One Wish, One Choice

by Abby Hope Patrick

  “What the hell was all that?” Miles half-shouted.

  “Magic,” Kano muttered, staring at Rufus with pure awe etched on his face.

  Rufus looked at his sister, staring at her as if trying to piece together a very complicated puzzle.

  Anja spoke up, “Where’s Jabez?”

  Miles replied, “You were out for half an hour, and we had to get his guard back to the car they’d driven here. Kano helped get him temporarily patched up, and we figured out how Jabez would explain the wound.” Anja’s eyebrows rose in a silent question. “He’s going to say there was a failed attempt on his life and that his guard took the bullet for him. The honour that will bring him is payment for the guard’s silence on all this. Whatever all this actually is.”

  “I think it’s time you tell us everything,” Faye said bluntly, looking directly at Anja.

  Anja inhaled slowly. She looked up at the ceiling, noticing its cracks and imperfections, anything to distract herself from the answers she knew she needed to give. But after a moment of silence, she was ready to begin the story, the full story. And everyone was ready to listen.

  “I was given a necklace by a Sorcerer.” Faye let out a huff, but everyone ignored her. “And I didn’t know it at the time, but I guess that it contained some of his powers.” She explained how she’d met the Sorcerer and saved his life. Rufus looked shocked, his eyes wide—but he and the rest of the room stayed silent and let her continue.

  Anja finally got to the part that she’d been dreading.

  “Rufus’s body was failing.” The memories flashed through her mind, bringing all the fear back in a rush. “I wasn’t thinking, I felt the necklace against my chest. And so I made a wish. It took a second but he began to breathe again and when his eyes opened—”

  “They were white,” Kano finished the sentence.

  “So,” Saskia muttered, “that necklace wasn’t just a fashion accessory…”

  “I didn’t know what it was, all the Sorcerer said was that it would save my life. He failed to mention the price of using it though.” Anja knew now that the old man had been telling the truth—because by saving Rufus’s life, he had saved hers.

  Rufus spoke, his voice weak,

  “So… does this mean I’m a Sorcerer now?”

  Kano was the first to answer. “Yes,” he said. “I think it does.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  She woke up to the smell of bacon. It brought back memories of Bacon Sundays at the orphanage.

  Anja took her time getting out of bed. She still wasn’t used to the fact that she was even able to rise. Her body may have been healed, but her mind was still hurting.

  Her emotions burned inside her. She could feel them engulfing her heart and spreading throughout her body. There are moments we realise we’re more broken than we acknowledge. This is one of those moments. What she really wanted was action. She wanted to see the people who’d hurt Rufus, suffer. She wasn’t prepared to sit back and let the government get away with what they’d done to her brother. At that moment Anja finally understood why Rufus had written the article. He was making the government accountable for what they’d done. His voice could make a difference, so he’d fought for people to hear it.

  She headed downstairs and found Saskia softly singing while she cooked. Pots and pans littered the small counter. Saskia’s hair was tied into a messy bun on the top of her head. Her pink dress was dotted with stains.

  She stopped singing when she noticed Anja. “I thought we deserved something nice to celebrate finding Rufus.” Her smile warmed the room. She turned back to the eggs and began stirring the bigger pot, containing a large quantity of baked beans.

  “Smells amazing.” Anja grinned, relieved to find her friend in such high spirits after the stress of the week.

  “Will you grab the salt from the cupboard?”

  Anja shrugged and crossed to the pantry, opening the door and stepping into the small room. She screamed, jumping back against the wall, scraping her shoulder against it as adrenaline rushed through her body.

  Miles clutched his chest as he laughed. “I made you jump!” he cried. “I’ve been waiting for months to get you back.”

  Anja turned to find Saskia in the doorway, laughing along with Miles.

  “He’s been hiding in there for half an hour waiting for you.”

  Miles replied by sticking out his tongue.

