White Tiger

everybody happy with this solution?’ Mr Chen said.
    Both Leo and I nodded.
    ‘Good.’ Mr Chen placed his hands firmly on the table. ‘I will ensure that Simone is trained in the required skills before September. Emma, talk to the headmistress about getting a parking space for us. I think this will work out rather well.’
    As I returned to my room I heard a most satisfying squawk. Leo had discovered that I’d made all the colours on his computer fluorescent greens and pinks, with a photo of myself for wallpaper. He’d have to ask me how to change it back, or wait until Gold turned up. I was the only one in the household apart from Gold who knew how to change the colours. Yes!
    ‘No, Emma, look,’ Mr Chen said patiently. ‘Don’t be intimidated by my size. That has nothing to do with it. Use my size against me. Again.’
    I tried again. I failed. I brushed my hair out of my eyes, then tied it back. He tied his hair back as well. We had been struggling with this for twenty minutes and I still couldn’t do it.
    ‘It’s just not possible, Mr Chen,’ I said, exasperated. ‘You’re huge. There’s no way I could throw you like that.’
    ‘Once you master the skill you will be able to throw Leo,’ Mr Chen said. ‘You will be able to throw me in Celestial Form.’
    I stopped dead. ‘Was that what we saw on the plane?’
    He looked piercingly at me. ‘You saw that?’
    ‘Simone wanted to go to you. She nearly got away from me—I grabbed her just in time. She can be really strong when she wants to be, Mr Chen.’ I smiled and shrugged an apology. ‘Sorry about that. I did manage to stop her though.’
    ‘I’m sorry if I frightened you, Emma,’ he said. ‘I know that my Celestial Form scares Simone.’
    I grinned up at him. I couldn’t believe him sometimes. I shoved him on the arm, ribbing. ‘Hey, you were really cute. The big black face is really attractive.’
    He smiled gently down at me, amused. ‘You weren’t frightened?’
    ‘No, of course not,’ I said. ‘I know it’s you. What’s to be frightened of?’ This was a good opportunity to ask. ‘That wasn’t your True Form?’
    ‘No,’ he said. ‘That was more like,’ he paused, thinking, ‘a working form. When I’m on the job, it’s easier to manipulate the weather, fight demons, workwith energy, things like that, when I’m in that form. Does that make sense?’
    ‘Perfect sense. So I could throw you when you’re that big?’ The Celestial Form must have been more than ten feet tall.
    ‘Of course. Once you get over this idea that I’m too big to throw. I’m not, Emma. You can do it. Try again.’
    ‘If I do it right,’ I said, ‘will you let me try to throw the Celestial Form?’
    His face went expressionless.
    ‘Oh, too much of a drain on your energy. Sorry.’
    ‘It’s a deal.’ He bent to whisper to me. ‘Just don’t tell Leo. ’
    I bent towards him as well. ‘Don’t worry, I won’t.’ Our faces were very close. ‘I’d be in just as much trouble as you would.’
    He nodded and rose. ‘Okay.’ He reached out and stroked my shoulder affectionately. ‘Now you have some real motivation, let’s see you do it, Miss Donahoe.’
    I grabbed his hand where it lay on my shoulder, pushed, twisted, put my own shoulder into him and threw him onto his back.
    He stared up at me from the floor. ‘You vixen ! You knew how to do that all along.’
    I bent over him and smiled down. ‘No, I didn’t, I swear. But the idea of having a go at throwing you when you’re that big was too much of a challenge to ignore.’
    He chuckled and shook his head with amusement. I put my hand out to help him up, and he took it, still laughing quietly. I pulled him up hard, he was big. But I didn’t realise how strong the training had made me and I jerked him straight into me.
    We both froze. He was pressed hard against me. He didn’t move away. His face went expressionless as he gazed down at me.
    He brushed a stray lock of hair from my face, then dropped his hand onto my shoulder. My heart leapt into my throat.
    I put my arms around his waist. I pushed closer into him. He didn’t move away.
    ‘I suppose I have to transform now so you can have another go at me.’ He moved his hand from my shoulder to my back. His other hand moved to my back as well and pulled me into him.
    I looked up into his glowing dark eyes. ‘Later,’ I whispered. ‘Let’s just stay like this for a while.’
    I put one hand up behind his neck to pull