Crow

by Vishnu Pinnaka

  “Excuse me,” she grunted.

  There was a digital sign at the top of the elevator: Floor 7. Agent Willow pressed the button for the third floor and Phyllis pressed the button for the fifth. The elevator started its descent. As the elevator went down, some of the test tubes on Phyllis were shaking. One beaker fell off of the cart and shattered onto the floor. Bits of glass were everywhere.

  “Ugh, sorry about that,” Phyllis grumpily uttered.

  “Oh, don’t worry Phyllis, you are fine,” Agent Ross said politely.

  Phyllis then bent down over the shattered pieces of glass. She waved her hand and blue light came out of it. The light then went to each shard of glass and the fragments started coming together. The beaker had soon repaired itself.

  “How did you do that?” Olivia asked, astonished.

  “Umm, how did I do that?! How did I do that?! Honestly, some halfwits make wonder about the magian race,” Phyllis grumbled.

  “Well that was some unnecessary rudeness,” Vanessa remarked.

  Olivia, however, wondered what Phyllis meant by the magian race.

  Finally, the elevator reached the fifth floor. Phyllis got off. After she left, the doors of the elevator closed again and it resumed its descent. When the elevator finally went to the third floor, everyone got off. The agents then led all of them to a corner of the room. Over there were rows of the strangest vehicle any of the four had ever seen.

  “Everybody hop on please. These will take us there faster,” Agent Carter stated.

  They all followed the instructions given. It took no time before they all managed to fit in. The vehicle was spacious and it didn’t have a roof. It was shiny silver with cushioned seats that were very comfortable. It had no apparent tires or anything that would seem to allow it to move. In the front in the driver’s seat was a steel driving wheel along with several miscellaneous buttons and levers to operate it. Agent Carter was the driver. He pressed the start button.

  Suddenly, an automated voice spoke, “Hello, welcome to the Hover-X-Velocity. Please keep all hands and feet inside the tram. Thank you and drive safely.”

  Carter then pulled a bright red lever. Suddenly everyone inside the vehicle felt a rising sensation. They felt as if they had risen into the air. When the four looked down, they saw that the tram was floating in the air without the support of anything! The Hover-X-Velocity was, as its name suggested, hovering!

  It took a while for the four to grasp themselves back to reality, but they all soon realized that they were in for countless other surprises. Agent Carter then pulled a chartreuse lever and the vehicle started going forward. Every time the vehicle needed to make a turn, Carter would simply turn the wheel and the Hover-X-Velocity would shift its path. The four were watching in awe as they traveled around underground. The place they were in seemed immeasurable. Once they had left the main room, they had entered another one through an extensive corridor that was crowded with people. Once they had exited that room, there were several other places they had passed that were just as impressive. Along the way, they had seen innumerable others driving Hover-X-Velocities. It took a while before, finally, Agent Carter pressed a button. The tram came to a halt and it descended until it landed on the floor. Everyone got out. They noticed that they had arrived in front of another corridor. This one was very narrow and, like the other rooms before, white.

  “We will walk the rest of the way since we are so close, everyone please follow me,” Agent Ross ordered.

  The four and the stepparents had learned to just follow any instructions the agents gave so they all followed as they were instructed.

  The corridor wasn’t very long and it didn’t take much time before they had reached the end. The passage led to a set of doors. Behind them was an elephantine room where a man in a black tuxedo was waiting. He had pure black hair and very pale skin. He looked very young as if he was in his mid-twenties. On his black tuxedo was a name tag: VP Hale. On his face was a welcoming smile.

  “There were no problems in the escort, sir,” Agent Ross spoke.

  “I am so pleased you were all able to arrive safely, I am Preston Hale, Vice President of A.S.H., and it’s a pleasure to meet you,” Preston Hale politely introduced himself.

  “What do you think A.S.H. is?” Olivia asked David, who shook his head idealess.

  Hale then shook hands with everyone enthusiastically. The four didn’t know who this man was or why they were here. They were scared and worried, but above all, they were confused.

  “I believe we have some serious things to talk about,” Hale declared.

  The parents simply nodded. Hale led the stepparents and the four to two couches. Everyone took a seat.

  Mr. Hale started speaking, “So let’s talk about the elephant in the room. I know it must be very hard for you, but please understand that when you agreed to take the children in, you also agreed to let them return. They may seem like just little kids to you, but the sake of our world depends on it.”

  “Glad that he didn’t start off with the small talk,” Vanessa jested.

  “They are just kids. Kids that are being put in danger because of your superstitions,” Mrs. Quinn chided.

  “It may seem like a superstition, but I explained the prophecy to you. You know why they are so vital to us. Magians here don’t know that our time is running out. Fractus Month is nearing. These children are our last hope. They can save Magia,” Hale responded calmly.

  “What do you think the prophecy is?” Olivia whispered to the other kids. “And what’s Fractus Month?”

  “You’re the smart one, why are you asking me?” Vanessa whispered back.

  Mr. Harrison snapped, “They are little children! They can’t help you with all that nonsense!”

