Month: February 2018

The Guild – Chapter 20 – Caroline

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Kaede and I returned to the dorms after lunch. I went to class early, leaving him alone in our room. Apparently, Kaitlyn replaced him after our bath to guard the library for Andrei’s return. I took Kaitlyn’s advice and tried talking to him about how things were, but he was too tired. So we went … Continue reading The Guild – Chapter 20 – Caroline

The Guild – Chapter 10 – Andrei

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I can’t believe what just happened. When did I start having feelings for this girl? We only just met a week ago, and for most of that week I was in the past! My heart pounds in my chest and my palms are all sweaty. I feel like I could drop my fork at any moment.

I try not to make direct eye contact with her while I eat. I have a feeling Caroline planned this just to screw with me. She’s always hated that I flirt with her. I’d bet anything that the moment she saw I was anything but flirty around Kaitlyn she jumped on the wagon of opportunity.

But what’s worse is I – kissed – her… I kissed, her… I, kissed her. The moment replays in my head as I nibble on my bacon. I can’t get the reel to stop. She looked at me and an urge took over like a spell and I leaned in. Her lips were soft and warm and in my moment of awareness I pulled away. I pulled away much too quickly, now that I think about it. It was hardly a kiss, more of a peck. I’m such an idiot! That doesn’t even count as a first kiss.

Before I realize it, the meal is over and we’re at the cashier. I shake out of my daze long enough to offer to pay for Kaitlyn’s before she has time to pull out her money. Then we leave and are walking towards the museum.

Caroline and Kaede lead us towards the ROM, leaving Kaitlyn and I side by side again. I hear my blood rushing in my ears, and I’m for once in my life at a loss for words. Why am I so nervous? Is it because I don’t know what she thinks of me yet? I mean, she read my journals, I’m sure she has an opinion… What if I was wrong!? What if she read them and hates me? Just because she read my stories doesn’t mean she understands me. Doesn’t mean she gets me. This is worse than being exposed! I don’t know what to think! My mind races a million miles a second and I can’t form the words to ask her a simple question.

A question. She said, after I kissed her, after I confessed my very immature feelings for her… that I could ask her anything. One question. Whatever I want to know. What did I want to know? Suddenly my mind is blank. Blanker than when I was meditating beneath the willow tree with Waaseywaa. What should I ask her?

Before I can think of a question we arrive at the ROM. Caroline stops and turns, facing us and the street. “So! Where’s the entrance? Do we need to buy tickets to get in or is it accessible from the outside?” The street is bustling with activity despite it being a weekday. I can’t imagine what all these people could be doing not at school or in an office. I hope we’re not seen doing anything crazy like walking through walls or something.

Kait looks around, then heads for the path around the back of the building. We follow her closely. She finds a door that says ‘Authorized Personnel Only.’ “This will do.” She says, grabbing the handle. The door doesn’t budge.

The tattoo I saw before on her arm flares and it opens.

Caroline nearly shrieks in surprise and Kaede quickly places his hand over her mouth to quiet her. She looks at him, eyes questioning what she just saw, but he hushes her with a finger to his lips.

“This is so illegal.” I whisper, trying to look casual.

As the door swings open, a guard suddenly rounds the corner beside us and stops. “Hey! What are you kids doing? Get away from there!”

Kaitlyn quickly waves us through, but I hesitate. She grabs my wrist and yanks me in, slamming  the door shut behind me. Inside is a bunch of yard equipment like rakes and shovels.

“Where are we?” Caroline whispers, confused.

The space is close and we’re nearly all rubbing shoulders. My back is to the door and Kaitlyn is still holding the door shut. I feel her warm against my chest and my heart skips. “Everyone hold onto each other.” She says. I look down at her, confused. Isn’t that what everyone is already doing? I feel Caroline snake her hand into my left. Kaede is already gripping her other hand and reaches out for Kaitlyn. I see she has her hands busy so I hold onto her shoulder with mine. Kaede grabs her elbow.

I see the glow of her tattoo again and the ground begins to shift beneath us. Caroline squeezes her eyes shut and Kaede is smiling gleefully. Rakes and shovels topple and we are knocked into each other.

Suddenly everything stills and the door swings open. She pulls me out with her but I lose my footing on a rake and topple backwards onto the ground. She falls on top of me with a grunt and Caroline and Kaede stumble out after us.

“Are you ok?” I whisper from beneath her.

She pushes herself up, hand on my chest to steady herself and seems a little disoriented, looking around. My breath catches in my throat and I focus on the feeling of her hand. I look up at her, waiting.

She finally realizes she’s on top of me and I see her cheeks turn red as she shuffles away. “Oops, sorry… Um… I’m ok. Are you?”

“Y-yes, I’m good.”

“Well when you two are done being all cute you might want to check this out.” Kaede says. I turn to see him and Caroline looking behind me. Caroline’s hand is on her mouth in awe.

I scramble to my feet and look out at a vast landscape. We’re standing on the edge of a cliff, on an island and in front of us the landscape crawls upwards toward a large elaborate castle-like metropolis. Towers spear the sky, sweeping pointed roofs are mounted with little flags of various colours. Arched windows decorate every walled surface. I see bridges exposed to the sun and domed structures are scattered about the entire structure.

The air is warm and my coat suddenly feels unnecessary. A salty ocean breeze buffets the cliff. The fields before us are dotted with tropical trees and flowering plants. There’s a fancy brick path leading from where we stand all the way up to the city; it’s the best word I can use to describe how large this castle looks to me.

I turn to Kaitlyn, shaking out of my wonder to see what her impression of the place is. I remember she said she has been here since she was four years old, I can’t imagine growing up in a place like this. She just stands there, passively picking at her nails.

I turn back to the wondrous Guild and notice a tall figure approaching quickly along the path. “Hey! Someone’s coming, is… is it safe?” Kaede points, noticing the figure too. As he gets closer I notice the figure is a man, a very tall and muscular man with a scruffy beard. He almost looks like a viking! I see red and blue tattoos on his arms like snakes curled around his limbs and his light brown hair is pulled back into a ponytail.

Kaitlyn nods beside me, not bothering to look at who it is. “They’re just coming to see who’s arrived.”

The man arrives, huffing from his run, which explains how he got here so quickly. Now that he’s closer I feel small as he towers over me. Beneath his thick beard he wears a huge smile and his eyes glint in the sun. “Hello there!” He says in a deep voice. “Welcome, to the Guild of Antiquities.” He begins his introduction and pauses as his eyes settle on Kaitlyn standing quietly beside me.

“Kaitlyn? Kaitlyn Smith? Oh my god! You’ve come back! Thank the gods!” He booms, stretching his bear thick arms wide and diving in for a hug. My eyebrow raises in surprise. I thought she said she didn’t have any friends?

She starts to backup, an alarmed look on her face, but Cliff pays no heed and grabs her in a bear hug. I think I hear bones cracking and I unconsciously bring a hand to my mouth to stifle a laugh.

“Do I know you?” She squeaks.

“You don’t remember me? It’s Cliff! Cliff Reznick! We arrived the same year!” He shouts in surprise. “Always been your biggest fan, other than Professor Ambrosse of course.”

She glances at me quickly then back to Cliff, a little horrified. “Fan of what, exactly? Spontaneous combustion?”

“I do say,” He says releasing her and bringing his hands into a thinking posture, “That is a very intriguing ability and I think it is my favourite. Wish I could make fire. Then I could light my arrows and send them flaming!”

“What?” She shakes her head. “Why would you want to do that?”

“Make them look like falling stars,” He grins. It’s a terrifying look for him. Kaitlyn stares at him like he’s crazy. I agree, the man’s nuts.

“Oh, forget that nonsense! I’m so glad you came back! And look! You brought new friends!! Did you know Professor Ambrosse forbade me from going after you?! I begged and pleaded and even threatened to quit the school, but she wouldn’t have none of that.” He rambles on.

“So, what do you do?” Caroline pipes in quietly.

“Oh, the new one asks! I am an alchemist. I can transform any substance into another! At least, that’s my main ability. And how about you guys? Why has Kaitlyn brought you to us?”

Caroline answers first. “I seem to have some sort of water ability but all I do is flood things.” She says. She points to me next.

“I… uhh, I time jump.”

“Whoooa. I ain’t never seen that one before! Wicked.”

“Right?!” Kaede chirps.

“And you, what can you do?” He asks Kaede.

“Ahh, you know, I’m a master at Warcraft and other games. I can fix computers and shit. And I take care of these guys.” He smiles, grabbing us by the shoulders.

Cliff’s face makes an expression that sort of looks like a bear in pain. “Warcraft? I’ve never heard this ability before. Perhaps the professors will know of it.” Kaitlyn smacks her forehead and I chuckle nervously. I’ll let him have his moment of fame for a little while longer. It might get interesting.

“Wow, Kaitlyn! You’ve done a wonderful job bringing these new kids back with you. I’m so pleased! Professor Ambrosse wishes to see you. How ‘bout we head up to the Guild and get you folks settled?” He holds out a hand, gesturing towards the castle city and I feel a bubbly excitement rise in my throat. This is something I’ve never seen before and I think I’m going to love it.

He starts walking up the path back towards the Guild and we all follow behind. To Kaitlyn we probably look like a group of gawking tourists. At a steady walking pace it takes us nearly forty-five minutes to arrive at the main entrance to the Guild. Standing this close, the place towers above us, taller than anything I’ve ever seen, except for maybe Everest.

Cliff leads us through a maze of halls; branching passages, winding staircases, over some covered bridges and through cavernous halls. Eventually we arrive somewhere on the east side of the building, according to the sun, and he stops at a tall door engraved with a flame. It is literally dancing on the wood. No heat comes from it but it moves as if it were a real fire and I can’t stop staring at it.

“Well, here we are! Is everyone ready to meet Professor Ambrosse, Headmistress of the Guild?” He asks us, smiling. He seems excited for us to meet her. Why would he be excited?

I watch closely as he pushes the doors inward, the flames moving as if they were affected by the movement. I look back at Kat, hanging back nervously. I let Caroline go first with Kaede and bump Kat’s shoulder. “Hey, you got us here, don’t worry.” I say. I shyly offer her my hand to hold, hoping she’ll accept it. I try to hide the fact that it’s shaking.

She looks at it for a second, like she’s not sure what to do with it. Then she hesitantly reaches out her own hand. She timidly places it on top on mine and I grasp it tightly, moving into the doorway.

Kaede turns his head back and whispers, “Oh – my – god! This place is freakin awesome!!” I know it’s difficult for him to contain his excitement. I notice Caroline pinching his arm every time he says something.

We walk down the centre of a large room, wood arched supports line the ceiling and frame the geometrical patterns that construct it. The other end of the room is a wall of windows taller than even Cliff. The centre of the room is adorned with a red carpet that leads to a desk at the end, set before the windows. That must be a magnificent view. It would suck if you had a fear of heights though.

Before the wall of windows stands a tall woman, white blonde hair cascading down her back in loose ringlets. She wears a white dress made of lace, the middle of which appears to be see-through, showing the small of her back and I assume her midriff from the front. She looks like a medieval princess from Ireland to me. Draped across her shoulders is a golden orange lizard with wings… wait… is that a dragon? I swallow my surprise and hold Kaitlyn’s hand tighter.

