Part 5

I apologize for the wait. Finals. *sigh*

But I made it extra long to make up for it.

Enjoy!

"What is it?" Kelsie asked.

"There's some weird stuff goin' on in Ronan, Nebraska. People lookin' like they been killed by a bear or something, but I know there ain't any bears in Nebraska,"

"We'll check it out. Thanks, Uncle Joe," He smiled, and motioned to the kitchen.

"Finally," Kelsie muttered as she sat down to a plate full of warm pancakes.

"Gee, Kels, you weren't hungry or anything, were you?" David asked.

"No. I just had a strange desire for pancakes for no apparent reason," she ignored him for the rest of the meal.

"Do you have a computer I could use?" Nicole asked when she finished her pancakes.

"Sure honey," Aunt May replied, "Just in the other room."

"Why d'you need a computer?" Jacob asked.

"Because I had a physics test a couple of days ago, and I want to know how I did on it,"

"Why? It's not like it matters anymore,"

"Yes, it matters! Not that you'd understand or anything, but I just need to know whether or not I got a good grade! I know it has no practical bearing on anything anymore, but I still need to know!"

"What?" she asked in response to Kelsie's raised eyebrow. Kelsie shook her head and said nothing.

______________________________________________________________________________


David's thoughts danced in time to the pounding of his hammer on the shed roof. Kelsie was somewhere; looking for more shingles, he thought.

We might need to see the bodies.

Bang.

We aren't old enough to pretend to be anybody legit. 

Bang.

We have to find it. 

Bang.

And then kill it.

Bang.

Venom. Bang. Claws. Bang. Teeth. Bang.

This is bad.

Bang. David swung too hard and bent the nail. With a grunt of frustration, he pulled it out, and threw it, forcing those thoughts out of his head as he did. Tomorrow, they would get in the car and drive away. They would go looking for and hiding from trouble at the same time. But tonight, they would laugh and watch a movie and throw popcorn. Tonight, he would pretend like everything was okay, and he would say a prayer, because tomorrow could be the last.

________________________________________________________________________________

The nine hour car ride was like a crash course in magical creatures for Nicole and Jacob.

"I don't know about the past, but now magical beasts like griffins only come into being if someone summons it," David said.

"Most magic is purely mental; you don't need a physical object to make the spell work. But summoning a creature is different. You have to have something of each element related to that creature in order to make it work," Kelsie continued, "So if you wanted to summon a griffin, you would have to have something of Air, and something of earth."

"Is summoning it the same as like, binding it to you?" Nicole asked.

"No. If you want to bind something to you, you have to have something that represents that. Like a lock or something,"

"But only an idiot tries to bind a griffin," David said, "They're ridiculously smart, and independent. Like dragons, only less cruel. If they find a way around your binding, you're dead."

"How do we kill it?" Jacob asked.

"We have to either physically kill it, like any other animal, or we have to destroy the summoning ring, which would be better, because there's no body to dispose of."

"Also, just so you know, Griffins have a deadly venom in their claws. So try not to get scratched," Kelsie added.

"Great," Nicole muttered, "So you rescue us, only to take us to the lair of a dangerous beast with venomous claws,"

Nobody answered.

_____________________________________________________________________________

Ronan Nebraska wasn't a large town. There was a diner, a motel, a bar, and a convenience store/gas station combo. Beyond that, there wasn't much but prairie, and a few farm houses. Most people lived right in town.

"Where the heck do you hide a griffin here?" David grumbled as they pulled up to the motel.

The next morning, they went to the town's diner to eat and plan.

"We're just going to have to ask around," David said at last.

"Oh yes, cause that won't make us look weird at all," Kelsie retorted.

"I could do it," Nicole said after a moment. Three incredulous faces turned to her.

"What? I'll just pretend I'm doing a project for school. It's not that hard," David and Kelsie looked at each other.

"Not a bad plan," Kelsie said.

"You sure?" David looked at Nicole, not bothering to hide his surprise. She took a deep breath before answering.

