A Mystical Journey

by Jennifer Esposito

  Just as Matthew finished John began asking his next question. “If you drink blood how come you ate dinner with us? I saw you eat real food.”

  Matthew laughed. “Yes, you are a very observant young man. I did eat food. Vampires can eat regular food. Vwe just don’t get any nutrition from it. It’s almost like eating sugar for you. Vwe do sometimes enjoy the flavors of foods but, vwe cannot survive on them.”

  Annie had been listening to all this. She was very relieved to hear that her new friend was not going to suck all the blood out of her. She was disappointed Chloe wouldn’t be joining her at school. Then a questioned occurred to her.

  John had just opened his mouth to ask Matthew something else when Annie cut him off. “How old is Chloe?” John didn’t like that his sister interrupted him but, it was a very good question.

  Matthew looked at Chloe. “I’m eight.” Chloe said sheepishly holding up eight fingers. Annie smiled at Chloe. Darn, even if Chloe could go to school she was a year older then Annie. So, she would be in third grade while Annie would be in second grade. Then Annie thought some more about it. Chloe was eight. What did that mean? Vampires are supposed to live forever. So, maybe eight in vampire years isn’t eight in people years.

  “Is Chloe eight like I’m seven and John is nine? ‘Cause don’t vampires live forever?” Annie asked rapidly.

  “Live forever?” Matthew said with a chuckle. “No, no, my dear vwe certainly do not live forever. You see there is a certain balance to life. I’m sure you’ve heard of the circle of life.” he said looking down at the children for confirmation. Matthew continued. “Our children, like Chloe, age normally until they become teenagers. In addition to the changes experienced by ‘umans when they reach that age a vampire’s growth slows. It does not stop. Vwe age about one year for every ten ‘uman years. This does allow us to live ‘undreds of years but, vwe do get older and eventually die.” Mathew looked at John and Annie very seriously. “Everything that was part of this vorld ‘as a beginning and an end. That is part of vhat makes Gistramino so dangerous. ‘E seeks to obtain ultimate power and immortality allowing ‘im to rule all and live forever. If this vere to ‘appen it vould upset the balance and could result in the end of everything.”

  An uncomfortable silence lingered in the room. John wanted to say something. He had another question to ask, but it seemed very obvious that question and answer time was over. Looking around the room he wasn’t quite sure what to do. He just really wanted someone to say something.

  Grandma broke the silence. “Well, I know the children have not had much time to get to know each other but, it is getting late. John and Annie need to get to bed soon.”

  Mhotep clapped his hands together. “Yes, please forgive us Mary. We should have been a little more conscientious of the time.” With that everyone began to get up from the table and leave the room. Annie gave Chloe a quick wave good-bye as Grandma hurried them down stairs.

  They wound their way back down the stairs and through the library. Zindle was still on the front porch waiting for them. He jumped at John and Annie licking them all over. Grandma just shook her head. They all got in the car and headed home.

  Once home there was a lot of unpacking and putting away of everything they had bought for school. Both Annie and John got ready for bed. Zindle took his usual spot at the end of Annie’s bed. Grandma tucked John in and then Annie. They were asleep in no time. John dreaming of his future lessons and Annie dreaming of all the fun she would have with her new friend Chloe.

  The next few days flew by. They went back to the library only once. It was during the day and just so that Grandma could have a quick word with Celeste. The Coterie didn’t like to communicate over the phone. They thought it was unsafe. Before Annie and John knew it, it was the first day of school.

  The night before the first day of school John went to Annie’s room to tell his little sister good night. Annie was sitting on her bed with large tears dripping down her face. Zindle sat next to her licking up her tears. John hugged her. John thought Annie must be afraid of going to the new school tomorrow. He tried to reassure her.

  “Don’t worry Annie. I’m sure you’ll make lots of new friends at school. It won’t be so bad. I bet you’ll like your second-grade teacher better than your first-grade teacher at our old school.” John looked at his sister. Her expression hadn’t changed.

