Loukas Makris

62

Loukas woke up with a startle, rubbing his eyes trying to gauge what time it was. After his first year at camp he’d pretty much given up keeping a normal day/night cycle. All he remembered was it was mid day and he had needed a long nap, judging from the fact the sun had almost set completely it must be around later in the evening; perfect, this would be a great time to ‘start his day’! Maybe he would go snoop around the Athena cabin and see if Sage was still up? Despite both of them preferring different times of day, they had found a good compromise in the evening hours; the end of her day and the beginning of his. He’d have to be careful though as the last time he came around snooping it was much later in the night and he’d been caught by Samantha. His ears were still ringing from her lecture and he wanted to avoid a future encounter from the Athena Cabin Mother Hen.

As he walked into the main room yawning, thoughts still on Sage, he received a very sudden awakening! *SPLASH* as the jet of water hit him full in the face unawares. “What the…!” he proclaimed rubbing the water out of his eyes. “AKEMI!” he yelled at his older sister. “What have I told you about waking me up this way??” He wasn’t truly mad, but this was not the first time something like this had happened in the many years they’d been at camp together. “What are you working on anyway?” he asked, more curious now than annoyed.

Loukas had been accused of being many things since arriving at camp but cocky was never one of them, so he laughed along with his brother at the teasing jab. Shadow had a good point though, even just beginning with the basics like he had been he could see how easily one could get swept up in the power; just like his father had. Unlike his father though he had Shadow, a brother he trusted to guide him through this weird new world. He could tell when Shadow asked him to sit that tonight’s lesson would be of a more serious nature, one with rules and warnings that would need to be adhered to.

As he explained the need to proceed with caution Loukas was intent to pay attention closely. Mist illusions had been very tiring at first, especially once he started to create more complex items like the bear, but over time and practice it hadn’t gotten better. Now with what Shadow was explaining, these next skills would be even more taxiing. Maybe it’d be worth it to start training physically more? He wondered this to himself, he knew his friend MK practiced interval running to help boost her energy levels. Perhaps there was a similar exercise for magic users? Shadow's warnings of the dangers of mind manipulation pulled Loukas back into the current conversation. “I think I understand, it all hinges on the user being able to keep it together, emotions and concentration. Being responsible to use this power only when you’re ready and not allowing the opportunities it provides to corrupt you. Did I miss anything?” Loukas had had plenty of examples in his father and his acolytes to see where unchecked power could end. He was determined not to make the same mistakes. “So how do I get started?”

“I’ll do you one better and make it two bears.” Loukas promised. He had never been an overachiever before in anything, school, sports, relationships, but magic was quickly becoming a passionate pursuit of his. There was something about having a positive older male influence in his life that his subconscious knew he needed and he had found that in Shadow. Hanging on every word his older brother said as he explained the responsibilities of learning this power. “That does sound tricky. Will I learn how I can make sure that doesn’t happen?” Loukas could easily imagine a situation where he mistakenly plants an embarrassing thought in Sage’s head as he’d begun having some serious feelings and desires for her.

Snapping back to the current moment though as Shadow asks him what Sage thought of his attempts to impress her. “Oh it worked like a charm! I made sure to pick out her favorite type of flower, sunflowers that is, and worked really hard getting them just right so that when I did it on the date it came out perfect. She loved it…although, when I told her how we’d been practicing with flowers she made a very weird face. Not really sure what that was about…anyways! What’s the first lesson?” There would be plenty of time for Sage later, right now he was determined to get down to business. 

Loukas was relived to see Tristan speak up again and resume helping Asher. Truth be told he only knew a little magic himself from his private lessons with Shadow. Those had been going well but Umbrakinesis was still a ways off and out of his wheelhouse. He was excited for Asher and her pursuit in advanced magic but he originally hadn't planned on taking Sage into the cabin for a group study session. Putting a hand on each half-sibling's shoulder "Well, it looks like you two are able to resume your progress. I'll be in my room if you all need anything, but I don't think you will" he said with a wink, implying that he and Sage would be having their own "study session". Grabbing her hand the two of them left the common room.

