《Double Chocolate (Milk)》 1 - Path of air (and space?) CAROM-EL Choose me, Max. Choose me, for God¡¯s sake, dude. That''s what I think as I try to comfort myself, for not to fill the air by shouting an extended ah and run out before the right time to the middle of the field. My hands squeeze into the Chocolate bearing that hangs from my necklace, the only one who remains from the first skateboard I bought with my own money, full of pride. I miss those days. Focus, Carom. As usual, in every selection, Max walks quietly through the space we will soon battle and makes every second an affliction. He smiles to someone, then turns around and smiles for me. Soon I, who envied his teeth aligned, not like mine, where I got one who had been born back. Max is the leader here in the League of Street Magicians, his blond hair goes down to the shoulders and shake as he raises rosy arms of those who spent too much time bathing in the afternoon sun, and smiles for the audience that gathered in the concrete bleachers of that old shed. Max approaches the front row, where I''m with other, who hold their breath for that chance, and reaches out to me. The magicians around me to sigh in dismay. ¡°Marcelo¡± He smiles and my heart decides to miss some beats. Smooth as the prince would say to... Oh, no. Not here, Blue. Let me complete the line of reasoning once, Carom. Get out of here with your diabetic sugar and your princely projections on blonde dudes. You like them too. I love blondes and Max has a girlfriend. Leave me. Focus. I¡¯ll not pay attention to my other self. Not now. I hold Max''s hand, the folks around pulls away when I get up, and he takes me to the center of the soccer field. The place where we train or are selected to be vigilantes and go around city taking care of minor crimes committed by normal people or other magicians from another league that I''m going to kick ass as soon as I get promoted to a vigilante. I wait a few minutes. Max walks again, until it stops and chooses Eduardo. Max is a gentleman, right? Blue, leave me. A king, in fact, so polite. Oh my¡­ Blue. I have one chance and you keep distracting me. Do me a favor and go back to sleep. I spin the bearing on my left hand and take a deep breath as sweat goes down the porpores and I dry with my free hand. My heart is a drum banging in the chest, speeding up as I face my opponent of my age, with her hair trapped in a bun on the back, wearing a green shirt that holds a white earth badge: a circle with a plus inside and the word in large letters just below. I push my hair back, with both hands, and take a deep breath once more. I put my hands on my white t-shirt, to clean the accumulated sweat and face the dark triangle that has a horizontal line almost at the top, the symbol of the air. That''s how we''re distinguished, we use t-shirts with colors and symbols that represent our elements. This for those who control elements. There are other magicians there who have exceptional talents and who do not move a grain of earth with their minds. I have a chance and I can''t be distracted by the tensioned muscles of Max''s arms when he stretches and turns his face to me, or when he scratches his beard that grows or fixes his hair or yawns. Guys, he should stop working out. Eduardo will destroy the ground before I have a chance to move if I remain distracted. I''ve seen it happen. I''ve seen boys get hit in the groin, crying and rolling in fetal position as they fought guys who controlled the earth. The rest of us can only hold the pants and be scared for that pain together. I instinctively move my hand to my pants, which makes Eduardo smile and I scratch the area just to distract him. He doesn''t deserve to have my uncertainties before the fight starts, because I need to get an advantage. I carry two years of training on the path of air and I have to think of something, but nothing helps. I have practice with my legs, but I''ll have to get closer for my arm strike really damage him. He will easily dodge from long distance.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. My body should cross space as soon as Max gives the signal to start. I will use the air to propel my feet into a jump and to break the fall. It''s the best way I know to do it, with a bow over my opponent, before he pulls me out of the fight with a column between my legs. ¡°Don''t get too hard.¡± Max smiles, arms open, and the audience laugh ¡°Our new vigilante needs to be prepared and not so destroyed, of course, we have our healing guys, but we might not have a day to rest if a new trouble comes in the city and our new chosen one is still recovering in our healing rooms.¡± Just cross space, Marcelo, cross in a second. Surprise Eduardo and hit him before he knows it, Without brutal force. Without let him with a lot of body injuries. Without leaving him in our healing rooms alone. ¡°Start!¡± Max lowers his arms.. I feel my soul heat up, my mind threatens to short out, doubling the scenery around me as I take the first step towards Eduardo and the ground starts to shake. Focus. ¡ª Path of air ¡ª I visualize and feel the air currents swirling around my legs ¡ª Impulse. When the ground moves under my feet I jump. The air pushes me up, away from the first column that would have hit my groin. The choked screams from the audience make me excited. ¡°Get down, dude,¡± Eduardo yells and I wave at him. I realize too late that I''m not falling, the air supports my feet like pillows, moving both up and down in a gentle rhythm, and the audience remains silent, watching my lucky moment, the semiconscious desire to need something to keep me going away from the ground. ¡°If that''s how it''s going to be¡± Eduardo smiles and I run toward him. The floor of the field explodes. Earth pillars rises, hitting the space right and left of where I find myself, a few steps below. One of them stops at the height of my left foot and I don''t have time to dodge. My body somersaults in the air, my back hits another pillar of earth and I fall, rolling between pillars that descend until the terrain levels out and I hit the floor. I sit breathing hard because of the inhaled dust as I rolled before stop. When I was younger, I used to roll in the grass of a hill in the Botanical Garden with my brother, but that didn''t come close and didn''t even cause the pain that rolling over uneven earth pillars leave on my exposed arms and calves. ¡°Don''t you want to surrender, Elo?