by Melanie T
Edited by Kristine Roland

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This text is (c) 2009 by Melanie. All rights reserved.
 
 
Twenty

I was flying, with my arms spread, enjoying the air rushing past me and taking away my worries. Flying across a better world. I swooped low and rose up into the sky, twisting and spinning, up towards the sun and down again. My long hair whipped around my face as I was zooming along the road, just above the drivers who were oblivious to my presence.

Hold it? Hair? I looked down my body, pert breasts visible in the low cut neckline in a top that wasn't meant for flying. I'm a woman, I thought. Distracted, I dropped downward, and looking forward again, just saw the truck pull out of the side street, right in front of me.

Crash! I was awakened as my body was flung forward against the seat belts before the airbags exploded and pushed Stacy and me back into our seats. Air rushing from my lungs, I was fighting for breath, then the bag collapsed and I could see again. Stacy had hit the truck straight on and people were starting to congregate on the sidewalk, rushing up to the car to help.

The smell of diesel fuel was assaulting my nose as the door was pulled open and helpful hands were helping me out of the wreck. I just managed to grab my handbag with the papers in it that the lawyer had given me, then I was hustled away from the car, while others did the same for Stacy.

It was not a moment too soon. The car's tank had also spilled its contents, the gas had found a spark, and fire hungrily engulfed the car, also igniting the diesel spilling out of the truck's burst tank.

In the distance, sirens sounded, coming closer as I was laid down on the sidewalk, safely away from the fire. Almost immediately, an ambulance pulled up, followed by a fire truck. Paramedics pulled out a stretcher and I was placed on a backboard, heaved onto the stretcher and fitted with a foam collar. Before the collar went on, I was able to catch a glimpse of myself; my left pant leg was soggy with blood, the shoe missing.

One of the paramedics cut open my jeans, the look on his face spelled trouble. Someone came up with a syringe, saying, “Here is something for the pain, and to let you relax.” Funny, I felt no pain, but before I could say something, I felt a sting in my arm and blackness took me.

Twenty-One

Beep. Shuddup! Beep. Damn. Beep..... Beep.

The insistent beeping brought me fully around and I opened my eyes. I was surrounded by medical equipment, multiple screens staring at me. Tubes were stuck into my arms and I still couldn't move my neck.

I heard a voice say, “She's coming around, doctor.”

A woman appeared and said, “I'm Dr. Weston. You've been injured in an accident. I would like to ask you a few questions and check a few things. First, how many fingers do you see?” She held up 3 fingers, and I answered, “Three.”

“Fine,” she said, do you know what day of the week it is?

“Monday, Monday afternoon.” I said.

“Fair enough,” she said, “it's Monday evening now, you were under for about 3 hours. We're going to remove the collar now, it was only a precaution. We have given you an x-ray and there is nothing broken.”

She proceeded to undo the Velcro strips and removed the collar, then unclipped the restraints that were holding my arms to the sides of the bed. “There you go, that's much better, I think.”

“Yes, thank you," I said. "Could I have some water?”

“Sure. Nurse, please give the patient a little water.” She said and turned to me, “Please don't drink too hastily; you may feel nauseous at first.”

Actually, I was feeling fine, and I still wasn't feeling any pain. I didn't know if that was good or bad.

“We're going to have a look at your leg in a little bit, but first you have a visitor,” The doctor said.

“A visitor,” I asked? “And, what happened to Stacy?”

“Stacy? Oh, the driver, right. She'll be alright but she's had a nasty concussion and isn't awake. She'll have to stay a day or two for observation.”

“Who is my visitor,” I asked?

“She said to tell you her name is Alyssa.”

“Please ask her to come in!” I said.

The doctor left and a moment later the door opened and Alyssa came in. “Hello Veronica,” she said, “I'm so glad to see you're not hurt badly.”

The door closed behind her and she dropped her voice to say, “I have been casting a few spells. You were quite badly injured but by now it should be closed up pretty well. When they look at it, they will figure the paramedic made a mistake filling out the paperwork. They should release you with just a bandage and some aspirin.”

I was happy to hear that, I had been worried sick about the problems I would be facing with a hospital stay. I asked, “Can you do anything for Stacy?”

“No, she is not really hurt, all she needs is a little rest and she'll be just fine.”

“Who called you?” I asked.

“Your tracer went off. Just before you were sedated, it kicked in and let us know where you were. Do you want a new one?” She pulled out a familiar looking pouch and I nodded.

“It's sure been useful this time; I'd like a new one, if possible.”

She took out the familiar black, twisting thing and pressed it into my palm, closing my fingers over it, and it vanished inside my body. I smiled, knowing I had some protection again.

“Please come see me as soon as possible, we have important things to speak about,” She said.

I nodded and Alyssa said goodbye for now and left.

The doctor came back in and said, “Right, now let's look at that leg of yours.”

She pulled up my covers and use scissors to cut away the bandages, peeling them back carefully. She frowned at what she saw and muttered something about incompetents, then said, “You're not really hurt badly at all. This is just a scrape, it must have hit some blood vessel to bleed this much, but I can't see anything major at all.”

“I don't feel any pain.” I said.

