Katy kept exactly right behind them, when she saw them it calmed something within her. She would not do magic, but now they found her here. She knew she would have to leave again, this time it was to a place she had heard a boy tell a girl, as he tried to flirt with her, about, McAllen, Texas. Katy ran down to the local library to find out where it was and had located it on the map. But she could not resist all those books and spent more time then she meant to there. She then decided to just watch them for a while, before she teleported to Texas.
She followed them until night fall. As soon as it was dark she went to the capital building. She stood there and looked at the gold dorm; she wondered why she would be given a life that she would have to give up. A single tear fell as she turned her thoughts to the place she was going to next; she knew there is no way they could follow her there.
She landed on a beach. She did not know where she was or what she would do; she should have thought this out more. She looked around and found nowhere she could camp for the night. She knew she should just go back to New York, back to her alley. She teleported again, but this time it was to somewhere she knew, or thought she knew. She had only seen this place in a dream; it was like an early memory. The next thing she knew she looked up at a large house, a mansion; it was decorated in yellows and blacks.
It was where she was born, she knew that now. She did not know what would happen when she concentrated on this place, but now she knew it was real. She knew the answers she looked for were here, in this mansion, she had to find out the exact vision.
She looked up and saw a window open, and a light on, inside that window was the kid who had tried to kill her on someone’s orders, her uncle’s orders. She cast the spell to hear what he had to say; he seemed to talk to himself.
“I don’t know why I am only taking his word, but he has never seemed to lie to me before. But I saw her. She looks so like me, we both have dark eyes, so dark, so black. Maybe if she is taken in… Maybe if we… Haley, I think they are hiding something.”
“They might be…” Katy now saw Haley; she must have been out of view, as she walked up to him. “But why would they lie to you?”
“I don’t know… Never mind you are right. They wouldn’t lie, I will just have to think of something for next term. I don’t see why my father just didn’t take her in and deal with her here. Then…” He let the sentence hang.
Katy decided she did not want to hear more, in fact she felt like she should run. So, she did. She ran and ran away from the house away from those words, away from everything.
She ran until she tripped. She looked at what she tripped over, and it was a stone box that had broken open. Inside was this ball, it was filled with a yellow smoke. She didn’t know what it was, but it seemed important that she found it. She sat there for a moment and just looked at it then made a choice.
She teleported back to Iowa City and went to her spot she found behind the mall and waited. She knew she would be found, and she did want them to find her. If they really wanted her, they would find her. This was the test she set out for them, and she hoped they did not fail.
The next morning, she stayed where she only left around noon to find something to eat. Around four she was sure they would not come; she knew she could not go back, not like she left them. Maybe now that they knew, they agreed with her biological family. Katy felt the panic rise in her and then remembered something Professor O’Conaill said in one of their Divination classes. Just because something is prophesied does not mean it will come to pass. That everybody had a choice in their fate.
Katy decided to go back to where she found out about this world. Back to outside of Portal, ND and see if she could find some answers. She waited until night fall then teleported to the same spot that Tony had taken her to, what seemed, so long ago. Another lifetime ago.
She went to the bookstore and tried to find some way to find out the secrets of the ball and the yellow smoke. She kept to herself mostly; she used the invisibility spell, but sometimes just hide behind the buildings. She spent the rest of the week alone as she looked though the books but could not find anything. She was about to give up, when she walked by the divination shop, she saw a ball in their window, but there was no smoke.
She snuck into the shop and went right over to the display. They were called Prophecy Balls. It was used to store recordings of visions and prophecies that one had, or messages from spirits received. The smoke would be the color of the power that could unlock the secrets of the visions and messages within.
There was no more information on the matter. Katy went back to the bookstore and looked through all the divination books, but she could not find any instructions on how to use the elemental power to open it. She knew she must use Air, as the smoke was yellow, but the question was how.
She was about to leave when a hand grabbed her shoulder. She turned to issue a blow, but another had caught her arm. She looked up to see who it was and for once she was scared, truly scared.
