Текст книги "Reckless Magic"

Автор книги: Rachel Higginson

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Текущая страница: 9 (всего у книги 24 страниц)

Chapter Sixteen

I might as well have been drained of all life. The strength I expelled to put an end to the fighting was more than I knew I was capable of; not to mention all of the other crazy stuff that I didn’t know anyone was capable of. I lay on the hard ground, barely able to lift my head, let alone my limp limbs.

I was aware of what just happened; a small part of me accepted that the events that occurred were in fact real. But the fight I partook in only moments ago felt more like a distant memory than reality: like a dream I just woke up from and could barely remember. The exact details of everything were fading from my mind quickly and I wasn’t sure I cared.

“One got away,” my voice came out hoarse and shaky. I pointed in the direction I felt him run in before he disappeared from the tracking device I knew was my mind.

“Talbott, go,” Kiran demanded, rushing over to my side and kneeling down. He leaned in close to my face, seemingly examining my pupils, although I had a hard time believing he really knew what he was doing. He took my hand into his and held it tightly in his grasp.

“I can’t leave you. Damn it. We should have brought the entire Guard, damn it Kiran,” Talbott yelled. “I knew this was a bad idea. Damn it,” he repeated over and over and started to walk in circles. “Kiran are you alright?”

“I’m fine,” Kiran looked down at me concerned. He inspected me again by lifting up my arms and head, looking for, well I didn’t really know what he was looking for, but he eventually seemed satisfied. All the while, he never let go of my hand.

“Damn it Kiran, are you all right?” Talbott shouted at him louder. I watched Talbott continue to pace back and forth from my peripheral. I could tell that he wanted to pursue the attacker, chase him down. I could also tell by the way he glanced at Kiran every other second he was not going to leave his friend alone.

“Yes, I’m fine, I’m really fine,” Kiran spoke louder and with confidence. I saw Talbott relax his shoulders a little, but continue to pace. “Lilly go back to camp and tell Mr. Lawly that we have to leave now!” Kiran demanded of the human-again Lilly. She did not speak a word, but obediently took off running through the forest, her bright red hair disappearing into the darkness.

The logical part of me objected to Lilly trying to make it back to camp by herself. The attacker could still be out there, he could have easily circled around to our other side to finish the job and I was too exhausted to pick him up with my new found powers. After what just happened, somebody should go with her, whether he was out there or not. I was too weak to contest. I tried to verbalize my concerns, but only a moan came out.

“She will be fine,” Kiran looked into my eyes intensely and I saw his passion and concern. “Lilly can take care of herself it turns out. She will have no problem making it back to camp.” Kiran’s voice was soothing and calm; it felt like medicine to my fried nerves.

“I don’t think you should be so close to her,” Talbott stood over us, gruffly assessing our position.

“She just saved our lives,” Kiran growled.

“And look at what she did to everyone else,” Talbott was calm, but I heard the tension back in his voice. Kiran looked around and let go of my hand to stand up. I began fading in and out of consciousness, fighting to stay awake, but the fatigue was making it impossible.

“Have you ever seen this before?” Kiran asked Talbott, and I knew they were talking about me. My eyes had closed and I was breathing evenly, I was not even sure if I was conscious anymore.

“No, never. I had no idea she was capable of this. I had no idea anyone was capable of this. Four Immortals at once…… it doesn’t make sense,” Talbott replied.

“I thought you said that she wasn’t one of your kind?” Kiran asked softly.

“She’s not. She’s not….” Talbott repeated. “We must tell your father immediately, she is clearly a security threat. Kiran, she did not even realize she had this kind of power. What else is she capable of?” Talbott sounded almost scared, and I began to lose awareness completely.

“No, that is the last thing we are going to do. You will tell him nothing of her power. Do you understand?” Kiran’s voice started to fade, “That is an order Talbott.”

I knew they were talking about me, and talking about what I did, but I didn’t understand what they were saying. Clearly I wasn’t as much of a freak as I thought I was, because they were capable of the same things. I was just lucky enough to be overlooked at first. Surely any one of them would have been able to do what I did with more power and quicker.

I began to regain lucidness as reality set in. I tried to process what just happened, but I could not wrap my mind around it. I saw human beings, real human beings, turn into animals. I saw Lilly turn into an animal. And these were no ordinary mammals; they turned into dangerous creatures thirsty for blood. Human beings posed as animals trying to rip each other apart.

