The Rebellious Sister

by Sarah Noffke

  “No reading while you’re sleeping until you’ve rested. You need to dream to rest properly.”

  Liv shot him look of surprise. “I was only joking. Reading while sleeping is a thing?”

  “Reading while sleeping, or exploring, or doing just about anything,” Rory explained. “How do you think that the Great Pyramids got built so fast?”

  “Aliens?” Liv answered tentatively.

  Rory sighed. “For a Seven, you’re sure dumb. I’d expect your education to be more…well, doctrine-oriented.”

  Liv shrugged. “I forgot a lot of it, and my parents did a lot of my teaching, which was sort of organic. It was only the formative years when I was subjected to the strict teachings, which my mother always called ‘subtle brainwashing.’”

  Rory pressed out his large lips, his eyes narrowed. “It sounds like your mother and I would have gotten along.”

  Liv wanted to agree, but the idea that Rory would have enjoyed a conversation with her mother made her throat ache. It almost made her jealous to think that someone else would have had her mother’s attention when she wanted all of it. Pining for someone’s love you couldn’t have was Liv’s curse.

  A knock on Rory’s door startled Liv and she jumped nearly a foot in the air, her reflexes unpredictable due to her exhaustion.

  Standing on the porch was a squatty old woman who had her head covered with a shawl. She had a large wrinkled nose, and hardly any teeth when she smiled. “Sorry to have scared you. I was looking for Rory.”

  The giant came around Liv, nearly pushing her out of the way. “Birdie. I told you I’d come to you.”

  “I know, I know,” the woman said, waving a withered hand at him. “But it’s good for me to get out.”

  Rory handed the woman the leather pouch with a smile. “I understand that. Here you go.”

  “I promise that next month—”

  “Let’s not speak of it,” Rory said, cutting her off and ushering her away.

  Liv watched as he helped the woman down the porch, whispering something in her ear. The giant had to bend in half to reach her.

  “Bye, bye, Rory,” the old woman called when she was to the walkway, waving behind her as she trudged forward.

  “What was that all about?” Liv asked, her arms across her chest.

  Rory shook his head. “It was nothing, and definitely none of your business.”

  “That’s fine. I’ll just catalog it with the rest of your suspicious behavior.”

  Rory halted after ducking into his house. “You shouldn’t waste any of your time doing that. Don’t you have more important things to worry about?”

  Liv yawned. “Yes, namely sleeping. If I get home right now, I can get a few hours of sleep before I go to the House tonight.”

  Rory stared at her for a long moment and then said, “Why are you still standing there? Shouldn’t you have left already?”

  “Yeah, about that. I’m sort of beat. Would you open a portal for me to get home?” Liv asked.

  He shook his head. “Portal magic isn’t a giant’s specialty.”

  “How do y’all get anywhere then?” Liv inquired.

  Rory shot her a defiant look. “We use a different kind of magic, little grasshopper.”

  “Well, can you teleport me or slingshot me or whatever you do to travel long distances?”

  “I can call you a cab,” Rory stated.

  “Oh, so you’re not going to tell me what kind of magic you giants use for traveling?”

  Rory crossed his arms, matching her stance. “There are some things that magicians don’t need to know.”

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  When Liv entered the Chamber of the Tree, there were only three Warriors standing in their places. She thought for a moment that she was strangely early, but then Adler said, “Now that Ms. Beaufont has joined us, we can get started.”

  She took her spot, earning a curious look from the guy next to her. Stefan Ludwig’s jet-black hair contrasted with his porcelain skin. He wore a traveling cloak that was splattered with blood in several places.

  Liv returned his look of curiosity before directing her attention to the Councilors.

  Clark eyed her, probably relieved that she wasn’t covered in mud, although she hadn’t had time to change her jeans and knit top, which were wrinkled from her long nap.

  “Trudy and Stefan, you’ve returned,” Adler said. “Did you successfully contain the unregistered magicians?”

