One bowl held a clear white broth with parsley and lemon wedges floating inside. On one plate was a small salad. On the other plate, we had baked chicken breast, mashed sweet potatoes, and what looked like creamed corn. Baskets of rolls, biscuits, and cornbread sat the length of the table with dishes of butter beside each one.
To drink we had coffee, tea, and water. The servers stepped back, and Max raised his eyebrow as if prompting us to remember our manners. With trepidation, and a subduedness more akin to a funeral than a fancy dinner, we went through the assigned nod and blink from before.
Max waited until we finished, a critical eye on each of us. He then smiled and announced it was time to eat.
The air hung heavy, fraught with tension and despair. No one moved a muscle and Max’s eyes looked knowingly as if he’d been through this many times before. He walked behind us, looking from plate to plate. “I’m going to assume you all know how to pick up a spoon and fork to eat. If you don’t, then raise your hand, and I’ll be happy to help you. If you do, then eat. You know how. Pick up your utensils, wipe the crumbs from your face, and enjoy your meal. You’ve earned it.”
A nervousness settled around the table, as no one wanted to be turned into flames. I swallowed hard and picked up my fork. My server placed a napkin in my lap and I picked up some of the salad and placed it in my mouth. It sunk like lead in my stomach, and I wondered if the rest of the meal would be as bad.
The sound of scraping spoons and forks were the only noises throughout the hall, as none of us dared utter a word.
Servers cleared the dishes away and filled all empty glasses. After that, they stood behind our chairs, hands at their side, waiting.
Max stood in front of the room again. “No doubt you’ve noticed the little red pill to your right. Don’t be alarmed. It’s not anything that will hurt you. We wouldn’t want that, now would we? Not after bringing you this far.”
He straightened his shirt tail. “It’s just a little something to help you get on better while you’re here.” He looked around the room, making sure all eyes were on him. “Nothing to worry about. Take the pill, drink it down with a little water, and then we’ll complete our evening with dessert.”
My eyes immediately snapped to Andrew. He turned my way, but we couldn’t talk, as the servers behind each of us came closer. I fumbled with the pill in my hand. Max said it was nothing to hurt us, but why would I believe him? He hadn’t told us what it was, and something “to help us get on better” could mean anything. I set the pill down and saw a lot of others do the same. Good. They couldn’t force us to take the damn things.
The tension tightened as the servers moved in even closer. There was one way out of this. When I was a kid and didn’t want to take my medicine, I would hide it under my tongue, hoping my mom or dad wouldn’t find it.
I placed the pill in my mouth and immediately shifted it underneath. The server was on me before I could even blink. A raised brow and harsh look and I deflated completely.
I flipped the pill back over and held it on my tongue. The server pointed to the water, eyes dead on me. A small tear escaped from my eye, the server right there staring holes into me. Tears fell as I swallowed the pill and chased it with the water.
All around the table scuffles broke out, as no one wanted to take the medicine. Max blew a whistle and more people dressed in serving uniforms entered the room.
They doubled teamed us. Two and three on one. Heads were slammed onto the table, mouths pried open, and pills forced inside. That and the ever-hanging threat of being caught on fire ensured that every pill was taken as they wanted.
Andrew was one of those people, as were Lincoln, Gerell, and Lia. I’d been the only one mindless enough to take the pill without at least putting up somewhat of a fight. My stomach tightened, and the glass in my hand shook so bad that I could hardly place it on the table.
Andrew put his palm over mine and guided it down without incident. The tears wouldn’t stop coming, and the only thing I wanted was to go home. Back to my bench in front of the public library, where I at least felt safe and secure.
Under the table, Andrew rubbed soothing patterns into the back of my hand. That helped some, as I noticed my breathing became just a little more controlled. I smiled a thank you at him, but dared not do more in case someone was watching.
Max stood guard until every pill had been taken. He then nodded to the extra servers, who quickly disappeared back into the shadows. The mood around the table was somber, as we all tried to process what had just happened.
Max smiled brightly, continuing to keep up the facade. “I think it’s best to forego dessert this one time. You did good tonight and we’ll practice more later. For now, you’re free to go home with your sponsors.”
Ed and Renee walked toward me, big grins on their faces, giving me a thumbs up as if they were my parents and I’d just completed some difficult task. I bared my teeth. These people disgusted me. Just who did they think they were? And what did Max mean by “your sponsor”? What exactly were they sponsoring us for?
The closer they got to me, the harder I gripped Andrew’s hand. At that moment, he was the only thing that made me feel at least a little secure and I just didn’t want to let him go.
His eyes said he knew my panic and he squeezed my hand even harder to let me know he understood.
“Well, didn’t you just have a great day?” Renee ran her fingers through my hair, smiling brightly. She acted as if this was my first day of kindergarten or something.
Ed nodded his agreement. “You look beautiful, Kerry.” He looked around the room. “You all do.”
Renee rested her hand on my shoulder, and the only thing I wanted was to knock it off. She’d touched me without permission, and left behind a few silver sparks in the process.
