“It’s a flute”
Sarah sighed deeply and gave me an ‘are you stupid?’ look.
“.. It looks diseased”
That look didn't even try to leave her face.
“This isn't going to be like the tuna thing again is it?”
Sarah glared at me and stamped her foot.
“The damn thing was possessed!”

I rolled my eyes and fiddled with the flute again.
This isn't the kind of conversation I look forward to at 10am on a Saturday.
I'm still in my pyjamas and I've not even had coffee yet!

“It was a tuna Sare.. a dead tuna at that”
She threw her hands up in the air and stamped again.
“Every time you looked away it started dancing!”
I had to hold back a snort, even now it sounded stupid.
“How convenient..”
She roared in frustration and scrubbed her hands through her hair.
I decided to let it go for now while she took some calming breaths.
It’s an old argument, she doesn't need me on her case too.
Mums bad enough, I can’t believe she tried to get Sarah to go to a shrink!

“Okay.. I’ll bite.. What’s so special about it?”
Sarah’s frown dipped a little and she looked a bit embarrassed.
“I dunno? I was going through the market and my necklace got hot.”
I tried to keep the glare out of my eyes.
Another old argument, I swear she finds ONE lost ancient relic in the lady’s toilet of the cinema and she’s a dyed in the wool Seer.
It’s just a funky rock on a string, it can’t get hot!
We had it tested and everything.
“Some old lady had a stall up, it looked kind of rickety and homemade”
I shifted the flute over to be held with just my fingertips.
The disease ridden flute idea now feeling a bit more plausible.
“Anyway, I backtracked and waved the necklace around a bit and it ended up focused on that thing”
She threw her hand out in a frustrated wave.

“So..”
Sarah glared at me and snatched the flute from my reluctant hold.
“So, we blow it and see what happens. Duh.”
I cringed and waved my hands out a bit.
“We clean it first.. With hot water.. Boiling water from the kettle. That first”
She glared at me.
“Then you can blow it or whatever”
Finally she eased off and gave a nod of acceptance.
With a huffy hair flip she turned and made for the kitchen.
I was tempted to flip my own hair back at her, mine’s a bit longer so I win.
Resisting was hard but eventually I followed her instead.
Whatever mess she’s going to start, it’s usually better to be at the center of it.
For your own safety if nothing else.

=================

I cringed and clamped my hands over my ears.
Music’s never been Sarah’s thing.
I don’t think that flutes going to help either.
Stupid things really high pitched and out of tune at the very least.

We both sat waiting for something to happen.
Sarah was becoming progressively redder in the face.
She wouldn't meet my eyes.
I entertained myself with just being smug.
Maybe she will actually get a clue this time that there’s no such thing as mag-
“RAT!”
I jumped out of my chair and hopped up on the coffee table.
“WHERE?”
Sarah gave me a curious glance and waved over in the corner where a big fat black rat was sitting, furiously washing its face by licking its paws.
I staggered back and almost fell off the table.
I HATE rats.
What the hell is a rat doing here? We’re on the 3rd floor!
Eww, its sniffing stuff.
Why do rat’s have to sniff stuff like that! It’s so gross.
My hand came down and scratched at my leg subconsciously.
It felt itchy.
“Al, what’s wrong?”
I glared at her for a moment but then turned back to keeping an eye on the pudgy little house invader.
“I don’t do rats Sarah.”
She gave me an incredulous look.
“Since when?”
Out of the corner of my eye I spotted movement.
“Oh god it’s another one!”
Sarah whipped around and gaped when a second rat came shuffling in from the bathroom.
Behind him there was another one waddling in.
I almost screamed.
Sarah peered sideways into the bathroom door and cringed back.
“They’re coming from the toilet”
My jaw dropped and I gave her a disgusted look.
“Don’t give me that! You think I'm happy about this?”

More were coming, I could feel it.
Loads of them, creepy little squealing bastards all coming to get me.
I started hyperventilating.
Are the walls getting closer? It feels like the walls are getting closer.
“We need to get out of here”
I couldn't agree more.

Sarah sprinted for the hallway and yanked the front door open.
I watched her go with a whimper.
“Come on Al!”
My eyes shot around at all the little buggers.
There’s more of them.
Oh god there’s more of them.
I counted the steps to get to the door.
I’d never make it, I’d have to run through them, I’d-
SOMETHING TOUCHED MY LEG!

I screamed and blindly ran for it.
Sarah watched me with wide eyes as I shot past her out into the rat free apartment hallway.
“Shut the door, shut the door, shut the DOOR!”
She spun and slammed it closed.
I let out a breath and brought my knees up to my chest so I could breathe again.
“The hell is all the noise about?”
I screamed again and jumped at the unexpected sound.
It was Sarah’s landlord.
Oh.. oh.. okay, the landlord.. that’s okay.. that’s good.
I fell a bit light headed.

“Sorry Mr.Keen. This is my sister, we.. um.. we kind of have a rat in the flat?”
I shot Sarah a glare for the introduction and she shrugged to me with her tweaked eyebrow.
It asked ‘what else was I meant to say, you were screaming like a little girl’.
I let out a breath and accepted it.
Mr.Keen didn't notice the interaction.
Twin speak can be useful sometimes.
“A rat?”
Sarah nodded and waved him toward the door. I just shuddered a bit.

Mr.Keen pulled his keys out of his pocket and opened the door up again.
After a moment’s pause he slammed it shut and turned to us with wide eyes.
We all shared similar stunned looks and his eyes darted from me to Sarah a few times.
“That’s not just one rat” He finally said, sounding a little lost.
I snorted and Sarah nodded to him.
“We noticed”
Mr.Keen tried to shuffle his jacket a bit and pull himself back together.
“well.. uh.. I guess.. I mean.. can you girls find anywhere else to stay for a while? I’ll have to call the..”
His face shifted through a few different options before he settled on an answer.
“..call a few pest control people”
Sarah let out a breath and nodded to him.
“Naturally I won’t charge rent for the missed days. If you can keep receipts I can reimburse you afterwards for any costs okay?”
Sarah nodded again and shot me a look.
“oh no.. really?”
She nodded and tilted her head towards the stairs.
With a deep breath I swung myself up to standing again and started walking towards the parking lot.
Is she crazy? Mum is gonna flip out when we turn up on her porch looking to stay for a while..

“Thanks for coming to check on us so quickly Mr.Keen. Sorry about all this”
Mr.Keen gave Sarah an awkward smile and shook off the apology.
“You’re a good kid Sarah. You just go, keep an eye on that sister of yours, she looks a bit out of it”
I cringed but carried on walking until I was out of hearing range.
Rats! Why did it have to be rats!
I couldn't resist another full body shudder.
My arms came up and wrapped around myself to stave off the cold.
I HATE RATS!

===============

“So what’s the deal with you and rats?”
I glared at her in warning and she glared back.
“Eyes on the road” I finished lamely.
Sarah smirked and turned back around.
She knew I’d crack eventually.
“I don’t know, okay?”
Her face crinkled in confusion but she didn't look away again.
“I just.. it started a while ago. Around prom, ya know? I just..”
Sarah’s eyes went a bit too wide at that and her body went a bit stiff.
That’s become a pretty normal reaction from her if I bring up prom.
I dunno why.
It wasn't all THAT bad.
I mean, she may have been a bit.. well I guess ‘nasty’ is putting it lightly.. she was a bit bad about it beforehand but I enjoyed it in the end at least.
Dan was funny and it was over in an hour or two.
Hell I spent most of it dancing, which was surprisingly fun, and Dan was a gentleman the whole time.
I vaguely remember getting in his rusty old car and I got home safe so no harm done. Right?
I think someone may have spiked the punch though, most of the night is a bit hazy from there.
Anyway, that’s not important.
This is about rats.

