“Of course I didn’t tell her that. Although, I honestly don’t think it would matter. I think I could tell her anything.”
Colin wanted to gag. “You may change your mind once I tell you what happened after your little stunt earlier.”
Meghan huffed. “Stunt? I had no control over it. It just happened.”
“Either way, Jae made up a lie so we wouldn’t get kicked out. He’s in a lot of trouble. He’s home, right this second, probably getting killed by his parents.”
“What are you talking about?”
Colin explained how they had come running to the wharf, the Svoda preparing for battle, only to find her in a fireball giving what was apparently a prophecy.
“It was. Juliska told me. She’s a Firemancer, too. It’s rare I guess.”
How nice, he droned silently, blocking this from her. Not only has Juliska taking a liking to my sister, but now Meghan is even more special. And I’m still just me. Not that he wanted to be a Firemancer. It didn’t actually look that fun.
“Regardless of all that, Sis, after they took you away, the Mochries stayed behind while Juliska Blackwell questioned me and Jae. She asked me whether I’d ever done magic before. Jae answered before I could stop him, claiming yes, but it was him that showed me how. And him, that asked for our help.”
“But that’s not true,” said Meghan with heightening unease. “We offered to help Jae. We didn’t listen to him when he told us not to.”
“We both know that. And so does Jae. But now everyone else thinks he broke all these rules.”
Meghan bit her lip. Colin sensed her thoughts fighting each other. She didn’t want to believe that Juliska wasn’t looking out for her best interests. But she did feel for Jae and his family.
Colin continued. “Juliska made us wait then, while she weighed her decision.”
“What decision?” asked his sister, looking to what Colin concluded was more properly horrified.
“As to what the Mochrie’s punishment would be.”
Meghan squirmed, trying to piece it all together.
“She would have to, you know. Decide on a punishment. Picture your whole job is to keep these people safe and someone breaks a law that could ruin all that. She would have to do something in order to save face from the other Svoda.”
“Are you sticking up for her?” asked Colin too loudly, getting the nurses’ attention in the hallway.
“You gotta see it from both sides, Colin. What was the punishment, anyway?”
“She decided to only punish Jae, not his whole family. Just so you know, complete expulsion of his family from the Svoda was possible. But she demoted Jae in school instead. I guess it’s like being held back a grade or something, plus, we’ll be joining him. We will be starting school. Tomorrow.” Colin thought for sure he’d win his sister back now. Juliska was making them go to school, her least favorite thing.
Meghan was thoughtful for a minute.
“It could be worse, Colin. At least our magic is out in the open. Less to worry about. It sucks that Jae had to take such a blow, I’m sure it’s totally humiliating. And it doubly sucks that we have to go to school, too.”
“Ah yes. Priorities. Going to school is way worse than Jae getting into trouble.”
She rolled her eyes. “You know what I mean, Colin. Honestly, I think Juliska did the only thing she could do. She would have to dole out some form of punishment, but if you think about it, it’s not that bad. It’s nowhere near getting kicked out!”
Colin could see her point, but had a strong feeling that things were not that easy for Jae, or his family.
“How long they keeping you here, anyway?” he asked, changing the subject.
“Overnight I guess.”
“Okay. Tomorrow I’m going to see Uncle Eddy and explain what happened, and that we won’t be able to visit as much.”
Meghan brooded. One second she felt on top of the world. She was Firemancer, like Juliska Blackwell, someone who could teach Meghan how to control and use her abilities. However, in the next moment, all her fears overwhelmed her, throwing her into an instant panic. She didn’t want to miss any time with their Uncle Eddy, either.
“So you’re okay?” Colin asked her.
“Yeah. Tired. A bit confused. I don’t actually remember much of what happened.”
“I’ll tell Uncle Eddy all about it. Maybe he’ll have some ideas.”
“He acted like he didn’t know too much about having the sight. But you’re right. He should know, just the same. It does suck we’ll get to see him less.” Her thoughts were clouded, a tug-of-war going on between them. It was all so much to take in. And understand. Everything was happening so fast.
