Ordinary

Chapter 8

And that's when any hope of them being wrong, and me having magic shattered. I held up my right hand, everyone staring at the shiny ring on my finger. "It's not mine," I said.

It was Elizabeth's.

"Then whose is it?" Marcus asked. "We have to find her!"

"Marcus," Valeria hissed. "Can't you see she's upset? Leave her alone." She pushed me a plate of beautiful fruits, but I didn't touch them. The beauties of this world didn't belong to me anymore. "You can talk to us when you're ready, if you want."

I nodded, thankful for her kinds words. Wiping back one stray tear, I cleared my throat. "Marcus, you said you were in the woods at the peak of the eclipse?" He nodded. "You were about one minute to late. The girl you're looking for had passed that spot just seconds before. She's the one that the ring belongs to."

Valeria gave me a saddened look. "Sam, I know this is that last thing you want to hear, but do you think she would be willing to help us?"

I nodded. "Of course. She would help anyone." Everyone looked a bit relieved.

The king stood up, and everyone else followed. "Marcus, take Sam to the human realm, find the girl, and bring her back here for training."

I nodded miserably. Amund walked over to me and handed me a white silk cloth. A handkerchief. I took it gratefully, wiping another tear. "Safe travels," he said.

I tried to thank him, but before I could, Marcus grabbed my shoulder, and the magical world I had begun to love slowly faded away.

_____

When I came to, we were back in the woods where the trees had taken me. I landed on back with a grunt. I laid miserably on the cold ground as I remembered what happened. It took everything in me to get up and stop feeling sorry for myself. Whether or not I could be a part of the magical realm, I didn't want to see it destroyed.

"Come on," I said, holding my hand out to Marcus and helping him up. "We have to find Elizabeth." He got up and quickly released my hand.

"Where is she?"

I nodded the way toward her house. "This way." I said, and we started our trek. The air was much cooler than I remembered, an abnormal change in temperature for such a short amount of time. It was dark outside. The moon was at its apex, so I assumed it was around midnight. The walk was short. Marcus was distant the whole way, probably worried about his lands and what was to come.

"This is her house," I announced as we stood on her porch. Her house was huge, probably the largest in our small town.

Marcus scanned the house. "Yes, I can feel her power," he said.

"The door is probably lock—" Before I could finish my sentence, we were in Elizabeth's room. She stirred in her sleep. I walked quietly to her bed. "Liz," I whispered.

She bolted up in her bed. "Sam?" she asked in disbelief. "Sam!" she screamed in delight as she tackled me onto the bed with a hug. When she was done embracing me she punched me in the arm. "Where the hell have you been? I've been so worried!"

I sat up and held her hands in mine. Before I could explain, Marcus walked over. "This is her?" he asked. She screamed.

"Who the hell are you?!"

I shushed her. "His name is Marcus."

"What the hell is he wearing?" she looked at me. "What the hell are you wearing?" She gave me a disappointed look. "Sam, I swear if you left me for a month to go LARPing, I will actually kill you."

"A month?" She nodded. I glanced at Marcus. "How is that possible? I was gone two days!"

"Time passes differently between the realms."

"The realms?" Elizabeth asked. "You were LARPing, weren't you?"

I chuckled sadly. "I wish. I'll tell you everything, but we need your help." We sat, and I told her everything. As we spoke, I noticed Marcus watching her intently. I couldn't help the pang of jealousy that went through me.

When I told her about how they told me I didn't have magic, I tried to act like it wasn't a big deal. She knew me better than that. She held my hand.

"Sam, I'm so sorry," she said, embracing me. "I know how much you always loved that stuff."

I shrugged it off like it was nothing, but I was still hurt. "It's fine." I changed the subject. "So will you help?"

She laughed. "Sam, I'm not an elf, I don't have magic."

Marcus stepped forward. "Yes, you do. You just haven't discovered it yet." She looked at him as if he were crazy.

"I don't," she said, but she was cut off when he put his hands on each of her shoulders. Her eyes shut closed, and she started glowing a pale white. I don't know what he did or showed her, but when her eyes fluttered open, she had a dreamy look on her face. Slowly the light surrounding her faded.

"Wow," was all she said.

"So you believe us?" I asked. She nodded. "So you'll help?" I asked again.

She shrugged. "Sam, I can't just leave."

Marcus cut her off. "Elizabeth. If you don't help us, an entire world of innocent people and animals will die." I could see what he had said was resonating hugely with her.

After a moment of deliberation, she said. "Alright. How do we get to your world?"

He held out his hand to her, and she took it. When I reached for his hand, he pulled it away.

"You're not coming with us," he said.

I took a step back, hurt.

"Why?" Elizabeth and I both asked.

"You're human. You can't help us, and you'll just end up getting hurt."

Elizabeth took her hand from his. "Sam is coming, or I'm not," she said firmly, arms crossed.

"Liz," I said, placing a hand on her shoulder. "He's right. I can't help you. You have to go without me."

She shook her head. "But you've always loved this stuff. You've been talking about it since we were kids."

I smiled sadly. "Maybe this was all I was ever meant to do. Convince you to save these people. If it works out, then I'm okay with my small part in this story," I lied. She didn't look convinced. "With my luck, I'll just get myself killed." We both chuckled. I could tell that she was considering it. "Do it for me, Liz. Save magic for me."

She nodded, a single tear trailing down her cheek.

She leaned in and kissed my cheek. "I'll miss you," she said.

Before she put her hand into Marcus's to leave for the next realm, I took her ring from my finger and placed it in her hand.

"But it was a gift," she said.

"You'll need it more than me," I replied, and I nodded to Marcus to take her. She reached her other hand out to me and disappeared into the darkness.

~~~~~~~

Hey guys! So this is my first author's note #yay!

If you're reading this far, your probably my sister or my mom (hey guys!), but if not, thank you so much for reading! I hope you've enjoyed it so far. If you have and thoughts on my story so far, good or bad, please share them in the comments or my dms! 

Thanks again! Love you, mom!