by Jessa Ford
“But how would I know for sure? I mean without having another Reading?” Cora began to doubt any magic hid itself within her. She would surely have known. Her parents would have known. Even though magic was rare, it wasn’t avoidable. You could feel it in the air, and it made your skin tingle to be too near it. “There are tests apart from the Reading which would be obvious. If you pass those we’ll begin training you,” Dari answered coolly, as if Cora had simply asked about the weather. “When would you test me?” “It should be immediately,” Dari stated. “Right, okay, so when I get to work, or after, or when should I meet you?” Cora asked, mentally rearranging her schedule. Dari chuckled to herself. “I’m afraid I won’t be very hands on, my dear.” “But I…” Cora began. “Xavier is quite capable,” Dari waved her hand toward her assistant.
Both Cora and Xave started talking at once and Dari held up her hand. “I’ve made up my mind. It would raise suspicion if I suddenly begin spending so much with you, especially after you’re turning down your Reading. They’ll have their eye on you now.” Xave nodded, but Cora was not convinced. “Can’t we just do it here when I’m at work?” Dari simply smiled. “I’m afraid what we’ll be doing is much better suited to a location without the possibility of an audience. Plus, you need to appear as normal as usual. Working with Xavier will make it seem as if you two struck up a friendship, having met here at work.” Cora stifled a groan.
Dari looked at both Time Benders standing in front of her, their faces partially hidden due to the faint light the narrow aisle provided. “Today,” Dari said and Xave nodded. He tore a small piece of paper from a notebook, wrote something, and handed it to Cora. “My address, be there at 7:00.” When she looked up from the paper he was gone. “I’m never going to get used to that,” Cora looked around while Dari smiled. “You’d be surprised.” The old woman stood and placed a hand on Cora’s shoulder, “We’re all much more capable than we initially believe ourselves to be. Don’t forget that.” She, too, disappeared in the blink of an eye.
✽✽✽
Cora couldn’t go back to her room. She felt as if she was in a fog. The library even felt different than it did before her big revelation. She couldn’t focus on reading anything from her books. Instead, she wandered its empty halls. She eventually found herself in the basement where Dari kept old newspaper prints. Cora scanned the old Telgrian Times articles dating back to the date of Nikol Delmarno’s defeat. The photo was a grainy image of a man in a suit. She didn’t recognize where he was and she couldn’t make out any details of his face other than his dark hair and dark brows. The article itself gave no photos or physical description of Eldri Arafo, further cementing her status as a legendary hero. If what Xave, Dari, and Martin thought was true, Cora figured she needed to learn as much about Nikol Delmarno as possible. She read furiously until it was time to leave.
At 7:00 sharp Cora stepped off the trolley and walked a few blocks to the address she’d memorized earlier. She arrived at a small brown house, a cottage being the more accurate term. The house stood a few feet back from its neighbors, making it easy to miss if you weren't seeking it out. She imagined Xave preferred it that way. The front was covered with ivy, and next to the door was a small window almost impossible to discern beneath the ivy. Cora knocked twice on the faded white door and stepped back. Before she set her foot down, Xave answered the door and motioned for Cora to enter.
The inside of the house was just as small as the exterior. A tiny kitchen adorned one corner, along with a small table, two chairs, and some shelves lining an adjacent wall. They were so full of books Cora was surprised they hadn’t fallen to the ground. To her left she noticed a door slightly ajar and made out the shape of a bed. It suddenly dawned on her that Xave lived alone. In any other circumstance it would be unheard of for her to be there unchaperoned. If word got out she was spending evenings alone with him her reputation would take on even further damage. As if it could get any worse now, she thought to herself, and shook the idea from her mind.