She sighed.
Colin got up to leave.
“I guess I’ll see you when they let me out of here.”
“Night, Sis.”
“Yeah. Night Col.”
He left her and decided to return to the Mochrie house. As he neared, passing by the wharf entrance, a shadow followed him. He slowed. It sped up. The closer it got, thundering footsteps dug into the ground.
Colin searched for a place to hide; it was too late.
Daveena Troast’s scowling face towered in front of him. The third member of the Three D’s.
“I’ve got a message for you,” she gurgled. For a tough kid, she had a funny voice. He waited, assuming the message would be a knuckle sandwich, or something of the sort, but she stood, staring, her arms folded.
“And the message is?” he choked out.
“We’re still watching you.” Her pudgy face scrunched up as she said it. After staring at Colin for an entire silent minute, she plodded away. Colin raced the last few steps to the Mochrie house but stopped, afraid to go in.
When he did finally dare to enter, it was quieter than he expected. Sheila and Mireya calmly sipped tea. There was no sign of Jae or his father.
“There you are. Expect you went to see Meghan. How is she, the poor dear?” asked Sheila, with no indication that anything out of the ordinary had happened.
“Fine,” Colin said, questioning why they weren’t all yelling at each other. “She should be home before school tomorrow, I imagine.”
“Jae and his father are out,” she spoke blankly. “Life must go on, and he’ll have to work harder now that he’s been sent back to the beginning.”
Colin didn’t know whether he should apologize. Just leave. Maybe go stay with Billie. Go to bed. Stay up.
Mireya smiled weakly and announced she was going to bed.
He took the opportunity to follow. They readied for bed. Before Mireya snuck behind her curtain for the night, Colin got up the nerve to ask about Jae.
“Is he in a lot of trouble?”
Her already weak smile faded. “This is the second time he’s been sent back to the beginning. Dad is none too happy about it, and told him he wasn’t leaving his sight for the week. I wouldn’t be surprised if it wasn’t weeks.”
Colin nodded somberly.
As he lay down, his thoughts twisted between right and wrong. Good and evil. Breaking the rules versus the need to survive.
Perhaps Juliska Blackwell, realizing she had to dish out some kind of punishment, ordered the least possible, knowing what Jae had done was not all that bad in the end.
Still, Colin did not trust her cunning nature. He was positive she did not trust the twins, and worried deeply his sister could not see it.
He also thought it odd that Sheila Mochrie did not question him after he had come home. He reached out for Meghan to say goodnight. She was already sleeping.
Tomorrow, before school, he would tell Uncle Eddy. Perhaps he would have some answers.
He drifted off to sleep. His night started with a pleasant dream. He was standing next to the silver haired girl in the hospital. Her eyes were open and she was smiling at him, like she knew him. She was reaching up to grasp his hand when everything turned dark. And ugly. The room seemed to shrink around them.
The silhouette of Ju
liska Blackwell came out of the shadows of the wall on the other side of the girl’s bed. She opened her mouth and laughed. An unkind, arrogant sort of laugh. The girl’s bed started to roll away from Colin, toward Juliska.
He reached out to grab onto it, or her, but she was fast out of his reach.
The dream ended with the girl screaming for his help.
He awoke with a start, sitting up in bed. He plunked back down after a moment, realizing it was just a dream.
What a weird, weird day it had been.
Topping off a weird summer.
And a weird adventure there was no way out of. And one Colin was starting to believe, would be far more dangerous than he and his sister could possibly imagine.
THE NEXT MORNING, COLIN got up early and found Uncle Eddy in Grimble. He explained all that had happened the previous day. When he finished, Eddy stroked his ghostly chin.
“I have to say this is a little unexpected, so soon at least. They have accepted you though. That is good.”
“I’m not so sure they have actually accepted us,” Colin argued.
“If their leader has, then they will, too. Not that I don’t still have things to teach you,” Eddy pointed out.