[Sage and Loukas exit]

Loukas had probably run through a thousand different scenarios in his head of how their date could have gone; being a nervous teenager most of them didn’t end well. So as the date was nearing its end he had a surprisingly high amount of confidence in himself. As he thought about it he realized it was also just Sage in general which boosted his self-esteem. She believed in him when few others did, she was the reason he had even attempted to learn magic. This was a girl he wanted to spend his time with both emotionally, and now he was realizing, physically. Feeling a little silly that it had taken this long to realize his feelings were more than those for a friend. Thank the gods no one else had tried to woo her, the thought of that happening made his stomach churn.

Did she feel the same though? True, she was enjoying the date but maybe this was just a one time thing for her or maybe she didn’t know Loukas’ intention of wanting to be more than friends. Well he would just have to be true to himself and trust that it would happen when it was meant to be. Well, Sage was here with him now and he was going to enjoy every moment this lasted. When he leaned in to kiss her he was delighted to see she reciprocated. Closing his eyes too, their lips met and a spark ignited between the two friends. Loukas always imagined he’d be super nervous for his first kiss, but all feelings of anxiety left him replaced by a rushing warmth of excitement. Her lips were warm, inviting, and formed nicely against his own. Without even realizing it had, his hand moved to cup her face gently holding her to the kiss. Seconds felt like they lasted forever as he allowed himself to slip into the blissful pleasure of the kiss. Wondering if he should deepen the kiss or would she find that too much? He’d allow her to set the pace.

Loukas had held his breath in as he presented his teddy bear to Shadow. He knew it wasn’t perfect, but it was the final product of tons of hard work and progress. Just as Shadow had guessed, he had taken it for granted at first, but in the end it proved to be a challenge that taught him a lot. As Shadow shared his feedback Loukas took it as overall positive and he finally breathed a sigh of relief grinning ear to ear at his mentor’s praise. Shadow seemed concerned about something, and at first Loukas was worried it had to do with his skills, but the look passed and Shadow seemed satisfied. “Fur texture, got it. I’ll make sure to focus on that in my next attempts” he nodded enthusiastically.

“Fun stuff? Let’s do it! What did you have in mi…” and without knowing it was coming the image of the apple entered his mind taking him aback. The intrusive thought freaked him out at first but once Shadow asked him what he was thinking he quickly pieced it together. “Whaaaaaa, how did you do that??? And…it was an apple. Can you teach me that? I’d love to learn it!” His mind was already racing at the possibilities such abilities could offer him.

“Oh I almost forgot, guess what? Thanks to your lessons I was able to impress my date with flowers I made from the mist! She was quite dazzled. I know you’ve been away from camp awhile but maybe you’ve met her? Her name is Sage. Sooooo I guess in a way, I have you to thank for how well the date went.”

The last couple weeks had been some of the busiest that Loukas had ever experienced. The holidays were always a hectic time but there was also his budding romance with Sage on top of everything else he’d spent every bit of free time he had honing the skills Shadow had been teaching him. His older sibling had seemed impressed with his skill and Loukas didn’t want to let him down. Every night he could he would sneak off to practice, to try and complete the homework Shadow had left him with; using the mist to produce a teddy bear that could be indistinguishable from the real thing. Loukas, somewhat foolishly thought it wouldn’t be much harder than the flowers but the first few attempts proved how wrong he was. Those early “teddy bears” would probably cause a child to burst into tears if they ever saw them. Some nights he gave up entirely and spent the time making flowers to gain better mastery of the basics. As the nights passed on though small breakthroughs were made and the attempts were better and better each time he practiced.

Shadow must have sensed his improvement because one morning he told Loukas to meet him that night and to be ready. Making his way to their previous training spot he spotted Shadow already there. “Hey! I’m ready for our next session! I’ve been practicing every night just like you told me to.” he said maybe a little too enthusiastically, but he was excited to show off the results of his hard work. Producing a teddy bear he had made before entering the clearing. “It wasn’t easy but the work was rewarding. What do you think?”

