Katy was quiet for the next few days; she stayed to herself, but she went through the motions of school life. She started Eleball practice and started to teach Randall and Rory different spells, and explained to them Deen’s and hers list of abilities. Katy sat in the library late one night when Riley came and sat next to her.
“How is it going, little sister?” Riley said as he looked at the book she was reading. “Turning into an animal? You know you don’t learn that until tenth year.”
“I am just reading it. What is wrong with you? Your thoughts are all snarly…”
“I just came back from talking to Blake and Damien, I was trying to get them to see reason, but they won’t listen. They are still convinced that you are evil. Their mom is telling them it now. I knew Aunt Raven was just as evil as Uncle Wesley.” Riley sighed and opened his mind to show Katy the scene.
Instantly she was transported into the Air common room. Riley sat on the same elongated cloud he always seemed to slouch on. “Look, I was wrong. Wesley and my father are the evil ones. Not Katy, she is an innocent kid. Look, you don’t want to go after her. Just look at what she did to me when I went after her.”
“Look, she killed our uncle, our mom told us everything. She killed him, didn’t even give him a chance to defend himself. She killed him and would have killed Uncle Richard if he hadn’t teleported out of there. She has more power then she should. She has to be on the black side of magic!” Damien said and Blake sat there stone faced and just nodded his head in agreement.
“Look, that is not what happened!” Riley stood up to explain what had happened. “Uncle Wesley tried to kill her. My father tried to kill his daughter! They are pure evil.”
“We know you had someone else helping you, he is helping us now! Look, we will take her out. Our mom has told us everything and we believe her over a traitor. Living with Fires, there is nothing worse.” Blake stated.
Katy came back to the library. “So, they are going to try to hurt me? Hurt my family?” Katy started to spark, and a thought so fleeting, it would have been ignored if it had not concerned the subject her nightmares had changed to, her inner darkness. For a moment she wondered “The white being, Ebony must be working for her, but would she care if Ebony no longer lived, if I joined her, would she kill Ebony?”
Thankfully Riley missed the flitting thought and the thought shocked her back to reality, to Riley. It shocked her to the core. Fear filled her mind and that Riley caught.
“Don’t worry Katy, there is nothing to fear, that is not going to happen, I won’t let them hurt you or your family. Look, they are keeping an eye on them. I told Professor Plato what happened. She told Antonio and Headmaster O’Cuinn. Don’t worry everybody is going to stay safe.”
“If you say so, for some reason I have a feeling that nobody is safe, not even here. They are planning something, and I know there are more dark forces out there trying to destroy me, trying to destroy us.”
“What do you know?”
“Nothing…” Katy lied; she knew her nightmares, were no longer just nightmares, they were visions of the future, two different futures, and either future was full of pain and darkness for those she loved. Which one would depend on her, she knew that now. It would be her choice, to lose the ones she loved the most, or give into her Darkness and let the world be destroyed. Would she be strong enough, mature enough, to do what was right? No matter the cost?
“Katy, you are not telling the truth. I understand why you may have issues trusting me, I do.” Riley said, his eyes flashed to the flame shaped scar he caused and he felt sick, that he almost killed his sister. “But, I don’t understand your need to isolate yourself from the Hepburns or the MacCathmhaoils; they love you, and I know you think of them as your parents. But hiding stuff from us, or keeping things to yourself, in the end it is just going to hurt you, it is going to destroy you. And if that happens then those dark forces you say are after us all, they are going to win.”
Katy became calm at those words, she knew Riley was right. She knew that she had to start trusting people. If she trusted those she loved, if she opened herself up, then maybe, just maybe, she would have a chance to change both futures. So, she gave a bit of information to Riley. “Riley, mom was murdered.” Before he could ask questions Katy got up and left and went to her dorm, she closed him out.
She hung out with Deen, and his pet, Monkey, for the rest of the night, all the time she wondered how she could change both futures the white being showed her night after night.
The days passed quickly as Katy dodged any questions from her family. Only Deen, Randall, and Rory knew not to question her about what she told Riley. It seemed the term would end on a quiet note.
Then one day, while Katy and Deen sat in Creatures, they focused on fairies this term; they had to review their notes about Aguanes. They had just finished a discussion on what set the Aguanes apart from other fairies when Katy and Deen saw Antonio as he walked down towards them.
Antonio pulled Professor O’Conaill aside. Katy immediately went to flip her wand to hear them, but Deen stopped her. “Katy, don’t. Wait for once to be told. They would have only sent Antonio if it had something to do with you.”
“Why?”
“I don’ know. I just feel maybe we should dial down the power. I think it may…” Deen was afraid to finish the thought, because it was the same thought that scared Katy.
“Corrupt me. Make me turn to Darkness. I fear that too, but…” Katy told him her fear, but she did not know how to tell him that if she did not learn to control the power she might be able to save those she loved. “I will wait.”
“Thank you.”
