The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Spellshadow Manor #1)

“I’m gonna be honest, there’s not a lot to see in Middledale,” Alex said, as he opened the passenger door of his car for Natalie to slide in. She did so gracefully, pulling the small handbag she’d unpacked onto her lap. She had changed out of the clothes she had arrived in—leggings and a pullover—in favor of an outfit that oddly mirrored his; a casual t-shirt and jeans.

He moved around to the driver’s seat and got in, scooping up a pair of sunglasses from the dashboard and donning them before starting the engine.

“I mean,” he continued, pulling out of the driveway and swerving onto the road, “it’s a nice place. Some beautiful scenery”—he gestured to the sprawl of fields that was already coming into view behind the row of houses on their left—“and a lot of peace and quiet. There’s a mall in the center of town, which has a small movie theater, a bunch of shops, restaurants, a bowling alley…”

He trailed off as he caught a glance of Natalie. She sat stiffly, looking straight ahead and clutching her seat a little too tightly.

“Hey,” he said, drawing her gaze to his, “are you okay?

“Yeah,” she said quickly, offering him a smile. “You just, um, drive quite fast.”

“Oh, sorry.” Alex reminded himself what it must be like to be a first-time passenger in a vehicle he was commandeering. His style valued efficiency over leisure, as his mom would describe it. “I’ll take it easier.”

He slowed down, and Natalie instantly relaxed.

“I’ll take you past the school, it’s coming up just on our right,” Alex informed her as they rounded the corner.

“How do you like school?” Natalie asked.

“It’s fine,” Alex replied. He couldn’t really think of a better adjective than that. He neither loved nor hated school, though recently, it was becoming more and more of a distraction from his entrepreneurial endeavors.

They arrived within view of Middledale High. It was a large, very boring rectangular building, its exterior in need of a renovation. But it was a decent school by most standards—average, but decent.

“Do you have many friends?” Natalie asked.

“Mmm, not many,” Alex replied honestly, and decided not to embellish his answer. He tried to hide the fact from his mom that his social life had deteriorated along with her health. He was so busy these days and rarely saw friends outside of school hours, which resulted in him growing apart even from his best friend, Colin.

Natalie probably found his short answer a little odd but didn’t press. Instead, she moved on to a topic that was much more interesting to Alex—herself. She began to talk about what it was like to grow up in France, and the differences between there and America. She said she’d visited New York before when she was younger, and this was her second time in the United States. Alex had never been abroad—heck, he’d hardly been out of Iowa—but hoped to someday. When his mother got better.

Natalie came to a pause as they neared the mall, and her face took on a thoughtful expression. She spoke again after a few minutes. “I suppose I don’t have many friends either. I mean, there are people you see every day and are friendly with, but…real friends”—she smiled—“I think they are quite a rare species.”

Alex wasn’t sure if she was just saying this because she wanted to be companionable, or because she hadn’t found his response to her earlier question strange after all. “I agree,” he replied, in any case.

They were quiet again until they neared the mall’s parking lot, when Alex suggested they stop for ice cream. Natalie expressed her strong agreement, so he parked up and led her into the mall.

As they neared the ice cream parlor, he spotted four guys from his class. Phil, a blond-haired giant of a seventeen-year-old, with his three hangers-on, David, Sam, and Josh.

Their eyes drew to Natalie as though she were a magnet. Alex rolled his eyes internally. He could practically see the lightbulbs sparking in their heads as they exchanged glances, and then Phil walked over.

“Hey, Alex!” he said, throwing him a smile. This was probably the first time Phil had spoken to him directly all year; Alex had never been close to Phil.

“This is your new girlfriend?” he asked.

“Nope,” Alex replied.

“We’re friends,” Natalie added.

“A guest from France,” Alex clarified. He moved around Phil and Natalie followed as they lined up at the ice cream store. He sensed all four boys’ eyes on her.

“I’ll take a double mint chocolate chip,” Alex ordered. “And Natalie?”

“I’ll take the same.”

“Hey, Alex.” Phil came at him again, leaning an elbow against the glass counter. “Did you hear about the party I’m throwing this evening?”

Alex saw where this was going.

“No, actually,” he said. He paid, took a lick of his ice cream, and then turned away, Natalie walking beside him.

“Well, I wanted to invite you,” Phil persisted, catching up with them and arriving on Natalie’s side.

“You” meaning Natalie.

“Starts at eight p.m.,” he said. “I’ve got a massive back yard with a pool.”

“An American pool party?” Natalie breathed suddenly, as though the idea was almost sacred. Her eyes lit up as she turned to face Alex.

“It’ll be cool,” Phil jumped in, capitalizing on her interest.

Alex stopped walking and looked at him reluctantly.

“Lots of people are coming,” he went on. “Even your pal Colin might show up.”

Somehow, Alex doubted very much that Colin would be showing up.

Still, Natalie had gotten all excited about it now. She clearly wanted to go, and as her host, he figured he should probably acquiesce. It was her first day here, and it was unlikely that he was going to get any serious work done today anyway.

“Okay, Phil,” Alex conceded with a sigh. “Count us in, I guess…Thanks.”