Wait… why am I nervous?

Cliff stops before the woman and bows slightly to her. “Professor Ambrosse. I’ve brought Kaitlyn and the new guests, as you requested.” He remains bent as she withholds her response. The dragon on her shoulders lifts its head and makes a sound similar to that of a cat meowing and a bird chirping at the same time. It flies off her shoulders and soars towards Kat, landing across her shoulders and licking her face like a puppy.

Kaitlyn starts giggling and tries to fend it off with her free hand. I gape in horror, expecting it to rip her face off.

“He missed you.” The woman says from the window, turning slightly with a smile. The noon sun barely filters through the window, but the rays that do fall upon her hair and make it shimmer like gold. She can’t be more than thirty years old!

I hear a whine and notice Kaede barely holding back a scream. “Ohh, ohhh!!  This is the best!! Man! I can’t wait to get a pet dragon!!” He whispers loudly. I roll my eyes.

When the headmistress turns around, her eyes study us closely. They come to rest on our interlocked hands with a raised eyebrow and a coy smirk. I begin to sweat. I feel like I’m meeting the in-laws and I drop Kat’s hand suddenly. Why did I do that? She’s gonna be so mad! I hazard a glance at Kat, wondering what she’s thinking.

She hardly notices as she continues to fend off the dragons loving licks, now with both her hands. I release the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“Typhon, that is quite enough.” The Headmistress calls. The dragon stops, hanging it’s head sadly. “Kaitlyn, come.”

Kat gulps, walking up to where Cliff stands, and kneels on the floor with her head down. Are we supposed to do the same? I thought this was a school for learning magic? Why all the formality?

The woman walks over to stand in front of her, “Come now, child. That is not necessary. Tell me how you met these new friends.” She says, smiling.

I watch Kaitlyn stand, but her eyes remain downcast. “They were Logan’s next target. I stopped him, but… he escaped.” She glances back briefly. “I thought they would be safer here.”

Caroline wrings her hands and Kaede for once is quiet. Ambrosse has an aura about her that demands attention. We listen carefully, watching. She nods and turns to look up at us. “Of course, you are welcome to stay as long as you would like. Kaitlyn, you’ll show them to the dorms, won’t you?”

Kaitlyn bows and scurries back. The dragon returns to it’s mistress with a chirp. I shift my weight to follow Kaitlyn as I feel Ambrosse’s pointed gaze on me and freeze.

“Take care of each other.”

Caroline hesitates before turning. “Umm….” She tries to work up the courage to address the Headmistress. “We heard that we could learn about our magic here.” She pauses again,  wringing her hands together. “Umm, I’d like to learn here, if I could, please.” Her cheeks are bright red, making her freckles stand out.

The mistress flashes a set of perfectly white teeth, “Of course, dear. You are welcome to all of our resources.”

Caroline smiles timidly eager. I can tell from the way she works her jaw that she has more questions. “How do we enroll?” She asks. Of course she’d ask that. One doesn’t go to university without knowing how to apply. I imagine you can’t just walk into this place and start learning. There has to be some sort of application process.

The Headmistress giggles, her laugh sounds like chimes ringing in the wind. “You already have.” She says.

“Wait, me too??” Kaede jumps in, Caroline shoots him a look that could kill.

“Apparently he has the ability of Warcraft, headmistress.” Cliff adds. Oh boy…This can’t end well.

I see her visibly trying not to laugh now, “You are certainly welcome to try.”

“Yesss!” Kaede pulls down a fist. I can only facepalm myself. God save him now…

Cliff waves us goodbye. “See you later Kaitlyn! You too new kids!!” I see them begin to laugh out of the corner of my eye as we shut the door behind us.

Kaitlyn leads us around the castle to the West wing where the dorms must be. I watch her maneuver the curving halls and twisting stairs and I can tell she really knows her way around this place. I don’t think I could ever remember how to even get out. This place is a maze!

As we walk the halls we see others, mostly older people in strange garb and funny hairstyles. All of them giving us a wide berth as we pass. I furrow my brows with concern. Is it because we’re new? Or, is it Kaitlyn? It concerns me, the looks they give us and it makes me angry that anyone would treat her this way before getting to know her.

I decide to make my move. I stride up to Kaitlyn and boldly grab her hand with a smile. “Thanks Kat, this is great! Tell me about the Headmistress. She seemed very casual with you. What’s her ability?” I ask, glaring back at the others as we pass.

Kaitlyn looks at me, surprised. She tries to say something but the words come out jumbled as she trips over them. I can’t make out what she’s trying to say.

I give her a look and she tries again. “Um… She’s the Senior Guardian of Fire in the Guild. She’s also the best healer on the island. She’s been my mentor since I first arrived.”

“I see. So, it seems to me you fibbed a little when you said you have no family or friends here.” I tease. “Cliff sure seems to like you, and Ambrosse seemed almost like a mother if you ask me.” The way she stared at me when I had held Kat’s hand still made me nervous.

Kat tips her head, genuinely confused. “You think so?” God, she can be dense sometimes. If she didn’t notice till I said that then she has a long way to go.

“Yea, totally. Did you not see the way she was looking at you? All smiles and laughter. That’s what a mother is. And Cliff is a secret admirer I think, if you’ve never spoken before. He seems alright.” I say, feeling a little defensive. I squeeze her hand as I mention him.

She stares ahead, expression unreadable, “I dunno. Logan said she’s like that with everyone. I’ve never really talked to anyone else here, except professors.” She admits.

“Well, for one, do you always believe everything Logan says? I mean, look what he was doing? I wouldn’t trust a word that comes out of his mouth. And two, do all the professors act like her? What do you think?” I point out, hoping for her original opinion.

She chews the inside of of her lip, and it’s adorable. “Um, I don’t know… they’re all very different people. Wouldn’t it be weird is they all acted the same?”

“Exactly.” I confirm. “And all the teachers I’ve ever had have never acted like that with me.” Except maybe Waaseywaa. He seemed very friendly with me, almost like he knew me. I’ve never had an encounter like that before when I’ve time jumped.

She doesn’t respond and I can’t make out if it’s my comment about Logan or the Headmistress being friendly with her that has her in knots. I decide to probe a little and see if I can understand more about her previous relationship with Logan.

“Did Logan tell you why he was leaving?” I ask, trying not to be too accusing. I hope she’ll open up to me.

She shakes her head, “Not exactly. He said there was a better place for us to go. That we could become more powerful… but I didn’t want to go.” Her voice gets almost inaudible, “He got really mad… and then he left.”

I frown. That was a jerk move he pulled on her if they really were friends. I can’t believe him. I mean, it really shows what kind of guy this Logan really is and it makes my blood boil. I can’t wait to get my hands on him again. I still have to help Kat figure this out too though. She keeps trying to convince herself that he’s her friend, it seems.

“Have you not seen Star Wars?” I ask, imagining Kaede jumping in with the perfect example scene I’m thinking of. Unfortunately, him and Car seem to be speaking excitedly in hushed voices behind us and not paying us any attention.

“No… Should I?”

I stare at her, my jaw hanging open. “Really? Do they not have cable in this place?” I ask incredulously.

She shrugs. “Oh my god, Kat! You need to watch it with me. Anyway, my point was, the Chancellor, Palpatine, promised the main character, Anakin, a powerful Jedi, that if he turned to the dark side, he’d be more powerful than anyone else, so powerful he could even prevent his pregnant wife’s death. Of course, there’s no such power and it was all lies, just to get him to murder a bunch of people and make the Chancellor more in control of the empire. So… the moral is never believe a lie about somewhere you can get more power. The only way to have more power is to look within yourself. You’re only as strong as you let yourself become.” I suddenly feel like the twenty first century philosopher and I contemplate growing a beard.

She hums, “If that was true, I wouldn’t have magic at all.”

What?!! How did she come to that conclusion? “That’s not what I meant! It means you can’t find more power somewhere else. What do you mean you’d have no magic at all?”

She looks at me, wide, innocent eyes, “If I had a choice. You said you can only be as strong as you let yourself become.”

“Yes… but I think you misunderstand. I mean, if you have magic, I don’t know where we get it from, but, if we have magic, we either do or we don’t. And that magic has a level. I think it’s predetermined what our level is and we can only train ourselves to use our full potential. You can’t extend past it. I don’t know what preconceptions Logan has about power, but it sounds like he’s not satisfied that he’s maybe reached his full potential.”

“I guess that makes sense. He never really talked about it.” She pouts, “He doesn’t like when I ask stupid questions.”

I see this is starting to bother her, but I have to say it, “There’s no such thing as a stupid question, especially between friends.” I hope she gets it. I really want her to trust us. Now that we’re all here, there’s no going back.

The words must be stewing in her head ‘cause I see her brow crease and she becomes silent again. I guess that’s better than complete compliance.

Finally she stops walking and I notice we’re standing in a circular chamber with five halls branching off in different directions. I didn’t realize till now, but there doesn’t seem to be anybody else around.

“You’re free to claim any of the unoccupied rooms.” She says, waving her hands at the halls surrounding us.

Caroline walks up close peering across the vast space. “It’s really kind of creepy. Where’s your room Kat?”

“Yea we wanna be close to you! That way we can keep you up at night.” Kaede jokes.

She leads us down a hall that looks different from the rest. It looks sort of newer, cleaner. Brighter, even. We follow her all the way to the end. Along the way I see that every door is open, unoccupied, except for the one at the end. Inside each I glimpse a basic dorm set up like Caroline’s dorms in Pond at York university; wooden furniture, a chair and a table. That’s all I can see from the hall.

“Wow! It’s like a private suite!” Kaede grins. “You’re so lucky girl! I’m so happy to be your dorm neighbour!!” Caroline smiles and nods.

“Oh, Kat, umm I hate to steal you gloves. Do you think I’ll be ok without them here? Or should I wait till I start lessons?” She asks.

Kat looks at the gloves for a moment, “Yea, maybe hold onto them for now.” She scratches her head awkwardly, “Everything in this hall is fireproof now… So it should be fine.”

“Think it’d be waterproof?” Caroline asks, giggling.

Kaede stops and cocks an eyebrow. “Wait, everything is fireproof? What the hell do you do in your sleep?”

“Kae, that’s a bit rude. I’m sure it’s nothing, just a procaustion.” I dismiss.

“Actually…” Kat blushes.

We all look at her, but I think I’m the only one whose heart skips a beat with her reaction. Her face begins to scrunch, looking kind of guilty.

“What!” We all say in unison. It’s actually quite amazing.

She looks at her feet, “I have nightmares a lot.. Ever since I was little.”

“Annnndddd?” Kaede prompts.

She frowns, confused. “What do you mean?”

“He means,” I try to say in English. “What happens with your fire when you have these nightmares.” I give Kaede a flat stare. “Common man, don’t be dumb.”

“I’m not being dumb! I really want to know what happens? What if I walk in on her in the middle of the night? I just wanna be prepared!”

