A/N: Picture is some waterfall on the side of a mountain along the highway between Jasper and Columbia Ice Field 😀 (Don't know the people in the pic.)
Devland stood up and rounded the table before crossing the room, coming to a stop in front of our group. Carter ducked his head and stepped back so he was behind Calin. To my surprise, even Islene shuffled away as Devland held out his hand, a photograph clasped between his fingers. I didn't get it. After all, they must be so used to Devland's ability to make people uncomfortable—to the point of feeling like no oxygen remains when he invades your personal space—that I didn't think they'd shy away from him.
"This is the boy," Devland said, waving the photo, but nobody moved to take it. "His name is Aaron Byers. He's only seventeen, the youngest so far."
With a sigh, I rolled my eyes and snatched the picture from him, feeling a static charge as my fingers brushed against his through the photo paper. I moved to Islene's side as Calin came to stand behind me so he could see over my shoulder. With a gasp, I realized I recognized him, which meant Calin probably did too. I didn't have classes with him, though I'd seen in the halls at school, smiling and laughing and walking with friends. My chest tightened. Until Carter, all of this seemed so far away ever since I'd first talked about the missing persons with my mother. Now, after today... It was real, and I wished more than anything that I knew how to help.
"Islene, can you make yourself have a vision?" I asked.
She shook her head, her front teeth worrying her bottom lip. "No."
"Have you ever tried?" Devland asked.
"Of course," Islene said and raised her head to glare at Devland. She took the picture from me and waved it towards Devland. "What's this boy's abilities? If we're pointing out oddities, I think it is very strange that only those with higher-than-usual powers seem to go missing, only to turn up with no magic. Who would even know about what they can do? I remember that you used to have tests conducted on babies to determine a child's strength when they were born."
"Those aren't done anymore."
Islene snorted. "So? Were they tracked after the tests were done? Watched for the heightened power so the more powerful children could be kept on the Council's watch list? Obviously, whoever is doing this is amassing quite a power if they are able to utilize the magic they've taken."
I inhaled sharply and blinked. Lifting my head, my eyes widened as I looked at Devland, seeing nothing of remorse in his expression. Had I been tested? Was that why Devland wanted me to prove I had abilities when I'd first arrived? If I was, there was no way my secrets were safe. There was no way they were even secrets.
But... if my mother had left before I was born, maybe I'd avoided it.
Had Maible? A test like that would have proven her abilities. If a record existed, that would be halfway to proving that she'd been bound instead of experiencing a delayed trigger—there was no way, given the amount of power she'd shown capable of using, that she wouldn't have aced the test. All I'd have to do after that is prove Devland was the one who had bound her.
"That testing was inconclusive at best and ceased years ago," Devland said. I opened my mouth to ask when exactly the tests were abolished, but Devland continued. "Can you continue to think of the boy, Islene? If a vision manifests, please let us know right away. I'd like to have a happy ending for someone and apprehend the person who continues to evade us while harming members of our community."
"And amassing an unnatural amount of power," I said, feeling Calin's entire body stiffen behind me.
Devland turned to me and nodded. "Yes. I fear what someone could do with that."
Was that a threat? I stepped back.
"Carter?" Devland turned to face him for the first time. "Come with me, and we'll ensure you get to see the doctor right away. We'll have your family meet us. Does that sound alright?"
Carter looked at me, seeming unsure.
After a slight hesitation, I nodded. Devland wouldn't do something after announcing in front of the High Council that his plan was to help Carter before reuniting him with his family. Cautiously, Carter moved forward until he was beside Devland, though he never looked up from his view of the floor and didn't say a single word. I felt vindicated that my assumption that he was timid around Devland was correct while at the same time angry that Carter couldn't be met with more warmth after the trauma he'd already endured.
Devland, smug as always, nodded at Islene, Calin, and me. "We're done. For now. Please ensure that you stay available if further questions need answering."
Islene raised her chin. "Actually, as a member of the High Council, I think I will stay, but Nora and Calin should certainly go home. It's been a trying day and they should rest." She lowered her head and glared at Devland. "As Nora is in my care, I will advise you now that we are taking a trip. We'll be available by cell phone, if needed. I assume that's sufficient?"
"So long as any information you gather is shared."
"I wouldn't delay something like that." Again, Islene raised her chin and her shoulders squared.
"So, we're free to leave?" Calin asked, his voice emotionless. His hand moved to the small of my back and gently started to push me in the direction of the door we'd come through. "Mom's right. We're tired. If you need us—either of us—Mom can coordinate our availability." He looked at Carter. "You're sure you're okay without us?"
