“I’m not listening,” was all he replied, which infuriated her even more.
“I was trying to be nice,” she yelled after him, with folded arms, looking as stubborn as ever. Jae darted past Meghan, catching up with Colin, handing him a coat. He’d left so fast he hadn’t grabbed one.
“Girls,” Jae said jokingly.
Colin was not ready to laugh it off yet. “I don’t have a choice in sisters, but sometimes...” he shook his head. “She gets me SO MAD.”
“Why did she call you little brother?” Jae asked. “Aren’t you guys twins?”
“She knows it’ll make me mad,” he retorted. “And what’s worse, I fall for it every time. I am the older brother. I was born FIRST,” he yelled as if she could still hear him.
Colin thought about what Eddy would say if he showed up without his sister, and told him they were fighting again; he would be more than disappointed.
“I can’t believe Juliska didn’t invite you, Jae, after everything you’ve been through.”
“Yeah, but I also got into trouble. She would never get away with inviting me after demoting me in class.”
“I guess, but Meghan. Let’s be honest, she sucked.”
“The Banon has taken quite the liking to her, it’s really not that bad, Colin. Maybe, just let her have this,” he said, attempting to be the voice of reason.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” Colin decided to hold off visiting his uncle, and instead they headed to The Waterhouse, a small café in the village. “Looks a bit like snow,” he said with a shiver. It was cold enough, he thought for sure, this time the snow would stick.
“It does,” agreed Jae. “Would be nice for Christmas I guess.”
“I wish I could see my Uncle Arnon,” professed Colin.
“You must miss him a lot, huh.”
“Yeah, but you guys miss people all the time. How do you do it?” They entered The Waterhouse and found a seat near the window.
“Personally, I don’t remember living any other way,” Jae said. “It is hard though, for those that do remember.”
Snow started falling. Colin noticed Ivan walking into a pub across the street called The Steel Gin, and impulsively burst out laughing.
“What is it?” asked Jae, wondering if Colin had suddenly gone mad.
“My sister’s face, when she realizes she is going to the Up and Comer’s Dinner with one Mr. Ivan Crane!”
Torrents of laughter replaced his bitter feelings.
Later, while they walked home, Colin decided he had been stupid to get upset with Meghan; after all, a fancy affair was right up her alley. He just didn’t like the attention Juliska was giving her. Not because he was jealous, so much as worried. Meghan thrived on attention. And it blinded her, to obvious things she should see.
Just as importantly, with everything that had gone wrong, or could go wrong at any moment (like another run in with Darcy demanding the Magicante), he decided to let her have the dinner. He just hoped his gut feeling was wrong when it came to Juliska Blackwell.
When they reached the Mochrie home, Meghan, Mireya, and her mother were out shopping, Irving was at work, and neither of them could tell if Ivan was home yet or not. Colin did not recall seeing him leave The Steel Gin.
“I think I’ll start some dinner, wanna help?” asked Jae.
“Why not,” he said. “It can be our own little feast, to congratulate Meghan and Ivan,” they laughed, “on their trip together, to the Up and Comer’s Dinner.”
They headed into the kitchen and to Colin’s displeasure, sitting on the table was another scribbled page from Corny.
“Seven,” counted Jae.
“They don’t make any sense. Look at this,” said Colin. The page was covered with black ink, with what looked like letters, but in no logical order.
“His mind is pretty screwed up,” said Jae. “Poor guy, probably trying to tell you he likes you or something.”
Colin set it aside.
By the time they were finished cooking, the table was overloaded with food, and just in time. All at once, everyone began arriving home. Jae and Colin heard Sheila in the hallway.
“So late, better get dinner ready,” she buzzed. When she came into the kitchen, she screamed in delight and astonishment. Mireya lunged into the kitchen.
“What’s wrong?” She saw the prepared table and giggled.
“What a treat!” exclaimed Sheila. She kissed Jae on the head and patted Colin on the shoulder. “I have such blessings,” she said. “This looks lovely, boys.”