¡± Eduardo asks, from a distance, and I don¡¯t like the sound of my nickname in his mouth. My mind has a wall of fog hampering me, the dust around it still settles, and Eduardo speak as he hasn''t shed a drop of sweat. I get up with legs shaking. I won''t give to him what he wants. I¡¯m an Esperan?a, coming from a family of powerful magicians. I can¡¯t easily surrender. That thought makes my heart speed up. My skin heats up when I think of my family. I see myself behind Eduardo, my eyes try to take in that doubling of space around me as I take the first step. I''ll get dizzy if I don''t hurry up. I take the second step and my body heats up. My legs burn and the heat rises to my head, bringing a strange comfort, and down again to my legs. In the third step, Eduardo disappears from my field of vision as my body is completely filled with heat. Some magicians in the audience cover their mouths when my fourth step hits the ground, others widen their eyes. Heat spreads across my face and my vision returns to normal. It takes a moment for the dizziness to pass and I realize I''ve crossed the field space and stopped behind Eduardo. ¡°How I...?¡± I''ll find out later. I turn around quickly. I can''t waste my chance. A second was what I needed. A second was what I won. ¡°Path of air.¡± Eduardo turns around, the floor starts shaking. I move my arms toward him twice. The currents of air churn, circulate from my forearms towards the wrists and break free as I smile for my opponent. ¡°Double punch.¡± 2 - Chocolate and integration stuff CAROM-EL I know I shouldn''t worry about Eduardo flying and hitting the crossbar on his side of the field. Okay, I shouldn''t worry so much. He gets immediate care, Barbara and Tales catch him, unconscious, and take him to the league''s health care rooms, disappearing behind two red doors already open. No obstacles for the new injured magician. Maybe I should have used less force. But I had one chance and after two years I couldn''t waste it. ¡°Marcelo, with me¡± Max pushes the crowd that squeezes me with hugs, wraps one of his arms around me and raises one of his hands, asking for silence and the crowd calms down gradually ¡°Let''s party, outside!¡± My friends scream and start coming out the blue doors next to the stands. Outside we will have a barbecue, singing till night falls and even swimming in the river next from our league, for those who dare to run a hundred meters and get lost in the icy waters to get som refresh from the muffled weather. ¡°Congratulations, Marcelo.¡± Max''s arm around my neck force me to walk with him. ¡°You''re the new vigilante. Let''s go to integration right now.¡± I can¡¯t stop smiling. Two years of training paid off. I feel a pang of guilt that my brother helped me when I was at home, but I quickly shook my head to push those thoughts away. I didn''t do anything wrong. ¡°... a magician with your skills.¡± I realize I missed a part of the conversation when I thought about Marlon. ¡°When did you learn to travel?¡± ¡°What?¡± I blink, trying to understand that question. ¡°Travel between places, Elo¡± He smiles, we pass through the same doors as the healing Magicians with Eduardo, but instead of going straight to the white doors at the end, we make a right turn, going up two flights of stairs to reach the second floor. ¡°You crossed space in four steps.¡± Max takes my shoulders with both hands. ¡°And not everyone can do that.¡± ¡°For real?¡± I try to remember other magicians doing the same thing. I can''t find anyone. ¡°Yeah.¡± Max opens a wooden door and motions for me to enter first. I take a moment. I feel so electric that I need to take a deep breath before I stir and step into a room where Graciela, Edgar and three other magicians have their faces almost glued to the computer screens, searching in maps and watching some videos. ¡°Sit down, Elo.¡± Max points and I sit in a chair. While I watch Graciela, with her curly hair thick, her skin dark in the whitish blue light of the room and the screens. She is the leader of the missions and will soon be ordering me to kick ass of who need to be put on the line. It makes me shake my legs and tap my fingers on them. ¡°You¡¯re a Hope, right?¡± Max sits beside me. ¡°Esperan?a¡± I correct my last name. ¡°The same¡± he smiles and chuckles, probably because of my naivete or the fact that my legs still shaking ¡°The Hope are one of the oldest families of magicians and they have the ability to travel between places counting a number of steps.¡± ¡°What I did.¡± ¡°Yeah. In addition to your control of air, you can travel. Tanks to your ancestors.¡± The image of my father pops into my mind, followed by my grandfather and I clench my fists. The first one still avoids me when I''m at home. I still hear the second diminish myself for being a bad Esperan?a and him put me in a box labeled second-rate Esperan?a. And there I am, with an ability rare from my own family. My mind clears and I smile as the warmth of comfort spreads across my face and chest to arms, making me relax in my chair. I''m adopted, I don''t have to worry about my ability coming from an old man who hates me. No. My new power came from someone who dumped me and is either dead or out there living life without worrying about a child who grew up in an orphanage. ¡°They say it''s love stuff.