"Yes,"

"I'm going with her," Jacob spoke up quickly.

"Alright, good," David said. His day, he thought, was starting to look up. Just then the waitress, a redheaded beauty, came by with the coffee pot, and refilled his mug.

"Thanks, beautiful," he said with a wink. She blushed, and said, "My pleasure," before hurrying away. Kelsie rolled her eyes.

"What??" he exclaimed, "Bet you five bucks she brings me her phone number with the check,"

______________________________________________________________________________

"So there's definitely something here," Nicole said when they met up again that afternoon at the motel. David barely glanced up from his sandwich. Aunt May had apparently filled the cooler in their trunk with sandwich meat, and cheese, and bread, and everything else, and David was in heaven. Kelsie rolled her eyes.

"Yeah?" Kelsie nodded for her to continue.

"Yeah. The guy I talked to said all the attacks have been happening just beyond the town, like out past the farmhouses."

"Supposedly there's a recluse living out there in a really beat up farm house. I bet that's it. What do you think, David?" Kelsie asked.

"Hmm? What?" Kelsie scowled.

"Yes I think that if the killings happened way out there, and some weird hermit lives way out there, that's probably our guy. Can I eat my sandwich now?"

"That's what you've been doing!"

"Yeah, well I want to finish this beauty. Let's head out tonight when the sun starts to go down."

"Okay, sounds good. I'll make sure everything's ready."

_________________________________________________________________________________

"I want you two to stay back as much as possible. Keep a look out for the magician," instructed David.

"Explain it to me again, I don't think I got it the first one hundred times," Jacob answered.

"You know Jacob, I can still knock you out and leave you here," David said.

"That wouldn't be very nice of you,"

"I think keeping you alive is pretty nice of me," By this time, the road had begun to fade to dirt, and they'd left most of the town behind. The farm house in front of them looked like it was about to crumble.

"Spell," Kelsie muttered, "Apparently doesn't want any visitors." They crept behind the house, and looked around. There wasn't much to see; just an old willow tree. But underneath, the ground was burnt in a circle. David and Kelsie nodded. They crept closer, guns out, leaving the other two to keep watch at the edge of the house.

In the dirt on the burned patch someone had drawn a circle with three smaller circles on the edge; one left, one right, and one top. A feather, a clump of dirt, and a chain. They straightened up, but there was a flap of wings as the griffin screeched and flew at them. David barely had time to throw himself to the ground as the animal swooped low. Kelsie managed to get off a shot, but it went wide, and only grazed the wing.

"Someone's coming!" Jacob shouted, and then he and Nicole ran to the tree. Kelsie grimaced. The element of surprise would have been nice she thought, as she tried to figure out where the griffin had gone. David stood and turned to face the new threat from the direction of the house.

"Trying to kill my pet, are you?" The man asked. He looked old, and unkempt; definitely a recluse.

"You're an idiot," David replied.

"Am I?" The man gave an eery smile.The swoosh of wings came again and David and Kelsie looked around frantically. This time, it came at them from behind the house, but instead of going after the one who'd shot it, it knocked into Nicole, dragging it's talons across her back, and she fell.

"NICOLE!" Jacob screamed; at the same time two gun shots rang out. Kelsie shot the chains lying on the ground, breaking the bond, and David shot the griffin in the chest. The animal plowed into its former master as it died, talons leading. David din't spare them a second glance.

"Car!" Kelsie said, as David shoved Jacob to the side, scooping up Nicole in his arms. They made it back to the car in record time, and Jacob slid into the backseat, Nicole stretched out beside him, head in his lap. Blood dripped everywhere.

David glanced back once as he peeled out onto the road. Jacob's face was nearly as pale as Nicole's.

Every night I say a prayer

In the hope that there's a heaven

~Styx, Show Me the Way

Part 4

"Those people who killed your parents want to kill you too. And they never leave a job unfinished. If you go home, you'll be dead. But right now, you have a job to do: staying alive. You don't have time to grieve! Stuff it all away, and move on with your life!" David stopped shouting, and the room fell painfully silent for the second time that morning. David turned and began throwing things haphazardly in his bag, zipped it up, and practically stalked out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

Kelsie tried to think of something to say that wouldn't make the situation any worse, but to no avail. So instead, she did what she always did--packed up their things and got ready to leave.

