by L. C. Miller
Abby looked at Rainy, who was also staring at the lady in wonder, and nodded.
“I think we can do that,” Abby said.
“Wonderful! Tell her we’ll all be waiting at the house. As for the rest of us, let’s grab some grub.”
“We’ll save you some food!” Carly promised and ran after the boys.
Abby linked arms with Rainy and started off toward the trail. “Think the Madam will flip her lid?” Abby asked.
Laughing, Rainy said, “Do magic carpets get holes in them?”
Abby thought for a moment. “Gliders don’t.”
Rainy snorted. “You do realize we may end up leaving them right after we talk to her, right? I mean, Mystics really do want nothing to do with Wielders. I think during the tough times, they only offered their aid because they had to.”
Abby sighed. “Yeah, I know. I’m hoping that’s not the case.”
“We can’t let that happen!” Rainy said vehemently. Abby stared at her in surprise. “We just can’t. They said your dad was after your mom. You’re always telling me you don’t believe your dad was bad, and this could very well be the chance to prove it.”
“Or it could be a way to prove me wrong,” Abby replied.
Rainy rolled her eyes. “Oh, stop being a donkey downer!”
Abby started laughing. “Geez, that Eeyore character really stuck with you.”
Grinning, Rainy shrugged. “Sure did. I even call Rollen Eeyore when he’s being negative. Are you going to tell me why you didn’t tell them you are an Unrestricted and not a Restricted?”
Abby sighed. “You’ve heard the Madam talk about morphing. She said Wielders think the same. If they find out I can morph into anything I want, their feelings would change. I want them to like me, Rainy. I don’t want them to fear me.”
Rainy looped her arm through Abby’s. “I’m not sure they’ll act the way you think.” They arrived at the oak tree. “Ready to do this?”
The two of them touched the base of the tree and the woods came alive around them. “Rainy! Where have you been?” Rollen stepped up to them.
“In the middle of a mess,” Rainy said happily.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Rollen demanded.
She pushed Abby forward. “We need to talk to the Madam.”
“Hey, Abby. And no way can you two talk to her now. Marcella is looking for you, Rainy. You’re in trouble again.”
Rainy leaned next to him. “We need to talk to her about the Wielders in the area. Marcella can wait.” Shock flew across his face as his jaw dropped.
Abby took both their arms. “Is she in her tent?”
The Madam had just exited her tent with Mistress Mia, the tribe’s dance instructor. They both grinned at them, the Madam’s roses turning pale blue when she saw them. “Why, hello, Abby, have you been practicing?” Mistress Mia asked, her long, willowy frame stopping beside her.
“Yes, ma’am,” Abby said, though she had done no such thing. “Can we talk to you?” she asked the Madam.
Rollen and the Madam shared a look before she nodded and gestured them into her tent. “Of course you may.”
Though the tent appeared small on the outside, it was huge on the inside with open areas and colorful drapes of fabric lining the walls. She led them to her sitting area, a large, thick rug at their feet. “What brings you here today?” the Madam asked, taking a seat on her oversized chair. The three of them sat on the couch, Abby in the middle. She quickly told them all what had occurred that morning. The Madam looked at Abby for a long while, face pale.
“Gaea Bauble and Aretha Queenly you say?” the Madam asked.
“Yes, I believe that was their names,” Abby replied.
“Did you tell them anything else?”
Rainy nodded. “They think Abby’s a Restricted. It’s when someone can turn into just one animal. But they were totally cool with it,” she rushed to explain.
Surprise flickered across the Madam’s face and she shook her head. “Was there anything else you told them?” Abby shook her head, her eyes downcast. “That’s good then. I don’t think we can trust them with all our information yet, but I will have to go meet with them. I will be going back to the house with you, Abby. Rollen and Rainy, you are to stay here. No buts!” She interrupted Rainy. “You two are staying here.”
The Madam addressed the tribe after they left her tent, telling them she would be leaving the camp for a bit. Abby tried not to look at their worried expressions. The duo left, hiding the camp. Whispers faded into the darkness. They walked quietly and quickly back to the house. “Are you mad at me?” Abby asked, her voice small.
