Real Love

by Sophie Martin

  The class went well, despite the interruption. The kids had been engrossed in the story of times old gone, and Jack felt the satisfaction of a job well done when some of his more eager students stayed to ask about more literature on the subject. Jack gave several copies of a list he had prepared just in case. He loved that his students were so hungry for knowledge. The kids filed out of the classroom one by one until only the new boy was left. He was gathering his things slowly, and Jack had a feeling he wanted to avoid other kids. Jack was glad for that. He had wanted to talk to the boy, and now he had his chance.

  “Brian, right?” he asked, approaching the boy.

  “Um, yes, sir. I’m Brian Cartwright.”

  “It’s nice to meet you, Brian. My name is Jack Robinson and, as you probably guessed, I’m your history teacher.”

  “Yes, Mr. Robinson, it was pretty obvious from the lecture,” the kid said, and though his voice sounded even, Jack detected a hint of sarcasm there, but he let it go. Still, he kept his eyes trained on Brian, and the boy started to squirm. “Um, I’m really sorry for being late, Mr. Robinson. I swear it won’t happen again,” the boy assured him. This time, there was only sincerity in his voice. “I wouldn’t want to miss the lecture, it was fascinating, and I’ve never liked history before,” Brian blurted out and then his eyes grew large. “Um, I don’t mean there’s anything wrong with history or anything. It’s just never been my thing.”

  “Relax, Brian.” Jack chuckled and lifted his hands in a placating gesture. “I know what you mean. We’re all different and like different things. I bet you’ve got subjects that you like most,” he added, trying to get the kid to relax.

  “Yeah, I like science, especially physics, and chemistry.” The boy nodded.

  “And that’s perfectly fine.” Jack smiled, and the kid finally relaxed. “And I didn’t come to talk to you about being late although I hope it won’t happen again.”

  “I swear it won’t!” the boy said, and Jack knew he was sincere. “What did you want to talk to me about if not being late, Mr. Robinson?”

  “Yes, well…” Jack paused and thought about how to put his thoughts without sounding creepy. “I know you’ve moved here with your family after your mother died. I know you’re getting counseling, and the school has an excellent counselor as well. I just wanted to let you know that I understand sometimes there are things that other people, even professionals, might not understand or not believe. If you ever feel like there is something that you can’t share with them, I’m here for you, and I’ll gladly hear you out. I might understand what others don’t. I just want you to remember that, okay? If there is ever a problem you feel no one else can help you with, I’m here, and I’ll help.” There, that was cryptic enough not to betray he knew they were both paranormals and hopefully obvious enough that the boy understood. Brian watched him for a moment, his eyes narrowed. Without sniffing him, Jack couldn’t know what the boy thought. Finally, he nodded and answered.

  “I’ll keep that in mind, Mr. Robinson.”

  Jack smiled and nodded, gesturing for Brian to leave the classroom. Hopefully, the kid caught the hidden meaning and would come to Jack when he started experiencing the side effects. Having done all he could, Jack gathered his notes, grabbed his mug, and went to the teachers’ lounge to get some coffee before his next lesson.

  Chapter Two

  “How was school today, Brian?” Lucas asked as they sat to a late dinner. Ruby was already in bed, after yet another doctor’s appointment. His daughter was feeling progressively worse, and nobody knew what was wrong with her. All her tests results came back fine, and the doctors were stumped. With each passing day, Lucas was more worried.

  “Fine,” his son answered, and immediately asked, “How was Ruby’s appointment?” It warmed Lucas’s heart to see the love between his children. He only wished he could build an equally strong bond with the two of them.

  “The doctor ordered some more tests. Hopefully, they’ll find out what’s wrong with her soon.” Soon after the move, Lucas’s twelve-year-old daughter started suffering some health issues, and they’d been going from one doctor to another with no one the wiser as to the cause of it. Lucas was grateful he just took a spoonful of his curry when he heard Brian’s next words. The food in his mouth prevented him from saying something rash.