“With what I see here, I would say we just bandage this up nicely and let you leave. There is no reason to keep you here, none at all.”

She called a nurse to replace the bandages and cut off the bloody part of the cut jeans leg, and turned to scribble into a file while I was bandaged up.

Then the nurse went outside and came back in with a wheelchair. I was asked to get out of bed and sit in the wheelchair. I really think it's ridiculous, having to leave in a wheelchair even if you're perfectly able to walk, but I just wanted this nightmare to be over and didn't even argue.

I sat down in the wheelchair and was wheeled down to the reception area, where I was given a sheaf of papers to look over and sign.

According to this, the Celtic Conservation and Study Society was picking up the tab, I was a member of their group insurance policy. That was good news, after the unexpected expense of having my bedroom window replaced; I wasn't looking forward to spending money on a hospital stay.

I signed the forms and got up from the wheelchair, the nurse wished me well and I was out on the street.

Now I was on my own. Stacy would be stuck in the hospital for another day or two; I was missing a shoe and had no transport.

Twenty-Two

I pulled out my mobile and rang Alyssa's number. She answered and I explained my predicament. She suggested I should take a taxi and gave me her address; she would pay the cab on arrival. I hobbled to the nearest taxi stand, where I was able to grab a cab and go to Alyssa's house.

When I arrived, Alyssa was outside, handed the cabbie his money and helped me out of the cab. She ushered me inside and led me to her living room, where she asked me to lay down on her table, which I found set up there.

I laid down and she swiftly, but carefully removed the bandages. She then proceeded to place a row of reddish gems in a line on the wound, and began to chant some words under her breath. I felt a tingle from my leg and got very tired, and soon fell into a light sleep.

“Veronica,” Alyssa called, “wake up, it is done.”

I opened my eyes and raised myself up off the table, looking down at my leg. There was no trace of an injury, no scar at all. It was healed as if nothing had ever happened to it.

Alyssa saw me stare and said, “It wasn't a deep injury, after the healing I already did at the hospital. It was pretty bad then, but the magic I used works over time. Your own powers helped too, it's always easier to heal one of us than to heal an outsider.

I got off the table, which she put away quickly and we sat down to talk.

“First, let me say that I'm sorry that this has happened to you by the actions of one of us. That is inexcusable and the responsible party will be apprehended and punished.”

“We have spoken about this case at length after I have examined you, and also contacted another branch of the Family. The spells that were used on you are quite varied, and have never been seen in quite that combination before.”

“A competent magic worker wouldn't have done it this way; the combination is highly volatile and also not likely to achieve the seemingly intended goal. The way it was cast, instead of living a life of misery, the victims would most likely kill themselves.”

“What we are not quite clear about is why you would be the target of such a spell,” she said.

“The issues we have to contend with are twofold. First, we need to help you recover as much of your life as possible, we feel obligated because you were the victim of one of our kind. Second, we will have to train you as one of us, because you are a danger to yourself and others if we don't. We accept that responsibility.”

“The episode at your place has shown that you are stronger than we thought, also, your powers seem to be unusually versatile.”

“If you accept, I can offer you a place to stay here, for a few weeks, while you learn the basics of your powers and how to control them. Please don't get me wrong, we're not keeping you prisoner, you can choose to leave now and come here for training each day. But, I must insist that you complete this initial training, because right now you're an accident looking for a place to happen.”

I thought about her offer for a few minutes, and then said, “I'm happy to accept your offer, but I can't always stay here. I have things I need to take care of, I need to access my computer and keep my connections going. I'm going to need them later on and I have a few stories to follow up on. I'm certainly going to go through with the training and will likely stay here many nights, but I do have to go home every once in a while.”

“That's perfectly fine, I said, you're not a prisoner, but a valued member of the Family.”

I smiled at her and said, “Thank you. I'm so happy not to be alone.” I meant it, too.

Twenty-Three

Alyssa gave me some money so I could get home by cab, and called one for me. While we waited, she gave me a long look and said, “You know, you don't have to do it all by yourself.”

What did she mean by that? Did she want to let me know that she was aware that I was investigating? Or was it just reassurance, to make me feel better?

My musings were interrupted by the arrival of the cab. Alyssa asked me to come back the next morning at 9am to start my studies, and I got into the cab and gave my home address.

Once home, I got out of the ruined jeans and took off my remaining shoe and the stocking, and consigned all of them to the trash can.

I pulled off my top and dropped onto the bed in my bra and panties. I pulled up the covers and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

Morning dawned bright and early and the first sun rays woke me at 7am. I realized that I was lucky to wake in time, because I had not set an alarm.

I got out of the bed and started breakfast, then worked on removing the remaining make up. Some of it was quite stubbornly refusing to come off, but rubbing my skin raw with a washcloth I managed to get it off. I brushed my hair and went back to the kitchen and my food. The English muffins were already cooled down again, but the most important part, my coffee, was good and hot. I poured myself a mug, buttered my muffins and spread some jam on them. I quickly ate and looked through the shopping bags.

There wasn't another pair of Jeans!

Also, there were no shoes except for the trainers.

