CHAPTER FOUR
The twins worried they would not be allowed to go into Grimble on their own; however, it had not been questioned. They were anxious to depart, but decided to wait for Jae and Mireya to leave for school.
Ivan had not come home the night before. Everyone assumed he was still at work, which was apparently something he did often. Irving Mochrie, feeling recuperated enough, had left early to try to catch up on his own work. He was a banker.
“Jae,” Sheila hollered. “I need you to go down to the basement and grab a jar of blueberry preserves for breakfast…” He groaned and scowled. “Don’t give me that look! Your father would never accept that behavior.”
“I’ll come with you,” offered Colin, following Jae to a small closet. On the floor of the closet was a wooden door, which opened to a ladder leading down to a musty, dank and dark cellar. He wished he had not offered to go.
Jae climbed down. Colin held his breath and followed. It took a minute for his eyes to adjust to the dark. The basement held boxes of canned foods, most covered in dust.
As Jae searched for the right preserves, a strange noise distracted Colin. It came from behind and reminded him of feet, shuffling across gritty sandpaper.
“Jae, did you hear that?” he whispered.
“I forgot to warn you!” gasped Jae. “I can’t believe it. Colin, meet Corny.”
“Corny is a person?” asked Colin, his nerves relaxing.
“Yeah, old guy, lives in the basement.” Colin turned around and came face to face with a toothless grizzled man. A wad of chewing tobacco punched out his cheek and the smell of the tobacco turned Colin’s stomach sour.
Jae went back to searching for the preserves.
“Corny, nice to, um, meet you,” gulped Colin.
“You can talk all you want, he won’t talk back. He’s a little crazy.”
“Really?” replied Colin not surprised by this fact. Corny gaped and grinned as tobacco juice dripped down his chin. He might not talk, but he reached out and poked his finger into Colin’s chest, and nodded. Strange sounds came out of Corny’s mouth. Not words or anything coherent. It was almost like he was trying to say something though. Colin’s best guess was that Corny was pleased about something. He turned, shaking a finger at no one, shaking his head, and mumbling under his breath as he shuffled back to his dark corner.
Colin hurriedly climbed up the ladder deciding to wait for Jae at the top. “Who is Corny?” he asked when Jae’s head popped up into the house.
“His real name is Cornell Tibbit. From what I heard, he went crazy after his family died. Some by illness, some by old age, one even by the Scratchers. He is the last in his family line. Poor guy, I guess he couldn’t handle it. They found him unconscious in his house one night and even though he woke up, he just never got better. His mind’s all messed up.”
“Why does he live in your basement?” asked Colin, thinking no matter how crazy he was, that could not be a pleasant place to live.
“He chose to. We tried to get him to live upstairs, but he would disappear for hours. We always found him in the basement. Eventually, we couldn’t get him to stay anywhere else. He prefers the dark.”
“How odd,” said Colin.
“Yeah, he’s a mess. Never talks. Grunts now and then. I’m shocked he came out of his corner, he usually doesn’t do that.”
“Leave it to me to attract the weirdoes,” joked Colin, in a mocking high-pitched voice.
“Weirdo now, but from what my mom and dad told me, he was once a Magic Tracker and considered the best.”
“Magic Tracker?”
“Yeah, someone that can sense magic. Trace it and follow it. Apparently, he was a popular guy before he lost his mind. I think he was the one that traced and found Juliska Blackwell.”
“Oh, right, I remember hearing something about that,” Colin said.
“Yeah, she came to live with the Svoda when she was eleven. She had no memories of her life before then, sad really. But Cornell Tibbit traced her magical blood and brought her to the island. Good thing for us,” said Jae, respectful of their current leader.
“Yeah, good thing,” replied Colin trying not to sound sarcastic.
“Jae Mochrie, stop lollygagging and get those preserves in here,” his mother’s voice ordered from the kitchen. The conversation ended and they hurried to eat.
As breakfast ended, the announcement came that the twins dreaded to hear.