“Let’s begin,” Xave motioned for her to sit at the table. “Hello to you, too,” Cora muttered under her breath. If Xave heard her, he ignored it. “The first thing we have to do is determine if you truly have a gift for time bending.” “And how do we do that?” Cora had to admit, even if it was Xave, she was intrigued. “I’m going to slow down time. Anyone who isn’t a Time Bender won’t notice the difference, but another Time Bender will sense it if they’re in the same area.” “But...how will I know? I mean haven’t you and Dari already been using your gifts around me?” “You either will or you won’t. The thing is, you have to be open to the idea of using your magical gift. It’s kind of like opening a mental floodgate. If nothing happens, you can go home. If you see a difference, we continue. You wouldn’t have known to be open to anything before, so even if you have magical blood, it was kind of dormant. It’s rare, but it isn’t unfathomable. You would have never had a reason to consider magic, so you wouldn't have tried to tap into it.” Xave shrugged, and picked up a bowl full of fruit from the middle of the table.
“Just relax and concentrate. Try to clear your mind.” Xave lifted the bowl of fruit above his head as Cora took a deep breath. Let yourself see the magic, she repeated in her head while she waited for something to happen. “What are you…” Cora began, as she watched Xave turn over the bowl to drop the contents on the floor. Then something happened. Cora’s skin buzzed and she pushed her chair back to stand, her mouth agape. She saw the fruit suspended in air, moving ever so slowly toward the floor. She reached to touch an apple and found she could pull it from the air, but it moved with some resistance, as if through a thick liquid. “What did you do?” Cora was sure she looked as shocked as she felt. Her hand shook as she pulled the apple toward her. Xave stood with his arms crossed, and smiled as he watched her move and reposition the fruit. “So, it appears Dari was correct,” he mused and let the fruit drop to the floor at once. “How did you do that?” Cora moved to pick up the fruit, but Xave had already replaced the items in the bowl on the table. She had only felt a brief gust of wind where the fruit had been at her feet.
“We’ll begin with the basics. I assume you know the general theories, having read the magical history?” “Y-yes,” Cora sat back down at Xave’s small table and straightened. She was afraid if she let her mind wander she would start to lose her composure. Luckily, it seemed Xave was getting right to it, and left her no time to process. She continued, “Based on what I’ve read, it has to do with magical blood. Those without magical blood have gifts that are part of their dispositions, natural talents, and education. But magical blood is different. It gives you certain powers over things, like wind, light, thought, and time of course.” “That’s correct,” Xave nodded, “but at its core what is time bending?” “I’m not completely sure. It seems like it’s more of a relationship between time and space. I understand on paper, but I have no idea how to that would be applied to anything.” Cora racked her brain for any snippets she’d read about the science behind time bending.
“Okay,” Xave stood and picked up a pear, “you’re correct about the relationship, but it has to do with how we move within time and space. We can feel the connections between the atoms and molecules that make up the space around us. It allows us to predict the space between them and it also gives us control over their movement.” “So, it’s kind of like you bend around time, not bending time itself.” “In a way, yes.” “But how do I see those things? Everything just looks like...well...normal?” “It’s not always something you can see with your eyes. You have to feel it. You have to be open to feeling it, if that make sense,” Xave looked at Cora whose expression was one of deep confusion.
“Okay, how do I explain this...it’s like swimming. If you concentrate too hard you sink, but if you allow yourself to feel how your body moves in the water, you’re able to float near the surface.” “Oh,” Cora looked down and bit her lip, “you should probably know I don’t swim well.” She offered a lopsided sm
ile. Xave sighed, “Perhaps this will take longer than I anticipated.” He continued to explain the intricacies of accessing magical gifts. “You’ll feel a slight buzz each time your magic is used. Use that feeling and try to focus on what you’re asking your magic to do. If you want to slow time, you need to think of slowing down everything around you. You won’t feel like you’re moving any slower, but you’ll notice the reactions of everything around you has slowed. Try it with the pear.” Xave held the fruit out for Cora.
Cora held the pear in front of her and closed her eyes. She slowed her breathing and tried to picture everything in Xave’s small home. She saw him sitting next to her at the table, his long legs stretched out and resting against her chair legs. She saw the rest of the fruit in the bowl: the apple she’d pulled from the air, and some oranges. She pictured the books haphazardly placed on his shelves. She imagined she could reach for everything at once. Then she felt a tingle in her arms. She gasped, but held onto the feeling. She felt as it travelled up her arms, through her core, and finally all over. As the feeling moved, she swore she could almost hear a buzzing in her ears. She took a deep breath and imagined she was holding onto all of the objects in the room at once. Then she opened her eyes and took a step.