“Kaede, don’t be mean. Kat’s our friend. I’m sure she wouldn’t let anything happen to us. That’s why they’ve fire proofed the rooms, right?” Caroline states.

Kat sighs, “Essentially, yes.”

Caroline sighs. “Kaitlyn, look, don’t let my idiot of a boyfriend get you down. I believe in you. You taught me quite a bit this past week and I’m sure we’ll be fine. Remember?” She tries to joke, “I’m like your personal fire hydrant! If you ever want something put out, just give me a shout, kay?” She smiles, and it looks a little goofy on her face, but she has a point. Water is the opposite of fire. Anything that could go wrong, could potentially be taken care of with Caroline’s ability.

She looks skeptical, but nods in agreement. I feel her hand trembling in mine and I look down just to be sure. She starts to squeeze it and I can’t tell if she’s sad or happy. I look at her with concern filled eyes. “Hey, Kat, you ok?”

Caroline punches Kaede in the arm and smiles. “Well, I think it’s time we picked a room, wouldn’t you say Kaede?” She glares at him and he smiles back weakly.

“Yeaa.”

“I don’t know about you Kae, but I want this one.” She says, pointing at the one to the right of Kaitlyn’s door. “I think it’s perfect, no morning light to wake you up but plenty of evening sun to tell you when to go to bed.” She steps into the room, pulling Kaede with her. “Maybe we can steal a second bed for you Kae, unless you want the floor.”

I grunt with a laugh. Oh, poor Kae.

I squeeze Kaitlyn’s hand in return. “So, wanna help me pick a room?” I ask her.

She puts her best smile on, my heart thumps in my chest, “Sure.” She says. I don’t think I can handle any more excitement today. She points of the left side of the hall, where the empty room on the left sits. “What about this one..” She mumbles, barely audible.

I think I’m smiling but I can’t really feel my face. “Yea, looks perfect. Thanks.”

 

By Krystyna Yates

Kiki's Tales

    I can’t believe what just happened. When did I start having feelings for this girl? We only just met a week ago, and for most of that week I was in the past! My heart pounds in my chest and my palms are all sweaty. I feel like I could drop my fork at any moment.

    I try not to make direct eye contact with her while I eat. I have a feeling Caroline planned this just to screw with me. She’s always hated that I flirt with her. I’d bet anything that the moment she saw I was anything but flirty around Kaitlyn she jumped on the wagon of opportunity.

    But what’s worse is I – kissed – her… I kissed, her… I, kissed her. The moment replays in my head as I nibble on my bacon. I can’t get the reel to…

View original post 5,098 more words

The Guild – Chapter 9 – Kaitlyn

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Welcome to another chapter of Kaitlyn!!

 

The sun hits directly on my face, stirring me from my dreamless slumber. The sound of birds outside the window erase any hope of slipping back into unconsciousness. I can’t remember the last time I slept so well. I didn’t have a single nightmare. Maybe it was his stories?

I reach for the journal, where I think it should be. I only feel the sheets. Confused, I sit up and look at the space beside me. I lift the pillow, but it’s gone. I check the floor, but a book is not what I find.

There, sprawled across the hardwood floor, dressed in strange leather clothes is the very boy I’ve been waiting for. I gasp, despite myself, and immediately cover my mouth. I look again for the book, panic building in my throat. It’s nowhere on the bed, or on the floor. I glance at the desk, only to see it back on the shelf with the others.

Mortified is putting it mildly. The reality of what I’ve done hits me. Not only did I invade his privacy without permission, but he found out. How am I supposed to face him now? Maybe I can sneak out before he wakes up. I carefully scoot to the edge, and the bed creaks. I freeze, holding my breath. His face scrunches and his eyes start to flutter.

Shit. Shit. Shit. I jump off the bed and make a break for the door.

“Kat, wait!” His voice sends a shiver down my back. I stop with my hand on the doorknob. “Where are you going?”

I turn my head to get a look at him through my peripheral. He’s sitting up on the floor, rubbing his eye and yawning. I turn, “Nowhere.”

“Good, I… I was worried about you.” He pauses, looking a little confused for a second. “I was worried about everyone.” I hush the voice in the back of my mind when he corrects himself, trying to control my expression. “What happened to your arm?”

I look down at my left arm, the bandage still in place. The three-quarter length sleeves on this shirt doesn’t cover it. I silently curse the stupid shirt. “Oh, um…” I look to the sigil on the window. I’m not sure how to explain that.

He looks up over his shoulder, “What the hell is that? Why is…” He turns back to me, “Your blood on my window?” He jumps to his feet, eyes bulging. “Did Logan come back?”

I shake my head, “No, not that I know of.” His shoulders relax, “It’s a warding spell, I put them on all the windows.”

He shifts his eyes to the desk. I feel my heart jump into my throat. “Um, how’ve you been?”

“Um, I’m okay… You’re probably tired. I should let you get some rest. I’ll let the others know you’re back.” I feel blindly for the doorknob.

“No, I’m fine, really. You… look tired. Did I worry you?” He asks. His face is scruffy, and dirty, but he looks so sincere.

“Of course you did.” I pout, “You disappeared, not even fully dressed. I was starting to think you weren’t coming back…”

“I’m sorry, that must’ve been scary for you.” He frowns. I shrug. Probably wasn’t half as bad as what he went through.

“I’m just glad you’re okay.”

“Do you want to know where I ended up?” He smirks.

I glance up at him, and take a second look at what he’s wearing. “I bet I could venture a guess.”

He looks down and chuckles, “I’m a dead giveaway.”

I look at the journals; I can’t help it.  “I’d like to hear what happened, if you want.” I try to sound casual.

“At first it was dreadful! There was this storm, and it was night, and I wandered around for hours before…” He plops down on the bed, racing through his explanation as fast as the words can leave his mouth. His arms flail in wild gestures, accentuating the tale. I wander over, entranced, until I find myself sitting just a foot away.

“… So, I focused my energy and thought hard about getting back here… There were all these lights, different times passing by in this dark tunnel, until I finally landed back here.” He grins, breathless.

“That’s incredible.” I whisper, “I wish I could have seen it. I can’t imagine how it would feel.”

“Well…” He gulps, his face flushes pink suddenly as he looks down at me, “It would be cool if I didn’t have to go alone.”

“Maybe you don’t?” I ask.

“I have no idea if someone could jump with me. I’m not ready for that kind of risk yet.” He scratches at the beginning of a beard on his cheek.

I nod, “I understand. It’s hard to live with that, if someone gets hurt because of your magic.”

A moment passes in silence, until his stomach growls. “So… Have you guys been eating junk food while I’ve been gone? Are you hungry?” He jumps up.

I laugh, “I’m told Kaede can’t cook, and Caroline has been too busy. There wasn’t much of an alternative.”

“Oh god, is there even any food in the house?” Andrei grimaces.

I blink, “Um… maybe? We haven’t left the house since you’ve been gone.”

“Well that won’t do… What have you been doing? Is Caroline doing okay, with the water and all?” He moves toward the door. I swallow back the feelings that swell in my stomach.

“She’s learning, slowly. She hasn’t tried taking off the gloves yet though.” I get up to follow him. “Magic is a hard concept for her to swallow, but she’s doing her best.”

“That’s good then,” He turns back to me with a breathtaking smile, “You’re a good teacher. If you know anything about Caroline, she loves studying, but when it comes to relaxing, she doesn’t learn fast. If she’s gotten anywhere with it, that’s your doing.”

I clench my jaw to keep my lip steady as I force myself to smile. The way he talks about her, it seems that perhaps he’d rather she was dating him instead of his friend. It’s not my place, either way. I just need to get them to the Guild… I nod in response to his musings.

“So, when do you think we should leave? I mean, there’s no point in waiting if we’re all ready, right?” He tips his head slightly.

“Right.” I agree. “We should leave today.” The sooner this is over with, the less it will hurt.

He grabs the door handle. “Um…” He hesitates. I hold my breath. He turns slowly, his expression torn. I bite the inside of my lip, hands trembling. Please don’t say what I think you’re going to say… “What do you want to eat? I’ll buy you whatever you want.” He winks, his demeanor shifting drastically.

I almost faint. I let out the breath I’d been holding and cover my face with one hand. “I don’t care.” I reply weakly. This is way too stressful. I don’t even have Rhoan to break the tension…

The door opens and he heads down the hall. The other door opens at the same time, and the boys nearly walk into one another. Kaede does a double take.

“You’re back! That’s like, the shortest jump you’ve ever had! Where’d you go?!”

“What? Andrei’s back?” Caroline shouts from the other room.

“What are you wearing?” Kaede raises an eyebrow.

They’re too loud. My heart is racing so hard it hurts. I need some air. They’re blocking my only way out, but I can’t risk losing control, without the gloves.

“Sorry, excuse me…” I mumble, sliding between the pair. I try to ignore the fact that I’m forced to brush past Andrei on the way. I grab my cigarettes off the side table, and put on my boots. I can’t get outside fast enough. I don’t even bother trying to find where I put my jacket.

Once outside, I pull out one of the white sticks and place it between my lips. The end ignites on its own, and I inhale. I drop the pack by the door and start to pace. I flick my arms, sparks fling onto the ground and fizzle. I need to calm down.

I was doing so well the past few days. I don’t know what happened. All of a sudden my heart is pounding and all these strange things run through my mind. I can’t let my emotions get the better of me, not while Caroline has the gloves. I shouldn’t even need to rely on them. I’m so pathetic…

Breathe. Don’t think about the way he winks at you. Oops. Shit. Think about happy things. Puppies? He kind of looks like a puppy… No, bad brain! Ugh, this isn’t working. I grab another cigarette and return to my pacing, desperately trying to focus on anything else.

“Oh my god, Kaitlyn, are you alright? What happened?” Caroline gasps. I spin toward the voice. She stands just outside the door, my jacket over her arm, a backpack slung over her shoulder.

What happened…. That’s a good question.

“Um… I’m okay. Thanks.” I mumble, taking my jacket. I slip it on, grab the pack from the ground and stuff it into my pocket.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She frowns. I notice the boys coming up the stairs and nod quickly. Andrei glances between us, and blinks curiously. I stuff my fists in my jacket pocket and turn away.

“So, Kat, where to?” Andrei asks, smiling.

I flinch, and brush it off. “I thought you were hungry?” I look up at the sky. I reach out to Rhoan with magic, telling him to come back.

“We are, but… What direction are we headed in? That’ll kind of determine where we go.”

“Oh… Um…” I think about it, “Downtown. Museum station.”

“Oh! I know a really nice breakfast place just off the subway next to the ROM!” Caroline jumps up eagerly. Seeing her excited is new. I raise an eyebrow.

“Sure, I guess. If that’s what you want.” I start toward the street. A little bird lands on my shoulder, shifts, and crawls under my hair.

“Here, you’ll need this.” Andrei jogs up next to me, holding out a bus token. I take it, avoiding touching his hand.

“Yay! It’s been so long since I’ve been there. I’m so glad it’s the last place I…” Caroline pauses, “The last place I’ll go… before I leave.”