They also discovered that Ivan had beaten them home and had been upstairs the entire time. Colin wondered how he could be so quiet. They hadn’t heard him moving at all.
Meghan sat opposite Colin but refused to look at him. Mr. Mochrie walked in moments later and joined the table. Jae and Colin gave a shared toast, congratulating Meghan and Ivan. Meghan cheered up a little after realizing that the dinner was her brother’s way of saying he was sorry. Near the end of the meal, Irving Mochrie cleared his throat and congratulated the twins and Jae, on passing their school exams.
“I should have mentioned it this morning, but in the chaos of the invitations, I did not. I apologize. It is important to understand that passing is something to be extremely proud of.” Irving glanced at Sheila.
Colin had a sneaking suspicion she had told him to do it. Regardless, Colin was glad to see Jae looking happier.
“Oh, by the way,” said Ivan. “Another message arrived this afternoon.”
“Busy day. What about this time, Ivan?” asked Irving.
“Apparently, on the evening of the dinner, Banon Blackwell is sending a carriage to fetch Meghan, and, uh… myself,” he said with sour hesitation.
“A ride to boot, you’re just moving on up, you two,” admired Sheila.
Colin couldn’t get jealous at this news; the look on his sister’s face, as the reality set in, made up for all her anger towards him that day.
I am going with Ivan Crane! I will have to ride all the way to Juliska’s with Ivan Crane. Meghan turned stone cold. She caught a hint in her mind of Colin laughing.
“I’m never talking to you again!” she exploded, abruptly leaving the table and running upstairs. The first one to speak, to everyone’s surprise, was Ivan.
“She’s hard to understand, your sister,” he said to Colin.
“Yes, she is,” Colin agreed, inwardly laughing over the irony of Ivan’s statement.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Colin went to Grimble the next day. Safe or not, he needed to talk to Uncle Eddy.
He kept himself as hidden as possible, and located his uncle easily enough. He was surprised when Timothy never joined him though. The young ghost always seemed to know when they entered Grimble.
Eddy was concerned when Colin showed up alone, without his sister. But he didn’t have to wait long as Colin unloaded everything. In a long, angry gush.
He explained the Up and Comer’s Dinner, and ranted about how unfair it was for Meghan to be invited, and how he was sure Juliska couldn’t be trusted. That his sister was blind to whatever was going on, but something was going on. And he was sure Juliska didn’t like him. At all. And pretty much just saw him as in the way, or something… but mostly, the woman could not be trusted.
How badly Meghan did on her exams. How awesome he had done. How much he wished he could just go home and talk to Uncle Arnon… how much everything pretty much just sucked. He went on and on, until finally there was nothing left to say.
He finished, feeling rather deflated.
Eddy had a mournful gloss covering his ghostly eyes. “That was quite the mouthful.”
Colin sighed. “Yeah. I guess I was kind of holding a lot in.”
Eddy floated down, closer to eye level. Which was hard to do being Colin was so short. His uncle wasn’t a tall man, but much taller than his nephew.
“So now that you have all that out of the way, what’s really upsetting you, Colin? I’m sure it’s not
the dinner party.”
“No, it’s not the dinner party,” he admitted shyly. “I wish Meghan would listen to me. She never does. I can’t put my finger on exactly what it is, Uncle Eddy, I just don’t trust Juliska Blackwell. I have seen her with Meghan, treating her all nice and special. Meghan always falls for that kind of thing. Juliska looks at me though, like I’m some kind of annoyance. Like I’m in the way. That somehow I offend her just by living.”
Colin’s voice rose again, renewed with an energetic angst.
“And… And… When is it my turn?” his rant continued. “Meghan always gets everything. I’m older. Only by a few minutes, but older. I’m smarter than her. She always calls me her little brother,” he mocked. “And look at me! I am little! My little sister is taller than I am.”
“I see,” said his uncle.
Colin plunked down miserably onto a pile of wood. Part of him was relieved to finally just say everything he’d been thinking. The rest of him was ashamed of it. Eddy joined him, his ghostly frame hovering in a sitting position next to him on the woodpile.