[gm rights to Shadow to judge the bear]

@ ★J.C.

16 years old ||  Son of Hecate ||  Single ||  Hetero  || Created Fall 2022

Final Plot  with Sage Roberts

Trains with Shadow

Loves to read under moonlight

Potential to be great at magic if he can overcome his self-doubt

Very loyal to his friends if they can get through his walls

Struggling to find his place in life

Traits: Loyal ~ Reserved ~ Introverted ~ Curious ~ Intelligent

Seeing Sage blush, Loukas couldn’t help but press in teasingly “Ohhh really now? Personal cooking lessons from acclaimed super chef Sage Roberts? That does sound romantic” he laughed. “Well I must be doing something right if I’m already getting asked on a second date when the first one isn’t even over!” As the date had gone on Loukas was feeling more and more comfortable around Sage and his relaxed personality was coming out again. It was an enthralling experience, taking a friendship and adding something more to it. Now that the metaphorical ice had been broken he found himself greatly enjoying her company. Placing his arm around her as they finished up eating and talking while watching the sun start to set across the horizon.

While trading camp gossip, it was Loukas’ turn to blush a little when Sage mentioned the rumor of two campers skinny dipping. An intrusive thought slipped in his mind as he wondered what that experience would be like with Sage. It felt strange at first because he’d always thought of her as a friend, but as they’d been growing closer he couldn't help but be a little curious. Snapping out of the fantasy he continued to listen intently, sharing his own stories. “Did you hear? Supposedly your sister Samantha went to Killian’s Christmas party. I have a hard time picturing that though so maybe it’s just a rumor.”

It was when the food was gone and the conversation died down that Loukas presented his surprise sunflower. He had been so nervous about it at first. It wasn’t difficult to create when it was late at night but during the day it was a challenge. That’s why Loukas had waited until near the end of the date when the sun was setting before he attempted. When he saw Sage's excited smile though his confidence swelled and the creation process went pretty well. Seeing her delighted smile made all the hard day’s preparation completely worth it. Loukas couldn’t help but take in the sight of this girl, sunflower in hard, bathed in the setting sun’s light. “You’re beautiful.” he said softly, then realizing he had suddenly said that outloud! Embarrassed at first then realizing that’s how he felt and it was true so he repeated it more confidently, his face not too far from hers now, “Absolutely beautiful..”

[gm rights if Sage wants to move in for a kiss]

Loukas carefully assembled the various non descriptive foods for them just enjoying all the attention he was getting from Sage. It wasn’t like he had never received attention from her before, she had practically glued herself to him from the moment she’d come to camp. This time though it just felt different and he knew he never wanted it to end. “Well…I tried making it just myself the first time” he admitted sheepishly “butttttttt I don’t think it was acceptable for human consumption. So I swallowed my pride and asked one of the Demeter kids for help. They already owed me a favor so I figured this was a good time to cash in.”

He watched her as she looked at all the sunflowers he had scrambled together. This wasn’t the first time he’d made her smile before but after today it felt like his own personal mission to make every day extra special for this girl. As they ate they talked about all sorts of things from their studies to the drama going on with other campers. Loukas was relieved to find that even though this was a date it hadn’t hindered their ability to talk with each other; it all felt very natural as if it was meant to be all along. As the meal was winding down Loukas suddenly remembered the surprise he had for her.

“Soooooooo you know how you encouraged me to practice with Shadow? Well as you know it’s been going pretty well and I’ve been working really hard on it. In fact, I’ve been practicing this one thing in particular.” Taking Sage's hand he opened it up in front of him, then taking a deep breath he channeled the mist like Shadow had taught him. Using the sunflowers around them as references he used the mist to form a giant sunflower in Sage's hand. Being that it was evening and not night time it wasn’t a perfect flower, looking a little wispy but still solid enough that Sage could hold it. “Well what do you think?” Loukas asked grinning.

