by Alex Siegel
He dressed in his warmest clothes. He put his snow boots on last, and they were big, clunky things made of rubber, canvas, and soft felt. He felt like a clown when he had them on, but they would certainly keep his feet dry. His mother had mailed him the boots a few weeks ago.
Andrew put on his winter coat and hurried out the door. His morning training session with Tonya would start in just a few minutes. After a month of working together, they had settled into a regular routine. He usually ate breakfast afterwards having learned that practicing sorcery with a full belly wasn't a good idea.
His sensitivity had increased greatly during that month. He located Charley's energy even though she was on the other side of the campus, and he could tell she was moving towards the Fine Arts Building. Tonya was already waiting for her apprentices in the building. To Andrew's inner eye, the master sorcerer shined like a lighthouse beacon.
He left the dormitory. With his boots on, he hardly felt the snow at all, and the crunching sound was fun. He marched along, stepping on the snow a little harder than necessary just to make noise.
His face was the only source of discomfort. The damp, freezing cold bit into his skin with painful ferocity. He had seen other students in ski masks, but he couldn't bring himself to look like a bank robber. He pulled down his knit wool cap as far as it would go.
He arrived in the Fine Arts Building and went straight down into the basement. The snow on the bottom of his boots was slippery on the smooth cement stairs, and he had to grab a bannister to avoid a fall.
Andrew arrived at the seam chamber. The door was open, and Charley and Tonya were already inside. He closed the steel door with a deep, loud clang.
Tonya was already giving Charley her lesson. Andrew watched them work as he stripped off his winter gear. Whichever student arrived last had to wait for his or her turn, but Andrew didn't mind. He could happily look at Charley all day.
She was wearing a puffy brown sweater with a picture of a turkey knitted on the front. Her collection of sweaters was amazing, and he still hadn't seen the same one twice. He wondered what she would wear during the summer when it was hot.
She was working on physical manipulation these days. The skill was well beyond Andrew's capabilities, but listening to her lessons had given him some basic ideas for how it worked. Knowledge of physics and chemistry was essential. She had to understand the changes she was making at a deep level.
"We're going to try separating materials today," Tonya said.
She tore open some white paper packets marked "sugar" and poured the contents into a beaker of clear fluid. Andrew assumed it was water. She swirled the beaker until the sugar dissolved.
"Observe," she said.
She stared at the water with an intense expression. He sensed her energy flare up like a gas stove turned to full. Sugar crystals formed on the surface until it was coated with a solid layer. She relaxed.
"You have to beat the law of entropy," Tonya said, "so it will take all your focus. See if you can figure it out on your own while I work with Andrew."
She snapped her fingers, and the sugar dissolved again.
Andrew was astonished. Physical sorcery was a hundred times more difficult than mental sorcery. He could create the illusion of fire easily, but actually lighting a real candle was so far beyond him, he wouldn't even know where to start. Even Tonya was limited to tweaking the world in small, temporary ways.
Charley nodded. "I'll try." She gazed at the beaker with an uncertain expression.
Andrew sat at another of the small wooden tables in the chamber. Tonya grabbed a toy soldier made of green plastic from a shelf and set it in front of him.
"We're going to try a slightly more complicated illusion today," she said. "Make a copy of this toy."
He frowned at the little soldier. So far, he had only managed to create colored lights and simple polygons floating in the air. The toy had a lot of details which would make the illusion more challenging.
Tonya pointed at it. "You have the example sitting right in front of you. You don't have to use any creativity. It should be easy."
Andrew nodded, settled down, and got to work. He had to make himself believe there were two soldiers instead of one.
"Wait," she snapped. "That doesn't feel right. What are you doing?"
"Making a second soldier."
She shook her head. "Wrong. Creating a physical object from nothing would be impossible for you. Even I have trouble with it. The goal is to simply see a second soldier, not make one. That subtle distinction is why it's just an illusion."
Andrew believed he understood, but the task was still difficult. He wasn't exactly sure how to see something that wasn't really there.
He stared at the real toy until all the details were locked in his mind. Then he looked at a blank spot on the table. He imagined his eyes were movie projectors, and an image of a soldier was shooting from his pupils. It was an intriguing idea. It would be cool if I could shoot lasers, he thought.
A vision of killer robots grabbed hold of him, but he quickly shook it off. He reminded himself he was still in the basement of the Fine Arts Building and his name was Andrew Kenworthy. He wasn't a robot with laser eyes.
"Good," Tonya said. "You escaped from that delusion without my help. You're learning fast."
He smiled at her. "Thanks."
"Of course, you have a fabulous instructor."
"Obviously."
Tonya abruptly looked up and stared into space for a moment. Andrew used his own abilities to check the area, but he sensed nothing unusual.
"I have to go to my office," she said. "I want both of you to just keep working. I'll be back in... a while."
She left the chamber in a rush. The door slammed closed behind her.
Andrew and Charley exchanged alarmed looks.
"We're not supposed to be in here by ourselves," she said. "We could get hurt."
He looked up at the seam. Even though it was invisible to his eyes, he felt like he was sitting next to a blast furnace. The danger was clear.
