by John Victor
One of them, the female, ran to give her a hug. Evalle returned the hug. Her heart skipped. She was delighted. She didn’t know what to do. A guy ran to her and picked her up. He raised her high and gave her a tight embrace. Evalle smiled, she chuckled. The others laughed. The last guy gave her a peck on her cheek. She blushed slightly. She threw her face back to he lost family. She sighed. She felt glad that she needed no password. Magic was certainly the password. She followed the others as they led her to a big house. He biggest one she had seen while she was on her way there. She was certain it was theirs.
Evalle released her pets who curled themselves around her legs. “Those are yours? They are cute.” Emily said as she moved towards the animals. Germane meowed. Emily was Evalle’s sister. Full blood. They had been together for some time before a disastrous law came into place. They were forced to leave their house. They escaped. They parted ways, since Emily was kidnapped. Maybe she wasn’t. Evalle relaxed. She felt at home. She had to know what happened, after they were separated.
“So, what happened to you guys?” Evalle asked, looking at Justin who was sitting beside her. Justin was her boyfriend, or husband. Whatever it may be. He was the Centaur that Evalle saved from the beasts. They were not wicked though, but they hadn’t given him the life he always wanted. Now, they were deeply in love and Evalle wants to have children with him. She is not sure if he thinks the same about her.
“it’s a really long story.” Donald said. Donald was not for her. He was slightly taller than Justin. Also well built. His skin was a little tanned. Probably due to stress of working for hours under the hot sun. he was for Emily. The story behind how they met was really complicating. Maybe a foolish one. They met for the best. Now, they are a couple. Emily helped Donald to find his powers. He helped her too. In so many ways that Evalle couldn’t count.
“I have all the time.” Evalle said as she chuckled. She watched Donald throw Emily a glance. She wasn’t sure what it meant.it definitely wasn’t bad.
“I will tell you. You have to listen carefully, you won’t be hearing this again.” Emily said.
* * *
Emily stared at her for a while before she began to talk. “We all have different stories, but I’ll start with mine. If you can remember vividly, I was kidnapped by those men on masks. That’s when we got separated. I didn’t know where they were taking me to. All I knew was that no one was following us. They used those Podiac Stones to stop me from using my powers. It was devastating. I felt alone. Donald was not going to come for me. I felt large hands grab me, I didn’t know what to do anymore. Fighting them was not going to be easy, I was blindfolded, my hands chained behind my back, my body shook terribly, I was scared. They carried me into somewhere warm. I felt myself being lifted above the floor, it was frightening. My hands were hooked to something very high. My blindfold was removed. I saw myself very high, even if I freed myself and jumped, I was going to hurt myself. The chains were made of the same stones. The people had left the room, I had to find a way to escape from the place. I almost cried, I wasn’t ready to die. I knew I should be able to use my powers, after we got the strongest power that ever existed. I had to focus. I began to concentrate on my powers. I sunk into it. I felt renewed. I had become stronger. Fire was oozing from every part of my body. The chain cut off and my hands were free. The fire didn’t let me feel the impact of my fall. The fire was still blazing when I ran out of the room. No one was in the house. I made my way out. The problem was finding you and the others.” Emily stopped talking and nodded her head to Donald’s direction.
Donald picked up the signal and continued the talk. After Emily got kidnapped, we all lost our balance. Then when you went missing, it was worse. We didn’t know what to do anymore. We couldn’t let the law get to us. It remained I and Donald and we vowed not to let each other go. We also swore to find you girls. No beasts appeared again. It seemed Magic had completely disappeared from the world and it only existed in their bodies. They were some other people running helter skelter too. I think they possess powers too. I and Justin took to the job of finding you. Suddenly, a lady was coming close to us. She was running with all her strength. Before she got to us, we recognized her. No one saw you again.”
Justin picked up the talk. “All the Centaurs have been destroyed. Large bombs blew up the place where they stayed. Three of us joined our powers together and created a magic world. A world in which anyone without magic cannot survive. The other people here don’t know, but we do. We are glad that you are back.”
CHAPTER 3
Evalle sighed and looked at each of them. From Donald to Justin and then to Emily. She smiled. “It was not my fault. When I said I was going to ease myself. I really went, something drew me away and I couldn’t find you guys anymore. I was taken through a tunnel. I met myself in a more civilized world. A world where THE LAW already abides and they live by it. I tried to find a life, I couldn’t. I moved from place to place. Nothing seemed magical. Everything was natural. The last place I got to, it was very strange. There was magic there. I could feel it. A very evil magic. It was terrific.”
“Something is happening over there?”
“Yes, it seems the evil ones don’t want to give in. They are prepared to fight and destroy.” Evalle replied.
“Who do you think we should follow?” Donald asked.
“We follow anyone that asks for our help. That’s definitely not something that the people with evil magic would do. They are too proud and believe they can do everything on their own.” Emily added.
“Now that we have an army and we are free, let’s live life the way we see it.” Justin said. They all laughed.