Xave watched as Cora stood, eyes closed and motionless. He had to suppress his reaction to the fact that she was a Time Bender. He wanted so badly for her to fail. She was naïve, and didn’t have the first clue of what danger certainly lay before her. But it didn’t matter; she was in it now. Before long, Xave felt time shift in the room and the corner of his mouth raised. Whether she knew it or not, she was controlling time. She took another step to her right and opened her eyes. When she saw the pear suspended in front of her she gawked at it and lost her hold on the room. The pear fell with a thud which echoed throughout the small space. Xave felt a mix of excitement and dread. It had taken him at least three times to slow time the first time he’d tried to purposely use his gift. Cora had done it at once. “Congratulations,” Xave looked at Cora who still stood staring at the pear at her feet, “you’re a real Time Bender.”
The more Cora practiced and allowed herself to feel her magic, Xave explained, the easier it would be for her to access her ability. First, she needed to clear her mind and picture herself moving objects or moving around objects. She had to visualize not only everything in her space, but even the space that made up objects. It was much more mentally taxing than she would have imagined. After hours of explanations, practicing, and a lot of examples from Xave, Cora could barely keep her eyes open. “What time is it?” she yawned. “1:30,” Xave pointed to the clock on his wall. “1:30?” Cora shot up. “I have to go. I can’t be getting back from your home this late. It’s bad enough I’m here alone, but if someone were to see me…” she trailed off.
Xave watched Cora work herself up, thoroughly amused at the situation. Telgrians were certainly proud of their traditions, no matter how outdated some were. “It won’t be a problem,” he stood to get a coat, which was hanging by the door. “What are you doing? You can’t walk me to the trolley.” Cora hopped in front of the door. Xave raised an eyebrow at her and laughed. “For someone with an exceptional memory, you ignore important details when you let your emotions take over.” “Hm?” It was late and Cora was sure her brain, no matter how adept at retaining information, had reached its limit. “I can get you back to your room in minutes, unseen.” “Right,” Cora let out a breath, “I suppose that will be my new mode of transportation.” “All in good time, no pun intended.” Xave flashed a quick smile, held Cora’s waist, and whisked them out the door. In an instant she arrived back at her door without disturbing anyone. She turned to thank him, but no sooner had he stepped back from her, he was gone.
Cora reached in her pocket for her key and found a small piece of paper folded neatly. She couldn’t imagine how quickly Xave had moved and she had barely noticed it, regardless of her ability to feel when someone tampered with time. She unfolded the paper as she opened her door and what he had written.
Same time tomorrow. X.
Cora beamed. She may be stuck with Xave, but it didn’t matter. She wasn’t Unreadable; she had magical blood, and it would be her ticket out of Starbury.
TWELVE
“So, it’s true,” Dari stepped down from the ladder, skipping to last step to land next to Xave, “She really is a Time Bender?” “Without a doubt,” his face was as serious as always, but concern flashed behind his gray eyes. “She picked up on things tonight that took me weeks to master.” Dari’s face darkened as well. “She needs to learn how to use her gift, and learn quickly.” “Do you really think there is an active threat?” “Xavier,” Dari frowned, “they have her blood from her Reading. As soon as that girl denies her second Reading, they’ll start investigating. She may not have known how to actively access her magic, but the blood won’t lie. We need to be prepared for anything.” Xave knew his mentor was correct. In all the instances he went to find a missing Time Bender, no one appeared. The few times he searched family homes, there was no evidence they even knew the disappeared. Something was happening, and it was targeting Time Benders just like it had in the past.