“I just.. They make me a bit squicky now, okay? They’re all sniffy and ugly and creepy and just..”
I shuddered involuntarily.
Quickly I reached out and turned up her heating to cover for it.
From what I could see of Sarah’s profile she looked guilty, and a bit upset.
I reached over and slung an arm around her in a lose hug.
She’s driving after all.

After a few seconds she relaxed a bit and offered me a smile of thanks.
I grinned back and let go.
“So, what’s plan A through D for when mum tries to use this as a reason for you to move back in?”
Sarah cringed and shrugged helplessly.

Yeah.. I’d had about the same amount of success on that one too.
This was going to be funnnn..

===========

“Rats?”
Sarah nodded trying to look defiant.
I may have lost her cool points by whimpering behind her.
Mum sighed
“Honestly, can’t you go one day without-“
Sarah growled and threw her hands in the air.
“It’s fine, we’ll get a hotel. Don’t know why I even bothered”
She turned away and started making tracks back to her car.
I stood there awkwardly looking at mum.
My mouth opened and I raised a finger as if I had a point to make.
It turns out I didn't.
I just kind of shrugged to mum helplessly and turned to follow Sarah.

We got to the sidewalk before she caught up to us.
“Look, Sare, I'm sorry okay? Of course you can stay.”
Sarah gave her a nasty look and mum cringed a bit.
“Both of you” she added as if that point needed clarifying.
Sarah considered the offer and shot me a questioning look.
I shrugged helplessly.
Getting between mum and Sarah while they’re arguing has never been high on my ‘good idea’ list.
“Fine” Sarah allowed, tossing her hair in aggravation.
I let out a sigh of relief.
Today couldn't get any worse at this point.
At least one crisis was averted.

=============

“Are you insane? No!”
Sarah glared at me like I was a reluctant child.
“Do you see any other options? It’s either this”
She waved the outfit she was holding at me.
“You’re Pyjamas”
I cringed a little.. Rat’s had been near them.
“Or you can have the fun, fun task of going to ask mother dearest if she would loan you a spare dress or two”
I drew back into myself on that one.
In perspective, Sarah’s outfit with its pastel yellow shorts and light blue T-shirt were looking a lot better.

“Fine” I snatched the clothes from her “but I swear, if she says one word!”
Sarah nodded to me solemnly, my point understood.
I inspected the pile in my hands carefully.
“Don’t you have any boxers or something?”
She shot me that oh so famous ‘are you stupid?’ look.
I gave it up with a huff.
She’s trying to help at least.
That’s something I suppose.
Still.. How does she get me into these situations every damn time?!?

======================

Mum smiled at me.
I tentatively smiled back.
“You look nice”
I blushed and ducked my head.

“AL, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU WEARING?!?”
My head shot up to look at mum but she wasn't looking at me.
Sarah came waltzing into view wearing a flowing knee length summer dress.
She grinned at mum and fluffed the hem of it at her.
“What’s wrong mum? Don’t you think it’s pretty?”
Mum went bright red in the face and her lip curled back in a sneer.
Sarah rolled her eyes and reached out for my arm.
“And like that we lost her.. I'm amazed she lasted a full twenty minutes”
She gripped my arm tight and gave me a slight shake.
“Come on Al, let’s get out of here.”
She sneered over at mums frozen body.
“I knew this was a bad idea but I’d hoped for Al’s sake..”
She gave me one more tug and started walking for the door.
I caught mums eye for a moment and she was watching me in amazement.
“See you later mum”
She didn't respond.
I turned and followed Sarah out to her car.

================

“Was that really necessary?”
Sarah almost swerved the car when she swung around to look at me angrily.
“STOP defending her!”
I flinched and drew into myself a bit.
“She doesn't mean it really.. watch the road”
Sarah reluctantly turned forward, but she kept shooting me looks out the corner of her eye.
“Why do you keep defending her? She’s messed up Al”
I pulled tighter into the car seat and folded my arms defensively.
“..and you’re not?” the mutter slipped out before I realised it.

Sarah wouldn't look at me.
She was blinking too much to be healthy.

“..sorry”
It didn't come out as sincerely as I’d hoped.
Sarah let out a long breath and pulled the car over.
She bent her head down and rested her forehead on the steering wheel.
“I'm trying Al”
She shook her head against the steering wheel and shut her eyes tight.
“It’s my fault. I made you dress up again. I made you stand in for me and I’m the one who got caught but YOU’RE the one paying for it”
I put a hand out to try and comfort her.
“Sarah, I didn't mind helping you out like-“
She jerked away from my touch and shot me a dark look.
“STOP defending me too!”
I paused and watched her carefully.
Her dark look fell into a sad frown and tears formed in her eyes.
“For once in your life Al look out for yourself. Mum doesn't deserve you and neither do I.”
Her tears fell and her head followed them down.
On instinct I stretched out an arm and held her tight.
Sarah openly cried in front of me for the first time in ages.
“You should hate me..” she muttered into my chest.
I couldn't help the frown that crossed my face.
“You’re my sister. You annoy the hell out of me at times but I won’t hate you”
She gave a gross snort of mixed laughter and tears.
“I took Hannah away from you” she muttered again, drawing herself closer into my hug.
I looked down at her bowed head in confusion.
“m’Sorry” she finished, shoving her face tightly into me and shaking it.
We sat like that for a while.
Sarah stopped making sad sounds and we just settled into breathing.

===========

I shifted uncomfortably as another person looked at us with open curiosity from the sidewalk.
“Sarah?”
She sniffed loudly and shifted her head aside to look at me with puffy eyes.
“yeah?”
My hand started playing with her hair slightly from nerves.
“You going to be okay?”
She sniffed again and pulled herself away from me a little bit.
“yeah.. Sorry Al. Mum, you know?.. she just sets me off these days..”
Her face started to flush a bit more and her mouth curled just from mentioning mum.
Time to move on to a new topic I think.. or at least move on to a new place.

“So..” I started, nudging Sarah up and away from me, much to her reluctance.
“… magic’s real huh?”
Sarah went ridged, a moment later she shot up to stare at me with wide open eyes.
“What?”
I frowned at her and shifted uncomfortably.
“Well, you blew the flute and it summoned rats right?.. that’s.. ya know.. magic.. crap, disgusting, storybook magic but magic still, yeah?”
Sarah’s mouth dropped open and her eyes bugged a bit.
“It worked” she almost mouthed out rather than speaking it aloud.
I shot her my confused ‘what are you on about?’ look.
“It worked, FINALLY!”
Sarah seemed to get some life back into herself.
She pulled away from me and settled back into her seat, rubbing her eyes dry as she went.
Without warning she turned the key and gunned the engine with a roar.
I blinked at her in confusion and watched her pull us out into traffic.
“Wha-“
She waved her hand at me for silence.
A grin spread on her face.
“Okay, new plan..”
She shifted into the high speed lane and kicked the car up another gear.
“..First we go to see the MPA, get all that out the way. Then we go to Beth’s place and get some supplies. Then we sit down and have a nice lengthy talk that’s been a LONG time coming”
She swung her head at me with that almost demented grin, looking for approval.
I nodded frantically so she would look back at the road faster.
“Great… GREAT. Oh, this is going to be so much fun!”
I sunk back into my seat with worry.
Her idea of fun usually involves trouble eventually.

==============

Sarah pulled sharply into a disused looking street.
We bumped a few times on potholes and came to rest in front of some abandoned shops that lined the street.

The place was a dump.
Sarah popped out of her door in a hurry and was practically hopping on the spot in anticipation.
I took my time getting out, trying to recover a bit from her express speed driving.
She came around the car and stood next to me.
I shot her a sceptical look and she nodded her head towards one of the buildings with a big grin.
My eyes scanned the area in general before settling on the one shop that wasn't boarded up.
It looked old, in disrepair and a bit silly to be honest.
In flaking golden paint on a time worn pink background were a list of Asian looking letters and a subheading.
I glanced down at the dusty shop windows and back up to the sign.
Sarah nudged me and nodded towards it again in excitement.
“um..”
She watched me like a hawk, it was making me nervous.
“It’s very.. uh..”
Sarah sighed but her smile didn't dim.
“What is it?”
I paused long enough to shoot her a confused look but she waved at the store again happily.
“It’s some kind of toy store? Geeky stuff.. the banner’s bad English, says something about..”
I squinted and moved my head around a little for a better angle on it.
“Ultra-Sailor Morphing Protection-Avengers, TEAM G0!”
The writing was even harder to read below that.
“Ask us about our mega-monster zord. Wednesday’s comic book sale day”
Sarah collapsed against the car in hysterics.