“I’m surprised.” Evalle murmured.
“About what?”
“That Emily is not yet pregnant.” She said. They all busted into laughter once again.
“I am not ready for that yet. Our major priority was to find you. And now that we have, I can think about it.” Emily said as she winked at Donald. They all looked older. Time flew. Now, they were back together. Discussing about the future.
Germane and Douglas were already having fun. The tension had left the room. They were the first animals that got into the LAND OF MAGIC. What they called it. Evalle was hungry. She had told the others about her mistake with Camilla and how it brought her to them. It may not have been a bad idea. She thought aloud.
Now that no one knew of her whereabouts, it would be hard for them to find her. She walked to the fridge that was at the corner of the room. She brought out a bunch of bananas. She wondered how they got all the things she only saw in the modern world. Someone should have delivered it to them from the city. Or maybe they made it themselves. She was going to ask.
She walked towards Emily who was knitting a small cap. “How did you guys come about that fridge?”
“We found it.” Emily said, still concentrating on what she was doing.
“Where did you find it?” Evalle asked, feigning concern. She was just curious.
“In the city. We took them from the normal world.”
“Okay.” Evalle said as she went back to a chair and sat down, greedily munching her food. She was no more running. Very soon, no one will remember her again.
* * *
Evalle had not gotten the chance to speak to Justin alone. It had been years, yet, she was still attracted to him. She had loved no other person, after seeing what Kevin turned out to be, she knew she could trust no one. She just had to wait. Wait for the time they would meet again. The time had come, but they had not gotten the chance to talk. She was imagining how old her child would have been, if Justin had agreed to have a baby, the time she pestered him. She stopped thinking about it all and went to look for Justin.
Justin was busy dealing with the children. He was telling them the dangers of playing near the barriers. Evalle also knew that it would be dangerous. Even if the people outside would not see them, those with black magic would. And it will result to a feud. A feud that will destroy th
e powerless. Evalle went to Justin’s side. The children were wide-eyed. They had not seen someone new for some time. Evalle laughed as she watched them. She cocked her head towards Justin’s side and smiled. He was already smiling at her.
“We need to talk.” Evalle told Justin. She put his fingers in hers and led him to the house. He followed her in. “Have you met any new person?”
“I don’t understand.” Justin said.
“You’ve been distant. Is there a new lady in your life?” Evalle said, almost disgusted. She couldn’t believe that he didn’t understand her. That was why she took it as good luck to have lived in the city. Exposure to different aspects of life. Evalle took their food as the best part.
“Oh, no. I’ve just been very busy. We all have.” He said with a wide grin on his face.
Evalle felt humiliated. She felt left out. What were they doing that they couldn’t inform her? She brushed it aside. “How did you manage to get all these people?”
“Some came in immediately we made it. The others came in just as you did. They started families. Now, we are having mix-breed babies. Very powerful ones. We are trying to build an army. An army of powerful people. Nobody needs weaklings. We are trying to prepare for a time in which battle is sure. Then, we will be able to show ourselves to the outside world. They will bow to us.” Justin said. He shifted close to her to rest a hand on her lap.
Evalle felt strange. She was happy for the tip he just gave her. They were about to form an army. Why were they leaving her out of it? She was not finding it easy. Evalle wanted peace. But not the one in isolation. She watched as Justin continued to rub his hands to her legs. She liked the feeling, but she was not interested. She felt that they were hiding something from her. Something great, something powerful, something that she desperately needed to know about.
* * *
Evalle shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Everything that was happening was not right. Are they the people she once knew? Maybe they didn’t want her in the house. Maybe they had forgotten about her and were pretending. What happened to them? Why were they acting differently towards her? Evalle was worried. She threw Justin another glance. He had shifted away from her and was not looking in her direction. He seemed to be absorbed in his own thoughts. Evalle cursed silently. If she had not gone away from them, none of it would have happened. But, she couldn’t blame herself.
Evalle couldn’t think properly. These were the only people she knew. Her family. Could they now take her as an outsider? The law caused it all. Evalle stood up from her seat, making a creaking noise as the legs of the chair made rough contact with the ground. Justin turned to look at her. “You are leaving already?”
“Yeah. I need to rest. I’m feeling weak.” Were you doing me any good? I’m feeling scared. What have you people turned to? Just because I left. Not even by my own will.
Evalle left the room, after allowing a loud sigh, escape from her lips.