Colin was pleased that their uncle was not angry or worse, leaving, now that they’d been outed in the magical community. He reached out for his sister but she was blocking him. He hoped it wasn’t because she was talking to Juliska Blackwell.
“When do you want us to come back, Uncle Eddy?” he asked.
“Whenever you can, Colin. I will be here waiting.”
Timothy came floating in just then, talking to something neither Colin nor his uncle could see.
“C’mon, almost there, a little bit farther,” coaxed Timothy. “Look what I found,” he exclaimed. A kitten followed him, meowing softly.
“Where did you find that, Timothy?” Colin leaned over to have a closer look.
“In an alley searching for food. Poor itty bitty.”
“He does look hungry.” Colin picked up the kitten, noticing the tuft of white hair on top of its tiny head.
“Searched all over for its mother, no luck though,” said Timothy, looking worried about the kitten’s future.
“I don’t see why I couldn’t keep him, or her. Which is it? asked Colin.
“It’s a her,” pointed out his uncle. “Curious, though,” he added. “Wonder how she got here?”
“I’ve seen plenty of Svoda with pets,” said Colin. “I guess I would have to okay it with the Mochries. I’m sure someone would take her in, if I can’t. We certainly can’t leave her to starve.”
“I am sure they would not abandon a poor little kitten,” agreed Eddy, proud that Colin would be so quick to take in the little thing.
“Look at this,” said Colin. “She’s got two different colored eyes, one green and one white!”
“Huh. So she does,” replied his uncle. The kitten snuggled up in Colin’s arms and fell to sleep, lightly purring.
“Guess I better go. I’ve got to get this little thing home, meet up with Meghan, and then... off to school.” His voice did not sound confident in the least. “Bye, Timothy. Bye, Uncle Eddy.” They both waved and floated away.
By the time he reached the Mochrie house, Mireya and her mother were welcoming Meghan home, Jae was just waking from a nap on the sofa, and Ivan and Irving were already off to work. Jae’s father had changed his mind and not taken him to the office that morning. From the looks of it, Jae had been up all night.
“Hey, Sis,” Colin greeted. “Feeling good?”
“Yeah. All good. Rested. Actually slept really well for sleeping in a place I’ve never been before.”
“Ready for school?”
“Ugh. No,” she grumbled. In her mind, she asked him. “How did Uncle Eddy handle everything?”
“Good. He’s got more to teach us. He’s not going anywhere.”
She sighed in relief. Aloud, she asked, “Hey, what’s that? Your pocket is moving.”
Colin took out the fury little mass. “Found it in Grimble, lost, hungry and no mother.”
Everyone huddled around it, oohing and aahing. Mrs. Mochrie went to the kitchen to retrieve some milk.
“Timothy really found it,” he sent Meghan silently. “No idea how it got into Grimble.”
After feeding the kitten and pointing out its different colored eyes, which Mrs. Mochrie ogled at as inquisitively as his uncle had, she announced it was time for them to be off to school.
“Lunches are ready. Grab one on the way out. Good luck Meghan and Colin, on your first day.”
They nodded.
Colin reached for the kitten, which had made a home on Meghan’s lap. It hissed at him, hiding under Meghan’s arm.
“That’s it then!” decided Sheila Mochrie. The four children feared she had decided against keeping the kitten.
“Mom, it’s only a baby,” cried Mireya.
“Don’t worry, honey. I don’t think it’s going anywhere,” her mother clarified. “The kitten has made its choice.” The four gawked at Mrs. Mochrie as if she had lost her senses.
“Mom, what on earth are you talking about?” asked Jae.
“That’s no ordinary kitten you’ve found Colin Jacoby, that there is a Catawitch. You can tell by the tuft of hair and her eyes. They always have one white one, just the females you know, no male Catawitch’s.”
Colin, Jae, and Mireya backed away. The only stories they had ever heard of Catawitch’s warned of their evil tendencies.
“Oh, it’s fine kids. Meghan is a good girl, she’ll raise it well.”
“Me,” squeaked Meghan.