Loukas did his best to stifle his laughter, quickly putting his hand over his mouth as Sage did her thing. Being a Hecate kid himself, plus his experience growing up in a house of magic, he knew just how important concentration was when it came to mastering new magic like this. She wouldn't necessarily know that and it was just like her to butt into something like this with 110% of pure Sage energy. This personality quirk was just one of many reasons why he had begun feeling strong emotions towards her. After how their first date had ended he knew for sure he wanted a second!

Seeing now that Asher might be getting annoyed by the intrusion into what was clearly a stressful endeavor, Loukas understood that Asher might need some convincing that Sage's help would actually be helpful. Putting his arm around Sage's shoulders he pulled her a little closer "Surprisingly, Sage knows a little more about magic than you might think Asher. She's been helping me in my research and being a child of Athena she has a knack for it. I don't know too much about umbrakinesis, but I'm happy to try and help too!" he smiled as he took a seat at their table 

Loukas had felt his heart beat skip faster when he ever so carefully placed his hands over her eyes doing his best to guide Sage for the remaining distance. She was a very energetic girl and he had observed countless times when her excitement got the better of her causing her to trip or bump into so many things. Being extra cautious that something like that didn’t happen right now during their date. Still, between the acts of holding her hand and guiding her here, he felt a rush of excitement himself for getting to be so close to her. It felt different but also naturally for him to want to be close like this with her. She had been his close friend for a good while now but he could also feel the swelling of emotions inside himself; he wanted to be more than just her friend.

Her animated shout of “READY” jolted him out of his thoughts, and with the kind of genuine laugh that only she could coax out of him, he removed his hands. He was not sure what sort of reaction to expect from her when he did so, but her teary eyed look of joy told him everything he needed to know; all his hard work had paid off. He wanted her to feel special, to feel like someone else out there in the world deeply cared for her. Which was why it was so important to him to incorporate every little detail just right. “So you like it then? That’s good cause I wa…” this was all he was able to get out before her arms wrapped around and pulled him close into her hug. His cheeks flushed bright red though when he felt her lips quickly plant a kiss on his cheek. “Oh…wow…” he stuttered in a flustered manner. “I’ll take that as a yes then” he said a little sheepishly, still stunned by the unexpected (but very appreciated) kiss.

He sat down next to her, allowing himself to lean close to her as he started to unpack the ready made food he had prepared for them. Making hers first and then his, he poured them both a drink. “To a lovely evening...with a very pretty girl” he said, tipping his glass towards hers in a toast, feeling somewhat emboldened now. “Shall we eat?”

Loukas was enjoying his late night (early morning?) stroll with Sage. He was grateful that their date had not ruined their friendship in any way, in fact it seemed to have only drawn them closer. He was not sure what kind of label she would put on their relationship; dating, boyfriend/girlfriend, something else? Thankfully she just seemed happy to be around him and for tonight, that was enough. 

Oh no, he thought to himself sarcastically as he watched Sage turn around and start walking backwards. This usually meant she'd gotten an idea into her head and she was about to share it with him. These ideas ran the gamut from the practical to completely silly, and with this girl you never knew what you were in for. He couldn't help a grin as he listened to the excited tone of her voice, she was proud of herself and the research she'd done so he made sure to pay attention. He knew he wasn't ready to tackle an advanced power like Umbrakinesis just yet, he was still meeting with Shadow to just learn the basics.

Fortunately he did not have to explain that to Sage just yet for as soon as they walked into the cabin the always curious girl immediately latched onto seeing what his other half-siblings were up to. Seeing that it was Asher and Tristian at the table he followed Sage standing next to her as she inquired about what Asher seemed to be practicing. 

“Well as far as practice goes, this is actually pretty fun. Much better than practicing for something like homework or P.E.” Loukas admitted. It certainly didn’t hurt that he had a such a talented instructor in Shadow too. It felt like in just one night he had accomplished more than in the weeks he had tried on his own. Time had certainly flown by though, Loukas had not even realized the darkness was starting to fade until Shadow had mentioned it to him. “Hmm, maybe that’s one reason why my last attempt felt more difficult. Still, I’m up for trying a few more times and I plan on practicing a lot more often now. It would be really cool to get to do this during the day too!”