The Madam stopped and put her hands on Abby’s shoulders. “Look at me.” She waited until Abby lifted her head. “Now, you may not be able to live with us full-time, but it does not make you any less a part of the Dancers. I’m not mad at you, Abby. I am proud of you. You took a sticky situation and turned it around. I know you want to be a part of the Wielders’ world as well, Abby, but please don’t get your hopes up. We can’t trust everything they say this soon … even if Rainy used eye-bright.”
Chapter Seven
As the house came into view, Abby could see Mrs. Herrin standing in the doorway. When Abby stepped on the porch, Mrs. Herrin gave her a hug and looked at the other woman with wonder. She didn’t seem the least bit shocked at the purple-and-gold dress the Madam was wearing, or the deep yellow roses in her hair.
“Hello, my name is Sarah Herrin,” she said, introducing herself. She led them into the house, taking them into the dining room.
“In all my years, I never would have thought you to be the leader of the Mystic Dancers,” Principal Bauble said as she rose from her seat. The two women embraced as if they were old friends, talking and reminiscing about memories past. Mrs. Queenly soon joined in, hugging the Madam like she was family. If the Madam had sprouted pink butterfly wings, it would have been no less shocking for Abby as she watched the interaction.
Mr. Peterson soon interrupted their talking to bring the attention back to the matter at hand. “Where is the woman who lives here?” the Madam asked as she looked around.
Mr. Herrin answered, “She’s upstairs sleeping. Her long day of shopping wore her out.” The Madam nodded, taking a seat at the now extended kitchen table.
“Abby, if you’d like, the kids are upstairs. Carly was able to save you some lunch.” Mrs. Herrin lifted a plate loaded with food and handed it to her.
“Actually,” Ms. Bauble started, “there is something I’d like to know before you go. Brannon brought up an excellent question on the way back here. How do you know the Mystics, Abby?” All eyes turned to her. The Madam saved her from answering.
“That would be because of Rainy,” she answered. “Her brother, Rollen, saw Abby performing Wielder magic one afternoon in the woods and informed me. Upon learning that there was a Wielder child in the area, I knew there had to be a Wielder family as well. I told our camp to be watchful during the next few weeks until we figured out what to do. Rainy, being the curious girl that she is, completely disregarded my warning to the camp. You cannot tell her to not to do something, because she will turn around and do it. It turned out that she had followed her brother that day and had also seen Abby using magic. The two of them quickly became friends and Rainy learned that Abby was alone, that she had no Wielder family. Eventually, I had Rainy bring Abby to me. The rest, as you say, is history.”
Ms. Bauble gave a small smile and said, “That is what we say.” She gestured to Mrs. Herrin, who quickly unwrapped the plate of sandwiches and chips and handed it to Abby. Taking the food, Abby went upstairs.
“Abby!” Ethan said excitedly. “Where’s the other girl?” Brannon and Aaron laughed as Carly rolled her eyes.
“He thought she was cute!” Carly teased, fluttering her eyes at him.
“Yeah, now he’ll never talk to her,” Brannon broke in, slapping his brother on the back. Ethan shrugged out of reach, his face red.
&n
bsp; Abby smiled at him. “Sorry, Ethan, she’s back at camp. But you might see her tomorrow before you guys leave.”
“Before we leave!” Ethan corrected. “You’re coming with us!”
Brannon nudged him hard in the side. “You weren’t supposed to say anything!” He saw Abby’s confusion. “Mom and Dad are pushing to have you come live with us and go to WAMA.”
Abby’s jaw dropped. “Seriously? That would be so epically awesome!” They all burst into laughter.
“See, you’re already sounding like Ethan!” Brannon said. They talked more about what room she’d stay in, and Brannon offered to help paint her room whatever color she wanted. Carly promised to introduce her around school.
“Is there really a spell on your wand that keeps people from touching it?” Brannon asked after the conversation died down.
