Residue

by Laury Falter

  “It’s not just a last name,” Alison said exasperated, referring to the years of animosity, treachery, and deceit between our two families.

  When Jameson didn’t answer, Burke suggested defiantly, “Maybe we should have let you go missing. Maybe we shouldn’t have tried to get you back. It might have helped you remember where you come from.” That was designed to provoke Jameson, to get him to think about what he was doing, but it didn’t work.

  “If this is the result…yes.” Jameson pinched his lips in irritation. “I understand that you want to keep me safe. I appreciate that because there might be a time when I actually need it. With Jocelyn, I don’t.”

  “Where were you the last few days?” Burke countered, insisting that Jameson remember that he’d just disappeared because of a Weatherford.

  “Outside the city, healing others.”

  I noticed Jameson gave the same explanation I’d given to my mother, which was good because she and Ms. Veilleux were patiently listening to their exchange.

  The Caldwells fell silent, awkwardly glancing at each other. They’d thought it was so much worse that it took them a while to absorb the truth.

  “It’s as simple as this…” said Charlotte, attempting to step forward but unable to pick up her foot. She sighed in aggravation at Ms. Veilleux for keeping her movements restrained but still wouldn’t be deterred. “The confession of your love just now was touching…I’ll give you that. But the fact is it endangers all of us if you stay together. We’ll need to watch what we say around you, keep things we do a secret. Because it’s just not safe for us…for anyone if you two stay together."

  It was the most lucid argument I’d heard yet and I wasn’t the only one impressed by it, albeit for a different reason.

  “Wow,” muttered Estelle. “We actually agree on something.”

  Charlotte wasn’t able to respond as my family started up.

  “Jocelyn,” said Vinnia, “you are a Weatherford. Being one comes with certain responsibilities. One of those is not falling in love with the enemy.”

  “Or even consorting with one,” added Spencer.

  “Or even looking at one…” said Nolan, and then corrected himself, “Unless you’re casting.”

  “But I did,” I stopped them gently. “And sooner or later, both families are going to realize that the other isn’t the enemy.” Scoffs rose up from both sides of the courtyard. “The reality is that the Weatherfords and the Caldwells have a lot more in common than you think.” Actual laughter followed my implausible statement. “Both families are tight knit. You would do anything for your brothers and sisters - including destroy your school in defense of them.” Although no one would concede and move their heads, their eyes did a quick scan of the destruction around them. “You both grew up with prickly housekeepers as guidance counselors because your parents were elsewhere. Those on both sides have dangerously effective casting skills. No one on either side is evil - manipulative and destructive - maybe but not evil. All of you are just trying to defend yourselves from the other. And you all dislike the idea of Jameson and me together.”

  While I didn’t see any nods of agreement, their expressions told me what I needed to see.

  They were recognizing, probably for the first time, that their enemies weren’t all that different. I wondered if it would matter to them, if it would help change their perspective and then Estelle gave me the answer.

  “Jocelyn,” she said, dumbfounded. “Your mother hid you in New York to protect you from these people, because she knew what they’ve done to us and what they can do to you.”

  My heart sank. I was running out of ways to help them see the truth. Part of me wanted to scream it and the other wanted to give in, walk away with Jameson and handle what may come.

  Then I felt a hand on my shoulder and my mother’s voice in my ear. “I’ll take it from here, Jocelyn.”

  She’d crossed the still smoldering courtyard and now continued on to the center where she was easily visible by both families.

  “It’s well known and documented the lengths to which both the Weatherfords and the Caldwells are assumed to have gone in their deceit toward one another.”

  “Assumed to have gone?” mumbled Oscar, confused. And I had a feeling he was speaking what everyone else was thinking.

  My mother ignored his reference and continued. “What I have to say may fill in a few holes…misconceptions that still exist. Things are not always what they seem.”

  There was that statement again. I’d heard it from Miss Mabelle, Miss Celia, and now my mother.

  “First, let me clarify that my decision to bring Jocelyn to the academy in New York was not to protect her from the Caldwells. They were…and still are…the least of my worries.”

  This drew looks from both families, which only grew tenser as she went on.

  “The Caldwells are victims as much as we are.”

  “Victims?” Spencer scoffed.

  “Allow me to finish,” my mother said and it was not posed as a question. “My rationale for hiding Jocelyn at the academy in New York…my rationale for working at the ministry…and my rationale for not coming forward earlier are each embedded in the same reasoning…We are all in grave danger.”

  Charlotte sighed loudly. “This has nothing to do with us.”

  My mother aimed her gaze at Charlotte. “We includes you,” she replied stiffly. “The Caldwells, in fact, are in a greater position of risk because you are unaware of what is coming.”

  The furrowed eyebrows and apprehensive looks now aimed at my mother told me that even if they didn’t believe her, they were listening.

  “Working at the ministry has made me privy to certain information. The feud between the Caldwells and Weatherfords is well documented. It is known even in the most remote provinces that our two families have cast against each other for generations. What is not known, what I’ve only recently learned through friends with access at levels higher than mine, is that the most egregious acts…every murder…every attempted murder…every loss of fortune…every long-term illness…these were all manufactured.”