"Get ready to go," she said at last, hardly looking at Jacob and Nicole, who hadn't moved an inch.

'Why?" Nicole asked.

"Because we'll be leaving soon. David'll be back in a few minutes; he won't be mad for long. But he's right you know. The best thing you can do is pull yourself together, and keep moving with your life. It's time to grow up a little, whether you like it or not. It gets easier. I promise."

________________________________________________________________________________

David's face seemed to have settled permanently into a scowl as he walked out to the car, and the sight that greeted him made it deepen even further. A tall blonde in heels and a red blazer stood by the driver side door of his car. She reached toward the handle just as David shouted, "Hey!"

She jerked her hand away and looked up at David.

"Oh!" her voice was soft and sweet, with a British accent. "Is this your car?"

"Yes," David all but growled.

"It's a beauty," she replied, "I've always been partial to the sixties."

"Great. Leave my car alone," The day was definitely off to a bad start.

"Well! Nice to see there are such pleasant people in the world. Cheerio!" David watched until she was out of sight, then lovingly patted the hood of his car.

"It's okay, baby," he whispered. He turned with a last look around the lot and went back inside.

"We should go to Uncle Joe's," Kelsie said when he came back in.

"Yeah. We need to talk to him."

"Also pancakes," Kelsie's voice was muffled as she pulled her hoodie on.

"Let's go," David addressed Jacob and Nicole, and then followed Kelsie out the door. Back in the parking lot, David looked around suspiciously.

"What is your problem?" Kelsie asked.

"Some British chick was hanging around my car," he grumbled.

"Was she hot?" Jacob asked as he got in. David pointedly ignored the question.

________________________________________________________________________________

Uncle Joe and Aunt May lived in a big, old house out in the plains of southern Illinois. Some of Kelsie's favorite memories were at that house. It only took about an hour to get there from where they were, but it would feel longer because of all the winding country highways they had to use. But to Kelsie, driving the old roads through miles and miles of corn always brought the sense of coming home, the remembered warmth of a loving embrace, of peace and comfort. She smiled.

The first half of the trip had been quiet. Jacob was alseep, Nicole was reading, and Kelsie had given up messing with the radio dial; her favorite method of annoying her brother. So it came as a great disappointment to David when Jacob broke the silence with, "What are you listening to?!"

"Classic rock, man! You know, Bon Jovi, Queen, Kansas?"

"That stuff's awful! It's just a bunch of electric guitar with drums and guys with scratchy voices!" Kelsie smirked as she listened. She knew exactly how this would go.

"You are insulting some of the greatest musicians who ever lived! How can you say that?"

"You obviously have never listened to real music before," Jacob replied.

"You're just a kid, so I'll give you some grace, but these men deserve respect!" As he said this, they turned on to a long dirt road.

"Where are we?" Jacob asked.

"Almost to our Uncle Joe and Aunt May's. And pancakes," Kelsie replied.

A few minutes later, they pulled up to the old farmhouse, and got out of the car. An older man in blue jeans and plaid stepped outside.

"Hey Uncle Joe!" Kelsie called.

"It's been awhile," he replied as they came up the steps, "These the kids you picked up?"

"Yep," David answered, "Jacob and Nicole,"

"You can just call me Uncle Joe," he said with a smile.

"Don't you stand there all morning yappin'! Bring those kids in so they can get something to eat," a voice called from inside.

"You heard her," Uncle Joe said, as he followed them inside. The cheery kitchen smelled of pancakes. Aunt May immediately welcomed Jacob and Nicole, and sat them at the kitchen table. The older two were about to follow, but Uncle Joe stopped them.

"How long are you planning on stayin'?" he asked.

"Not long. Just a day or two. Why?" David replied.