I glance back at her. I wonder if taking them is the right thing to do. She seems to recover quickly, as Kaede distracts her with idle chatter. Andrei keeps pace beside me. I let my hair serve as a barrier to block my view of him and focus on the road ahead.

“So, this Guild place, what’s it like? Do you like it?” Andrei asks innocently.

“It’s home.” I answer, a little too fast. “I… don’t think there’s anything to compare it to, that you might know of.” At least, nothing I read about…

“Don’t you have a family? Or friends there?”

“No.”

“I don’t see how anyone couldn’t like you.” He hums, “You’re… talented.”

What the heck is that supposed to mean. I glance over at him. He’s staring ahead. His face is flushed, but that’s probably from the cold. “Thanks, I think…”

“Um… So, how long have you been studying there?”

“Since I was a kid. Maybe four or five.” I answer simply.

“What? That’s… crazy! Your family didn’t come with you?” He looks back at the pair trailing behind us.

I barely flinch, “They’re dead.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” His face falls, “That’s… That’s awful.”

“It was a long time ago.” I say, hoping to reassure him. I don’t like seeing him sad.

“Long ago or not, you’re not that old.” He insists, “Can I ask what happened?”

I drop my gaze, curtain of hair covering my face. I take a ragged breath as the memories come surging back. “A fire broke out, in the middle of the night. They say they died in their sleep, from the smoke, before…” I take a deep breath and push back the tears that threaten to fall.

“I’m sorry.” He whispers, “When I first jumped, I was seven. I found myself in a small village that was being raided by vikings. It was pretty scary.” He’s trying to cheer me up, I think, “But I hope you know that you can’t blame yourself for something that happened beyond your control.”

I smile bitterly, “Maybe, but… If you want to know why I don’t have friends, that’s your answer. If you’re smart, you’ll keep your distance too.”

He looks hurt, “I… I thought we were friends…”

“Even more reason to stay away.” I mumble. “I’ve hurt enough people already.” I skip down the steps into the subway, putting some distance between us so he won’t see the liquid as it leaves a trail on my cheeks. I wipe it away quickly, before they can catch up.

Andrei falls back, trailing behind the others. I’m not sure if I’m more relieved, or disappointed. I guess it’s better this way. The rest of the trip is quiet, and we make it to the restaurant without incident.

Caroline chatters away happily, listing off her opinion of every item on the menu before we even sit down. We’re led to a booth, where Caroline and Kaede slide into the one side. I hesitate, risking a glance at Andrei. This is going to be awkward… He gestures for me to sit first. I reluctantly oblige, moving in to sit across from Caroline, who’s still talking. I am electrically aware of how close he is as he slides in next to me.

The waitress comes over, and Caroline lists off her order, followed by Kaede. Andrei glances at the menu briefly, and orders. All eyes fall on me. “Just a coffee, please.” I smile.

Andrei’s head snaps in my direction, “You haven’t eaten in who knows, days! Kaitlyn, you need to eat something.” He glares at me, “As your friend, I’m telling you!” He emphasizes the word ‘friend’.

I feel like a deer in headlights, staring back at him. He doesn’t back down. I drop my gaze, “I’m sorry…” I have no idea what to eat, and now they’re all waiting. I turn to Caroline, “Um… What do you suggest?”

“Well, the pancakes are nice here. They come with fruit and cream.” Caroline offers, looking quite puzzled at the sudden outburst.

“Okay.” I nod at the waitress. She scribbles on her pad and hurries away. Andrei rests his head in his hand, leaning away from me.

“Did something happen between you two?” Kaede asks when we’re alone. I peek over at Andrei, wondering what he’ll say.

Andrei shoots a look across the table, “Nothing, man. Just… nothing.” He mumbles, picking at the napkin in front of him. Kaede and Caroline share a skeptical look. The silence stretches until Andrei finally cracks, “She doesn’t think we’re good enough to be her friends!”

I gawk at him. How did he get to that conclusion?

“What? But, Kaitlyn, we all really like you, especially…” She trails off as Andrei shoots her a look, “… me! You helped me a lot! Please, let’s be friends!” She begs. Kaede nods.

I hold my hands up and lean back, “That’s not what I said… He asked why I don’t have friends at the Guild…” I try to explain, “It’s just… safer that way, for you… I don’t know what I’d do if I hurt any of you.”

“Oh, Kaitlyn, you don’t have to worry about us getting hurt!” Caroline smiles, “That’s what friends are for! They’re there for each other. Poor Andrei only has us, and it would mean the world to him if you’d let him be your friend.” She grins at him as he shrinks in his seat, “Besides, if I got water magic, like you said, I could combat anything you do by accident. Think of it like a friend who’s insurance!”

I can hardly comprehend what she’s saying. “But…”

“She’s right, Kaitlyn.” Kaede nods, “And if you can’t tell, Andrei’s been uncharacteristically mopey lately. Could be why.” He winks at his friend.

I frown, “Why… what?” I look at Andrei for an explanation.

“I’m gonna go to the bathroom. Kae, move.” Caroline pipes up suddenly. The pair shuffle out of the seat, and both of them wander off to the back of the restaurant.

I watch them go, totally lost. What was that about? I don’t understand why they went together. On top of that, they don’t come back.

Andrei fidgets, glancing up in the direction they disappeared. The napkin is in pieces now. He then switches from looking there, to glancing over at me. Was it something I said? Is that why they aren’t coming back?

“So…” Andrei speaks up. I turn on instinct, hoping he’ll clear up what’s going on.

His face is alarmingly close. His eyes fall closed and his lips press against mine. I blink, and he’s already moved away. Did I… imagine that? It felt real… I touch my lips, and try to remember how to breathe.

“I’m sorry,” He mutters, his face bright red. Okay, maybe I didn’t hallucinate. “But, I can’t stay away. I think I like you too much.” He looks over from the corner of his eye, “If you don’t feel the same way, I’ll understand, and we can just be friends… Please don’t push me away.”

I blink repeatedly, as my eyes start to sting from bulging for so long. A thousand things run through my mind. I’m not sure where my voice went.

“She likes you too.” Rhoan says, impatiently. Andrei jumps in surprise.  If I could blush more, I would.

“Really?” He asks, turning to face me.

I nod once, picking at my nails, “But… I thought…” I glance at the empty seat across from me, “I didn’t think I was your type.”

“My type? Kat, I don’t have a type. No girl stays with me long enough, because of the time jumps. I miss dates all the time, and they get mad…” He pauses, “You practically read my life story… waiting for me to come back.”

I cover my face with both hands. “I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I was curious and then I couldn’t help it…”

“I haven’t even shared some of those stories with Kae, but the weird thing is… I don’t mind that you know. I don’t know why. Don’t get me wrong, I feel super exposed, but… I don’t seem to mind, I think.” He explains, though I’m not sure which of us he’s trying to reassure.

I lower my hands so I can see his expression. He seems calm. “Um… If it makes you feel better, you can ask me anything.”

He opens his mouth to speak, but Caroline and Kaede reappear and climb into the booth. The waitress follows behind with some of the food. She comes back with the rest in a moment. I focus on putting sugar and cream in my coffee, avoiding eye contact.

“So, friends! Time to dig in!” Caroline chirps eagerly.

 

By Krystyna Yates

Kiki's Tales

    The sun hits directly on my face, stirring me from my dreamless slumber. The sound of birds outside the window erase any hope of slipping back into unconsciousness. I can’t remember the last time I slept so well. I didn’t have a single nightmare. Maybe it was his stories?

    I reach for the journal, where I think it should be. I only feel the sheets. Confused, I sit up and look at the space beside me. I lift the pillow, but it’s gone. I check the floor, but a book is not what I find.

    There, sprawled across the hardwood floor, dressed in strange leather clothes is the very boy I’ve been waiting for. I gasp, despite myself, and immediately cover my mouth. I look again for the book, panic building in my throat. It’s nowhere on the bed, or on the floor. I…

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The Guild – Chapter 8 – Andrei

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Andrei travels to the past, meeting… surprise! I won’t spoil it! ;p please enjoy!

 

Rain pelts my back, cold against my bare skin. Thunder rumbles in the dark clouds above. Night fell hours ago and the hills are dark and quiet except when the lightning strikes. In those moments I see the never-ending hills and no sign of human settlement nearby.

I decided hours ago that it was no use standing still in a storm, so I’ve been wandering the hills looking for people to shelter me. My socks are cold and muddy, and my feet are numb. My arms are folded across my chest, fists jammed in my armpits to keep them somewhat warm.

I lose my footing on a bare patch of ground and slip down the hill, crashing onto my hip hard. I slide a few feet down the slope before coming to a stop. My entire side covered in mud, I lay there, shivering. I struggle to get up, gripping the wet mud with my numb fingers.

Once on my feet I continue down the slope. Another hour goes by, stumbling around in the dark when a flash of lightning illuminates shadowy pointed structures of tepees in the distance. So, North America, probably before 1880. Joy.

I stumble toward the encampment, closer and closer as the thunder rolls overhead. I see no sign of anyone. Suddenly I’m thrown to the ground as something rams into my left shoulder. I have no strength to fight back. I try to roll over but my hands are grabbed and I feel something being wrapped around them. I grunt as they tie them tight. Then I feel the ground move beneath me and I think I’m being dragged towards the camp.

Worst welcome ever… I go limp in my bonds and let them take me. I’m too numb to care. I just hope they don’t kill me.

Soon enough I’m dropped before a large tepee as the men, I assume they’re men, , enter the tepee and begin speaking with someone inside. The rain on the side of the tepee is too loud to make out what they’re saying. It’s not long before one of the men comes back out and lifts me to my feet.

He pulls me into the tent, dripping water and mud and tosses me before a strong fire in the centre. The ground is covered in animal skins and the inside smells strongly of dried grass and some other plant I can’t make out. Across from the fire sits a bear of a man. He has a strong jaw, a wide nose and deep-set dark eyes. His hair is grey, and I see the end of a braid dangling at his elbow.

The heat from the fire feels like it’s burning my skin as it thaws me. I look at him, waiting for something to happen, thankful to be out of the rain.

“You are a long way from home, stranger.” The man states with a curious tone. “Tell me, what brings you to our home on such a night?”

I know he’s probably speaking some form of Native American. There’s hundreds of languages it could be. The strange thing about my magic is that I can understand him as if he were speaking flawless English, and he’ll be able to understand me as if I was speaking his own tongue. I hesitate before answering, wondering how I will explain that I know his language. First contact is always the most difficult when I time jump.

I look at the ground, staring until I come up with something to say. “I got lost in the storm. I’m seeking shelter from the rain.” I state simply. I hope it’s received well.

The chieftain watches me, vast wisdom etched into the many wrinkles on his face, “You come from very far. It is late. Rest now. We will speak in the morning.” I am shocked at the acceptance in his reply and relieved that I won’t be questioned further without rest.

The man who brought me in lifts me to my feet and leads me out back into the rain. We cross the camp to another tepee, I see now the warm glow of fires within the surrounding tepees. We stop before a darkened tepee and he lifts the flap open, pushing me forward into the dark interior. I feel fur on my feet and the man tugs and pulls at my wrists, untying the bonds. When free, I rub my wrists and turn to face him but he is already gone.

