12 August 2024

Their lips parted. Colin's heart raced and he smiled.

"Do you trust me, Colin McCoire?" the red haired girl asked. Her name was Lark and she'd been visiting England from America. Colin was in love! Again! Colin giggled. They'd only met last week when Colin arrived at Orion's place. And now they were sitting on the grass in a little park in Ottery St. Catchpole. Snogging and laughing as if they'd known each other for ages. Life had been so confusing the last few weeks! They'd buried his little brother and had been transiting between Altnaharra and London to take care of his little sister. Alex and Angus blamed Colin of course. They made no secret of their disgust for what Colin and Liam were. What happened in July only separated the brothers further.

Ma was eerily silent. Da had become more distant. Moira was giving them both dirty looks. And little A--- Well, Colin didn't dare ask why he wasn't even allowed to see her any more. He'd spent most of his time out. Away from the house and grounds. Out in the wild places. He and Liam had always liked going out exploring. Sometimes they'd be gone for days. And now was no different. He and Liam had decided to wander down to Altnaharra and spend some time there. Colin was happy enough. He'd met some girls there. Squibs mostly, but they could snog as well as any Pureblooded girl!

And then Colin had been sent away.

The scent of Bridget and Bonny MacAllister's hair and the taste of their lips was still in the boys' heads when they got the news. It came in the form the elder Aoife, their sister the auror. Both boys were in awe of her: a duellist, an auror, a hit wizard and rumour had it she AKed two horrible lumps of wizard kind with one casting! She and their older brother Orion were working on something down in the southwest of England so it fell to Aoife to transport them to his house until things in Scotland could be settled.

Colin had no idea what "settled" meant.

"Colin McCoire!" Lark cried. "Look into my eyes when you're staring at me! And I asked you a question."

"Oh! What? I mean. Aye?" Colin had no idea what Lark's question was. He had indeed been staring! He blushed. And not at her eyes!

"Good!" In a twinkle she had her wand pointed straight at Colin's head. He crossed his eyes. There was a mischievous smile on the girl's face as her hand deftly moved the piece of wood about. Colin knew the spell she used very well! Colin shook his head with a laugh. His hair was now almost as red as Lark's! They snogged each other again. Colin smiled again. "So. I have to go now," she said. She jabbed her wand into Colin's chest, parting his shirt a bit. "I'm not letting you get away, Colin McCoire. Next time we meet, you're telling me what's up with this dog tattoo on your chest! And these scars!"

Colin watched as Lark sauntered away from him. He felt hot. He realised his mouth was hanging open. Again. And he was staring. Again. He watched Lark turn the corner as she disappeared beyond the gate. He sighed. What was it about girls anyway? They were so ... Colin shook his head, standing up at last. He didn't bother changing his hair back to pale blond. Not yet anyway!

He thought about this Lark girl as he walked through the village. He thought about Bridget and Bonny. And a dozen other girls he'd been crushing on over the last month! One came to mind suddenly. Dazzling blue eyes. Colin blinked at the memory. She used to live here, he thought. She disappeared a couple years ago, leaving Colin heartbroken. Jarael. Now, there was a girl you could stare at properly! And she'd stare right back!

Colin's toe knocked a pebble aside as he ambled along the quiet lane. She was his first crush. Perhaps even his first real love. She was his Eyes of Sky. Colin found himself inside a part of his heart that he hadn't actually considered properly before. They were all there. There was Clair, of course, and Jarael. And Athena and Opal. Even June! Oh! And of course, there was Mahl and --- Ava. Yes, she was here too. Colin wasn't quite sure how she fit, but she was here.

The boy smiled as he walked along, the Sun warm on his back. He could feel himself blushing. Some of the girls he reckoned were passing fancies. But there were others... He remembered every kiss. Every snog. His heart delighted in girls! He thought about AngelFyre, because she was here too. In his heart. He smiled. He wondered about her. The very second he met his seer, he knew that he loved her. But he also knew that he must never love her the way he did anyone else. Well, Simon was her boyfriend and she would probably give him a swift kick in a very memorable fashion if he ever tried anything. No, she was Fyre Angel. She was different.

His thoughts turned back to the others. Mostly they were snogs and momentary crushes. Why, just in his History of Magic class, he could recall staring at every girl in the classroom at least twice! His heart wandered back to his Eyes of Sky. There were two: his first was Jarael; his current was Clair. He hadn't seen or heard from her in ages, though. He wondered if he'd done or said something. Girls were becoming much harder to understand! Colin was fourteen and crushing on almost every girl he met; most of them he considered friends and surely loved at least four of them... He wondered. Would that ever stop? What even was this place inside his heart? He knew it was the place of love, but --- Colin let out a deep sigh. He just didn't have the words to describe or even understand what he was feeling.

He knew he'd need to talk with someone about this. Someone who would understand. Someone he trusted with his heart. But he hadn't heard from her. Hadn't seen her in months.