Extraordinary (17 page)

Yep, I hate her.

“Hello,” I said in the most self-assured voice I could muster. Taking her hand, I shook it like she was interviewing me for a job. Glancing over at Tristan, I saw that he was looking at me not her.

I win.

“Riley was one of my students,” James said. “She comes by to use my books sometimes.”

“I’m going to show them upstairs,” James said to Riley.

“I’ll finish up then I’ll be out of your hair,” she responded. “It was so nice to meet you all.”

Good. Bye.

We all nodded and smiled back at her. Tristan playfully slapped her on the back of her shoulder. Riley responded with a jab directed at his stomach but Tristan slid back before her fist could make contact. The two of them laughed at their little exchange and then Riley disappeared through the doors she’d come in.

I once again became consumed with envy. It was clear they had known one another for some time. I imagined Riley to be more Tristan’s type than I was. Plus, she could live in Haliwick without impending death hanging over her. I could not compare.

When did I become so insecure?

James led us up the grand staircase to our right. He moved as if the toll of his years had exhausted him completely. The cane in his left hand looked to be as worn as he was, so Tristan offered him a supportive arm during our climb up the enormous staircase.

The house smelled of leather and cinnamon. An odd combination that was pleasant nonetheless. My fingertips trailed along the ornate railing, sliding smoothly across the wood, dipping into slight grooves carved intermittently along the way.

Tristan entered the first room we arrived at, while James stood in the doorway welcoming us into another portion of his immense home with a friendly smile and an outstretched hand.

“This is my Rachel’s room,” James said. “I haven’t changed a thing.”

The massive room was the opposite of the brawny browns I had seen thus far; instead it was full of color and life despite its dormancy. Large orange and pink paper flowers were hung sporadically on each wall. In the center of the room sat a bed big enough for six people to sleep comfortably in. Its four white posts reached toward the ceiling while the white comforter remained perfectly tucked and folded awaiting Mom’s arrival.

“Please look around,” James said. “I can’t believe you all are here. This is just so unexpected!”

“Imagine how we feel,” Blaze mumbled.

“I wish your grandmother were alive to see you,” James said. “Elaine would have loved to meet you all.”

Sadie burst into the room like she was on a shopping spree; prancing throughout, touching everything she passed. My mother’s desk rested unassumingly to the right of the door, so I chose that as my place of investigation. Her homework papers were tucked into folders labeled for their respective subject and her colorful array of ink pens all congregated together in a clear glass that she’d used as a makeshift pencil holder. The desk faced a wall that was adorned with plaques, medals, and certificates highlighting her numerous academic and humanitarian achievements.

“Mom was quite the overachiever I see,” I said to James.

“Rachel was good at everything and had the biggest heart I’ve ever seen. How is she doing?”

I felt Tristan’s hands on either side of my neck and shoulders. My eyes grew heavy and my body, as if having a mind of its own, leaned into him. I was dangerously close to becoming complete mush.

“It’s okay,” he whispered.

His words seeped into my ear, informing me to find composure.

It had been a roller coaster ride of emotions since we dropped from the sky yesterday. Now I had to tell the poor man that his daughter was dead. I prayed for a significant light, and life, at the end of this tunnel because the in-between was grueling.

“I’m not sure how to say this…I don’t know the best…Mom passed away three months ago.”

I looked to my siblings for assistance, but they remained silent. Tristan’s hands on my shoulder were my only stability.

James stared at the floor while fiddling with the end of his tattered cane.

“Once she left this world twenty-one years ago it meant cutting all ties of communication,” James finally said. “She wasn’t much older than you, Alex, when she left. I couldn’t see her or her life or the choices she made. I could only hope we taught her well. At least now I know and I know that she made you three so I consider that a successful life.”

“Seems like there would have been a way to check on her,” Sadie said. “I mean, if you got her there couldn’t you have peeked in every now and then?”

“I’m afraid not,” he said. “Once she was gone, that was it. It is dangerous to tinker with realm barriers. It could endanger many lives.”

“Tell that to Katerina,” Blaze murmured.

“I don’t understand why she would be agree to disappearing,” I said. “How could she go knowing it meant leaving her family behind?”