With renewed enthusiasm Loukas began practicing again in earnest. Even as the sun was just ever so slightly creeping up on the horizon he still managed to produce a few more rose petals switching between using and not using a visual reference. “I feel like I’m really getting the hang of this. I wouldn’t mind meeting again, after I’ve practiced this some more. Thanks again for agreeing to this, I feel like I really owe you one!” he said with sincerity. 

Loukas could not help but breathe a little sigh of relief as he and Sage left the cabin behind them, though he felt like he could still feel Samantha’s eyes boring into the back of his head. Holding Sage's hand helped, and soon enough any thoughts of nosey siblings had left his mind. While this was the second time he’d gotten to hold her hand it still caused his heart to skip a beat with excitement. Between the two of them he was the only one to know where they were heading so he took the lead, guiding her to their date destination.

There was a bit of awkward silence as the two of them walked, Loukas racked his brain trying to think of something interesting to say but felt his mind going blank. Oh no! He thought, this wasn’t a problem he’d ever had before. Usually talking with Sage came very naturally, was he just nervous? Thankfully Sage had managed to come up with something. He talked with her about his day and how busy it had been running around getting everything ready. By then they had cleared the woods and were about to approach the spot by the lake. “Hold on” Loukas paused, smiling he stepped behind Sage “I want this part to be a surprise” as he placed his hands over her eyes. Carefully, he guided her the remaining distance to the site of the picnic. “Ok ready?” removing his hands he revealed their date site. A warm extra large blanket spread out by the lakeside, and an assortment of her favorite foods laid out and ready to be eaten. Loukas had even spread out some wild sunflowers he’d found to decorate it. “Well, what do you think?” he asked with excitement in his voice.

Loukas allowed himself to let out an excited “Woo hoo!” at Shadow’s surprised praise. Growing up, the only family he’d ever knew about was his father, and that had been a cold relationship at best. With no siblings to grow up with it was a weird adjustment coming to camp and having multiple suddenly thrown at him. At last though he was finally warming up to them and was very happy with how it was going to have an older sibling tutor him. Shadow had gone through camp and had to learn to control and master his abilities just like Loukas was doing. Now well into their training season he was beginning to really look up to his older sibling. “Good to know all that time hitting the books wasn’t completely wasted then” he chuckled.

Listening to Shadow’s instructions he furrowed his brow instinctively. This feat would be a challenge, but if he could accomplish the first two then he was confident he could combine both methods now. “Ok, here goes nothing!” Loukas’ initial assessment was correct, not having a reference anymore was a challenge, but he did have the memory of what the petal should look like so he drew on that.

Once again forming the outline of a new petal, or at least how a petal should look according to his memory. It didn’t come along as quickly as the other attempts had but finally the outline was complete. Following Shadow’s instruction he then recalled how the petal felt in his closed hand and combined that with his memory of it; and with a final push the petal became whole. Looking at his work now he made a slight face, it was a petal, but between his three attempts this one had been a bigger struggle. “Hmm I didn’t realize just how helpful it was to have a visible reference” he stated, “But I guess it’ll come with repeated practice?”

By this point Loukas could feel his confidence building with each successful completion of Shadow’s instructions. It made so much sense now, breaking up complicated creations into small baby steps. This was going so much better than his own solo attempts at forming with the mist. “I think I’m beginning to get the hang of this…ok…more petals….I can do this!” Loukas said taking a breath, while not exhausted he could feel a small exertion from the work done thus far. This only fueled his excitement though as he re-focussed his attention on the petal. “Concentrate on how it feels” he repeated to himself, allowing his mind to shift to things like the unique texture of the petal or the small, barely noticeable weight that it brought to his hand “Make it tangible”.