“Oh my god, you’re such a geek!”
I looked at her in confusion and no small amount of hurt.
She hasn't called me a geek in years.
My face must have shown what I was thinking because she sobered pretty quickly and rushed over to hug me in reassurance.
“Oh no, sorry Al. I didn't mean it like that. It’s just.. ohhh I'm making a mess of this.”
She grabbed me by the wrists and yanked me forward.
“Come on, you’ll get it in a minute”
She pulled me through the front door of the mucky comic book shop.
It would have been less impressive if she’d opened the door first.
I stalled my legs hard into the floor with a loud squeak and we were left standing in a bright, clean, mostly white entrance way.
My eyes flew around the room, noticing all the people bustling about in a mix of odd uniforms and more casual clothing.
The florescent lights high above us had an odd twinkle in them which hurt my eyes a little.
“Welcome..” Sarah chanted, stepping away from me and throwing her hands out wide.
The fresh smell of cut oranges and chocolate hit my nose seemingly from nowhere as she wafted the air.
“..To the USMPA!”

She stood in that silly pose waiting for my reaction eagerly.
I blinked a few times and glanced around behind her.
A few of the uniformed people frowned toward Sarah but mostly the casual clothed ones seemed to find her amusing.
“um.. okay.. so..?”
She deflated a little and shot me an annoyed glance.
“Take the fun out of it, why don’t ya?”
I shrugged at her.
She grumbled a little and half-heartedly continued.
“This place is Hub G-0, our local center for the United States Magical Proliferation Agency.”
My eyebrow went up all on its own.
“The outside’s magical, it shapes itself differently for everyone’s eyes, there’s probably someone who could explain the details to you around here but hell if I know who it would be”
She squinted at me and seemed to realise I wasn't quite as impressed as she’d wanted.
“Come on, let’s go jump through hoops so I can get you registered as a non-com”
I opened my mouth to question that but she waved it off.
“You’ll get an introduction session later. The guide’ll be a lot better at explaining this then me. Just follow and don’t piss anyone off okay?”

===========

The bored looking receptionist eyed us in annoyance.
To be fair she looked pretty busy, her desk was full of paperwork which she had studiously been ignoring in favour of reading a newspaper as we approached.
“Non-com cadet Cooper reporting in with perspective candidate Cooper for eval”
I blinked a few times and tried to process that those words had just come out of Sarah’s mouth.
She was standing a bit ridged too.
Not military straight but quite stiff for Sarah’s usual flowing grace.

The receptionist glanced from me to Sarah again before nodding.
From under her desk she pulled out a truly ancient looking push button microphone.
With care to not harm her surprisingly long fingernails she slowly pressed the button down.
There was a large squeal that rang out around us.
I jumped. Pretty much everyone else in the area jumped as well actually.
Judging from the receptionists smirk she enjoyed that reaction.
“Carlo come and get your pet. She’s cloned herself or something I’dunno”
Sarah sputtered and settled on glaring at the now smug receptionist.
“Anythin’ else I can do for ya pet?”
Sarah grumbled to herself and shook her head,
She turned back to me and waving us away from the desk.

==============

“Ignore her, we try to.”
I shot Sarah a confused look and went back to watching the receptionist.
She was acting very unprofessionally.
Currently she had her feet up on the counter, an act which tipped a large pile of paperwork onto the floor from the sound of it.
Her image wasn't helped by the sloppy torn jeans she was wearing, or her bare feet.
For a moment she caught my eye, smirked and lazily waved hello at me before going back to the her current high stress job of.. Juggling paperweights apparently?..
I turned back to Sarah and tweaked my eyebrow at her.
Sarah sighed and looked apologetic.
“Her names Claire.. Or Janice.. Or.. you know what never mind. She changes it every few days just to annoy people”
My eyebrow perked up again.
“I know, its weird.. Look.. this is all about magic. I'm not too good for explanations, they have people who can help you there. Basically.. Magic.. magic’s complicated”
I frowned and she shrugged helplessly in return.
“A lot of stuff around here was made by Claire’s ancestor ages ago. It’s tied to her bloodline so it only works for her. The USMPA needed her, so they recruited her.”
That made some kind of sense, if you ignored the whole part where it didn't make sense at least.
I get the feeling I'm going to face those kind of situations a lot today.
“She was on her way to being a lawyer when she was recruited. They gave her an offer she couldn't refuse, so she accepted but she wasn't really happy about it”
Both my eyebrows went up in surprise and I twitched my hand toward my neck carefully.
Sarah’s eyes went wide and she shook her head violently.
“Nothing like that, they signed her up on a lifetime contract. She gets $500,000 a month.. plus pension, living expenses, health care, dental, a rental car for outside office use and four assistants she can run ragged without oversight. Her job is to sit at her chair and operate the tools, like that intercom she used earlier, between 11am and 3pm Monday to Friday.”
I gaped at Sarah incredulously.
“She’s pretty mean about it all, they need her and she knows it. We’re lucky she’s in a good mood today”
I glanced over at the receptionist again, she was now talking to some guy who handed her a coffee.
For some reason he looked like he’d just run a marathon.
She patted him on the cheek and waved him off, he managed two steps before her foot came up and she gave him a shove in the butt which sent him staggering away.
My eyes turned back to Sarah with another look of disbelief.
“This is her being nice?”
Sarah nodded sadly and shrugged.
“We all know the details of her contract because for her first month, she made it a requirement to read off her benefits package before she would accept any kind of work orders from anyone.”
She shuddered a little.
“She refuses to use people’s names either.. One time she made a new rule up that every group of six people who came to her with work orders would have to play twister on the main hallway floor to judge who got seen first, if you were the first person of the line you were in for a LONG wait before she gathered the other five people.”
I flinched and offered her a sympathetic look.
“She didn't allow bathroom breaks or leaving your place in the queue either, said something about it building character”
We both shared a pained look and turned to watch the receptionist’s desk again.
Apparently she’d found some pencils, she was in the process of tossing them up as high as she could to see if they would stick in the ceiling.
From the looks of it they wouldn't, most were coming crashing down around her like little pointed missiles much to her amusement.

I glanced over at Sarah one more time and sighed.
What the hell am I getting myself into here?

============

“Wow, she wasn't kidding?”
I jumped a little and turned to the smooth male voice on my left.
A moments study let me realise that I didn't like him.
He looked like a pro-footballer with bulging biceps in a tight t-shirt.
Definitely feeling the jealous hate already.

He bent down to me and casually kissed my cheek.
I jerked back with angry eyes.
My hand came up without thinking and gave him a slap which rang out across the entrance way.
I distantly heard the receptionist give a pointed “Ha!” of laughter.
Sarah got between me and the muscle monster.
Her hand twitched out and I stepped back a bit.
She’d given the sign that she would handle it.

“Karl, sorry.. um.. that’s not a clone, I'm normal Sarah. This is my brother Al”
The face kisser, Karl apparently, looked between us in surprise.
This time I actually turned to watch when the receptionist laughed a braying cackle and pointed our way “Classic!” she chanted out, apparently just wanting to provide commentary for the universe.
I considered adding her to my list of people in dire need of a slap.
Right after Karl, Karl, and one more to Karl just for luck.