¡± Max smiles to me. ¡°That skill was developed when some Hope wanted to make out with a Cardian, but they couldn''t, cause they were from the same family.¡± Cardian. This name is not strange to me. ¡°What do you mean from the same family?¡± I turn to Max ¡°Aren''t they different families?¡± ¡°Well, both Hope and Cardian descended from Prime, one of the earliest magician families. The guys didn''t even need a channeling necklace or staffs, they used power directly from universe. Was a crazy time and...¡±Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°Max.¡± Graciela turns to us and I''m still stuck in what he said. ¡°Focus. Marcelo, parents, watchmen. Focus, you''re spreading a lot here.¡± Max sighs and stares Graciela. He was really immersed in telling me about the first mage families and she cut his wave.. ¡°You counted steps, right?¡± Max has his elbows on his legs and watches me expectantly. ¡°I counted.¡± I smile to give him what he expects. ¡°Four steps.¡± ¡°Yeah, wow.¡± He brings his arms behind his neck. ¡°Few steps. I only know two other guys with this ability and they count at least five.¡± That''s it. I''m awesome. ¡°This will help a lot with the league work.¡± Max turns to Graciela ¡°Isn''t it, Graciela?¡± Graciela pauses a security camera video and swivels her chair toward us. ¡°For shure.¡± She gives us a broad smile. ¡°Because one of the only magicians who had that ability here in the league left.¡± ¡°Why?¡± I try not to look so surprised. It''s a stupid thing get out of the league. They are a family. In the beginning they were my second family and now I consider them the main ones, as my adoptive parents distance themselves when my grandfather is around. I need a close, full-time family, with support at all times and hugs. And I got it in the League of Street Magicians. ¡°He went to study at some magic college out there.¡± Graciela observes Max with something that I can understand through her eyes. ¡°Oh.¡± Max scratches his short beard. ¡°There¡¯s a village of magicians in a floating island hidden by clouds, near by Pico Paran¨¢ and they have advanced things there.¡± ¡°Exactly and they managed to take out one of our best vigilante. Thanks, Max.¡± ¡°Hey!¡± he slaps both hands on his legs, the sound of slapping makes me almost jump out of my chair. ¡°It wasn''t my fault that Sebastian saw that he had a future and made the proposal that took him Away.¡± ¡°You didn''t even try to argue for him to stay with us, and now you drop the mage village location in front of another young man with potential.¡± She points to me, Max turns around and raises an eyebrow. ¡°Oh¡± he points to her. ¡°Got it. You don''t want the young magicians to have a future beyond the league. Smart girl.¡± ¡°What?¡± Graciela pushes her feet and the chair hits the table. ¡°That''s why I prefer girls, they don''t say that kind of thing.¡± A lot of secrets being thrown into the air. I get them all. ¡°Besides.¡± Max stretches his Arms and ignores her. ¡° You can''t argue with a high magician who says you''re going to expand your abilities into a village of mighty magicians and magical college and stuff, girl.¡± This is interesting and Graciela''s fear makes sense. I will finish high school and go look for this village to improve my skills. Studying with high magicians who have mastered the four elements and have more skills should be really cool. ¡°I do my job.¡± Max yawns. ¡°And has a limit¡± ¡°Coward¡± Graciela laughs and turns to the computer ¡°Elo?¡± ¡°Hi?¡± I lean forward as Max huffs and drops his body into the chair. ¡°What does the league do, other than provide a roof for those who need it and train them magic?¡± ¡°They take care of the city''s security.¡± I smile as I remember Max integrating me through the parts of the shed and showing me where each part was. Bathrooms, bedrooms, health and healing rooms, kitchen and cafeteria, underground labs when I arrived there two years ago. ¡°That''s right. But it¡¯s normal security?¡± ¡°Not just her. It''s extra-human or supernatural security. Against not so cool magicians who use power for uncool things.¡± ¡°Right, man.¡± She opens a drawer, pulls out a candy bar, and tosses it to me. ¡°I want one too.¡± Max holds out his hand like a begging dog and still pouts at her. ¡°You''re fat, man¡± She stares at him and when she realizes he won''t back down she takes another candy bar and throws it at his chest ¡®That''s because you let Gustavo go.¡± Gustavo. Oh. I remember him. Tall and with strong arms that made my body beg for a hug. He was always well received when he returned from a mission and went straight to this room, with Max and Graciela and the bad magician he brought, caught in some crime around city. Graciela is right, it''s been a while since I''ve seen him in the corners of the league. Maybe more than a month. ¡°Jesus, girl.¡± Max holds the bar to his chest. ¡°And I''m not fat.¡± ¡°It''s not what Rosa tells me when we talk.¡± ¡°Ah.¡± Max turned his face away. If I had a girlfriend, I would also be embarrassed if she called me fat behind my back and I found out about it with chocolate being thrown at me. But I''ll never have a girlfriend, I''ll have a boyfriend, as soon as Arthur stops bullshitting me and I have the guts to tell my adoptive parents that I''m into boys. ¡°Very well.¡± Graciela plays the security video ¡°Look at this, Marcelo.