Awaken (13 page)

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Fire consumed Meghan’s surroundings. Orange and crimson flames burnt the trees, the ground, the sky, and an approaching figure. She gasped, horrified as the flames edged closer to her own body. She tried to move but was frozen, unable to move away from the approaching fire.

Meghan screamed as the first of the flames touched her skin. This time, unlike her nightmare, she felt the fire burn her. She tried to push her body away from the flames, but still could not move.

“Get it off me!” she yelled. “Get it off!” The flames licked at her legs, spreading to her arms, and then to her head. The heat burned at her throat cutting off her air and she gasped for breath. She wished desperately to pass out, or even to die.

“Why haven’t I died?” she wondered. “It cannot take this long to burn to death!”

Meghan left the thought behind as a new wave of pain overwhelmed her. The burning figure had touched her.

Each touch of the figure’s hands left the sensation of a sharp knife cutting into her already burning skin.

She let herself fall to the ground, wishing for it to end, even if that meant death.

Colin, desperate for help, opened the Magicante, hoping it would take them home as before, but this time the voice had an unwelcome response.

“I am truly sorry boy, but you are on your own this time.

You have another way.”

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Colin did not understand. What did the book mean by another way?

“Colin,” mumbled Meghan.

“I’m right here. Hang on,” he told her, furiously thinking of how he would get her home. In his haste, his hand brushed against her forehead.

“Ouch!” he yelled, yanking it away. Meghan’s skin was a hot as a skillet. “She shouldn’t even be alive,” he said aloud. He had never heard of a fever like this before.

Colin pleaded with Magicante.

“I don’t understand what you mean by another way.”

“I am not without compassion, boy,” replied the book.

“But you have little time to prepare. You must do this on your own!”

Colin stared at his moaning sister, blocking her thoughts so he could think.

“What’s my other way?” he asked himself. He had no idea what the Magicante wanted him to do.

Meghan wanted to sink into the fiery ground around her. Somehow, though, through the pain and fear, a strange thought popped into her mind. Am I really on fire? Flames had spread across her body, but underneath them, her skin was still there. There was no smell of burning flesh. The fire felt a though it were burning from the inside.

“Boiling blood,” she whispered aloud in her delirium.

She laughed hysterically.

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Colin heard her and decided that one way or another, he had to get her home, fast! He took hold of Meghan, trying to lift her off the ground to see if she could stand. An agonizing scream tore at his eardrums and he let her sink back down to the ground, dropping her.

“She’s dying,” he thought, horrifically. “And I can’t stop it!”

Meghan heard a muffled voice echoing snidely through the flames, and recognized it as the voice from the Magicante.

“You can stop the pain faster if you would just let Colin help you already!”

Realizing that the figure had to be Colin, she did not stop him when he attempted to come near her again. She was afraid, though, that she might burn him if he touched her. She focused all her remaining energy on seeking out his thoughts.

“Meghan, can you hear me,” he kept repeating. “I do not want to hurt you, but I have to get you home, okay.” She could not answer but managed to nod her head that she had heard him. She then lost his thoughts and her own returned. The pain, if possible, intensified. She could not help but scream.

Colin held the now useless Magicante under one arm and grasped Meghan with the other. He closed his eyes tightly and wished desperately to understand what the book meant by another way. Meghan’s breath started coming in gasps.

“I just want to go home!” he bellowed hopelessly.

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As soon as he had said it, the ground began to whirl beneath him. He gasped, grasping Meghan tighter. She screamed louder. Her mind opened up and he could no longer block her thoughts from penetrating his mind. He was overwrought with pain and anguish and screamed along with her. For a brief moment, he could feel exactly what she could feel.

A moment later, they were inside their uncle’s trailer.

His thoughts of, “How the heck did I do that?” vanished instantly, replaced by the need to help his sister. He gently laid her on the couch, grabbing a glass of cold water. She knocked it from his hand when he tried to get her to drink it.

Familiar voices echoed in the distance. He sprinted out of the trailer in one long step, at the same time wailing,

“Uncle Arnon!” The distress in his voice caused his uncle to drop the packages he carried, and dash toward Colin.

