-----

Author's Note: Here's Ch.4 finally. Kelly gets to Ravencrest but not a lot of stuff happens besides that. I'd like to thank djkauf and Indy for the magical editing and everyone for enjoying this universe :)

-----

FOUR:

The plane hitting the tarmac jostled me from my sleep. When I opened my eyes and looked around for a moment, I had no idea where I was. I’d awakened many times on this plane, whether it was in the Amazon or in the Congo and every time I was disoriented. I always got a stiff neck too, from sleeping in the chairs. I rubbed it now, turning to look out the window. Daylight shined through, causing me to close my eyes temporarily. I couldn’t help but groan. The last time I looked out the window I think it was about three am when we stopped in Dallas to refuel. I had a vague recollection of that before falling back to sleep.

I reopened my eyes, blinking once or twice. Outside I saw what looked like a little airstrip all around us. I couldn’t see much more than pavement and a tree line off in the distance. I turned to see if I could get a better look through the window across the little aisle but it was shut. I rubbed my neck some more as I took stock of what had happened. Things had been going from bad to worse lately, all within the last twenty four hours. How is it that I was having such horrible luck? First George, then those goons, all ending with me leaving home way too early. The worse of it all ending with me stuck with my mother’s stupid cat.

I looked at the carrier buckled into the seat next to me. I couldn’t help but wonder if the damn cat even knew what was going on. I bent over to peek inside and saw him sleeping soundly. Of course, he was sleeping, that’s all he knew how to do.

“You awake yet, little mate?” asked Felix from the cock pit.

The plane wasn’t very big so all I had to do was stick my arm in the air to let him know I was among the living. After that, I unbuckled myself and slipped into the aisle, giving myself a much needed stretch. I had to pee real bad too but there wasn’t a lav onboard. I walked forward until I was right behind his seat.

“Mind letting me off this thing so I can you know?”

Felix laughed. “I’m not supposed to let you out until your ride gets here.”

I frowned. I looked out the class of the cockpit, hoping to see more than my meager window. I wasn’t disappointed. I saw the hangar off to one side, the main building complete with tower right next to it. I caught sight of a sign too: McClintock Field. I knew only a small part about the town but I knew enough to know that the McClintocks were at the bottom of the food chain as it were. My cousin Mary’s friend Trevor was a Locke---a big fish as far as things went. It was a strange social structure they had, Unseen and Norms living with one another---the Norms completely oblivious to the real world around them. There were a lot of different Unseen in Ravencrest too, a higher concentration here than in most places actually.

“So, your folks step into it again?”

Felix was a rare Norm in that he knew all about the real world. Due to the nature of my parent’s job, Felix was allowed in on all our secrets. Well most of them anyway. There were still a lot of secrets that not even I knew actually. One of the perks of being a Dud sadly----because I had no magic, I wasn’t allowed to know as much as say my sister or my cousin. They said it was to protect me but I’m pretty certain it was because my grandmother frowned upon people who weren’t like her.

“They got themselves involved in something that I really don’t know a lot about actually,” I said, hoping that it was enough of an answer for him.

There were some things that Felix shouldn’t even know about---the Black Crosses being one of them. Hell, I didn’t really know much about them either. I knew what my parents told me when they accepted the mission---that they were a group of black magic users---but beyond that I knew little else. I was pretty certain that those two goons were members though, made apparent by the tattoo I saw. What the group really was or their motives I had no clue. As far as I knew, black magic users were a dying breed, hunted to extinction and slowly being swallowed by history. In the magic history lessons Mom was allowed to share with me, they were like bogeymen. They showed up here and there but they were nothing too serious. The real threat in those stories were religious zealots and groups like the Order of the Sacred Heart.

So it surprised me a bit when they told me about the Black Crosses. It was rare when Mom and Dad were sent after humans and not something else.

“Just a bit strange that they didn’t bring you along, hermano.”

It was strange when Felix spoke, mixing his Australian accent with Spanish words just seemed a bit off to me.

I couldn’t help but agree with him.

We spent the rest of our time talking about the old days---at least that’s what he called it. We swapped stories back and forth, trying to see who could one up the other. It helped me forget about my pressing need. When we were on the fifth story, I caught sight of a large black car pulling up. It had tinted windows and looked like something a VIP might drive around in. It pulled up in front of the building.