  Annie looked up at her brother wiping back the tears so she could speak.

  “I miss Mommy and Daddy. Daddy was going to take me to school for the first day. Mommy always makes my sandwich the night before ’cause Daddy gets it wrong. Grandma won’t be able to make my sandwich right.” She bent her head back down. The tears flowed more rapidly than ever. “I need Mommy and Daddy!”

  John hugged his sister tight. He felt a large tear drop fall down his own face. He missed his parents too. In all the excitement, he hadn’t thought about how hard it was going to be in the morning. All the usual morning things before school would be different without their mom and dad. John looked at the top of his sister’s head. He was her big brother. He had to be strong for her.

  John sat up straight. He took Annie’s hands in his and looked her right in the face. “We have to be brave Annie. Mommy and Daddy are missing us too. As soon as I learn enough mystical stuff we’ll get them back. I promise!” He proclaimed.

  Annie looked at her big brother. She knew he meant it. He would learn as much as he could to get their parents back. That made her feel better. She also knew she had to help him. Her brother was right, they had to be brave and work hard to get Mommy and Daddy back.

  Brother and sister hugged each other again this time with tears all dried up. They said their good nights. John returned to his room. They got under the covers of their separate beds. Each received a visit from Grandma and a kiss good night. Both of them spent the night dreaming of their parents.

  The next morning Annie woke to a wonderful smell. Zindle was not in her room. She followed her nose down the stairs to the kitchen. Zindle was there begging at Grandma’s heals. The table was filled with all kinds of yummy things, waffles, scrambled eggs, giant cinnamon rolls, bacon and sausage. There was enough food to feed an army. Annie sat down at the table. Grandma filled her glass with orange juice. Annie filled her plate until it was overflowing with delicious things.

  John woke up to the same wonderful smells that had woken Annie up. He ran down the stairs and jumped down the last three stairs with a great thud. He slowed just before the entrance to the kitchen. He wanted to eat his breakfast without a scolding from Grandma for running in the house. He took a seat next Annie. He started stuffing his face with bacon and cinnamon rolls. Grandma’s cooking was great!

  Annie sat back a little in her chair. John was grabbing food like an animal and she wanted to stay out of the way. She pulled a piece of sausage off her plate and snuck it under the table to Zindle while Grandma was busy giving John a hard time about his table manners.

  John was thoroughly enjoying the huge breakfast Grandma had laid out on the table. It was so delicious. John noticed that Annie had filled her plate but, she wasn’t eating much. “What’s wrong Annie? This stuff is great.” he told his little sister between bites of waffle making syrup drip down his chin. John could tell this was the start of a great day. He just wished Annie would relax and enjoy it.

  Annie tried to eat. The food looked really good and it smelled even better but, try as she might she couldn’t manage more than a few bites. Her stomach was tied up in knots. She snuck more food under the table to Zindle. She didn’t want Grandma to nag her about cleaning her plate. Then she got up from the table. Grandma looked at Annie’s plate. When she found most of the food was gone she smiled, patted Annie on the head, and told her to get ready for school.

  Annie was glad to leave the room. She hated having to pretend she was happy when she was still very sad. Zindle followed her upstairs. He was such a great friend. She could tell he really wanted to stay in the kitchen to lick up all t
he bits of food John dropped. John was such a messy eater. She bent down and hugged Zindle.

  John watched his sister leave the room. He knew she had fed most of her breakfast to Zindle. He wished he could figure out a way to cheer her up. Then he had an idea. Her sandwich! If he could tell Grandma how to make Annie’s favorite sandwich for lunch. Maybe that would make her happier. John stopped stuffing his face and told Grandma about how sad Annie had been the night before. He told her that his mother always made a special sandwich for Annie’s lunch. Together John and his grandmother found all the ingredients and made Annie’s lunch just the way she liked it. Then John hurried upstairs to get dressed for school. He couldn’t wait to see Annie’s face when Grandma gave her the special lunch.

