by Geof Johnson
Fred knew it, too, and while she wondered what it was, she remembered something that Mrs. Malley had told her once: Love has a very powerful magic of its own.
Fred rode home from church with Jamie. He had barely driven them out of the parking lot before her phone chirped. She checked the screen and said, “It’s a text from Terry.” She glanced over at Jamie, in the driver’s seat of his Chevy, and she gave him a quick smile. “And get this. She and Eric are on their way back to Langley.”
“Great.” Jamie gave a satisfied bob of his head. “So I guess their boss said it was okay.” His brow wrinkled momentarily and he said, “Wish they’d told me earlier. I could’ve made a doorway for them to Virginia and saved them a bunch of driving time.” He tapped the steering wheel with his thumbs and twisted his mouth up on one side. “Text her back and ask her if she wants me to make one for them now, though I don’t know where they are, if they’re already on the highway. Make sure you use the code words my dad came up with in case anybody’s snooping.”
Fred sent the message and waited. The reply came in seconds. She read the display aloud, “She said don’t worry about it. You’ve done enough already.”
“I don’t mind. It’s just a doorway. It might take some effort to find them, though. Tell her I’ll do it.”
“Jamie.” Fred let out an exasperated sigh. “You have done enough. You risked your life to help them, and you blew up a helicopter and an airplane and a runway and a road. They don’t have any reason to complain.”
“But it’s probably an eight-hour drive, at least.”
“Terry told me Eric drives fast. He uses his CIA badge to get out of a ticket if he gets pulled over by a cop.”
“I guess that would work. But I’m still willing to help them.”
“You don’t have to do everything for everybody. Relax. Enjoy the day. Enjoy me.” She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively at him but he didn’t notice, gazing straight ahead at the road instead.
The conversation lulled for a few moments as Fred stared thoughtfully at the dashboard and chewed on a thumbnail. Then Jamie said, “I know what you’re thinking, Fred, and no, I didn’t ask Terry about her daughter last night.”
“Hah! You obviously don’t know what I’m thinking. But now that you mention it, why didn’t you ask her?”
“I was too busy blowing things up.”
“Well, next time we see her, let’s make sure Sammi’s with us. She’ll get the story out of her.”
Jamie chuckled and slowed the car at a traffic light. “Sammi will probably sit in her lap and look in her eyes, and Terry will tell her everything.”
“I hope so. Something’s up with Terry’s little girl, and maybe it’s something we can help her with.”
Jamie glanced at Fred. “I thought you said we don’t have to do everything for everybody.”
“I said you don’t have to. This is different. This is me.”
“Whatever.” He accelerated when the light changed to green. “But maybe you’re right. Maybe we can help her. I think she’s too independent to ask. At least that’s what Eric says.”
They drove in silence for a minute or two, and Fred looked out of her window, watching the familiar scenery go by, but not really seeing it. They passed a low hill covered with kudzu, the broad leaves smothering everything and softening the sharp edges and contours like a heavy blanket of green snow. Now there were only vague shapes of a fence, a small tree, and a shack.
Then she turned to Jamie and said, “What do you think happened back there at the church?”
He took his time before answering, two long breaths. “Our magic combined somehow and the effect spread to the rest of the congregation. I’ve never seen anything like it, and I don’t think Eddan had, either. Something that amazing would’ve made a big impression on him, and I’d have it in my cache of memories I got from him.”
“He was a recluse, remember? He would’ve had to have been around a big group of people for it to happen.”
“Yeah. But it’s strange, because we’ve held hands in church before and nothing unusual has happened.”
“We’ve never held hands with Sammi at the same time, and definitely not with both of our families.”
“Sammi’s magic must’ve combined with ours somehow, and then resonated or got boosted when our families joined hands with us.”
“I guess it’s a good thing Rollie and Nova weren’t with us or we would’ve set the pew on fire.”
Jamie laughed, one of Fred’s favorite sounds. “I don’t know about that, but it might’ve been strong enough to be suspicious. Hopefully, the other people in the congregation didn’t catch on to what was happening today.”
