Mana Pool Snippets - Keystone

Part 4

The following day…

Scott knocked on Katie’s bedroom door. “Dinner is ready,” he said.

No sound came from the bedroom.

Since yesterday, the fight with the Livingston parents, not only insulted Scott and Katie, but also made a huge dent in the family friendship. It reflected badly on Katie, as did the rest of the Walsh family.

Scott opened the door and walked into Katie’s bedroom. It could be called the little sister of the master bedroom. Her desk was always cluttered with papers back in high school, and just recently, magic studies. More books of New Age thought and magic were stacked on the floor in several places; from the practical like spells and rituals, to the headache inducing like politics and idealistic philosophy. In her younger years, she had a deep hobby for it thanks to Robert Walsh addicting her to the supernatural. She pretended to be a witch, or a conjurer, and loved it until she went to college and packed it all up in a antique trunk. The same trunk was still at the foot of the bed and was open all the time since they came back from the Area 51 attack.

Scott was on edge to support her hobby, at first, because magic was new to him and never grasped the concept. He wished he still had his magic.

One addition was Arana’s own entrance. She and Jonathan cut a hole through the wall near the window and installed a two-way entry. Inside was a perch and bed for the totem. In between was a plastic gate to easily pass through. They outside was a branch-like perch. Arana loved it. She was outside with Keeji keeping the pests away from the vineyards.

Scott saw Katie on the bed. She was reading her terran spellbook, the special one she inherited when she transformed and found in her Inner Sanctum. Katie’s spellbook was bound in a brilliant red leather cover. The spine was etched with Celtic artistry. A padlock the same symbol as Scott and Katie’s Celtic pendants each wear every day.

As she turned the pages, she was draped in a thick handmade quilt by her late grandmother. Her head and hands were exposed.

“It’s chicken and dumpling soup,” Scott said.

“Not hungry.” Katie’s voice was still filled with sadness.

“You’ve been in here all day. I’m worried about you.” He sat beside Katie, peering at the book on the section about imagination focus. Scott has a spellbook too, but with a much different cover than Katie’s. Since he could not practice magic, he gave it to Jaruka for the investigation for Denverybay.

“Don’t. I’m fine,” Katie said.

“Liar. I’m hurt too you know.” Scott placed his arm on Katie’s shoulders. “I really hate to see you like this.” The other hand clenched around Katie’s left hand on the book.

Katie sniffed. “Deryl can make Andrea happy. He has to,” she said. “I just wish we could do something for her sake.”

It was even more drama for Andrea. The Livingstons refused to talk to Brenda or Jonathan; the Livingstons threatened to call the police if they were not left alone, also refuse any tax work for the company. They called the Walsh’s traitors for housing demons. After the emotional fights, they finally got a hold of Deryl Porter, but the choices were hard to swallow.

Legally gain custody of Andrea on parental child abuse. It was the logical choice since the Walsh family knew Andrea pretty well. Scott even offered to give up his room and be in Katie’s room from now on. Then again, the court system would take months or years for an official ruling since the system has been bombarded by countless terran abuse and civil rights cases, including the proposed bill for official terran rights at Capitol Hill.