"Okay, you can't argue this time. It's fate!"

Lucy and Katie were walking back to their cars after school.

"Oh, don't start that again..."

"Well, how else do you explain that the one guy you meet and don't take his phone number ends up in the same school as you? There a ton of schools around he could have gone to!"

"I know that..." Katie said.

But as much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't help wonder. Honestly, what were the odds that she would meet a guy, at a club, no less - not that she felt particularly interested in him - and that he would end up in her school just two days later? She figured they were close to nothing. And for some reason, he seemed interested in her. Perhaps he'd seen her at the club and taken a liking to her.

Or he was just seeing if he could seduce her before he dumped her like a rotten egg... in any case, she wasn't sure what to make of him.

"One thing's for sure, he'd really cute," Lucy said thoughtfully.

"No offence, Lucy, but I'm not sure he's the kind to fall for your charms."

"Oh? Why not?" Lucy asked, but Katie knew by her tone that she wasn't offended.

"I don't know... just a feeling, I guess. And to be honest, I'm not sure what I think of him."

"Well, you'll have all the time to get to know him better," Lucy teased.

"Yeah, I guess..." Katie said, though she wasn't sure she wanted to.

And yet, she couldn't help thinking of her body's reaction when they'd danced, their eyes locked on one another's, very little space between them... She shook her head. Her parents had always told her to be very careful with romances with Unspelled. That suggested hiding her powers from them, which would be difficult and eventually strain the relationship, no matter how deeply they loved one another. And if they found out, then their memories would be erased, and while the intent was to erase only the knowledge of magic and its existence, there had been more than one case where the memory had been wiped entirely, causing the Unspelled to completely forget who they were or how they felt about the witch or warlock they had been married to or in a relationship with. Those stories always broke Katie's heart because she'd always thought love could break through anything, and these situations suggested otherwise... in some very rare cases, they managed to restore a semblance of their former union, but not always.

"Hello? Earth to Katie!"

"Oh... yes, sorry..." Katie said. "What did you say?"

"I was asking if you could help me with that English essay?"

"Sorry, I can't, my parents are out tonight, and Gideon has to study for some tests, so I have to stay with Hazel."

"Oh, well, I can come by your place, then."

"I thought you were grounded?"

"I think my mum would let me if it's for studying."

"... Okay, then."

It took some convincing, but Mrs Benson finally agreed to let Lucy go to Katie's to study so long as she was back for dinner, so they drove back to the Thomas household, where Heleana was sitting in the living room, studying a spellbook. She promptly put it away when Lucy came in.

"Oh, hello, girls."

"Hi, Mum. We'll be in my room, Lucy wants a hand with an essay."

"Very well then. You staying for dinner, Lucy?"

"I would love to, Mrs T, but my mum wants me back for dinner."

"Come on, let's get started," Katie said, and they headed up the stairs.

An hour was all Lucy could muster when it came to essay writing. It was about sixteenth century England, which Lucy found rather boring. But at least when she got into it, things went fairly quickly, so they were almost done when they stopped for a break. Lucy sprawled out on the bed and Katie curled up on the window seat, they relaxed with cups of cocoa.

"So, did you talk to Luke after we left Mrs Jacobs' class?" Lucy inquired.

Katie felt her cheeks grow warm for some reason.

"Well... a little... why?"

As she'd expected, Lucy's interest was peaked.

"Well?" she insisted.

"Well, what?" Katie asked, though she had a hunch she knew what was coming.

"What did you say? What's he like?"

Katie ran a hand through her hair uneasily.

"... He's... why are you asking?"

"Because you clearly get along!"

Katie wasn't sure you could count two conversations as enough to say you got along...

"... He's not given me any reason not to speak to him," Katie shrugged.

"Well it seems to me like he's interested in you," Lucy said.

"Even if he is, I don't want to get involved with an Unspelled... I told you why it was too complicated."

"Isn't it worth it?"

"How do you want me to give everything to a relationship I know will most likely end in suffering?" she asked.

She was a romantic at heart, like most girls, no matter how much some didn't want to admit it. But she couldn't help thinking, as much as she loved being a witch, that they were cursed somewhat. Even relationships with other warlocks and witches were far trickier than regular human romances.