“I think this is your ride, bro,” said Felix, who then proceeded to question the car through his radio headset.

He nodded the confirmation to me.

I turned and headed back to my seat, grabbing my meager things. It sucked that I didn’t even have a change of clothes. My backpack, Diamond’s bag and the carrier were the only things I had. Well those and my parents’ things: Mom’s Boleen and Dad’s good luck charm. I made sure I had it all as I filed down the aisle toward the door that Felix was opening. A man dressed like a mechanic pushed a flight of stairs toward the door, which I quickly descended. Instead of heading to the car, I made a beeline straight for the building and its bathroom. It didn’t take me long and I felt a lot better afterwards. As I was washing my hands, I caught sight of myself in the mirror. I looked like hell which was a given I suppose, being run ragged the last day or so. I splashed water in my face and decided to pull the hood over my head. What I was wearing was a bit much for California, I was a bit underdressed for the weather here. I wanted as much cover from the cold as I possibly could.

As soon as I got out of the bathroom, I went down a little hall, through an office and back into the building’s lobby. There was a tall older man in a dark suit standing there. He looked at me for a moment, his eyes roving over my body. I felt a little creeped out by that actually.

“Miss Daniels?” he asked.

I couldn’t help but groan. After those creeps, I didn’t want anyone to mistake me for a girl again. “Mister actually” I said, a bit defensively.

He apologized. “I’m Mr. Wilkes. I was sent to bring you into town.”

Wilkes. I’d heard the name but I couldn’t remember where.

I followed Mr. Wilkes out to the big black car. He took my bags, putting my backpack and Diamond’s bag in the trunk. I only managed to grab my cell, which was fine by me. He opened the back for me, which felt a little strange. It wasn’t everyday that some strange guy opened a car door for me. I gave him a funny look but he didn’t say a thing. Instead, he waited until I got in before closing the door. What was most strange was his handling of the carrier. Instead of putting it in the back with me, he carried it to the front with him. I felt a little like baggage after that. How was it that the cat was important enough to sit in the front and I in the back?

I tapped on the partition, which slowly opened.

“Are you taking me to my grandmother’s house?”

“That is the plan.”

“Is there any chance you can bring me to some place to eat?”

I was starving. I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten.

He didn’t say anything. Instead, he took out a cell, made a call and talked in a hushed tone. After a minute or two, he turned back to me. “I think we can manage a quick stop.”

My stomach grumbled in response.

He closed the partition then a moment later the car started to slowly move.

Here goes nothing.

Ravencrest was by far one of the strangest places I’d visited. The town always seemed much larger than it actually was. No matter how long you thought it might take to get from one place or another, it always felt like three or four hours more. I didn’t really start noticing it this time around until we were an hour into our ride from the airstrip, a ride that I didn’t expect to take so long. I kept looking out the window to see if there was some semblance of civilization but there was nothing but trees. I tried to remember the last time I was here---I was young, maybe ten---I couldn’t really remember the car ride but I remember thinking that this place was big.

I stopped looking out the window for the third time in a row and decided to try my cell again. I dialed Mom’s number and let it ring. After the fifth ring, her voice mail picked up. I cursed, clicking off. It was my fourth try in the last hour; I’d already left two messages. I cursed, throwing the phone on the seat. Where the hell was she? It wasn’t like her not to answer her phone, especially after yesterday. I was starting to get worried. The last time I saw them they looked on edge, ready to snap at a moment’s notice. It was kind of freaky. My parents never got like---at least not like they were. It was almost as if they were scared of something. It couldn’t have been the Black Cross though, they were fairly harmless. At least that’s what Dad always told me.

I leaned forward and tapped on the partition. “How much farther?” I asked in a loud voice, even though I knew he wouldn’t answer.

Ever since leaving the airstrip, the man was completely ignoring me.