I’d never hated two people more in my life and just wondered how much longer I’d have to stay here. “Well, we’ll finish your lessons at home.” She said it like this was something I’d been compliant with, and we were all just having a great day. I didn’t want to go home with them, but I really had nowhere else to go.
Andrew eased his hand out of mine, giving it a small pat at the last minute. I stood, head down, worried what the rest of the night held in store for me.
Once home, I was allowed a quick shower and told it was okay to change into my night clothes.
I walked into the kitchen afterwards, my palms wet with sweat, chest pounding. I still didn’t know what effect the pill would have on me, and that along with everything else kept me in a perpetual state of unease.
Sitting at the kitchen table, Ed and Renee presented me with a set of goggles. They had a pair of headphones attached to them and I wondered if this was a part of my lessons as well.
Renee fitted them to my face, silver sparks seeping from her hand. She adjusted the earphones and made sure the goggles were secure.
They fit tight, and for now the only thing I could see out of them was Renee’s smiling face looking back at me. “Now don’t take these off all night. There’s a lot of information being downloaded. You’ll need to know these things. Makes it a lot easier in the final tallying, let me tell you.”
I didn’t know what she was talking about and I didn’t care. I wasn’t staying here forever, no matter what her and her husband thought. Tomorrow I’d talk with the others because there had to be some way out of here, we just hadn’t found it yet.
I nodded and then made my way back to my room. It wasn’t until my head hit the pillow that the goggles and headphones came to life.
An image of a woman appeared, telling me that I would now learn the history of their world and many others, as well as be given an extensive lesson in science, arithmetic, languages, and a host of other subjects. The first thing she explained was two plus two.
I awoke the next morning with a bunch of newfound knowledge skirting the perimeter of my brain. It was there. I knew it was there, but unless I focused on it, I couldn’t readily pull it through.
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At the breakfast table, Renee and Ed questioned me extensively. Each answer pushed through the moment it was asked and I had no clue where some of it came from. But I knew it, somehow, I knew it, and it did nothing but make them both beam proud smiles my way.
Ed poured himself another cup of coffee, silver sparks flying from his hand and dissipating in the air. “She’s going to be number one, Renee, just you watch,” he said.
Renee patted my hand. “No argument from me, Ed. I’d say we really picked ourselves a winner this time.”
I bit off a piece of bacon and tried hard to fight that old sick feeling that had been with me since I’d first arrived. They talked about me like I wasn’t there because they didn’t care that I was.
I was an object to them. A thing to be used and tossed aside whenever the mood struck. I shook my head. I’d never met two more despicable people in my life, and I couldn’t wait to be free of them.
4
We ended up in a large gym this time. Red and blue mats lined the floor, and I wondered if we were expected to do push-ups or something. My eyes sorted through it all and found Andrew. He was talking to his brother and their friend Gerell. I made my way over to them. “Were you guys given an overload of information last night?”
Andrew nodded. “They’re gearing us up for something big. Been trying to put the pieces together but nothing fits.” The frustration showed clearly on his face, a feeling I think we all shared.
Lincoln took in the empty mats around the room. “I think they’re going to make us fight. Probably more of their nonstop training.” He looked to Gerell. “Are you okay with that? Do you think you’ll be able to keep from hurting someone?”
Gerell closed in on us so that we formed a small circle around him. His right hand shook uncontrollably, and a spark of silver light erupted from it, hitting the ground, and then fizzling out.
My eyes widened when I saw it. It was the same silver sparks I’d seen from Ed and Renee, and I told them as much.
Gerell nodded. “I haven’t had much control of it since taking that red pill last night at the dinner. I don’t know what I’ll do if I have to fight someone.” His voice sounded strained, his breathing labored.
Lincoln ran a hand up his arm, face full of concern. “Just stay near me. I’ll shield you as much as I can.”
Gerell rested his forehead against Lincoln’s. “I don’t want to hurt you,” he whispered.
Lincoln’s voice came out low, tone soft. “Better me than anyone else, Ger.”
Both men spoke with pain in their voice and agony on their face. Their need to comfort each other was palpable and almost made me feel like a peeper for watching. I turned away, not wanting to intrude on a private moment. Andrew tapped me on the shoulder as a door to the side opened.
Max and a woman with short, brown, curly hair came to stand in front of the room. He cleared his throat and called our attention. Once everything quieted down, and all eyes were on him, he began to speak. “Today we learn how to protect this world and the people on it. This is something that will be expected from each of you.”
Confused glances throughout our group. These people were insane. Did they really believe we’d be on their side if an invasion occurred? Were they really going to teach us to fight? I looked to Gerell. He moved in even closer to Lincoln, his hand tight on the other man’s arm.
Max stepped back a bit and then he and the woman turned to face each other. I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the next set of lessons. Maybe they didn’t really expect us to fight each other. Maybe.
Max turned to us for a second, making sure we were watching, then raised his fist, and brought it down hard toward the woman’s face. She used an arm to block him and then dipped to the floor and kicked his feet out from under him. Instead of falling, he hovered in the air and then came back to his feet, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.
My breath hitched, and I looked around the room to make sure I wasn’t the only one to see it. Andrew whispered something undeterminable under his breath, while Gerell and Lincoln both stared on, eyes big with fear.