“I think they liked it, though. They’ll probably chalk it up to a miracle or something. That’s the first time everybody has stayed awake during Reverend Doyle’s sermon, and that’s a miracle.”
Jamie pulled the car into her driveway and stopped. Then he shut off the engine and faced her. “It was kind of a miracle. The spontaneous sermon, the handholding and stuff. Our magic expressed itself in a new way. A special way.”
“I’m glad it was like that and not something else.”
“Me too. I’m glad it wasn’t something destructive.”
“I don’t think we could ever be that way.”
“You should’ve seen me last night when I was blowing up airplanes and runways.”
“I want to see it.” Fred grinned mischievously at him. “Let’s call the gang and get them over here. Then you can show us the whole thing with your new video spell.”
Chapter 13
On Monday morning, Evelyn opened the front door of the Rivershire School to find Dr. Tindall standing there, and she let her in. “Nancy, did you just get here?”
“We’re a little late because traffic was bad on the road from Cullowhee to Hendersonville. We parked at Pete’s warehouse and transferred our stuff into the electric pickup truck, and then drove through a big portal that and came out over there.” She pointed toward Pete’s headquarters across the street. “Pretty darn amazing way to start the day.”
“That’s how Connie and I get here, except we walk through. I guess you have counter charms.”
“He had enough for all three of us. Yvonne and Alan took their suitcases to the boarding house and they’re going to stop back here and pick me up in the truck. Then we’re going to get started.”
“You’ll be the first researchers on another world. How does that make you feel?”
“It’s exciting.” She widened her eyes and exhaled heavily through rounded lips. “I had trouble sleeping last night. You wouldn’t happen to have any coffee, would you?”
“It’s in the office.” She led her down the hall to the first room on the left.
Dr. Tindall took off her coat and put it in her lap as she sat in one of the two chairs. “I still have to drop my suitcase and groceries at Jamie’s house. Do you think Mrs. Tully is there by now?”
“Certainly, but didn’t Jamie give you a key?”
“Yes, but I would feel better if Mrs. Tully were there. I brought three days’ worth of food. We’re only working half a day on Thursday, because we’re going back to Cullowhee until after Christmas.”
Evelyn pulled the glass pot from under the coffee maker, poured some of its contents into a white ceramic cup, and handed it to Dr. Tindall. “Don’t be surprised if you get offered food when you visit the local farms for your survey. In fact, I think Leora’s family is expecting you today. I spoke with Leora’s mother this morning, and they’re hoping you’ll come right away and spend a little time with them.”
“Oh my.” Dr. Tindall tightened her mouth and lowered her brow. “We don’t want to impose, we just want to get blood and soil samples from them, and we’ll probably sample their well, too, if they’ll let us.”
“How about DNA samples? Are you still planning to check to see if you’re related to them?”
Dr. Tindall looked into her cup for a moment before
nodding. “I’m almost afraid to. If we are related, that would have big implications for both me and them.” She took a small sip and nodded again. “And if we’re not, it might be disappointing.”
“Leora is already convinced that you are. Mr. and Mrs. Hale may offer you and your grad students lunch. It would be polite to accept.”
Dr. Tindall didn’t answer at first, but continued staring into her coffee cup, as if seeking guidance from the dark liquid inside. She finally lifted her gaze and said, “When are you closing the school for the holidays? Do they even celebrate Christmas here?”
“They celebrate it, but in a more subdued way, I think, but Connie and I are working on that.” She laughed. “We put up a little tree in the back and a few decorations, and we play Christmas music sometimes.”
“Does it offend anyone? I don’t suppose there are any Jewish or Muslim kids here.”
“I think most of the families that settled here were Catholic or Anglican, but they don’t seem to be very religious now. I think it was a backlash against the Church for the witch trials that forced them to come here long ago. Ask Mr. Winston about that. He knows more about their history than I do. But yes, we are taking some time off. Tomorrow is our last day, and then we won’t start back until the first week of January. We won’t be doing much real schoolwork these next two days, though, just fun stuff.” She glanced toward the open door and said, “The kids would probably like to see you. Do you have time to say hello to them before you leave this morning?”