Abby nodded and took her wand from her shirtsleeve.
“What’s with the ribbon?” Ethan asked, eyeing the big bow tied at the end.
Shrugging, Abby said, “Nothing, really. It’s the ribbon my mom gave me to tie my hair up with when I was little.”
“I’m sorry,” Carly started, but Ethan interrupted her.
“When did she die?”
“Geez, Ethan! That’s a heck of a question to ask!” Brannon snapped at him.
“It’s okay,” Abby said. “She’s been gone for few years now. She was murdered when I was ten. I lived with different foster families before. They all took me back to the orphanage. I was sent to this one in Arden because the one in Raleigh was too crowded. I was only there for a couple of days before Ms. Rable adopted me.”
“As much as I’d hate to admit it, it’s a good thing she did,” Brannon said. “After all, you got to meet us!”
The Madam came in and interrupted their conversations. “Abby, can you please come downstairs for a moment?”
With Bombers around her neck, Abby left her room. The Madam stopped at the second-floor landing. “You’re going to go live with the Herrins and attend their school.” Abby’s jaw dropped again as her eyes lit up. She flung herself at the Madam, arms wrapping around her tightly. “On a few conditions,” the Madam continued.
Abby stepped back.
The Madam leaned in close to her and whispered, “You cannot, under any circumstances, tell anyone who your parents are. You cannot take the ribbon off your wand. And you cannot tell them you are an Unrestricted. Do I have your promise on that?”
Abby nodded vigorously. “I promise! But I told them when my mom died. If I’ve only known about y’all since I’ve been here, won’t they wonder about it?”
“No, the night Esmeralda died is still talked about to this day.” The Madam ignored Abby, as she seemed surprised. “Of course you would have heard about it, at some point.”
The Madam looked into her eyes for a moment before rising. They continued down the steps.
“What about Ms. Rable? What will you tell her?” Abby asked.
“The Wielders will deal with her, per Mrs. Herrin’s request, so don’t you be worrying about that. I will also be moving the Dancers near you. You might not be able to live with us, but it doesn’t mean you aren’t family. I’m not sending you out there alone. Gaea informed me there is plenty of room above the school for us.”
When they arrived in the dining room, Mrs. Herrin smiled at Abby. “Ready to see our world?”
Abby’s grin stretched ear to ear. “I can’t wait!”
~*~
Abby woke up the following morning to the small red candle on her dresser shooting up sparks. Rushing out of the bed, she tapped its base and then looked at Bombers. “I wonder what Esther has to say.” The candle blazed a bright green before a letter burst out to land on her desk. Its edges were slightly burnt, but Abby could make out the words clearly. Sitting on her bed, she started to read.
Dear little girl,
“Ugh! Why does she always call me little girl?” Abby said to Bombers. Shaking her head, she continued to read as Bombers looked over her shoulder.
I hear you will be going to live with the Herrins and attending Wielders Academy of Magical Arts. I believe the students call it WAMA or something like that. Very strange name if you ask me.
“Geez, how does she know already?” Abby wondered aloud.
I believe this will be an excellent experience for you, Abby, a chance to explore that side of your life. Along with what Sephrina has ordered, I feel I must stress the importance of not telling anyone who your parents are.
I know you hold on to the belief that your father did not do the unspeakable things that history has said, but no one will believe it on the Wielders’ side. To them, he and a woman named Cecilia Ridmore are still guilty of numerous murders, not to mention all of the anti-exposure laws they broke. The Wielders do not have the knowledge we do about this situation. Though, we only have what you have showed us, which, unfortunately, doesn’t actually make him out to be innocent and has thrown another twist into our complicated history with the Wielders. There is little to no trust on both sides and we, in my opinion, are both equally to blame.
Anyways, I’ve rattled on enough. Be good, little girl, and I will see you when necessary.
~ Esther
“Hmm ... Is she ever going to call me by my name?” Bombers looked at her and shook his head. Grinning, Abby rose to get ready to head downstairs.