  It wasn’t long before Grandma was telling them both it was time to leave for school. John ran to the bottom of the stairs nearly knocking Annie over. He wanted to see Annie’s face when she looked at her lunch.

  Annie slunk down the stairs as slowly as possible. Zindle tried to stay next to her but he couldn’t walk that slowly down the stairs. Annie was glad her brother was excited about the first day of school but, she just couldn’t be. She had tried all morning. Finally, she reached the bottom of the stairs. Grandma and John were standing by the door waiting for her. John had his backpack and looked ready to go. Annie picked her backpack up from the floor.

  Grandma handed John some money. John gave her a strange look. He wondered what the money was for. “It’s for lunch.” Grandma explained. “I thought you were old enough to start buying your lunch.”

  This made John even more excited. He had always wanted to buy his lunch. Mom and Dad would never let him. He had always been a packer. It was going to be cool to stand in line with the other kids and pick out what he wanted for lunch. Then he saw Grandma getting ready to hand Annie her lunch. He held his breath. He hoped her special lunch would cheer her up.

  Grandma handed Annie her lunch box. Annie frowned. She just knew it was going to be something she hated like pickle loaf. She had to take a peek. Maybe if it was really bad she could ask Grandma for money instead. She looked inside the lunch box. She gasped. It looked like it was all there just the way she liked it. There was a pickle, popcorn, an apple, and pink lemonade to drink. It was almost perfect. She just had to check the most important thing, the sandwich. She slowly pulled it open. She felt a smile spreading across her face. It was just right. She couldn’t believe it. Ham and cheese with just the right amount of mayo and a little bit of sweet relish. It was even cut just the right way.

  Annie hugged her grandmother. “You can thank John.” Grandma told her. “He told me just how to make your lunch.”

  Annie jumped up kissing her brother on the cheek. John blushed a little. He was happy to see his sister smiling again.

  Brother and sister walked out the door hand in hand. Annie paused for just a moment, as she descended the front porch steps, looking back at the door. Zindle was there. He pushed his way past Grandma’s legs to follow the children. Grandma opened her mouth to protest, then seeming to have changed her mind, she just waved good-bye and reminded the children to walk to the library after school.

  Chapter 12

  Before they knew it, the trio had arrived at school. The walk had been much shorter than John had expected. He had been looking forward to school but, now as he approached the door he wasn’t so sure. His stomach didn’t feel so well. Then he remembered he was still holding Annie’s hand. He didn’t want any of the other kids to think he was a scaredy-cat holding his sisters hand, so he quickly dropped it.

  Annie also had butterflies in her stomach. Having John with her made her feel better. When he dropped her hand, she was angry for a moment, then she turned to her most faithful friend. She realized she needed to tell Zindle good-bye because he couldn’t come inside. She kissed Zindle on the head and whispered a thank you in his ears. Then she turned with a determined look on her face and marched inside the school.

  John had gone through the front doors of the school but, now found himself frozen. He wasn’t sure what to do. At home, he would have walked over to his friends to say hello before the first bell. He looked down at his watch. Only two minutes until the bell rang. Then he noticed something. Could it be? Yes, it was someone waving. A boy who looked about his age was waving for him to come over.

  His feet still felt heavy but, he walked across the room toward the stranger. He was just about John’s height. His eyes and skin were both very dark brown.

  “My name is Larry.” said the boy extending his hand.

  John shook Larry’s hand and introduced himself. Just then the bell rang. The entry way emptied as kids headed down different halls towards their classrooms.

  “You’re in fourth grade. Right?” Larry asked John.

  John nodded yes.

  “Well, our class rooms are down this hall.” Larry said pointing to the hall next to them. “I hope we’re in the same homeroom.”

  On the other side of the building Annie found her second grade classroom. She put her backpack and lunch in the coat closet. The she took a seat at the desk with her name on it. The teacher welcomed the class. Annie thought she seemed nice. The other kids seemed friendly too. Before Annie knew it the bell had rung and the first day of school was over.