¡± I have to get up and get closer to see. The video is from a bank security camera, directly at some ATMs. The time in one corner of the screen was 20:13:32. It takes half a minute for a dude to approach a teller machine. He turns to the camera and give his middle finger and goes back to looking at the machine he chosen. The boy reaches out his hand, the cashier''s screen crashes and the money starts to be spit at the young man who opens a backpack and waits for it to fill, before showing the middle finger once more to the camera and leaving while the box keeps spitting out notes for a few more seconds. I can''t say I don''t feel a pitch of envy. That kind of power solves so many problems in life. Is this how the new vigilante thinks? Like a thief? It was bad. My bad. Returning to the paths of truth, justice and stuff. ¡°That''s the kind of thing you''ll take care of.¡± Graciela pauses the video and turns to me as I sit next to a Max who sighs contentedly as he licks his chocolate-lusty fingers. The leader of the league who at that moment is a child satisfied by the devoured candy ¡°Because soon we will call him on a mission. They happen often. The occult media obviously don''t know how to handle this kind of thing, but we know and we do it.¡± She goes back to her computer, closes the video, and faces her desktop screen full of files. ¡°Be prepared.¡± She sighs as she watches our leader. Max gets up and burps. ¡°Come on, dude.¡± He heads for the door. ¡°Intensive training. With your handsome leader. Me.¡± I grunt. I know him. He is the leader for one reason and I know what he is capable of. Nobody likes to train with him. ¡°I still haven''t recovered from the last fight.¡± He holds me by my back. ¡°No way you''ll do that.¡± I don''t like his smile when he lifts his arm and pulls me by the shoulders. ¡°You just rolled over, got some scraps, and you''re still fine.¡± ¡°I need time to heal myself, Max.¡± ¡°You are a vigilante, Elo. You need to learn to dodge obstacles if you''re going to run around town. And there will be obstacles, I guarantee you. Come on.¡± 3 - Arthur and his bad love CAROM-EL I have nothing to do and I''ll be waiting for you on our skate park in two hours. I let out a long and slow breath, tuck the cell phone into my pocket. My body surrenders to the comfort of the cold wall, my forehead sweats and my skin begs for a bath and my bed. A post-workout lunch nap is more than deserved. Max didn''t go easy on me. He controls the air, the earth and has a ridiculous ability where he just looks into another magician''s eyes and then touches him to disable the target''s abilities for a while. Falling twice from a meter and a half high, because the wind stopped supporting my body, was not comfortable. It was shameful. Even the new ability to cut space with a few steps didn''t help me. Even with Xavier, skilled in traveling, helping me before Max''s spanking.. ¡°C¡¯mon, Elo¡± Max was enjoying my fails ¡°You need to give me more than this.¡± Rosa walked onto the field and kissed him, patted his stomach and he slapped her ass as she turned to go back to the bleachers. The audience laughed and I wanted to throw up. If my future boyfriend slapped my ass in public, I would slap him back in the face. Limits exist and must be respected. When I got tired of being hit by Max limiting my signature moves, double punch, impulse, quick punch, I went back to the stands and let other mages take a beating from him. It was at some point during my rest that Arthur texted me, asking me to go to our skate park. That''s your problem, you know. Oh, Blue. Why do you only show up when Arthur does the same? Because you know I love him and not the other boys in the league that you want to kiss. I don''t want to kiss anyone. Yes, and it''s not just Arthur. Arthur is Blue''s mess, but Blue always chicken out when he''s supposed to do the right thing about that shit. Two years ago, when I developed my post-first-kiss magic, Arthur stayed with me for a few months, until we started a new year in the high school and he started dating a girl. That¡¯s your falt too, you know. I knew it. Blue and the curse of throwing everything in my face. Arthur wants a boyfriend to walk hand in hand with him and I don''t have the heart for such a thing. Not with my grandfather despising me and my parents sometimes turning away from me just because I¡¯m a Esperan?a too. I can''t imagine what they can do when find out that my heart beats only for boys. It took me the last two years with slaps in the face to learn the lesson that I would have to do it all myself. That taking the tightness out of my chest, because of Arthur going back to his yearly girlfriends and treating me like his best friend again, was entirely my job. That I would never learn magic in the family, because of my grandfather, and ha dto learn by myself, my job alone. Not alone, Max found me. The hellish mess that all this caused in my heart until I got over it was almost unbearable most days, but it happened after several prayers, purification rituals according to the internet with aromatic candles and incense and other medicinal plants that I rubbed in my face crying in the garden begging for all the pain to pass. In a moment I just stopped caring. That was the trick, not thinking about Arthur when he wasn''t around. Not thinking about parents when training magic in the league. Turn on the headphones with motivational raps and jump from tree to tree with the air supporting your feet all the way, with only the moon to witness for all those nighttime screams and quick tears when your throat scratched and you decided it was time to calm down. Now I am at peace and Arthur appears once again to fertilize that seed inside me. A seed that already wants to open up quickly to let things happen again in my chest. I cannot allow this. Disappointment will be avoided if I''ll be the son of a gun this time. Arthur takes turns around the skate park at home. It didn''t take me long to cross the space between the league and my shed behind the skate shop at home, cross the street at slower pushes with my skateboard, and move leisurely around the skate park when I arrived. Now, I stand on top of one of the ramps, just watching the shirt that sticks to his body, his wet hair reminds me of stickers on his forehead. He''ll stay there, walking around, jumping on the handrail and missing the moment that his skateboard hits the metal, for a few more minutes. That''s his signal not to be all right, he''ll walk around the place until get tired when he needs to forget something or is forced to process what he doesn''t like at the moment. I fear for him on the last lap, when the skateboard lands with the sandpaper facing the rail and his feet hit the wheels. He has the decency to be able to jump before his skate overturns and falls down the ramp. He turns to me and our exchange of glances takes longer than should be allowed before Arthur picks up his skateboard and runs up the ramp I find myself on.