Nykara

by Katie Holland

  “What are you doing?” she asked him.

  “I’m staying with you until either your mom or dad gets home.”

  “And if I said I was fine?”

  “I’d say that’s nice but I’m still staying.”

  “Is there any way I can win this?”

  “Nope.”

  “Okay then, so come in I guess. Since you’re here maybe we can work on our English stuff.”

  They went to the kitchen and got their homework out. Alix made them a small snack and they got started. This was a continuation of the stories they co-wrote at the beginning of the semester. They were supposed to take one part of the story that they didn’t write and expand on it. They had to write five hundred words by Friday. Since the story was so close to her dream she decided to go in a totally different direction. She made the fireplace a portal to another world where people were about as tall as an apple and built elaborate cities in the trees.

  She was on a role and looked up to see Ben staring at her.

  “What?”

  “Just watching you write, it’s actually quite amusing,” he smiled at her.

  “What do you mean amusing?”

  “You make funny facial expressions.”

  “Are you serious or making fun of me?”

  “Very serious. They kind of look like this.”

  He proceeded to make a bunch of exaggerated funny faces. Alix tried her best not to laugh at him, but it was useless. She finally burst out laughing.

  “Very funny Ben.”

  “I thought so.”

  “Okay, so I think that means we’re done with homework for the day.” She looked at the clock, it was five o’clock. “My dad should be home soon, are you really staying until he gets here?”

  “Yes.”

  “In that case, you can help me get dinner started … chef,” her voice held the smile she was trying to hide.

  “Point me in the right direction and I’ll whip up a gourmet meal in no time.”

  “I don’t know about gourmet, but I thought I’d make meatloaf and mashed potatoes,” She told him to get a bowl out of the cupboard. Then she handed him a bag of potatoes and the peeler. “Start peeling … chef,” she smirked at him.

  Ben had to laugh at that. He took the peeler and potatoes and went to work while Alix made up the meatloaf. She had the meatloaf made and in the oven before Ben had half the potatoes ready.

  “Looks like you need to brush up on a few skills. I’ve never seen anyone peel potatoes that slowly.”

  “Guess I just lost my chef title huh.”

  “Yep, you sure did. Let me help. Since you’ve put in all this hard work do you want to stay for dinner?”

  “Sure, just let me check with my mom.” Ben sent a quick text to his mom. She replied right away. “I’m all good to stay.”

  “Okay, let’s get this finished.”

  Her dad had a late client, so he didn’t get home until almost six o’clock. Her mom had a late night so the three of then sat down and enjoyed some really good meatloaf. Of course, Ben took all the credit for the mashed potatoes, Alix just rolled her eyes at him.

  Ben left after dinner. Alix did a little bit more homework and then watched some TV with her dad. She was still tired from the ordeal the night before, so she went to bed early. Only this time she made sure her window was locked, the curtains fully closed, and she left her door open so that she wouldn’t feel like she was alone.

  Chapter 19

  The next two days went about the same. Ben and Shay were her shadows until she was with her parents. The dream had kept her awake a lot during the last two nights, so by the time Friday after school finally got there she was exhausted. Ben stayed at the house with her until her mom got home. They were watching TV when she walked in the door.

  “Hey, kids. Alix, I think I’ll get your dad to pick up pizza for dinner tonight. After the week we’ve had, I think we can use a treat.”

  “That sounds good to me. Are your going to stay for dinner Ben?”

  “I can’t, but thanks.” Then he smiled. “See you tomorrow … birthday girl.”

  “Yeah, see you tomorrow. Thanks for everything this week.”

  He waved and walked out the door.

  “Sooo … you and Ben?” her mom looked at her with a smile.

  “Whoa, no, no, no, there is no me and Ben! Nope, nothing, just friends.” Alix practically yelled.

  Her mom just grinned at her. “Okay, okay honey, I get it, just friends.” Her mom backed away from her with her hands up. “But you have to admit that he’s very good looking.”

  “Mom!”

  “Well, he is.”

  “I’m not talking about this anymore.”

  “Alright.” but her mom was still smiling at her. “So, what would you like to talk about?”

  “My birthday?”

  Her mom’s smile faltered for a fraction of a second but was back almost instantly. “What are you guys up to tomorrow?”

  “I have no idea. Shay hasn’t said a word about my birthday in days and that’s not really like her. She knows how important turning seventeen is to me and it’s like she’s forgotten about it. She’s never been exactly great at keeping secrets so if she had anything planned I’m sure she would have let something slip by know.” Alix sat down and put her head down on the table.

  “Oh honey,” her mom came closer and put her hand on her shoulder, “You’re really bothered by this aren’t you?”

  “No,” she mumbled.

  “It’s okay if you are. For the last six months, you’ve been excited to turn seventeen. Even though I’m not sure why, it’s always been so important to you, eighteen is when you become an adult.”

  “I don’t know why mom, there’s just something about being seventeen that sounds important to me. And, okay, yes it bothers me. I don’t get it. Last weekend Shay was all over me about my birthday, then nothing.”

