by Namita Singh
mother says, thrusting the cordless phone in his direction, “Just don’t say anything that may jeopardize your or our situation more. I think you’re wise enough to know what to spill.” My mom smiles indulgently at him.
Neal smiles back though his is a tight lipped smile. He hesitates, looking at the cordless phone, “Does this have international?”
Mother’s smile falters, “Your aunt is not in the country?”
“Uh, no.”
“Okay.” There is a pause.“Shouldn’t you call your parents first?” mother asks, “They are bound to be more worried.”
“Yeah,” I agree, “They still weren’t home when we left the place.”
“Uh…” Neal starts awkwardly, “I live alone.” He blurts.
Mother raises her eyebrows, “Your parents?”
“I, uh…I d-don’t have parents.” He stutters. Mother and I wear identical faces of shock at this. Before we can say anything, Neal carries on, “I need to call my aunt. She is not too far. She is just in Poland…I think.”
“You think?” I ask, raising my eyebrows.
Before tonight, Neal was just an arrogant kid with enough rich parents and who has a witty way with words. Now he is some sort of a suspicious fortune teller with no parents and a vague aunt whose whereabouts he isn’t sure of. I am seriously starting to wonder if anything at all assumed by me about my partner is true.
“Okay,” mother interrupts. She fishes with the pocket of her skirt and takes out her cellphone, “You can call from this.” She hands over the mobile phone to Neal. “Do you…uh, know the number?”
“Yeah. My aunt makes sure I have her accessible numbers at all time.” Neal answers, making me feel slightly reprieved with this revelation. At least he and his aunt are not totally ignorant of each other. “I remember the number by heart.” He mumbles, taking the phone from my mother. He dials the number, but doesn’t press the call button. He warily looks up. Both, mother and I are watching him like a hawk. I realize how awkward it must be for him. Watching a bunch of humans turning into monsters, forced into unconsciousness, getting up in an unknown house, being interrogated and now having people towering over him while he is making a call to his only family.
“Uh,” he falters, “May I talk in private?” He asks in a low voice.
“Everybody will be able to hear you anywhere in this house.” I tell him honestly.
He again wears a bewildered look but decides not to question it. He is about to press the call button when Rome lets out a blood curdling scream.
“Who is that?” Neal asks, grimacing and looking at my mother.
Mother sighs, “He is a family member. He is a mental therian…I believe he is acting this way because of…” she looks at me for confirmation.
“Because of?” Neal asks.
“Because of you.” I tell him, nodding at mother.
Neal’s face contorts with confusion some more but he just shakes his head, as if getting rid of the thought. He presses the call button. Anxiously, he starts drumming his fingers on the island as he awaits his aunt to pick on the other side. I can very faintly hear the ringing of the bell.
“Hello? Jen aunt?It’s Neal here.” Neal says as soon as the other line picks up.
The voice on the other side is very faint to me. I can only make out the words, ‘Neal’ and ‘fine’. I suppose his aunt is probably recognizing him by voice and asking him if he is fine.
“No.” Neal drawls, “Someone attacked the house.”
I watch as Neal listens to a long string of words from his aunt. Neal frowns and abruptly gets up, moving towards the corner of the kitchen as if that can prevent us from eavesdropping on his conversation.
“You told me to inform you if I see anything out of the ordinary.” He says quietly into the mouthpiece of the phone. A pause,then he continues again, “It was a man. He kept saying that I do not belong here and I belong to some shit realm. He also kept asking when my birth took place.”
Another lengthy pause follows, this time with a certain alarm to the muffled voice on the other end.
“No…” Neal says, “I am okay. I am with a family at the moment…family of one of my school friend’s….they are…they, uh, helped me.” he sounds uncertain as he says it, “All these people…they could…the head of the family is saying the term ‘therian’.”
“Maybe I can make her understand better.” My father says, suddenly entering the kitchen.
Neal turns around, eyeing my father dubiously. I hear the word ‘harm’ from the other end of the line to which Neal faintly says ‘No’. Father extends his hand towards Neal. Neal sighs and very reluctantly gives the phone to my father.
