"Of the natural awakened, I rate one as the most powerful. Not Hector, though many would assume it so. Hector is the obvious choice, based simply on past events and not his true power. While I do not refute his abilities, I absolutely deny his alacrity of execution. Hector is a coward at heart, and even when surrounded by comrades at the turn of the storm, he would not stand his ground.
No, the true strength lies in conviction. ███████, though ███ might appear weaker than any among us, possesses great power equal to the rest of the natural awakened—and the conviction to use that power when pressed. See how ███ cleansed the fires of the riot, how ███ claimed a wolf as a mere mount! ███████ is the strongest and bravest of us all, and fie those who would speak otherwise. I know no other who, at any ███, could command angry mobs to a standstill simply by walking forward with head held high.
███ puts us all to shame."
~Cinza, the Rallsburg Diaries
Natalie kicked the snow off her shoes before opening the door, trying to get as much as possible off. It didn't help much though. She'd gotten completely soaked, especially after the second or third time sprinting through slush to get away from an imaginary threat chasing her down the street. She glanced around, and—seeing nobody—murmured a quick spell.
Snow melted off in a burst of steam. Her shoes were suddenly perfectly dry. Natalie grinned to herself, then pulled open the door and went inside.
"I'm home," she called out, as Annette had asked her to do. They preferred it, and while Natalie really didn't like shouting to the world exactly where she was, she'd do it for them. Anything to keep living here. I can't even walk to the store and back without jumping at every shadow... I would've let Quinn come with me, but then he'd ask questions about the other thing I had to buy.
"Welcome back," said Damian, emerging from the kitchen with a stirring bowl tucked into his arm. "Get what we needed?"
Natalie held up the plastic bag and pulled out the carton of eggs, praying Damian wouldn't look too closely at the box underneath. "All here."
"Excellent. Thanks, Jenny."
Natalie heard a tiny squeak from inside the bag, but Damian had already walked away to start cracking the eggs. She hurried out before he heard anything more. Annette was in the living room watching the news, and Quinn was laid out on the couch reading a book. Natalie waved to him as she hurried past, heading for her room, but the news report caught her ears.
"The President of the United States announced plans to form a special Department of Thaumaturgical Affairs, which will be the principal agent for the government in handling all incidents and policy involving the so-called 'awakened', or persons with magical abilities. This act comes just one week after the events in Lakewood, Washington, where twenty-six people lost their lives to supernatural conflict between unknown parties. President Stafford has appointed Wesley Gatiss as the first Secretary of Thaumaturgical Affairs in recess—citing the War Powers Act as justification for creation of the new department—pending approval by the Senate next week when they reconvene."
"What does thaumaturgical mean?" asked Quinn, glancing up from his book.
"Magic stuff," said Natalie, who'd learned it from one of the Council meetings back home, nearly a year ago.
Quinn glanced over at her pointedly, but she slowly shook her head. His parents were still nearby, after all.
"The FBI also announced independent plans for a special task force to investigate crimes by awakened, which have been temporarily classified as federal in all cases. A challenge in the Supreme Court is expected."
This affects you. You need to figure out if it's a threat.
I don't know anything about the government... I need somebody to explain this to me. "What does it mean if a crime is federal?" she asked, trying to sound as casual as Quinn.
Annette set aside the shirt she was folding—one of Natalie's, as it turned out. "It means that it's handled by the whole country, instead of by the state it occurred in."
"Is that bad?"
"It depends." Annette sighed. "It's dreadful either way. Somebody discovers something new, and what's the first thing they do with it? Hurt each other."
That's not what we did though... We made a council. I made friends. Cinza made pretty lights. Hailey learned to fly. Nobody died until people started trying to hurt us.
They will never understand you.
"In related news, Hailey Winscombe has been spotted over the Atlantic Ocean, flying toward the United Kingdom. At this time, her intentions are unknown, and attempts to contact her have been unsuccessful."
A grainy video taken from a boat appeared on screen. Natalie squinted, and could just barely make out the dot in the sky she guessed was supposed to be Hailey. It sped past the camera like a rocket, briefly in focus long enough to make out her face, and the guy filming it could barely keep up before she disappeared again. Hailey, what are you doing?
Natalie and the others had been shocked to say the least when Hailey blasted her way out of the church after the funeral that morning. Hailey's own parents sprinted fruitlessly after her, and her FBI friend was on his phone in an instant, but none of it really did anything. Natalie felt like she understood. She knew Hailey was in a lot of pain, and needed to find who was responsible. She'd been there.
The difference is, everybody who's responsible for me is dead...
Not everyone.