  * * *

  After they’d all eaten the feast Saskia had prepared, most of the group retreated from the main room. Faye began washing up while Anja just stood there with dirty plates in her hand. It took Faye a second to notice. She turned and gave Anja a pointed look.

  “Spit it out.”

  “What do you know about Sorcerer’s powers?”

  Faye dried a mug as she spoke, half distracted. “I know that they take energy from the earth and manipulate it. But don’t go asking me to explain what is happening to your brother, because that shit is confusing.”

  “And what about the actual Sorcerers?”

  “I think that some were dangerous, but just because there were a few bad ones doesn’t mean that they all should be punished for it.” Faye paused, then said quietly, “I sound like my parents.” She shook her head.

  Anja didn’t know what she meant by that. She started to ask but was interrupted when a knock sounded on the barn door.

  Faye spun around. “Damn it, the gun is in the other room.”

  The barn door was shoved open. Faye grabbed a plastic knife from the side, holding it out in front of her. She didn’t lower it even when Jabez entered.

  He held his head high as he viewed the two girls in front of him. “Am I meant to be scared of a plastic knife?” His chuckle was low, mocking.

  Anja moved around Faye. “I wouldn’t be worried about what the knife can do,” she said, “but the person holding it.”

  Jabez stopped, unsure of himself for the first time.

  “Why are you back here?” Anja asked him. “I thought you and Kano agreed that you would stay away.”

  “I’m not a fan of being told what to do,” he snapped back. But he quickly caught himself, lightening his voice. “I wanted to check on how you were doing.”

  Faye scoffed.

  “Well, I’m fine. Thanks,” Anja replied.

  At that moment Rufus appeared from the small bathroom. He stopped, his eyes widening as he saw Jabez, then flicking down to make sure his zipper was up.

  Jabez coughed, “I brought you a burner phone so you can contact me, and a new laptop.” He held out the phone and a laptop bag. Anja rushed to take them.

  “Thank you so much.” The weight of the laptop bag felt familiar in her hand.

  She was close enough to get a chance to look at Jabez properly. His lips were bent into a smile, but unlike Kano, it didn’t light up his entire face.

  Stop comparing him to Kano, she told herself sternly.

  Kano’s voice rang out behind her, making her jump, “Ah, another surprise visit.”

  “I was just here to give you a way of contacting me.”

  Rufus chuckled. “He means he’s here to give Anja his phone number.”

  Jabez frowned. “I think it’s time for me to go.”

  “Yes, please leave so we can talk about you,” said Rufus cheerfully.

  Jabez turned and left, his cheeks red.

  The second the door shut Anja spun around to face her brother. “What the hell was that?”

  “A joke,” he shot back, smiling. “Or the truth. It was both really.”

  “It was embarrassing, that’s what it was.”

  “Don’t act like you aren’t aware that he likes you. You’re not stupid, sis.”

  Looking back, Anja had been aware for some time that Jabez was interested in her, but she hadn’t given it much thought. She’d been too preoccupied with everything going on. She shook her head but passed no comment.

  “We should go through the plan,” Kano said, and Anja nodded her agreement. Kano
had a different type of power to Jabez, one that came with respect. One that was not commanded, but built.

  There I go again, comparing them.

  Kano had already begun to form a basic plan in his head from his prior knowledge of the Husington Tower. He called everyone into the room before he explained the plan to them. He’d had a friend who’d worked there and so he knew the basic facts about how it all worked, but they needed Anja to hack her way in to obtain more information.

  * * *

  She used the next few days to find out what time the building was open, how many employees would be working on a weekend, where the guards patrolled, and the layout of the floors.

  Even though Jabez had told them to stay at the barn, he hadn’t factored in food. The food supply that Kano and Saskia had brought back from the market had dwindled to almost nothing.

  They ate scattered around the barn because the table was full of papers that contained scribbled plans. Anja and Rufus were sitting on the stairs. For the first time in days, they weren’t talking about breaking the law or theorising about his powers.

  “Do you think Willow is okay?” Rufus asked, moving his food around with his fork, his hand trembling.