I saw men move things with their minds. I saw them try to kill each other without ever touching the other. Their strength being one thousand times more dangerous without ever physically coming into contact with one another than any other human being I had ever seen. The power these men wielded was beyond comprehension; but these were not just strangers, Kiran and Talbott were capable of the same feats of extraordinary. Kiran and Talbott, only teenagers, were capable of murder, even if it was self-defense.

And then I realized that it wasn’t just them that did those things, it was me. I moved things with my mind. I hurt people. I killed people. I was capable of everything the others were, if not more. And I finished it all.

A rock seemed to drop in my stomach and I was suddenly sick. I sat up quickly and emptied everything I had eaten that day on the ground next to me. My body shook violently as it tried to rid my mind of the crimes I just committed. The electricity in me was not only powerful, it was evil.

What had I done? How could I have killed anyone? And not just one person, but four? I pulled my knees to my chest and began to cry, fully awake, but fully unaware of what was happening around me. I drowned out any sound nearby with my sobs. I wanted it so badly to be a dream that I could wake up from, but there was the terrifying fact that I just lived through a real life nightmare I would never be able to forget.

–

Somehow I made it back to camp, either Kiran or Talbott carried me, I wasn’t sure who. Between sobbing and blacking out I didn’t remember much. My body was so weak that I was barely able to lift my hands, let alone walk or sit up. My voice was hoarse and my throat on fire. When I was conscious I either cried or puked. Unconsciousness was a sweet black hole of nothingness my body and mind longed for.

Mr. Lawly already had the campsite cleaned up before we arrived back at camp. All of the tents and equipment had been packed up and the students organized to leave. I heard people talking around me, but I couldn’t understand their words. I was unable to comprehend anything; the only sounds I truly understood were that of my own uncontrollable sobbing.

Someone carried me the entire way back to the bus which was running and waiting for our arrival. A hike that took over an hour just that morning seemed to take only minutes on the way back. We were loaded onto the bus and I was deposited in the very back, left alone to sob as silently as I could.

If only the extreme force of the energy I held were enough to cope with tonight it would have been enough. But it wasn’t just that, my friends were attacked tonight, attacked by people who had intended to kill us. I had to watch my friends fight for their very survival.

I was physically weak and inundated. But the realization of what I had done to other people, enemy or not was the truly crushing reality. I took four lives tonight.  No one asked me to, and no one else could be held responsible. With the suggestion of no other person I chose to destroy those people. Despite the fact that I saved my friends lives in return for theirs, the truth remains: I was a murderer.

They weren’t even ordinary men, they were men like me. Whatever I was, they were. They possessed the same energy, the same electricity; we were the same, and I killed them. Their lives are over and for all I knew they were still lying there, piled on top of each other, in the middle of the wilderness.

I continued to sob until I was at last too exhausted to even cry and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep. I could finally feel nothing and think no more. The sweet rest seemed to last forever and consumed my whole consciousness. I was aware of the bus arriving back at school, and I was aware of being taken to my aunt’s car, but through it all I refused to open my eyes and acknowledge reality.

Somehow, someone eventually placed me in my bed. It was there, under my thick comforters and surrounded by soft, feather pillows, that I let the sweet nothingness consume me entirely. I would have been perfectly happy to never wake up again. But of course, that was asking for far too much.

–

After what seemed like days of sleeping I finally could not keep my eyes closed any longer. Although if it had been up to me; I would never have opened them again. But fighting against my selfishness was the conscious knowledge that I had a moral responsibility to pay the consequences of my actions. I sighed deeply and contemplated whether I wanted to get out of bed or just call down for Aunt Syl.

The warm sunlight from my bedroom windows enveloped me as I lay on my overly soft, overly large bed. I was wrapped in warm blankets and surrounded by my favorite pillows. I rubbed my eyes as they adjusted to the light they hadn’t seen for what seemed like a very long time. I could feel how puffy and swollen they were, a consequence of the large amounts of sobbing I had accomplished lately.

I started to sit up, but still felt drained of all energy. I laid my head back down and wished I could stay there forever. I tried to swallow, but my throat was dry and scratchy. I didn’t attempt to move, unquenchable thirst seemed the least of my problems.

“Aunt Syl,” I called out, but my voice was nothing more than a harsh whisper.

“Sshhh…” she responded, entering my room with a glass of water in hand. Either she was a mind-reader or just a very good person. I sat up a tiny bit, taking the water from her. “I figured you would get up soon, and I thought you would need this,” I took a small sip and my eyes filled with tears; for being both grateful for the water and for having to face her.

I realized that she had been sitting just outside my door, waiting for me to get up. I wondered how long I had been asleep and how long she had been sitting there. I couldn’t hold back my tears as I thought about the pain I must be causing her. How could I explain any of this to her?

I gratefully gulped the glass of water down, spilling it all over my face and on my surrounding covers. I tried to speak again, but this time no sound came out. Tears continued to spill from my eyes and I hung my head in shame. Aunt Syl soon started crying as well.

She took the water from my hands and set it down on my night stand. Still crying she pulled me into her arms and hugged me, rubbing my back with her hand. She had never felt like much of a mother type before, but at that moment it was exactly what I needed. I felt like a small child, unable to comprehend anything that was going on outside of my own feelings.

“It’s alright Eden, everything is going to be alright,” she cooed soothingly, pulling my shoulders away from her and staring directly into my face. She brushed the tears away from my eyes and then her own eyes as well. She handed me a tissue from her pocket and I gratefully wiped my face with it. “There is someone here who needs to speak with you,” She tried to smile reassuringly, but I saw the trepidation in her eyes.

Without being asked, a man entered my room and cleared his throat. I looked up to see Principal Saint standing in my doorway, looking very grim. All of the horrors of the previous night rushed back to me and I was filled with dread. A sense of foreboding gripped my nervous system, and the tingling electricity filled my veins once again.

Chapter Seventeen

“Hello, Eden,” Principal Saint said in his usual distinguished voice, then cleared his throat. “I am glad that you are feeling better.”

He assumed I was feeling better without even asking. I was not feeling better, I was feeling worse. The cloaked figures passed through my mind again and I bit my lip to hold back the tears. A wave of nausea crept over me and I glanced around in search of a trash can.

“First things first, those men are not dead,” Principal Saint continued. He paused as if waiting for his words to sink in. “They may have appeared that way to you, but Talbott was able to revive them. They were simply unconscious. You children were very lucky to have survived such a brutal attack.” He cleared his throat again. Principal Saint was a very tall man, and since he had not moved from my door way he appeared overly large and intimidating in his double breasted, brown, tweed suit.

“They were dead, I know they were dead,” I protested. “I killed them,” I looked down and covered my face with my hands. I couldn’t hold back the choking sobs.

“Eden it’s alright, what Dr. Saint says is true,” My aunt put her hand against my cheek and spoke in a soothing manner. I looked up at her unbelieving. “There are a lot of things that have happened to you that need to be explained,” she continued, “Amory would like to talk with you, and maybe shed some light on all that has been happening recently,” she gave me an encouraging smile and stood to leave. I grabbed her hand unwilling to be left alone with him.

“I saw those men lying on the ground. They were dead. I know they were dead,” I struggled to speak through my tears, my voice was deep and course, but I refused to believe them. I committed a horrible act, and I knew that I must pay for my actions. They were not going to sugar coat it for me. Surely the police would be here any minute anyways.

“Eden, the police are not coming,” Principal Saint seemed to read my mind and answer my very thoughts. His voice was more constrained and I could see that he was frustrated with me. “The police will never be involved. We have our own way of dealing with issues such as these. Now trust me, those men were not dead. They probably appeared that way to you, maybe even felt that way; but as I said before, Talbott was able to revive them and they are currently being held for questioning.”

“Why didn’t you call the police? Those men are dangerous. They tried to hurt us, they tried to kill us!” I was fully ready to face the consequences for homicide; but I was also more than ready to plead self-defense. As awful as I felt for taking another man’s life, I did realize that it was necessary. The fact that these men were not even in police custody made my actions meaningless.

“Trust me, those men are in custody. However, it is a different type of legal system than you may be used to. I’m afraid they will face a judge and jury very soon. A trial has been set for them and they will face their accusers soon enough,” a look of sadness passed across Principal Saint’s face and I was not sure if it was meant for me or for the men who would stand trial.

“So I will get to testify against them?” I asked, unsure if I was even ready to face them again.

“No, absolutely not. That is out of the question,” Principal Saint reacted quickly. I was instantly confused, but before I could ask any more questions, he continued, “What I mean to say is that Kiran Kendrick and Talbott Angelo will act as both witness and prosecution. Their testimonies will be more than enough to seal your attacker’s fate. Trust me,” Principal Saint wore the same look of sadness he had a few moments ago and I was positive this time it was meant for the attackers.

“But why can’t I speak on my own behalf?” I felt obstinate; those men tried to kill my friends.

“Haven’t you been through enough? Besides the trial will take place in Romania.”

“Romania?” I blurted out, much louder than I had intended. “What does Romania have to do with what happened here… in Nebraska? Isn’t there something about jurisdiction or international law or something?” I was now completely confused. Surely a Romanian court system could care less about what happened to a bunch of teenagers in the middle of America.

