The Familiar

by Tatiana G. Roces

  “You will learn from our textbook, that there is almost an endless array of mythical creatures to choose from… I’ll be passing out these books shortly, and I highly suggest you get to know as many of the variants as possible. It will help you get creative later on in the process.”

  A male counselor, with long red hair pulled back into a ponytail, hands out a big hardcover book. When I get my copy, I’m surprised how light it is, despite its size. The design and font of the book looks ancient, but the pages are clean, crisp, and newly printed. There is no title on the cover, just an illustration of two snowy white peacocks sitting on a tree branch. The birds are unusual because instead of regular bird heads, they have the heads of beautiful women with gilded crowns. Inside, there is a spread dedicated to every mythical creature, each with its history, description, traits, powers, and an accompanying illustration. Many look like horrible beasts, while others look more harmless and charming.

  Jared clicks the remote one last time and the hologram machine shuts off.

  “So, I’m sure many of you are wondering how difficult it will be to transform into a mythical creature… Truth is that most of you will probably fail. Don’t beat yourself up too badly if that happens... Very few of us have the imagination and tenacity to succeed in this…”

  Jared sits on the edge of the platform, leaning his hands back so that the muscles on his arms and chest tense. “The first step in transforming is to try and find the part of your mind that separates reality from your imagination. Once that part of your mind has been uncovered, you’ll need to control it, harness that disbelief so that a transformation can occur. One method of doing this is to remember back to when you were little kids…Was there some sort of bogeyman or magical creature that you believed in? A fairy or maybe even Santa Claus?”

  Several students giggle, the sounds echoing obtrusively in the auditorium. Jared scowls at them. “Finding this amusing will only hamper your ability to succeed in this class. I recommend that you try and take what I say seriously, otherwise you will find yourself dead last in rankings for the Choosing Ceremony.”

  A gangly, horsey looking girl raises her hand. Jared gestures for her to speak.

  “So, I’m just curious. How would we have the ability to suspend our disbelief, knowing that these things really don’t exist? I mean, sure I believed in monsters when I was a kid, but now I know better.”

  Jared folds his arms across his chest and laughs with superiority. “Don’t you kids realize that for many, we would be considered monsters? For regular humans, being a shape-shifter or a witch is not only an abomination, but is against everything they believe in… So, who’s to say that mermaids, giants, trolls, and unicorns don’t exist?”

  Everyone is left silent by his words. I hear whispers, of, “Maybe he’s right,” and, “I never thought of it that way before.”

  Jared slumps his shoulders in disappointment and shakes his head slightly. “I think you guys have had enough lecturing for today. I want you to seriously consider what I’ve said and study your books. My advice is to try and be open-minded folks… It will pay off later on, I promise.”

  As the class abruptly ends, we remain in our seats, somewhat shell-shocked as we wait for the crowd to dissipate.

  “Well, that was interesting,” says Akiko.

  “Interesting would be putting it kind of mildly,” I reply, looking at Jared from the corner of my eye.

  Louise follows my gaze. “I still think he’s kind of creepy…”

  When the room clears, we head outside so we can enjoy the rest of the day before the sun begins to set. As I’m skipping down the steps, about to make some snarky comment, I’m suddenly startled by the sound of Jared’s voice behind me.

  “Hazel, may I have a word?” I turn and lock eyes with him. His expression is as serious as usual, eyes shadowy as he awaits my response.

  “Uh… Okay, sure,” I say, glancing at my wide-eyed friends.

  “I’ll catch up with you guys in a bit.”

  Louise politely nudges Akiko and Samir. “We’ll be by the docks,” she says, eyeing Jared suspiciously over her shoulder as she stumbles away.

  There is a silence between the two of us for the first few moments. I know Jared’s not really much older than me, twenty-one, twenty-two years old tops, but something about him is very grown-up and being alone with him has my nerves on edge.