  “Have you talked to her about it?”

  “No.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don’t know. I guess there just hasn’t been a good time with everything that happened this week.”

  “Did you stop to think that what happened to you might be hard on her as well? And she might have thought that you needed time to deal with it and that your birthday was secondary to your safety?”

  “Um, well, when you put it that way.”

  “Has she ever let you down before?”

  “No.”

  “Do you think she will now?”

  “No, she’s the best friend anyone could ask for.”

  “Do you think maybe you’re just tired and need some time to relax after the week you’ve had?”

  “Maybe.”

  “So why don’t you go grab your book, we’ll go to the living room and just hang out until your dad gets here with the pizza.”

  “Okay mom, that actually sounds like a good idea.” Alix got her eReader out of her back pack and joined her mom on the couch. She laid down, put her feet on her mom’s lap and turned her eReader on. In no time at all, she was lost in her book.

  When her dad got home about an hour later the scent of mouth-watering pizza hit her nose and her stomach growled. She giggled, and her mom smiled.

  “We’d better feed you before that thing comes to life,” her mom said with a laugh. “Ted, you can bring the pizza in here honey, Alix’s stomach is growling like a wild beast.”

  Alix could only laugh at her, “I don’t think it’s that bad mom.”

  “I don’t know, I think I heard deer run off from the sound.”

  Alix only laughed more at that. Her dad brought the pizza in and set it on the coffee table. They dug into the pizza and decided to put in a movie. With her tummy full and finally relaxed Alix was asleep in no time at all.

  ****

  Alix was in the forest again, surrounded by the beautiful, tall, strong trees she was becoming very familiar with. The meadow had almost become like an old friend at this point. On some level, Al
ix knew she was dreaming but as always, the dream was so real that it seemed as though she was really living it. She took her time wandering around the meadow, looking for anything new but it was all the same. Alix eventually made her way to the path that leads out of the forest. She admired the way the trees came together overhead to make it feel like a tunnel. It should have felt scary, but it wasn’t. Magical was how it felt to her. As she came out the other side she stopped to feel the sun on her face and smiled. She had always loved the sun. She opened her eyes and looked toward her destination. Alix walked through the grass and wildflowers to the small cabin. The closer she got the more emotions she felt, but the one she felt the strongest was happiness. She knew there was nothing in the cabin that would hurt her. She walked up the short sidewalk to the door. As she put her hand on the door knob she happened to look to the side of the door. She saw the beautiful, brightly colored flower she’d only seen once before. Whereas last time, there was a whole field of them this time there was only one. Alix bent down to touch the flower when it suddenly moved. She jumped back startled. There wasn’t any wind to speak of, so she didn’t know how it moved. She moved back closer to the flower to have a better look. It moved again but this time she didn’t jump. She got right down on her hands and knees and practically stuck her nose in the flower. This time she saw something moving behind the flower. She waited to see if it would come out. Finally, she saw a little face peek out from behind a petal. She wasn’t sure what she was looking at, but it was tiny and cute, two of her favorite things. She reached out to touch it, but it flew away. Alix watched as the tiny creature disappeared. She wasn’t sure what to make of that, so she decided to head on into the cabin. As she walked in she smelled the familiar wood smell that she associated with being there and instead of feeling anxious as she had at first, now she felt calm at the sight of the inside of the cabin. Alix walked straight over to the fireplace and admired the exquisite carving of the mantle. As with every time she was there she couldn’t help but run her fingers over the beautiful wood. When she touched the flower in the middle she already knew what would happen, but it still shocked her every time. The second she touched the flower she felt the warm tingling sensation on her right palm. She looked at her hand and saw the brightly colored tattoo of the flower from the mantle on her right palm. She stared at it for a minute when she heard a sound behind her. She expected to see the old lady that sometimes appeared after she touched the mantle but when she turned around it was Ben.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “I’m here to help you, Alix.”

  “Help me with what?”

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes, Ben.”

  “Good. All you need to know is that I’m here to help you. It will all make sense tomorrow.”

  “But Ben,” Alix blinked, and he was gone.

  She looked down at her hand again. The tattoo was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen. Her hand still felt warm and tingly as she ran her fingers over the tattoo. As warm as her hand was the rest of her was suddenly cold. She looked out the window and the nice blue sky had turned black with a coming storm. She saw a flash of lightning and jumped when she heard the very loud thunder.

  Alix sat up with a start. She was breathing fast and it took a moment to figure out where she was. The couch. She had fallen asleep watching a movie with her mom and dad in the living room.

  “Are you okay honey?” her dad asked.

  “Um, yeah, I think so. I was just dreaming and there was very loud thunder that scared me I guess.”

  “Well you have had a long week, why don’t you go to bed early tonight. After all, you don’t want to be tired on your birthday, do you?” her mom said to her.

  “You’re probably right. Goodnight. Thanks for everything,” she said to them. Alix grabbed her book and went to her room. She changed into her most comfy sleep shirt and pants and crawled into bed. After her dream, she knew she wasn’t going to fall back to sleep quickly, but it still felt good to lay in bed. This was the first time that Ben had been in the dream, she wondered what it could mean. She didn’t want to think about the dream anymore, so she decided to read until she got sleepy.