“What is it?” Arnon pleaded, taking hold of his shoulders.

“Meghan. She’s having some kind of fit, and she’s burning up.”

Arnon ran to the trailer followed with Kay Jendaya’s petite frame at his heals.

“You all stay here,” she ordered as they disappeared inside.

Colin collapsed to the ground. He could not recall ever feeling this tired, or, more relieved to have a grown up around.

“Help him up, boys,” instructed Milo. Sebastien and Jae took one arm each, and helped him stand.

“What happened?” asked Sebastien, his voice trembling.

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“I have no idea.” He did not wish to explain what had truly occurred, at least, not with Sebastien’s father around.

“This might take awhile,” said Milo. “Why don’t we all go back to our camper, and I will make us something to eat.” Milo tried to smile, but after the horrified look on Colin’s face, the last thing any of them wanted was food.

Colin wanted to go back into the trailer, but he let the others lead him the other way. On the walk to the Jendaya camp, they attempted to make themselves feel more confident about Meghan’s condition.

“She probably just has a bad case of the flu,” suggested Jae. “My aunt did once, had a real high fever and hallucinated like crazy, but she was fine after.”

“She can’t possibly be sick on your thirteenth birthdays,” reminded Sebastien. “She has been waiting for this one forever. I bet you by tomorrow morning she’s good as new.”

Hours went by without a word. Evening became night, and Jae disappeared at one point, saying he needed to go home and let his parents know where he was. He returned about thirty minutes later, looking more worried than ever. It also put the boys in a situation they had hoped to avoid, a conversation with adults about Jae.

“So what do your parents do, Jae?” asked Milo a few minutes later.

“Teachers,” he answered without hesitation. “They travel around helping students having difficulties, keeps‘em real busy.”

Colin and Sebastien took noticeably deeper breaths, and tried to get back to the topic of Meghan before Sebastien’s father could question Jae further.

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“Should we go and check on them, maybe they need help?” asked Colin, unsure of how much longer he could sit and wait for news of his sister. The others agreed, but Milo said he thought it best for them to wait, and continued monotonously stoking the fire.

As the night crept on, the chill of the air forced them closer to the fire. Sebastien excused himself after awhile, disappearing into the camper. Upon returning, he brought along some tonics. Colin noted that his face was ashen as he handed them out.

Finally, shortly after midnight, tired footsteps faintly headed in their direction; they each stood and breathlessly waited for a shadow to emerge from the darkness. It was Arnon. Colin was the first to bombard him, followed by the rest.

“How is she? What happened? Is she all right now?” Arnon sat down, wearing exhaustion on his face. He raised his hand for them all to sit.

“She will be all right.” Everyone sighed in relief. “But…” he continued, pausing as they inhaled, waiting with baited breath. “It may take some time.”

They exhaled again.

“How long?” asked Colin.

“A week, maybe longer,” he replied, adding, “We’ll have to postpone the birthday party.”

“Of course,” Colin said expectantly.

Sebastien braved the next question.

“So what is wrong with her?”

“We had a local doctor come by. She picked up some kind of fever, but on the good side, it is not contagious in any way.”

“Well that is something at least,” said Milo.

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“Kay is going to sleep with Meghan tonight. I hope that is okay.”

“Yes, of course it is perfectly fine. We can all crash here tonight, give Meghan some space to recover,” declared Sebastien’s father. “Jae, you are welcome to stay if it suits you.”

“Actually, I think I will go home and come back first thing tomorrow.”

Colin and Sebastien escorted him to the dirt roadway.

“Are you sure you don’t want to stay?” asked Sebastien.

“There is plenty of room.”

“I might be able to see if anything happens from my wagon. I will keep watch and report to you guys if I see anything.”

Colin was jealous and at the same time, glad that Jae would do this.

“Is there anything… magical you could do for her?” he asked, not sounding hopeful.

“No, I am afraid I do not know much about healing, other than cuts and bruises. I am more apt to make it worse. When I disappeared earlier I did try to get a closer look, but I did not see much.”

