Orange Shadow Magic: Awaken. Book 1

Chapter 11: A Different Life is in Store for You

Mattzew screamed as Avery started floating in the air. She was about to come flying down and knock the wind out of him when she paused. "Why do I keep pausing?" She cried, trying to force herself downward, but it was like she was frozen. "I must obey my father! I must obey my father!" She screamed, and came collapsing on the ground, her mind frozen in shock. She came all this way, and now she couldn't even deliver a blow on this kid. Something was holding her back. Maybe it was meeting someone her own age who already seemed so satisfied with his powerless life. Maybe it was Azami, who had welcomed her in without a doubt to Avery's "sweetness". Perhaps it was the chance that she could start over, and be everything King Werepaw had wanted her to be. Maybe she did just want everything to be the same as before, long before she had longed to show everyone in her town that just because she couldn't shapeshift didn't mean that she should be treated worse. Suddenly, Mattzew stood up.

"Avery, sorry I treated you so poorly when you came. Maybe you aren't so different than me. We long for something more, something beyond us. Power, to force everybody to love us. Although everyone I know loves me and I can get anything I want, you obviously haven't hadn't so good. I just want you to know, whatever you're facing, I will face it with you!" Mattzew said boldly and tried to put his shaking hand on Avery's shoulder, she got up and stormed out of his room.

"Father!" Avery cried from her guest room, tears of anguish coming out of her eyes. "I need your help!" Avery demanded and suddenly her father was standing there, crossing his arms and smiling nonchalantly.

"You need my help, Avery darling?" He said smugly as a smile slowly started to spread across her face. She grinned maliciously and nodded.

"People don't take my magic seriously! I want them to hear my name and be in awe by my miraculous work. You have control of the entire sphinx language because you're Mr. Rold's bestie. But I don't have access to that! People don't see me as a villain........" Avery could go on and on. She needed more power. Mattzew's family took her as an under-capable little child who couldn't survive overnight. She needed to make people..... fear her. Her father smiled and put his hands out in front of him.

"Your other father King Werepaw hid something from you, my darling. You have the ability to do sorcery. It's just that when I give it to you, it will come with a cost. You won't be able to use any of your powers. Accept your shapeshifting and then you will be happy." Avery nodded her head. This was not going to be easy for her, but she didn't care whatever price she had to pay, she'd pay it. She was getting those powers no matter what and nobody was going to stop her. Not from something that she was working towards her entire life. Her father put his head in his hands as if he was about to burst out in laughter and flake on her. Putting his head up, he instructed Avery to close her eyes and he began the chant. Avery could only make out the words "remove the poor powers and replace with the strong," and "give her what she needs to become as evil as her wicked father." After several versus', she opened her eyes and the familiar tingle she had always felt in her legs, the thing that had made her who she was, was gone.

She scowled and vigorously threw herself at her father in disgust, yelling, "You never mentioned I would lose my flying powers! Now all I can do is just throw some spells at some dudes and walk away! Walk! No spell can make you fly! What I had was a special gift and you just took it, along with the voices of clouds which filled my loneliness! Now, no matter where I go and what I do, I'll always be alone!" Avery ranted and almost felt ready to cry. She was fuming and wanted to punch him right then and there, but that would get her nowhere. Her father shrugged and grinned crookedly as he pushed a skinny wooden wand into her clenched hand.

"You said that's what you wanted. I asked you myself! Remember?" He grinned rather wickedly and looked at Avery with much curiosity ass if she was an animal trapped in a zoo and he was just standing there waiting for what she would do next, only as a part of his own amusement.