My dad's different. I don't know what he was doing. I have to talk to him.
Not your father. The other one.
Natalie shook her head, drawing another confused glance from Quinn. Nobody had said anything, after all—not out loud. She grabbed up the pile of clothes that Annette had finished folding and hurried back to her room, sealing the door behind her.
She wasn't going to think about him, or the park. Every time she did, she felt like she was falling into a black pit, deeper every time, and she was never entirely sure she could make it back out again. She couldn't think about him. She had to keep herself together. Every day, she was walking a tightrope just to stay sane.
And I'm not even sane. You're in my head.
The voice didn't answer, which only made her feel worse. She dug into the plastic bag and pulled out the tiny box with holes poked in it. Natalie had considered just putting it into her purse, but she wasn't sure if the mice would survive in there when she closed it up. She popped it open and slid aside the door to the closet.
Percy fluttered off the coat rack she'd stuffed inside, landing on the bed. He'd been as lousy at hunting as he always was—and now that they were in the city, she couldn't give him the time and space he needed to actually find a kill. She'd gone out to the nearest pet store to get some mice for him, and picked up a few groceries for the Kincaids as well. I hope Damian didn't notice I put the money back in his wallet...
You should have used it. You may need your money later.
I have over eight hundred thousand dollars in my purse... That was twenty bucks. How much more could I ever need?
It's going to get worse. You need to be ready.
Natalie lifted out the first mouse and set it on the bed. Percy snatched it up, tearing the little thing to pieces. To her surprise, it didn't bother her. It was just who he was. She didn't need to be ashamed of a hawk eating its dinner. Since Percy had been flying around for a whole day before finding her at the funeral, and since it was so cold out, Natalie fed him another mouse. She closed the little box and sat down on the edge of her bed next to him, watching him eat.
She shivered. To save money, the Kincaids didn't turn on the heating very often. Another murmured spell took care of her, though Natalie had to be careful not to let it past her body into the house, or someone might come looking for a fire.
<Are you cold, Percy?> she asked. He swivelled his head around, swallowing down a chunk of mouse as he did. The little eye twitched, and he turned back to his meal, finishing off the rest in another bite. <Oookay then.>
As soon as he finished, Percy fluttered back up to her shoulder, which was always his favorite place. Natalie stroked his head. <I'm glad you're back.>
She really was; feeling his weight and warmth made her feel so much calmer. Even with all the stress of the funeral and school and the huge battle and everything, having one of her friends back where he belonged meant a lot.
Not that Percy was exactly warm—he was still a hawk. Who she really wanted was Gwen, giving her a space to curl up, with Scrappy tucked in next to them. She'd known Scrappy since the day she awakened, and Gwen not too long after that. The two of them were the closest thing she'd ever felt to having a real family outside of her dad, even if none of them could really talk to her. Natalie needed them more than she needed talking though. Talking hadn't done her any good.
When I try to talk my way out, I just get hurt more...
A knock at the door startled her out of her thoughts. "Jenny? Dinner in twenty minutes, okay?"
"Okay!"
Natalie stroked Percy's head again. She wasn't too worried about them finding him; so far, none of the Kincaids had broken their promise and stepped foot in her room, even when she wasn't around. Using one of the little tricks posted online by some guy named Jonathan, Natalie had set a spell on the door handle every time she left. If the handle moved, the little trace of magic would get pushed out of the way. She just had to focus and feel out that little bit of aura floating in the air.
Another knock. "Jenny," said Damian, a bit quieter. "May I come in?"
<Perch, Percy,> she whispered. Percy, no stranger to her tone, fluttered across the room and landed neatly on the coat peg. Natalie flicked her fingers at the closet door to slide it closed. "Yeah," she called back.
Damian pushed at the door, but it didn't budge. Oh, oops. I sealed it. Natalie rushed over, muttering the spell to shrink the door as she did, trying to keep it as quiet as possible. She could hear the wood warp as it shrunk thanks to her ears, but Damian happened to speak at the same time and covered it up.
"Jenny?"
Natalie pulled it open. "Sorry! Something was in the way."
To her relief, Damian didn't look around for the barricade that wasn't actually there. Natalie stood by the door awkwardly as he sat down on the corner of the bed. "Is everything okay?"
"...I guess so." That sounded bad... "I mean, yeah. Everything's okay."
Damian frowned. "That thing this morning..."
Natalie winced. She'd been hoping he wouldn't ask. "Thanks for taking me, Mr. Kincaid."
He nodded, but the frown didn't go away. "What was it about?"
Just the details are dangerous. It's okay to say this. I hope. "...It was a funeral," she said quietly.