Evalle went to her room. She was mad. Mad at everyone. She kicked the wardrobe. She fell to the floor. She wept. Why weren't they treating her like they did? She had no explanation. She didn't know how to play detective. She was going to try. To find out what they were all hiding from her. Maybe they think I'm a fake. How do i prove it to them? She helped herself up from the floor and wiped her face dry. She sat on her bed. Her thoughts about her family were to occupying that she couldn't think of anything else. She got up. She didn’t know if it was anger or frustration that was driving her to do what she was going to do. The force kept pulling her. She was determined not to back out. Evalle went to the sitting room. Justin was no longer sitting there. She left the house. Liquid fire was flowing through her veins. She never expected such treatment from the people she called family. Evalle walked out of the house to meet emptiness staring at her. It was normal. She reminded herself that only the leaders lived on that part of the place. Am I not a leader too? After all I have faced in the city. I am back to them. Am I not fit to rule these people? As far as I know, I’m still the strongest person here. No one can take that from me. I'm going to show them. Evalle began to remember when she was back in the city. She was practicing magic without anyone's knowledge. She knew it was wrong; she just had to do it. She killed someone accidentally in the process. Thanks to her magic, she was able to bring him back to life after clearing his memory. She told him a different story and let him go to wherever he wanted to.
* * *
Evalle just had her pets by then. They came visiting every morning, and left her place at night. They were lovable. She allowed them to stay and began giving them food. She also gave them names. Evalle wouldn’t doubt if she learnt that they all have increased powers the only thing she was sure of was that hers was greater. Were they now polluted? What was happening to them? Do they want to steal my powers? No, no. They can't. They are not even. Evalle continued walking out of the deserted area. Everything still looked deserted. It looked like she was not moving at all. She recalled her experience with the centaurs. What were they trying to tell her? That they owned the land and wouldn’t surrender to her? Or that she shouldn’t be part of their kingdom. Evalle was dumbfounded. She hadn’t expected it from them. She still kept on moving. She was not going to relent. No one was still there. The houses had disappeared. Everything had disappeared. She was in a desert. Where had Justin gone to? Someone she saw few minutes ago. Evalle ran back to where she was coming from. Surprisingly, the house was still there. Even though it took her hours to get back to the house. Even if she desperately wanted to build her own city of magic, she couldn’t. When there were likes of Camilla. Evalle brushed the thoughts off her mind and went inside the house. She went to the room to get Germane and Douglas. They were both laying on her bed. She rubbed their furs as she scooped them up and put them in her bag. She wasn't going to keep staying where she was not accepted and with people she didn't trust. Evalle carried her compass and whispered a spell. She was taken away. Away from the people, she once loved. Maybe they were not the one. She whispered to herself. Evalle got down from the portal. She watched it as it closed. She thanked her God that nobody followed her. The journey was a long and tiring one. She could even see it on the face of her pets. She hugged them tight. They had been the only ones who stood by her throughout her turbulent times. She couldn’t leave them alone. Never. Evalle remembered that she saw no animals there. Was it because of them? If it was, they had a real problem with her. But they should have told me. I really hate the silent denial or whatever it may be. Evalle knew where she was. It was very familiar. It was the first place she got to after she left her family for the first time. The compass was a mystery. She was going to keep it forever. Now, she left her family again but this time, it was intentional. She didn’t know them. She continued moving. This was the least place she would expect the law to have reached. She couldn’t be certain.
CHAPTER 4
No one knows what, why, when, or how anything happened. Everything was just a mystery. A mystery Evalle was determined to solve. She would have questioned her family if not for the disappearance. Evalle remembered the house she lived in. No one could have started leaving there. She had it protected in case of situations like this one. She watched her pets as they strolled beside her in both sides. Evalle could see her house. It was the first. There were no other houses so she couldn’t call it a town. She could call it her city. No one was still living there.
Maybe it was her chance to build her own army. What is the evil we are fighting? No one will know till the time comes. That is why i hate magic sometimes. Suspense and suspense. It weakens me. I love to hear simple truth. She sighed. The house was now visible. She climbed the front porch after looking around. She opened the door and entered the house.
She didn't like the cobwebs that welcomed her. She used her hands to brush them away from her eyes. It was obvious that no one had been there since she left. She met everything the way she left it. What will it take her to form her own magic city? She asked herself as she walked t
o the kitchen to prepare a cup of tea. It is going to take time and stress, and it will be risky. Not when there are people of Camilla's caliber. If she wanted to do it, she needed someone. Someone who could help her. Someone who could assist her.
She was tired and unsure of her family. Maybe that was to complete the other quest. She sobbed loudly. She was devastated. Evalle immediately heard a knock on her door. She jumped. No one should have followed her. But there was someone there. Ramming his fists into the wooden door. Evalle was frightened. Maybe people had begun to live in the town. She saw no houses when she arrived. Evalle's legs almost gave out as she tiptoed towards the door.
Fear gripped her and it was taking control. She remembered what her mother would say to her about fear. It scares the hell outta you until you are too weak to fight it. She couldn't control it. Her hand touched the door knob and she twisted it. The door opened gently. She expected someone or something to pounce on her. Instead, a young man stood there. Staring at her. It was obvious she was crying. He looked shocked, or frightened. Evalle couldn't tell. She closed her eyes and used the back of her hand to wipe her face. He still stood there. He was definitely younger than her, and she had to restrain herself. She would not let someone defy her just as Justin did. Evalle signaled to him to come into the house as she closed the door. She became relaxed. She wondered why she had been afraid.