“Hello? This is Nikolai Lichinsky this side.” My father says on the phone. Neal stands right next to him, frowning at him.
“I am assuming you’re one of us?” father asks on the phone. He nods, probably getting a positive answer, “I figured as much, since Neal seems aware of our existence-”
“I’m not.” Neal says, indignant.
“Else he couldn’t have been able to see our transformation.” My father says, stressing on each word, giving a pointed look at Neal. Neal takes a step back at the piercing gaze. Father can be very scary if he wants to be.
“Oh, I see.” Father says in response to the lady on the other line. “It’s very unfortunate,” father continues on the phone, “that I am getting to talk to you in such inauspicious circumstances, Jennifer. If you’ll give me a moment, I’ll explain the situation of your nephew.” Father says.
“I am not her nephew.” Neal mumbles, almost inaudibly. That has me frowning. What does he mean? They are not blood related?
“Now before I begin,” father goes on, ignoring Neal, “I just want to make sure we are on the same page. Neal’s aura more than suggests his identity. I am assuming you’re aware of his disposition?”
Neal frowns furiously at that, looking more and more confused as the seconds are ticking by. But he keeps his mouth shut. By his confounded stance, I believe that Neal really doesn’t know much about this whole thing. On the other hand, he definitely is aware of something about himself that he seems reluctant to share.
Father frowns as he listens on the phone, “I can assure you with all the honesty I can muster that I have only best interests in your nephew. He being the vaticinator is not going to make me look at him differently.”
Neal and I, both, frown at that unfamiliar term again.
“But,” Father continues, “other therians are going to be very interested in him and the event that occurred today has jeopardized your nephew’s secrecy.” There is a long pause. “Good.” Father says in the phone, having probably received a positive answer from Jennifer, “A man, a therian, from the first realm accidently encountered Neal today. He is part of the head council of that realm, so it isn’t a surprise that he immediately recognized Neal by his aura. Unfortunately, he took antagonistic measures to claim Neal. Thankfully we intervened at the correct time. But,” father pauses, “From our calculations, we are assuming that that man will return within five days at the earliest.”
There is a long, long pause as father listens to Jennifer on the other end.
“The first occultist and therefore the whole of first realm she rules is known for its arrogance.” Father says, “I’ll not be relying on their ability to procrastinate.”
Another pause.
“Ah, pardon my guesses,” father says, “but from what I know from the rumors, I am assuming you’re one of the protectors?” a short pause, “I see.” He sighs, “It’s a great honor to talk to you.”
Now that makes all of us frown.
“Well,” father says in the mouthpiece but his eyes on me, “You’re right. I have no reason to help him. But since you’ve asked, I’ll let you know that he is my son’s partner. I need no elaborate.”
“Dad!” I snap at him, my voice filled with alarm. How could he say that so casually with Neal around? I look at Neal who is again frowning, this time at m
e. I feel my ears turning warm.Exasperated, I look away.
“Uh, yes, Jennifer.” Father says, ignoring my abashed state, “That would actually be great…provided you bring no antagonism with you. I have actually decided upon some decisions and I would like to consider your opinion as well. And I am sure, as you’ve predicted, Neal would like to hear about himself from you.” With another few words regarding the exchange of address, father hands over the phone to Neal. Neal listens to his aunt for a long while on the phone, his expressions changing from confoundedness to frustration to finally impassive.
“I don’t understand this whole thing. How do you know what I can do?” he surreptitiously drops his voice level at that sentence. He should realize by now that we can hear him loud and clear, no matter how low he may whisper. “You never believed me when I told you about it when I was younger.” Neal accuses his aunt on the phone, his voice low yet again. “Tomorrow?” he says, looking exasperated, “What about school tomorrow?” he blurts suddenly into the phone.
“You wouldn’t be going.” Father answers him.
Neal hears my father, gives him a fleeting glance and then turns back on the phone, listening to his aunt some more. With a disappointed ‘bye’ he disconnects.
After he disconnects, mother grins happily and purports dinner, happily bouncing away as if this day couldn’t have been any better. Neal tries his best to be blate but my mother makes sure to ask his opinion and make him stay in the limelightas she prepares to start