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation. ¡°What''s up.¡± He lets go of the skateboard and wraps me in a tight hug, smearing sweat on my skin. I don''t care because I walked straight out of magic training, my condition was no better than his as I wipe my sweaty hands on my shorts and we sit side by side at the top of the ramp. I grab a bottle of water from the side of my skateboard and give it to him, who drinks in one gulp and sighs with pleasure when he finishes.. ¡°Thanks.¡± He sets the bottle aside and takes the skateboard in his lap as he watches the movement on the ramps, on the street, and beyond. The skaters, the cars and people on sidewalks. His ritual before he got out what he need say ¡°So, I''m liking a girl.¡± What should I have done: turn to him and say ¡°Serious?¡± What do I do: I turn to him and agree, so he continues. ¡°She likes me and stuff.¡± He spins one of the wheels on his skateboard, probably getting lost in the girl''s image, ¡°But she acts like a bad girl to me, you know? She''s mean, cold and hot. She hits me with some words like punches that I feel like cringing and crying. ¡° Look the boy you like, Blue. Beautiful, isn¡¯t? Help him, Carom. Pathetic. ¡°And then I think...¡± With a deep sigh, he starts to turn another wheel ¡°I''m going to act like a bad boy with her too. But then she comes and says I¡¯m feel not good today and I get all melted down and worried and I say hi, my pretty, are we going to talk? You can talk to me, I will support you in everything. Then we back to square one, when she''s okay and she''s a bad girl to me again.¡± This girl is definitely kidding on my poor best friend and does that to force him end that relationship because she doesn''t have guts to do that. ¡°She could try to get better.¡± I turn to the sound of a skateboard hitting the ground hard and a boy cursing for having missed a trick in the game and then back to Arthur. ¡°I know.¡± Arthur stops turning the wheels and turns to me. ¡°How do I change this?¡± My fear of making him cry for being too insensitive runs over my skin with gentle goose bumps. Arthur dumped me for a girl and now I''m here, trying to advise him not to break out of a relationship that won''t last so long. ¡°End this whole thing?¡± ¡°No, I like her, dude.¡± ¡°But she makes you suffer, idiot.¡± He frowns. ¡°Okay¡± I sigh, he''s on slow mode. ¡°You''re not an idiot. But she is.¡± ¡°I know and I want her, only I need to break this back and forth without hurting her. Like, I''m soft today. ¡°Fortunately.¡± ¡°I only thought about her seven hundred and seventy-four times.¡± ¡°Damn, Arthur.¡± ¡°She loves my kiss and then she gives me ice and then I don''t know what else to do.¡± His kiss is really sweet, you can''t blame him. Not now, Blue. ¡°Oh.¡± He brings his hands to his face. ¡°I know. I¡¯m a dumb. The TV actor makes love and doesn''t fall in love. I get a message with a little heart and I''m already thinking about getting married.¡± ¡°Arthur.¡± I touch his shoulder. ¡°For God''s sake. You will fix this.¡± ¡°I feel like crap, man.¡± He slumps and I contain the urge to hug him and kiss him, just so I can comfort him and fulfill Blue''s wishes. ¡°Shut up, dude.¡± Now is the time to tell some of Blue''s truths so he can comfort himself and not change my mood with so much drama ¡°You''re wonderful and, like, a boner. Stop thinking like that, dude. She''s an idiot for not paying attention to you.¡± ¡°You''re right¡± the expression changes and a smile appears ¡°Pray for me?¡± "Sorry?¡± ¡°My grandmother always prays for me after I talk to her.¡± I stare at him, he''s serious. He really waits for my prayer to bless him and ask God to deliver him from the evil way and wicked girls. ¡°Close your eyes and hold out your hands¡± I ask and he does ¡°Break it now, Lord¡± I remember the beginning, the times I saw other people praying, when my parents took me to church, the rest was a succession of anger and disbelief for innocence of Arthur that make me want to slap the girl he likes ¡°Breaks all desire to make mistakes in that blessed body...¡± And in that tasty six pack ¡°In the name of Jesus, let all desire to make a mess now leave Arthur. All desire to send cute emojis and say that you like these girls colder than the iceberg that screwed up with the Titanic. Do the work Lord. You got it.¡± ¡°I receive it.¡± He closes his hands. ¡°Amen.¡± ¡°Now to the center of the ramps.¡± He brings one of his hands to the back of my neck, before lifting his fingers and stroking my hair. ¡°I want a game of skate.¡± My cell phone vibrates as soon as he lets go of me and walks down the ramp, running towards the others there and yelling: "Who wants a game?" COME TO THE LEAGUE, DUDE. MAX HERE. I know it''s Max. His contact has been saved there for two years. ¡°The game will have to wait.¡± I grab my skateboard and my bottle after putting away my cell phone. Arthur just watches as I wave goodbye and walk to the street. ¡°See you later, Elo.