"Because I've got a job for you."

Part 3

Hey guys! Sorry for the length. I had fun writing this; that's my only excuse! 
Enjoy!

David glanced at the clock. 7:30. They'd been driving for an hour and a half. Kelsie and Nicole were asleep, and Jacob stared vacantly out the window.

"Okay, Jacob?" he asked. Jacob jumped, but never answered. A few minutes later, David shoved Kelsie awake as they pulled into a gas station.

"Hey, Kels. Wake up,"

"Hmm...what?" she shoved the hood of her sweatshirt off of her head, and pushed hair out of her eyes.

"We're stopping for gas. You want anything?"

"Yeah. Get me some Pringles and an orange pop,"

"Got it," When he came back he, he spent a few minutes pumping gas, and then they were on the road again. Kelsie opened the convenience store bag, and opened her Pringles and orange drink.

"You should call Uncle Joe," she said after she took a sip.

"I'll do it first thing tomorrow morning. We should stop soon."

"Where are we?"

"Somewhere in the state of Illinois,"

"Helpful,"

"I try,"

                                                                                                                                              

About half an hour later, they were checking into a small motel in a small town in Illinois.

"We'll have to share beds for tonight," David said as he opened the door. Inside the rectangular room, were two double beds with a nightstand in between them, and on the side closest to the door, a small round table with a couple of beat up chairs. There was a small bathroom on the side opposite the beds.

"Anybody hungry?" Kelsie asked, as everyone put their stuff down. Nicole shook her head.

"No," Jacob replied, "I just want to go to bed,"

"Suit yourself," David shrugged. Jacob barely bothered to take off his shoes before falling into bed, and it wasn't long before Nicole followed suit. Quietly, David and Kelsie sat at the table, and finished off the Pringles.

"They're just going to have to stay with us," Kelsie said.

"No! We can't babysit two kids and teach them magic on the road. It wouldn't work," David answered.

"Where else are they going to go?" Kelsie gave a half-smile as she spoke.

"I don't know. That's why I'm calling Uncle Joe,"

"I'm going to get ready for bed," She stood, dug some stuff out of her bag, and walked to the bathroom. A few minutes later, she emerged, wearing a pair of sweatpants and tossed her jeans and shoes at the foot of the bed. She sighed and rubbed her face.

"Kelsie?" David said, concern laced through his tone.

"Yeah?" her voice came out as a throaty whisper.

"Everything okay?"

"Yeah. 'Course,"

"C'mere," She did, and David stood as she came over to him. Her lip quivered and her eyes watered. She pulled her arms in to her chest as though trying to make herself small. David wrapped his arms around her in a tight embrace and she finally let the tears fall.

David was quiet for a minute; he just let her cry. Then he began to sing. His voice was smooth and a little deep.

Good night my angel

Time to close your eyes

And save these questions for another day

I think I know what you've been asking me

I think you know what I've been trying to say

I promised I would never leave you

And you should always know

Wherever you may go

No matter where you are

I never will be far away

It was the song their mother used to sing. It was the song that chased away childhood nightmares and the pain of scraped knees. Kelsie cried harder. David continued singing. He sang the whole song, and slowly Kelsie's sobs faded into quiet sniffles. He rubbed her back for a moment then said, "Get some sleep, Kels." She nodded.

"You too,"

"I will. Don't worry," he whispered. She never saw the tears glistening in his eyes.

______________________________________________________________________

The next morning, Kelsie woke up to the sound of a door closing. She opened her eyes in time to see David slip out of the motel room with his phone to his ear. Quietly, she got out of bed and started getting dressed. She wore a pair of blue jeans frayed at the end because they were too long for her, an old band t-shirt, and her shoes; a beat up pair of black high-top Converse. She was in the process of brushing her shoulder length blonde hair when David came back in.

"Alright. Yes, I understand, Uncle Joe. We will. Okay, bye."

"What'd he say?" Kelsie asked, a knowing smirk playing on her lips. 

