Rae has an affinity for earth!" I blurted. Stevie Rae's eyes sprang open and she covered her mouth with both of her hands, looking shocked and thrilled. "Stevie Rae, that's amazing!" Damien said, and in seconds all of us were congratulating and hugging her while she giggled through happy tears. Then it happened. I had one of my feelings. And this time it was (thankfully) a good one. "Damien, Shaunee, Erin--I want you guys to take your places in the circle." They gave me questioning looks, but must have rec ognized the tone of my voice because they instantly did what I told them to do. I wasn't exactly the boss of them, but my friends respected that I was in training to someday be their High Priest ess, so they obediently walked to the place in the circle that I had assigned to each of them weeks ago when it had only been the five of us, and I was casting a circle to try to figure out if I really had a Goddess-given affinity, or if I just had very little sense and an overactive imagination. As they took their places I looked around at the kids who were already in the rec hall. I definitely needed outside help. Then Erik walked into the room with Jack, and I grinned and motioned them over to me. "What's up, Z? You look like you're going to explode," Erik said, and then he lowered his voice, and for my ears alone added, "And you look as hot in that dress as I thought you would."
"Thanks, I love it!" I did a quick little twirl that was partially flirting with Erik, and partially pure happiness at what I was al most sure was getting ready to happen. "Jack, would you please go over to Damien and get the tray of candles he's holding and bring them back here to the middle of the circle?"
"Yep," Jack said and scampered off to do as I asked. Okay, he didn't actually scamper, but he was very perky. "What's going on?" Erik asked. "You'll see." I grinned, barely able to suppress my excitement. When Jack was back with the candles I put the tray on Nyx's table. I concentrated for a second, and decided my instincts were telling me fire would be the right choice. Then I picked up the red candle and handed it to Erik. "Okay, I need you to take this candle over to Shaunee." Erik wrinkled his forehead. "Just take it over to her?"
"Yeah. Hand it to her and then pay attention."
"To what?"
"I'd rather not say." He shrugged and gave me a look that said that even though he might think I was hot he also might think that I had lost my mind, but he did as I asked and walked over to where Shaunee was standing in the southernmost part of the circle--the area from which I called the element fire. He stopped in front of her. Shaunee looked around him at me. "Take the candle from him," I called across the circle to her, concentrating on how cute Erik looked so that I wouldn't be thinking about fire at all. Shaunee shrugged. "Okay," she said. She took the red candle from Erik. I was watching her closely, but I hadn't needed to. What happened was so obvious that sev eral of the kids standing around the outside of the circle gasped along with Shaunee. The instant her hand touched the candle there was a whoosh noise. Her long, black hair began to lift and crackle as if it was filled with static electricity, and her beautiful chocolate skin glowed as if she had been lit from within.
"I knew it!" I cried, practically jumping up and down with ex citement. Shaunee looked up from her glowing body to meet my eyes. "I'm doing this, aren't I?"
"You are!"
"I have an affinity for fire!"
"Yes, you do!" I yelled happily. I heard lots of oohs and ahhs from the ever-increasing crowd, but I didn't have time for them right now. Following my gut feel ing I motioned for Erik to come back to the center of the circle, which he did with a huge grin on his face. "That may be the coolest thing I've ever seen," he said. "Just wait. If I'm right, and I think I am, there's more." I gave him the blue candle. "Now take this one to Erin."
"Your wish is my command," he said with an old-time