As my eyes adjust to the dark, I see I am alone and the fire is a cold bed of coals. Next to it lays a blanket of fur, maybe buffalo and a bowl with water. I strip my wet pants and socks off, desperate to get out of the wet clothes and flop onto the fur covered floor. After washing my face and hands of mud I throw the buffalo hide over me and shiver in the dark as sleep takes me. At least I’ll be dry tonight.

***

I feel stiff and sore and my shoulder throbs. I hear shuffling close by and I crack an eye open to see two women in my tent. The older one has her hair braided and hanging over her shoulder, the other much younger, perhaps her daughter. The older woman holds some tanned leather skins in her arms and the younger a bowl of something steaming.

I shift beneath the buffalo hide blanket, hesitant to pull it off as I’m nearly naked beneath it.

The older woman smiles, placing the skins next to the coals as the younger places the bowl next to it before shuffling out of the tent. Once the tent flap falls I scurry from the buffalo blanket and inspect the leather skins.

They are indeed a shirt and pants which look a little worn, perhaps an older set of clothes another man uses but doesn’t need. I pull them on quickly and move to the bowl of thick porridge. It’s a little bland but it warms the chill in my stomach.

I set the bowl down and with uncanny timing, the tent flap is lifted and I see the silhouette of a man framed by the bright morning sun.

“Come.” He says in a commanding tone. I stand and follow him out of the tent.

The camp is alive with morning activity. Women and children bustle about attending to various tasks like stretching skins, preparing meals and repairing other materials. The man leads me to what I assume is the chieftains tent I was in last night. Many of the women and children look at me as I pass. I feel their eyes like hands on my skin. I bow my head and quicken my pace.

Once at the Chieftains tent, the man announces his arrival and lifts the flap, gesturing for me to enter first. I’m met with a familiar sight of the strong jawed chief sitting across from the fire. I sit before him and wait anxiously for his questions.

The chief looks at the guards next to the door and waves at them in dismissal. So this is going to be a private questioning. I feel a little more at ease.

Once we’re alone, he smiles. “We meet again, stranger. You may call me Waaseywaa. What name do I call you?”

His friendly demeanor is offsetting. I did not expect this kind of reception. I remain on edge but comply with his questions. “I’m called Andrei.”

“You are far from home.” He muses. It’s not a question and I wonder how he knows this. I nod in confirmation. “Yes, I got lost in the storm last night.”

The old chief gets a mischievous smirk, “There is no need for that. We are brothers here. Tell me, how is it you found yourself here?”

I’m taken aback by his blunt assumption when I suddenly notice the faint orange aura surrounding him. It must have blended in with the glow of the fire. I blink my eyes in surprise. “How… how do you know?” I ask.

He waves his arms, in sort of a half shrug, “I see what you see. The gifted are revered among my people. You will not be harmed here.” He smiles. “But, you did not answer my question.”

I realize I haven’t and I struggle to explain how I came to be wandering the hills in the middle of a storm. “I’m sorry. I… I only just learned that there are others like me. I jumped through time unexpectedly and found myself lost in the middle of the hills with no clothes. I thank you for your hospitality.” I bow my head in thanks, not sure what their custom is but hoping to show I respect their aid.

He strokes his stubbly chin, thinking. “That is quite a problem for you, my friend.”

“Yes. In my time, my friends could be in danger, but now I cannot help them. I am afraid that I won’t be able to get to them any time soon. I don’t know how to jump at will.” I hunch a little where I sit, realizing how inconvenient this power can be at times.

The man nods. “In this, I may be able to help you.”  I drop my jaw in surprise.

“Really? How?” I ask a little too eagerly.

He sits up a little straighter, “You have a noble heart, young Andrei. Your concern for your friends shows me that you are a worthy man.” He slowly stands up, “I will pass on to you the knowledge of my father, and my grandfather before him. Come with me.”

He gestures for me to follow him out of the tent. Outside, he leads me through the camp past all the women and children working. As we pass they turn to nod at us and bow slightly. I watch him closely as he greets each of them pleasantly.

We leave the camp and enter the forest bordering the edge of the settlement. The trees are thin at the edge but grow denser as we continue walking. Before long I can hear the burbling of a small stream and the trees begin to thin again. Ahead, I see a small clearing and the stream, where a towering, ancient willow leans over it’s banks and dangles it’s branches into the clear waters.

I feel I’ve walked onto a set for Disney’s Pocahontas, but I force the image out of my head as I know this is very real. I never much liked the movie as it misrepresented the real story.

“What is this place?”

“This is our sacred tree. For many generations, the gifted have come here to receive the wisdom of our ancestors.” He explains.

“There have been others? How did they learn their magic?” I ask, I feel the questions bubbling at the edge of my tongue but I hold them back, barely.

He raises an eyebrow, “The knowledge is already there, inside your spirit. You need only to find it.” He sits at the base of the tree, legs crossed, back straight. He folds his hands and closes his eyes.

I shrug and move closer, watching what he does.

“This place has its own spirit. Magic, as you call it. Sit, clear your mind. Look within yourself. You will find the answers you seek.”

I join him beneath the tree and cross my legs. I look around, not feeling exactly comfortable but with some deep breathing, I begin to relax. I close my eyes and I think of the spirit the chief speaks of and try to feel it around me.

So many questions come to mind and I feel cluttered with worries. I try to clear my mind, thinking only of my breathing, but the sound of the burbling stream and the chirping of birds distracts me. I open my eyes, taking in my surroundings. I need to become familiar with them before I can be open to the spirit of this place. I let my gaze wander over every detail of the clearing, memorizing the trees, shrubbery, the stream’s path as it meanders off to the right behind us and the calls of the birds overhead.

I feel like hours go by and the chief barely moves. I wonder if he knows I’m struggling. I try again, taking a deep breath and close my eyes.

Time, though it ticks on a clock, doesn’t tick in the woods. However, I feel it ticking within me, like a heartbeat, ever steady. I feel this beat for hours and hours and soon I realize the sun has nearly set and the forest has grown dark. I hear Waaseywaa move next to me and I too stand and follow him out of the clearing, through the forest and back to the camp.

Only once the smells from the cooking hit me do I notice how hungry I am and how little I’ve eaten. My stomach growls angrily at me and I blush with embarrassment.

Waaseywaa nods to me and returns to his tent. I assume that means I am free to go to mine. I meander through the maze of tepees until I think I’ve found the one that is mine. I peek inside and see that someone has set the fire and left me a bowl of steaming stew and a dried stick of some sort of game.

I enter the warm tent and begin to eat, wondering how my friends are doing without me. Has Caroline flooded the apartment completely? Or has Kaitlyn found a way to help her? Is Kaede behaving himself? And Kaitlyn, is she worried? Or did she take off? Has Logan found them?  All the worries return to the surface and I feel a headache.

The meditation by the tree really helped, but now I feel I’ve undone everything we achieved. Will I get back in a timely fashion? Or will I be gone months? Perhaps they’ll leave without me. That would be best. They’d be better off. I could manage on my own. I’ve done it this long… They don’t really need me.

I realize my stew is gone and I’m still hungry but I can’t bring myself to ask for more. I gnaw on the dried meat and remove my clothes, folding them nicely and using them as a pillow. I guess we’ll see what tomorrow brings.

***

The next two days follow the same routine. The women leave porridge in my tent for my morning meal and a man retrieves me. I meet Waaseywaa and we go to the clearing and meditate the entire day. Each time I feel the ticking of time stronger and stronger. My worries continue to haunt me when I return to my tent and eat the evening meal, but I feel stronger each day.

At the end of third day I lay in my tent, restless. It’s long after the evening meal and the wind howls outside. It’s been so long and the ticking is stronger than it’s ever been before. I feel the energy pulsing beneath my skin.

I think about the others, worried about them, and I want to return to them. I’ve never been able to force a jump before. I’ve never directed the energy, never turned my own clock. I’ve always let it take me where it will. I’ve submitted to the clock all my life – but not tonight.

I ball my hand into a fist and stand. I throw on my leather skins, as my jeans lay in a muddy heap in the corner of my tent. I take a deep breath and concentrate on the ticking. The sound resonates in my ears like a pulse. I focus on my time, my friends. My earnest need to return.

I feel a static charge. Once, twice. It begins to jump all over my body, but this time it doesn’t jump erratically. It feels more steady, more controlled. I open my eyes with a smile and then my body is thrown from the tent. The camp blurs around me and everything becomes a blur of light, like falling stars all around me.

This time I force myself to look, to see the lights and follow them. They shift around me and I see them pulse. I realize they are places and times. The times I can go to. I twist where I am, feeling like I’m floating, but normal physics don’t seem to apply here. One small movement causes me to spin in circles. I focus my thoughts on my time and I see a light ahead of me, one that pulses a different colour from the rest. In fact, the rest seem to be stemming from this one particular light.

I know instantly this is my time and that’s where I need to be. I reach my hand towards it and I feel the jarring motion of time settle around me. I land on the floor on my bedroom, standing, my arm outstretched towards the darkened light fixture above me.

It’s dim in my room with only the yellow light of my lamp, and as I look out the window I see that it is about the same time of night as It was before I time jumped. I look around with a smile. I can’t believe it worked! I make a fist and pull my elbow in, shouting, “Yessss! I can’t believe it! I did it!”

That’s when I notice the girl sleeping in my bed, a book laying open next to her bandaged arm. My excitement quickly turns to raw embarrassment as I realize what the book is. I read the messy handwriting effortlessly and I feel naked again. The journal entry date reads; October 23rd, Campus library.

I stare, unbelieving at her, fast asleep. I reach for the book and see the dark circles under her eyes. She’s stopped wearing the thick eyeliner I first met her in and, despite the bags under her eyes, I think she’s beautiful. I turn back to my desk and return the journal to its place on the shelf. In the light of the lamp I notice the lack the dust they once had.

Oh my goodness! Is she for real? I can’t even begin to imagine what she thinks. Each of these had my personal reflections of each of my jumps, my opinions of the people I met, the events that happened. I described in detail how I felt during each of my jumps and every injury I received.

I shake with the amount of exposure I feel. I barely know this girl and I feel she can see right through me now. I think I’ve gone pale, because I can no longer feel my face. I turn and look at her, still sleeping, unaware that I’m standing here.

It’s actually a little funny. For someone who was so skittish when I first met her, she sleeps like a rock. I feel a smile come to my lips, and for the first time in my life, I can’t really explain the things I feel. I kneel on the floor of my room, suddenly feeling heavy and worn out from the jump. I notice that my dirty clothes have also been moved.

I lay down, laying my head on the hard floor. I guess I’ll deal with these emotions in the morning. I’m too tired to sort them out now. Much… too… tired…

 

By Kayla West

Kiki's Tales

    Rain pelts my back, cold against my bare skin. Thunder rumbles in the dark clouds above. Night fell hours ago and the hills are dark and quiet except when the lightning strikes. In those moments I see the never-ending hills and no sign of human settlement nearby.

