In writing my Actual Magic series for Young Adults, Lilly Noble & Actual Magic, I’ve always found people to be amazingly interesting, and the interest they generate keeps me forever curious to see what they will do next. See if you can figure out exactly why I included this scene in Lilly Noble & Actual Magic.
Here's an excerpt:
As the boat neared the breakwater, Lilly sensed someone’s stare. She glanced up.
The handsome boy with the wavy black hair and ice blue eyes grinned at her and winked.
Oh great. First a snub, and now a smile? Did he think she was crazy, or better yet, desperate?
“Stop looking at me like that,” she whispered under her breath.
As if in response to her words, his eyes widened for a split second, and a nervous smile twitched the edges of his broad lips. He acted surprised, but she knew he was too far away to hear her whisper.
Was that even possible, or had she just imagined his reaction?
She felt silly, but she decided to see if she could get him to respond again. “Don’t stare at me,” she whispered harshly. Then, she leveled an even gaze at him and waited.
He pressed his lips together in a defiant line and studied her face for a long moment. Then, he looked away, as if confused and deliberating.
The boat’s hard rocking made Lilly’s stomach roll.
The boy turned back and dazzled her with a brilliant smile. His lips moved.
“You’re kind of cute, and very bossy,” a hoarse, deep whisper floated into her ear.
Lilly flinched. She heard his words clearly, as if he’d been standing right next to her. How was that possible? Then she remembered his words and instantly became annoyed with him. “Do you honestly think you have a shot with me?”
The boat’s lurching made her seasick. The strangeness of the conversation didn’t help.
“You were interested a few minutes ago,” came his retort.
“I was curious a few minutes ago. Now, I’ve changed my mind. I’m not curious anymore.”
“Okay, but kiss me anyway.”
“Get over yourself!”
“You turned out to be a lot cuter than I thought you’d be.” With his eyelids at half-mast, his seductive expression was unconvincing. In fact, he looked about to doze off.
She caught the meaning of his words, and instantly grew wary. Apparently, Zymura was not the only one on the island who knew she’d be here. “‘Than you’d thought I’d be’? How could you possibly know anything about me?”
He gaped at her and then clumsily covered his surprise with a grin. “Don’t you like me?”
The boat swayed.
Lilly clutched her stomach. “No, and I think I’m going to throw up.”
“Sure, you say that now, but I’ll get you to change your mind.” The smug grin on the boy’s face betrayed his belief that he’d successfully covered the tracks of his error.
“What are you doing?” Zymura interrupted, breaking the spell.
Posted by Deborah McTiernan
Author of Lilly Noble & Actual Magic
Dares readers to believe in themselves and discover the magic within!
photo credit: Neil. Moralee via photopin cc
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