“They will not be tried by a Romanian court system,” Principal Saint once again answered the questions in my head and I was sure now that he was reading my thoughts. “We have our own judicial system and they will answer to us. Like I said, their fate, I’m sure, will be much worse than any human justice system is prepared to give them, trust me,” Principal Saint looked down at his shoes and shook his head slightly as if ashamed.

“Ok, I have no idea what you are talking about,” I looked at Aunt Syl, hoping she would shed some light on this bewildering conversation. “You are really starting to freak me out.”

“It’s alright Eden. You need to start trusting me,” he approached the bed and pulled my desk chair closer so that he could sit near me. My aunt stood up and crossed the room to look out my window. My throat began to close in nervous anticipation. “Sylvia would you make us some tea? This might be harder than I imagined.” Aunt Syl left the room silently and obeyed.

“How do you know what’s been happening to me? How do you know what I’m thinking? What do you mean by our justice system?” my questions tumbled out quickly and all at once. Principal Saint obviously knew much more about what was happening to me than I did.

“What is happening to you is completely normal,” when I rolled my eyes he continued, “Well it’s completely expected anyway. It’s completely expected for someone in your position,” he clarified. “You see Eden; you are special, very special.”

            “If by special you mean crazy and this is some sort of weird intervention then just let me know where you are sending me and get on with it!” I couldn’t hold back my tears this time; they came in waves of choking sobs. All of my fears and anxiety finally manifested themselves in a very real manner. The strange things that had been happening to me and the inexplicable things I was responsible for were not normal, but more than that, they were scary.

“You are not crazy,” Principal Saint replied a little disdainfully, but even more impatiently. “You did the only thing that anyone would expect you to do and that was to protect yourself and your friends. From what I’ve heard it was a very dangerous situation; you are lucky to be alive,” he said this with finality, as though this should be enough. “And I will say it again, you are not crazy. You drained those men of their magic; it was not a pretty task, but a necessary one,” he paused to let his words sink in. “I’m sure the magnitude of force you used on those men felt like murder, it probably felt worse to them, but Talbott was able to revive them. They are in custody now and soon we will find out what their exact purpose was. Then we will know why they attacked you children…. although I am sure I already have a reason in mind.”

“Drained them of their magic? What are you talking about?” I asked, highly irritated. I thought I was the crazy one? My emotions were at a level I had never experienced before and I felt as if I were on the verge of a breakdown; maybe I’d been on the verge for a while and this was finally the breaking point I’d been waiting for.

“Yes Eden, magic. I am sure you are aware that you are different from other humans, that you possess a set of skills that appear…. super-human. We have all been a witness to your erratic and unexplainable behavior; and after last night you can no longer deny it to yourself. I had hoped that somehow through your experiences you would become aware of what your powers are capable of and see that others around you possess the same set of skills. However, I see now how stubborn and self-absorbed you can be and can wait no longer. If something were to happen like this again, you need to be aware of what you are capable of,” he was a stern man, and I didn’t know whether to feel offended, shocked, or like a fool. This had to be some type of joke.

“This is not a joke,” he said louder, and with more conviction. “Open your eyes, Eden,” he shook his head and I knew he was frustrated with me.

“Amory, please, she’s just a child,” my aunt entered the room again carrying a tray of hot tea. She handed me a steaming cup and I took it from her gratefully. “This is new to her, she’s never been around anything your people can do until now; of course she’s going to deny it, to her it doesn’t make sense,” she walked over to hand Principal Saint his cup of tea, but turned back to address me soothingly, “It didn’t make sense to me either the first time I saw what your people could do,” Aunt Syl sat back down with me on the bed and put an arm across my shoulders. I knew that I should feel comforted by her gesture, but my mind was still reeling.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, my head spinning.

“Eden, I am not your real aunt,” Aunt Syl began. And Principal Saint gave a small chuckle. “You were given to me at a very young age after your parents had disappeared, I never knew them; I have always told you that, and that has always been true. But you see, we’re different, you are extremely special and I am only human,” she smiled at me and something stirred deep inside my soul, something that told me I should listen closer.

“You keep saying that I’m special, that I’m different, that I’m not crazy, but what does that mean?” I demanded; it was my turn to become impatient.

“Like I said earlier, you possess a set of skills that make you more than human, that make you different,” Principal Saint rejoined the conversation.