  Stefan’s chin raised slightly. “Three have registered with the House and state that it was only a mistake. The other three tried to flee.”

  “And?” Adler asked, drawing out the word.

  “We were unable to apprehend them alive,” he answered.

  The black crow Liv had noticed on her first visit to the room flew down from an unseen perch, landing in the center of the half-circle on the ground and looking up at the Warrior.

  “Very well,” Adler stated.

  He turned his attention to Liv, his cold eyes scrutinizing her. “And Ms. Beaufont. You’ve returned. That should mean that you properly disposed of the troll in Las Vegas.”

  “I did,” Liv answered at once, her arms clasped behind her back and her ears burning.

  “May I inquire how you took care of the troll?” Haro Takahashi asked, his hands steepled in front of him.

  Liv eyed him, appreciating the intricate patterns on his red, silk robes.

  “Yes, I’m especially curious to know how you defeated it, and so quickly,” Bianca said. “We didn’t expect you back this soon.”

  “Well, apparently the fluke with my magic continues, because I can still create portals,” Liv replied.

  “I do expect that to fade soon,” Adler stated. “But the troll…what did you do with it?”

  Liv opened her mouth to tell the story, but nothing came out. It was probably the pleading look on Clark’s face that kept her from divulging the truth. She tried to come up with a passable lie.

  “I show here that you didn’t attempt a tracking spell?” Hester said, studying her tablet, which detailed the various magics Liv had used recently.

  She shook her head. “No, I decided to use a straightforward approach. I simply asked around on the Strip.”

  “You asked?” Bianca exclaimed with a sudden laugh.

  “Yes, like a detective. I took the Sherlock Holmes approach,” Liv answered.

  Bianca looked at Haro and then Adler. “That would have taken all night.”

  “It took about twenty minutes,” Liv corrected. “You’d be surprised by how many people recognized a large, disgusting troll carrying a club and grunting loudly.”

  Bianca grimaced. “What disgusting beasts.”

  “That was a conservative approach,” Raina said, earning a quick look from her brother beside Liv.

  “I could have used a tracking spell, but I decided not to,” Liv lied.

  “And quite right you were,” Raina said, her tone more sympathetic this time. “I think it was a smart move. Tracking spells cost a lot of energy and can take quite some time to use. It sounds like you found the troll faster than if you had employed magic.”

  “I don’t know about that,” Bianca interjected.

  Raina’s kind expression dropped as she glanced down the table at Bianca, the two exchanging heated stares.

  “How did you deal with the troll?”

  Liv was surprised that it was her brother who asked the question. He looked so different as he peered down at her, not like the boy she remembered.

  “I-I-I…” Liv stuttered, unable to look at him. “I took him to a remote part of the desert.”

  “And then?” Adler asked, leaning forward.

  Liv chewed her lip. This wasn’t going to be so bad. She just had to have confidence. “I left him there.”

  A great commotion erupted from the Councilors. Stefan and Trudy shot her cautious looks. Even the Warrior on the far side of the room, Maria Rosario, was regarding Liv with shock.

 
; “Why would you do that?” Lorenzo asked. “Were you unable to subdue him?”

  “She doesn’t know any combat spells,” Bianca said. “I warned you all this would be a problem for her.”

  “That’s not it,” Liv insisted, taking a step forward and making the crow hop back a foot. “The troll wasn’t hurting anyone. He was just a dumb troll.”

  Adler rubbed his temple, his eyes narrowed. “Ms. Beaufont, you were supposed to dispose of the troll, not take him through a portal to some place in the desert where he’ll continue to be a problem.”

  “But that’s just it,” Liv said, her voice growing louder. “He wasn’t a problem. He was lost and confused.”

  Bianca laughed. “He’s a troll. They are born that way, and they die that way.”

  Liv ground her teeth, shoving all her hostile emotions into the “box” before they got the best of her. She felt her power come back to her when her emotions were in check.