Slowly but surely another petal began to form as Loukas worked the mist to his will. As it formed he did his best to force his mind to concentrate on feeling over detail as he was instructed. Any time his thoughts strayed to how it looked he gently shifted them back to focusing on how it felt. And sure enough just as before another rose petal came to life. “Well?” he asked. “How was that one? Was it tangible enough?” as he eagerly awaited the older boy’s feedback.

Alias: FullMoonRising
Characters you are Keeping: Loukas Makris and Samantha Adams
Characters you are Making Inactive: none
Characters you are Retiring: none

On his way over, as soon as Sage's cabin had come into view, Loukas could feel the jitters building up again. He knew this would probably happen, everything up to this moment had been preparation for the date, now he actually had to go on the date. What if she acted funny or different? What if he did something embarrassing? What if it just felt awkward and different? Approaching the cabin now he paused and shook his head, as if to shake out all the negative thoughts. This was Sage, his closest friend, someone he trusted with secrets he’d never shared with anyone else at camp. He might not be able to make it the perfect date, but as long as she was with him that’s all that would matter, and he knew she would feel the same. “It’s just Sage, it’s just Sage, it’s just Sage” he repeated to himself as he walked up the steps and knocked on the door. And it was Sage, as the door opened revealing his date, Sage and…every other girl in the cabin!!!

Loukas was still grinning with excitement at seeing Sage, but boy did his face turn a bright red at unexpectedly seeing every other half-sibling she had also! “Umm hi Sage! And uh…hi Sage’s sisters?” Wow, Samantha could look really scary when she wanted to, he thought as he felt the older girl’s stare bore into him. Breathing a sigh of relief as Sage shooed off the crowd of onlookers and apologized. “It’s ok” he laughed “And thanks, you look really nice too.” Now that her sisters had left (or maybe it was just that Samantha wasn’t staring at him anymore) Loukas was able to actually see Sage. Watching her stand there for a second he felt all the nerves wash away, she really was stunning. “Yes I am, I’m excited to spend time with you. May I take your hand? We just have to cut through the woods there, it won’t be a long walk” he promised, holding out his hand.

Loukas could feel his confidence growing from his older half-brother's praise. He had originally been very hesitant in even asking for the training in the first place. A mix of feeling uncomfortable with his powers and uncertainty if he would even be able to pick it up. It had been Sage’s constant persistence that had finally worn him down. Now though he was glad she had, for the first time he felt less a stranger to the other Hecate kids. He was beginning to understand now that the mist wasn’t something to be feared or confused by, it was a gift and a power that few possessed. Not only that but apparently a power he had a knack for. With this newfound confidence Loukas observed Shadow's next lesson intently.

Watching the rose petal appear in his hand he still couldn’t help but be a little shocked to see it come from nothing. “Copy the rose petal” he repeated. Shadow was right, being able to see what he had to create felt easier than trying to picture it in his mind. “Like sketching over a drawing” he said softly to himself. He let his gaze fall over the petal, looking at its color, the texture, the way it curved, every detail he could notice. Once he felt like he’d couldn’t take in anymore he shifted his gaze to Shadow's outstretched hand. Tapping into “the feeling” which he now guessed must be his connection to the mist he copied the rose petal. Slowly at first, but then faster as he got the outlines done, it appeared. “Wow, that is a lot easier than memory!” he proclaimed, it wasn’t a perfect copy, but it was a rose petal and much more solid than his previous attempt at a whole flower. “Did I do that right? What’s next?” he asked excitedly.

Loukas was pacing back and forth in a clearing next to the lake, he had made sure to show up a half hour early in order to set everything up. That was done now and he still had a few minutes to spare before he needed to pick her up. It wasn’t that he was nervous, well maybe he was a little nervous, he really wanted today to feel special and not like it was just another outing between friends. That’s why he had planned this picnic by the lake, picking out all of Sage's favorite foods that he could remember and bringing them out here at a location that was just far enough away to offer them some privacy. Being that it was Autumn it was just cold enough for warmer clothes without being too cold for an outdoor event so Loukas had picked out a black sweater and a nice pair of jeans. Between his choice of clothing and his pacing he didn’t even feel the cold.

