by Mandi Oyster
He stepped closer to me and squeezed my shoulder. “It doesn’t scare me.”
“The first time?”
A humorless laugh escaped his lips. “Yeah, terrified.”
Pulling away from him, I stared off into the distance. “I don’t know if I can trust her. What if she wants to use me somehow?”
Chapter 7
Destinies And Prophecies
I sat in Dean Aspen’s office, looking down at my hands, not knowing what to expect from her. “I don’t know if I can trust you. You weren’t scared. You weren’t even surprised.” I lifted my eyes to hers. “Nobody acts like that.”
Dean Aspen had a faraway look in her eyes. “My grandfather was a man of faith. Not only did he have faith in God, he also had faith in our family’s legacy. He believed some of us serve a higher purpose … that our paths have been shaped for us.”
My face went blank. “Okaaay … My grandparents were religious too, but what does that have to do with anything?”
She smoothed her beige pants. “He told me I would meet someone like you, someone with powers, magic that was more than sleight of hand.” She took a long, slow breath. “I thought I’d veered off my path, that my destiny was no longer mine to claim. I began to doubt my grandfather.” She gestured toward me. “Now you’re here. If my grandfather was right about this, then it all must be true. He told me my role in the prophecy was to train you.”
I pushed my hands out in front of me, signaling for her to stop. “Hold on a minute. Prophecy?”
“Yes, we are part of a prophecy written long before either of us came to be. You, Dacia,” she pointed at me a little too enthusiastically, “are destined to save the world.”
I threw my head back and laughed. The sound lacked all traces of humor. “I don’t think so. To be honest, I’m not even sure I’m destined to graduate from college. Yesterday, I felt destined to be expelled, but I’ve never felt destined to be great … to be a hero.”
“I didn’t anticipate your belief. However, I can help you.” She stood up and paced in front of the couch. I counted her steps while trying to wrap my mind around what she was telling me. Three steps to the end, three steps back, then again.
She stopped. “If you decide to believe at some point, I can tell you more about the prophecy. If not, we can pretend I never mentioned it.”
My elbows rested on my knees. I looked down at my hands, without blinking, until the shapes blurred into nothingness. “I don’t know what to do.”
“Let me help you.”
I ran my hands over my face. “I don’t know if I can.”
Dean Aspen’s eyebrows squished together. “Why not?”
“I never expected this. I never expected understanding, so I don’t know if I can trust you.” I looked into her hazel eyes, searching for any sign of deception, but in them, I only found reassurance. I took a deep breath, hoping I was making the right decision. “I never expected help, but I would be a fool to turn it down.”
Cody waited on a bench outside Cacomistle Hall. His arms spread over the back, and his feet stretched out in front of him. His head tilted back, and his eyes closed. I walked over and sat down.
Without opening his eyes, he said, “What’d she say?”
“How did you know it was me?”
He lifted his head and looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. “Who else would it be?”
“Anybody.” When he didn’t respond, I plopped down beside him. “She believes we are part of a prophecy, and I’m supposed to save the world.” I slumped against the bench and chewed my lower lip.
Cody nodded. “Cool.”
“It’s not cool.” I smacked his arm and laughed. “The only other person who accepts me is a lunatic.”
He shrugged. “If she can help, let her.”
“I know. I told her I would, but … she believes in a prophecy. How can I take her seriously?”
Cody stood and stretched. The muscles in his arms flexed. I imagined his arms wrapped around me and then let out a sigh. No, he deserves better.
“One step at a time, Dacia.”
“What?” It took me a second to remember what he was talking about. “Oh, yeah.”
He reached his hand down and pulled me to my feet. “Maybe there’s a reason you’re the way you are. Maybe you have a destiny.”
“Uh-huh. Sure.”
“You never know.”
I hide under Quartz Building’s fire escape. The corrugated metal stairs wouldn’t normally offer much shelter, but the dense fog makes it nearly impossible for me to see out. A smelly dumpster adds to my concealment.
My heart thunders, like the rumbling of timpani drums. I feel trapped. It takes all my restraint not to bolt.
I search the fog for the reason for my sudden, intense terror. It can’t just be my imagination. I move forward, ready to make a break for my room. Then I see them; my breath catches in my throat. Two yellow, snake-like eyes search for me. I cower back into the corner. I haven’t been spotted yet, but I can feel the creature penetrate my mind.
The creature moves closer. Encased in fog, I can’t make out a face—just eyes surrounded by shadow. The beast invades my mind, reading my thoughts, using my eyes to see. A terrified scream pierces the still, night air. I glance around before realizing it came from me.
A low, growling voice fills the night. “This is the best your world has to offer, a scared little girl?” The air shakes with malevolent laughter. Just as the eyes peer into my hiding place, something grabs my shoulder.
My eyelids fluttered open. The light was on, and Samantha stood on my ladder. I sat up.
Samantha stifled a yawn. “You screamed.”
My hands shook as I pushed the hair out of my face. “Sorry.”