I was still really hungry and it was starting to get pretty late for breakfast. I wasn’t really in the mood for breakfast anyway. Sure, I liked it but I liked the food involved more than the meal. In fact, if I could have bacon, eggs and pancakes for supper I’d be just as happy. We didn’t eat breakfast much at home; Mom and Dad were often gone by the time I climbed out of bed in the morning. Last year---before Jess went off to college---she used to try to cook breakfast for us. I love my sister but cooking was not one of her strong points. Sadly, Jess didn’t have a lot of strong points---not even magic where she was kind of mediocre but I don’t think she really cared about that.

Thinking about Jess got me thinking. I grabbed my cell and quickly dialed her number. She rarely answered but it was Sunday so I was hoping I might get lucky. Unfortunately, it rang more than I wanted and went straight to voice mail too. I cursed. What was with my family today? Instead of clicking off, I decided to call one other person: Mary. I knew she wouldn’t answer but I needed to know that there was at least one normal---well semi-normal in her case---that I could talk too.

I was shocked when she actually answered on the second ring. “Sleeping” she moaned in a groggy voice.

“Mary don’t hang up, it’s me.”

“Me who?”

“Seriously?”

“I know a lot of me’s; you’ll have to be more specific.”

I rolled my eyes. I couldn’t tell if she was half-asleep or fucking with me. “Your cousin.”

“I know a lot of them too unfortunately.”

Yep, definitely fucking with me now. Mary and I had a very interesting relationship. We never really got a long much as kids. She was one of those girls that went out of their way to make your life miserable. She wasn’t a bully but she sure liked to play harmless little pranks on me. Jell-O in my pockets, mud in my shoes. One time she super glued my fingers together while I was sleeping. As we grew older, the pranks turned into harmless name calling, a little back and forth on the phone and Skype. When she got into her Goth phase, the name calling started to disappear and she just sorta bitched a lot.

I was tired of playing games now though.

“I’m in your little dust bowl of a town and not in the mood so can we cut the crap.”

“You’re here already?” The grogginess dropped from her voice. “I thought you were coming tomorrow?”

Clearly, she didn’t get filled in on yesterday’s events.

“Circumstances beyond my control” I said, not wanting to get into it. “I arrived this morning with only the clothes on my back and Mom’s stupid cat. Got to the airstrip here, got picked up by some creepy guy in a big black car and now it’s taking forever to get to town.”

“I hate that about this place,” she said.

It was strange. We were actually having a normal conversation. Who was this girl and what had she done to my cousin?

“Me and Mr. Creeper are going to breakfast, want to meet us?”

This time she groaned. “I think I’m going to savor my alone time for a little while longer.”

Now that was the Mary that I knew.

We talked a little more, she wanting to know about what exactly happened to bring me here a day early. I started to tell her but then I decided it might be best to tell everyone at once---everyone being my grandmother of course. I’m sure she knew but the woman was a stickler for details. She wanted to hear everything from the person who experienced it---kind of a pain in the ass. She used to do that when Mary played those harmless pranks on me as kids. I used to complain to my mother about it and my grandmother always got involved. She wanted to hear it from both sides and of course, the great Agatha Crawford always took the side of Mary. The woman didn’t just hate me; I think she hated all men. She treated my cousins Morgan and Jason the same way---like we were diseased or something. Mary, Jess and Carrie could do no wrong as far as my grandmother was concerned. She was one of the reasons why I hated going to Ravencrest for visits as a kid. I’m not sure how I was going to stand living with her for a few weeks while my parents did whatever it was they were going to do.

Our conversation was cut short by a loud pop. I dropped the phone, snapping my head around quickly. I’d heard a few guns go off in my time and for a split second; I thought that’s what it was. Then the car came to a grinding halt and I realized when it was: we popped a tire. I took a moment or two to regain my composure before picking up my cell and apologizing to Mary.

“You getting shot at now?”

I laughed. “I think we ran over something in the road.”

“Well why don’t you go see what it is so I can get back to sleep.”

She clicked off before I could say anything else. Definitely the same old Mary that I knew and semi-loved.

I stuck my cell into my pouch, making sure the knife was still there as well. Then I slowly slid to the window and looked out. As I did so, Mr. Wilkes was already getting out of the car. I knew a little about car maintenance myself---Dad had taught me the basics. Changing a tire was something that I could do if I needed too. I opened the door and stepped out, stretching my stiff muscles. I looked left and right, seeing nothing but the open road on either side of us. As I was doing so, Mr. Wilkes opened the trunk.

