The Heir Chronicles Omnibus by Cinda Williams Chima

Author:Cinda Williams Chima
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Romance, Fables, Legends, Action & Adventure, Science Fiction, Juvenile Fiction, Fantasy & Magic, General, Myths, Fantasy, Young Adult, Fiction - Young Adult, Adventure, Fiction
ISBN: 9781423125945
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Published: 2014-02-28T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Thirteen

A Picnic on the River

Seph saw no more of Leander Hastings, reinforcing his belief that the wizard had no particular interest in him. The next day was Thursday, Madison’s day off; the day of the picnic. She said she knew of a good place, and she was the one with the car. She suggested he bring his swimming gear, so he assumed it would be somewhere up on the lake.

The house had emptied out early. Jack had gone to play soccer with Will and Harmon, trying to beat the heat of the day. Becka was in court, and Linda was actually out looking at real estate.

Seph was just loading the cooler when Madison tapped on the screen door. “Come on in,” he said. “I’m just about ready.”

She wore a green tie-dyed sundress over her bathing suit, a wide-brimmed hat, and sandals. Her glittering hair was partly braided and beaded, partly hanging free, like rivulets down her back.

“This is a great neighborhood,” she said. “I’d like to paint this entire street. It’s like a whole shelf of wedding cakes, each fancier than the last.” She looked around the kitchen, at Seph’s bags and parcels. “Who else did you invite?” she asked in amazement.

She helped him carry it all out to her old pickup. They loaded the food into the back, under a tarp.

“Do you come from a big family, that you live in such a big house?” she asked.

He shook his head, sliding into the passenger side and buckling his seat belt. “There’s just me. Like I told you, that’s Becka’s house. I’m staying here for the summer, at least.”

She turned left on Jefferson, toward downtown, ramming up through the manual gears. Seph liked that she drove stick shift. “What are you, a senior?” she asked.

He nodded. “Will be. What about you?”

“I’ll be a senior, too. But I’m going to be taking classes at Trinity in the fall. At the Art Institute.” She ducked her head away as she said it, as if he might question her right to be there.

“Wow. Congratulations. I hear it’s hard to get in. But how do you take classes at the college if you’re still in high school?”

“I’ll be there as a post-secondary student. Here in Ohio, you can take college classes for free while you’re still in high school. The school district pays for it.” Madison’s cheeks went pink as she warmed to her subject. “My art teacher at Coal Grove High School set it up. She said I’d really improve with the right teacher, and I can get col-lege credit without having to pay for it. I’m going to be living with my cousin and working at the inn, so . . .” She shrugged self-consciously, and Seph realized she must be nervous about fitting in as a high school student at an elite private school like Trinity College.

“Becka teaches English lit at Trinity. I’ve sat in on a few of her lectures. The students seem really laid back. I bet you’ll like it there.

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