“So you’re aware, there are plans in the works for your education. I’m not sure exactly when, we need to figure out what you’re normally taught. Billie Sadorus thinks she has a book about it somewhere.”
The twins instantly thought of sneaking into Billie’s cottage and stealing the book.
Sheila Mochrie sent them off, handing them each a bag lunch as they departed.
“Do your best and make your father proud,” she said to Jae and Mireya, kissing their foreheads. She waved to the twins; they were already opening the gate, eager to depart. Mireya’s frame dissolved into a small group of girls walking ahead of them.
“Do you have any idea what you’re going to do with your uncle?” asked Jae, once the trio was alone.
“Not yet,” answered Meghan, grateful that at least for the time being, she didn’t have to lie since she didn’t actually know.
“How about you, Jae? How behind are you?” asked Colin.
“I can catch up. I have to catch up. Getting behind doesn’t go over well ‘round here. Besides, I had a lot of chances to practice when I was on my own, best training I’ve ever had,” he said confidently.
“You know I think you’re great!” said Colin enthusiastically. Jae laughed, brushing off Colin’s comment, but his face gave away how thankful he was to hear it.
“See ya after school,” Jae yelled. He mouthed, “Good luck,” as he disappeared from view, leaving the twins alone. The twins waved back, noticing other students gawking at them.
“Do these people ever stop staring?” asked Meghan under her breath.
“Does not appear so,” Colin thought back to her.
Up the road from the school, the twins slowed. Two unfriendly female voices rounded the corner. The twins moved to the side of the road hoping to let whoever it was, pass by.
“Hurry up, Dulcy. You’re making us late again,” the first voice admonished impatiently.
“I’m trying, Darcy. Wait up,” the second girl answered in a whiny voice.
As the one named Darcy spotted the twins, her eyes brightened with an ugly smirk. She blocked the road. “I was hoping I would come face to face with you two.”
Meghan’s guard went up, and she went into defensive mode.
Colin shut down, unable to speak.
“So what about it?” confronted Meghan.
The girl named Dulcy caught up to Darcy. They seemed an odd pairing. Dulcy twirled her shoulder length brown hair, her mouth never quite closing. Her eyes were unkind, but not sharp. Sort of dull and blank in a way.
Darcy, on the other hand, had her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her penetrating brown eyes bulged with too many sentiments, the main one being, I don’t like you, and I’m in charge around here.
She strode closer. “Lucky for you, my time is short.”
“What do you suppose this is all about?” Meghan sent to her brother.
Colin didn’t answer.
Meghan glanced at him sideways. His face was blood red.
“Okay, you’re not going to be any help.” She lifted her chin in defiance. “I’m still waiting… you had something to tell us, right?”
Fury flared in Darcy’s eyes. “Deliver the message,” she hissed to Dulcy.
“You two better watch yourselves,” Dulcy warned, still twisting her hair.
Meghan nearly laughed and bit her tongue.
“We’re watching you,” Dulcy continued. “You’re just a couple of wolves in cheap clothing.”
Meghan could not stop from laughing this time. “In cheap
clothing… now that is an insult.”
Colin wondered if his sister had gone mad. He didn’t care how the message was delivered, it was clear that even in the world of the Svoda, there were still bullies he’d have to deal with.
Darcy swatted Dulcy upside the head.
“What?” she whimpered. “That was the message wasn’t it?”
Darcy dug into Dulcy’s arm and tore away down the road, glaring at the twins as she stalked passed them.
“You complete dingbat!” Darcy spat out at her counterpart. “Sheep’s clothing. Not cheap clothing! How many times did I tell you that?”
The girls disappeared into the school entrance.
Meghan couldn’t stop laughing.
“What were you thinking?” Colin scolded her.
“We can’t let them think we’re weak.”
“Easy for you to say,” he muttered. “We should try not to make enemies. Remember what Uncle Eddy said about good behavior and gaining trust?”
“I know, Col, but think about it. Those girls had their minds made up already.”