I might not have the shopping gene, but I did need something to wear. In desperation, I tried a pair of my men's jeans, but there was just no way I could make them work. I'd have to shop for more clothing, and soon.

Then I had an idea. I dug the cut up jeans out of the trash and shortened both legs to just below the knee. I put on my last clean pair of panties, the yellow top, the cut off jeans and my trainers. At least I was dressed enough to leave the place now.

I went downstairs, located my car in the lot and got in. For a brief moment I was totally disoriented, I could barely look over the hood and the seat was so far back! I pulled levers and pushed buttons until I reached a position where I could reach the controls, started the engine and set the GPS.

I followed the directions, trying to memorize as I went, until I arrived at Alyssa's house. It was only 8:30am, but as I went up to the door, she opened it and let me in.

She looked at me and grinned, and said, “As far as ideas go, you're on top of things, but that's no look for you. We need to get you something else to wear today.”

I nodded and moved past her towards the living room.

“Please come this way,” she said, and pointed to another door, “the study is much better suited to the task at hand.”

I followed her in and found myself in a large room with wall to wall bookshelves. The books were old, I mean, really old. Huge, leather bound tomes, small, moleskin-like journals, books with iron hinges, any manner of book was there.

The center of the floor was taken up by a circle decorated with symbols that looked Celtic, and almost made sense to me. They seemed to writhe and try to hide when I looked at them, but I could concentrate easily and they would stop and let themselves be read.

My little exercise wasn't lost on Alyssa, who nodded and smiled, “I see you have already started. And I think you have been able to look at the runes. Good, it means you have great potential for precise control, that is a very important prerequisite for learning the craft.”

She asked me to sit down inside the circle, facing the center, and took a position on the opposite side. She spoke a brief phrase and the circle glowed with a greenish tinge for a moment.

She said, “I set some wards, so that any power that gets loose won't do harm”

I nodded and asked, “So, what do I need to do?”

She produced a bluish, shimmering ball, which she placed in the center of the circle. She then took both my hands and concentrated on the ball. I felt power surge outwards as the ball began to spin and floated upwards, hovering about a foot off the ground.

She held it there for a few seconds, and then let it settle down again. She then repeated this a few more times.

Then she looked at me and said, “Now you do it!”

I gave her a helpless look and asked, “How?”

She smiled and said, “You have felt me do it. The same power is yours. Try to make the energy flow the same way.”

I tried, I really did, but the ball wouldn't budge. Not at all. Alyssa was holding my hands and saying nothing at all. I swore I'd never play poker with her, she was impossible to read.

I think I must have been close to an aneurysm, or maybe I had already burst some blood vessels in my brain, well, it felt like it. Still, the ball didn't move.

Alyssa looked at me and said, “Don't force it. I feel what you're doing, you're forcing the power, and it won't let that happen. Let it flow out, direct it. Ease up on it, let it flow.”

I relaxed and recalled what it had felt like when she did it, and began to feel a flow of warm energy from my body into my hands, and from there into Alyssa's hands.

She smiled at me and said, “Now you're on a good way. Now the power is flowing, direct it. Tell it what to do. Use imagery, words, and emotions. Use whatever works. This is different for each of us.”

I played with it, imagined the ways the power would flow. I imagined the power as a stream, a multicolored band floating in the air, like a thick shoestring. I thought of it pushing the ball upwards, and imagined seeing it move to get under the ball and push.

The ball rolled sideways.

Alyssa smiled at me and said, “You're off to a good start. You have found your way. Now it's all practice from here on in.”

She broke the wards and I realized I was ravenous. I looked at my watch, it said 7pm! The day was gone, in a session that seemed like it only lasted an hour.

I asked Alyssa about it, and she said, “Magic is related to time, and can do funny things to it. Also, we have a different relationship with time than normal humans.”

She went on, “I have been avoiding the term, but normal, nonmagical humans are termed 'mortals' by our kind. That makes it seem that we're immortal; we're not. But we live very long lives. I am 635 years old. There are other beings that live even longer lives and there are even a few true immortals. We, however, just age very slowly. We can control our visual aspect, so we can appear youthful when we choose to.”

I sat there, stunned. Six hundred and thirty five years! That was hard to comprehend. And I was one of them now, would I live that long?

I asked, “Will I also have such a long life?”

Alyssa sighed and said, “We can't be sure, with the way you came by your powers, but I believe so. If you use your powers, you will also have such a long life.”

I wanted to run, run far away and hide. Here I was, in a body I didn't want, a gender I could hardly deal with, and I had just been told that I would be like that for several human life spans.

Alyssa felt my panic coming on and, with a quick chant, set the wards again. Not a second too soon! When I screamed, the inside of the wards was bathed in a multicolored display of energies, ricocheting off the wards and weaving an intricate pattern of power.

I broke down, spent. The little ball lay there, shattered. Alyssa was untouched. She just took me in her arms and tears started to flow freely as I cried out my pain and fear.

When I was all cried out, Alyssa flicked the wards off, picked me up and carried my effortlessly to a bed in her guest room, pulled the covers over me and said, “Sleep Veronica, sleep and heal.”

She turned off the lights and left the room. I didn't see her set wards around the room, I was already asleep.

End of part six.