“That’s going to complicate things,” he said in a low tone.

I walked around and peered inside. Where a jack and a spare should have been, there was nothing.
“You can’t be serious!”

“Clearly someone took it out to make room for something else,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Isn’t this your car?”

He shook his head. “It’s a rental.”

I didn’t even know that had a car rental place in Ravencrest.
“I thought you lived here?”

“I do but it was wiser to take a rental than my own car” He sighed. “At least I thought it was wiser.”

I walked around to the side of the car to take a look at the tire. It looked like we’d run over something. I turned and started up the road, hoping to find whatever it was that we hit. There didn’t seem to be anything out of the ordinary though which was strange. I half expected to find a broken bottle or something. I walked about ten feet from the car just to be sure, wondering if maybe the tire was bad or something. You’d think a rental place would check those kind of things though. After my fruitless search, I turned and headed back to the car. As I did, Mr. Wilkes pulled out his own cell. When I got to him, I caught the tail end of the conversation he was having with the tow truck service.

“We’re just outside of town,” he said. “Yes thank you.”

“So what’s the verdict?”

“An hour.”

I couldn’t believe it. “A lot of business for a tow truck in this little town?”

“You’d be surprised about how many crazy things happen around here.”

I couldn’t help but laugh. Ravencrest was probably one of the most tame places I’d ever been. The Congo was exciting, this place was as dull as dull can be. So far popping a tire was the most exciting thing I’d ever experienced here, even more exciting than the time Mary dragged me along with her two friends as we tried to sneak into the local movie theater and got caught in the act.

We decided to sit on the back of the car and wait. It wasn’t the smartest idea, it being kind of cold but I don’t think either one of us wanted to sit in the car. I tried striking up some small talk which only scratched the surface a bit. He told me about his granddaughter mostly. She was my age, her name was Maggie. They lived on the outskirts of town in a place called Crowley Manor. I’d heard the name in passing once or twice I think. The Wilkes were the Caretakers there. He started to get into exactly what it was he did there when the loud purr of a motorcycle started to fill the air.

The noise piqued my interest. It was the last thing I expected to hear around here. Ravencrest didn’t exactly scream motorcycle kind of place. I’m sure people had them but I just had this image of one of those little towns like Mayberry. Ok so I guess it was all because I didn’t really want to be here but could you blame me. My parents sent me on the other side of the country to stay with a woman who I didn’t like and who I knew hated me. The only solace in all of this was my cousin---who liked to go out of her way to make my life a living hell.

The bike and the rider were getting closer. I could him now and was kind of surprised at what I was seeing. The rider was clad in leather from head to toe but he was the slightest guy I’d ever seen. I couldn’t see his face because of the helmet but he was riding a really cool bike. I have to admit I don’t really know much about motorcycles---I’m not that kind of guy. Tommy wasn’t either but I bet his new alter ego Tom is.

The bike and its rider got closer. As it did, I noticed it was slowing down. In fact, as soon as it was almost on top of us, the bike was practically at a full stop. Mr. Wilkes and I watched with interest as the rider kicked out the kickstand and slowly got off the bike. It was then that I noticed that the legs encased in those leather pants didn’t belong to a guy. This was all but confirmed when the rider took of his---I mean her---helmet. A cascade of long blonde hair fell around a beautiful face. She was gorgeous, like one of those girls you see on the cover of a magazine. My heart actually skipped a beat, especially when she turned to us and smiled.

“Car trouble?” she asked, setting her helmet on the motorcycle seat.

She was by far the coolest person I’d ever met.

“So they’re off in Africa and they shipped you here?”

“Pretty much”

“That’s gotta suck.”

The girl---who’s name was Sophie---was sitting across from me in this little diner we found. Mr. Wilkes was sitting at a table across from us, silently sipping his coffee. After introducing herself, she stayed with us until the tow truck arrived. Apparently, her parents taught her never to leave anyone in distress. Even though there was nothing she could do, she decided that staying with us was the best thing. So she sat and waited in the cold. When the truck finally arrived, Mr. Wilkes drove with the driver and I got to ride on the back of her motorcycle. It’s strange because I’d never really felt anything toward girls before. They were there and I knew I should have some feelings toward them but it was as if I was a Eunuch.