She was right about that, but he still despised making new enemies. This was not a place they could simply pack up and leave behind, if they got tired of it. They were not living with their Uncle Arnon any longer.
They continued on their journey to Grimble. During the walk through the town, toward the wagon exit into Grimble, Colin explained to his sister about Corny, living in the Mochrie’s basement. Part of him did not want to though, and wished she would discover him on her own.
“He lives in the basement? Does he get out?” she asked, confused. Colin decided she did not comprehend the old man.
“No, I don’t think he gets out.”
“That’s awful. They need to get him out, get some air.”
“I don’t think he wants air. Jae says they tried but he refused.”
“They must not be trying hard enough, everyone likes to get out.”
“If you’re so keen on him getting some fresh air, maybe you should try,” he insisted smugly.
“Maybe I will.”
Colin decided she would not understand Corny until she had met him, and gave up the topic. Once in the ghost town they quickened their pace, easily locating the meeting spot. They were about to take a seat on the bench to wait for Eddy when a rustle in the trees above distracted them.
“Hey, look, Col.”
His gaze followed Meghan’s pointing finger.
“No way!” he breathed in disbelief.
“It sure looks like it,” said Meghan. A bird with a scruffy crest and a gray-blue body sat high in the tree, watching the twins.
“Maybe our eyes are playing tricks on us,” suggested Colin.
“Sure looks like the same one to me.”
“Maybe it accidentally went through the doorway, like we did?”
“Didn’t notice it. But we were a little in shock at the time. And distracted.”
“It can’t be the same bird from Cobbscott. It just can’t,” argued Colin.
Their uncle’s ghostly figure appeared.
“Hi, Uncle Eddy,” the twins greeted in unison.
“Hello back! Come this way, but carefully, we don’t want to be followed.”
“Speaking of being followed, there is this bird, right up…” Meghan searched, but it had flown away. “That figures, it’s gone.”
“You’ve been followed by a bird?” asked their uncle, cautiously.
“Not sure it meant to follow, but it is similar to one we’ve seen back home. It’s an unfamiliar species, with a scruffy head, and gray-blue body,” answered Colin. “I’ve never seen a bird act like it recognizes anyone though.”
There’s way too many weird things going on around here…
Colin nodded outwardly at his sister’s silent thought.
Uncle Eddy floated high into the trees to investigate, but saw nothing. He came back down. “Let’s get moving. Lots to do, sure it’s nothing.” They followed their floating uncle down a path lined with dead trees, straying onto a smaller path until they came to an abandoned, gray-shingled mill.
“It’s the only area I’m aware of that no other ghosts or Svoda typically come, and we must be alone. I created this place from a memory,” Eddy told them. He saw the questioning gazes of the twins and continued. “You may notice as ghosts arrive, or move on from Grimble, sometimes things change. Like the buildings or the scenery. On occasion, even color will pop in somewhere. Grimble is built by the memories of the residing ghosts. Many ghosts spend a lot of years here though, so some things don’t change.”
The twins’ just stared and listened, so many questions on the tip of their tongues.
“I realize that both of you must have numerous questions for me,” Eddy expressed, almost as if reading their thoughts. “Firstly though, I must warn you, that at least for now, the subjects we discuss are for your ears only.”
He rested his floating body a few feet in front of them. The twins got as comfortable as they could amongst the dust and cobwebs, sitting on an old pile of wood.
“How about for today, we start with one question from each of you,” he suggested. “Then we will begin your training.”
The twins pondered what to ask first. Colin, still deciphering what he wanted to ask, let Meghan go first.
“Can you tell us anything about our parents?” she blurted out.
Their uncle smiled sadly.
“I assumed this would be one of your first questions. I am afraid I do not have much to offer on the subject, any more so than you probably already know. You see, I died about a year after your parents met. I do remember your mother was a striking beauty. Inside and out. Not everyone agreed with me,” he chuckled. “They did agree she was one of the prettiest girls they had ever seen, but she was also infamous for her temper.”