  “Come, there’s a nice bench over there,” he says, breaking the silence. I nod and we walk out towards the garden. We find a stone bench overlooking the lake, under the cool shade of a leafy tree. Instead of sitting on the bench, he settles on the knotty tree root, probably noticing that I’m slightly uncomfortable with his presence. His posture is stiff and upright, nearly immobile like a statue, as he leans on the tree trunk. I avoid eye contact by looking out at the scenery before us.

  I feel his gaze on me linger before he speaks, “I sense you’re apprehensive of me, Hazel… But I want you to consider me a friend, someone you can trust.”

  I look over at him, and for the first time, he seems more vulnerable, as if his cool exterior has thawed out. He slouches a bit and attempts at a smile, and even though it seems slightly forced, it manages to put me slightly at ease.

  “And why would I need to trust you?”

  “Hazel, I’m reaching out because you remind me a lot of myself when I was your age. I know what it’s like to be gifted and to be thrown into a situation that you may find hard to control. A lot of things happened to me when I was younger, and I’d like to avoid those same things happening to you.”

  I wonder what he’s talking about, but I don’t feel comfortable enough to press him about his past. Instead I mumble, “Thanks, I appreciate it.”

  He gives a genuine smile this time and seems satisfied with my reaction.

  “So, now that we got that out of the way, I want to ask you about the incident at the lake… Brad kind of filled me in as much as he could, but I’d rather hear it from you.”

  I pull up my legs, feeling somewhat self-conscious, and sit cross-legged.

  “Well, I don’t really know what you want me to tell you… It just happened, I have no real explanation.”

  Jared scrutinizes me intently. “And this happened before?”

  “Yes, sort of. It was a partial transformation. It happened only a week before coming to camp, while I was swimming in the ocean.”

  Jared gives it some thought before responding, “Was there something unusual that happened right before?”

  “Well… I had been dreaming a lot about my parents. My mom cast a spell so I would see into her memories… I guess it kind of felt like I was being hit with a wall of emotion, especially since I didn’t even know anything about my father until a few weeks ago.”

  Jared looks intrigued, his eyes shadowing as he gives it some thought. “So, what do you know about your father now? Your records really don’t mention him except that he was your mother’s familiar.”

  I peer at him and shrug. “To be honest, not much more than that really. I know what he looked like, I have an idea of what kind of person he was, and that he was a powerful shape-shifter, but that’s pretty much it. Even my mom has no idea what happened to him after he disappeared.”

  We both stare at the sun beginning to set in front of us. The vibrant crimson, pinks, and blues of the sky, reflect onto the lake creating a breathtaking display. A group of girls walk past us, giving Jared and me furtive glances, while whispering to each other as they walk away. My legs have gone numb, so I get off the bench awkwardly, trying hard not to fall on my face.

  “Anyway, thanks for the moral support and all… I’m going to go look for my friends before it gets dark.”

  Jared’s grinning, as he looks up at me. “Sure, I’m glad we had this talk. Come see me anytime if you need any help or advice.”

  As I stroll towards the dock, I glance back. Jared is leaning on the tree, staring dreamily at the intensifying sunset. He looks thoughtful, with his arms cro
ssed and head tilted to the side.

  When I get to the lake, Louise, Akiko, and Samir are sitting at the end of the dock with their legs dangling off the edge. When they see me approaching, they wave me over, and the minute I’m at arms length, Louise grabs my hand and shrieks, “Oh my god! We’ve been dying over here! What was that all about?”

  Samir rolls his eyes and flings his arms up into the air. “She means they’ve been dying to hear about it… I unfortunately have had to sit through their gossip mongering for the last twenty minutes. I’m sooo happy you’re finally here to end my misery!”

  Akiko punches him on the arm playfully. “Don’t listen to him, he’s exaggerating!”

  I chuckle at them and sit down.

  “It wasn’t a big deal, guys… Jared just wanted to give me some moral support and offer some harmless advice, especially after what happened at the lake. He says I remind him of his teenage self and I guess he felt obligated to help me out.”