“Are you okay? You’re as white as a sheet. Do you need me to get you something?”
I shoved my sweat-soaked sheet away and took a deep breath. “I’ll be okay. It was just a dream.”
She rubbed the back of her neck. “You sure?”
“Yeah, why don’t you go back to sleep?” I fought to keep my voice calm. “I’m fine, really.”
“I’m here if you wanna talk about it.”
I pulled my lips into some semblance of a smile. “No.” I stretched and lay back down. “I’m going back to sleep, too. I’m sorry I woke you.”
My bravery wore off when Samantha turned off the light. I pulled the covers up to my chin and buried my face in Glacier’s fur, hiding from whatever monster my subconscious dug up for me to dream about.
Chapter 8
Laying Your Cards On The Table
Two days later, Samantha stood by the door. Her hand held the knob tight enough to make her tendons pop out. “You’ve been going to the dean’s office every day.” She turned to face me. “Why?”
I knew this question was coming, but I had hoped to avoid it until I came up with a way to tell her what I was capable of doing.
“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” I glanced at the clock on the wall. “I don’t have time right now. How about we go to Falcon Lake with Cody after classes? I promise I’ll tell you then.”
She frowned at me before opening the door. “Sure. Whatever.” We left our room together. Samantha fidgeted with her backpack. Finally, without looking at me, she said, “I know we haven’t known each other very long, but you can trust me.”
I put my hand on her shoulder. “I do, Samantha. I promise, I’ll tell you everything after class.”
“Whatever it is, it can’t be that bad.” The tension drained from her face.
A smirk pulled up one corner of my mouth. “We’ll see.”
Samantha headed off to her class, and I went to Cacomistle Hall. I trudged up to Dean Aspe
n’s office and slouched on the couch with the best mountain view. Staring out at the snow-covered peaks, I tried to imagine what Samantha’s reaction would be. It’d only been a few weeks, but I’d gotten used to having somebody other than Cody to talk to and share with. It would be nice to let her really know me, but could she handle that knowledge?
Dean Aspen sat across from me. “You seem a little down in the dumps today. Are you okay?”
An exaggerated sigh escaped my lips. “Samantha wants to know why I’ve been spending so much time here.”
Dean Aspen lifted her mug to her lips. She had a way of processing everything I said before she responded and, right now, it was irritating.
“What are you going to tell her?”
My shoulder lifted in a half-hearted attempt at a shrug. “The truth. What else?” I hid my face in my hands. “Be prepared for her to ask for a new roommate.”
“Do you really believe it will come to that?”
“Yeah, I do.” I walked to the windows. “You and Cody are the only two people who have been able to handle knowing what I am.”
“And what is that?”
I heard Dean Aspen’s footsteps behind me, but I kept my back to her. “A freak of nature. A mistake. An anomaly.”
“You don’t think you’re gifted, talented, blessed?” Her surprise was obvious.
I turned to face her. My voice, when it came out, was small. “No. This is a curse, not a blessing.”
Her eyebrows pulled down. “It’s clouding up again. I thought it was supposed to be sunny today.” Shrugging, she walked back over to the couches. “I think we should try to decide what you would like to accomplish.”
“I don’t know, Dean.”
“Why don’t you call me Sarah when we’re alone? Sometimes it’s nice to remember I have an actual name.”
I stopped pacing for a moment. My head tilted to the side. “Sure, I can do that.” I took four steps toward the window. “I know it doesn’t always seem like it, but I don’t like being a negative person. I consider myself a realist.” I took four steps away, turning to go back. “Anyway, to be honest with you, I don’t know how you can help me.”
Sarah picked up her cup off the coffee table and rested it on her knee. “If you let me, I think I can help you control your powers. I think the first step would be for you to tell me what causes you to misuse them most often.”
“It only happens when my emotions get out of whack.” I pointed out the window. “Like that. Those clouds rolled in when I told you how I feel. When I’m angry, things start flying through the air or catching on fire.”
Sarah stared at the clouds with her head cocked.
What is she thinking?
Finally, she looked at me and jerked her thumb toward the window. “You have the power to change the weather?”
“Yup.”
“Wow.” Sarah shook her head and took a drink of her coffee. When she spoke again, it was without the awe in her voice. “My grandfather left me a couple journals. There is some information in them about how to train you. It will take some time, but to start with, I’ll teach you some relaxation techniques to use when you feel your control slipping.”
“Usually, by the time I realize my temper is becoming an issue, it’s too late.”
She tapped her finger against her chin. “Maybe working on relaxing will help with your awareness. We can try different techniques and figure out which works best for you.”
“If you could do that for me, things would be much better.”
“There are so many of them: yoga, tai chi, autogenic relaxation, visualization.” She smiled like a six-year-old on Christmas morning. “The list goes on.”
“I don’t know anything about any of them, so it’s up to you.”
She nodded. “We’ll start Tuesday.”
I stood to leave but changed my mind and instead asked, “What makes you believe any of this?”
Her eyes looked far away. “For the last several years, I have been a Doubting Thomas. Before that, I knew Grandfather wouldn’t lead me astray.”
“So after years of questioning, you suddenly have no doubts?” I rubbed my face. This was too much. It was too much of a coincidence that I ended up at a college with somebody nutty enough to not be afraid of me. But to have somebody with prior knowledge of my powers was too good to be true. Should I trust her? “Just because you met me.”
“Not exactly.” She set her mug on the table. “I began to doubt the prophecy, but I’ve always known there was more in the world than most imagine. I have seen magical, wonderful things that have helped me believe.”
I found myself leaning forward. Curiosity had gotten the best of me. “Like what?”
She stepped over and put her hand on my arm. “There are creatures in this world beyond what you could ever imagine. People are just so busy and so sure they know what’s going on that they don’t take notice. When somebody does, they are thought of as crazy, and these mystical creatures sigh in relief, knowing their secrets are safe for another day.”
Sarah looked at her watch. “Now, I have a meeting to attend, so that will have to be a subject for a different day.”
“How are you going to tell her?” Cody asked.
I plopped down on Cookie Monster. “I don’t know. She’s going to think I’m nuts.” I got up and walked to our little refrigerator. “Do you want something to drink?” I pulled out a pop for myself.
“Sure. Water.”
“Maybe we should stay here.” I tossed a bottle to him. “I don’t want anybody to overhear me.”
Cody opened his water and took a swig. “Whatever you need. We can order pizza.”
We turned on the TV. I tried to numb my mind, but all I could think about was telling Samantha. I thought about the people who’d found out in the past and how fast they ran. All of them were scared of me now. She’s going to run from here and never look back.
The jiggle of the key in the doorknob sent my heart plummeting to my toes and the air whooshing from my lungs.
Cody knelt down on the floor in front of me and rested his hands on mine. “Breathe, Dacia. It’s all right. Even if she can’t accept it, you’ve got me. I won’t abandon you.”
“I know you won’t, Code.” I squeezed his fingers.
Samantha opened the door. “Hey, guys. Give me a few minutes, and we can head out.”
Cody stood up. “We’re going to order pizza and stay here … more privacy.”
“Oh.” Samantha set her stuff down and sat on Big Bird. “So … uh, what’s going on? This sounds serious.”
Cody sat on the arm of my chair and rested his hand on my shoulder. I drew strength from his touch. I couldn’t watch Samantha. I didn’t want to see her reaction. “We haven’t known each other very long.”
“Yeah …”
I lowered my head and took a deep breath. “Remember the day Cassandra’s books caught on fire?”
“Uh, yeah.” She looked at me like a third eye had opened up on my forehead. “It’s the most exciting thing that’s happened here. What about it?”
Cody stood up, and my chair rocked back. “Can Dacia trust you?”
Samantha looked from me to him. “What’s this about?”
“Can. She. Trust. You?” he asked again with more force.
“Yes, she can.”
Cody plopped down on the arm of my chair, bringing the rocking to a stop. “Go ahead then.”
“I did it.” I covered my face with my hands.
“Did what?”
“Set her books on fire.”
Samantha laughed, a strange humorless sound. “Sure. How? You were on the stage, nowhere near her.”
“I didn’t mean to, but sometimes I have trouble controlli
ng my emotions. I’m not …” I swallowed over a lump in my throat. “I’m not normal.”
She looked from me to Cody. “I don’t know what you’re saying.” She tilted her head to the side.
Cody squeezed my shoulder. “Let me.”
I nodded.
“Dacia has powers.” Even though he was talking to Samantha, he never took his eyes off mine. “I guess that’s the word for what she can do. When she gets overemotional, it rains.” He pointed at the window. “It’s clouding up now. If she’s angry, things fly through the air or catch on fire. Dean Aspen is helping her learn control.”
“Um … okaaay. Sure.” A hollow laugh penetrated the air. “You had me going for a minute.” She slid her eyes from my face to Cody’s. “So what’s really going on?”
“It’s the truth.” I heard the desperation in my voice and hoped she did, too.
She twirled her bracelet around her wrist. “Yeah, well I suppose it could happen.” She forced a smile at us. “According to Mom, I can breathe fire when I want.”
I ran my fingers through my hair. “I knew you wouldn’t believe me.”
“Okay.” She threw her arms up and stood. “So make me believe … show me.”
I clenched my jaw. Now she’s really going to think I’m lying. “I can’t.”
“You can’t …” Samantha’s voice was a challenge. “Why not?”
“I don’t have that kind of control.”
“So let me get this straight. You have these mysterious”—she wiggled her fingers in the air—“powers, but you have no control of them. Is that right?”
“Basically.”
Samantha crossed her arms over her chest and pinned Cody with a steely gaze. “Besides the clouds—which I don’t see how you can be sure Dacia is responsible for—have you seen these powers manifested?”
He returned the same hard look. “Yeah, I have, and … well, the first time it was scary as hell.”
“Funny … very funny. Do you really think this is amusing? Because I sure don’t.”