“Colin. Don’t be ashamed of how you feel. And don’t doubt yourself. Sometimes our wildest concerns turn out to be true. Can you trust Juliska Blackwell? I think this has yet to be seen. If you feel the need to be cautious and concerned, then so be it.”
“Really? You don’t think I’m just being a jealous brother. Or overly paranoid.”
Eddy wore a troubled smile. “Maybe just a little when it comes to the jealous brother,” he winked. “But mostly, no. I would always tell you to trust your instincts, Colin.”
He sighed and groaned. “I don’t know why I feel like I do about Juliska. I can’t explain it really. There’s just something about her I don’t trust. I want to like her, it’s just every time I try the opposite happens.” He looked up at his uncle and shrugged.
“You need to believe in yourself, Colin. You and your sister were thrust into a new life without any warning. But like you said, you’re smart. You’re observant. You see things others might not. Truth be told, you get that from your father.”
“I do? Really?”
“Yes. I can’t tell you much about your father, Colin. But he had a way of seeing things others missed as well. Not the gift of sight, like Meghan. More of a natural intuition. A gut feeling that was almost always right.”
He was like his father. He smiled. He wasn’t sure why this made him so happy, but it did.
“Trust your instincts, Colin. Never make rash decisions because of them. Be cautious. Be careful. But do give them credit.”
“I will. You know, Meghan’s smart too. In her own way. She’s really taken a liking to Juliska though and,” he cut off his words.
“And?”
“I guess it’s that,” he hesitated. “It feels like Meghan is moving on. Moving forward. And I’m just not ready to.”
“You think she’s going to leave you behind? Just like she was afraid you all might leave her behind, in school?”
“I suppose. A little.”
“This is why I have tried to impress upon you both, the importance of sticking together. It doesn’t mean you can’t have separate lives, but you must keep your bond secure and open to each other. I’d wager you’re both thinking about things more alike, than unalike.”
“Right now, the only thing on Meghan’s mind is what to wear to her special dinner.”
Eddy chuckled. He got up off the woodpile and floated in front of Colin, lowering himself so his ghostly frame was partly sunken into the ground. He peered into Colin’s eyes.
“Just remember to trust yourself. And never let anyone, including your sister, make you believe that you’re any less of a person because you think differently, or because you are shorter than them. Height does not automatically equal intelligence, strength of character, or kindness. All qualities you possess in spades, Colin, and so much more important than how tall you are. Let me ask you something, how do you feel after you use magic?”
“Great,” he answered truthfully. “Powerful. Like I could do anything.”
“What’s stopping you from feeling that way all the time?”
His uncle had a point, but still. “I can’t do magic all the time, Uncle Eddy.”
“It’s not really the magic that makes you powerful, Colin. It’s what you do with it. How you use it. And how you do not use it.” Eddy pointed at his heart. “Back in Cobbscott, when you used magic to protect your friends and sister, that was your head and your heart, Colin. Courageous, unafraid, and quick thinking. You can always choose to be that person.” There was a dim sort of twinkle in Eddy’s ghostly gaze. Like he was proud, but also sad, in a way. Almost as if he had a lot more he’d like to say, but did not.
Colin mulled over the advice. Even with magic on his side, he was not sure he could portray that kind of confidence all the time.
“Now, you must return home. I’m still not sure it’s entirely safe for you to be here. Travel like you did to get here. Stay hidden as much as possible. In fact, leaf me once you get home to let me know you got there without incident.”
Colin glanced around. He noticed Timothy was still absent. He asked Eddy about it. “I expected him to show up after I got into Grimble. He always does.”
“Ah, yes. Timothy. Haven’t seen him in a few days. Not too worried though, he disappears from time to time. Always shows up again.”
