani said, politely, but still defiantly against.

"You heard me. Cut your hand. Just nick it. A tiny cut, I don't want you to sever the damn thing." Dra mocked him, and Dani felt his ears grow hot. Dani looked at his red and itchy fingertips, and put the blade in his palm. Dani and Dra seemed to study it together as it lay, sharp and hungry, on his tan hand. Dra started to open her mouth, probably to comment on how stupid he looked, when Dani closed his hand around the blade.

"Shit!" Dra yelped, as Dani winced, the blade biting into the soft flesh of his hand, destroying cells and nerve endings. "Shit, Dani. That was intense." she gasped, watching his blood fall. As Dani watched it, it seemed to shimmer in the air, turning reflective in the morning light. Dani stared, mesmerized at the carmine liquid that slowly leaked from his injury.

As he looked closer, Dani noticed that his blood wasn't reflective, but had flecks of silver in it, like slivers of metal had been caught in his blood. It was an illusion, like the water on the leaves.

"See that?" Dra questioned him, breathless. "That's what makes us special. Our magic is basically conducted by that stuff."

Dani stared at the sparkling blood that dripped from his hand. "No way." He whispered. "I've cut myself before, and I've never see this." He looked at Dra with confusion. "Why?"

"Simple." A sharp voice said. "You didn't present your powers until very recently." Dra looked up at the trees, to where Zammi's white hair dripped over the green branches. Dani felt himself stiffen at the voice of the women, his instincts telling him to not trust her. 'This is the women who left you.' His inner voice hissed, and Dani scratched at a patch of dry skin. Zammi frowned at that.

"Or maybe still, they are dormant." she added dismissively. She crouched on the branch, and leapt, her hair shining behind her like the writhing body of a snake. Dani looked down, his shoulders falling.

Dra coughed awkwardly. "Don't take her to heart. She's always like that. Even to her own children." she said. Dani looked at her, confused.

"Why?" He asked her, sounding very young for a moment. Dra's severe features softened, her face, so much like their mother's, no, her mother's, Dani reminded himself sharply, rounding at the edges. "What did we do wrong?"

"Nothing. Zaza just isn't good at showing her emotions like we are. She's older that she looks, and she the Advisor." Dra explained.

"The Advisor?" Dani questioned.

"Yeah, to the Silver King, the ruler of all the Silver Mages." Dra said, like it was a basic fact. "It's her job to visit all the Silver Lands and advise the King, although she's been very minimal these days." There was an underlying tone in her voice that made Dani think she wasn't telling him the whole truth.

"Since when?" Dani asked, and Dra looked surprised, or scared.

"I didn't say anything." Dra said.

"You didn't need to. So, since when has she been slacking?" Dani ordered. Dra bristled at his tone, and opened her mouth, about to protest. But, for some reason, she backed down.

"She started to..." Dra made a gesture, not willing to say the word. "Since she visited Roanoke Island."

Ooh! Interesting! Anyway, I'm bored, so I updated. I've been listening to the same music for a while. If your wondering, I love The Score, Imagine Dragons, Panic! At the Disco, Zayde Wolf, Fall Out Boy, and 5SOS.

I'm aware I'm a basic child, bu bases are bad for you. (I'm sorry, I love chemistry).

Don't be a Silent Reader! Vote and comment so I don't feel so alone in self quarantine... ;-;

QOTD: What's y'all's favorite band?

Peace, C.J.