    I decided hours ago that it was no use standing still in a storm, so I’ve been wandering the hills looking for people to shelter me. My socks are cold and muddy, and my feet are numb. My arms are folded across my chest, fists jammed in my armpits to keep them somewhat warm.

    I lose my footing on a bare patch of ground and slip down the hill, crashing onto my hip hard. I slide a few feet down the slope before coming to a stop. My entire side covered in mud, I lay there, shivering…

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The Guild – Chapter 7 – Kaitlyn

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Another installment!

 

“Sorry, Kat. I can’t stop it! Take care of Kae and Car, ‘kay?” He begs, reaching for me. He’s surrounded with a blinding flash, and then I’m alone.

I’m left speechless. Witnessing the time jump is amazing enough, but the fact that in that moment, not even giving it a second thought, he called me Kat. It seems silly, I know. The only people who ever dare call me that are Rhoan and Logan. I’ve never had any other friends before. Now he’s gone, and there was no telling if he will ever come back.

I return to the living room, the floor is lined with damp towels. We had managed to clear most of the water with a bucket and strategic use of mugs, dumping it down the drain. At least the gloves will keep us from drowning for now. She’s in desperate need of instruction.

“Hey, you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” Kaede jokes, mop in hand. He’s trying to clean up as much of the damage as possible. Caroline sits on the couch, damp cloth over her eyes.

I suppose watching a man disappear is almost the same as seeing a ghost. “Andrei… is gone.” I mumble.

“What?” Both of them gasp. The cloth on Caroline’s face flops into her lap.

“He just… Vanished. I think it was a time jump…” I explain.

“What?! Aw, man! You’re so lucky! Even I haven’t seen that yet! !” Kaede whines.

“Kae, shut up! How are we supposed to go to that school place now that he’s gone?!” Caroline snaps. At least one of them has the right priority.

“We don’t.” I reply, “We’ll have to wait until he comes back.”

“Seriously?” Kaede frowns, “That could be weeks! last time he jumped he was gone for three.”

“Can we stay here that long?” Caroline demands.

“What if we just like, left him a trail of clues to follow, and then he can meet us there?” Kaede suggests, “It’ll be like a spy mission!”

I roll my eyes, “That won’t work. He won’t be able to get to the Guild without me. It’s a safety measure.”

“Oh…”

“So, what do we do?”  Caroline starts to hyperventilate again.

I move to sit across from her, “You need to stay calm. Logan doesn’t know where we are right now. I’ll put up some wards, and he won’t be able to find us. While we’re waiting, I’ll teach you what I can.”

“Okay,” She nods, “Okay… I can do that…” Kaede snickers.

“You should get some rest. We can start tomorrow.” I smile, trying to calm her down. “Just, don’t take the gloves off, okay?” She nods, and shuffles down the hall.

Kaede leans the mop against the wall when the bedroom door closes, and looks at me excitedly, “Can I watch you make the wards?”

I shrug, “Sure… Do you have a sharp knife?”

He raises an eyebrow, disappears into the kitchen, and returns with a small paring knife. I guess that will do. I step up onto the couch, the small window just above me, and slice a groove into my left arm. I flinch as my skin splits. Red liquid oozes to the surface.

“Whoa! What are you doing?!” The young man yells.

“It’s stronger if it’s written in blood.” I state simply, dipping two fingers into the blood. I draw a simple sigil on the window pane, and move to the kitchen. I go into each room, drawing the same symbol on the glass of each window, and the door. I go into Kaede’s room last.

Caroline screams when she sees the knife, and again when she sees the blood. I’m suddenly drenched in water. Red spills onto the floor at my feet. Water magic is such a pain…

Kaede slips by and explains what’s going on as I step onto the bed to draw on the window. She calms down once she realizes it’s for a good reason. I drop the knife in the bathroom sink, and wrap my arm in toilet paper, since all the towels are on the floor.

“Um…  Sorry about the water…” Caroline pokes her head around the door. She sees the paper on my arm and raises an eyebrow, “What are you doing?”

Isn’t it obvious? “Stopping the bleeding.”

“That’s not how you do first aid.” She sneers, “Sit down, hold out your arm.”

I obey. I’d rather not get soaked a second time. She retrieves a white box from under the sink, and places it on the counter. Inside are all kinds of bandages and things I’ve never seen. She unwraps the paper, takes some fresh cotton balls, and drenches them in a stinky liquid. I hiss when the swabs touch my arm, and try to move away. It hurts worse than the initial cut.

“Hold still!” The girl snaps. I pout. I don’t like this, but I grit my teeth and sit through it. After the painful liquid, she applies a clear gel, before wrapping a strap of white linen around my wrist to my elbow. “There, that should hold for a while.”

“Thanks.” I mumble. I guess it does feel better than the toilet paper. I definitely don’t have the energy to heal it, and it’s not really life threatening.

Caroline goes back into the bedroom, and Kaede goes to follow. It’s taken most of the day just to clean the house, so it’s already past ten.

“Hey, you may as well use Andrei’s bed. It’s not like he’ll be using it.” Kaede smiles, and shuts the door.

Left alone, I wander into the dark bedroom. His dirty, bloody shirt lays discarded on the floor by the bed. I move it to the laundry basket for him. His desk is meticulous, books neatly stacked on the shelf, pens in a cup by the light, and papers stacked neatly to the left. Right above the chair, there are a series of leather-bound books, different from the rest. On their spines are handwritten titles.

1300’s, 1500’s, 1600’s, 1700’s, 1900’s.

I pull out the one on the left, as it looks the oldest, and open to the first page. It’s also handwritten, a date in the top right of the page. I read the first couple paragraphs before it occurs to me what I’m looking at.

“These are his journals of his time jumps…” I whisper to myself. I glance over my shoulder. The door is still open. I close it carefully, and sit on the floor, my back against the bed. My clothes are still wet, so I don’t want to sit on the bed yet.

I imagine Rhoan would scold me for reading the personal journal of a boy I just met, but he’s not here right now. He decided to patrol around the apartment to make sure Logan doesn’t sneak up on us. Part of me says I should put it back, but I can’t. I want to know more about this person who not only is not afraid of me, but is so kind. Curiosity wins out against my better judgement and I read on well into the night.

I guess I fell asleep while reading, because I wake up to a knock on the door, and the sun in my face. The journal is still in my lap, and I think my ass has gone numb. I quickly put the journal back in its place and open the door, but no one is there.

“Breakfast is ready!” Kaede calls from the living room.

I wander to the living room, to see the pair on the couch, plates in hand. A third plate sits on the table, with bacon and scrambled eggs. I sit on the floor and smile, “Thank you.”

“Don’t worry about it. Can’t let you starve, now can we?” Kaede grins, “Caroline made us breakfast, she says we’d all die if she let me cook.”

“My cooking may not as good as Andrei’s.” I try not to laugh. It’s not, but I’ll save her pride. “So, how does this whole magic thing work?” Caroline perks up.

I frown, “That’s a question way above my paygrade. From what I understand, its a form of energy, and some people are able to channel that energy and control it. I can show you how to keep it from flowing on it’s own. The professors at the Guild will be able to teach you what you can do with it.”

“Why can’t you show me that too?” Caroline frowns.

I scrunch my nose, “You use water. I can’t use water magic; it’s kind of the opposite of fire, y’know?”

“I… see. That makes sense I guess.” She hums.

Kaede nods excitedly, “Yeah, perfect sense. Opposite elements! That’s always how it works in the games!”

I narrow my eyes at him, “You do realize those games aren’t real… right?”

He grins and shrugs like it’s no big deal. I shake my head. This is going to be interesting.

Kaede leaves to clean up the dishes. I climb up onto the chair  across from the couch and get comfortable. Caroline watches with her big green eyes, eagerly awaiting my instruction. I’ve never taught another person before, so I’m not sure how, but I pretend to.

“Get comfortable, make sure you don’t need to pee, or anything.” I say. She nods, and waits. “Okay… So, first, focus on your breathing. Take a deep breath, let it out slowly. In, and out… In, and out… Think only about the steady rhythm, let everything else fade away.”

She nods and closes her eyes, breathing breathing in and out. Kaede drops drops a plate into the dish rack and I see her jump. She wiggles in her seat and tries again. In and out. A loud bang echos from upstairs, perhaps the owner upstairs dropped something something, and Caroline’s eyes pop open. She frowns and tries again.

A few silent minutes pass as she continues to frown.  “I don’t think is can do this.” She slumps in her seat. Can you give me more … more direction? What should I think about again?”

This is going to be a long day…

****

We spend the next three days sitting in the living room, while Caroline practices her self control. Hours pass while the two of us sit across from each other in silence. I take the time to practice as well, since I’ve got nothing better to do. She still has the gloves, and so far I haven’t had any accidents. Though, I also haven’t tried to actively use magic since the incident.

Part of me is hoping that it won’t work. The rest of me is afraid it will. As much as I depend on the fire, it’s a burden I wouldn’t miss. I imagine what life would be like, to live without magic. Could I be like other people my age? Could I go to a university, get a job, and live blissfully ignorant?

Probably not. It’s a nice thought, but I feel the energy there, same as always. It lingers at my fingertips, begging to be set free. I pray I won’t have to use it.

As a distraction, I spend my nights reading. Andrei’s adventures in the past. The little notes of what he thought, or felt are my favourite parts. It’s almost like he’s there, telling me the stories. He notes things that history got wrong, and things that were purposely recorded false to change the course of history. Sometimes though, there are incredible things that sound made up, that did happen. He seems particularly excited about those moments.

I notice a trend of how he seems to appear in the middle of dangerous situations. He seems to be injured often, and laments how many scars he’s collected over many jumps. Now, thanks to me, he’s got another one on his leg. I fall back on the bed and let the open book fall over my face. Will he be okay, wherever he ended up this time? He was only wearing his jeans and socks when he disappeared.

My face feels warm at the memory. I can’t even remember why I knocked on the door that night. Everything happened so fast. In the books, he describes the sensation to feel like static shocks, all over his body. I wonder if it’s painful. He doesn’t exactly specify.

I lift the book off my face, holding it up above me. The lamp on the bedside table illuminates the adorably messy scrawl in black ink. It’s like he couldn’t write fast enough.  I imagine him, sitting at the little desk across the room, furiously scribbling in a journal. Has he had time to write about what’s happened since Logan attacked? I haven’t seen it yet, if he has.

Andrei has been through so much. I’ve only read some of the entries in the half-dozen books on his shelf. Even after all that, he was so quick to offer to help me, a complete stranger. Now, he was in danger, along with his friends, because of me. I’m such an idiot.

I hope the Guild can help him learn to control his magic. If not, maybe I can help him find someone who can. It’s the least I can do, for dragging him into this mess. I mean, if he comes back at all…

I focus my thoughts back on the words in the dairy. There’s no use worrying about that right now. I have to stay positive. He asked me to keep his friends safe, and that’s what I’ll do.

 

By Krystyna Yates

Kiki's Tales

    “Sorry, Kat. I can’t stop it! Take care of Kae and Car, ‘kay?” He begs, reaching for me. He’s surrounded with a blinding flash, and then I’m alone.