  On the other side of the building John had found his new classmates to be very friendly as well. He had an especially good time joking with his new friend Larry in class. Unfortunately, his teacher was not very friendly. At least not after the third or fourth time he had to reprimand John and Larry for disrupting class.

  When the bell rang John and Larry headed out together as fast as they could.

  They reached the front door just about the same time as Annie. John introduced his new friend to his sister.

  “Larry’s going to walk with us to the library.” John told Annie.

  As they passed through the front doors neither Annie nor John was surprised to see Zindle waiting for them. Annie introduced Larry to Zindle. Larry bent down to shake Zindle’s paw. Zindle gave him an approving lick across the face.

  The little group walked across town toward the library. John and Larry joked all the way to the library. John was happy to finally have a friend to talk to and have fun with. It had been a very long summer.

  Annie liked Larry, he was funny and nice. She liked that he was so nice to Zindle. She wished she had found someone at school to be friends with the way John and Larry were friends. She looked up at the library. There was someone peeking out the window on the top floor. Then she remembered Chloe. She didn’t need a best friend at school. Chloe was her best friend.

  John and Larry said their good-byes. Zindle curled up for a nap on the library porch. Annie gave him a quick snuggle. Then both Annie and John headed inside. Celeste was at the front desk as usual. She was too busy giving a round little boy a lecture about taking care of library books to wave hello.

  By then John and Annie knew the way to the lesson’s room. Annie hoped she would be able to stay for the lesson that day. So far, she had only gotten to stay for one. Good thing Chloe had showed her the little hole in the floor. It had come in very handy for spying on the mystical lessons. She had managed to sneak up to the room almost every lesson.

  As they were going up the stairs Annie saw Chloe coming down toward them. There was her best friend! She ran to meet her and gave her a huge hug. Ruth was waiting outside the door to the lessons room which also happened to be the Coterie meeting room.

  “I’m sorry you came all the way up here Annie. Celeste should have told you this isn’t a history day.” Ruth informed Annie. Annie frowned. “At least I got to see Chloe.” she said. John followed Ruth through the doorway. Chloe gave Annie another quick hug. Then she disappeared through the door way as well.

  Annie started down the stairs. About half way down she stopped. She could hear Ruth talking. She looked up and down the stairs. The coast was clear. As quickly and quietly as possible she ran back up the stairs
past the lessons room. She ran to the room above, slowly opened the door, and took her place next to the hole in the floor.

  Below Chloe and John were very excited. Ruth had just told them they were going to learn something fun today. It was a game. A mystical game that would help them learn to focus mystical echoes. Ruth called the game Myesfera.

  Ruth took a red velvet bag from her pocket. She tipped it over. More than a dozen brightly colored marbles spilled out on to the large table. John and Chloe leaned forward to get a closer look at the shiny spheres.

  They were very nice marbles John thought. Each was a different color. He didn’t see any cat’s eyes. Too bad he thought. Those were his favorite. John had played marbles lots of times before. He wondered what marbles had to do with mystical stuff.

  Up above Annie was very frustrated. She could tell the bag had been filled with little round object and she could tell they were hard by the tapping noises they made as the dropped onto the table. Unfortunately, her bird’s eye view did not let her see any detail about them. It was even hard to tell what color they were from that height. Annie wondered what John and Chloe were going to do with them.

  They children weren’t left wondering about these small globes for very long. Ruth began her lesson right away. These are Myesfera stones. They are round and each made of a gem or stone that can help you focus mystical energies. We use Myesfera to play a game. This game can be played with as many players as you like. Each player has a set of Mysefera. All sets are the same. That is, they each consist of 15 different gems and stones. Every set of 15 stones will focus the same 15 different types of mystical energies. The only difference between sets is the purity of the gems and stones. A gem that had more impurities would focus less energy and therefore be easier to control. A set with fewer impurities could focus more power but, be much more difficult to control.