"He said we'll have to keep them with us. We can't send them to a government place, and giving them to another magic family would be a death sentence."

"Told you," she couldn't resist the words. David just glared. 

Nicole rolled over in bed and blinked.

"What time is it?" she asked groggily. 

"7;30," Kelsie replied, "You should probably get up. We won't be here much longer." Nicole pulled herself out of bed, walked over to Jacob, and poked him awake.

"Get up," she said. The only response was a groan, and Jacob burying his head in his pillow.

"Suit yourself," Nicole muttered.

A few minutes later though, Jacob got up and ran his fingers through his messy hair, trying to flatten it a little. 

"Are you guys hungry?" Kelsie asked in an effort to dispel the sullen silence that had descended.

"No," Jacob's voice was monotone; painfully flat.

"I just want to go home," Nicole said. She sounded like she was about to burst into tears. 

"Well, you can't!" David rounded on the pair, shouting. "You can't ever go home!"

Here's the link to the whole song. It's called Lullaby by Billy Joel and it's amazing.

Part 2

Here's part 2! 

Sorry if this is kind of long; I had a little too much fun writing it.

Also, character bios are in the works, possibly to be posted in the future.

Anyways, I think that's all. 

Enjoy!

An hour later, they pulled into the parking lot of a boarding school with David grumbling about guest parking fees. He parked and said, "Time to go get your sister, Jacob,"

"Why should I listen to you?" the kid crossed his arms and stared back at David.

"Because I said so. And because if you want your sister to be safe, you'll go get her."

"What if no one listens to me?" he spoke with the same tone of bravado as before, but a slight quiver flowed through his voice; like the first tremor before an earthquake.

"They will," David exuded confidence, "Act like you belong, like nothing is out of normal and no one will question you. Tell them that there's a family emergency, your parents are waiting outside and you need your sister. You'll be fine,"

                                                                                                                                               

Inside, Jacob took a deep breath and approached the lady at the front desk.

"What can I do for you?" she asked in a bored tone.

"I need to get my sister," Jacob tried to swallow, but his throat was dry. He continued, "We had a sort of family emergency and my parents are waiting for us,"

"And your sister's name would be...?"

"Nicole. Sorry. Nicole Freedmont,"

"Alright, I'll send someone to get her. Any idea how long she'll have to be away?"

"No my parents didn't say. They haven't told me much of anything yet, but have her pack for a couple of days. That's what my mom said,"

"Just sit over there and wait for her, then," the woman didn't even give him so much as another glance. After what felt like a thousand years, but was really only five minutes, Nicole came down. Dressed in a plaid skirt, white, button-up shirt and a pull-over sweater, she was the picture of over-eager freshman.

"Jacob?" She said, "What's going on? Is everyone okay?"

"Let's go. I'll tell you in a minute." She hesitated.

"Come on, Nicole!" At last she followed him out the door. Outside on the sidewalk, Jacob stopped and turned to his sister. He couldn't speak. To speak would turn this haze of confusion into reality. When at last he forced the words out, his voice was emotionless and monotone in a way that surprised him.

"Mom and Dad are dead," Nicole didn't say anything. She stared at her feet. An innocent and child-like pair of feet in saddle shoes and white knee socks. The left sock was slipping down her leg. Jacob stared at her, unsure what to do. He made a point of being sure of himself, and in the past it had never been that hard. Today, everything had been turned upside down.

"Come on," he tugged on her hand, hoping for, needing a response, "There's two people parked over there around the corner. They brought me here. They want to help. I'll tell you what they said."

                                                                                                                                               

"Okay. Thanks Uncle Joe. Yeah, I'll let you know. Bye," Kelsie hung up the phone just as Jacob and his sister rounded the corner.

"What'd he say?" David asked.

"He said we should take them to a relative and try and explain the situation,"

"Again with the explanations!" Kelsie didn't answer.

"You okay, Kelsie?"

"Hmm? Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine." He gave a her a Look. It was the I'm-Your-Big-Brother-So-Don't-You-Dare-Lie-To-Me Look.