  Louise looks like she’s about to burst. “Come on, ‘harmless advice’? Seriously? He’s obviously interested in you. And, you know, it’s not like he’s old… plus camp is only for a few more weeks, so he won’t even be your teacher for that long…”

  I laugh at Louise’s teasing, but I hide the fact that her insinuation is starting to annoy me. “Seriously. There is nothing going on. I don’t have time to think about guys anyway. I have far too much to worry about right now, like surviving camp without killing myself, right?”

  I can tell Louise and Akiko are disappointed by my lack of enthusiasm on the subject, but at least they seem to accept my explanation for now.

  “Lets just change the subject… there must be something better to do than speculate on my love life…” I add matter-of-factly.

  Samir smiles mischievously, saving me from further interrogation. “Yes, like going for a swim!” he says, grabbing Akiko and Louise and pulling them into the lake with him. There is a big splash as they land gracelessly in the water. Samir surfaces first, followed by Akiko then Louise. They both scowl at him and swim over, dunking him underwater with their joint efforts, splashing water up into the air and onto the dock. The scowls soon turn into laughter, as I dive in and join them.

  16

  After Jared’s first class, I can’t help but feel stressed out. My anxiety feels like a determined termite, eating away uncontrollably at my insides. The sheer number of pages in our textbook is enough to make me nervous about failure, but it’s amplified when I think about actually transforming into one of these mythical creatures. Even though we’re exhausted after a full day, I convince my friends to get together for an informal study group. I’ve been eager to visit the library to research Mom and this infamous Rufus White, so I’m excited to kill two birds with one stone.

  We drop by Sabrina’s room to get directions. I knock lightly on her bright yellow door.

  “Come on in!” she says without even asking who it is. Inside, it’s an organized mess. There are books and magazines piled neatly on top of one another, shelves full of colorful knick-knacks, and a table strewn with notebooks and all kinds of writing utensils inside old glass jars. She’s wearing pajama bottoms, a tank top, and her hair is on top of her head in a messy bun. While drinking from a steaming mug, she gestures for us to take a seat on the floral print sofa.

  “What’s up, guys?” she asks in between sips of what smells like chamomile tea.

  “We were just wondering if you could tell us how to get to the library?” I ask while studying her messy table.

  Sabrina looks surprised. “Wow, the library already? I guess you guys are the studious types, huh?” she says with an energetic smile only a camp counselor could produce.

  “Well, it’s not like we’re nerds or anything, if that’s what you’re implying,” says Louise with a short, nervous laugh.

  “Ah, no, never. I much prefer the term ‘bookish’. It’s more flattering, don’t you think? Anyway… back to the library, or the secret library, as we like to call it. Secret, because you can only find it with the help of one clue.”

  Samir looks confused but excited. “What clue?”

  Sabrina skips over to her desk, ripping a page from her notebook and writing something down before handing it to Samir with an impish smile on her face. He reads it to himself and then aloud to the rest of us.

  “The flames of knowledge can only be extinguished with an open mind.”

  We look at one another, puzzled into momentary silence.

  “That’s it?” I ask Sabrina.

  She grins and shrugs her shoulders. “Yup, that’s all you get! Now, go on and have fun!”

  We leave Sabrina’s chamomile scented room, and make our way to the main house, congregating in the cozy foyer lounge. Samir fixates on the paper, his brow creasing deeper as the minutes pass. “Hmmm…I wasn’t expecting this, but I do enjoy a good mystery now and then…”

  Akiko glares at him, half-rolling her eyes. “Ugh. Seriously? I’ll take uncomplicated no nonsense studying over this silliness any day.”

  “It’ll be fine… We’re smart, I’m sure we can figure it out in no time,” says Louise, her southern optimism reassuring Akiko instantly.

  Akiko pulls out her notebook and pen, and opens up a blank page. She writes the clue down in sections, leaving enough space for notes.

  “Okay, I think it’ll help if we break the clue down and write some word associations,” she says as she scrutinizes the paper in front of her, her almond shaped eyes almost disappearing under her overgrown bangs.