As he walked back towards the cabins his thoughts turned back to the events of the last twenty four hours. He had always been a night owl but he had been too excited to even sleep a wink last night after Sage had agreed to this date. He still felt like he needed to pinch himself that any of this was even real. Yawning, he shook his head to wake himself. Between not sleeping and just not being a morning person in general it had been a rough day for staying awake. It was all worth it though as he needed the time to put this all together. Loukas laughed to himself, his feelings for Sage must be real if he was willing to spend his morning getting ready instead of sleeping. Plus he couldn't wait to surprise her with something secret he'd been working on. Well, nervous or not he was as ready as he’d ever be as he walked up to her cabin door and knocked.

“Two nights? Deal! I’ll see you there and you better bring your A game ok?” the boy grinned, he enjoyed a good friendly challenge and this girl seemed alright now that he’d gotten to know her a little. Even if he lost it would still be a good race as he felt she could really push him to his absolute limits, but if he won? Oh boy that would be funny to see her reaction as she struck him as the kind of person who hated to lose at anything. He really couldn't see any downsides to this arrangement.

“Oh right! Sorry I guess I did forget to tell you my name, it’s Loukas. I mean I guess you could always just shout out ‘Hey Hecate kid!’ but now you have options.” He joked, feeling a little silly at forgetting to introduce himself. “Well, I don’t think I’ll be getting much more out of this night and you certainly seemed to get your exercise in chasing me. Shall we walk back to camp together?”

And for the first time since arriving at camp Loukas didn’t walk back from his midnight excursions alone. Having made his first friend here he allowed himself some respite, maybe this camp thing wouldn’t be so bad afterall?

Loukas couldn't stop the goofy grin that spread over his face as the girl he'd just admitted feelings for revealed that she had them too. Yet another firework went off, illuminating the girl that had been there for him through many difficult challenges at camp. The girl who made him feel like he could not only survive the experience, but thrive in it. Sage had always pushed him to believe in himself and not allow his broken past to define him. As he pondered these things it felt only natural that he should want to bind his fate with hers because at the end of the day, life was just better with her in it.

Now then, where and what would they do?? It had to be something special, something more than any old normal activity they'd do together as friends. Despite any nerves at having to think on the spot Loukas was able to quickly put a plan together. "I'll pick you up at your cabin, say...around lunch time? I've got the perfect place in mind to take you. It'll be outside so dress accordingly. For now though, let's enjoy the end of the show." With that, he drew closer to her, holding her hand and staring up into the night sky. And for the first time since he'd arrived at camp, Loukas felt truly content.

While Shadow was well past the need for books, they were all Loukas had up until this point. He’d read how important posture could be for this sort of skill and how it could make or break its success. As Shadow had pointed out though, reading about it was a poor substitute for actually getting to watch someone do it. This was just the opportunity Loukas needed as all his own attempts had been unsatisfactory; probably because of poor posture he mused. Now he had the chance to observe in person so he did his best to study and memorize everything Shadow did. Astonished, he saw him materialize the rose from nothing.

A mix of excitement and nerves filled the boy when he realized it was now his turn to try this. He quickly stood in a similar stance as he saw Shadow had done. He wasn’t sure if that part was important or not but he wasn’t going to leave anything to chance. Taking in a slow deep breath he concentrated on the mist. Allowing his mind to be guided by the same voice/feeling that had first told him the bonfire wasn’t real. Letting the breath go he focussed on the form of the flower he wanted to create, a sunflower. Sage’s favorite and one that was easy for him to let his mind settle on.

Opening his eyes, he didn’t even know he had closed them at first, he saw the shape of the flower twist and take form until it was complete. Well, somewhat complete, he wasn’t Shadow and the flower he’d made still had a wispy look about it, as if it wasn’t fully solid and could be blown away by the wind. It was, however, much better than anything he had tried making before and he couldn’t help but grin in excitement. “Look!” he proclaimed. ”I did it!”