The curved end of his cane once again stole James’ attention. James' train of thought derailed almost as much as mine. I figured I must have inherited that from him.

“Sir,” Blaze said, almost shouting. “It is a pleasure to meet you first of all. We have had an unusual week and were hoping you might be able to explain some things for us.”

Blaze’s words were so courteous and kind that if I were not looking at him I might have thought someone else was speaking.

“I’m not as strong as I once was but my mind is still sharp as a tack,” James said with a proud grin. “I saw you coming, you know. Well I did not know it was you but I knew it was someone so I sent Tristan. He helps me from time to time.”

“Oh, more than time to time old man,” Tristan said, patting James on the shoulder just as he had Riley. However, I did not find this particular exchange maddening.

I cared for them both a great deal already. The realization tied my stomach in several more knots.

“Let’s go to the study,” James said to Tristan. “I think I need my texts for this.”

Sadie and Blaze followed Tristan into the hallway. Their chatter ricocheted off the fifteen-foot walls and echoed down the long corridor. Before I could join them, James placed a simple silver banded ring in the palm of my hand.

“She loved this ring,” he whispered. “She would want you to have it.”

With a wink of his eye, he started off to the direction of the others, leaving me gazing down at the ring, willing my tears to stay back.

All four walls of James’ study were packed with book after book; there must have been thousands. My knee banged into the corner of the iron coffee table as I shakily tried to join Sadie on the couch. Fearing that I may injure myself further I instead chose the nearest article of furniture, which happened to be a rather large ottoman.

When Tristan nonchalantly strolled over to the chair directly behind me, a rush of exhilaration ran through me.

Crush harder, Alex.

“Did you have a vision?” I blurted, pulling myself back to reality. “Was that what you meant by you saw us coming?”

“I guess you could say that,” James answered.

“Did you see how we got here?” Sadie asked.

“It’s not difficult to reason that Katerina had everything to do with it,” he said. “Vision or not, Katerina’s need for vengeance and love of evil makes her the likely culprit.”

“Why is she after us?” Blaze asked. “We know she hated our, um, mother, but what’s her deal?”

“That is a complicated story,” James said. “Rachel was a wonder, beautiful inside and out and a favorite of most people. Katerina, whom you’ve met obviously, became jealous and soon her jealousies lead her to darkness. After Katerina’s parents were killed during a spell mishap, Katerina became withdrawn, obsessed, and her power grew. But her power was rooted in evil.”

“Why did she target Mom?” I asked. “It has to be more than simple jealousy.”

“I’m afraid not,” James said. “Katerina envied your mother’s life. When hers was tragically altered, Rachel became Katerina’s focus. The more Rachel tried to ease the tension and even befriend her, the more Katerina resisted. Rachel cast a spell that would stop Katerina from growing more powerful. The only way to protect her afterwards was to arrange for Rachel to leave Haliwick.”

“Why not just stop Katerina?” Blaze asked. “You are a powerful people, wouldn’t it have been easier to just stop her?”

“Our powers are not meant to be used for death or evil. Rachel risked her life to cast that spell. Katerina can never be any more powerful than she was when the spell was cast. Without Rachel here, Katerina could do nothing to alter it.”

“If someone casts a spell on another person they are connected,” Tristan clarified. “That’s how Katerina hoped to find your mother but without her magic she was untraceable.”

Mom was untraceable but we weren’t. A perfectly made plan that was successful for over twenty years and we ruined it without trying. My mom was protecting herself and us from Katerina. Even though she couldn’t be tracked, we could.

Years ago our grandparents made an impossible decision to protect their daughter. Years later my mom did the same thing. Granted some may question why my mother chose to have children at all when she knew what that would entail. If James’ words were used to answer that, it would seem that love was the driving force behind all of their decisions.

As far as I was concerned my parents were not selfish, they were brave. Without their tough decisions I would not be with these brilliant, beautiful people sitting next to me. In fact, I would not be at all.

It took a strong individual to make the sacrifices they all were forced to make to protect the most important people in their lives. Any pain my parents’ choice might have placed on us, paled in comparison to the pain they, or my grandparents, must have experienced.