  “Manufactured?” asked Oscar, confused.

  “They were fraudulent, designed to look as if the other family committed these crimes.” She paused to assess the expressions of those around her. Only Ms. Veilleux didn’t appear to be in shock. “We have been pitted against each other, deceived in to believing that the cause of our relatives’ deaths or financial ruin or ill health had all been delivered at the hands of the other family. When, in fact, they have not.”

  Spencer shook his head slightly. “That doesn’t make sense. Why would anyone do that?”

  My mother paused to pivot her head and look at Jameson and me. I thought this was a little unusual and then she answered. “To keep these two separated.”

  “Us?” I slapped my free hand to my chest and then glanced at Jameson, who was equally as astounded.

  “Everything they’ve done to our two families has been to prevent the two of you from ever meeting.”

  “Why us?” asked Jameson, still stunned.

  Ms. Veilleux stepped forward then, stopping my mother from answering. “I think this news would be best understood coming from me.”

  My mother hesitated but I saw her working things through in her mind. And I knew that whatever they were about to tell us would be circumspect coming from my mother, a Weatherford.

  “The Sevens have known since the first channelers that Jocelyn and Jameson would eventually be born and they’ve been told by those channelers that, together, Jocelyn and Jameson will be their downfall. So they’ve taken immeasurable steps to keep the two apart. Long before they were born, elaborate schemes were created to build mistrust and animosity between your families so there was no hope that any of you would willingly cross paths, so that no friendships could be built or even considered. They concocted ways to eliminate both families’ money in attempts to force you to relocate. Then, as infants, an abduction attempt was made o
n both Jameson and Jocelyn. They failed and Jocelyn’s mother secured her in upstate New York with a unit to watch over her while the Caldwells developed a unit of protection around Jameson here. The abduction was another attempt to keep Jocelyn and Jameson from ever meeting. When it was discovered that Jocelyn was no longer in the city, they suspended their efforts. But they’re aware of her return because their emissaries are aware of it. And they are currently looking for a reason the rest of our world won’t question that will legitimize the return of their forces here, where your lives will be in far greater danger than a boil hex.” Her mouth turned down on one side and she finished by looking around the ruined courtyard. “And I think you’ve just given them the reason they’ve been waiting for.”

  We studied our surroundings, realizing for the first time that our conflict here didn’t only destroy our school, it threatened our lives.

  “Just a second…You keep saying ‘they’ or ‘them’,” Alison commented. “Who are you referring to? Who is doing all this? Only the Vires are capable of pulling those kinds of things off.”

  “The Vires act on behalf of The Sevens…” my mother pointed out. Then she allowed the rest of us to process what she’d said, to come to terms with exactly what it meant. Only after eyes widened and jaws went slack, did she speak again.

  Very slowly, she nodded. “The Sevens are the reason for all of this…” She swept her hand around the courtyard. “This retaliation upon retaliation…It is exactly what The Sevens want.”

  And the words that came to mind were ones that I’d heard over these past few weeks, ones that simmered to the surface, having lingered beneath until there was reason for them to rise up.

  Things aren’t always what they seem.

  Charlotte, however, wasn’t immediately convinced. She scoffed quietly, contesting, “I have a hard time believing that story. I’m sorry, Ms. Veilleux, but this woman works for the ministry, which is commanded by The Sevens.”

  While Ms. Veilleux attempted to respond, a far greater confidante supported my mother and Ms. Veilleux’s claims.

  “She’s right about my abduction,” Jameson stated. “And if she’s right about that…” He left the rest to be insinuated, placing his trust in my mother in the face of his guarded siblings.

  His courage stunned me.

  When Burke spoke up his tone was curious but not suspicious and it was a testament to how much he respected Jameson’s integrity. “You knew who abducted you? How did you find out? And why didn’t you tell us?”

  “I learned about it yesterday, from someone who’s proven to be trustworthy.”

  “Isadora,” my mother concluded.

  He was slightly thrown that she identified his source so quickly. That reaction alone confirmed the truth to my mother.

  She nodded. “Isadora’s the only other person who knew.”

  Fear crossed his face then, for reasons I couldn’t quite grasp until my mother responded.

  “Your secret is safe, Jameson. I’ve known about your supply route for some time now.”

  Of course she did. She always did her homework and had researched Jameson well, as demonstrated by her summary of him outside Aunt Lizzy’s house. How could his confidential trips to the swamp be excluded from his profile?

  “You knew and didn’t turn him in?” asked Charlotte, suspiciously.

  “We knew when your family started it. If I’d wanted to turn any of you in, I would have done it a long time ago.” She looked at Jameson and gave him a nod of approval before encouraging, “Keep it up. We’ll make sure The Sevens are looking the other way.”

  The Caldwells glanced at each other with a mixture of appreciation and revelation.

  Jameson’s forehead creased in contemplation then. He’d caught something I hadn’t. “You said ‘we’?” he prompted.

  “I’m not alone in my insights about The Sevens. There are others of us and our numbers are growing.”

  “So…” ventured Burke, “you…and others…are working for the ministry to deceive them?”

  “We work for them in order to be in a position to protect the interests of those who aren’t capable of defending themselves,” she corrected.