  “The troll may not have spoken English, but he understood me when I told him I was there to help,” Liv stated. “He likes the desert, and now he’s away from mortals and not bothering anyone. I don’t see what the issue is.”

  “The issue,” Adler said, seeming to try to quell his own anger, “is that you were told to dispose of the troll. That was an order, not something up for negotiation.”

  “Why kill him? Because he’s a troll who got lost and stumbled into mortal territory?” Liv asked.

  Every single one of the Councilors nodded at her.

  “No!” she yelled, making the crow jump again. “He wasn’t doing anything wrong. I watched him. He didn’t harm a single person, and they all thought he was a part of some show. Even when the tourists taunted him, he didn’t act out. He just looked around to try to figure out where he was.”

  “It’s about enforcing the law, which is what your role as a Warrior is supposed to be,” Adler argued.

  Liv crossed her arms over her chest and regarded the Councilors with a pointed stare.

  “So I’m just supposed to follow the law, even if it’s dumb and makes no sense?” Liv looked at the other Warriors. “Is that what you all do? Do you just dispose of people blindly without questioning whether they are guilty of a crime or not?”

  Trudy shook her head at once, but Stefan and Maria seemed unwilling to engage, keeping their eyes focused forward.

  “Is enforcing the law going to continue to be a problem for you, Ms. Beaufont?” Haro asked, his tone not punishing, but rather curious.

  “It depends,” Liv began, earning a frustrated look from Clark. “Are the laws going to operate without concern for actual justice? What’s the point in upholding the law if we throw out our concerns for how empathetic justice works? It sounds like you all have blind laws that state that if a creature violates a rule, they are punished without regard to circumstance. Not everything in life is black and white. Sometimes people break laws for perfectly good reasons, or by mistake. Like, how do you know that those magicians in Bali were entirely at fault? Maybe they didn’t know any better, and were scared and reacted out of self-preservation? What if—”

  “Enough!” Adler yelled, cutting Liv off.

  The Chamber fell silent ,except for the sound of the crow pecking at the ground as if it were trying to loosen one of the tiles.

  “Ms. Beaufont,” Adler began slowly, “it is the council’s prerogative to assign cases as we see fit. We determine the law, and your job is to enforce it.”

  “But sometimes when you’re in the field—”

  Adler held up his hand, halting her. “The law is the law, regardless of the situation. It is our responsibility to bring objectivity, which is why we review and assign cases. Your judgment is too clouded when you’re in the field. If every Warrior got to handle each case as they felt they should, where would the line be?”

  “The line is drawn around justice,” Liv argued. “It doesn’t have to be difficult if one can think for themselves.”

  This caused an uproar from the Councilors, but the Warriors stayed completely still.

  “That’s quite enough!” Adler yelled, making his contemporaries quiet down. He stared coldly at Liv. “You are to return to where you left the troll and dispose of him as you were ordered. The creature violated our agreement, and the punishment is clear and non-negotiable. Besides, we can’t leave him out there where he can commit the offense a second time. There’s being understanding, and then there’s being careless.” Adler looked down the bench both directions. “Do all Councilors agree?”

  There was a collective yes from the group, although a few of them, including Clark, didn’t appear as adamant as others.

  “Very well,” Adler stated victoriously. “You will dispose of the troll and give us a full report tomorrow. Is that clear?”

  Liv realized then that she needed to get a whole lot better at lying.

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  When John showed up to the shop the next day, Liv was already working on her second breakfast. She didn’t have any graceful way of eating the giant cinnamon roll, so she just took a large bite, getting frosting all over her cheeks and nose.

  John regarded her for a moment before looking down at the printer. “You said the rollers were jammed. What else?”

  “Da cigicts ere fried,” she said through the large mouthful of moist dough.

  John shook his head at her. “Liv, can I ask you a question?”

  She wiped her mouth with a napkin and took a gulp of orange juice. “No,” she said simply when she’d swallowed.

  He gave her a long-annoyed stare.