"I'm fine. Really, David."

"Good. I need you." Then he got out and opened the trunk for Jacob. Once they were back in the car, Jacob said, "This is my sister, Nicole."

"I'm David. This is Kelsie,"

"Nice to meet you," she murmured.

"Do you guys have any relatives we can take you to?" Kelsie asked.

"No," Jacob replied, "Our grandparents on both sides are dead, and both our parents were only children."

"Lovely," David muttered. Kelsie punched him in the thigh.

"Well, I guess you'll have to stay with us for a night until we figure something out," he said.

"Why??" two voices exclaimed. David opened his mouth, but Kelsie spoke first, scrambling for the right words.

"Well, the people who killed your parents will come after you too. Our original plan was to take you to some relatives and try and explain. But since that's obviously not going to happen, we have to think of something else. But we also have to keep you safe. And right now, the safest place is with us. You're just going to have to take it on faith, if you don't believe me," There was silence in the back seat and David took this as his cue to start driving. His face settled into a frown and he didn't look back until they were on the highway.

A quiet sound broke the silence in the car. Kelsie barely noticed it at first. She glanced back to see Nicole curled in a ball quietly sobbing. Jacob had an arm around her, and his eyes glistened with un-shed tears he refused to let fall. She knew no words that would help the pain. She didn't believe any existed. So she closed her eyes and rested her head on the cold window.

David glanced over at his sister. It was unfair. This should never have happened to them. To the kids in the back. To Kelsie. He knew what she kept behind locked doors in her mind. All because of that one day a year ago. And he couldn't change a single thing. I can't change it, but I can drown it.

He turned on the radio and stepped on the gas.

Story Time: Part 1

This is an experiment. However, since I'm mostly doing it for my own entertainment, it'll most likely keep going no matter how many people actually are interested in it. 

So here's how this is gonna go. I cam up with a story idea and I'm going to write it in sections, developing the story and characters as I go. I'll post it each time with the label "Story Time" so they can be found all in the same place. 

That's about it. Here goes!

"Look at this masterpiece," David said as his sister Kelsie walked in. He held up a sandwich stacked high with meat and cheese and who knew what else. Kelsie rolled her eyes.

"Disgusting,"

"Come on, Kels! It's not that bad! Look, I made on for you, too," Kelsie eyed the slightly less enormous sandwich as though it might attack her.

 "The last time you made me a sandwich I felt like puking for the rest of the day,"

"This one's normal. Promise!" Kelsie accepted it and took a bite.

"Okay, this is actually good," she admitted.

"See? Anways, what did you find?"

"There's a used book shop that looks promising. Lots of old stuff. I found out where that family lives. Oh, and it looks like the Suits are here too,"

"The sooner we get going the better, then," He grabbed a set of car keys off the bedside table. Together, they walked out into the motel parking lot and got into David's car--a bright blue 1960's mustang.

"Where do they live?" David asked.

"On Walden street. I don't remember the number, but trust me, you'll sense it when we're there," A few minutes later, after they turned onto Walden Street, Kelsie pointed to a modest house painted a soft beige with a welcoming front porch.

"There," she said, 'The door's open."

"That's not good," David replied, "Let's go." He got out of the car and pulled a pistol out from underneath the car seat. Kelsie did the same. Inside the house, everything was quiet, but there was a smell. When they came to the staircase, they found the source of the odor. Two dead bodies, a man and a woman lay at the foot of the stairs. David sighed and shook his head.

"Come on. We have to check upstairs too," Kelsie nodded, but he'd said it as much for his own benefit as for hers. At the top of the stairs there was a spacious landing, and then a hallway. Every door was open except for one at the end. When they reached it, David turned the nob, and then shoved the door open. It hit the other wall with a loud thud.

"Who are you? Why did you kill my parents?" Inside stood a boy with a pale face and fists held in front of him, though he obviously didn't know what to do with them. David and Kelsie both tucked their guns inside the back waistbands of their jeans.