His frown went away, his eyes softened. Natalie leaned back against the wall, staring at a spot somewhere between Damian and the bed, not quite meeting his eyes. "Was it a friend?"
"Yeah. She was my friend."
"I'm so sorry..."
Natalie shook her head. "It's not your fault."
Damian smiled. "You're a really brave kid, you know that?"
No I'm not. I'm hiding in your house because I'm too afraid to go confront my dad.
You are brave. You are building a bond and creating a home to come back to.
That makes me sound like I'm just using them...
"Thanks," she said aloud, though she still didn't believe it, no matter what the voice might say.
"How did it happen?"
"I don't really know," she said after a pause. It was true... mostly. Natalie was pretty sure she could piece it together from the news and what they'd said at the funeral, but nobody had actually told her the specifics.
Damian smiled softly. "Tell me about her."
I uhh... how do I even talk about Jessica without explaining magic? Why is he even asking me this? "She was really nice," said Natalie finally. "We grew up in the same place." Okay, yeah, she was ten years older than me and her family wasn't on my dad's okay list, but it's still true. "I..."
"It's okay, Jenny." He shook his head. "You don't have to say anything. Just letting you know you can talk to me, if you want."
Natalie nodded. I really can't, but... thanks. "Okay."
"You still like living here?"
That one I can say for real. She smiled. "Yes, I really do. Thank you, Mr. Kincaid."
Damian smirked, throwing her a wink. "Q really likes you living here too." Natalie blushed and looked away. He cackled. "You know you're way too cool for him, right?"
I'm not cool... He's got me all wrong. "Quinn's way cooler than me."
"Oh?" Damian shrugged. "Guess I don't gotta disown him after all!"
Natalie giggled. "You wouldn't do that, would you?"
"If he loses a few more games I might." Damian grinned. "But seriously, Jenny... you're welcome to stay here as long as you want. Don't worry about it."
"But what about your—" Natalie cut herself off just in time. She'd gotten too comfortable, let something slip she shouldn't have. Something she wasn't supposed to know.
Damian raised an eyebrow. "About our what?"
"Nothing," she murmured. Her eyes fell to the carpet, avoiding his gaze.
"About our money problems?"
How did he know ...? Natalie looked back up, very nervous. Did he find out I was spying on them? But how?
Damian didn't seem to be bothered at all. "I noticed you never took the money for the groceries. I also noticed that time we bought you some school supplies, or how every time we order pizza, my wallet mysteriously has more cash in it."
Natalie gulped. "I just wanted to pay for myself."
Damian sighed. "Jenny, we're happy to help you out. You save your money, okay?"
"But you have hospital bills and heating bills and you gotta pay for Quinn and—"
"We're just fine."
But I have so much money, and you need it more than I do... What if I just told him? Where the money came from, what I can do, everything? I could make their heating bill go away, for one. That's super easy. And I could cover Quinn's medical bills since they're my fault... They shouldn't have to pay for those.
It isn't safe. You know what happens when you tell people.
But... telling Quinn lead me here. Telling my friends made my life at school easier. I think maybe Rachel was wrong.
"There is something you can do for me though," Damian added, interrupting her conversation.
"Huh?"
"When you go out, be careful, okay?" He glanced at the window. "There's a lot of bad stuff happening out there right now, and all of it's happening around here."
"You mean all the magic stuff?" Because that's really not the part I'm worried about...
"Yes." Damian sighed, in much the same way as his wife. "Lakewood really scared a lot of people. One of my friends at work mentioned that people were getting attacked by that flying girl too. All over Seattle, beating people up with magic for weeks now. And there was that thing in Tacoma... It's all bad with these 'awakened' people. I'm worried about what's going to happen."
But I'm one of 'these awakened people'...
You cannot tell him. He will turn you in, or worse.
But, Quinn—
Quinn is on our side, but his parents don't understand. You can't trust them with your true self.
Natalie's hope of telling the Kincaids deflated like one of the sad, punctured balloon at her birthday party in the Laushire house.
"I'm not saying don't go out," said Damian. "Just, if you see something that feels weird? Anything going wrong? Run. Don't stop. Don't call nine-one-one until you feel safe again. Nobody knows who these people are yet. I really hope I'm wrong, but I feel like they're bad news."
"Dinner!" shouted Quinn from down the hall.
Damian hopped off the bed. "Sorry about that, Jenny. Didn't mean to scare you."
"It's okay. You didn't." Just... just made life a little bit worse in a way you can't understand...
He grinned. "Like I said, you're a really cool kid. Come on, let's eat."
Natalie followed him to the table, back to Quinn and Annette, back into hiding once again.