“I suppose. Yvonne and Alan don’t seem to be in a big hurry. How many do you have today?”
“Fifty or so. And we’ve had three more families register over the last week. Their kids will start after the holidays. We’re getting full, Nancy.”
“Have you found a science teacher yet?”
“No, we’re saving that job for you,” she said half-jokingly and stood. “Come on. Let’s go see the kids.”
* * *
Jamie waited on the front stoop of his stone house and shivered in the dark. His hands were jammed into the pockets of his hoodie, and he had a large manila folder tucked under his elbow.
“Who is it?” a woman called from inside.
“It’s me, Jamie.”
Dr. Tindall opened the door, and as he stepped inside she said, “Why didn’t you just come in? It’s your house.”
“It seemed more polite to knock. I didn’t want to startle you.” He stood beside the fireplace and offered his hands to the warmth of the blaze. “You by yourself?”
“Your grandmother just left with Mrs. Tully and Aiven. Mrs. Tully is giving her a ride back to Pete’s headquarters so she can go home through that portal.”
“Darn. I just missed her. I could’ve made a doorway for her.”
“She didn’t seem to mind. They’re riding in that nice new carriage you bought. I especially like the wheel-powered headlights. High-tech meets low-tech.”
“It’s much better than the old carriage.” He took a deep breath through his nose and savored the inviting aroma of food, even though he’d just eaten. “Did Mrs. Tully cook for you? Smells good in here.”
“She made mutton stew. It was terrific.” She patted her stomach.
“She cooked for us while we stayed here over spring break, and I would’ve gained ten pounds if I wasn’t a runner.” He looked at the far side of the room and saw a laptop sitting on the big table. “Did you find the Internet cable I put over there, the yellow one? It’s connected to the router at my house in Hendersonville.”
“Mrs. Tully showed it to me. I was just getting ready to check my email when you knocked.”
“Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to make sure you got situated okay.”
“I’m fine, thanks. Mrs. Tully has me sleeping in the back bedroom because it has a view of the river.”
“We put a wardrobe in there because this house only has one closet, and it’s in this room. But I have a great idea about how to add more closets, as big as we want. You know I can make a permanent doorway to just about anywhere, right?” He held up his index finger and lifted his eyebrows. “What if we built closets somewhere else, like inside Eddan’s old cave, and I put doorways to them from each bedroom of this house?” He grinned at her but she stared back at him cynically. “Get it? They’re like, far-away closets, but they’re connected.” Then he pointed his finger at the floor. “To right here.”
“Why not just build an addition onto the house instead?”
“Hmph.” He frowned. “That’s what my dad said.”
“Seems simpler, to me.”
“But don’t you think it would be cool?”
She gave him a level-eyed look, obviously not seeing his point of view, then she gestured at the manila folder still under his arm. “What’s that?”
“Oh.” Jamie offered it to her. “Aerial photos of the county. I borrowed my mom’s good camera yesterday and flew high up over Rivershire. I took some pictures of the town and the surrounding area, and then I printed them. I thought these would be helpful while you’re here doing your research. You can use them as maps.”
“Thanks. That’s very thoughtful of you.” She nodded toward the kitchen. “I was just brewing a cup of chamomile tea. Would you like some?”
“Hot chocolate would be good. I think there are some packets in the cabinet next to the stove.”
“Make yourself comfortable and I’ll fix some.”
She left, and Jamie settled in the rocker and pulled it closer to the fire, which was calling to him. Visit with me, it said. Haven’t seen you in a while.
The sitting area welcomed him like an old friend, though the couch and matching chair were new. The room felt familiar. Cheerful. It seemed like it belonged to him, now. It was no longer Renn’s. He and his family had put their stamp on it, and the angry sorcerer’s ghost had been exorcised.