Both Colin and Sebastien watched as Jae evaporated into the night, to where his pretend parents were supposed to be camped, jealous that shortly, he would be closer to Meghan.

“He wouldn’t actually try anything that would make her worse, would he?”

“No. I think he just feels bad for her,” said Colin.

“If something does happen for the worse, he will come back faster than my mom or your uncle would,” decided Sebastien.

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They headed into the trailer and Colin crawled into the bottom bunk below Sebastien, but sleep would not come.

His thoughts strayed to the magic that had somehow gotten them home. The book had probably helped in the end, he told himself. He could not have performed magic all on his own. It simply was not possible.

Meghan did not understand how she was not burning everything her body touched. The flames, which still licked every inch of her skin, did not burn anything, including her own body. Even though the pain was unbearable, this understanding somehow calmed her. She was in pain, but maybe if this ended she would not have any permanent damage done to her body. It was also a relief that she would not hurt anyone else.

A new wave of heat swept through her body, and although her thoughts were more clear, in the fact that she was not actually on fire, her body still felt as though she were burning alive. She let out a moan and then started to panic when she lost her breath. Her body seized and she started thrashing so violently that she nearly fell off the sofa.

A tall figure came closer, followed by another. Cold, wet hands pressed on her face and for a moment, she could see the face of Kay Jendaya starting down at her. She heard desperate voices around her, whispering words she could not understand. Finally, Meghan could stand the pain no more and lost all strength, falling into unconsciousness.

The searing pain that penetrated her body dissolved into weightless content. She slept. Throughout her sleep, distant voices echoed frantically, but still, she could not 119

understand them. Then, abruptly as it left, the pain came slicing back into her mind, tearing her from her peaceful slumber.

Meghan’s body jolted upward. She took deep, painful breaths. Her eyes focused just long enough to see the face of a stranger kneeling beside her. This stranger placed her hand on Meghan’s chest and gently pushed her back down onto her back.

She heard the strange woman speak things she could not understand and the pain disappeared again. This time, Meghan did not descend completely into unconsciousness.

But exhaustion prohibited her from doing anything but keep still and listen to the voices surrounding her.

In the trailer, Uncle Arnon, Kay Jendaya and Kanda Macawi watched over Meghan. Minutes later, there was a faint knock at the door. Arnon nodded toward Kay and Kanda, knowing who it was.

“Ameila,” he said opening the door. “Please come in.” She entered and immediately took hold of his hand.

“Hello, Arnon. It is good to see you. Although, I wish it were under better circumstances.”

“This situation is most unexpected,” he said.

“Indeed,” she answered, looking down at Meghan.

“She’s a Firemancer,” whispered Kanda Macawi. “I have never seen the change take place in such a violent manner.”

“Is there nothing more we can do for her?” begged Arnon, his voice hollow.

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“I have every person capable researching now,” insisted Amelia. “I am so sorry, Arnon. As you said, this is a most unexpected turn of events.”

“On the bright side, if there is one to this cruel torture,” continued the woman named Amelia, “is that this just might be the clue we have been looking for all these years.

As you know, we already have our theories as to their father’s identity, which is why they have been in hiding.

However, Firemancy is not a common gift and always stays within family bloodlines. We are closer than ever to discovering who the twins’ mother really is.”

“Have you considered that she might be the twins’

mother,” whispered Kay.

There was a long silence before Amelia answered.

“We have had that very thought cross our minds,” she sighed. “How that possibility could be true, though, is still undetermined. There are only three known Firemancy bloodlines. One of those bloodlines we can count out, as we are already familiar with their history.”

“If it is somehow possible that she is their mother, what then?” asked Kanda.

“For now, nothing. Destiny has awakened their powers and their fate is already in motion. Of course, had we any inkling that Meghan was descended from a seer’s bloodline, especially Firemancy, I do not know that we would have chosen to bind their powers when they were infants. Torture like this is certainly not what we intended for these youngsters once they encountered their destiny.