Part 8 (1/2)
Prissie offered her hands. ”I'll help.”
”Thank you,” he replied earnestly, allowing her to haul him back to his feet. Immediately losing his balance, he windmilled his arms, then flung them around her waist. ”This is much more difficult than it appears.”
”It gets easier. You just need a little practice,” she promised, bracing herself as Koji cautiously straightened. ”Come on.”
Prissie gripped his arms near his elbows, and he locked his fingers around her forearms, leaning forward as she skated backward, pulling him along. He wobbled badly, but his eyes sparkled with excitement. ”You are skilled,” he said breathlessly.
”Not really.” She was pleased to have impressed him, but she hardly considered skating backward as skilled, especially since it was the extent of her abilities. Prissie actually thought he was the admirable one, for Koji threw himself into all these new experiences with wholehearted enthusiasm. He was an Observer, but watching wasn't enough for him; he treated these opportunities like precious things that shouldn't be wasted. ”That's the way,” she encouraged.
His brows drew together in concentration. ”I do not know what to do.”
”Just follow my lead.”
”You are going backward, so I cannot emulate you.”
”Oh ... good point,” she conceded, then warned, ”I'm going to let go for a second.” With a quick swish and turn, Prissie came alongside her friend, linking arms as they made a clumsy circuit of one half of the pond. Koji's jaw had a determined set to it, and he was catching on, perhaps because he wasn't afraid to fall. ”Some of the boys who are coming today will be just starting out too.”
”Will you teach them as well?” he asked.
”That's one of the reasons Neil and I are here,” she explained. ”Milo wants everyone to have fun, even the beginners.”
Neil zipped by. He'd always loved going fast, so whenever he was on the pond, it became a speed-skating track. Prissie tsk-ed as Neil whipped past, bending low in order to clear the bridge and shooting through to the other side. ”Hopefully, he and Zeke will be the only daredevils in the bunch. Otherwise, it's going to get a little crazy around here.”
”Hey, Koji,” greeted Milo as he meandered over in a series of graceful curlicues. ”Have you found your feet?”
”Indeed, no,” the Observer promptly replied. ”I cannot do this on my own.”
”Then it's a good thing that Miss Priscilla and I are here!” he exclaimed, slipping his arm through his teammate's. Quirking his brows at Prissie, he inquired, ”Shall we give him a foretaste of ice skating glories?”
”Is that okay?” She gave Koji a worried look.
”Yes!” Koji begged. ”Please?”
Milo exclaimed, ”Ice skating is like flying with your feet on the ground!”
Again and again, they circled the near side of the pond with their student skater braced between them. Koji gradually lost his wobble, but he never progressed beyond a sort of shuffle. At the young Observer's urging, they picked up the pace, and on the count of three, ducked under the red footbridge.
They dug in to go faster, and Milo changed direction so often, their skating became a crazy dance. Koji tipped his face skyward and closed his eyes, clearly enjoying the feel of wind against his skin, and Prissie was almost positive that she could feel the brush of invisible wings as they wheeled and whirled across the ice.
Milo squeezed her shoulder to get her attention. ”Let me try something?”
Nodding, she broke away from the two and skated to the edge where Neil watched with a half-smile on his face. ”Grandpa's right,” he said, jostling her with his elbow. ”That kid knows how to enjoy life.”
She nodded in agreement, watching curiously as Milo pocketed his gloves. a.s.sured of a better grip, he and Koji grasped each other's wrists, and after a couple of quiet words, the Messenger began to spin. The whirl gained speed until Koji's feet lifted off the ground, with Milo anchoring him. Prissie chewed her lip worriedly, but everything seemed to be under control. In fact, the young Observer was so happy, he almost seemed to glow.
”Hoo boy,” Neil said as he cast a quick look in the direction of the house. ”If Zeke catches sight of that little move, Milo's gonna spend all afternoon spinning in circles.”
Prissie was about to agree when an unexpected sound robbed her of words. From the midst of the whirlwind, a burble of excitement changed into rolling laughter. ”Oooh,” she breathed. Strange as it seemed, now that she thought about it, she'd never heard Koji laugh before.
Neil chuckled right along with him, but Prissie simply watched in amazement. She'd always loved Koji's rare smiles, and this was something she wanted to remember forever. Her own smile developed a wobble, for she sort of wished she'd been part of the reason her serious-natured friend couldn't contain his joy. Holding onto his and Milo's secret made her feel closer to them, but she longed for more. Mostly, she wanted to matter to them as much as they mattered to her.
Later that evening, Prissie and Koji sat on opposite sides of her bedroom working on homework. The door was propped open, but so far, her brothers hadn't made pests of themselves. Since it was chilly upstairs, she had an extra pair of socks on her feet and a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, but Koji barely noticed that the furnace didn't do a very good job of reaching Prissie's little sanctuary.
Closing her history book with a snap, she dropped it atop the pile of textbooks on the bed, and Koji glanced up. ”Have you retained the records we were a.s.signed?”
She tapped the eraser of her pencil against the notes she'd made. ”Mostly. I'll review on the way to school tomorrow.”
He nodded and went back to reading, even though he was several chapters ahead of the cla.s.s in their textbook. Giving the end of her braid a little tug, she asked, ”Did you have fun today?”
Koji looked up again, and this time, he let his book fall shut. ”Indeed.”
”I could tell. And I think Neil would have liked to try that spinning thing Milo did with you ... if it was physically possible.”
”Milo is the fastest in our Flight, but he is not the strongest,” Koji replied seriously. The young Observer's gaze took on a faraway quality before he blinked and focused on her again. ”May I invite Tamaes to join us?”
Prissie looked pointedly toward the open door and lowered her voice. ”We'll have to be careful what we say. My brothers sometimes snoop.”
He nodded. ”I will choose my words with care.”
”Then yes, I'd like that.” It felt like a long time since she'd last seen Tamaes, and the prospect was a nice one. ”Is he close by?”
Koji simply pointed to the roof, and she stared up at the plain, white ceiling. ”How does he get in?” she wondered. ”He came through the bedroom door last time.”
”At that time, Tamaes was already inside.”
”So can he walk through walls or something?”
”No,” Koji replied, frowning slightly. ”He will enter through the way that has been prepared.”
”There's no blue door in here,” Prissie pointed out.
”The way between is given whenever we are Sent. I do not know how else to explain it.”
”Maybe you should just show me.”
”Tamaes will do so.” His gaze swiveled upward.
A moment later, a circular patch on the ceiling rippled faintly, and with a sudden rush, a familiar figure dropped into the room. Tamaes landed in a crouch in the center of her braided rug and swiftly scanned every corner of the room before bashfully meeting her gaze. ”Good evening, Prissie,” he greeted in low tones.
”Hi,” she returned in a soft voice, just in case anyone was in the hallway. ”Is everything okay?”