"I'll make sure he has your number," Islene said. "I'll come home after seeing to it that Carter is back with his family and has seen a doctor."
I liked the way that Islene prioritized that for Carter—family first. If I still had one, I would want to see my mom before any doctor attended to me unless it was necessary. My surrogate families were fantastic, of course, but nothing beat the real thing. Devland certainly didn't qualify. I was pretty sure he wouldn't know what it meant to be a father even if someone transported him back to when it was okay for seniors to paddle freshman during rush week and studded it with half-drilled screws on the paddle until he could define the word. Even then—as I had proven when attempting magic when I was younger—theory was so much different than practice.
Despite worrying about Islene staying and Carter being within Devland's grasp, I ducked my head to avoid the wary glances of the rest of the Council and let Calin lead me away. Onyx followed, staying so close to my side I wasn't sure a fly could get away with trying to do me harm. Silence followed us out of the room, and I imagined Devland and Islene were still staring each other down. Hopefully, though I didn't hear chatter pick up as the door closed behind us—this time symbolizing our unwelcome return, should we wish to go back—they didn't allow their defiance of one another to impede prioritizing what Carter needed.
"Do you want to stop at Celestial Java?" Calin asked, dropping his hand from my back once we reached the elevator. He pushed the button on the wall and dropped his arms to his side. "You must be exhausted with the day we've had."
"No, thank you." I shook my head.
"No coffee?"
"No."
The elevator doors opened, and we entered the shaft. This time, we didn't need to have Islene with us because the button for the ground floor obviously wasn't a secret like the meeting area for the High Council was. No finger poke, no passcode. We rode in silence, not even speaking when we finally escaped and made our way back to Calin's car—through the tunnel, up the elevator, down the grubby above-ground tunnel, across the courtyard, and finally down the massive stairs. Thankfully, going down wasn't as tiring as our ascension had been, or I'd likely have fallen asleep and rolled to the landing.
"What do you want to do now?" Calin asked when he started the car, but he didn't look at me. In fact, ever since Devland had shown us the new boy that was taken, Calin had seemed off. Was it the situation or had they been friends, and Calin was worried?
I'd have to ask him when I wasn't as tired.
I leaned back and tilted my head, closing my eyes. The picture of the boy Devland had shown us a photograph of popped into my mind, forcing my eyes open again so I could ignore it. "Honestly?" I shifted, feeling antsy. Everything about the situation left me... unsettled. I was so tired, I could barely think, but all my body wanted to do was move around as though no position I found could ever be comfortable again. "After today, I could sleep for a month and still be tired."
"So, you want to head home?"
I nodded, sighing. "Yes. Please."
"You don't want supper?"
"How about we make some popcorn and watch movies until we fall asleep? That sounds absolutely amazing."
It was brain-numbing enough that I wouldn't think about what the day had unfolded. In some ways—like when I was positive a mental breakdown was imminent because there was no way I would be able to compartmentalize what I'd endured—I missed being able to talk to Dr. Stanza. Most of the time, I was still happy about the decision to stop seeing her. Perhaps time with Calin, munchies, and movies was all I needed. Maybe I'd be able to sleep and not wake up from the nightmares I was sure finding Carter had already triggered.
*****
I didn't last ten minutes into the movie before I fell asleep on the couch in the Malloy's living room. Calin, back to respecting my wishes despite the fact that all I wanted was to cuddle with him until I was able to forget my own emotions, lounged on the loveseat so that he could give me space. I felt bad he was too long for it and couldn't possibly be comfortable resting his back against one end while his feet hung over the other arm. I missed sharing the couch—Calin was a heated pillow—and wished that the test had already been returned. His support was the world of difference, and probably the only thing that had saved me from being shoved into a padded cell already.
It felt like zero time had passed when I woke to the burst of music that accompanied the credits at the end of the movie. I jerked, surprised, nearly falling off the couch before I planted my foot on the floor to avoid landing on the floor.
"Shut up," I said when Calin chuckled.
He lifted his hands up, then dropped them back to his lap. Calin glanced at me, raised his eyebrows and smirked, and then faced the television. "Sometimes, I wonder how you can be so good at so many things and so bad at movement. I bet you fall up the stairs instead of down, don't you?"
"Shut. Up." I stuck my tongue out even though he couldn't see me, then shifted to push into a sitting position. "You can't call me a klutz if it happened while I was sleeping."
"I can when you almost faceplant the floor."
"I run and don't fall."