  “Little children.” Eric scoffed. “Is that what they think of us?”

  “I know it’s hard for you to understand why we need them. But please know that we wouldn’t be doing this unless it was completely necessary,” Mr. Hale softly answered.

  Mr. Winston then furiously roared, “THEY ARE JUST KIDS!”

  Soon more and more parents started screaming at Mr. Hale who was trying as hard as he could to persuade them.

  “This is getting sad to watch,” Vanessa confessed.

  “I don’t want them to argue.” David sighed sympathetically. “All I want are answers.”

  As best as Hale’s efforts were, he couldn’t manage to quiet down the stepparents and his voice started to sound pleading.

  “Please, we’re desperate, these four are our last hope. Without them, our world is doomed,” Mr. Hale said, now begging with a very worried expression.

  “We can’t just let you put our children in danger like that. When you gave them to us thirteen years ago, we promised to keep them safe. Over time, we treated them as if they were our own children. And now, you return unexpectedly and want to take them away from us. No. We won’t let you. Their safety is our top priority,” Mr. Kim retorted.

  “Even if you were to take them back with you, the children still won’t be safe. A couple of weeks ago we found out that some terrorists had received information that the children were on Earth. We would incarcerate them, but unfortunately we don’t even know who they are or what they look like. All we know is that they know where you are. It wouldn’t take long before they found you. Then you would not only put the children in danger but also the mortals of Earth. If the children were here, however, they would have the protection of the entire agency. Every single safety precaution would be taken,” Hale explained.

  Vanessa then screamed, “WHAT IS HAPPENING?!”

  “Finally! I was wondering if someone else was going to ask,” Olivia said, relieved.

  “Yeah, what is happening? You all are just chatting away, while we are sitting here like statues. You can’t just expect us to be quiet when we don’t understand a thing that�
��s happening,” Eric huffed.

  Everyone turned to look at the four.

  “It’s about time the children knew,” Hale proclaimed.

  The parents shook their heads disapprovingly, but Hale spoke anyway, “I know that you children are quite intelligent, so I assume that you already pieced together that this planet you are on right now is far away from Earth. I’m also quite certain that you’ve figured out that it’s called Magia. It has a great quantity of similarities to Earth, such as its appearance. Magia has four continents: Cornix, the landmass we are in right now, Astor, Wayfare, and Underwood. Magia also has four oceans like Earth. They are the Cerulean Ocean, the Purian Ocean, the Arcanius Ocean, and the Black Ocean. We are also similarly aligned to our sun as Earth is to its sun. Fundamentally, appearance wise, Magia is very similar to Earth. However, that’s not where the similarities end. Magia has similar minerals to Earth, matter, and even some creatures. While yes, we have various different organisms, we also have similar plants and animals to Earth, such as crows. However, on Earth, crows are usually ignored, but on Magia, they are respected. Humans reside on Magia too. We are called Magians. Magians look exactly like mortals, the residents of Earth. However, there is one major difference between magians and mortals. Magians have magic in their souls…”

  “What! What do you mean, magic in souls?” David interrupted.

  Hale responded, “I believe we have now gotten to the distinctions of Magia. Well actually, one prime difference, magic. Magic is the most tremendous difference between Earth and Magia. Earth has scores of commodities that Magia has except for magic. Magic is everywhere around Magia, some plants have supernatural abilities, animals have bewitching powers, and humans have magic in their souls. This gives us powers which allow us to perform magic.”

  “Well, thanks, I guess, for the description of your world, but what exactly does this have to do with us?” Olivia inquired, puzzled.

  The parents had terrified expressions on their faces, but the children were satisfied with nothing but answers and they wanted more. They wanted to get rid of their confusion.

  Mr. Hale smiled. “You four children are magian.”

  The four’s faces soon all bore the same surprised expression. Scores of unexplainable things had happened that day, but what they had just heard was the most unbelievable.

  “What! How? We have never felt any mystical powers and we have never shown any signs of them,” Eric incredulously burst out.

  “Yeah! Wouldn’t we know if magic was a part of us?” David questioned.

  Mr. Hale answered, “It’s simple. Magical abilities are very similar to a talent such as playing an instrument. However, it’s also very different. It’s similar to talent because you have to know that you have that talent. You also have to take proper training and lessons to harness your marvelous powers, which is why you had never shown any signs of magic.”

  “How are magical abilities different from a talent?” Vanessa asked.

  “Because you don’t need the talent to make a sound come out of an instrument. This isn’t the case with magic. You can only use magic if you are born with it in your soul. All magians have magic in their souls which is why all magians have spectacular powers.”

  “How did you create your civilization?” Eric queried.