¡± Arthur screams. ¡°See you later, Arthur.¡± *** Max presses a hand on my shoulder and then massages it. ¡°Congratulations, cadet.¡± He pushes me against a chair. ¡°Your first assignment. Come closer, Edgar.¡± Edgar approaches. One guy who works with Graciela, trying to find magicians who use skills for robbery. He''s tall, his face resembles an egg upside down and he already has entries in his hair, suggesting that the black, wavy forest will disappear before his hair turns white. ¡°I was on a bank this afternoon¡± Edgar turns to me ¡°When I had a vision that another bank on the street was going to be robbed and this is a profile of one of them¡± He holds up the papers so I can see the cutout designs of garments: a yellow and blue plaid shirt, jeans torn at the knees, and a yellow sneaker ¡°It''s going to happen soon." ¡°What does that mean?¡± I don''t really understand those clothes ¡°Where''s the face?¡± Graciela laughs and Edgar turns quickly to her, before turning back to me, still with an annoyed expression on his face. ¡°That''s his skill.¡± Max chooses poor Edgar as the target of the new slaps. ¡°He sees the thieves'' clothes. Sensual, isn''t it?¡± Edgar averts his face as our leader smiles and approaches me. Strange skill he had, but when it comes to skills that help fight crime, magic and evil comrades, I can''t judge. ¡°Get ready.¡± Max slaps me on the shoulder and then massages me and I don''t know whether to punch him or thank him for the magic fingers. ¡°Super easy, dude.¡± ¡°I know. You have a chat. When he gets to where you are, the police will be on their way. Just ask him which option he wants: the good guys or a life behind bars. They always choose us.¡± This sounds like a prank, but they''re looking seriously. So serious they barely blink. ¡°But where is this bank?¡± I turn to Edgar ¡°Near the Mueller mall¡± Edgar returns to his chair and his computer ¡°You should have an hour and a half or two to prepare.¡± ¡°Come on.¡± Max walks toward the door. ¡°You need a shower.¡± ¡°Oh, one more thing.¡± Edgar holds up a finger. ¡°I remember seeing him running near the Passeio P¨²blico. You better wait there.¡± 4 - Wont ignore me CAROM-EL A strong and fast storm that didn''t ease the heat, just drenched everything. The muggy and humid weather makes the poor guy here, who just destroyed a double hamburger with a lot of cheese, sleepy when he takes a bus to go to the Passeio P¨²blico downtown. The trees inside the place, whose branches are dripping and moving slowly, seem dismayed at having been caught in the storm. I didn''t blame them. I have an aunt on my father''s side who can''t hear thunder and the sound of heavy rain who runs to her sister''s house and officially declares that day is a sad day. The trees look like this. Sad. I have to be careful with the puddles, they get more water when a driver comes at high speed on the bus line, right next door, and launches a wave towards the cobblestones where people who walk try to protect themselves, walking fast and avoiding the face of others. I''ve seen reports of robberies here and there, and addicts usually staggered at that time of day with their stinky blankets and hair that would soon become dreadlocks without the slightest work. The perfect corner for me to wait. It will be fast. A conversation. I''ll have a chat with him and he''ll come with me to the league shed. If he doesn''t cooperate I''ll have to put him to sleep like I did with Eduardo. With a little more strength, maybe. I wait in front of the entrance that bears the name of the place carved into a stone arch above the central portal, flanked by two smaller gates, smoothing the blue triangle of air on my white T-shirt. Arthur pops into my mind. We''ve skated inside the Passeio P¨²blico countless times after taking a walk at the Muller mall two blocks away. He''s coming, remember his clothes? I check Edgar''s message right after the ring. Max explained to me calmly, as we left the room where the plans were being organized, that Edgar''s skill was that. He sees the clothes of magicians who get into bad situations and crimes. ¡°He thinks that his dream of going to fashion college shaped his ability.¡± Max ate the candy bar he''d smuggled out of Graciela''s drawer while she printed sheets in the corner of the room. I remember, I send to Edgar. Good to remember. I don''t like boys using magic for bad things. You have to be really stupid to do this. There''s a world of options we don''t know about and I''m afraid to explore, but a bank robber is a bank robber. The idea even stirs me up, too. If I had the power to get money out of ATMs, what would I do? I don''t like the answer that lit up in my mind. I will be hunted by my own league. Max says that magic choose the host. She choose most of the time in situations of need, which led me to the day Arthur kissed me in public and I needed him to back off, then my hands pushed him with the air of a fresh ability of control air who woke up inside me. If I hadn''t done that I could end up in worse way if my grandparents figure out. They live near the skate park and any slip is my end. ¡°The element chooses.¡± Max smiled at the Direction Where Arthur and me sit on our first night in the league, after the show with other element magicians and other had introduced themselves. ¡°You can dominate more than one if he accepts you.