    I’m left speechless. Witnessing the time jump is amazing enough, but the fact that in that moment, not even giving it a second thought, he called me Kat. It seems silly, I know. The only people who ever dare call me that are Rhoan and Logan. I’ve never had any other friends before. Now he’s gone, and there was no telling if he will ever come back.

    I return to the living room, the floor is lined with damp towels. We had managed to clear most of the water with a bucket and strategic use of mugs, dumping it down the drain. At least the gloves will keep us from drowning for now. She’s in desperate…

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The Guild – Chapter 6 – Andrei

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Here’s another new chapter!

 

I know I shouldn’t have gotten mad at her, it wasn’t her fault. In the heat of the moment, I couldn’t hold back my frustration at not landing the final blow. All that planning and we were so close! I set my Tims coffee down on the table and release the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

“I’m sorry…” I say, letting the words hang in the air space between us.

She looks up from the cup in her hands, like she’s coming out of a daze. Did she forget I was here?

I feel drained, more so than from the physical activity of fighting six larger than life monsters. It’s more of an internal exhaustion. My movements and my mind feel sluggish, like they’ve been running at a sprint for hours and can’t keep up the pace. I wonder if it’s from using the time magic to speed up my movements. I’ve never maintained it for that long before.

I try again.

“I’m sorry… for blaming you earlier…” I add. “I didn’t … I shouldn’t have accused you of withholding information. I… I was frustrated… that he got away. It’s not your fault. I’m sorry.” Man this is awkward. I hate saying sorry.

I can tell she’s been dwelling on my comment for a while. She’s barely spoken a word to me since we left the warehouse. It’s doesn’t help that our throats were nearly burned raw. Mine still feels funny.

She fiddles with the plastic tab on the lid. “You were upset. I understand that. I should have known he would have some sort of trick up his sleeve…”

I’m taken aback, I thought she’d be angry with me, at my emotional blunder. I watch her sitting across from me. I open and close my mouth, unsure what to say. I wasn’t expecting her to agree with me; I was way out of line. After a long awkward pause, I finally decide to change the topic.

“You couldn’t have anticipated that, it’s irrational to expect every move this guy might make. I think our best option is to head home and regroup.” I notice the people in the shop, eyeing our tattered appearance. “…and probably have a shower and some new clothes.” I drain my coffee, it was nearly done anyway.

She nods and follows suit, tossing the cup in the bin on the way out. She still looks sort of dejected, like she has something else on her mind.

I lead her out towards the crosswalk. It’s not far to our house from here, no need for a bus. Before long, we’re climbing up the driveway. I pull out my key and unlock the door. The first thing I notice is the inch of water pooling at the bottom of the stairs.

“What the hell? Kaede!” I shout down the hall, removing my shoes and leaving them on the stairs. “You leave the shower on or something?” I splash through the water and find both Caroline and Kaede perched on the couch, Caroline looks like she’s been crying. “What’s up with all the water man?” I ask.

“It’s me!” Caroline hiccups. “I… I… I can’t stop it! It… it just keeps coming!” Kaede rubs her back as she hiccups again.

“We tried leaving the house, you know, went for a walk and the water just followed her around. First it was like leaving wet footprints on the walkway, then it was like, the gutters were running water. We didn’t want to rouse the neighbours so we came back.”

“I’m sorry!” She hiccups again.

“The water damage is gonna be awful. Are we covered?” Kaede shrugs.

Kaitlyn pushes past me, wading over to Caroline. She pulls her gloves out of her back pocket, and says “Put these on.”

Caroline looks up at her, taking the gloves timidly. “Why? What will these do?” She turns them over in her hands, hesitantly.

“They’ll keep your magic restrained until you can learn to make it stop on your own.” She explains.

“So I really do have magic…”  She drops the sentence halfway, as if she didn’t want it to be true, “Don’t you need them then?”

Kaitlyn shrugs, “I’ve been trained to control my abilities. I only have those as a precaution… Besides, I doubt I’ll be able to light any fires for a while.” Caroline slips the gloves on, flexing her hands.

“Thanks.” She whispers.

“Why not?” I ask. “Have you tried using it since Logan got away?”

“What?! He got away?” Kaede jumps up. I exchange a look with Kaitlyn and we both shrug.

“Tell me all the details! How was it?” He sits back down.

“It was fine.”

“It was pretty rough.” We say at the same time

I give her another look. “We, uhh, found him, but he got away. But the students are safe, they were locked in a room at the warehouse. He mentioned this guy – the master – who I think helped him to get away.” I add, still steaming about that teleportation trick.

“Frig, man, I wish I was there! I always miss the good stuff.” Caroline punches him in the arm and he apologizes. “Not that this isn’t cool, Car. I’ve always wanted an indoor swimming pool.” He chuckles. She punches him again.

I turn back to Kaitlyn, “Try using your fire. Maybe it’s come back.” I’m hopeful that it’s returned since Logan skipped off.

“It’s not that,” She sighs, “Blocked or not, I can’t. My body is too weak from fighting those things.”

“Not even a–?” I hold up my finger, waving it around like a candle stick.

She looks back at me following my finger, “Fire magic is expensive. It’s one of the hardest elements to master because of the energy it takes to use. It should never be forced.” She says with a flat stare. I drop my hand, smiling.

“More energy than, let’s say, time magic?” I cock and eyebrow.

“Just slowing time, yes. Time jumping, on the other hand… If I remember correctly, that is the most expensive ability.”

“So, what happens now?” Caroline asks. “Are we safe to stay here? Or… or is everything going to change?”

Kaitlyn looks at her with pity, “I don’t think it’s wise for you to stay here. You need training, or your powers will become a hazard to you and everyone around you. I can bring you to the Guild, and you’ll be safe there. Once you’ve mastered your innate ability, you can choose to stay and study other fields, or you can return to the outside world.” She explains.

Caroline perks up at the mention of studying. “Wait, there’s other things there? Things to study?” She ponders that thought a moment but remains melancholy. “But, my studies here, all the money I’ve spent to get here… All that will disappear… won’t it?”

Kaitlyn frowns. “I have no idea. Most people who come to the Guild from the outside choose to stay and complete their studies there.”

“Maybe we’ll like it there Car! Maybe all the people there are really nice and you’ll get along! And maybe I can learn a trick or two too.” Kaede says enthusiastically.

“I’m not sure it works that way Kae.” I hate to dampen his dreams.

Caroline looks up at Kaitlyn, sad, but hopeful. “Really?” She says shakily. I know exactly what she’s thinking. Her whole life will change. No more University, no more visiting old friends and family. It’s a big change for someone with plans and a future. I don’t have either.

I look at Caroline, her eyes flutter to me and I give her my best winning smile. “It’ll be cool, Car. We’ll get to spend every waking hour together! It’s what we’ve always wanted isn’t it?” I joke with a wink.

She sticks her tongue out at me. “You would wish that wouldn’t you?” She asks. Kaede chuckles silently behind her, unnoticed.

“Everyday, sweetie, every single day.” I grin. She rolls her eyes. “Well…” I slosh through the water to the kitchen. The water slows my movements down,  more so with the sludgy feeling I already have. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m hungry, and after some rest I’ll be good to go.”

I turn to Kaitlyn and the look of her running mascara and torn shirt reminds me, “Oh, and mind if she uses the shower and a set of clothes? She’can’t go walking around looking like that anymore.” I say. Both girls give me an incredulous look, like I’ve just insulted both their mothers in Latin. “What? Just sayin’. She looks like a drowned rat.”

*****

My limbs feel heavy and stiff. I haven’t worked out like that since I was surfing in Hawaii. My head throbs and the setting sun in the window feels like a strobe light in my face. I try to roll over, groaning as I achieve a position facing away from the light.

My shoulder aches from the fall too. I hadn’t noticed it before, when Kaitlyn had healed my leg. That’s a skill I wish I had now. This lingering pain is annoying. Enduring it feels like a hangover that won’t let up.

I mull over the details of today, the fight, the master, the teleportation. Something doesn’t seem right to me. How could that guy, that coward, who always runs away from the fight, and lets others fight for him, have found a way to block Kaitlyn’s magic? He seemed to egg her on in the tunnel to use her magic. Something was off.

I feel a static shock on my arm and I bolt straight up. I immediately regret the sudden moment as my my vision swims. Was it just my imagination?

I lay back down, holding my head and hear a knock at my door. The pounding reverberates in my head and I groan.

“…Come in…” I moan.

Kaitlyn stands in the doorway, wearing Caroline’s black turtleneck sweater and blue jeans. It’s more form fitting than what she was previously wearing; I think it looks good on her, but I can’t be sure because it seems she’s swaying in the doorway. I roll my eyes back and close them.

“What is it?” I ask her in a whisper, hoping she’ll be quiet too.

I don’t hear any movement and she doesn’t speak. I take a peak and see her looking at me, mouth half open, then she turns beet red.

The static charge sparks again and I tense.

“No… no…”

She takes a step into the room, concerned. I hate to make her worry for no reason, but she’s so damn cute with that look on her face. “Are you ok?” She asks.

“Sorry, it’s just my head.” I deflect. Again, the static crawls over my skin like a snake around its prey. It jumps up my arms and through my spine. I jump out of bed, ignoring the protest from my brain and I shake my arms to make it go away. I forget I’m half naked, tattered shirt laying on the floor.

“No, no, no… Not now!”

I look into her wide eyes and I shiver, the charge growing in intensity all over my body.

“Sorry, Kat. I can’t stop it! Take care of Kaede and Car, ‘kay?” I hold out my hand, but I know she’s too far away to grab it. “I don’t know wh–” I’m cut short as the jump triggers and I’m thrown from my room.

I shut my eyes as the lights blur around me. I grab my head, trying to keep myself from getting sick. It’ll be over soon. My heart pounds and the tingling feeling in my body subsides. I hazard a peek at my surroundings.

The landscape is dark, the sun having just set. The chill air is sharp on my bare chest. I shiver, wrapping my arms around myself and looking around at the empty landscape. I can make out the faint shape of rolling hills and massive trees, but that’s all.

“Wh–Where the hell am I? When am I?!” I shout into the night. “Shit…”

 

By Kayla West

Kiki's Tales

    I know I shouldn’t have gotten mad at her, it wasn’t her fault. In the heat of the moment, I couldn’t hold back my frustration at not landing the final blow. All that planning and we were so close! I set my Tims coffee down on the table and release the breath I didn’t realize I’d been holding.

    “I’m sorry…” I say, letting the words hang in the air space between us.

    She looks up from the cup in her hands, like she’s coming out of a daze. Did she forget I was here?

    I feel drained, more so than from the physical activity of fighting six larger than life monsters. It’s more of an internal exhaustion. My movements and my mind feel sluggish, like they’ve been running at a sprint for hours and can’t keep up the pace. I wonder if…

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The Guild – Chapter 5 – Kaitlyn

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Another installment for Kaitlyn!

 

The heavy metal door slams shut behind me. The sound echoes through the building with a certain finality. I spin on my heel and pound my hands against the cold, rusted metal. I desperately reach for a handle, but it’s gone. There are two little square indents where it looks like it used to be.