  Hale responded, “Long ago, before Magia had any order, several of the most powerful magians met up and agreed that they wanted to create a world with peace and structure. Those magians soon became the first members of A.S.H., the Agency of Societal Harmony. The agency then gathered more and more members until it grew into the colossal size it is today. A.S.H. is our world government with heads in every country. The country we are in right now is called Braxton. The agency improved life on Magia and allowed us to create great advancements. A.S.H. also allowed certain animals with human intelligence to become employed citizens. This city you are in right now, Crow City, is the capital of the world and the location of A.S.H.’s main headquarters, which is this place. Magians developed so much technology ages before mortals did. Back then, we had already created operational spacecraft. With it, some magians traveled around universes until they found Earth. They soon realized how similar Earth was to Magia. They also met mortals. However, the mortals barely even knew anything about their own planet. Most of them couldn’t even survive. Because of their sympathy, the magians helped them. Our ancestors taught the mortals our main language, which the mortals called English. They also taught them our calendar, which is why we have the same months and days. The things that the magians told to the mortals also helped influence their technology which is why we have similar gadgets. The magians told the mortals an umpteen amount of secrets which allowed them to create their great civilizations. If it weren’t for the magians who had visited Earth, mortals wouldn’t be where they are today. While the magians told a large quantity of things to the mortals, they didn’t tell them our secret of magic. The magians soon left and the mortals forgot about us. Magians haven’t had a reason to return to Earth until now, when Agents Willow, Carter, Parker, and Ross came to retrieve you.”

  “So Magia is practically a perfect, magical version of Earth?” Vanessa observed. “Sounds like paradise to me.”

  Mr. Hale laughed. “No place is perfect, but we sure do try.”

  “So we know what this place is. Now, why were we brought here now, and why does the sake of this world depend on us?” Eric asked.

  Mr. Hale grinned. “I’ve always admired curiosity. Those who are curious tend to ask more questions. Those who ask more questions, tend to receive more answers. Answers build wisdom. However, sometimes knowledge is better, postponed. Sometimes, wisdom is better left untouched until the moment is opportune. I am afraid those are questions which I can’t answer right now.”

  The four were very anxious, they had so many more questions that they wanted answers for.

  “We had been dreading telling you this because we didn’t want to lose you. You are a part of our family, Eric. We can’t just see you leave. We don’t know what dangers you will be in here. After all, it is a different planet,” Mr. Quinn confessed to Eric.

  Mrs. Quinn burst into tears and covered her face. Eric didn’t know how to react. He was on the verge of weeping himself. He was also shocked that his adoptive parents knew something about this and didn’t tell him. His inquisitiveness was at a dangerously high level and he desperately wanted more answers from Mr. Hale who he didn’t completely trust. But above all, Eric was sad; he knew that his relationship with the Quinns would never be the same again. A part of him knew that he wanted to stay on Magia, but it greatly saddened him; he knew the Quinns couldn’t stay with him.

  “Please don’t take Olivia from us! We can’t bear to lose her! We also can’t just leave her here, knowing that she might be in danger,” Mrs. Kim cried out.

  Mr. Hale sadly said, “I am so sorry, but there is nothing I can do. The prophecy is set out. The children have to stay. The sake of Magia depends on it. The sake of their home depends on it.”

  The word home seemed to sadden the parents even more.

  “How about we let the children decide if they want?” Mrs. Quinn suggested, barely managing to get the words out.

  Hale nodded sympathetically.

  “Is everything he said true?” Vanessa asked, turning to her stepparents.

  The Harrisons reluctantly nodded.

  “Then this planet is our home, we belong in Magia,” Vanessa stated.

  “Are you really letting us choose?” Olivia inquired, unbelieving.

  “It’s your choice if you want to stay,” Mr. Hale answered.

  “What kind of a choice is this?” Eric asked, frustrated. “It’s either leaving the only parents we ever knew or leaving our real home.”

  “My whole life was a lie. I am not going to make any choice unless I get some answers,” David uttered to which the rest of the
four nodded. “What happened to our biological parents?”

  “Yes, tell us what happened to them,” Olivia repeated to Mr. Hale.

  He simply shook his head sadly, declining an answer.

  Eric then turned to his parents. “What happened?”

  The stepparents also didn’t answer him and shook their heads.

  “So neither of you will tell us,” Olivia said sadly.

  “I promise that when the time is right, I will tell you everything, but now is not that time. However, you still need to make a choice,” Mr. Hale responded.

  Everyone turned to look at the four and waited for them to answer. None of the four knew how to answer. They all loved their adoptive parents. It hurt them so much to even think of leaving them. However, they desperately wanted to know more about magic. They wanted to know more about their home. There were heaps of things that were hidden from them and they wanted to uncover everything. They also felt like they had a purpose. They were being told that the sake of Magia depended on them. Even though they had barely spent any time on this planet, they had instantly felt a very strong connection to it. They didn’t want anything to happen to it. It was their home after all.

  “I want to stay on Magia,” Vanessa declared firmly.

  Olivia spoke, “So many things hidden from us. This planet is the explanation of why I felt so out of place on Earth. Magia has all the answers to my questions. I want to stay too.”

  She then walked over to Vanessa who smiled at her, thinking that both of them had made the right choice.

  “Magia seems so wonderful. I can’t hide the fact that I too never felt like I belonged on Earth. A couple of minutes ago, I didn’t even know magic existed. I need to know what happened to my real parents. I want more answers. I also want to stay,” David announced and walked over to Olivia and Vanessa.