¡± Plaid shirt Blue and yellow, shabby and torn jeans, yellow sneakers too. It''s the new Edgar''s message. Almost a banana, I type and erase. Okay, that''s all I answer and go back to watching the water. He will pass near the arched entrance. Almost in time. Get ready, Marcelo Esperan?a. I answer with another ok and lean against the wall beside the gate below the stone arch, keeping a comfortable position, pretending to wait for someone or the next biarticulated bus and run to tube station, just to get wet with the puddles and pass the shame when the others inside bus stare at me. After five minutes the plaid shirt boy comes running into my field of vision, this after three addicteds passed by counting coins for lunch and received two bills from me, and then four girls laughing, of which two blinked at me, doing my face heats up. My target passes by the red building of the Arab Memorial and slows down when cross the street and pass the tube station leaving me lost. Strange, if I were I would take a bus to get far away from here quickly as possible. How ugly, Carom. Blue, leave me. It''s not possible, you''re thinking a lot about Arthur and I''m the heart here. Sirens in the distance reach my ears. The garoto is good, now he walks with a calm that will not arouse suspicion, with his backpack on his back. He can be another poor guy who spend your life at the mall from Sunday to Sunday, if you doesn''t pay attention to him turning everywhere, even with those calm steps. I turn to the street, the hairs on my arm standing up as he approaches. His magic coming to meet mine. Another activated ability, I imagine, that one that had saved him from the police so far. The ability of a third dude, hiding his friend. He steps into a puddle, the noise catches my attention. The same cold that had awakened in my soul two years ago returns. My brain cools down, giving me the feeling I''ve had ice cream too quickly and I visualize air and water working together. The element chooses you, Max had told me, especially in times of need and if you know how to rhyme it helps too. The words come together in my mind, an easy path that with mind visualization of elements makes my chest warm with the certainty that it will work. To get rid of getting punched. ¡°Path of air¡± I whisper as I visualize the elements working together with certainty burning my heart ¡°And water¡± My target steps into the third puddle, my gaze follows her foot sinking deeper than I expected. ¡°Look, stupid boy, won''t ignore me. Thanks to your stupidity, your foot will now freeze.¡± The water rises at his feet, cools, and the ice rises to his soggy shin. He stares at his foot stuck in the hole as I approach with a nice smile.Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. I feel partially stupid for abandoning water control years ago, but the air is easier and I don''t depend on a wet environment to enjoy my power. ¡°Hey¡± I see a police car speeding down the bus-only lane toward us, still looking for it ¡°You choose: me or the police excited to find you and put you behind some bars.¡± ¡°No¡± He pulls his foot hard, bringing ice with him. ¡°Don''t you guys from the Street have nothing better to do?¡± So he knows where I came from. ¡°I would have¡± I smile, things are easier with him knowing who I am ¡°If you weren''t stupid enough to rob a bank and think you''d walk out without attracting our attention.¡± He turns to the oncoming vehicle via the bus-only lane. Soon the vehicle will arrive at the bank, will receive a report from the thief and the police will remember two boys at the entrance to Passeio P¨²blico. One of them in the description of security cameras. That boy knows this, that he''ll waste precious time getting that ice off his feet before he turns around and runs into the tube station to catch a bus to rescue him from the police. ¡°Okay¡± He taps his foot on the ground, the ice remains firm and I smile again, now that another element has given me his blessing. ¡°If you get me out of here, I''ll give you a share.¡± ¡°I''ll pass.¡± I turn and wave to the police, he pushes me. That way we''ll look like two idiot friends. ¡°Okay, dude. I hope your travel hit us with speed.¡± ¡°Let''s go, dude. Hold my hand because we''re going to use traditional step-count travel¡± He holds his hand out to me. ¡°And if you don''t count with me...¡± I change my expression to one that makes him startled ¡°You''ll meet a fate worse than the police.¡± *** ¡°Traditional travel¡± He leans beside me and have urge to vomit ¡°You are a snooty, stupid and silly boy¡± He sits down and takes a deep breath after wiping his mouth with the back of his hand ¡°I can''t do something like that.¡± ¡°I told you to close your eyes¡± I observe him. ¡°It''s not my fault if you didn''t listen to me halfway there.¡± ¡°Well, well¡± Edgar approaches with Max, who is wearing pajamas that are too tight for those muscles. ¡°First success, Marcelo.¡± It''s already dark, but it doesn''t look like it''s time to go to bed yet. It''s hot and stuffy, most will enjoy the river before bedtime. My body softens when I think about my bed and my face heats up when Max approaches and smiles. ¡°Relax.¡± He massages my shoulders. ¡°You did it well, cadet. First mission, a success.¡± ¡°I need to go home¡± I check my phone ¡°My parents will go crazy if I don''t get there soon.¡± ¡°Won''t you stay?¡± Max stops massaging me and I regret it in the same moment, but if he continues, he might put me to sleep right there, where the other magicians approach to see the newcomer thief. ¡°I know you like to see Tulio entering the mind of thief and discovering things.¡± He smooths his hair, smooths his forelock back and smiles once more, making me wish for a world where he''s not straight. ¡°No¡± The thief lifts his hands to the ground ¡°No one said anything about entering my mind.¡± ¡°Oh.¡± Edgar smiles at the poor guy. ¡°It''s part of the secret''s charm. Not everything is revealed in the beginning. We saved you from the police and now you cooperate or we hand you over to the bank manager who will deliver you to a crowded prison cell.¡± ¡°I''ll stay.¡± I turn to Max. ¡°But you owe me a hot dog with two sausages and cheddar when this is over.¡± ¡°Right.¡± Max turns to the crowd that has gathered around us. ¡°Tulio?