“Yes, it’s chosen you. You’re its master now. Or mistress if you like.” She said it matter-of-factly. “I’ll go add some milk to your lunch. Strange though, I wonder how it came to be in Grimble?”
“I’m to take it with me? To school?” Meghan questioned, not understanding.
“Of course,” Sheila said, disappearing into the kitchen.
The other three stepped closer.
“I can’t believe it,” exclaimed Jae. “A real Catawitch, here, in my house. I’ve seen them before.” He tossed a knowing look in the twin’s direction. They had as well, while in Cobbscott. “I’ve never seen a baby one though.”
“It doesn’t look evil at all,” whispered Mireya. She bent down and gently stroked the kitten’s pointed ears.
“What am I supposed to do with a cat?” asked Meghan.
“It’s considered a great honor in the magical world to be chosen the master of one of these,” noted Jae. “It doesn’t happen often.”
Colin let out a huff. Really? Another magical gift for my sister? Not that he wanted to have a cat tagging along with him everywhere he went. But still...
The kitten nestled its way into Meghan’s soft sweater pocket. It curled up with a soft purr and went to sleep. “This is so weird,” said Meghan, shaking her head.
They grabbed their lunches and headed to school.
“You know what I love?” started Jae, “about the Catawitch choosing you, Meghan? Almost any Svoda would die to be chosen. Man, people are gonna hate you!”
Meghan frowned.
“I meant that metaphorically speaking, of course,” Jae clarified, seeing her reaction. “They’ll be extremely jealous.”
“But everyone’s afraid of them,” she said.
“I think it’s because the only ones you ever hear about are the bad ones. They’re actually rare creatures, and I think their magical abilities have created an evil mystique about them. But they’re only evil if their masters are, so we’ve got nothing to worry about, do we?” He grinned. The twins thought this was the happiest they had seen Jae in a long time. Meghan wished that the kitten had chosen him instead.
“I think I will keep this to myself, for a while,” said Meghan. “I don’t need anything else making me stick out right now.”
“I think it’s far too late for that, Sis,” jested Colin.
; Jae nodded in agreement. “It’s going to get out, fast. Good chance my mother has already told someone. We don’t get much news to spread around, especially anything juicy.”
And both twins knew the Mochrie’s needed any plus they could get at the moment.
Meghan listened to the kitten purring softly in her pocket. “I guess Kanda was right,” she whispered.
Colin overheard her. “About what?”
“That I need to accept, I can no longer control anything,” she sighed.
As they arrived at school, a rolled up paper hit Jae across the head; he bent down to pick it up.
“What is it?” asked Colin.
Jae didn’t answer. He let it fall to the ground and kept walking.
Meghan picked it up. “Oh, wow,” she declared in shock.
“What?” asked Colin.
“It’s the Jackal Lantern, the paper those two old ladies put out. And there’s a crimes committed section in here, written by someone named Magda Scraggs. Wonder if she’s related to Darcy?” she muttered sarcastically.
“So?” replied Colin.
“Jae and his family are the main focus.”
Colin let out a disgruntled groan. “Still think Juliska Blackwell is so great?”
Meghan ignored the question and dropped the paper. She ran to catch up with Jae. They didn’t discuss the article, but walked together into the schoolyard, where the twins gasped and froze. Two life-sized, and life-like, statues of Scratchers towered over them.
“I keep forgetting there’s so much you guys don’t know,” Jae said apologetically.
“Why are those here?” stammered Colin.
“They serve as a constant reminder of what we are training for, what we have to overcome,” he said, sounding tired from repeating the pre-recorded responses he’d been taught.
“That is sick and wrong,” declared Meghan. “I was hoping not to look at another one of those. Ever.” They continued forward; the eyes of the statues followed them as they passed by.
“Are we in the same classes, Jae?” asked Colin. “What can we expect in here?”
“There’s one beginners’ class, actually it’s technically called elementary level, so yes, we’ll be together. It’s a lot of information, but you should both do fine.”
Fated Fantasy Adventure Page 27