That is until I met her.

I know it’s crazy because I’ve only known her about an hour but there was something about her. I said she was the coolest person I’d ever met but that was an understatement. Sophie was eighteen, in her freshman year at Ravencrest University. Though she didn’t come right out and say it, I think her family was well off. I’d been around rich people before; there was a certain way they acted. Sophie had that way about her. She did mention how they were always busy though and she pretty much took care of herself. Sophie told me all about her life as we sat there. I’ll say one thing about her, she definitely wasn’t shy. She wasn’t overbearing either but she liked to talk about herself.

“So tell me about your grandmother?”

I groaned. “I’d rather not.”

She frowned. “That bad, huh?”

I sighed heavily. “You ever met someone that really hates you?”

“She’s your grandmother; I don’t think she hates you.”

I laughed. “Oh yes she does. She calls me the Boy; she doesn’t even refer to me by my first name.”

“Are you the only guy in your family?”

“No, I’ve got two other male cousins. She treats them bad too but not nearly as bad as me.”

“Sounds like an Uber-feminist.”

“She’s an Uber-something all right.”

Sophie laughed. Did I mention she had this great laugh?

“My grandmother was the same way when I was younger”

“Did she call you Boy too?”

I couldn’t imagine anyone mistaking this woman for a boy. Yes, woman because even though she was about two years older than me there was no way anyone could call her a girl.
We both laughed.

“Nothing that messed up” she said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. “She used to get on my case about not living up to my family’s potential.”

“That’s gotta be rough.”

“You have no idea.”

We tried to change the subject after that. Talking about our families seemed to give both of us this bad taste in our mouths. She told me about her major---which turned out to be psychology. She was really passionate about it, which was cool. Then she asked me how long I was expected to be in town. To tell you the truth I had no idea anymore. I thought it was going to be a few weeks just like before but with yesterday’s events it could be any length of time. Yesterday had never happened before, well nothing quite like that anyway. It was kind of scary, especially now that I couldn’t get a hold of my parents. Of course, I didn’t tell Sophie any of that, I didn’t want her to think I was a freak or something.

She was too cool to think I was a nut.

“So what are your plans for your time here then?”

I shrugged. “I hadn’t really thought about it actually. School is still in session but Mom told me I wouldn’t have to go so I don’t have that burden. I was hoping to just loaf around the house for a bit and try to stay as far away from my grandmother as humanly possible.”

Sophie laughed. “You could always hang out with me.”

“With you?”

She nodded. “Winter Break is coming up after all; most of my classes are in review for mid-terms. I’ve been kind of bored actually what with my roommate being busy with her hunky boyfriend. I could use the company.”

“I’m just a kid; you wouldn’t want to hang with me.”

She rubbed my arm. “You’re a lot older than you look.”

I knew that was a lie but it was nice to hear.

“Besides” she continued, “I wasn’t going to drag you to a bar or anything. There’s a lot of cool things that you and I could do around here.”

“Can I think about it?”

She laughed. “You are the first guy who has ever asked me that!”

I couldn’t help but laugh. But I definitely believed it. Why any guy wouldn’t want to be around her was a mystery. I was still on the fence though. She was really cool but I didn’t want to bore her to death. There wasn’t much of me, what you see is what you get. Sophie was exciting and fun, me not so much. I didn’t want to drag her down with my mundane presence.

“Tell you what,” she said, pulling a pen from her purse. She grabbed one of the paper napkins off the table. “This is my number; you give me a call when you’re bored.”

She wrote on the napkin and passed it to me. Then she stood up, taking her orange juice and downing the rest of it. I stood up too; it was the polite thing to do. She did something that surprised me though. She grabbed me and wrapped me in a tight hug. It felt kind of nice, especially with her breasts squishing against my chest like that. My heart skipped another beat.

“I gotta go now Kel,” she said, pulling away. “You call me; I’ll drop anything to come racing to you.”

I liked that. I smiled as she grabbed her things and like a whirlwind, she left the diner.

I dropped back down in the seat, mesmerized.