  “I sort of hate it when people ask that question,” she replied. “Like we all know that you’re going to ask your question. Why do this preface business?”

  “It’s polite,” he replied.

  “Oh, and when did you start with the niceties?”

  “The doctor said it would be good for my heart if I wasn’t so moody with everyone,” he shared.

  “Sounds like you need a new doctor who understands you.” Liv licked her fingers, eyeing the cinnamon roll and trying to determine where to take her next bite. “Did you get your meds fixed?”

  He nodded. “Yes, but my question is about you. Are you…well, I don’t know how to ask this.”

  Liv set the roll down, trying to keep her expression normal. Did John know? Had he seen her that morning when she’d been using her magic? Had he heard Plato talking? It was only a matter of time. “John, I can explain.”

  He shook his head at her. “It’s fine. But you had to know that I’d figure it out eventually.”

  “I guess you’re right.”

  “I’ve known something was up for a while. You’ve been sleeping all the time.” He held up one finger. “And eating nonstop.” John ticked off another finger. “You’re more moody than usual, and you disappear all night. I know I shouldn’t notice, but I do. I’m protective of you. But this change you’re going through… Well, it doesn’t have to be alone.”

  Liv looked down at the cinnamon roll, suddenly not as hungry. “John, I actually do have to do this alone. My new life and old one can’t really mix. I mean, not entirely.”

  “But the baby,” John began. “What are you going to do about that?”

  Liv’s mouth popped open and stayed that way, her eyes following suit. “Wait, you think I’m pregnant?”

  John chuckled uncomfortably. “Well, it’s obvious, now isn’t it?”

  Liv joined in laughing with him. She doubled over as it sank in. John stopped laughing, apparently not thinking it was as funny as she did.

  When she came up for air, her face was red. “John, I’m not pregnant. I’m… I just took a side job. That’s why I’m hungry and tired.” Again, she had the urge to tell him everything. Maybe he’d love that she was a magician and that she could make their lives easier with magic. Maybe he’d rejoice in the fact that she was staying loyal to him and the shop, even though she was now a coveted Warrior. Or maybe he’d freak out and think she w
as crazy. She shook off the impulse, shoving it down. No, she couldn’t risk telling him the truth. Not yet.

  “You’re not… Wait, you took another job? Where?”

  “In Santa Monica,” Liv said, not wanting to lie to John. The Councilors were different, but John deserved her honesty and trust. Well, as much as she could give him.

  “Oh, well, if you need a raise, I’d be happ—”

  “No,” Liv cut him off, not able to bear the caring look in his eyes. “It’s not like that. I’m doing it to help a friend.”

  “Friend?” John asked, now giving her a skeptical expression.

  She rolled her eyes as Plato jumped up on the workbench and sniffed her cinnamon roll. She shooed him away. “Believe it or not, I have friends.”

  “I’m not sure I do believe it,” John teased. “But if you say you don’t need a pay raise, then I believe you. I just don’t want you overdoing it. Maybe you’re taking on too much.”

  Join the club of people who don’t think I can do all this, Liv thought.

  “So the printer works fine,” Liv stated, redirecting the conversation.

  John pointed to the row of appliances on the shelf. “And you say that you fixed all of these too?”

  “I did.” Liv took a bite of her roll, enjoying the creamy sweetness.

  John looked around and sighed. “When did you have the time to repair half a dozen electronics this morning?”

  She shrugged, her mouth full.

  “Well, that doesn’t leave me a lot to do, then,” John said, momentarily lost.

  Liv swallowed, offering him a smile. “Why don’t you take a day off?”

  He waved her off. “We both know that would be a form of torture for me.”

  Liv’s phone buzzed on the workstation. She looked at it, surprised by who had sent her a message; she didn’t know Rory had her number. Then she remembered that whole bit about magic and tech. Her phone was officially “smart.”

  The message read, I’m busy tonight. See you tomorrow.

  John wore an inquisitive expression when she looked up.