  ****

  Alix was back in the meadow. She didn’t linger and made her way straight to the cabin. She opened the door and was surprised to see the old lady sitting at the table. She usually didn’t appear until after Alix had touched the mantle.

  “Come sit with me Alix,” she said.

  Alix walked slowly over to the table, cautious, but curious at the same time. She wondered who this person was and how she seemed to know her.

  “I’m not here to harm you Alix, in fact, I’m here to answer your questions. Please join me,” she said, patting the chair beside her.

  Alix sat down and studied the woman. Now that she actually got to look at her she wasn’t as old as Alix thought she was. Her white hair betrayed her age. Alix now thought she was probably in her fifties.

  “Who are you?” Alix asked her.

  “My name is Margo. I’m here to help you make the transition easier. You have no knowledge of what’s to come and it’s my job to start you on your journey.”

  “What transition? What journey? None of this is making any sense.”

  “Alix, you are not human. You are from a special race of people called Nykara. We are a race of magical beings that live amongst humans. We use our magic to help them when we can. You have not been raised knowing any of this, so I’m sure it will sound strange at first.”

  “Strange! I’ll say. Are you crazy, lady? Magical people! Yeah right.”

  Margo remained calm. “Alix, I want you to think about something. Have you ever seen something you couldn’t quite explain? Or felt something very strongly and didn’t know why? Do you like being outside? Does sunshine make you feel better?”

  Alix thought about what she said and realized that everything Margo said was true. She didn’t really know what to say so she just sat there speechless for a moment. When she got her voice back her first question was “What exactly do you mean by magical? Are we talking Harry Potter or more Samantha from Bewitched?”

  Margo had to laugh a little. “I guess a bit of both. The magic you possess is within you, it’s innate to all Nykara. When you learn how to use it, it will become instinctual. There aren’t any spells or wands or anything like that. Basically, when you think something you will make it happen. It will all make more sense when you come into your abilities.”

  “And when does that happen?”

  “On your seventeenth birthday, at the exact moment, you were born.”

  “Wow, that’s specific. Hey, wait a minute, is that why turning seventeen has seemed like a big deal to me and I didn’t know why?”

  “Yes, Alix. Somewhere deep down you knew. It’s time for me to go now. Good luck.”

  “But wait …” and just like that Margo was gone.

  “Stupid disappearing people,” Alix mumbled to herself.

  She sat at the table for a little while longer, but like every other time, she was drawn to the mantle. Like each time before she just had a need to touch it. But this time when she ran her hand over the flower, instead of the warm tingly feeling that usually happened she got quite a strong shock. It made her jump back so hard she almost fell. Strong arms caught her, scaring her all over again. At the same time, she heard someone say, “You’re okay Alix, it’s time to wake up.”

  Chapter 20

  Alix’s eyes flew open. She sat up and looked at her clock, 10:01. Stupid dream, she really wanted to stop having it. She couldn’t believe she had slept so long. She put her head back on her pillow, her thoughts going back to the dream. Her hand still felt the shock from touching the flower. She rubbed it with her other hand, it felt funny. She brought it up to her face to look at it. She thought she must still be dreaming because she saw the same flower tattoo on her palm that she had seen in her dreams the last few weeks. She closed her eyes tight
, counted to ten and opened them again, the tattoo was still there. And it was tingling. She was officially freaked out.

  She scrambled out of bed and ran to the living room. What she saw stopped her in her tracks. It was full of people. Her mom and dad, Ben and his parents and even Shay and her mom. Alix didn’t know what to do or say, she just stood there staring at everyone.

  “Happy Birthday honey,” her mom said to her. “Come on and sit down with us.”

  Alix slowly went over to the couch and sat between her parents. “Don’t you think it’s a little early for a party?” she said to no one in particular.

  “We’re not here for a party honey, at least not yet. Today is a very special day for you, even though you might not fully understand what is happening.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  Her mom reached out and held Alix’s hands. “I’m talking about you turning seventeen. Today is very special for you. Today you are truly more than human. You are Nykara Alix.”

  “Oh my God, my dream, it’s all real,” she whispered to herself and then realized something. “Wait a minute, so you knew, this whole time? You knew that I was different, and you never said anything to me?” Alix was getting angry and couldn’t sit still any longer. She got up and started pacing. She had almost forgotten that there were other people in the room when she came to another realization. “And what about all of you? None of you look shocked by this news. So, you all knew as well?” her voice was rising higher as she became angrier.

  “Alix,” her mom said in a gentle voice, “If we had told you that you were from a magical race of people what would you have said to me?”

  Alix stopped pacing to look at her mom. “I’d probably have asked if you had lost your mind or assumed you were joking or something like that.”

  “So, you’re sure you wouldn’t have believed me.”

  “No, I don’t think there is any way I thought you would have been telling the truth.”

  “Now can you understand why no one said anything?”