"That argument is disqualified. I've seen you fall and hurt your ankle on the tracks."
"Okay, one time! I'm not a klutz." I sighed and rolled my eyes as I rubbed my palms against the top of my thighs. "What do you think happened with the Council after we left? Do you think Carter is okay?"
"I don't know. My mom hasn't come home, so they must be doing something."
"I don't know how you are so undisturbed after everything that happened today."
Calin turned his head to meet my gaze and shrugged. "I can't do anything, so there is no point in stressing about it."
"Who says we can't do anything?"
"It's the way it is. I get that you had to unbind Maible and oust Duvessa, but... I don't know." Calin shook his head. "I think, for something like this, the Council is more the best equipped."
"We proved today that we are capable of doing something, Calin." Feeling defensive and more than a little confused—Calin had always encouraged my involvement before—I added, "I don't see why we should trust the Council—your mother didn't when she had visions before my mother died."
"Yeah, but that's because it was your mom. She was fierce." He scratched his neck, then left his hand tucked beneath his head. "If we bet that the Council respected and feared her more than they do Devland, I would take your money."
"So, if I'm her daughter and she isn't here, how do you figure it isn't my responsibility?"
"Because you're still in high school." Calin's tone turned harder than I'd ever heard it directed at me, and I didn't understand the shift. "How could it be?"
The steel in his voice took the defense out of my own, and I sighed. "You know life doesn't wait for you to be ready to deal with it, right?"
"I know, I just—"
"Don't understand." I exhaled again.
"I do understand, Nora." Calin shifted, making unfolding his pretzel position look easy. Sitting with his feet on the floor, he leaned forward to rest his elbows on his knees, completely ignoring the rolling credits. "I understand that you feel that you are responsible to help people—it makes sense, given what's happened and how you were raised. Not to mention what you're capable of. I just don't agree that you should have to do it."
"What?"
He shrugged. "Any of it."
Did he really understand? Because I didn't. All I knew was that I was born to powerful parents, which made me strong. The reasons that I had to take care of things was beyond me, though the trip with Islene should provide clarity. All I knew was that there was still a secret hanging over me that would supposedly explain it. Until I could discover what that was, though, all I knew was what was expected of me. Given everything I'd seen and been through, I wasn't able to argue the facts.
Did anyone else try to keep the Council in line?
Who oversaw their actions and held them accountable?
My gut told me I didn't want that answer right now.
"Do you want to watch another movie?"
I snorted. "No, I'll just fall asleep."
"We could have a sleepover in the living room? I can grab pillows and blankets, and you can fall asleep anytime you like."
"Tempting." I smiled, then shook my head. "I'm kind of sore after all the hiking and helping Carter back to the car. I'd like to go to bed where I can move around until I'm comfortable."
"You're sure?"
"Yeah." I nodded and rubbed my thighs once more before placing my hands beside me on the cushion to hoist myself up. "I'm going to go to bed."
Turning, I started across the room. Although my stomach was starting to let me know that I'd neglected to provide it supper, I couldn't stand the thought of food. I went to the kitchen anyway and went straight to the cupboard instead of the fridge to get a cup for water. Leaning my hips against the counter, I let the water run to cold and then filled the glass, drank half, then filled it again. If I was lucky, that would satisfy my stomach's argument with my brain until breakfast tomorrow.
The nap had woken me just enough that it would be hard to fall back asleep. Sipping on the water, I continued to lean against the counter and stared out the window above the sink. Perhaps, if the Books of Shadows that I had didn't dull me into snoozing, I could look for some sort of spell or simply visualize myself sleeping. Maybe I'd find secret passages in my grandmother's Book of Shadows with one, or I could practice writing my own. If I wrote it in the book Devland gave me, perhaps it would put him to sleep while he read it, the sneaky little...
Yeah, it was time to go upstairs.
I filled the glass back up and turned back, heading towards the living room to reach the stairs.
"Nora?"
"Hmm?" I lowered the glass and looked up as Calin spoke, surprised to see that he hadn't moved once I'd left.
"Uh... never mind."
I raised my eyebrow. "Really?"
Calin shook his head and reached forward, grabbing the remote control to wake the darkened screen of the television. "It's nothing. I was just going to watch another movie. Are you sure you don't want to join me?"
I shook my head and smiled. "No, thanks."
"Okay." He nodded and leaned back against the cushions of the love seat, which seemed even odder now that I wasn't keeping him from relaxing on the couch. "Have a good sleep."
I stared at him for a few moments longer, then shook my head and started to walk away. Over my shoulder, I called, "Good night."