Sacrifice was our family motto.

“That’s why she wants us, isn’t it?” I asked. “We can break the spell.”

“That’s a great possibility,” James said. “Your powers are derived from your mother’s. Since she is gone, you all are her only chance to end the spell.”

“What could she do?” Sadie interrupted. “Our mother—what was her magic power?”

“Rachel was a bit of a hypnotist,” he said with a proud smirk. “She also had a knack for sensing other’s emotions and altering them in a sense. The two powers often worked simultaneously.”

“She couldn’t just hypnotize Katerina?” I asked. “Make her like her?”

“I think that is why Katerina never believed your mother was sincere,” James answered. “With a power like Rachel’s, it can make some people skeptical of their true feelings. Katerina could never accept that your mother deserved the acclaim she received or that Rachel actually wanted to be friends with her.”

“I’m like her,” Sadie whispered.

Each of us redirected our attention to Sadie just as she wiped a single tear from her cheek. I slid to the edge of the ottoman and reached for her hand.

It was one thing to know people exist or existed; it was a completely separate feeling to know that person left a piece of themselves with you. Sadie would never get to meet our mother but she would always have a part of her that was truly special.

Since our new life began, I had felt a great deal of sympathy for Sadie. Blaze and I knew at least one of our biological parents but Sadie did not. Sadie finally had something of her own to cling to, which I imagined relieved a bit of that ache.

“So what do we do now?” Blaze asked. “How do we protect ourselves?”

“How do we get home?” Sadie added.

“The way back is the way here,” James said.

The words might as well have been spoken in Mandarin. James glanced around at the three blank faces glaring at him from all sides. Succumbing to the apparent humor in our clueless expressions, he let out a quick chuckle.

“Katerina brought you here and Katerina must send you back,” he clarified.

“Oh, I’m sure if we ask nicely,” I said.

****

Chapter Thirteen

“The next few hours will be spent in intense concentration,” James exclaimed.

James shuffled to the wall behind him and selected a large book bound in brown leather.

The outside cover spoke of its age and I anxiously awaited to hear the information it held. James revealed that he was a retired schoolteacher, which explained his extensive library and apparent excitement about his “texts.” Though, unlike teachers in our world, James’ specialty was mystical education.

“Have you read all of those books?” Sadie asked.

“Many times,” he said. “Education is the most powerful weapon. My students seemed to enjoy them as well.”

After James had informed us that the way back home was through Katerina, it would be safe to say panic set in. In a town of magical beings, our only option was the evil one.  Just as it was with our mother’s spell, which could not be broken without her—or now us—this spell required Katerina. Her magic had brought us here; her magic would have to send us back.

Once a spell is cast, those people are connected.

According to James there had to be balance or the foundations of their world would crumble. Blaze, naturally, found this abhorrent and voiced his distaste for several minutes. James promised to train us to use our abilities and to provide us with the knowledge needed to succeed in returning home and becoming functioning members of a secret society. He was speaking Blaze's language. Blaze conceded soon after.

“Haliwick exists separately from your world yet is very much a part of it,” James explained. “There is no exact location on a map but our world operates concurrently to yours. The sun rises and sets, the seasons change, and the weather varies from day to day. Although, usually the sun is shining and rain only occurs when needed.

“Just as with your world, the story of creation involves taking a lot on faith. The simple presence of Earth and the universe is too complex to be fully rationalized. Haliwick is no different. We have our stories and legends and each person has their beliefs, but regardless of what you believe, the fact remains that we all exist.”

I felt like a child sitting at my grandfather’s feet while he told us stories. And then I realized that was exactly what I was doing. It was no longer something seen on television. It was real.

Sadie rested with her knees bent to her chest and her hands and head perched on top of them. Blaze reclined in an aged leather chair, appearing genuinely relaxed for the first time since we arrived in Haliwick. Tristan lingered close behind me, but I did not dare turn to look for fear that my mind would wander off-topic again.

“That’s great,” Blaze said. “But how long until Haliwick kills us?”

“Tristan said we may not be able to survive here long,” I added.