  “No, I don’t. I think that she’ll be confused that we’ve been ignoring her. She must have figured out that something is wrong by now,” Anja replied. “I can’t decide if it’s better if she hears about us being on the run or hears nothing.” Her attention shifted onto her empty plate and her still-empty stomach.

  She was lost in thought when Rufus’s plate clattered down the steps. She spun around to look at her brother. He was gasping for breath, his face red and his eyes glowing. His hands clutched his throat.

  “Rufus!” she screamed, lunging towards her brother. His eyes flickered shut and he slumped against the wall.

  Kano appeared at the bottom of the stairs a few moments later, with Miles right behind him. They both rushed to grab Rufus’s arms and lowered him onto the floor.

  Anja’s hands were shaking from pure, ice-cold terror at the sight of her brother lying on the ground.

  Kano was talking, his voice urgent. Miles was nodding and looking down in fear. The two boys kneeled next to Rufus while Anja stood at the bottom of the steps, hands clasped around herself to keep them steady.

  Kano moved to her side. His voice cutting through her worries. “He’s breathing. I think he suffocated himself somehow. But he should recover soon.”

  She collapsed into his arms. He whispered reassuring words, his chin resting on the top of her head. “He’ll be okay.” She pulled away.

  Anja crouched beside her brother. She spoke his name over and over, her hand holding tightly to his.

  After a few more slow seconds ticked by, Rufus finally responded with a light squeeze of her hand.

  He suddenly lurched upright.

  His eyes were glowing white.

  Miles swore and stumbled backwards, almost falling over. Kano leant forward and Anja sat staring, her heart hammering in her chest.

  Rufus lifted his hands, raising them in front of his face. They were shining, white light all around them.

  Then the light disappeared.

  No one spoke for a few seconds. At last, Rufus muttered, “Can someone help me up? I want to go and lie down.”

  Kano was there in an instant. He supported Rufus up the stairs and into the bedroom opposite Anja’s.

  Anja was shaking. Saskia ran over and pulled her into an embrace.

  Her voice cracked, “If he is a…” She couldn’t bring herself to say it. “Then it’s my fault. He didn’t get a choice in the matter, I made a decision that will affect him and everyone around him for the rest of his life and he didn’t get a say.” Anja let go of Saskia and wrapped her arms around herself. Tears streaming down her face.

  Faye cut in, “Then ask him.”

  “What?”

  “Go upstairs right now and ask him what he would have wanted you to do. It’s better than sobbing about it like a baby.”

  Miles stepped back to allow Anja to make her way to her brother. Their voices faded behind her.

  As she was reaching out to open the door, it was pulled open from the other side by Kano. He stepped forward and stopped when he saw her.

  Anja stared down at her feet. “Don’t tell me I look like a mess, I already know.”

  “Maybe you do, but you don’t make it look bad.” She looked up to see him grinning at her. He reached forward and brushed the tear tracks from her cheeks, before stepping aside to make space for her to enter the room.

  Rufus was lying on top of his sofa bed, a pillow supporting his head.

  He glanced at her, “It took you a long time to come check on me. Too distracted flirting with Kano?”

  She ignored him. “I think the necklace transferred its power into you.”

  “I know,” He fiddled with his hair, his mouth twisted into a cheeky smirk. “It’s pretty damn awesome.”

  Anja shoved her brother’s shoulder. “This is serious.”

  “Yeah, seriously awesome.”

  Anja rolled her eyes. “I need to ask you if you think I did the right thing by using the necklace to heal you.”

  Rufus’s face went slack. He pushed himself up. “Why are you asking me this?”

  “I need to know.”

  He paused. “Of course,” he said. “I would have done the same if the situation had been reversed.”

  Anja let out the breath she had been holding. Next thing she knew, she was hugging him, so tight she could have crushed his ribs if he hadn’t pushed her off. “I’m not a hugger,” he complained, but the grin was back on his face.