============

I sighed for what felt like the millionth time but continued following in Sarah and Karl’s wake.
We’d crossed so many branching pathways, all blinding white and seemingly endless.
This place was scary-huge, packed full of people despite that fact, and very same-y.
Every Corridor looked like it had been copy and pasted from the last one, it was quite off putting after a while.
My mood wasn't helped by the amount of people shooting me weird looks and glancing back to Sarah as they passed us, which got annoying quickly.

“Doctor Miller will look him over and then we can sort out his induction, shouldn't take too long”
I felt kind of left out as we walked along.
Sarah was avidly watching Karl, it was pretty obvious she had a thing for him.
I wonder if the receptionist noticed?
The way Sarah bounced around him happily put me in mind of an excitable puppy, so the ‘pet’ thing would make more sense at least.

We eventually came to a stop in-front of a door, pretty much as blank as all the others.
There was a rough number scratched into the top left corner that looked a bit weird compared to the clean cut white of everything else in this place so far.
Sarah turned to me with an encouraging smile.
“Doctor Miller is cool. Don’t worry.”
I frowned and looked between her and the door nervously.
“You’re not coming with me?”
Sarah shook her head but didn't lose her smile.
“It’s okay, you’re a big boy. She’ll send a runner when you’re almost done, we’ll be waiting out here by the time you come out.”
My frown must have gotten worse because Sarah looked a little guilty.
“Sorry, we’re just going to Karl’s office. I have some paperwork I have been putting off for.. well.. lets call it a while.. Promise I’ll be back to pick you up no problems okay?”
In the end I let it go with a shrug.
Sarah rarely took the time to notice guys existed.
Far be it from me to discourage her when she finally does.
I couldn't shake the feeling I was taking a step out into a very strange new world without a safety net though.
It would have been nice to be able to hide behind Sarah for most of it but I can deal with it if I must.
It’s only magic after all.
It’s not like it’s some kind of overpowered force which can shape reality in ways beyond my imagination, yet keep itself hidden pretty easily from the normal world at the same time, right?
.. Okay, maybe there is a reason to worry just a little bit.

I must have nodded or something because Sarah carried on.
“Cool, see you later then”
She gave me a quick hug and walked off with the muscle.. with Karl.
I turned to the doorway and hesitated for a few moments before reaching for the handle.
The door opened before I could reach it, which didn't creep me out at all, but for reasons other than being creep-ed out, I very cautiously made my way inside with an ear open for danger.

=========

“Ah, Cooper right? Been expecting you”
I blinked a bit deliriously at the woman speaking.
She was dumpy in a motherly sort of way.
Her Rosy cheeks blended quite well with the truly blinding red wallpaper behind her.
The whole room looked like a strange cross between a standard doctor’s office full of equipment, an occult shop and.. a colour blind persons idea of interior decorating I guess?

“Your Sarah’s twin right?”
After a moment hesitation I nodded and offered her a weak smile.
“It’s okay dear, I don’t bite..”
I flinched a little and she watched my reaction with interest.
“hmm, I think I’ll add a psych eval to your test schedule. Do you have any past of traumatic experience’s involving teeth or biting?”
My head shook slowly while I considered the possibilities.
“I got bitten by a dog once. It didn't hurt that bad though?”
She hummed to herself again and cocked her head to the side.
“Plausible, but the eval can’t hurt anyway. More data is always more useful after all”
I shrugged and let the conversation drop.
This is getting awkward.

After a few moments writing on her pad she turned back to me and smiled.
“Right, let’s get this initial scan out the way then shall we. Please stand on the X on the floor there dear”
I followed the direction her arm was pointing and came to rest on a cross marking.
For lack of a better option I walked over and stood on it, watching her for further instruction.
“Okay dear, now this will tingle and you may see a shimmer or two of light. Don’t panic it’s all very normal.”
She fiddled with something that looked like a rather large projector aimed at me by its holder clamp hanging from the ceiling.
“On three dear”
She held up three fingers and slowly ticked them off.
When she folded her last finger the world went bright.
I yelped and staggered back, from the sounds of it, she did too.

We both blinked our eyes a few times and watched each other in confusion.
“Was that supposed to happen?” I finally broke the stare off.
She frowned and tapped her fingers at her elbow in thought.
“..no.. not really.. The only time things like that happen are when.. hmm..”
She held up a finger for me and turned back toward her desk.
“Hold on a second dear.”

I stood awkwardly for a while as she flipped through her notes and muttered to herself.
“non-com.. child.. bond.. teen.. vampire?.. inspection.. hmm”
She finally turned back to me, her eyes a lot sharper then they had been previously.
“my oh my, you are an interesting one aren't you sweetheart?”
I'm not sure why I shuddered at that.
No-ones called me interesting before, it didn't feel nice though for some reason.
“Who’s your sponsor? Do they know you’re a mage? You really should be getting a full charter test instead of this basic one you know?”
Her questions fired at me but I could only shrug at her uncertainly.
“uh.. Sponsor? My sister brought me in here if that’s anything? She found this flute that filled her flat with rats and when I asked her about magic being real she got really excited and brought me here..”
Doctor Miller sighed deeply and gave me a sympathetic look.
“This isn't my kind of thing. Karl should have known better and sent you over to processing first. Give me a minute dear, we can get this all cleared up”
She walked to her office door and rapped on it sharply.
After a moment the door eased open and my eyes went wide in shock.
A short, stubby little man wearing a messenger bag and little else came in to the room with a curious look at the doctor.
He was very hairy, not just on his face, although he had a full goatee beard there too.
His legs, from his belly button down, were covered in fur with his knee caps being oddly angled and his feet seemingly replaced with hoofs like a horse.

The little man fiddled with his bag strap awkwardly and glanced at me before quickly looking away again.
“Letter miss? Where to?”
Doctor Miller scribbled something out on a sheet of paper and handed it to him.
“Can you take that to Com Sergeant Karl Nobbs for me?
The little goat legged man glanced at the note before giving her a nod of acceptance.
Without another word he turned and left the room, pulling the door behind him as he went.
Doctor Miller turned back to me and after a moments confusion seemed to realise what was wrong.
“First time seeing a Faunus dear?
I slowly moved my eyes from the door and stared at her with a wide stunned blink.
“he.. it.. what’s a Faunus?”
She shook her head and offered me a warm smile.
“Not a fan of mythology dear? They are Greek, well.. I think Billy is originally from Egypt himself, but in general The Satyr court is in Greece.”
That didn't help much, I frowned and shook my head.
“I mean.. is he.. was he human?”
Doctor Miller laughed heartily at me there, she tried to be polite about it but I’d obviously said something stupid.
“Oh dear me, oh you really are new to magic aren't you?”
I nodded, not that she needed confirmation at this point.
“Faunus are.. Well, not to get too complicated but they are elves of a sort. The building we’re in is one layer deep into the fae realms, a lot of the less.. Prickly elven races tend to help out here and around when they can.”
She leaned in toward me and cupped her hand to her mouth conspiratorially.
“I heard talk that the Magister tried to pay them once, pressure from non-human rights groups you know? They didn't take well to that, apparently to this day he has trouble getting a cup of tea let alone sending letters or filing requests in this hub. He has to work through others to get help now which is rather amusing”
My mouth gaped and I blinked furiously.
So many questions coming to mind all at once.
Elves are real?
Fae realm?
Magister?
Non-human rights?
Slowly I closed my mouth and brought my hand up to rub at my temple.
I knew this was going to get confusing.

Before I could voice any of the questions I had brewing, there was a knock on the door.
It creaked open and Sarah’s head popped in with a smile.
“Hey Doc, he ready to go?”
Doctor Miller gave Sarah one of her warm smiles and nodded.
She walked back over to her desk, patting me on the shoulder as she went.
“Good luck dear, I'm sure you will work it out eventually. Just follow your sister, she’s a good sort”
I swung my head between her and Sarah a few times.
Eventually I just dropped my shoulders and stood up.
I'm sure if I keep going I’ll eventually come across someone normal who can explain things around here.