Colin decided not to worry, he had enough of that raging around his brain already. But without Timothy or his sister, he found the walk home much lonelier than he had expected.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
The day of the Up and Comer’s Dinner arrived. Meghan and Colin had not spoken since their big explosion over a week prior. They had spent most of that time in various parts of the house ignoring each other. The more days that passed, the more nervous they each secretly became, over the fact that Colin had not handed over the book, like Darcy was demanding.
Jae didn’t try to moderate between them, just split his time, or kept to himself. They assumed he was thinking of the same thing. And wondering how much more time they had before Darcy or Garner tried something else.
If they left the house at all, they kept to public places or within groups of people, or at least nearby. Colin didn’t sneak out again on his own. He’d been lucky not to get caught when he’d visited his uncle in Grimble, but he wouldn’t chance it again. He groaned, caving in. This feud with Meghan had to end. He decided to try to speak with her that afternoon before she left for dinner. He figured she’d be in a good mood.
However, when he approached her, he chickened out. She was muttering to herself testily about riding to the dinner with Ivan. He decided to try again later, after the dinner.
He and Jae, and the rest of the Mochries did see them off. The carriage arrived about thirty minutes before the dinner began. A light snow was falling. It was everything he and Jae could do to keep their grins and laughter to themselves, watching Ivan begrudgingly help her into the carriage. She just as begrudgingly accepted. Nona jumped in after her, tagging along.
They watched the carriage pull away. Colin pulled his jacket around himself and told Jae he’d been in soon, he wanted to go for a quick walk. He promised not to go far, and to be careful.
Jae was leery about letting him go on his own. “You know what? You’ll be fine. Garner will be at the dinner. And I heard Darcy gloating the other day about her own invitation. They’re busy.”
“Of all the people to get invited, even including my sister, Darcy’s makes no sense at all.”
Jae nodded in agreement. “Garner probably got her in.”
“Ugh. You’re right though. I still won’t be gone long. Getting cold. And I didn’t get much sleep last night.”
“Yeah. That’s getting super weird at this point. I can’t believe Corny snuck in again.”
Colin had no idea what to make of the grizzled old man. He’d awakened in his bed with the guy staring down at him again. Corny had dropped two more page
s on the bed and shuffled out of the room back to his basement hideaway.
Jae headed back indoors and Colin wandered, in no particular direction. Before long, he looked up to see he was stepping onto the wharf. The same one where his sister had been a walking fireball and given her first prophecy. He let the restless ocean mists spray his face. It was brutally cold, but the smell of the ocean reminded him of home.
He wondered about Uncle Arnon, Kanda Macawi, and the Jendayas.
Summer was long over and Sebastien’s school year was half over. What were they all doing right at that moment? Was Uncle Arnon still alive? What did Kanda know about the Svoda? Had she known that the twins and Uncle Arnon were descended from a magical bloodline?
These questions remained unanswered as he let the frigid spray of the ocean bite his skin; somehow, it prevented his thoughts from overwhelming him.
#
As the carriage pulled away, Meghan realized she should wave goodbye. She stuck her head out of the window to do so and noticed Colin walking toward the wharf. “Jealous,” she muttered.
“What?” asked Ivan, from inside the carriage.
“Nothing,” she replied, bringing her head back inside.
It was surprisingly warm. There was a small fireplace in the center of the carriage. Smoke billowed through the top. Meghan and Ivan sat in awkward silence, listening to the clip-clop of the horse’s feet against the slushy cobblestone. Nona curled up in Meghan’s warmed lap. The poor thing had such thin hair, it was almost nonexistent.
After a few minutes, Meghan let out an annoyed sigh. She refused to have her evening start off badly and attempted to make conversation.
“So, Ivan,” she said, startling him into looking at her. “What exactly do you do here? What’s your job?”
“I do my share.”
“Right,” she said sardonically.
“You asked.”
“So you’re insinuating that I don’t?”
“I’m not insinuating anything. You are not from our world. It’s possible you may belong here now, but you have a lot to learn, Meghan Jacoby.”
Shifting (The Prophecy, The Spy, and The Ghostly Guardian) (A Fated Fantasy Quest Adventure Book 2) Page 21