“It’s very difficult to say,” James said. “You kids are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. There’s never been a half-human, half-mystical being before, who can say what that means?”

“We were kind of hoping you could,” I said.

“I think it’s safe to assume that you will weaken as the days progress. With each day, you will become more vulnerable to the atmosphere and your enemies. Your ability to utilize your magic will also decrease so it is important that you learn to control it.”

“How long do we have?” I asked.

“You have about a week before—” James said, unable to complete his sentence.

I almost threw my hands in the air as the roller coaster ride took another dip.

“Well, then I suggest we get started on some type of plan,” Blaze said. “I’m not going to just sit around here chit-chatting and waiting to keel over.”

“I like your fire, son,” James said. “I have spent the better part of my life training others to understand and control their abilities. It’d be an honor to teach all of you.”

“Thank you,” we said, collectively nodding our heads.

James pointed his thumb towards the door like a hitchhiker asking for a ride. Tristan read the signal loud and clear. The two of them walked into the hallway whispering back and forth. Tristan showed his agreement with another playful slap on James’ arm. I smiled watching their exchange until Tristan strolled downstairs and out of sight.

Is she still down there
?

Jealousy began to bubble up. Insecurity seeped back in through cracks it had discovered the last time it visited me. I wasn’t sure how to handle situations such as these. I had a late start to all this absurd teenage relationship drama.

I should have enjoyed this—the wondering, the analyzing, the debating. It should feel like home to me considering I visited the Land of Over-Examination so often I had to rent an apartment there. Only, the opposite was true. I hated this. I felt ridiculous. I did not care for the suspicious, distrusting girl I had suddenly become.

Katerina’s jealousy was what got us into this mess.

I had worked myself into a frenzy over a guy I wouldn’t even admit to having feelings for. If I wanted Tristan to myself I figured I should, at least, ask him before I started pulling hair.

“Each session is personal for that student,” James said. “Each person and their gifts are unique so I will speak with you individually.”

James explained that the key to comprehending our abilities was acceptance and control. According to him, we had spent too much time dwelling on believing in magic when we should have accepted our fate and learned about it.

You know what they say about hindsight
.

Since Sadie and I had progressed more rapidly than Blaze, he took Blaze into a separate room for the first individual lesson.  Sadie and I were instructed to concentrate and practice, which seemed peculiar considering my visions were involuntary and Sadie could not hypnotize me. We decided to try anyway.

The seconds ticked away on the antique grandfather clock in the far corner of the room until the sound became almost unbearable. After an hour of silent “focus” I wanted to break the clock. Sadie’s eyes grew heavy and her usually perfect posture had wilted over her crisscrossed legs.

My thoughts drifted to Tristan and what he was doing. My adoration for him grew with each loud tick of the increasingly annoying clock. Technically, I had only known him for a day but it seemed like years had passed.

A violent boom sent tremors throughout the house. Sadie and I jumped to our feet like we had been electrocuted. Dust sprang from its hiding places on and between every book as they vibrated on their shelves. Sprinklings of plaster rained down on us from the ceiling. Blaze bolted into the room yelling incoherently.

“What w
as that?” I asked. “Where’s James?”

“I did that!” he yelled. “It was me. I can shoot lightning…or something! I don't know what it’s called.”

I never expected to see this side of Blaze. The emotion was pure and unfiltered and for a minute or two, he dropped his guard and reveled in his new discovery. I retracted my previous musing—Blaze could, in fact, appear happy and less intimidating.

“Blaze!” James yelled from down the hall. “We are not finished!”

Blaze ran from the room as hastily as he burst in, leaving us doubled over in laughter and unable to resume our meditative state. Not surprisingly, I welcomed the diversion.

“At least we know James is alive.” I snorted.

“Who knew Blaze could be so animated?” Sadie asked.

Our laughter continued for longer than it should have, probably due to our previous hour of boredom. Slowly but surely the dust settled and our chuckles faded though neither of us appeared to resume our so-called productive meditation. The clock’s maddening tick-tock, however, had pounded its way back into my consciousness.

“Alex, look at me.”

