Noah, meanwhile, was off to one side, scribbling lightly in his Moleskine sketchpad. He had such a different vibe from Finn. But not in a bad way. More serious, yes, but not aloof or self-important.
Strangely, while Finn pretended not to care what people thought of him, I got the feeling he cared very much – like how right now he was performing for the kids, the cameras, forme. Noah, meanwhile, seemed to actually be in the moment, not looking in on it. I watched him sketching away, his pencil working quickly and assuredly, his attention on what he was doing and not on the attention he was being paid.
But then his pencil paused, and he glanced up. Wait. Was he looking at me?
More importantly, giant pair of glasses notwithstanding, could he tell I was looking at him?
I turned my head, sipping at the punch I definitely did not need right now. Wow, it was strong. It was less hair of the dog and more entire coat of the dog.
Josephine’s ring smarted, and I wondered if it was chastising me. I pulled out her diary, trying not to wince as my head pounded.
This is going to be fun, Josephine had written in her elegant prose.Let me know if it devolves into a fist fight.
Why would it do that?I scribbled.
Just speaking from experience. You could just pick, you know. Make this easy on everyone.
I sighed.Do you have any tips on that?
Just don’t do what I did, Josephine replied cryptically.
‘Match is starting, match is starting!’ called Rosie, clapping her hands to get our attention. The players had split off into two groups – the greens and the purples – and were pulling on bedazzled jerseys courtesy of Keiko’s art campers. The greens were decorated with leafy motifs, while the purples had starry design elements. And the odd penguin or whale, because while you could give a group of kids all the art direction in the world, chances were they were going to do their own thing.
‘What about the Tucker boys?’ shouted Lara, hands cupped around her mouth. ‘They’re too hot to bench.’
‘Oh my goddess, Lara.’ I swatted her with my sunglasses. Bad idea. I put them back on immediately. ‘You’re lucky I’m hungover, or I’d actually come after you.’
‘You should be thankful,’ she teased. ‘Although Finn could have at least worn his short shorts for us.’
‘Next time,’ shouted Finn, as Noah scowled behind him.
Lara and I burst out laughing: a whisperwind had apparently carried our conversation in his direction.
‘How about we up the ante?’ he yelled. ‘If my team wins, we get the cake … and I get the girl.’
‘You wouldn’t know what to do with me,’ I called back. I blinked – a cloud had abruptly blocked the sun, casting a shadow across the beach. Noah, standing there with arms folded, glanced up at the sky. I could see the magic crackling off him.
‘A kiss,’ Finn promised. ‘One kiss.’
The shadow deepened, and I glanced up, wondering whether we were about to get a storm. Tiff had her weather app pulled up and was muttering something about pressure systems.
‘Finn,’ chastised Rosie. ‘Leave the poor girl alone.’
‘Go on,’ purred Lara. ‘It’s hardly torture.’ At my amused look, she shouted, ‘She agrees to the terms.’
‘Why are you doing this to me?’ I groaned. I buried my face in my towel, but only for a moment, because Lara prodded me.
‘We have another Tucker contender!’
Noah had stepped up to take his place on the opposing team. I hid a smile at how awkward he looked in his bedazzled jersey.
Rosie raised an eyebrow. ‘Look who’s become a joiner. Sibling rivalry knows no bounds.’
My ring smarted, and I clamped my left hand over it, trying to ignore its magical fizz. Overhead, the clouds darkened to an angry purple, and the beachgoers looked up, murmuring about the possibility of getting rained off.
I frowned. This was a magical storm – another one. And more ominous than those we’d experienced since arriving in Whisperwind Cove. Like the others, it had sprung up when the boys were pitted against each other.
What’s next?wrote Josephine.A tornado?