  “What if they don’t? What if I’m right and it’s one of mother’s spells? The doctors can’t fight magic, can they?” The kids weren’t dealing with the loss of their mother very well. Brian sunk even deeper into his goth-emo-heavy-metal persona and became more insufferable than ever. Ruby Rose seemed to deal with her mother’s loss by demonizing the deceased woman. Both children were meeting a psychologist regularly as Lucas had no clue as to how to help them. And bless the woman for her effort. The therapist told Lucas that the children pretending their mother had been an evil witch wasn’t anything to worry about. That it was merely one of the ways a child could deal with the stress of losing a parent. Lucas was grateful. He hadn’t known how to react the first time his kids started insisting their mother had been a witch who had put a spell on Lucas. The psychologist’s explanation gave him a small measure of relief

  Lucas chewed his curry slowly, trying to gather last threads of his patience. It wasn’t working. He knew what the psychologist said, but Lucas had had enough. It couldn’t be healthy for his children to live in this fantasyland instead of dealing with the reality of their mother’s death.

  “Brian,” Lucas said slowly in a very calm voice. “There are no such things as witches and magic. It’s all superstitions. Your mother wasn’t a witch, and she didn’t put a spell on Ruby. I know your sister believes that your mother was a witch, but you’re older and should be smarter than that. I don’t think indulging her fantasies will do Ruby any good.” There, he was proud of his calm reasoning. Maybe it would finally get through to his stubborn son.

  “God, you are so stubborn,” his son said in a voice tired and angry at once. He sounded as if it was Lucas who was being unreasonable, and Brian had to deal with him. “You will never believe us, will you? Mother was a witch, and she did put a love spell on you. I thought that was why you never cared for us and left us with her all the time, but I begin to suspect I was wrong. Her spell should have died with her, yet you still cling to the idolized image of her, the spell had implanted in you. You won’t listen to us. You won’t believe us. You won’t even consider the possibility that magic is what’s hurting Ruby, even though no doctor can find the cause of her health problems.” The longer Brian spoke, the angrier his voice became, and Lucas started suspecting he had made a mistake. Instead of Brian shaking off his delusions, they seemed to strengthen. Maybe it was time for a change in strategy.

  “Okay then, you say your mother was a witch and had magic. Prove it to me. Prove that magic is real, and I will believe you.”

  “Aaaargh!” his son shouted and threw his hands in the air. “It was Mother who was a witch. I am not. Ruby has magic as well, but she’s too ill now to use it. And even if she did, even if we showed you magic, you still wouldn’t believe us, would you? You’d just find a different explanation!” Lucas said nothing, but Brian apparently noticed the truth in his expression.

  “You’re hopeless, Dad. I really hope that whatever is wrong with Ruby isn’t caused by magic. God knows I wish we were all regular humans and magic wasn’t real. But it is and you failing to believe us might endanger us all!” Brian stood up and snatched his bowl and fork. “I’m going to my room.” Lucas opened his mouth to say something, but Brian interrupted him. “I will do the dishes when I’m done, don’t worry.” Then he stalked out of the room. Lucas sighed. He really sucked at parenting. Not for the first time since his wife’s death, he thought about how he had ended here.

  While in college, Lucas was a player. Then he met a guy and they had this whirlwind romance. They were going steady. Being bisexual but always more attracted to his own sex, Lucas had never thought he’d end up having children
. Not that he regretted it. He didn’t. He loved his son and daughter more than anything. But he never understood why he had cheated on his then boyfriend. Lucas believed in monogamy, yet he cheated on someone he thought he loved. Somehow though Ariana stole his heart, and then she got pregnant. It all happened so fast that sometimes Lucas wondered how it was possible. And now here he was, a widower with a couple of children, struggling to make sense of his life.

  Lucas snorted and shook his head. There was no point thinking what-if. He was a father and he had obligations. One of which was checking his email and finding out about his job.

  * * * *

  Several weeks after meeting Brian, Jack still hadn’t heard from the boy. He hoped it meant the side effects hadn’t kicked in and the kid and his family were fine. He didn’t hold much hope for that, however. As if brought by his thoughts, the boy in question stopped Jack in the school parking lot.

  “Um, excuse me, Mr. Robinson? Can I talk to you?” Brian asked, looking fidgety and nervous. Jack said goodbye to one of his co-workers and waited for her to leave before turning to the boy.

  “Of course, Brian, what did you want to talk to me about?” he asked, afraid that he knew the answer.