"Do you think we should go talk to her? Maybe something is wrong."
"Something is definitely wrong, but she told us to keep working. Let's give her a half-hour. If she doesn't come back, we'll go look for her."
Andrew nodded.
He focused on his assignment. He thought about the toy soldier and nothing else. Whenever his mind started to wander, he snapped it back forcefully.
It was hard work, but after a while, he saw something happening. The ghostly outlines of a second soldier began to form on the table. He filled in details, his eyes flipping back and forth between the real toy and the illusion. Good sorcery was all about getting everything exactly right.
"Pretty good for a beginner," Charley said.
Andrew looked up at her. He had been so focused, he hadn't realized she was there.
"Pretty good for anybody."
"Oh?"
She waved her hand across the table. He looked down and saw a dozen identical toy soldiers.
"Show off," he said bitterly.
She shrugged.
"How are you doing with the un-dissolving sugar?"
"Not so good," Charley said. "I can't quite figure out the trick, and I'm afraid of pushing too hard without Tonya here. Let's find her."
"Sure." Andrew stood up.
The apprentices left the chamber and followed Tonya's unique energy signature to her office. She was leaning back in her padded leather chair and staring into space.
Cardboard puzzle pieces were spread across her oak desk. Some were bent and mashed together as if she had tried to force them to fit. She had used scissors to trim other pieces.
"Are you OK?" Charley said in a tone of deep concern.
"That depends," Tonya said. "Is there a goblin standing behind you?"
Charley glanced backwards. "No."
"A unicorn with a dead cat impaled on its horn?"
"Uh-uh."
"Then I'm not OK. I need to
get away from here."
Tonya stood up, grabbed her coat from a hook, and pulled it on.
"Hold on," Charley said. "You're leaving? For how long?"
"I'm not exactly sure. Guard the seam while I'm gone."
"That's not funny."
Tonya walked out of her office at a brisk pace. Andrew and Charley followed close behind.
"We can't guard the seam!" Andrew said. "We're not real sorcerers!"
"I trust you two more than I trust 'real sorcerers,'" Tonya said. "Just watch for trouble and tell the BPI if you see anything suspicious. They'll take care of it. That's their job."
"I don't think this is a good idea."
The group was already at the door of the building, and Tonya went outside without hesitation. Andrew and Charley had to follow even though they weren't wearing coats. He wrapped his arms around his chest in an attempt to stay warm. At least he was still wearing his snow boots.
"There's no other option," Tonya said. "Take this as an opportunity to rest and contemplate. Obviously, you can't practice sorcery when I'm not here."
"Stop walking!" Charley yelled. "We're trying to talk to you."
"You're trying to talk. I'm leaving."
"This is crazy."
Tonya glanced back at Charley. "That's exactly the problem. You two should go back inside before you get sick. It's cold out here."
Charley snorted angrily.
Andrew put a hand on her shoulder. "She's not in a mood to talk. Let's go back."
"Fine." Charley shot a glare at Tonya. "We'll call her later."
"I won't have my phone," Tonya said over her shoulder.
Andrew and Charley hurried back to the Fine Arts Building. The warm, dry interior was a big relief.
After they calmed down a little, he said, "What now?"
"I guess we have to call Agent Dan," she said. "The BPI needs to know about this."
Andrew felt like he was ratting on a friend, but he took out his phone and called Dan Easton anyway.
Dan answered immediately, "If you're calling me, it can't be good."
"Tonya just ran off," Andrew said. "I think she's taking a vacation. She was acting weird."
"Where are you?"
"The Fine Arts Building."
"Stay there," Dan said. "We'll be right over. Bye."
Andrew put away his phone. "They're coming," he told Charley.
She nodded.
Lacking any specific destination, they wandered over to the main stage. Death of a Salesman had closed weeks ago, and neither Charley nor Andrew were part of the current production. It was Shakespeare, but Andrew didn't know which play. The stage had a backdrop made to look like a medieval castle. Golden thrones fit for a king and a queen were in the center.
"How long do you think Tonya will be gone?" Andrew said.
Charley shrugged. "I have no idea. I've never seen her act this way before. She's usually so in control."
"We don't really know that. She's an expert at faking things."
"That's true." She frowned.
"But I'm sure she'll be OK. She's a master sorcerer after all. You don't get that title if you're any kind of flake."
"Yes."
Charley had a very anxious expression. Andrew wanted to give her a hug, but he held back. They still had a "just friends" relationship. He was afraid if he pressed too hard, he would lose whatever affection she had for him.
It took ten minutes for the BPI to arrive. Dan along with two older agents found the apprentices on the stage.
Charley explained what had happened. Andrew made a few comments, but there wasn't much to add after her detailed report.
The federal agents conferred with each other. One ran off and another made a phone call.
Dan turned to Charley and Andrew. As usual, Dan was dressed like a college student in an attempt to blend in, but his straight posture and stern expression didn't fit the cover story. He was wearing jeans and hiking boots. A blue shirt hung over his pants, and Andrew noticed the bulge of a gun under the shirt.
"What's going to happen with Tonya?" Charley said.
"We'll follow her," Dan said. "She's not going to escape from us."
"Are you going to bring her back?"