“Hello, Katherine. Where are your guardians?” The man with blond hair and icy eyes asked. But before Katy could answer he continued. “Oh, that is right they couldn’t even keep an eye on you, and you ran. You know you can always come home.”
Katy looked up at him and into his eyes. “Who are you?” She needed him to say his name even though she was sure she knew who he was.
“You know who I am.” He waited for her to say something.
Katy just kept silent; she looked straight into his eyes and waited for him to confirm what she knew.
“Fine if you are going to make me say it. I am Wesley Solomon, your uncle.”
“By blood. By blood alone. Now, if you excuse me, I have to go, Antonio and Sandra are waiting for me.” Katy said with a straight face, she just lied through her teeth, years on the street had made her a great actress, and she was the best in her class at blocking her thoughts.
“I know you ran because there is a missing child report on the Guardians’ desks. Now, why don’t we just go?”
“I don’t think so!” Katy said as she slipped from his grip and ran for the door. She did not get far because at door where two people she had never seen before, but she knew one of them.
“Now, why don’t you listen to me, and come home. Your brothers would enjoy the company of a sister.” The man, who had blonde hair, blue eyes, and a thin build, who she knew was her father, said to her as he stepped in front of the only exit.
Katy did not think she just teleported and the next thing she knew she was back in front of the MacCathmhaoil’s house. She wanted to go up to them and tell them everything, but she could not stay. Not now that her father and uncle had tried to take her. She gave the house one last look and teleported back to Iowa City and right into someone else’s hands.
She was about to teleport again but then the person spoke. “Katy Lily! We were so worried.” Tony stated as he knelt down and hugged her. “We were just about to give up on Iowa City and were going to try finding you someplace else!”
“We? Worried?” Katy was confused, more because she was so sure that good people would not want anything to do with her.
“Of course, we were worried, my parents and Deen’s are going crazy and Deen wouldn’t take no for an answer when I said I was going to find you.” Tony said, he stood up but he did not loosen his hold on Katy.
“But didn’t you read my letter… I found out why…” Katy had tears in her eyes, she could not continue to explain, and it hurt too much.
“Katy, we love you and we don’t believe that you could be evil. Whoever told you that you are, well they are wrong.”
“I…” Katy started to say but Deen showed up and jumped on her to give her a hug.
“Never do this again! You should have just told us! You are not evil!” Deen said as he pulled back from the hug.
“I overheard Riley telling his cousins that Wesley told him I would be evil that I am evil, and I will kill them and everybody who is good. I can’t do that!”
“Let’s go home and discuss this.” Tony said as he dropped his arm from around Katy and took her hand.
Katy said nothing just took Deen’s hand and nodded. They then teleported back to Sandra and Antonio and the only true home Katy knew.
Once they landed across the street, Katy panicked. What if they did not believe in her like Tony and Deen? What if they asked her to leave again? What if they were happy, she left? She did not get a chance to turn and run. Tony and Deen each grabbed one of her hands and continued to walk up to the house. They did not say anything just continued to walk her into the house and into the kitchen. But Katy’s fears and insecurities did not fade away even after Sandra looked up and ran up to her and grabbed her into a hug.
“Don’t ever do that again! We have been worried sick! Why would you do something like that?” Sandra said as she led Katy to the kitchen table and sat her down, Sandra flipped her hand put a glass of milk and some dinner in front of her.
Katy opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She tried again but before she could get the words to form the kitchen door burst open and in came Antonio and Deen’s parents, Edgar and Jane.
“Oh, thank goodness you have found her!” Jane said and went over and grabbed Katy by the shoulders to give her a hug.
“Yes, now that she is back, she can explain why she ran, in more detail.” Edgar said and Antonio nodded in agreement, as they leaned against the counters.
Katy did not say anything for a moment. For that moment she just looked at the people she considered her family. Then all of a sudden, the reasons that she ran for became clearer to her. She should not have come back.