  “Um, you said if I ever needed someone to talk to, that you would listen? That you might believe me when others won’t?” The boy’s statements sounded more like questions.

  “Yes, have you got something you want to discuss?”

  “Yes, but not here. Can we go somewhere more private?” Brian looked extremely nervous. Jack felt for the boy. If what he suspected was true and the side effects were kicking in, it must have been a hard decision on the kid’s part to come and talk to Jack about it.

  “There’s this little coffee shop just around the corner. We can talk there if that’s all right?” Jack asked.

  “Yeah, that would be fine.” Brian sighed but didn’t relax. Jack led the kid to the coffee shop, and they chose a quiet table in the corner. After ordering some tea and cake and waiting for them to be served, Jack sat back in his chair, observing Brian discreetly. The kid was tall for his age and rather skinny. He had mocha-coloured skin and big brown eyes. He wore his hair in long dreadlocks, and Jack thought he saw a hint of black eyeliner on him. Brian also painted his nails black, Jack noticed. Always seeing him in school uniform, Jack couldn’t be sure, but he suspected Brian might be a fan of heavy metal or similar kind of music. Brian took a sip of his tea and fidgeted in his seat.

  “My mother was a witch,” he suddenly blurted out.

  “Yes, I suspected that much. Well, not your mother specifically, but one of your parents anyway. That’s how most witches are born, with at least one witch parent,” Jack said calmly and sipped his tea.

  “So, you believe me.” Brian sighed. “You’re a witch, too.”

  “Yes, I believe you, and no, I’m not a witch. I’m a cuberow shifter.”

  “A what?” Brian’s face scrunched in thought, and Jack had a sudden feeling that this conversation was going to be even more challenging than he had thought.

  “A cuberow shifter. Cuberow is an Abyssinian wolf. You know what a shifter is, right?”

  “Um, no. Do you mean like in Harry Potter? A witch who can turn into an animal?” Oh, wow, the situation was even worse than he suspected.

  “No, Brian. A shifter is a person with the ability to change into an animal at will. Just like you were born a witch, I was born a shifter. It is not something one can learn, even if they have magic,” Jack explained.

  “I don’t understand. And I’m not a witch. My mother was. My sister, Ruby, is one as well, but I’m not.” Jack frowned at the boy’s answer. Brian’s scent very strongly indicated that the boy was a witch, but Jack wasn’t going to argue with him on that. They had more important things to discuss.

  “I guess your father isn’t a witch, either?” Jack asked.

  “No.” Brian grimaced, and Jack detected a hint of anger in the boy’s scent. “My dad is entirely human and doesn’t believe in witches and magic.”

  “I see.” That complicated their situation considerably. “And your mother didn’t teach you about different kinds of paranormals?”

  “No, she didn’t teach me anything. She said I was a disgrace and disappointment because I wasn’t a witch. She taught my sister about magic, though. Ruby Rose told me all that she’d learned from Mother. There was nothing about paranormals in there.”

  “Parents these days, I swear,” Jack muttered to himself with disgust. He looked up and saw Brian’s jaw drop. Yeah, he bet the kid was surprised at his outburst. Jack was fed up, though. It was every paranormal parent’s duty to teach their children about their world. Lately, however, Jack had met way too many paranormals who knew not nearly enough about what should have been common knowledge to them. Jack sighed quietly, then went to explain. “Look, witches are not the only paranormals out there. You’ve got shifters, people who can turn into animals at will.”

  “Like werewolves?” Brian nearly squeaked then cleared his throat to hide it.

  “Yes, but they don’t like to be called that. It is considered rude. The proper term is a wolf-shifter. There are different kinds, though, I’m a cuberow like I said, an Abyssinian wolf. There are tigers, seals, and many, many others. Then you’ve got vampires. They’re not all bloodsucking monsters, and they’re not sparkly. They do drink blood, but they can come out in sunlight as well. There are also fey, demons, and others.” Jack finished and took a bite of his cake, giving Brian time to process what he said.

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?” Brian asked quietly.

  “Yes, Brian, I am deadly serious. That’s how I knew you were a witch. Shifters generally have better senses even when in human form. You smell like a witch.”