"Oh wait. You're not the same as those other guys," the boy lowered his fists as he realized his mistake.
"Who are you?" he added.

"Time for introductions later. They could be back. You have ten minutes to pack everything you need for a couple of days,"

"What?? Why??"

"Look, kid. Those people who killed your parents are dangerous. Unless you want to be killed, you have to get out of here. You'll get a full explanation in the car. Clear?" The kid nodded, and began packing.

"Do you have any siblings?" Kelsie asked.

"I have a sister."

"Where is she?"

"At school. She goes to a boarding school for really smart kids." He zipped up his backpack. "I'm ready."

"Good. Can you tell me how to get to your sister's school?" David asked.

"Yeah," In short order, they were across the street and in the car. As David started it up, their new companion crossed his arms.

"So. It's explanation time," he said. David glanced at Kelsie, who stared at him.

"Why do I always have to do the explaining?" he asked.

"Privilege of age. You're older." she replied.

"By one year!"

"I'm too young," she continued without listening, "Therefore to naive and immature to give an appropriate explanation. The task falls to you," She stopped talking and grinned.

"First things first," David said, ignoring his sister, "What's your name?"

"Jacob,"

"I'm David, and this is my sister Kelsie. I don't know how to put this, so I'm just going to say it: You're a magician."

"I'm--what? But magic isn't even real!"

"Oh yes it is. You're a magician, your sister is, and both your parents were. Kelsie and I are as well. The people who killed your parents are anti-magician for some reason, and they kill every single magician they can find. Which is troublesome, because magicians work hard to keep themselves secret. Pretty much all we know about these people is that they're trying to kill us, and that they always wear suits. They're dangerous, and that's why we made you leave. That's about all you need to know right now."

"If I'm a--a magician, but I didn't even know it, how did you find me?"

"Every magician, even an untrained one, has a sort of sense, or an aura you might say, around them," Kelsie answered, "It lets you know who is a magician, and it's one of the first things you'll learn." By this time, they were pulling onto the highway.

"I just can't believe it," Jacob muttered as he turned to look out the window.

To be continued...

Fire

I see fire

Fire burning, burning bright

Bright behind your eyes

I see fire 

Fire burning, burning embers

Embers of desire

I see fire

Fire burning, burning sparks

Sparks of passion flying from your eyes

I see fire

Fire burning, burning high

High flame in your eyes; cannot be quenched

I see fire

Fire burning, burning and consuming

Consuming and I am afraid. 

The Skinny Jeans Dance

We all know it.

We all do it.

That odd little jig you do when you pull on your skinny jeans.

The one that gets a little more...enthusiastic when they're fresh out of the dryer. It looks like some twisted combination of an Irish Jig and a tribal rain dance. And then you do a few squats at the end just for good measure.

We need to put our thoughts into spiritual Skinny Jeans.

The Bible tells us to take every thought captive. The whole point of the Skinny Jeans Dance is that the pants are tight, difficult to get into, difficult to get out of. But not so bad once they're on. We need to put our thoughts through a little bit of dancing and stick them in some nice, tight, spiritual Skinny Jeans.

Which is where God intended them to be. He intended our thoughts to be pure, focused on Him. Not running every which way with every little idea. It takes a bit of a dance to get them there.

A sort of mental Skinny Jeans Dance. You have to jiggle them around, force them where you want them to go. Kind of like forcing your heel through the leg hole of a pair of skinny jeans.

But once they're on, Skinny Jeans aren't to bad. They're pretty comfortable, really. If we could make our minds focus 100% on God, on what is pure and good and holy and right, imagine how comfortable we'd be.

I wish I had more personal experience to say, "Yes! I've tried it, and it's so comfortable keeping my mind focused on the right things all the time!" But unfortunately, this is an area in which I struggle. I don't keep my mind where it needs to be. I tend to wear spiritual sweatpants. But I feel pretty confident saying that keeping our minds focused on what God wants us to focus on would be better and more pleasant for us.

So go forth and clad yourselves in spiritual Skinny Jeans, my friends!