Sarah called out a goodbye to Doctor Miller when I stepped out into the hallway, I turned and half-heartedly offered one myself as the door shut.
Slowly I finished my turn and ended up facing Sarah and Karl who were watching me happily.
Sarah nudged her elbow into Karl’s ribs.
“Told you he was special”
Her face soured a little after saying that and she pointedly stared at Karl.
He didn't take his eyes off me but nodded a little at least.
“You’re really a mage?”
I blinked and stared back at him in annoyance.
“How the hell should I know?”
Karl shrugged and turned to walk down the corridor ahead of us.
Over his shoulder he threw out a snort.
“It’s not the sort of thing you tend to not know. Ever done something weird without explanation?”
Nothing really came to mind except..
Sarah must have seen the frown on my face because she pulled me into a hug and started walking us to catch up with him.
After a few steps I was comfortable moving on my own and leaned away from her a little.
She took the hint, pulling her arm back and skipping forward to stand next to Karl.

“Where are we going?” I finally asked as we crossed the forth blank corridor in a row.
Karl and Sarah stopped speaking long enough to glance at me before smiling.
“You’re booked for an induction.”
Sarah smirked
“You can get some answers without me garbling them for you at last”
That calmed me down a little, I ended up following them along, my attention more on the curious people around us then anything they might be saying.

We were turning a sharp right at a crossroads of white hallways when something caught my attention.
With a glance at Sarah I shuffled back a few steps and looked down one of the other corridors.
What I can only describe as a large lizard man with green scales was walking along with an equally large fox man who had black tipped ears and more than one tail
They both were walking casually toward me, apparently deep in conversation.
I tried not to stare as they both walked past smiling and chatting back and forth, occasionally taking swigs from the plastic coffee cups in their hands.
The lizard man had some kind of white lab coat on but left it open showing he only had a pair of tracksuit pants on underneath it.
The Fox man was wearing a worn looking brown suit with leather elbow patches stitched on it.
Their conversation had stalling as they got closer but picked up again quickly.
I turned and watched them go off down the left corridor, my eyes were drawn to the fox man’s tails that swished back and forth.
The fur flowed like an orange and white tide of water, it was kind of hypnotic..
After a few steps they both paused and glanced over at me.
I dropped my eyes guiltily and tried to shrink into the floor to hide.
The lizard man snorted in his deep tone of voice before starting to walk off again.
From the corner of my eye I watched the fox man grin at me and wink as he stepped away to follow his scaly companion.
“I told you man, mage chicks dig furry’s”
The lizard man growled low in his throat but didn't stop walking.
The fox started talking again but at that point he was too far away for me to hear what he was saying properly.

I stood at the crossway for a few seconds awkwardly and tried to pull myself back together again.
First little goat legged men, now giant human-animal hybrids.
Seriously, what the hell am I getting myself into here?
Slowly I turned back around to catch up with Sarah and Karl.
..Only to find an empty hallway instead.
I turned back in surprise and almost ran, nose-first, into a solid brick wall.
Frantically I patted the wall down where there was a crossroad only seconds before.
Quick as a flash, I spun back to the hallway to find it was different too.
The corridor apparently now curved to the right.
A few people walked by me curiously but I just stood dead still, afraid to look away from the corridor in case it changed again.
“oh… crap..” I mumbled to myself, a chill going up my spine for some reason.
Why me?

===============

I spent almost a full five minutes standing on that one spot, barely willing to blink let alone move.
They taught us at summer camp that if you were lost, just stay where you are.
If people are looking for you they will find you easier if you’re not both moving.
Finally I heard the loud stamps of someone running and felt arms come around me in a hug.
“Oh gods, you’re okay!”
My shoulders slumped and I relaxed into Sarah’s arms.
She squeezed me tighter and turned me to face her.
It felt like she spent a bit too long inspecting me for injuries before nodding to herself that I was fine.
“Everyone around here knows not to go wandering the halls alone. We’re in the fae realm, even if it is a nice one, ya know? What were you thinking?”
I stared at Sarah and blinked at her slowly in disbelief.
She seemed to realise why after a moment and dropped her jaw guiltily.
“ah..”
I nodded back.
“I probably should have mentioned that at some point shouldn't I?”
I nodded again.
“Sorry, I said I was no good with explaining this stuff. Magic’s complicated”
Karl reached us at that point and did his own inspection of me.
“You okay to go? We’re going to be late”
Sarah nodded and grabbed my hand tightly before we set off again.
She turned her head back to me and smiled.
“Sorry again.. Basically.. um.. The hubs are safe spaces for magic of most forms. Some mages in the 1800s signed up for them and the Fae Queen of the third realm, her name’s Maven, she agreed to host us because she had the space going and she was curious to learn more about humans or something.”
I tried to look encouraging but she was already losing me.
“It’s great for keeping the area secret because the entranceway can be moved easily and the space we have is near endless without taking up more than a doorway’s size on the outside world. The biggest problem though is that it IS in the Fae realm, and that makes things complicated.”
She looked around quickly and brought her head closer.
“The fae are really picky, Maven only likes the halls to look a certain way.. so they do.. all of them. It would take a full mage to make any kind of change to the hallways without it resetting, even then most end up being able to barely scratch numbers into doors or tie enchanted ribbon to banisters at best.”
I thought back to the rough, almost un-readable numbers etched on Doctor Miller’s door and nodded in understanding.
“The fae realm..uh..” Sarah trailed off and looked at Karl hopefully.
Karl sighed but twisted to look at me as he continued walking.
“The Fae realm isn’t built for humans. We lack several key areas in our brains which can process just how their dimension works. As a result we tend to drift and get lost really easily if we’re not careful. For most people, just having someone with you when your both going to the same place is enough to work past it, Journeys are still longer then they should be but you get there in the end.”
He scrubbed a hand in his hair and looked a little embarrassed.
“We all end up getting lost at one point or another. If you’re a mage and you know what you’re doing you can summon a fae to escort you but most low level mages tend to avoid walking the halls anyway. They use focused teleportation spells to get around instead and cut out all the hassle.”
I could feel my head nod along with him but at this point I was just hoping he would stop talking.
My head hurt from information overload.

We carried on walking until we reached a door which surprised me by the amount of little scratch marks on it.
It looked like someone had tried to take off all the white finish from it using a dull pin.
Karl knocked and entered without hesitation.
I followed cautiously and found myself in a dim classroom with an awkward looking set of wooden seats.
A desk stood at the front of the room but seemed to only have a few books and a single apple on it.
Sarah pulled me over and sat us down in the middle of the front row.
Karl didn't sit down but moved over to the far corner of the room, settling into it with crossed arms.
I nervously twiddled my thumbs and bit my lip.
The silence was killing me.

===========

A few minutes after we sat down the door opened and we were joined by an odd mix of people, some old, some young, some with weird accents and others looking like they had come dressed for a snow storm.
Finally an older woman with her hair back in a tight bun came in and shut the door tightly.
“This is introduction to magic. I have you all for a fifteen minute slot so let’s not dawdle.”
She settled herself at her desk and let out a frustrated sigh.
“To answer your first questions in order, yes magic is real, yes it’s really real, no I'm not joking, yes you did see whatever it was you saw, no you can’t tell anyone about it and yes we WILL stop you from telling anyone about it if we have to”
There was a general grumble around the room, most of the people around us must have felt the same as I was about her abrupt manner.
“Common logic states that once you know about magic, magic tends to know about you.”
She stood up and paced slightly, shooting a stern look around the room.
“With that in mind I MUST remind you all to not tell anyone about it. If you do, you are putting not only yourself and the operational safety of USMPA but also the person you tell in serious danger.”
Her pacing stopped and she brought her hands together.
“There are exceptions for people suffering from magical events who chose to not have their memories wiped of them, which is why most of you are here now.. There are also exceptions for non-awakened mages who find out about magic on their own”
She sent a sharp look directly at me, I tried not to shrink down in my chair too much.
“Now, some of you may choose to look deeper into magic and its relevance to you. I can commend you for that.”
A thin smile of approval bloomed on her face but died off quickly into a frown.
“..Others of you may choose to go back into the world and ignore magic. For those of you taking this path I can offer only a warning that now you know of it; magic will be a part of your life whether you want it or not.”
She unclenched her hands, shifting her feet slightly.
“Try to keep yourselves safe in either case and at the very least keep the contact details of the USMPA on hand in case of emergencies.”