Max went for the lady again. This time, the same silver light that I’d seen light up Ed, Renee, and Gerell’s hands, lit up hers. She aimed for his face, but he dropped low and the silver spark hit the wall behind them, causing a small fire in the process. Servants wasted no time putting it out before it had a chance to grow out of control.
Mouth dry, I stared at the smoke left from the flames. Could all the people who lived here do that? Could Ed and Renee? Is that what all those silver sparks had been about? Could Gerell now do that? I looked at Andrew and Lincoln and we all gathered around Gerell in an effort to hide his new gift from the others.
The fighting stopped, and Max turned to us, one finger raised in the air. “No one wants someone in their home who can’t defend themselves. This is one of your most important lessons to date. You must be able to fight and defend those around you. Especially if those people can’t defend themselves.”
I scoffed and then put my hand over my mouth, hoping I wouldn’t be signaled out. This guy was seriously saying he expected us to die for them. The words I felt like I was in an alternate universe had never been more relevant. Except I suspected we really were in an alternate universe, which made this even more ironic.
He watched us closely, taking in our facial expressions before he spoke again. “Some of you have probably noticed the same silver energy coming out of your own hands. Those who haven’t, will. That’s what today is all about. Learning how to handle that energy and fight with it.”
Andrew, Gerell, Lincoln, and I shared a stunned look. How stupid were these people to arm us with the means to defeat them? Or were they so conceited that they didn’t even believe we’d try?
Max must have read my mind because his next words crushed any hope I had that we could somehow fight our way out of this. “Please don’t think you have even a fraction of the power that we do. If any one of you tries to attack me or any other member of this world, we will execute the entire lot of you. So, think about that before you dare.”
He gave us a moment to let that sink in. “No. Your powers are a lesser version of ours and at the discretion of those who sponsor you. You’ll do as you’re told. There is no room for argument on that point.”
My fist clenched, as hurricanes of emotions slammed through me. We were nothing more than property to these people. Property to be thrown away or killed at their whim. They held our lives in their hands and felt they could do with them as they pleased.
Max snapped his fingers. “Now, find a partner and line up.”
Andrew and I stood opposite each other, as did Lincoln and Gerell. Max walked around the room, coaching us along. We were told to hold our right and left hands loosely apart and focus all our attention on the area in the middle.
We did as instructed. Nothing at first, but then a small tingle started in my palm and spread to the rest of my fingers. Gasping out loud, I almost dropped my hands from the shock of it. I hurriedly put them back together before anyone could notice. This time, the tingle turned into a silver ball of energy. There was no feeling or texture to it, but I could clearly see that it was there.
My eyes snapped to Andrew. He held a little ball of energy in his hand as well. His mouth hung open a bit, as he bounced it from hand to hand, making it appear and disappear at will.
It was amazing, and I immediately started to plot a way to turn this to our advantage. There had to be something we could do to make this work for us.
Max walked through the crowd, checking that we were all on the same page, and doing the same thing. Once assured of that, he went back to the front of the room.
“Now try to take down the person in front of you. Don’t worry about hurting them. You can’t. You’re not strong enough.”
Andrew smiled reassuringly and I smiled back, not really concerned that he’d try to do me any harm. I didn’t want to hurt him either, so I thought I�
�d do a test run first.
Aiming toward the floor, I let the power shoot out of my hand. It sparked for a second, then fizzled out, not making much of an impact at all. Nothing like the fire the woman with Max had caused.
Andrew tried it and had the same results as me. Jaw clenched, he shook his head. “I’m not willing to be some strong-arm bodyguard for them.”
I didn’t have an answer, only to say that I felt the same. I nodded my agreement, and then we lined up again.
Max stood with his hands behind his back. “Just so you know,” he started, voice raised a couple of octaves, making sure he was clearly heard. “The only time you are to use these powers is here in this training room or in defense of your sponsors. Caught using it any other time and you will be killed. On the spot. No questions asked. Don’t even use it when you’re alone. Not even in the privacy of your own room. Get caught calling forth this energy without permission or reason, and your life will be ended.”
A fire boiled in my veins, running through my whole body. Silver energy exploded from my hands and hit the floor with a bang. Not the big fire that Max’s partner had caused, but the most I’d done so far.
Stunned, my mind immediately went back to when I was six years old and learning how to ride a bike for the first time. All the big boys and girls were doing it, and I wanted to be just like them.
They made it look so easy, and I just couldn’t understand why I was the only one still sitting on the sidewalk. Yet, every day that summer there I was, getting on my bike and trying to stay upright.
It took weeks, but I worked hard at it, never gave up, and soon I was riding just as easily as the older kids.
That incident helped set the tone for the next few years of my life. I wanted to join the volleyball team in junior high, so I worked hard, stayed after school, and got my game up to a competitive level.
When I’d first started at the mill, my job was one of production. Which meant I got paid a hefty base rate as long as I showed up and worked. But, if I surpassed my production rate, then I could bring home an extra five or six hundred dollars on an already nice paycheck.
A Magical Reckoning: Magic and Mischief Book 1 Page 17