  “Tell me what you see when you use your powers.” Anja moved nearer to Rufus so she could catch every word he said.

  He stopped, his mind figuring out how to put the experience into words. “It’s like every nerve in my body is on fire.” Anja’s eyes widened. “But in a good way.” He stumbled to add, “I feel alive with energy. I can feel the ground beneath my feet, the air around me. But not like normal, I can sense the atoms in everything shifting. I don’t need to see anything because I can feel it. Right before I lost consciousness I was playing with the air, I could sense the molecules. Then I just couldn’t breathe.” Rufus looked at his sister. “Well, say something, and stop looking at me like I’m crazy.”

  “That’s really weird, Rufus.”

  “Yeah, tell me about it.”

  “Well, I’d appreciate it if you would stop messing around with air, it scared the shit out of me.”

  Rufus laughed. “I’ll try. It’s a good thing Kano was there, unlike you, he’s good in stressful situations.”

  She stuck her tongue out at him before making her way downstairs.

  She found Kano almost straight away. Anja lifted her weight onto her toes and kissed his cheek. He looked almost as shocked as she felt.

  “Thank you,” she muttered, before joining the others who were clustered around the table. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Miles giving Kano a wink from across the room.

  No one was saying anything, so Anja spoke first, “Have you come to a conclusion about what’s happening to Rufus yet?” Her cheeks were still flushed.

  Miles replied, stepping forward. “We are going to monitor him for any more signs of magic and see what happens. I’m not sure what we’ll do after that, but knowing Kano he’ll have a plan. He already looked into some signs of powers…”

  Kano nodded, his eyes still unfocused. Anja found herself smiling at how much the kiss had distracted him. He stood up straight and approached the table.

  “How did he heal the bullet wound?” Saskia asked.

  Kano answered her. “He didn’t really heal it but passed it on. It doesn’t look like his powers are as strong as the Sorcerers during the war. And I really don’t understand it, I just know that it all goes back to that special flower.”

  Saskia frowned. “Let me get this right… The plant they snacked on connects them
to natural elements.” Kano and Faye nodded. “So that makes them like a bridge between humans and the earth.”

  One of the steps on the stairs behind them creaked and everyone’s heads snapped around. Rufus stood there, looking like a mischievous child caught in the act.

  “Oops.” He chuckled.

  Anja gave her brother a fuming look, “How long have you been there?”

  “I don’t know, I wasn’t timing it,” he retorted, before turning to Saskia. “So, I’m a magical bridge?”

  Saskia smiled sweetly. “That’s what it seems like.”

  “Maybe I should get ‘magical bridge between two worlds’ tattooed on my forehead, there’s got to be a lot of street cred in that.”

  “Well, if you do, I’ll point you towards the best tattoo shops.” Saskia winked.

  Somehow, they’d gone through the entire conversation without ever actually calling Rufus a Sorcerer and no one seemed willing to be the first to say it. They moved back to the plans for the Husington Tower and left the subject of Rufus’s powers behind.

  Chapter Nineteen

  “Nope,” huffed Faye as she leaned over Anja, watching as she tried to pick the bathroom’s lock. “You’re doing it wrong.”

  This had been going on for a while, with Anja growing increasingly frustrated at her snarky comments. She had asked Faye to teach her how to pick locks. Faye had refused at first, but Anja was determined. She needed something to fill the time with and she’d always thought lockpicking sounded pretty cool. It had taken her a long time but finally, Faye agreed.

  Faye continued to taunt her as she worked.

  “How come you can get through firewalls but you can’t get through a door?”

  “It’s not the same thing,” she snapped, stopping to shake out her hand.

  Faye passed her another lockpick, this one in the shape of an M, or perhaps a W.

  “If you can’t unlock it with this then you truly suck.”

  She tried the new lock pick but was interrupted by Rufus appearing. “Are you going to take much longer? I need to take a piss.”

  “Go do it in a bush or something,” Faye retorted before returning to criticising Anja’s attempts.