She rummaged in her desk a little bit and drew out a stack of books.
“I will now open up the floor for anyone who has any questions, then hand out these government recommended manuals.”
She lifted one of the green covered paperbacks up as an example.
“Please take the time to read them if nothing else.. yes, you with the red hair”

A boy looked around at the rest of us nervously and almost mumbled out his question.
“Is it true that werewolves can change at any time or do they only change at the full moon like my brother?”
The woman’s mouth pulled into a thin line before she broke into a detailed answer to his question.
It could basically have been condensed into ‘it’s complicated’
That set the tone for the rest of our time because seemingly every question she received, including such topics as, mermaids, biting cupcakes, a talking hamster and dancing tuna..
..What I was curious?
Sarah kicked me under the desk for asking it anyway.
Every single question got a long answer filled with jargon and side references.
It was pretty obvious no one else understood any more of it than I did but each could basically be summed up with the dreaded ‘it’s complicated’.

After what felt like ages she looked down at her watch and nodded to herself.
“And that’s time. Please take a manual on your way out, you will be escorted to either your next meeting or the exit depending on your choices. Good luck to you all.”
There was a general jumble of movement as people got up, picked up a book and left from the main door.
I sat back and waited for them all to go before getting up myself.
When I reached out for the last remaining copy of the manual I was stopped by the lecturer woman.
She held her hand over the manual and shook her head at me.
“Not for you, mages get a special book”
My jaw dropped open and I shot Sarah a confused look, she shrugged back at me unhelpfully.
The woman reached into another draw of her desk and drew out a book almost twice as thick as the manual with a stiff leather hardback cover instead.
Without a word she dumped it into my hands and turned to leave.

When the door shut tightly behind her Karl came out of the corner.
I jumped having forgotten he was there which seemed to amuse him.
“Take a copy of the standard manual too. Can’t hurt”
I eyed him suspiciously for a moment but grabbed the second book anyway.
“That’s us done for the day. We’ll have to set you up with a full charter test in the next week or so just to be safe but you seem pretty healthy to me.”
He turned to Sarah and smiled at her.
Sarah seemed to melt under his attention.
I felt the urge to puke at her sappy look for a moment.
“I’ll see you at the next group session Sarah. Today’s been fun. Take care of Al and I’ll see you in a week okay?”
Sarah nodded sloppily and grinned at him with glassy eyes.
Karl gave me one more nod and made his way out of the room too.

Even though we followed closely behind him, by the time we got out into the hall Karl was nowhere in sight.
I’d normally assume he’d run away or something but with the way these halls work who knows where he went to.
“Well that was useless” I muttered.
Sarah seemed to catch what I said but shrugged it off unhelpfully instead.
“Read the guide book, that’s what I did”
I frowned but accepted her advice.
“Come on, let’s get out of here. We have a few more stops before we can relax”
She took my hand and dragged me off in a seemingly random direction.
Did I mention that all the hallways look the same?
I don’t know how she had a clue where she was going.

==================

“Al, are you listening?”
I jumped and turned to Sarah guiltily.
I’d started reading the mages manual while she was driving.
The front few pages were fascinating enough.
The inside cover contained a map.
The weird part being that it tended to move and parts of it changed over time.
The center point on it seemed to be focused on us, or the book at least.
Behind us I could see a blue marker which indicated the Hub, currently open for public use.
Ahead of us were several yellow markers indicating private magical companies and businesses which were open for use at the moment.
Far off to our right was a large area marked out with a dotted red border and red cross-hatching inside it.
When I tapped on the red area the book gave a shudder in my hands and wildly flipped pages, coming to rest on a closer view of the area and a page full of information including several warnings about it being a ‘Wolf Den’ and ‘Unsafe for mages or Dryads to enter’
I’d been amusing myself turning between the map and its pages to check out the local area.
One shop had surprised me, it was a supermarket I’d gone to a few times before, as far as I knew it had been perfectly normal at the time.

“Al, will you listen!”
I jumped again.
This time Sarah was full on glaring at me.
“Eyes on the road” I said automatically.
She growled low in her throat and threw out a hand to snatch the book from my grasp.
“I'm not driving idiot. You would know that if you pulled your nose out of that book for a second”
I cringed a little and realised she was speaking the truth, we were parked next to the curb in a relatively nice looking area of downtown.
“Sorry”
Sarah huffed but let it go in the end.
“I was trying to say. Things might get a little awkward with Beth. You might not remember her from school but she remembers you.. or.. well.. she remembers..”
Sarah’s face scrunched up a little and her voice dropped into a guilty mutter
“..Hannah”

I sat staring at Sarah for a few heartbeats, she began to look guiltier as time went on.
In the end I broke the tension with a smile and shrugged at her as if it didn't matter.
Sarah let off a sigh of released tension but still looked a bit off about it.
“Sorry, it’s just for a little bit then we can go on and find a place to stay the night okay?”
I glanced at her curiously but nodded acceptance anyway.
I have no idea what her problem with Hannah is lately.
Maybe she wants us to find a new name for when I'm pulling the twin trick or something?
Not sure what we could replace it with, anything else would feel awkward at this point.
Besides, Hannah’s special. She knows that..

“It’s no biggie. I figured we could get a place at Johns anyway”
Sarah tried to hide it but she pretty obviously wasn't happy with that option.
I can kind of guess why.
John’s still got a major crush on her so that could get awkward.
Can’t argue with mates-rates pricing though, especially for a last minute hotel room.
“Sure, whatever” she trailed off.
After a moment’s pause she got out of the car.
I managed to only throw one look into the backseat at the mage guide before getting out to follow her.
That maps addictive.

================

“Don’t be a stranger now hon, it’s been too long”
Awkwardly I turned my head over while held tight in Beth’s hug.
Sarah was trying to hold back her smile.
It turns out I HAVE met Sarah’s friend Beth before.
I'm not sure where but from the moment I stepped into her house she’d become clingy with me.
My nerves are pretty shot at this point, I'm not normally a very touchy feely person, Sarah being the obvious exception.

Finally Beth pulled away from me and turned to give Sarah a much shorter squeeze instead.
I let out a sigh of relief and made my way to the car.
Sarah joined me when she got finished talking to Beth.
We pulled away from the curb and waved back to her until she was out of sight.
“Well that was awkward”
Sarah looked at me out of the corner of her eye and seemed a bit nervous.
“I don’t even remember meeting her before? Was she at prom or something? I was pretty wasted from the punch that night”
I hung my head back in the seat and considered scenarios.
From what she was saying and the way she was acting you would think I’d saved her life or something.
Sarah was looking increasingly uncomfortable.
We drove on for a few streets in silence before Sarah couldn't take it any more.
She swung us around into an open parking lot and took us over to an isolated corner.

Slowly she leaned her head forward onto the steering wheel and gently hit her forehead on it a few times.
“We need to talk”
Her frown didn't give the impression this would be a fun talk.