“If you’re talking about how I am able to burn down school buildings, or create tidal waves, or make things explode, then yes, I suppose I do possess a certain set of skills; but the last thing I wanted was for any of that to happen,” I folded my arms across my chest and shook my head. I was relieved in a sense that someone would finally be able to tell me what had been happening to me; but even more, I was angry that they felt the need to wait this long.

“Well, I suppose that’s part of it. But a better example would be what happened last night,” Principal Saint’s tone had softened. “You see all of the things that happened before, when your school flooded, or burned down, or you made a trashcan explode in the theater, oh yes, we know about that, those were all manifestations of your magic. Eden, you have refused to use your powers, you continue to ignore their very existence. Because of that, the magic builds up inside of you and forces you to use it in less than ideal situations. Last night when you finally used your magic, instead of letting it explode meaninglessly, you saw what it could finally do; what you could finally do.”

“You’re saying all of the terrible things I have caused could have been avoided if I had been using my magic all along?” I cringed as I used the word “magic;” as if it were a real thing. “All of this could have been avoided if we would have just had this conversation a long time ago?” I was livid. I thought about the three schools I closed down before Kingsley and winced, knowing it could all have been prevented.

“You’re right, dear,” Aunt Syl rubbed my back gently, in an attempt to soothe my boiling anger. “We had no idea those things would happen though. And we certainly never expected them to keep happening. You see, you are the first of your kind to ever be raised apart. We knew the magic would manifest eventually, we planned to deal with it when the time came. When it did appear however, it was so much stronger then we could ever have anticipated. We weren’t quite sure what to do, and we definitely weren’t sure if it was safe to integrate you into your kind. Finally we made the decision to send you to Kingsley, but it was a last resort, and even then you were in such strong denial. Magic was happening all around you, people were constantly reading your thoughts and you still refused to see the truth about who you are. We were not sure how to approach the subject.”

“Why would you talk to me at all, when you could just send a group of dangerous men to try to kill me? I understood that message loud and clear!” I said sarcastically. I knew that I should be asking other questions, more important questions, more realistic questions, but I couldn’t get over the fact that all of this time I could have avoided destroying everything I touched.

“Please don’t be angry Eden; we had no idea that would happen,” Aunt Syl looked as if she was going to cry and I instantly regretted my outburst.

“She’s right, child,” Principal Saint glanced at the doorway and then back at me. “I don’t believe those men ever meant you harm. And I would never have let you go on that trip had I known that you would be involved. We assume that they were after Kiran and Kiran alone; you, unfortunately for your attackers, were there to teach them a lesson.” He half grunted a laugh and gave me a wink. “Eden, in my wildest dreams, I never imagined your magic would manifest so powerfully. At this point I am unsure what you are even capable of; but I do know that you are very, very powerful. It is time that you learned how to use your magic, not just for your sake, but for Kingsley’s sake as well,” his grin had turned a bit mischievous.

“So what am I then, some sort of Witch?” I asked, still not losing my sarcastic edge, but softening my tone a little.

“Yes, I think that you are a Witch,” I almost laughed, but realized that Principal Saint was completely serious. “Moreover though, you are an Immortal,” he said the word with a deep reverence, and I knew instantly, that this word…. “Immortal” meant something greater than I could comprehend.

“Immortal?” I asked in a whispered breath.

“Yes, an Immortal. We are your people, you’re kind. You are not human as you have been raised, you are an Immortal,” every time he said the word an electric pulse surged through my veins and I was struck with the same reverence that Principal Saint spoke with.

“So I am a Witch that lives forever?” a small part of me began to believe him.

“Well, the real sense of the word Immortal was taken from us a long time ago, but yes, you possess the attributes in which describe a Witch. The way you are able to control or create events and circumstances with your thoughts, the powers that you possess, all point to Witch-like attributes. Or as our people call your kind: the Lamia. It is just another term for Witch though,” he gave me a genial smile. I found myself slightly out of breath, my head spinning. I could hardly understand his words, but the harder part to understand was that I actually did believe him.

“The term Immortal today, really describes a set of four distinct super-human races,” Principal Saint continued. “Immortal is a way of life set apart from ordinary human life. We have our own justice system, our own Monarchy, our own schools and our own belief system. You are a part of us, as much as we are a part of you. As a Witch you occupy a specific purpose for our people and it is important that you investigate who you are and what you are capable of. It is also important that you no longer identify yourself as a human, but learn our laws, and standards. I believe if you do, you will finally come to terms with who you are. You will finally find your destiny,” something stirred inside of me and the electricity or magic or whatever began to rush through my veins. For the first time in my entire life I realized that I had just been told the truth.