So our mom had a temper… no wonder Meghan’s always…
Meghan punched his arm before he could finish.
See. Proves my point, his thoughts shouted.
“And daring!” Eddy added, continuing. “Quick-witted too. Now your father on the other hand, I am afraid we were just not that close. He was a charismatic man though. Well respected in his community.”
The twins listened intently; their parents were not a topic Uncle Arnon ever discussed. They assumed it brought back too many memories for him.
“I’m afraid that I don’t have much else to add,” said Eddy. “I never met either of you in person, but something kept me here in Grimble. Something nagged at the back of my mind that I had to wait for you.”
“Honestly, Uncle Eddy, we’ve never known much about our parents, so even the little you can tell is fascinating,” Meghan told him.
“I’m glad. I only wish I had more to tell.” His face smiled compassionately as he turned his attention to Colin. “Do you have your question ready?”
He did.
“How come I can do magic?”
Eddy floated back and forth for a moment before answering.
“You are what the Svoda like to call lost ones, people who survived magic’s demise but whose families didn’t join a larger clan.”
The twins stared at each other in stunned silence.
How is it possible that they never knew this before now? Did Uncle Arnon know this? And why wouldn’t he have told them?
“Your Uncle Arnon is from a magical bloodline. So are you.”
Meghan’s breath hitched. “Is that why Colin and I can talk to each other through our minds?” Meghan divulged the truth before she could stop herself. It was a fact they usually kept secret.
“Can you? No, I would not guess that ability is purely magic related. It’s not a common gift. I imagine this ability has more to do with your bond as twins,” he answered. He cast a long gaze between them, pondering the subject.
“That’s why we traveled around with Uncle Arnon isn’t it?” asked Colin hesitantly. “If anything magical happened, he didn’t want us to get caught.”
“Yes
. I am sure he wanted to raise you away from prying eyes. To protect you.”
They were saddened again at the memory of the uncle whose fate they still did not know.
Eddy continued. “And now you are with the Svoda. Not because of the best circumstances, but there is much you can learn from them.”
“So where do we start?” asked Colin.
“With the Magicante. If you don’t mind, Colin,” he gestured for him to take it out and hold it open. The leaves glimmered as the pages flipped.
“Ah, Magicante. Any ideas on how this book works, either of you?” asked their uncle.
“When we were in trouble and asked for help, it gave it to us. Although it was quite unexpected, I might add. I guess you have to ask it?” answered Colin.
“Make sure you say please though, Uncle Eddy,” muttered Meghan.
“A spirited book is it?” he chuckled. As his ghostly hands hovered over the leaf-filled pages, the book came to life.
The Magicante’s snide voice spoke in bored, but arrogant, excitement. “I see I’m moving up in the world. Finally, someone with experience. Dead, but knowledgeable, at least.”
“See?” Meghan rolled her eyes.
Eddy lifted a brow in amused agreement.
“Magicante isn’t just a magical book, it is original magic,” continued their uncle. “Magic long forgotten by most. If you ask for help, it may choose to help you or it may not. Or it may offer help, but not in the manner you might desire or understand.”
Colin still reeled over the fact that he’d gotten his hands on such a book, and wondered just who Jasper Thorndike really was. Just a guy selling wares at a traveling carnival, or was he there on purpose, somehow?
Meghan wrinkled her nose trying to understand what Eddy was telling them. “I guess when we were first unaware of what the book could do, it offered help, knowing we needed it.” It sounded more like a question.
Colin butted in. “It didn’t offer me help when I was trying to save Meghan back in Cobbscott. Told me I had to do it myself. Why?”
“What do you mean?” she asked him.
Colin realized that he had never explained to Meghan how he had gotten her home, when she had first fallen ill under the oak tree.
“Maybe before I continue, you should fully disclose to your sister what the book did and did not do. First lesson -and the most important- never keep secrets from each other.”
Shifting (The Prophecy, The Spy, and The Ghostly Guardian) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 2) Page 6