She eased herself back into her seat and took a deep breath.
“Don’t interrupt. I have to get this out, I've needed to for a while.”
I mimed zipping my lips shut and throwing away the key.
It got a weak smile out of her at least.
“So.. okay, you know about magic now. I've known about it since.. since prom”
I frowned.
She tensed her shoulders and took a breath.
“You don’t remember it, the commander who.. who rescued us sealed your memory of it all at my request.”
My eyebrows shot up to my forehead but Sarah didn't stop, I don’t think she could at this point.
“Prom night you stood in for me while I went to Jenny’s place for a party. A few hours in some biker guys turned up.. and.. and it got a bit insane.”
A tear built up in her eye.
“I was one of the first ones grabbed, they tossed me in the back of a van with a load of other girls and we were driven off. Beth.. she still had her phone on her, silly cow’d stashed it in her cleavage and they didn't check her for it.”
The tear trickled down her cheek and she coughed as if her throat was sore.
“My first instinct was to contact you. Don’t ask me why, I was panicking. I sent you an SOS then I called the police. We couldn't give them much info because we were in a van, ya know? They weren't taking us seriously!”
She fisted her hands in her lap and banged them on her knees.
“They wouldn't take us seriously and the woman hung up on me. Before I could do much more then hit redial the van stopped and the biker guys came around to get us out. We hid the phone again but I was so scared they would realise.. They took us in this doorway, I don’t know what it was meant to be but when we got through it we were in a bright white reception area.”
I blinked and tilted my head a little.
“Like the hub?”
She nodded blindly and took a breath.
“Yeah, I didn't find out until later but it was an abandoned Hub. The place was overrun, the doorway moved and the department didn't have anyone to spare who could look for it. Apparently the va.. the biker.. well.. okay.”
She took another breath and looked intensely into my eyes.
“They looked like bikers but they were really vampires.”
My head rocked back and I felt my eyes go wide.
Sarah gave a dark chuckle and nodded at me.
“Yeah, vampires. They found the place. Their leader, a little guy calling himself Rastalin, set up home there.. started.. started a processing plant of sorts.”
I shuddered involuntarily and reached out for Sarah’s hand.
She gave me a watery smile in return.
“Vampires, smart vampires, they don’t kill. They take humans off the street and they keep them, renewable food source ya know? Bleed someone out, nurse them up a bit and then repeat.”
She shuddered this time and pulled her other arm in, to her chest.
“Rastalin, he was thinking bigger. With a hub at his disposal he figured they could take a bigger score. He was kind of desperate, he needed a lot of blood fast, customers demanding more and the town was running out of homeless people apparently.”
Her head came down and another tear came out.
“I didn't know that at the time. We were terrified. They took us into a room and.. and watched. They made us put on flimsy outfits, we looked like a load of genies by the time they were done with us.”
She pulled herself sideways into my arm.
“I was one of the first taken out for processing. They chained us up and.. and stuck us with needles to draw out the blood.”
She shuddered again and pulled in closer.
“I was delirious by the time they finished. There was a load of shouting, then some of the white coat technicians came and gathered us up. They marched us out of the processing room and into a big hall. I thought.. I thought they were..”
She cut herself off with a sob.
I had to virtually pull her out of her seat and into my arms.
We rocked together for a little bit while she calmed herself down.
“I was resigned to it you know, I thought that was it, I was going to.. to die.”
I patted her head and tried to hold myself together for her sake.
She was hurting. She hurt, I hurt, that’s the way it works.
“and.. and then you were calling me. I looked up and..”
She pulled herself tighter into my chest.
“You were beat up, and you were strapped to a chair, and you were fighting it but.. but you were there, they got you too.”
Sarah cried again, I just held her so she could let it all out.
“I broke down. I was going to die and you were going to die too and it was all my fault”
She breathed heavily against me then suddenly burst out in laughter.
It wasn't a nice laugh. It was bitter and angry.
I just held her close and she rocked us both while it petered off.
“You, you glared at me. I thought you hated me. You should have.. and.. and you turned around. You stared at Rastalin with so much open hostility on your face and then it smoothed out and you got so calm. Scary-calm”
She shifted against me, her voice dipping just a little into an awed hush.
“You looked at him and you hissed out ‘Okay, I'm game.. w..what do you want Vlad?”
I chuckled and held her close.
“Vlad, I like that. Good name for a vampire.”
She smiled weakly at me but it was a smile at least.
“He taunted you and he tried to have us moved out of the hall but you.. you stupidly.. stupid.. stupid!”
I cringed as she shot up and smacked me on the shoulder in rage.
“You stupid asshole! You begged him to keep us with you, you offered him everything to buy us time and you offered him..”
She ran out of steam taking deep heaving breaths.
“You offered him your blood and he took it Al.. My heart STOPPED when he reared up and sunk his teeth into your neck! I was screaming, the others were screaming and you just looked over at me with bleary eyes and you smiled at me. You SMILED while that bastard was killing you!”
Sarah kicked her feet hard on the floor of her car a few times but it didn't seem to help because she yanked away from me and threw her door open.
I quickly got out my side and we stood on opposite sides of the car staring at each other.
“I thought you were dead, and it was my fault, and the worst part.. the worst part of it, the part that makes me sick to my stomach is that some part of me was glad. Glad you were gone.”
My stomach drooped like a heavy weight, it felt like I’d been hit in the chest and I took a deep hissing breath in.
“I love you Al but at that time I hated you so much”
She banged her fists hard on the car roof and glared at me.
“You’re better than me! You've ALWAYS been better than me. You were always smarter than me!”
She threw her hands up in the air and growled out in annoyance.
“You were dad’s favourite! You spent so much time when we were kids looking down on me, even then I could tell.”
She smashed her fists down hard and her glare went up another notch.
“And when it kicked off, when it all happened and Dad ruined Alice..”
She deflated and laid her head on the car’s roof staring at me.
“When he left and mum.. mum changed.. you were happy for me.”
A tear rolled down her cheek and she pressed her face hard into the rooftop.
“I tried to help with Hannah, like we always did before, and it was good. You were happy and I.. I.. I hated it Al. Even for those short times you had with mum I resented you because mum liked you better than me! Just like dad!”
She scrunched up her face hard.
“I bottled it all up. I wouldn't ruin Hannah for you. I promised myself I wouldn't ruin Hannah for you.”
She forcefully slammed her head against the car roof and let out a sob.
“B.. but I did Al. I ruined Hannah. I started to go on dates, and I had friends, and I knew how to use makeup and you DIDN'T. For ONCE I was better than you at something and it was SO good.”
She breathed hard and let out an unhappy laugh.
“I kept finding reasons to need Hannah, more and more times to prove I was better then you at something for ONCE.. and.. and you got better at it! Like you ALWAYS do, you got better at it and better at it until you were a better girl then I was!”
She weakly hit her fist against the roof, the rage leaking out of her and leaving her looking broken and empty.
“Everyone likes you, everyone loves Hannah! Do you know how many of my friends stopped talking to me after prom? Do you know how many of them would only come over to ask me about Hannah?.. Dan was my best friend! I liked him.. more than liked him.. but.. but I was angry at you and I wanted you to hurt and I threw him at you for ONE NIGHT! And you just.. just in a few hours you stole him from me! And you saved me. And you saved everyone else. And everyone knew it too!”
She shifted her other arm around and laid it over her eyes to hide her tears.
“and for just that moment while I watched you smile at me.. while a monster killed you and you were so pleased to have given us even a little bit more time.. I was glad.”
She slowly pulled herself up to standing, pulled her arms around herself in a tight hug and looked at me with wide sad eyes.
“I can never forget that Al, I can never forgive myself for it. The MPA came in and rescued us but you were hurt and they offered.. They offered to make it easier on you.. Like you were weak. Like you needed protecting!”
Sarah’s mouth opened into a thin, painful smile and she took in some gasping breaths.
“I was disgusted with myself Al. I hated myself.. but I still agreed to it. You may have been better than me again, but I got to remember it, and you didn't.. and.. and I knew about magic too.”
She took a step closer to the car and glared at me.
“I had magic, finally I had something in my life you couldn't take from me!”
Her arms came lose and she swept one across her eyes fiercely.
“You deserved the truth Al. I was selfish, by the time we got home I was thinking clearer. I could see what I’d done and that I’d hurt you again. After only just seeing how badly I could hurt you for my own stupid ego, my first chance to do it right and I hurt you again!”
She gripped the edge of the car’s roof and frowned deeply.
“I tried to console myself with the fact that I was doing it for you. If you don’t know about magic your safer. I spent the whole night going around in my head about how I was doing it for you and it wasn't my fault.. but I knew.. I saw what happened in that hall, the same thing that happened to dad.. I KNEW you were a mage.”
She slapped her hand down hard on the car roof.
“How could you not be? I found magic. Of course you had to be better again!.. an.. and mages.. the not knowing about magic thing.. it doesn't apply to mages. It’s safer for a mage to know.. and I didn't want to tell you..”
Sarah let out a gasping sob and half collapsed against the car.
“..and you forgave me”
I shifted my feet a little, tempted to come around to her side and help her.
“I nearly got you killed, I treated you like crap, I took away magic from you and I RUINED Hannah.”
Her chest hitched and she breathed out harshly.
“and you forgave me, like you always do. You were the better person as always.”
She shuddered hard and finally sank out of sight by sliding down the side of the car.
I tentatively stepped around to her side so I could see her curled up against the back tire.
“I'm just like dad.. It took me a while to realise it but when I did.. I've been going crazy for months now trying to convince you that magic’s real.. to give it back to you, To fix what I broke, but everything I did just made you more sceptical!”
I paced over to her and sank to the floor myself.
She glanced at me, offering a truly broken smile.
“It’s still not right Al. I ruined Hannah for you and all the rest and even today.. even today I was so happy to finally fix it. To give you back magic.. but when Karl looked at you like that, amazed that you were a mage.. I felt it again”
I held my arms out for her and she dived into them for a vicious hug.
“I don’t deserve you Al. I'm so.. so sorry”
She buried her head in my chest and broke down crying.
I settled my legs out wide and hefted her over onto my lap for support.
We sat like that for a while, just rocking back and forth while she cried.