So, Katy waited until Antonio walked over. “Katy Lily why don’t you come with me?” He started to walk away. “You too Deen, I know you will just follow anyway.” He called over his shoulder.
They followed him in silence; Katy did not even try to read his thoughts. She knew it was bad. She could feel it; she had the same cold feeling she had when Deen and Tony were attacked. They were outside the headmaster’s office when Katy asked. “What is going on?”
“The headmaster will tell you. Deen you stay with me. Go on Katy.” Antonio and pushed her toward the door.
Katy walked in and as she waited, she took in her surroundings; it was full of books and trinkets, what she would not give to have a couple of hours with those books. Then she noticed that he kept journals, they were spread all over the place. She wondered what secrets they held. She also saw something that she would give anything to take a look at, it was his Book of Shadows, it was huge, and it took up a whole desk sized pedestal and was so thick. She went up to it, it was emerald green and in fine gold lettering it read “Oeric Bryan O’Cuinn’s Book of Shadows”, Katy saw the symbols all in gold as well, and knew the book was protected, she made some of these symbols on her own Book of Shadows.
She was so tempted, but before she could think of a spell to get around the protection, she was startled as the headmaster spoke.
“Please sit Katherine Lillian.” The headmaster entered from another door and sat behind his desk.
Katy did as she was told and sat in a chair in front of the desk. “What is going on?”
“I won’t sugarcoat it; there was an attack in the Air house. It was on Melvin Kaus.”
“What does that have to do with me?”
“He was the other child that helped Riley last year. The Ebony boys think it was Riley that attacked him.”
Katy shot up from her seat. “Riley wouldn’t, he wasn’t going to do anything to mess up his second chance. It was probably his cousins! Is Riley okay? Tell me.” Katy tried to calm herself; she could feel the elements as they sparked around her.
“He is fine, please sit back down. I do not believe he did it. And since I have only the word of two known liars, I am not doing anything but open an investigation. Riley is in the hospital wing with Nurse Rice.” His thoughts turned to her sparks, and he let her hear them. “Well, look at that! How strange it was that she glows with all the colors, not just the red of the Fire house, but all of the elements. Maybe there is something to those old stories after all. She glows a gold color.” But he spoke again on the topic at hand. “I just wanted to let you know Riley will be fine, but he was hurt.”
“Riley never told me who the second student was, but he did let me know there was a second student.” Katy did not know what to think anymore, she slide back down into the chair. “Maybe I should just face Raven Ebony and Richard Solomon. Or maybe you should strip my powers. If I wasn’t here then these people would not have to suffer.” Katy felt defeated, and for a moment she heard the white being whisper to her. “Join me. Let your power flow…” And the temptation to give in filled her.
“Now, Katherine Lillian, there will be no talk of that, you will not seek out those who wish to see you dead. Nor will we bind or strip your powers. Without you, we would have lost young Riley. Now he knows he has to turn his life around. That is thanks to you.” Headmaster O’Cuinn came from behind his desk and knelt in front of her. “You are important to many people, even those who you don’t know. Please don’t do anything that would take you away from them.” He looked into her eyes, just as he did at that beginning of every term. “Don’t give into weakness. You are stronger than that, you are confused, young, but you are powerful, and loved.”
“Headmaster, mom was killed. I don’t know by whom, I don’t remember much. But I do remember waking up in a hospital. Why didn’t anybody come for me then? Why didn’t you? Or Assistant Headmistress Notte-Preto? You are family. Why was I left alone?”
“We knew your mother was killed. But, we didn’t know where you were. We thought we had lost you as well, until the trace picked you up. We never removed your name off the list, we were hoping against hope.”
“Who…” Katy could not finish the question, she knew he had lied.
“That is for another time Katherine Lillian. Trust me, I will tell you when the time is right but we have so much to worry about right now.”
Katy was about to argue but let the subject drop. “Can I go sit with Riley?”
“Yes, I am sure Deen will come down with your books, I know you all are studying for finals.” Headmaster O’Cuinn went back to his seat and Katy got up to leave his office.
Katy made her way to the hospital wing; she did not say anything but she opened her mind to Deen, who, before they made it to the hospital wing took off for the dorms to grab their books. Katy went into the wing and found Riley on the last bed. “You know maybe it would be better if he went to another school.” Katy said to Antonio as she sat down beside Riley.
“I don’t think so. I think he is just fine here. We can’t let those who wish to bring us down, do so. Then they would win Katy Lily.” Antonio said and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Don’t worry we will come out the victors on this.”
“But at what cost?” Katy asked so softly that it was almost missed.
“That is the question on everybody’s mind.”
Katy normally would have responded, but again let it drop, she was just exhausted. She just kept quiet, and when Deen came back she and he just sat and waited for Riley to wake up, but they opened all their books and they reviewed for their finals next week.
Everybody seemed to know not to push Katy. For she already knew the cost, she lived it every night. She knew the two paths. She knew the cost of each. What route would she choose? What was the cost? What is worth the cost? Everything. Every single thing.
Kris Charles - Author 