After breakfast, Mrs. Herrin helped Abby pack all her clothes into her one large suitcase. “Can I get some stuff from my cave? Oh, and can Bombers come, too?” she asked as the snake came slithering into the room. Mrs. Herrin stared at the snake for a long minute.
“As long as you keep him in your room. Do you know what to feed it?”
Abby laughed as she picked him up. “I don’t feed him. He gets his own food. I can let him out during the day and keep him in my room at night so Mr. Herrin won’t see him, if you want.” Mrs. Herrin agreed and they went back downstairs, Bombers around Abby’s neck.
Abby helped Brannon load the car. Mr. Herrin had just loaded his bag into the car when Ethan and Aaron came out with theirs. “To the cave now?” asked Mr. Herrin, gesturing toward Abby.
Abby took them through the woods until they reached the rocks. Taking her wand out, she pointed at it. “Operia.”
“What made you come up with that spell to open the cave?” asked Mr. Herrin.
“Because it was simple. Most people, if they were to find it, might think there is a strong charm on it that requires a lot of hocus-pocus to get it to open. I decided to stick to something simple, and what is simpler than to say open?” explained Abby.
“And you are right,” replied Mr. Herrin as he laughed. They wound their way through the tunnel before coming to a stop as it opened up to the huge room.
Ethan and Aaron stood looking around, amazed. “This place is epic,” Ethan said as he went over to the cauldron.
The crack had spread, and her To Grow Hair potion was seeping through it. Brannon went over to the books on the shelf as Aaron went to the table where the first-aid kit and a spell book lay open. Mrs. Herrin picked up the spell book.
Flipping it closed to show the title, she whistled. “Where did you get these things?” she asked.
“The Madam got me most of them. I know that healing book is old and a lot of the potions don’t work as good anymore, but this book is still kind of new, I think.” She held up Guide to Change, Volume III by Sam Spinner.
“What is this?” asked Mr. Herrin, who stood near a rock table with what looked like a long round case with a strap leaning against the wall. It was a deep forest green with silver vines etched from top to bottom.
“Oh, that’s a case. It used to belong to my mom before she died. I like to leave it out because I think it’s pretty.” Abby didn’t want to mention the flying carpet nestled inside.
Brannon went over to the case and looked at it. He picked it up to feel its weight and then handed it to Abby. When she touched it, she could feel the power pulse through it, and when s
he glanced at Brannon, she knew he felt something, too.
They gathered the books and an old trunk Abby had in a corner. She told them some of her favorite books were in it, and that it wasn’t very heavy. She didn’t technically lie. It was full of books, but there were some photo albums.
Her mom had given it to her before she died and asked that she never show it to anyone but her father. And she hadn’t. Not even the Madam knew about the albums. She was always good at hiding things she didn’t want seen, and if she needed help, she had only to ask her friend, and like with the old cellar, the broken-down warehouse, and this cave, she would get it.
She valued Rainy more than anybody she had ever known. She would never tell who helped her hide the cave if the Madam found out. She already considered herself lucky that it wasn’t brought up in last night’s conversation. Mr. Herrin made Abby’s things float out of the cave and toward the house and awaiting car.
“In case you’re wondering, that Madam lady talked to Eleanor about you coming with us. Apparently she’s perfectly fine with it,” Mrs. Herrin explained as Abby looked up at the house.
Once everything was loaded, they all climbed into the car. It surprised Abby that the vehicle could seat everyone comfortably. Before taking off, Abby peered into the trees and saw someone standing near the tree line, watching them. She couldn’t see who it was, but she knew it was Rollen, checking things out.
They were almost to the interstate when Mr. Herrin veered off onto a dirt road. Abby looked around, startled. Everyone but her appeared calm. “Where are we going?” she asked as Mr. Herrin made a sharp turn.
“We’re going home,” answered Ethan, a mischievous grin on his face.
“We’re going to travel by way of portals. Mom is going to open one up for us, but we have to make sure that it is clear from eyes first,” Brannon explained.