He leaned back and stared at the blaze, remembering spring break and all the time he and his friends had spent pouring over spell books or just talking beside the fireplace. He missed it just then, the relaxed feeling of closeness, the camaraderie.
His life was more hectic now, even with the winter vacation from school. So much going on, he thought as he watched the flames flicker. I’d love to spend a week here doing nothing but reading.
Dr. Tindall returned with a steaming cup in each hand. She offered one to Jamie and sat on the couch. “You look lost in thought.”
Jamie accepted the hot chocolate, careful not to spill it in his lap. “I was thinking about when we stayed here during spring break.”
“This seems like a comfortable place to do that. Does it bother you that it belonged to that murderous wizard, Renn?”
“Not anymore.”
“Where did Eddan live? Did he have a house like this one?”
“He lived in a tower for many years.” Jamie pointed toward the river behind them. “That way, on a ridge not far from here. Somebody or something destroyed it. Probably Renn. We used some of the stone from it for the little building out back and the bathroom addition. It’s a good match for the rest of the house, and there’s still plenty left.”
“You can use that when you build your addition for the closets.”
Jamie chuckled and glanced into his own cup. “Yeah. I don’t think I’m gonna get my way about using magic doorways for those. Seems like a good idea, though. I could even build rooms on other worlds with great views, like, next to waterfalls, or on a cliff overlooking an ocean. Then I could make permanent doorways in this house and connect ’em all.”
“Why? You already have a beautiful view of the river.”
“I know. It’s just something to think about, doin’ cool stuff with my magic.” Jamie nodded slowly. “Did you get any good research done today?”
“We only made it to two farms. We stayed so long at the Hale’s place that we didn’t have time for much else. We got good samples there, fortunately. Leora’s parents were more than accommodating, even when Yvonne drew blood fr
om them. I thought they’d be afraid of the needle, but they weren’t.”
“They may have seen one already at the clinic. Dr. Burke has been encouraging people to donate blood so that they’ll have a supply on hand for emergencies.” He fingered the handle of his cup and said, “Did you get a DNA sample?”
“A cheek swab, because they’re easier to ship. I gave it to Alan, and he took it through your grandfather’s portal to Hendersonville. He was going to FedEx it to one of my colleagues back in Cullowhee. I should know the results in a couple of days.”
“I bet it’s a positive match. You and Leora’s family are related. You can count on it.”
She didn’t respond. She looked away and cleared her throat. “We got some interesting looks from the locals while we were in the truck today.”
“You should’ve been here the first time my dad brought his pickup truck. We practically got mobbed when we went into town. We needed it to haul some supplies for the school, and it was crazy. But I think most of these folks are getting used to the idea by now. My grandfather drives his golf cart around all over the place. He lets some of the kids ride with him sometimes. They think that’s the greatest thing ever.”
“I’m sure they do. We saw a girl riding a bike later in the afternoon. She had her blue backpack on, so I assume she was going home from school.”
“I don’t know who that was. Mr. Bass brought a few more bikes here that he picked up in Hendersonville somewhere. Pretty soon all the kids will have one, I guess.”
“Jamie.” She set her cup on the coffee table and gave him a piercing look. “Do you ever stop to think about how fast these people’s lives are changing? Not just because of the school, but because of everything? A little girl riding a bike? An electric pickup truck?” She glanced up at the ceiling fan, which sat motionless above their heads. “Electricity? These are all game changers, and big ones. Their lives will never be the same.”
“I’m counting on it, actually. I want them to move into the modern age, but the trick is how to do it responsibly.” He placed his cup beside Dr. Tindall’s and sat forward in his rocker. “The school is the best place to start, I think, but the other stuff? I don’t know. We’ll just have to take it kinda slow and careful. I already told you that a lot of people want solar panels now, and that’s a good idea, I think. But it’s too expensive for most of them, unless we can subsidize it.” He gestured at the fireplace with his thumb. “This is how most people heat their homes, and that can’t go on indefinitely without consequences to the environment.”