Mr. Wilkes was standing at my table a moment later. “Quite the girl, so full of energy.”

I numbly nodded, he chuckled.

He took a pocket watch out of his pocket. “The car should be ready now, we’re a little late but I think it should be ok.”

He paid the bill and we left the diner, Mr. Wilkes carrying my things. We walked the block or so to the mechanics and sure enough, the new tire was on the car. The mechanic confirmed my theory about it being a blow out which was strange because the tires looked brand new. He promised to call the rental place and handle it for us. I didn’t hear the rest of the conversation as I got into the car. I didn’t even think as I got into the back seat. A moment later, Mr. Wilkes got in and the car started moving.

Grandma Agatha’s house wasn’t that far from Main Street if I remembered correctly. It was in a part of town that had a lot of older looking houses. It was a nice enough place but still I felt sick every time coming there. The woman scared me. She had this way about her and not just because she hated me either. She was downright creepy. Mr. Wilkes was creepy but not in the same way as my grandmother. She walked around with her head held high, her back straight and always had this sneer that never went away. She reminded me of Cinderella’s stepmother in the Disney cartoon, except not as old apparently.

When we finally got to the house, I got that sick feeling again.

Mr. Wilkes pulled the car up front, not bothering to use the driveway. He got out first, carrying the bags and the cat carrier. I followed slowly, hoping to put off the inevitable. He got to the porch first and was already ringing the bell. Not that it really mattered because the door was opening anyway. My grandmother was there but she wasn’t there to greet us. She was showing another woman out---a severe looking blonde in a sharp suit.

“I’ll look into it Agatha” said the woman.

She turned and looked at us, her eyes lingering on me a little longer than I wanted.

“Miss DeWitt” said Mr. Wilkes with a nod of his head. The woman nodded her head and left.

My grandmother watched her go before turning toward me. She was a beautiful woman, her red hair finally turning gray. It was funny but she looked exactly the same since the last time I saw her. I suppose five or six years didn’t really change a person that much but still. She gave me the usual look which was one that I can honestly say would turn Medusa to stone. She looked at me long and hard, scrutinizing with her eyes.

“You’ve grown,” she finally said.

“People tend to do that,” I said without thinking.

She frowned. But she didn’t say anything more to me. Instead, she spoke to Mr. Wilkes. “Thank you Gordon, that will be all.”

Mr. Wilkes nodded his head to her then to me. I took the things from him and watched him go. Just like that, he was gone, back into the car. I watched as it slowly drove away and gulped. I turned back to the house; I was alone with this woman now. I took a deep breath and stepped across the threshold.

“Where’s Mary?” I asked, hoping I wasn’t going to be completely alone with her.

“Off with a friend.”

Shit, just my luck. She didn’t say anything more for the moment as she led me into the house. It was a normal looking place except I noticed there was no TV. I groaned. I was hoping that she would have gotten into the twenty first century by now but apparently not. I just hoped that they had a spare computer or else I was going to be really screwed. I looked around the living room quickly as she led me through it. She didn’t stop; instead, she led me up the stairs. I followed, still carrying all the stuff. We went down a hall, passing a few rooms on the way. The house was fairly big with four bedrooms. My mother had two sisters after all.

She finally stopped at the end of the hall.

“This was your mother’s room, I think it will suffice.”

She opened the door and I caught sight of it, letting out a huge sigh. Mom wasn’t overly girly and I was grateful for that. She always told me she was a bit of a tomboy and it was apparent by looking at her childhood room. There was no pinks, no purples. The room was painted a light blue. There was a dresser, a vanity and a desk. I sighed when I didn’t see a computer but I figured that was because they didn’t really have them when Mom was younger. One thing I did groan about was the bed; it was one of those canopy ones. It was probably the girliest thing in the room by far.

“You can put your things in that dresser over there,” said my grandmother pointing.

“I don’t have any things?”

She raised an eyebrow. “I guess we’ll have to add shopping to our list of things to do tomorrow.”

“List?”

She nodded. “I spoke to your mother at length last night. She and I agreed that you might be here longer than originally planned.”

Why did I not like where this conversation was going.

“You’re going to need more than the clothes off your back if you’re going to start school soon.”

Yep definitely not going to like it at all.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF