by W. J. May
“It’s twenty-one.” No way would Rae let Haley ruin her birthday.
“Whatever. We’ll get the guys to bring the booze and those of us looking for a good time can enjoy ourselves,” Haley said.
Molly clapped her hands. “I’ll spread the word. Let’s plan on meeting at ten, once Madame Elpis shuts her door for the night.”
It wasn’t long before the entire girls’ table whispered excitedly about the prospect of the party and being sneaky. Something none of them had dared to try since arriving. They continued whispering plans as they put their trays away and started to head off to morning classes.
Maria touched her arm and began walking beside her. “Let’s make sure we’re close by each other in the Oratory today. Then we can work on your gift without anybody else knowing.”
Relief flowed through Rae when she heard Maria’s voice back in her head. She only had a few hours to do this and she didn’t want to waste any of them.
They stepped out into the crisp morning air, heading to the Scriptorium for English.
Julian caught up to them. “Hello, lovely ladies.” His eyes traveled over Rae. “Hot bod in the dress. You had our entire table in shambles. Looks like several guy’s made bets on who’s going to take you out to lunch tomorrow. Lucky you!” He laughed, giving her a warm hug.
“Thanks. I appreciate you sharing that with me.” Rae pursed her lips and let out a groan. “Now I can spend the rest of the day avoiding any males except you.”
“Who said I wasn’t in on it?” The look on his face said he was teasing her.
Haley called out to Maria. Julian and Rae continued walking while Maria waited for Haley.
As soon as they were out of earshot, Julian leaned in toward Rae. “This morning I had a drawing vision of you. I’m not trying to scare you, but I just wanted to show you. See if it makes any sense.” He pulled a piece of paper from inside his jacket and opened it up. Hand drawn, with intricate detail, a picture of Rae as a fairy lay on the sheet. The depiction of her face appeared almost like a photograph instead of a drawing.
“You drew that just this morning?” Rae stopped walking.
“No, I drew it last night, just before midnight. I’m sorry I don’t know what it means, but I wanted to show you. Can you make anything out of it?” Julian pushed a lock of hair away that had fallen across his face.
Rae shrugged, hoping her eyes didn’t give anything away as she thought about the tatù on her lower back.
“Maybe it has something to do with your birthday.” Julian folded the paper and handed it to her. “Take it.” He chuckled. “I don’t plan on hanging it up in my room. I can just imagine what the guys on my floor would say and who’d try to buy it from me.”
“Do your drawings make you money?”
Julian squeezed her shoulders in a friendly, comforting way. “You’re the sweetest, most naive girl in the entire world. How can you not see every junior and senior boy is in lust with you? The way you looked at the dance only drove them deeper. Now today, again…”
Rae started laughing. Julian was pulling her leg, trying to get her to blush. She playfully punched him in the arm. “Nice try, Juls. I’m not gonna fall for that. You can dream on if you think you’re going to embarrass me. I’ll keep your drawing, though. It’s the prettiest picture I’ve ever seen, even if it is of me.”
Julian shook his head and chuckled. “I’ve got to get to class, but I’ll see you around this weekend.” He winked before darting off to the Oratory.
She watched him go, and as she continued walking, she noticed the humming sensation again. Then the strangest thing happened. She could see where she was going but at the same time, she saw a vision of Julian. He was lying down and suddenly got up to his art easel and began to sketch. She watched him draw the same picture he’d just given her. Weird. It was like she watched him have his vision – like she’d been in the room, staring down at him. As quickly as the vision had come, it disappeared.
What the heck was that?
The rest of the morning continued with little moments where Rae could feel a bit of her gift growing, but then fizzled out. It took more work than usual to concentrate in her classes. There were times when she felt she was on the verge of grasping her ability, and then it would flutter away and leave her feeling empty. She was relieved when lunch was over and it was time to go to class in the Oratory.
Maria met her inside the hall and grabbed her hand. She immediately began talking to her by thought. How’s it going?
I keep having all these weird sensations. I tried to talk to you again this morning but couldn’t.
Maria nodded in sympathy. It’s normal. It took me over a week before I could even communicate. My father has the same ink so I knew what I was going to be able to do. I’d try and the wrong thoughts would go out or I’d scream in frustration and he’d get my scream. It’s a pretty complicated process. Don’t worry. Rome wasn’t built in a day, you know.”
Rae sighed in frustration. She only had one more day before she’d be in the Infirmary, under the watchful eye of Dean Carter and whoever else. She wanted to get this sorted out before – before they had a chance to judge her or say she was just like her father and lock her away forever.
Headmaster Lanford entered the hall, handing out a copy of the inking chart. “Students, please gather ‘round. I’d like to discuss everyone’s sixteenth birthday.” He stared directly at Rae as he spoke, and she thought she saw him wink. “Let’s discuss the process. Who wants to go first?”
While he spoke, Rae folded her sheet of paper, knowing she wasn’t going to be able to answer anything without admitting the truth. She folded the paper one more time and ran her fingers over it to make the crease tight. As she did so, she felt the paper slice deep into her skin, between her thumb and index finger.
“Ow!” She dropped the sheet of paper and turned to look at her palm. Charlie stood beside her. He grabbed her hand to see what had happened. He touched the inch-long cut lightly with his finger.
“Just a flesh wound.” He grinned. “I’d heal you if I could, but my ability only works on me.”
Rae noticed blood running down her finger. “I’ll grab some tissues from the bathroom.”
Walking toward the bathroom, the familiar inner buzz ran through her body. She kept her left hand over her right, pinching the cut so it wouldn’t bleed all over. The pinching also seemed to relieve the sting of the cut. Pushing the door open with her hip, she slipped into the bathroom and turned the faucet on to run her hand under the cool water.
She stared down at her palm in surprise. No cut. At all.
She brought her hand closer to her face, unable to even find a small lift of skin. It was like the wound had disappeared. It was like…Rae gasped and stared at her stupefied reflection in the mirror.
The cut had healed by itself.
Charlie had touched her hand, and then she’d held the cut and healed it. Her head started to spin with images and thoughts throughout the day. She’d talked to Maria this morning because…And Julian. The vision. The powerful shock from Molly had been because Molly had touched her first. She hadn’t even realized, even considered. Chemistry was easy because Nicholas had touched her hand to correct the way she held a wire.
Rae leaned against the cool limestone wall and slid slowly to the floor. She covered her face with her hands, not sure if she should cry or scream.
She’d been inked with her father’s gift. She could mimic other people’s tatùs. Her uncle had been right all along – the sins of the father are the sins of the son, or daughter. She was being punished for what her father had done. The school would go crazy with the news of her gift. They’d lock her up or send her back to New York.
Her mother had wanted so much more and now Rae was going to make her turn in her grave.
Rae sat up as she thought of her mother. Her mother’s letter had forewarned her. She knew she’d have a powerful gift. She’d also said Rae had goodness inside of her. She was her mo
ther’s Rae of Hope.
She needed to use her gift for good. No one had ever had a inking like hers before. That was pretty obvious. No one would know what to expect, and she could hide some of her abilities. She had two days. Two mornings, two nights.
Staring up at the ceiling, she spotted a box of bandages on a shelf by the soap dispenser on the wall. Grabbing the box and ripping it open, she stuck one over the spot where her cut had been, then ran back to class. She needed to listen to everyone today and remember all of their abilities.
She sneaked back to her spot beside Charlie. Rob stood telling the other students about when he realized he could shape-shift, and immediately knowing he was an eagle. He said it took him weeks to get the courage to try to fly. When he finally did, it turned out to be the best feeling in the world. Plus, the view was amazing.
Charlie began giving his spiel of DaVinci versus the medical marking of the Vitruvian Man.
Rae listened closely to everyone, captivated by each story. She was amazed to learn she wasn’t alone. It had taken days, even weeks, for each person to figure out how to use their gift – even if their parent had had the same marking. Rae had already accomplished that in a few hours. She nodded as each person spoke, as if now hearing and understanding for the first time.
“That’s it for today,” Lanford said.
Rae looked up, shocked class was over.
“We’ll continue our discussion on Monday.” He smiled at her. “With a new ink-stamp able to share and ask questions.”
Rae began collecting her things and, as she turned to leave, had a sudden thought. She raced over to Rob and touched him on the arm.
“Hey.” Fluttering her eyelashes, she hoped she appeared coy, not stupid as she felt, “Has Molly or anyone mentioned we’re having an outdoor party on Sunday night?”
He gave her a huge smile. “Yes, she told me about it. I’ll see you there, I assume?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Making sure she didn’t touch or bump into anyone, she dashed out of the Oratory.
Running to the dorm, she quickly changed clothes and grabbed her backpack, throwing in a pair of jogging pants and a sweatshirt. She tore down the marble stairs of Aumbry House, rushing out the back door toward the path that led to the forest. She didn’t stop running until she reached the other side of the forest, where the open area for Sunday’s party would be. No one was around; it was completely vacant, just as she’d hoped it would be.
Dropping her backpack against a tree, she concentrated on her marking as she ran. Instinct took over. She closed her eyes and spread her arms out wide, dipping down before taking a small leap.
Everything changed in an instant. It was like she’d dropped her body…and tumbled into the soft earth, rolling. However, when she straightened, claws and feathered wings were her balance. If a bird could smile, she was grinning ear to ear. She fluttered about, managing to get up to a branch in a surrounding tree. A memory of the drive into school came flashing back. She remembered seeing a bird flying by the bus. It must’ve been Rob. Closing her eyes, she jumped, letting herself fall and arched upwards toward the sky.
Wind whipped by and ruffled her feathers. She opened her eyes, flapping her arms in excitement when she realized she was actually flying. Arching her new body toward the clouds, she glanced down and enjoyed the view high above the treetops.
She tried to let out a whoop. It sounded like a caw. She’d copied Rob’s gift and was now an eagle. How cool was that?
After half an hour of flying, Rae checked out the school from the view she had, constantly keeping an eye on the area where she’d left her backpack. No one ventured onto the path or into the small forest. Deciding it was time to head back, she flew back over the grounds one last time. She saw Julian and Devon get into Julian’s car and drive away. She noticed the twins come out of the post office and Riley head over to Dean Carter’s office. She spread her arms (wings) wide and enjoyed one last view from that height before heading back.
Focusing on landing, and then trying to shift back into human form took a few tries. She was laughing by the time she’d it figured out. Glancing down, she was relieved she’d changed clothes from her dress and had brought some spare ones along, and also that she’d managed to change all of herself back. She’d been a little worried about getting stuck with tail feathers.
Rae stood naked, her old clothes lying in tatters in the grass. She grabbed the pieces as she quickly ran back to her pack to throw the spare sweater and jogging pants on. Heart hammering furiously, she was terrified someone would see her in her birthday suit. Can’t afford to try to explain this. Then she pictured actually trying to come up with an excuse for being naked in a field, and laughed. What a scene that would be!
Heading back to Aumbry House, Rae recalled the conversation she’d had with Andy during the first week of school regarding shape-shifters. Andy had been right – Rob was the lucky bugger who could fly. The exhilaration and sense of freedom she’d experienced was by far the best thing she’d ever felt. Rob maybe the lucky bugger who gets to fly, but I am, by far, the luckiest kid in the world!
Giddy with excitement, she skipped along the pavement. She had a fleeting thought to run over to Devon’s dorm and tell him about it but remembered she’d seen him leave with Julian.