  Then something amazing happened. The Caldwells began to smile and nod, a show of appreciation for a Weatherford that I didn’t think was possible.

  “Not what you expected?” my mother asked, grinning. “Thought I was ruthless and corrupt?”

  Alison burst in to laughter while the rest of the Caldwells nodded vehemently.

  My cousins were just as speechless as the Caldwells, I noticed.

  “You never knew?” I asked Oscar, who stood the closest to me.

  “I didn’t tell anyone,” my mother answered. “It was too risky for them - and for me. And it would destroy my chances at finding the truth and helping others.”

  The expressions of those around me changed rapidly. We’d all realized it at the same time but it was Jameson who put it into words. “You went into the enemy’s nest, unaccompanied, without any other support only so that you could keep us safe?”

  “It had to be done,” she replied plainly.

  He shook his head at her, deeply amazed, and he wasn’t alone.

  “You’re worth it,” she said to me and then repeated it to everyone else. “You’re all worth it.”

  Charlotte, the most contentious of the Caldwells, the one who was the first to strike and ask questions later asked Ms. Veilleux to release her and then approached my mother. “If what you’re saying is true…and I have the instinct it is-”

  “And she has great instincts,” added Dillon.

  She sighed at being interrupted and then finished, “It’s a pleasure to finally meet one of the Weatherfords.” Then she extended her hand and my mother took it without reserve.

  After a brief handshake Charlotte turned to me. “I’m sorry for all the trouble I’ve started. My brother…” she glanced at Jameson “seems to be right about you. I’m glad you two are together…” She paused to smirk, one that was for the first time not aimed at me. “If it aggravates The Sevens.”

  Vinnia laughed under her breath. “I’m with you on that…”

  I laughed with Charlotte and Vinnia, as friends do in any other setting, something I enjoyed more than I imagined I would, and from that point Ms. Veilleux seemed to feel safe enough to release the rest of them. They moved unrestricted around the debris and as I watched them I noticed how they seemed more relaxed around each other, not quite friendly but on the same level of newly formed acquaintances. We were starting from scratch with a new perspective. And it gave me hope.

  “Amazing what the truth can accomplish…” muttered Jameson.

  I laughed softly, released his hand, and wrapped an arm around his sculpted waist, enjoying the feel of his muscles beneath my fingertips. “I was thinking the same thing.”

  He leaned over and kissed my temple, stirring excitement in me so that I rotated my head and met his kiss with my lips.

  Charlotte groaned.

  “Sorry,” I said through a smile, pulling away as Jameson laughed without remorse.

  Burke, standing a few feet away didn’t notice. His attention was on something else as he kicked a singed piece of railing. “Ms. Veilleux, I’m sorry about this…about the school…about everything.”

  “We all are,” said Estelle, humbled.

  “What…What will you tell them?” Alison asked, openly dismayed.

  Ms. Veilleux’s lips tucked under briefly as she contemplated it. “The truth. That we had a fire we couldn’t immediately contain.” She winked then, in case we missed her analogy. “Unfortunately, they’ll still use it as an excuse.” That message wasn’t lost either. We all knew what she meant. The Sevens had their reason to send in Vires, to surround us, to find some way to eliminate their threat.

  “And they’ll act quickly,” cautioned my mother.

  “Then so will we,” I said, surprising myself at my resolute tone. It earned a smile of respect fro
m my mother and nods of agreement from everyone else. “First things first…”

  “Right, we start by spreading the news,” Jameson said, following my line of thought. Then he grinned and said, “Jocelyn, I think it’s about time you met my parents…”

  22 THE PLAN

  A layer of fog sat like a thick, white skin over the water’s edge drifting toward the lowest branches of the cypress trees. The smell of moss and decay was strong tonight, lingering in the still air. In the distance, an owl made its presence known giving the swamp an eerie quality.

  “I’ve heard of this place but…” Spencer whispered as if he were on sacred ground.

  “But you never thought you’d see it?” I finished, not bothering to hide my voice.

  “Never…”

  Estelle laughed to herself. “When I was a little girl, I used to think I’d end up here.”

  “That’s still possible,” Oscar warned with a smile. He was teasing but a few others raised their eyebrows suspecting.

  Aunt Lizzy, who had been chattering continuously since we’d left the house, was now tentative and speechless, telling me that this was her first trip here as well.

  For once, I was introducing them to something new.

  As we stood on the bank, my mother and Aunt Lizzy to the left and my cousins to the right, dense air began to swirl in the distance and the faint sound of a motorboat rose over the water. The fog broke and Jameson’s boat glided toward us, around cypress stumps and shallow sand bars. By the time he’d docked and roped it, I was grinning excitedly. His frequent glances in my direction as he secured the boat were proof that he’d missed me too.

  His sandy blonde hair was combed back to expose his bright, expectant green eyes. I was momentarily captured by them only to be drawn away by the crisp white button down curving in on his muscles underneath. He looked out of place, like someone stepping off a GQ cover.

  It had been two days since the incident in the courtyard and although we’d spent those days together, he’d left me tonight to arrive earlier with his family. Because of that, it had been a very long evening for both of us.