"I'm not the boss, but I don't think so. I expect the BPI will give her some time to get herself right. She wouldn't take off like that without good cause."
"What about us?" Andrew said.
Dan looked at him intently. "Sounds like she gave you a job. You have to guard the seam."
"But I have classes."
"Then it's a good thing there are two of you. You can switch off."
Charley glared at Dan. "But Thanksgiving break is coming up. I'm going home."
"I don't think so." He shook his head. "Not unless Tonya comes back in the next couple of days."
Charley turned to Andrew, but he could only look at her helplessly. He had also planned to go home for Thanksgiving.
"We'll post extra agents here just to be safe," Dan said. "You'll have plenty of company."
Andrew worked his jaw. Spending quality time with federal agents didn't sound like a lot of fun.
Charley made a face. "Are you telling me I can't practice sorcery or go home? I'm just stuck here? That's not fair. You're the BPI. Isn't it your job to fix this?"
"Just worry about your own situation," Dan said. "Let's figure out who will take what shifts. One of you has to be in the vicinity at all times."
"Even at night?"
"Of course. That's why Tonya's house is so close, but you're not as sensitive, so you have to be even closer."
Andrew's shoulders sagged.
He, Charley, and Dan worked out a preliminary schedule. The apprentices would sleep in the Fine Arts Building on alternate nights. There were spaces in the basement that could be converted into temporary bedrooms.
Once the details were worked out, Andrew stepped away and took out his phone. He had to deliver bad news to his parents. He called home.
"Hello?" his mother answered.
"Hi, Mom. I have good news and bad news. The good news is a professor invited me to participate in a special project. It's a great opportunity. The bad news is I have to work on it over Thanksgiving break. I can't come home."
"Oh." She sounded sad. "But we haven't seen you in months. We miss you."
"I miss you, too. I'll definitely be home for Christmas."
"What kind of professor would make you work on Thanksgiving?"
"Well, uh." Andrew mentally scrambled to think of a good lie. "We need the whole science lab to ourselves. We can't have other students messing with things. The experiment has to happen during a break."
"This is an experiment?"
"That's right. Chemistry."
"That sounds educational." His mother paused. "I have an idea. We'll drive up there and visit you. We'll have Thanksgiving dinner in Chicago."
Andrew glanced at Dan. "I don't know...."
"It will be a fun trip. Plan for us to be there Thursday afternoon. You can give us a tour of the campus and show us your dorm room."
Crap! Andrew thought. I need to clean my room!
He wasn't about to tell his parents to stay away on Thanksgiving. The BPI would have to show some flexibility.
"That sounds great, and I have somebody I want you to meet." He smiled at Charley. "I'll see you in two days. Bye." He put away his phone.
Andrew walked back over to Charley and Dan.
"You look happy," Charley said in a suspicious tone.
"My parents are coming here to visit me on Thanksgiving," Andrew said.
Dan furrowed his brow. "I didn't approve anything like that."
"It will look strange if they're not allowed to see me. They'll wonder what I'm hiding. They might ask difficult questions."
Dan made a sour face.
"Maybe I'll invite my parents, too," Charley said cheerfully.
"No!" He turned on her. "One set of outsiders is bad enough."
"Then
you approve?" Andrew said.
"I'll discuss it with my superiors," Dan said.
Andrew decided to take his small victory and move on. "Charley has the first shift, and I have to get to class. I'll see you guys later."
He gave Charley an apologetic smile and ran off.
* * *
Andrew checked his watch. It was 8 PM, time for him to begin his night shift, and he wasn't looking forward to it.
He was carrying his pillow under his arm. A backpack contained some homework he could do if he got too bored, but the assignments weren't due until Monday. He could play music on his phone using earbuds, and that was probably his best option.
The night was cold and dark, but at least it wasn't windy. Light from street lamps made the snow glitter. Some people loved snow, but he could've lived without it.
Andrew snuck into the Fine Arts Building through a back door. A show was being performed on the main stage, and he kept quiet as he went down into the basement. Charley's energy signature guided him to a storeroom near Tonya's office.
It had been hastily refurbished to serve as a guard post and bedroom. There were three cots made of wood and canvas which looked like something from a historic war movie. A cheap vinyl couch and a couple of recliners provided seating. The recliners had cracks in their leather upholstery. A television was standing on the floor, and it was wired to a DVD player, but there was no cable. Two surveillance monitors were next to the television, and one monitor showed the seam chamber door, while the other showed the hallway.
Charley stood up from one of the recliners. "Right on time," she said. "Good. I would've been mad if you were late."
Two BPI agents were sitting on the couch. One was Dan Easton, and the other was an older man in a blue business suit. They both waved vaguely towards Andrew. They were watching a tough-guy cop movie on the television, and Andrew recognized the actors, but he had never seen the movie.
"Anything going on here?" he said.
"Nope." Charley shook her head. "It's boring as hell. I'll see you in the morning."
"Bye."
She left.
Andrew sighed, took off his backpack, and sat on the recliner. It was still warm from Charley. Lacking much else to do, he watched the movie, but he was only mildly interested. He was more of a sword and sorcery kind of guy.