Sadie rested her hand on my shoulder and closed her eyes. Before I could mount a protest explaining how little patience I had for being her guinea pig something shifted within the room, within me. A peaceful aura enveloped Sadie. An invisible serenity surrounded her, and then me. Within seconds, my thoughts cleared and my anxieties vanished.

My love for Tristan no longer confused me. The tick and tock faded to a normal, tolerable volume. Sure, we could die here but at this moment I lacked the tools to panic.

“How did you do this, Sade?”

“I wanted to know if I could, so I just tried.”

“I feel so calm.”

“I have been curious ever since we heard about Mom’s abilities. I focused and I did it! I figured you would be the perfect test subject since you looked like your head was about to explode.”

Sadie’s once rigid posture slouched and the calm was gone.

“Is it just me or does it seem like the more answers we get the more questions we have? It’s siblings and magic, then witches and new worlds, now its tutoring sessions with our grandfather and gorgeous—” I trailed off, realizing my rant was going further than intended.

“Mmm hmm, gorgeous dream guy!”

I narrowed my eyes hoping to intimidate her from continuing. Although I trusted her, I could tell it was in her innocently romantic nature to butt-in.

Blaze entered the room again, this time with less boom and enthusiasm.

“James wants you next, Sadie,” he said.

Sadie skipped to the door and her dance progressed as she moved down the hallway.

“This house is enormous,” I said, closing the door behind her. “I guess teaching pays well in Haliwick.”

“You want to see what I can do?” Blaze asked, obviously not interested in my topic of discussion.

I shot him a thumbs-up. “But don’t tear the house down.”

We met in the center of the room and he extended his hand, palm upward. He stared at it for a moment seemingly trying to collect his confidence.  Then he closed his eyes. Suddenly, his eyes sprung wide open and looked directly at me causing me to flinch. A bluish-white light appeared in his hand.

Holy…Wow!

“I knew your expression would be epic,” he said.

“That is much better than my stupid visions. I take it your session with James was a success.”

“What can I say? The man knows his stuff. Now I can control it and not kill us all.”

“Thank God for small miracles.”

Blaze closed his hand and the light disappeared. There were no remnants of the flame or ashes or burns left behind.

I lay down on the couch and fiddled with the fringe on a throw pillow. Blaze flipped through the large book James had taken from the shelf when our chat began.

Blaze could manifest balls of energy and Sadie could hypnotize and I got too-late visions and useless dreams. As far as magic powers went, I got the short end of the stick.

“Stupid short stick.”

“What?” Blaze asked.

“Nothing. Just being a baby. So what did you and James talk about?”

Blaze’s attention was focused on the novel and he did not hear a word I said. I walked over and tried to grab the book but his grip was strong. A game of tug-o-war ensued. Blaze, barely exerting any effort, held the hardcover firmly between his hands while I pulled from above. My hands slid off the pages and slapped me square in the face.

“Ah,” I said. “That is just so something I would do.”

“I didn’t answer because I can’t tell you,” Blaze said, laughing at me. “It’s secret information.”

“Oh well, ten-four Agent Ryan,” I said with a salute.

I made mocking faces in Blaze’s direction, resisting the urge to rub my throbbing forehead. I noticed several tiny, yet incredibly painful, paper cuts along the inside of my fingers. I was wearing thin with the constant injuries. The universe was out to get me.

“Whoa,” I said. “That was weird.”

“What was?”

“My paper cuts healed.”

“Like your arm—”

“James!” we yelled.

We both pounced across the room. How this managed to slip our minds was astonishing, at least to me. Sadie practically crashed through the door, James following a few seconds later.

“Is it possible for a person to have advanced healing abilities?” I asked.

“It is very possible,” he said. “Why?’

“Because I have it.”

****

Chapter Fourteen

James’ face stayed buried in several books, each similarly aged and voluminous, for the better part of an hour. My revelation had thrown him into a vortex of intellectual investigation.

“Accelerated healing is very unusual. There have only been a few people throughout our history with that ability,” he had announced before his studying began.

Occasionally, James would nod or mumble to himself. Blaze, Sadie, and I sat patiently waiting for him to include us in his findings.