Chapter Twenty: Being a Teenager

 Narrated by Apollo Masterson

One thing I'd always loved as a kid was exercise. I'd been intrigued by my parents' treadmill and exercise machine, but Mum had told me that I was too young to use them. Now, though, I was old enough to have a go. Squeezing the giant pads together was hard, and I knew I'd be feeling sore later. 

Homework, however, was a lot less fun. But Mum and Dad had always emphasised how important it was to work hard at school, so I knew I had to get on with it. So, with Coco snoring on her back nearby, I sat down at my desk to get going. 

 On Tuesday evening, Erytheia and Xanthe threw a casual dinner party for some friends. Whilst Xanthe made a salad upstairs in the kitchen, Erytheia greeted everyone as they arrived. I got the "party" bit started by dancing along to the stereo. 

Erytheia had made a meal of pan-fried tilapia, which we all enjoyed. Once Dad had come home from work, he came to join us in the kitchen. 

"How is school going?" Dad asked.

"It's going well, Peter," Alexander replied. My parents were fairly casual and didn't mind our friends calling them by their first names; they said that "Mr and Mrs Masterson" made them sound like teachers. "I'm not sure what I want to do afterwards, though."

"You don't have to decide right now," Dad said. "Do you think you'll go to university?"

"Oh, yes," Alexander smiled. "It might give me some ideas. And besides, it'd be a way for me to become more independent."

"How about you, Evie?" I asked.

"I don't know," she said. "I'm not sure what I want to do, either. I enjoy science best, but I don't really want to become a doctor or anything like that. It sounds really stressful."

The following day was Winterfest. It was usually a relaxed day at our house, which I liked. In the evening, Mum and Dad took all of us over to the Magic Realm. They explained that they'd waited until there was a full moon in the sky to take us, as a full moon increased Spellcasting success.

Whilst Erytheia and Xanthe went inside to experiment with a cauldron, Artemis and I received some basic magic training - Dad went with Artemis and Mum went with me. Finally being able to use my powers was really exciting. 

"So, are you two excited about being able to use your powers?" Mum asked.

"Yeah!" I grinned. "It's so cool!"
Artemis was less outwardly enthusiastic, but she smiled anyway. She always enjoyed learning new things. She would probably read the various magical tomes first, whereas I was more hands-on when learning stuff. People always found it odd when I told them that we were twins. 

"Anyway, you do need to be careful," Mum said. "Casting spells builds up charge. It helps your spells become more powerful. But you need to be careful, since increasing your charge level does also increase the charge of spells going wrong, and you may get cursed. You'll know you're charged because your limbs will feel warm, and your palms will start tingling. It's also possible to get overcharged, which can result in death if you're really not careful."

"Yikes," I winced. "So I guess that's why children can't do magic."

"Exactly. It does take a long time and a lot of spellcasting to reach that state, and you'd know you were getting there. It would be wise for you to learn how to perform the Discharge spell, which will reduce your charge entirely."

The next day, Artemis and I headed over to the park in Oasis Springs to go fishing, working on our Outdoor Adventurer badge. There were a couple of fishing spots in San Myshuno, but it was far too cold there and every body of water was frozen. Oasis Springs had its own microclimate where it was always fairly warm, even in winter. 

Saturday meant prom. Before we went to get ready, Artemis came to chat to me in the living room.

"Oh my word, your moustache!" she laughed. "You look stupid."
"That's a bit harsh, sis," I replied, smiling anyway.

"Oh, I don't really mean it," she said, straightening up. "It's just such a stereotypical teen boy thing to do, growing a moustache."

"That's alright, tease me all you like," I said reassuringly. "I mean, if my own twin sister can't tease me, then who can?"

My siblings and I decided that it would be fun to host a pre-prom gathering. We all got dressed up in our formal gear and had fun chatting in the living room, anticipating what prom would be like. Evie and Nani were a little older than us and had already been to one, so they filled us in. 

The school auditorium was packed, and for a while I stood by one of the food tables taking it all in. Most people were on the dance floor, with Erytheia and Alexander enjoying a slow dance. 

Towards the end of the evening, the headmistress, Mrs Silversweater, announced the names of those who'd been elected to the Prom Court. 
"Our Prom Royalty is Miss Erytheia Masterson!"

Erytheia walked up the stage steps, grinning.

"And our Prom Jester... Mr Apollo Masterson!"
I couldn't help but grin too as I went to claim my hat. I had a sneaking suspicion that Artemis had played a large part in my election, but I didn't mind.