She grinned foolishly to herself as she came up with a plan. She’d touch Devon and figure out how his ink worked before she told him. Imagine the look on his face if she surprised him with that kind of knowledge! Maybe she could teach him a lesson or two.
Chapter 15
November 13 and 14
Ecstatic over figuring out her tatù, Rae couldn’t wait to tell Devon. The rest of the afternoon she touched anyone within reach, wanting to experience everything. During dinner, she looked around for Devon. Slightly disappointed she didn’t find him, she figured it didn’t matter, she’d catch up with him the next day.
Thinking about the next day and what would happen dropped her back down to earth with a resounding thud. Hopefully, Lanford would be there. She trusted the headmaster, and if they had a moment alone, she’d like to ask what he remembered about her mom. She’d gotten the impression from previous conversations that Lanford had barely known her mom. But, any information would be more than she had now.
“Have you been able to figure anything else out?”
Rae heard Maria’s voice and searched across the room for her. She sat by the wall. Maria gave a small wave before turning back to the boy sitting beside her. Amazed at how clear Maria’s voice came through from across the room, Rae wondered if Maria could communicate even further away.
How far away can you talk to someone? Same room or house or further?
“I can reach about a mile away. My father has the same gift. My family’s in Cork, so we can’t reach each other.”
Before Rae could respond, Craig, who sat beside her, touched her arm. Rae lost the ability to communicate with Maria. Her attention shifted, immediately focusing on what Craig’s ability so she could mimic it. She knew it had to do with water, but that’s all she remembered. She stared down at her plate and, using her peripheral vision, glanced at the tatù on his arm – ink art of a lake, an igloo and a cloud. A light bulb went on in her head as the buzz flew through her veins, she realized he could change the state of water from frozen to liquid or gas and vice versa.
“Sorry, what were you saying?”
“Just wondering where you were? Your body seems to be here, but I think you left your brain outside. Nervous for Sunday?” Rae felt a pang of guilt. He sounded genuinely concerned and here she was hiding her tatù from everyone.
“A little. I’m constantly thinking about what it’s going to be like.”
“It’s really cool, and kinda disappointing at the same time. You wait so long to be marked and then when the full marking is there, in plain sight, you have to figure out what it means. It’s a process – a fascinating, hair-pulling one. A process you love to hate and hate to love.”<
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Rae leaned back in her chair and dropped her shoulders. A dull, tight ache disappeared between her blades. She exhaled a slow breath, enjoying the feeling of letting the tension out. Obviously Craig had thought a lot about this. Might as well learn from him.
“So, Mr. Philosopher, how were you able to figure out what you can do?”
“By accident, actually. I was in the shower.” He raised an eyebrow, his eyes teasing her. “The water was freezing, so I turned it to hot. I turned it too far. Trying to avoid scalding my back, I flung the tap back the other way, accidentally using my ability in the process. I actually froze the pipes in our house.”
“No way!”
“And it was the middle of summer! My father thought it was hilarious. My mother kept calling the utility company. She thought they’d done something to the water pipes.”
Rae burst out laughing, choking on her glass of milk. She managed to swallow it back before spitting it everywhere.
Craig patted her back. “It took me a few days to get the hang of controlling the state of H-two- oh, aka dihydrogen oxide, but I did try some really cool and crazy experiments. Great way to make a quick cup of tea.” He held his cup in front of Rae so she could see the steam rise from the water in a matter of seconds.
Rae’s mouth hung open. “What’s the largest amount of water you’ve ever changed?”
“Coolest thing I’ve ever done on a large scale?” Craig smiled, rubbing his chin as he pretended to consider. “One time we wanted to have a scrimmage football match on a Saturday morning. It’d rained the night before, so the pitch was soaking wet. It took about five minutes, but I dried the entire pitch so we could play on fresh, dry grass.”
“You’re jokin?” She wished it’d rain right now so she could test this tatù out.
“The best part was the look on the professors’ faces when we came in for lunch a couple hours later – none of us were wet or muddy.”