¡± Tulio stands out from the crowd, wearing only shorts and drying his platinum hair with a white towel. I see his body still glows from wet as he approaches and tossed the towel over his shoulders. He smiles at me, at Max, at the thief. ¡°Sup¡± Tulio fixes his hair further and gives a Colgate smile, and the girls nearby sigh. ¡°Same as Always¡± Max points to the newcomer, still on the ground ¡°If they work alone, if they''ve been sent by someone. Or if they are part of Rowdys.¡± For the past two years, I''ve known from other wizards'' updates that there was another league: League of Rowdy Magicians. I didn''t know if it was their official name, but most of the newcomers who were caught by our vigilantes were part of the other league. It hurts your head to think that there is a league where magicians organize to rob banks and markets. The League of Street Magicians was structured to handle these differentiated robberies like a magical police. Max organizes everything together with Graciela, Edgar and the others. We catch thieves and turn them over to the police if they don''t cooperate. It can still get worse. They use a hypnotist to make you forget your powers and then they throw you to the police with a poster saying: hey, I stole that market that day. The problem is that the police don''t know how to deal with young people with supernatural powers, so they are always the last case. Tulio finds out about people by getting into their minds, Max and the others try to help with their return to society after a period of time in our league. But if they don''t cooperate, if Max''s chances are thrown in the trash, and God only knew how many chances he give, then Max throws them to the wolves. The young on the ground tries to move away, he crawls on his back until he hits Xavier''s legs. ¡°Open your eyes wide.¡± Xavier''s eyes widen, to demonstrate how he should do it, and our guest on the floor shudders. Xavier''s blue eyes gleam as if a storm is about to descend on the young thief ¡°Or I''ll make you forget your powers and then we''ll turn you over to the police. And delivering you tied up will surely give pleasure to the managers you stole.¡± ¡°It''s showtime.¡± Max rubs his hands and I turn away, it''ll be a while longer before he search for me and walks out to buy my hot dog. ¡°Hi.¡± I bump into Arthur''s body before he grabs me so I can see his tired face. ¡°You didn''t wait for me on our skate park as we agreed.¡± ¡°I had my urges, Arthur.¡± I let go of his arms. Kiss him. It''s just Arthur holding me and Blue already appears to suggest a kiss. He is a good kisser. He kisses, Blue, but this is not the time. ¡°Since when have you¡­¡± He stands up and I turn in the same direction. Xavier is sitting in front of the thief, speaking sweet words that hypnotize him before Tulio bends down too and pulls the poor guy''s face up to face his. ¡°You''ve become a vigilante.¡± Arthur bends down. ¡°Kinda like that¡± I try to contain the eletricity of the truth, but it''s not easy with that little face waiting for me. Arthur is my best friend and, despite he left me for two girls in the last two years, I still rely on him for a lot of things. Magic is one of those things. ¡°So it''s going to be a double celebration.¡± He takes his phone out of his pocket. ¡°Because we''re signing up for this here.¡± He plays a video that starts with calm music, some young people sitting in the stands, until the camera turns to one who do tricks in a closed skate park. The Paran¨¢ Skate Federation, together with the Grawlek brand, announce the Skate Championship in Curitiba. The qualifiers will take place on March 5th and 6th at Paulo Leminski quarry. For more information, visit the websites. The video blurs and the link to the Federation and Grawlek websites appears on the screen. And then the video ends and Arthur puts away his cell phone. ¡°We''re going to kick some ass.¡± Arthur hugs me and I reciprocate. ¡°But I won''t take it easy.¡± ¡°Neither did I ...¡± He interrupts me by getting too close and I push him away at once. Wow, Carom. Blue, go to sleep, this is not the time. He kissed you and you pushed him away. I have my reasons. There is no reason to push Arthur away. There are, Blue. And one of them is the chest pain you suffered every time he left us for a girl. ¡°Arthur?¡± Blue doesn''t piss me off anymore, so I better focus on my friend whose face is red. ¡°Sorry.¡± He smooths his hair. ¡°I''m too excited.¡¯ ¡°You have a girlfriend¡± ¡°So...¡± He smiles and clasped his hands ¡°I don''t have any more.¡± I''m still processing the upcoming championship, my first successful mission as a vigilante, and the hot dog that stays in my mind. So it takes me a while to understand that he ended up with the girl who made him suffer. ¡°I have a championship to prepare for.¡± He comes over and throws a hand around my shoulders. ¡°And so do you.¡± ¡°Yeah¡± I surrender to the comfort of his gesture ¡°And rightly so.¡± ¡°Hot dog to celebrate!¡± Max still watches Tulio connected to the young thief''s mind and my stomach begs for that unhealthy crap, with two sausages, chicken and cheddar, which will shorten a day of my life. Max senses my hunger as I clutch my stomach and stare at him. ¡°Soon¡± he smiles at me. ¡°I''m waiting¡± I see Tulio turn away from the thief and turn to our leader. ¡°There, Max.¡± Max turns toward him and approaches. ¡°Let''s see what he has for us today.¡± Tulio connects his mind with Max''s and my hunger goes down the drain when I imagine those two hunks kissing while sharing secrets of the other league. ¡°Will it take time, Elo?¡± ¡°I don''t know, Arthur.¡± I turn to him, who is biting his lip. ¡°Better we sit down?¡± He turns toward the bleachers. ¡°Better we sit down.¡± I turn and walk away from Tulio and Max before other things light up in my body.