'Hmm... I suppose you're right," Lucy admitted. "It sounds unfair to me, though..."

"Well, maybe not, but... that's the way it is," Katie shrugged, keeping the wistfulness out of her voice, because she couldn't help agreeing. "Why do you want to know about that anyway?"

"Because I think it would be good for you to have someone in your life," Lucy said. "I have fun with guys, and I'm fine with non-commital relationships, but you're not the kind who can do that. You need steady and romantic."

"Yeah, well... the only way I'll get that is if I meet a warlock who's not in a rival clan or is in mine. But, since we are all rivals, and our clan is pretty small..."

"Hmm... yeah, I guess that limits your choices, doesn't it?"

"A little," Katie sighed. "But relationships with an Unspelled never end well... they've become taboo and forbidden, in the magic world."

"Wait... does that mean we're taboo, too?" Lucy asked in alarm.

"No, no... friendships are allowed, so long as..."

"So long as the secret of your powers is kept."

"Yeah."

She cleared her throat and stood up.

"Come on, let's get this essay finished, or your mum will think you're sneaking out again."

Katie didn't tell Lucy, but discussing Luke, and relationships in general, had pained her more than she'd expected. She went down to the basement and pulled her hair back with an elastic band. It was just long enough for a short ponytail. She dropped her jacket on a chair and turned to face the target she and Gideon had been using. She took a deep breath, raised a hand, conjuring an energy bow, and fired. It shot through the air and hit the target right in the centre. She exhaled, but kept her arms tensed. She drew another arrow and fired again. The light filled the room for a few seconds as it sped across space into the target. Again, it struck, but slightly to the right. She bit her lip and dropped her arms slightly. She was distracted by her conversation with Lucy. She shook her head in an effort to clear her mind and raised her arms again, a bow of energy appearing in her hands. She released a new arrow. The moment it hit the target, she fired again. And again. And again until her mother's alarmed voice rang in the room.

"Katie! Katie, stop!"

She stopped, panting slightly, sweat forming on her forehead.

"Are you all right?"

"... Yeah, I'm fine."

Heleana peered at her uncertainly. Then, she glanced at the target.

"How many did you fire?" she asked, her voice incredulous.

"I don't know... nine, ten maybe?"

"Do you know how much energy that kind of magic takes? It must be used with caution!"

"I know, I know... I just needed the outlet."

Heleana gave her a concerned look as she sat down.

"What's wrong?" she asked sitting next to her daughter.

Katie heaved a sigh.

"... Lucy just unintentionally reminded me that I'm doomed to grow old alone and have ten cats." she said, a little bitterly. "Or ten dogs. I guess I could live with that."

Heleana glanced at her wistfully.

"Oh, sweetheart..." she sat down next to her. "You won't..."

"Yes, I will. I can't fall in love with a human, and our clan's tiny."

"There are other warlocks..."

"Oh, because you and Dad would accept me falling in love with an Hearthstone, or a Blackthorn?"

"... Of course we would," Heleana said.

Katie shook her head.

"Yeah, maybe now, because it's theoretical," she answered. "When it becomes a reality, you'll not be so easygoing. Remember Belinda?"

Belinda Nelson was a member of the Redwood clan Gideon had gone out with for a few months two years before. Everything had gone fine... until the parents had learned the truth about their identities. The two lovers had fought, hating that a name was their only obstacle. There were no rules that forbade two members of a separate warlock clan, but the rivalry between them made the idea unacceptable.

"... There are plenty of young men..." her mother began.

"Mum, you know as well as I do how disastrous relationships between our kind and an Unspelled are...." Katie said pointedly.

Heleana was probably going to say something about how that didn't mean it was impossible, but she clearly sensed Katie didn't want to hear that, because she didn't mention it. Which was just as well, because Katie didn't feel like hearing it anyway.

"I'm tired, I'm going to bed," she said.

And she marched up to her room, feeling that sometimes, the cost of being witch was more than seemed fair.

**************

Ah, the burden of difference... we all feel that way sometimes, right?

Will Katie be proven right about her fate? Let's find out!