  “‘The flames’... So let’s think about what this could mean.”

  “A kitchen or stove?” says Samir.

  Louise chimes in excitedly, “How about candles?”

  “Hmmm… A fireplace?” I say, studying the enormous fireplaces in the room.

  “That’s good, Hazel! That could be it!” says Akiko. She writes down all of our ideas, but puts mine at the top of the list.

  “Okay, let’s move on. Next is ‘knowledge’. I think that’s pretty straight forward right?”

  “Yes, obviously, that’s just the library and books,” says Louise matter-of-factly.

  Samir frowns as he leans in to look at the next word. “Then ‘extinguished’, probably signifies to stop learning or reading?”

  I shake my head. “No, I think it’s more literal than that. More like to physically turn off the flames, as in putting the fire out.”

  “That’d make sense!” Louise agrees.

  Akiko looks down at the paper. “Last would be ‘an open mind’.”

  We pause to think about it. “Well, a mind, I suppose would be a head?” says Louise.

  “True, but an open head? That doesn’t make much sense,” I reply.

  “How about a hat?” asks Samir.

  I get up off the sofa, anxious to make some progress after our brainstorming session. “Maybe we should just look around and something might click?”

  We roam around every room, inspecting anything remotely related to the clues. The first few fireplaces we examine reveal nothing unusual. They’re large, but without fires, and surrounded only by lighting paraphernalia and decorative knick-knacks. Room after room, we find the same thing, and nothing truly stands out. When we’re starting to lose hope, we stumble upon an imposing looking door with a golden doorknocker in the design of an owl.

  Louise cautiously taps the owl’s beak, a metallic knock reverberating down the lengthy hallway. “Hello?”

  We hear no reply.

  “Should we go in?” asks Louise, looking at me for approval.

  I step forward and place my ear against the door. I slowly turn the doorknob to check if it’s locked. The well-oiled knob turns without making a sound and the door swings open. I push slowly and take a peek. Inside, the room is old-fashioned, almost like a men’s study, with handsome leather chairs, polished mahogany furniture, and subdued oriental carpets. There are various objects of interest, including antique taxidermy, dusty glass jars with preserv
ed specimens, terrariums with exotic plants, and a variety of old paintings of both people and landscapes on the walls. The room is pretty dark and somber, but on the far end, there is a massive fireplace with a roaring fire, its flames providing an eerie orange glow in the room. I scramble through the door and dash over to the fireplace, tripping on a carpet, but catching myself from falling on my face. Though the fire looks hot, crackling faintly as it burns, strangely enough, the temperature in the room remains relatively cool.

  I stare at my friends. “I think this is it.”

  We study the objects surrounding the fireplace, and almost simultaneously, we focus on a gleaming golden sculpture of a skull sitting on one corner of the mantle.

  “An open mind!” I shout out, bouncing excitedly as I snatch it from the mantle. Upon closer examination, the golden skull seems to have a lid cut out at the top. I open it, and inside is a carving of a brain, made out of what looks like a rose quartz stone. As I remove the stone from the skull, the fire suddenly extinguishes with a whoosh, leaving no trace of the burned wood or ashes. Towards the back of the cavernous space, we spot a hidden door. We walk in, and when we get to the other side, I touch the doorknob cautiously with one finger, just to make sure it isn’t hot. The metal is cool to the touch, so I turn and push. It opens easily, and we’re led into an enormous library. Unlike the previous room, the library is almost entirely glass. The night sky, millions of stars and the glimmering moon illuminate the space with an extraordinary radiance. The design is state-of-the-art, with clear acrylic bookshelves, tables, and chairs, as well as glass consoles that resemble flat screen computers. We stand in the middle of the room in awe.

  “Wow… Now, this is what I call a library!” exclaims Louise.

  We amble over to a seating area; the hard acrylic sofas softened by white cushions, and place our books and study materials on the accompanying tables. Samir is immediately drawn to one of the high-tech consoles, and begins tapping and swiping at the screen. I join him, looking over his shoulder inquisitively.