Shades of Starlight (Hiatus)

Chapter Seven

"Cassia, I'll leap with you to your home, where you will rest in bed for the rest of the day and do nothing strenuous, intense, or mildly difficult in the least," Elwin said seriously, offering me his arm. Keefe cracked up. I was not amused. I hated doing nothing and having to be still. Mom would probably freak out and insist I stayed in the same room as her or something.

"Well, I guess I should get to class..." Keefe said and reached out a hand to Elwin, who rolled his eyes and handed Keefe a pass. That earned a smile from me. Keefe was so... I don't even know what to call him. He always gets his way when he really wants to. Clearly seeing my small smile, Keefe saluted to me and ran out of the Healing Center. He was ridiculous. But he did make me laugh. Most of the time, at least.

"Come on, Elwin, let's go." I led him out of Foxfire, muttering behind me about telling me so and the elixirs I'd have to take. We leaped to Candleshade. I opened the door and called into the enormous skyscraper.

"Mother? Father?" After a few minutes, I still heard nothing back but the echoes of my shouts as they traveled up the tower. I fumbled for my Imparter and breathed 'Lady Gisela' into it. Elwin and I waited as it searched for a signal. Nothing. Why was she not picking up her Imparter? Where was she? Mom's usually at home all day, unless she's shopping. Elwin nudged me.

"Try your father?" I suppose I didn't have a choice. 'Lord Cassius', I whispered to my Imparter. After about thirty seconds that felt like an eternity, he answered, clearly in Atlantis. I could see the giant bubble that protected Atlantis and the sea beyond it.

"Gise-Cassia? Why aren't you in school?" Father demanded. I gave Elwin my Imparter so that he could explain what had happened.

"Cassia had a bit of a medical emergency today. S-" I waved my hands frantically and shook my head at him vigorously. Mother and Father couldn't know that I was still friends with Sophie. 

"Er, one of her classmates had a reaction to something," he continued, giving me a strange look. "Cassia seemed to have a headache that turned into a severe migraine somehow when she heard my banshee screaming. Usually, migraines aren't triggered by sounds, and she did have a strange reaction to the lights I flashed to examine her as well." I did? What was my reaction?

"I recommend that she stays home for today to rest under adult supervision," Elwin finished. Father nodded.

"Is your mother home?" He asked, addressing me directly. I shook my head.

"I hailed her, but she didn't answer," I replied in the quiet, submissive voice I always used with him. Father looked confused.

"She always carries her Imparter with her. I can't imagine why you wouldn't be able to reach her." I didn't understand it either. I'd hailed her during school hours before, and she had answered. A few times she had only had time enough to tell me she couldn't talk, but still.

"Well, Lord Cassius, are you able to stay at home with Cassia this afternoon?" Father turned his cold gaze to Elwin, who didn't react.

"She may hail me if she needs something," Father told him icily.

"But-" Elwin tried. Lord Cassius cut him off short with a raised hand.

"I will be available at any time. Cassia will be fine on her own." Father emphasized the last three words sternly and disappeared from the screen of my Imparter. You could never convince my father otherwise when he was set in his ways. The severe tone of his voice was something he'd used on Keefe especially for my whole life. Father will never let anything interfere with his plans either. Elwin muttered something under his breath about difficult parents.

"Elwin?" I asked. He looked up.

"Yes?" I shifted nervously, preparing to ask a question I wasn't sure I'd like the answer to.

"What was my reaction to the lights you flashed?" Elwin hesitated.

"Your eyes... your eyes were open most of the time, but you were unresponsive. Except for when I flashed a certain kind of white light... your eyes turned completely black. Whites and all. And you were thrashing, screaming. It was horrible. But when the light vanished, you stopped. Your eyes went back to normal." He sighed, rubbing the back of his head.

"Suffice it to say, I've never seen or heard of that happening before," Elwin said, avoiding my eyes.

"Try it again." Elwin looked at me incredulously. I gazed back at him, eyes full of intent.

"There is absolutely no way I am going to do that to you. You were in pain! Also, I suspect that there must be some other, vocal, trigger in place for it to happen," he told me.

"So try it. Test your theory. I can take it. We won't know if you're right until we do it," I reasoned. Elwin definitely wanted to argue with me more, I could tell. But he just sighed again.

"Are you ready?" He asked, looking like he very much did not want to do this. I nodded, standing as straight as I could. A white light flashed, and I blinked, my vision going in and out of focus. I stumbled, but Elwin caught me before I fell.

"Did it happen again?" I asked hoarsely. He shook his head.

"I only saw your irises turn a bit darker." Well, his theory was right. A verbal cue and the light together could do it, but not just the light. I felt tired and clumsily swatted him away. Elwin handed me a bag of medicines.

"Take one of these every three hours and come see me in the morning," he told me. I nodded and we said goodbye. Walking inside, I headed for the Vortinator and said the number of the floor my room was on, number 66. Keefe's room was on the floor above. As I entered it and put my bag of medicines on a chair, I heard a rustling noise. Something-or someone else was in my room with me. A sharp intake of breath from across the room made me look over and see it.  A tall figure, dressed in a long black cloak. But their face was uncovered, and my eyes widened as I realized who it was.

"Mom?"

Cover: Elwin