“Do you really think Juniper Sniels is behind this?” Xave pressed Dari for information and Dari shook her head. “I do and I don’t. All I know is she had access to the Readings and the blood tests. The only way anyone can be sure is by the blood. Either she’s involved or someone is stealing this information from under her, and we both know she’s too clever to let that happen.” They both looked solemnly into the distance and Dari continued, “Train her, Xavier. Make sure she can defend herself. She’s smart enough to start figuring out some things on her own, but it’s our responsibility to ensure she’s safe now.” Xave nodded, surprised by how much the extra burden did not bother him.
✽✽✽
Cora woke up the next day and skipped classes. She told Soph she wasn’t feeling well, and waited until her friend’s footsteps grew faint before she dared to move again. She looked at the pile of books and notes on her small desk, and almost laughed. How ironic that she’d spent hours pouring over books that were really about her. The more she thought about it, the more Cora felt like she didn’t know herself at all. She kept replaying the previous day in her head. The more she thought, the more she spiraled. She pictured Xave, Dari, and Martin’s faces as they discussed the danger that supposedly surrounded them all; danger that now Cora herself was embroiled in.
Cora thought of her parents. How would she tell them? How would they react to the possibility that she could just disappear? Worse, would they be in danger? Was it worth it? Her stomach dropped, because deep down she knew the answers. Cora rushed to her wardrobe and grabbed a sweater. She pulled on a pair of pants and searched for her boots. Pulling her hair back as she ran out the door, Cora rushed to the library. She knew that whatever she was, she wasn’t the kind of person to endanger those she loved. She would endure Starbury to keep her parents safe; she would have to.
When she entered she was relieved to see Xave and Dari behind the information desk. Both turned their attention to Cora and upon seeing her, Dari froze time. Cora shuddered at how she was now so easily perceptive to magic. Before Xave or Dari could speak, Cora began shaking her head and backing away. “I can’t do it,” she looked like she’d seen a ghost, “I can’t get involved in this thing. I can’t use my magic. I don’t know…I don’t even know who I am.” Dari looked at Cora empathetically, and to both the women’s surprise, Xave moved forward and ushered Cora into Dari’s office. He closed the door and Dari released her hold on time. “Cora,” Xave squatted down next to Cora who sat breathing heavily and squeezing her hands into fists. “Cora, take a breath.” He grabbed her hands and it jolted her attention back to him. They both pulled back quickly.
“Look,” Xave met Cora’s eyes, “I can’t say I know how you feel, because I’ve always had knowledge of my gift. What I do know is how isolating it can be. I couldn’t tell anyone abo
ut my gift once I left my mother. Most of the time I thought I’d go crazy.” Cora took a few deep breaths and watched Xave as he spoke. The soft cadence of his voice had a calming effect. He continued, “When Dari pulled me into this very office and told me she knew about my gift I felt like I could finally breathe after years.” “That’s a lovely story, but how exactly does this relate to me?” Cora interrupted. Xave fought the urge to roll his eyes. “For the past few months I’ve been feeling the same way as you. Each time I go to investigate a missing Time Bender, I go to this dark place. I feel helpless, like we aren’t doing enough, or I’m not figuring it out fast enough. I feel like I can’t make a difference.” “So then two of us are in over our heads?” Cora was far from convinced.
“Not anymore. You’re the beginning Cora. We found you before they did. We’re going to keep you safe. I’m going to make sure you know how to use your gift. You aren’t doing this on your own. Dari and I will be with you the entire way. I promise.” Xave looked at her with such conviction she didn’t know how to respond. Instead she shook her head meekly, “I can’t promise you anything, but for now I’ll try.” “It’s the only thing we can do, but at least it’s something.” Xave spoke so quietly Cora wasn’t sure if she was meant to hear it. “If there’s any chance my family is put in danger, I’m out. That’s not something I’m willing to risk.” “Surprisingly, I have a lot of experience with that, too. I’ll support you if it goes that way.” Xave stood up and held out a hand to Cora, “Partners? For now?” Cora hesitated and then stood and took Xave’s hand in hers. She didn’t say anything, but held his hand, thankful to have something to ground her if only for a second.