“Katy, you have nothing to fear. Just explain why you felt you couldn’t come to us. Why you felt the need to run?” Sandra said as she sat down next to Katy and turned Katy toward her looking her in the eyes.
“I don’t want to hurt you.” Katy said as she hung her head, tears in her eyes.
“Why do you think you would hurt us?” Antonio asked as he walked over to stand next to Sandra and Katy, he placed his hand on Katy’s shoulder and gave a squeeze.
“The note told you why.” Katy responded, but she kept her head down. “I shouldn’t have come back.”
“Yes, you should have! You should have never left!” Tony blurted out, as he jumped up from his chair.
“But the prophecy… he told Riley… that’s why…”
“Look, Wesley Solomon is nothing but a bloody criminal!” Deen yelled, Katy had enough self-esteem issues, the Solomons did not need to add to them.
“What is this about Wesley Solomon?” Edgar asked, he hated he could not get more on that evil warlock.
“I…umm… found out it was… Wesley that told… Riley… that our…father… had a vision… I was… going to be… evil…” Katy got out as she cried.
“There was no way that could have been prophesized,” Jane said. “A person is created by their upbringing, not genes. And even if it was possible, they are evil, really evil, and family, so why would you kill them?”
“I don’t know something just is not adding up…” Edgar stated. “Did you find anything else out?”
“Just that they told Riley to deal with me at school, and he doesn’t understand why our father didn’t just take me in and deal with me.” Katy said as the tears continued to fall.
Nobody said anything, because they knew it would have made more sense for them to take her in and have killed her there. Especially after the trace had fallen off. They stayed silent for a few minutes as they took in the new information and allowed Katy to get her tears under control.
“Look,” Deen said, he broke the silence. “You didn’t need to run, there is no way you could be evil, he must have gotten the vision wrong or he is lying about it.”
“Why?” Katy looked up at them all. “Why would he lie about having a vision like that?”
“Maybe it was that you will bring down the corruption in your family?” Deen said, when nobody else could come up with an answer, or at least spoke up with what they thought.
Katy did not know what to think. She was confused. There were so many holes in the story and now, with this ball she had in her procession, the best way to figure out how to open the Prophecy Ball, was to go back to school and at least finish out the year. “Umm…” Katy started. “I am sorry I ran I was simply scared. I don’t want to hurt any of you.”
Tony got up and walked to her other side. “Just don’t run again… just let us know. How did you find out about Riley and this information anyway?”
And the question Katy had dreaded was finally asked. Katy did not know how to respond. She knew there was a lot of trouble she could get into, and she did not want them to know just how advanced she and Deen had gotten with their spells. “I overheard him tell his cousins, Blake and Damien. I…” Katy paused. “Kind of shut down” Katy finished.
“Are you telling me they are discussing this in plain view of everybody, where anybody can hear?” Antonio asked, knowing it was not true.
“Umm…” Katy did not know how to respond.
“Now look, I am going to tell you this once, you are not going to get in trouble just tell us how you found out,” Antonio continued.
“Katy mastered the invisibility spell. I will bet you money she snuck into the Air dorm and overheard them there,” Deen spoke up. “We have snuck out of our dorms at night with that spell.”
“Is this true?” They all looked shocked, but it was Tony who spoke up.
“Yes. I also went by the place where I was born and heard him telling his girlfriend Haley about the same thing.” Katy finally gave the truth but left out the bit about find the Prophecy Ball.
“But… he is sitting in the dorms just talking about this where anybody can hear?” Antonio spoke up again, e had to know.
“Yes, he was just lounging around and talking he didn’t cast any type of protection spell or anything.” Katy responded; she did not know why Riley would not have put up the spells that even she knew.
“Hmm… That doesn’t sound right, he should have at least put up basic spells he is a sixth year,” Antonio thought out load.
They all stayed within their own thoughts for the rest of the evening, even though dinner and then Sandra followed Katy up to bed. They knew that in a few short days it would be time to go back to the school but until then they have decided that Katy would be constantly watched.
Kris Charles - Author 