==============

“You didn't ruin Hannah”
Sarah pulled away from me sharply and glared.
“Of course I did, I-“
I snarled deep in the back of my throat and she went quite.
“Let me talk.. you didn't ruin Hannah. We’re not kids any more Sare.”
She was shaking her head, obviously ready to argue.
I placed my finger on her lips and shook my head back at her.
“For a few months you went a little crazy. I was hurt by it, I hated it, I hated you, I hated.. I hated Hannah”
She tried to speak but I kept my finger tightly in place and frowned at her.
“But Hannah isn't.. we made Hannah. She’s ours. She’s part of me. At your worst you never did anything permanent. You never publicly exposed me or ruined my life”
Sarah shook her head again.
“I wanted to..”
I nodded and smiled at her.
“but you didn't. You stressed me out, made me doubt myself and you.. but you didn’t push it.. you didn't ruin what we had.”
Sarah sniffed and hugged herself closer to me.
“I don’t deserve you”
I chuckled and rested my head on hers.
“Probably not but I suppose I’ll have to be the better person won’t I?”
Sarah gasped and looked up at me for a moment before smiling.
I grinned at her and settled her head back down.
“Idiot”
She giggled against me, it felt good to have her laugh again.

“Think you’re in any state to drive? It’s getting dark. I hear there’s dangerous things in the dark. Vampires and such..”
Sarah snorted and pulled herself away from me with a smile.
“yeah, I think I can handle it.. Smartass”
I grinned at her in response.
“Come on then, let’s get over to John’s motel and give him a call. I'm sure he can put us up for the night. God knows, he’s got enough rooms to spare.”
Sarah’s smile dimmed but she nodded anyway.

======================

“Sarah? Have you seen my-“
I stepped out of the bathroom and spotted the mages guide sitting awkwardly on my bedside table.
Sarah was sitting a little away from it looking nervous.
“You can look at it, ya know? No need to hide it”
She deflated a little.
“Thanks, sorry, I'm just curious. Mages are really uptight about their guidebooks.”
I nodded and sat down next to her.
“I can see why, the map’s useful if nothing else”
She grinned and nudged me with her leg.
“You know you have to go to work right?”
Her eyes went wide and she shot off the bed.
“Crap, I'm gonna be late. Are you gonna to be okay on your own?”
I waved her off with a grin.
“I'm sure I can amuse myself, if nothing else I can drop round John’s office if I get bored”
She smirked at me and nodded.
“Don’t lose the book, I call dibs reading it after you”
We shared a smile but she dived quickly into the bathroom moments later.

================

Waiting a week for my official tests had been hell.

Sitting here with Sarah waiting for the results was worse.
“Mr Cooper?”
This doctor was a lot more tall and spindly when compared to Doctor Miller.
She creep-ed me out a little to be honest.
Her current smile wasn't helping, it showed a bit too much teeth.
“Your results are in and they are fascinating”
A shorter man with a wide bushy moustache came up behind her, coughing nervously.
The doctor woman jumped a little and cringed.
“Um. Sorry, fascinating for us from a magi-science stand point but.. um.”
She seemed to flounder for a moment then settled a hopeful look to the robed man.
“Hello Mr.Cooper, I'm Healer Parsons and this is division G-0’s head of cognitive magic research Ms.Silvante”
He held his hand out for a shake which I accepted easily.
That was a much better introduction.
Ms.Silvante seemed to think the same if her pained expression said anything.
Healer Parsons turned to Sarah and shook her hand too.
She smiled in appreciation, Ms.Silvante now looked really awkward.
I almost felt sorry for her.

“As you may have gathered your results were.. Interesting”
Interesting.. I'm getting tired of that word.
Interesting never leads to anything good.
“I have to ask you this Mr.Cooper.. have you or any of your family had a history for synaptics abuse?”
Sarah’s head swivelled to stare at me and we shared an incredulous look.
“I'm sorry?”
Healer Parsons Shoulders slumped but he looked more worried than relieved.
“Mr.Cooper.. your results show a rather startling history of.. Memory tampering and compulsion spell damage to your core”
My breath hitched and Sarah brought her hand out to clutch mine tightly.
“I understand this can be a shock but unsanctioned memory tampering is a crime, I must ask..”
I stared at him waiting for the hammer to fall.
“Could any member of your close family or friends be responsible of such magic to your knowledge? Any mages who would have easy access to you for an extended period of time? The damage we are seeing.. it goes back a long way, the earliest recorded event we could recover was around you’re seventh birthday?”
My blood ran cold, I turned to Sarah.
She met my eyes and frowned deeply.
“M-U-M” she mouthed, quirking her eyebrow up questioningly.

Sarah had confided in me a few days ago, her worries about mum.
In the last two years, a lot of events seemed to not add up.
Even when you factored in Sarah’s knowledge of magic making her attract trouble.
At the core of most of them seemed to be mum.
She was the one who bought Sarah her magic tracking necklace because it was ‘pretty’.
She was the one who suddenly decided to take us out for dinner just before Sarah’s magic items stash was raided in a ‘burglary’.
She seemed to have a six sense for when Sarah was doing something with magic overall.
That’s why things eventually kicked off between her and me.
I’d stood in for Sarah while she went to get a book she needed, at the time I didn't know it was a magic book she was hunting for but for the first time since we were kids mum had been suspicious of me when I pretended to be Sarah.
She ended up sticking close to me all night and caught Sarah coming in through her bedroom window with no way for us to deny it all.

I shook my head slowly.
She couldn't do something like that, mums never done magic, she doesn't even know it exists..
..well.. that we know of at least?
I mean.. Theoretically she could be a mage or something right?.. she never..
My stomach rolled and I felt sick to my stomach.
Oh god..
Sarah squeezed my hand harder and her frown deepened.
“We don’t know of anyone exactly Sir.. but..”
She looked to me for permission.
I brought my hand up to my mouth and closed my eyes tight.
Slowly I nodded for her.
“Our mum, she’s been a bit.. I've had some worries about her in the past”
I didn't open my eyes when Sarah put her arm around me tightly.
I just settled into her hold and just focused on breathing.

mum.. why?