  “Oh,” was Brian’s only answer. He seemed to mull it over in his head. “So, is that why you said what you did to me that day? Because you knew I was paranormal?

  “Yes and no. But we came here because you said you had something to discuss with me. Let’s talk about it first, then I’ll tell you the reason behind what I said.”

  “Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Brian sighed and clenched his jaw. “I came to you because I thought you’re a witch, though. If you aren’t, then I don’t see how you can help me.”

  “Let’s not jump to conclusions, shall we?” Jack noticed the tension in the kid’s posture. Something was bothering him, and it had to be something bad. “I just proved to you I possess knowledge about paranormals that you don’t. I might still be able to help you, even though I’m not a witch. And if I can’t it doesn’t mean I’ll leave you without options. There’s a powerful witch who’s a part of my pack. If I can’t help you, then I’m sure he can.” Jack said it all in a calm, comforting tone. He really wanted to help Brian, but it seemed like the kid was ready to balk.

  “What’s a pack?” Brian asked curiously, and Jack had to hide his smile. Brian was an intelligent boy and eager to learn. Jack saw no indication of the troubled boy he had been warned about. He started to suspect that there was more to the kid’s problematic family relationships than just his mother dying. Focusing back on the conversation they were having, Jack answered.

  “I promise I’ll explain it all later, but why don’t you tell me what’s wrong now. What did you need my help with?”

  “You’re right, sorry.” Brian shook his head then focused on Jack. “As you know, my dad, sister, and I moved here after my mother died, a couple months ago. Soon after that, my sister, Ruby Rose, got sick. It wasn’t anything serious at first, just tiredness and some headaches. Lately, it’s gotten worse, however. She can barely function now. She gets those intense headaches, nausea. She’s exhausted and irritated. She stopped going to school. Dad takes her to one doctor after another, but nobody knows what’s wrong with her.” The kid’s intense gaze bore into Jack. Brian’s fists were clenched where he rested them on the tabletop, and his lips were pursed in a stubborn grimace. “That’s why I suspect it isn’t anything m
edical that is wrong with her. I believe it is a spell. My mother had always been jealous of Ruby’s magic. I wouldn’t put it past her to cast a spell on Ruby when she was dying. That woman was a quintessence of an evil witch.” Brian finished his short speech and looked at Jack expectantly. Jack was grim. The very thing they had feared was happening, and the news of Brian’s mother left Jack reeling. Brian took Jack’s lack of response as disbelief because he said.

  “You don’t believe me. I knew it!” the kid was saying, getting up from the table. “You say one thing but do another. I bet all you told me about shifters and stuff is a lie, too!”

  Jack gathered his composure then and caught the kid’s wrist. He looked up at Brian, who was tall for his age at five eight.

  “I was surprised and didn’t know what to say. That doesn’t mean I don’t believe you.” Then he let his annoyance show as his eyes flashed and his teeth elongated. “And while I understand your frustration, I will not tolerate disrespect. Not only am I your teacher, but also an adult and experienced paranormal. You may not understand pack hierarchy, it is something we’ll need to remedy, but I am of higher standing than an inexperienced, young witch like yourself. I deserve your respect for all the above reasons.” There was a little growl to his voice by the time he finished, and Brian’s eyes widened as he watched him. The kid gulped audibly.

  “I understand, and apologize,” he quickly answered. Jack took a quick sniff to discern that the boy was sincere, then let it go.

  “Apology accepted,” he said, releasing the kid’s wrist. “Now sit and listen to what I’ve got to say.” Jack waited until Brian took his seat. He took a deep breath and massaged the bridge of his nose, feeling a tension headache coming. Finally, he looked back at the boy’s worried face. “I’m sorry for my lack of reaction to what you said. I was shocked with what you told me. And a bit surprised that you were talking about your mother like that.” Jack raised his hand to stop Brian who was about to say something. “I’m not saying you don’t have a right to your opinion. From what I’ve learned, witches in general aren’t the most trustworthy of paranormals. I understand your mother was one of the bad ones. But back to the point.” Jack took another deep breath and focused solely on Brian. “I’m not going to lie. You won’t like what I’ve got to say. And as much as it pains me, there is no simple solution.” Then, Jack proceeded to explain all about alpha territory clause.