“Hello, Kat.”

My heart skips. He was waiting for us… “Andrei! Get out of here!” I scream at the door. Can he hear me? “Andr-”

My face and chest slams into the door. I cry out involuntarily. Metal to the face hurts. Logan digs his elbow into my back between my shoulders.

“So nice of you to drop in,” I feel his warm breath on my ear. “It looks like you brought a present for me too. I really must thank you.”

“He won’t be your pawn.” I growl through grit teeth.

Logan snickers, “Sure, it may take some convincing, but I’m sure he’ll see things my way. I’m very convincing, as I’m sure you know.”

I stomp my heel into his foot and he stumbles back. I flip over and hold my palms out, “I’ll give you one more chance, Logan. Stop all this craziness, and come home.” I whisper, almost begging.

The blond tips his head, frowning, “Home? That place is no home.” He reaches up to tuck hair behind my ear,  “You of all people know that.”

I shake my head, “The Guild is our home. Whatever you’ve been told, they’re lies!”

He crosses his arms and sighs, “Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn, Kaitlyn… When have I ever led you astray?”

I hesitate. I can’t think of an argument. He was always there, helping me… but still. My lip quivers, “This time you’re wrong… This is wrong.”

The back of his hand swipes across my face. My cheek burns, and my eyes start to sting. His bright blue eyes glare wildly down at me, “Wake up, Kat! This is the future! Why should we be forced to hide, and let these lesser beings run the show?! Just one of us is worth a dozen of them!”

“No…” I whimper. How did the boy I grew up with turn into such a monster? How could I have let this happen?

Logan’s face twists with anger like I’ve never seen before, “You will see things my way, Kaitlyn! I’ll make sure of it!”

He lunges toward me. I throw my hands up in instinct. They spark, but it fizzles. I can’t breathe. That’s never happened before. It’s always stronger when I’m scared.

Logan chuckles, and then laughs loudly. “Oh, innocent little Kat. Did you think I’d be here, if I didn’t have that pesky habit of yours under control?”

I stare at my palms, shaking violently. I will the flames to come, but there’s nothing. The power stops short. Even with the enchanted gloves, I can still conjure flames with some effort. “It’s not possible…”

“Oh, but it is.” Logan smiles. It sends a shiver down my spine. “You see, the Master is much stronger than any of those so called ‘Guardians.’ He’s quite eager to meet you.”

I clench my fists. Damn it. I don’t even have Rhoan. I really screwed myself this time. Stupid Logan. I don’t care what he says, I’m not going to see that lunatic. Instead, I punch him square in the gut. He doesn’t see it coming, and doubles over with a groan. I punch him in the jaw and he falls back.

“Cheap shot, Kat.” He complains, rubbing his jaw as he lays on the floor. “I had hoped to settle this peacefully…” I sighs.

The shadows move. Uh oh. Six different creatures step into the dim light, filtering in through dirty windows. Each one looks like a mishmash of random animal parts. Just looking at them makes my stomach churn. I try not the think about how they were made… Woops. Too late.

I move to step back, but I’m met with that stupid door. My odds are not looking good… I briefly consider the idea of surrender, but something tells me Andrei wasn’t smart enough to run. Not to mention the other kidnapped students. Rhoan will think of something, I hope.

Logan gets up and retreats to the back of the empty room. Being that I have no weapon, and apparently no magic, I opt for a strategy of evasion. I roll between their legs, duck under punches, and try to maneuver so that they hit each other. It doesn’t take long before I’m drenched in sweat and gasping for breath. Gotta keep moving.

My lungs burn and my body screams, exhausted. I can’t keep up my speed. Claws catch on my arm, on my leg, on my hair. The floor starts to get slippery with smears of blood. I blink away the sweat dripping into my eyes. I’m sure I look like a raccoon, with eyeliner running down my face.

The ceiling erupts, debris showers the room and someone screams, a wordless battle cry. I scramble out of the way as the monsters stumble blindly. As the dust settles, one of the creatures is down, sword sticking up out of its head. Andrei stands proudly on top of it, covered head to toe in a fine powder of dust.

“Sorry for the hold up,” He yanks the sword out, “Did you start the party without me?” He winks at me. I tip my head, in a silent question. Does it look like I’m having fun? He back-flips off the creature and lands on the floor near me. He falters slightly, favoring the leg he cut earlier. I guess it’s still sore. He glances down at me and frowns, “You really should reconsider the eyeliner.”

On second thought, I don’t feel so bad that his leg still hurts. “Is this really the time to question my fashion sense?”

“You’re right. I should have mentioned it earlier.” His smile twitches up at the side. “By the way… I found the kids. They’re out.” He hisses, “Don’t let Logan know, though.”

I glare at the man standing across the room, watching us with mild curiosity. He looks quite pleased with himself. The monsters seem to be waiting for his command.

“I don’t think he cares anymore.” I mutter bitterly.

“Still a leg up, I’d say.” He studies the monsters. “Let’s take these out. You go left, I’ll go right.”

I wipe my face with my sleeves, hoping to get most of the black off. “I can’t.”

“Why not?” His head snaps back.

I pout, feeling my pride kick in, “Do you think they’d still be alive if I could do anything?”

“Sorry, Andrei, was it?” Logan calls over, “Just a little handicap I threw in. Didn’t want this to be too boring.”

Andrei looks between us, confused. “So… You can’t use your fire?” I shake my head. “Crap… Okay. We can still do this. We’ll just share Rhoan.”

“Whoa, there.” Rhoan warns.

“Shut up.” I snap. This is no time for his dirty humor.

“I’ll take one out, then I’ll toss him to you, and vice-versa. Okay?”

I nod. It’s not like I have a better plan. Honestly, I didn’t have a plan to begin with.

Andrei dashes across the room, faster than I can see. The monsters start to move again. The blur of the boy appears behind one on the left. It stumbles and falls to one knee with a gurgling cry. Andrei hops over the alligator tail as it swats at him, and tosses the blade over its head. It spins in the air so that the handle faces me.

I barely manage to catch it, flowing with its momentum, and slash the throat of the one to my right. Blood sprays across my face, as if I could look any worse anyway. I slice off a leg so it falls over to bleed to death. Then, still in one fluid movement, I finish the spin to launch Rhoan back to Andrei.

He lops the head off the one in front of him, and disembowels a second. Two more. I catch the sword and charge the one closest to me. I’m not as nimble as I normally would be, exhaustion taking its toll. As I leap up to hit it from above, it catches me by the neck in it’s bear claw. Undeterred, I stab it through the shoulder, into where I assume it’s heart should be. It thrashes. I lose my grip on Rhoan as I slam into the wall.

The beast howls. The bear arm tumbles away from the creature’s body. My vision is a little blurry, or is that just ‘cause he’s moving too fast? I don’t know anymore. Everything hurts. The wall is cold. It feels nice.

The last of the beasties falls over. Some of them are still twitching. Slow clapping from the other end of the room. Logan looks over the mess with a smile. What the hell is he thinking?

“Well done.” Logan praises, “The Master will be so pleased to have you on board!”

“Like hell he will!” Andrei sneerss, charging at him.

“Another time, perhaps.” Purplish-black energy swirls around behind Logan, it swallows him, and he’s gone  in the blink of an eye.

Andrei screams wordlessly. I hit my head on the wall. All that for nothing. Back to square one…

“No! Where’d he go?!” Andrei stomps across the room, stepping over bodies. “You didn’t say he could teleport! That would have been nice to know.”

“He can’t.” I snap defensively, “That wasn’t him. I’d bet it was that Master person he was referring to.”

“Agreed.” Rhoan adds, shifting into the form of the fox. He licks the back of my bloody hand, and looks up at me with concerned eyes.

“And you knew he was involved with him? And didn’t tell me? You have to tell me everything if we’re going to be partners! The plan could have been better knowing that he could teleport!” Andrei rants, out of breath and drenched in sweat.

“I didn’t know!” I yell, and immediately feel embarrassed. I don’t like yelling. “Contrary to what you might think, I don’t have all the answers. I told you everything I knew. I’m sorry.”

The boy throws his hands up and turns away. I watch him walk in circles, stretching his limbs while also examining the bodies. I don’t blame him for being upset, but how was I supposed to know he would get away?

“Kat?” Rhoan paws at my leg. I turn my head to look down. “Are you alright?”

I heave a sigh and go back to watching the angry boy. “He cut me off from my magic.” I state, not sure I believe it, in hindsight. “All my life, I’ve lived in fear of the fire… but now… Now that someone can take it away, I’ve never been so scared.”

Rhoan climbs onto my lap and curls up. I welcome the warmth. “Perhaps we should return to the Guild and seek guidance?”

“We can’t just leave them here, with Logan still around.” I disagree.

“Then don’t leave them here.” His head perks up, “What’s that smell?”

I glance around, “You mean, aside from the dead things?” I scoff, but then I get a whiff. It burns my eyes and my nose, all the way down my throat. “Oh, god! What the hell?” I cough, covering my mouth and nose.

Andrei reappears in front of me, “Don’t breathe it in, cover your face! There’s a door just over there.” He points to where Logan had been. I try to hold my breath. “Come on, get up!” He urges.

I push against the wall to support myself, but my legs aren’t having it. My knees buckle and I slide back down. “Damn it.” I cough.

“Hold onto me.” Andrei instructs. He puts my arm over his shoulders, and slides his arm around my waist. I push the knots in my stomach to the back of my mind and focus on not tripping over my own feet.

“This way,” Rhoan yells. A little yellow thing flies around up ahead. My eyes sting like crazy, and everything is a blur.

Finally, we’re flooded with sunlight and crisp cold air. Andrei stops and crouches down. I let myself fall over and roll onto my back. The fresh air helps to clear the effects of the acidic gas. I pull the inside of the collar of my shirt up to wipe my eyes so I can see again. It comes away black and bloody. I wonder if I look like a monster myself, covered in blood and eyeliner. I drape my arm over my eyes to block the sun and wait for my heart to stop racing.

“Are you okay, Kaitlyn? Rhoan?” Andrei asks. I hold up a thumbs up. He chuckles, “Well, I don’t know about you, but I could use a coffee.”

 

By Krystyna Yates

Kiki's Tales

    The heavy metal door slams shut behind me. The sound echoes through the building with a certain finality. I spin on my heel and pound my hands against the cold, rusted metal. I desperately reach for a handle, but it’s gone. There are two little square indents where it looks like it used to be.

    “Hello, Kat.”

    My heart skips. He was waiting for us… “Andrei! Get out of here!” I scream at the door. Can he hear me? “Andr-”

    My face and chest slams into the door. I cry out involuntarily. Metal to the face hurts. Logan digs his elbow into my back between my shoulders.

    “So nice of you to drop in,” I feel his warm breath on my ear. “It looks like you brought a present for me too. I really must thank you.”

    “He…

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The Guild – Chapter 4 – Andrei

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    My door closes with a click and I listen to the tick of the clock on my nightstand. My room is a mess, there’s laundry everywhere and school notes are strewn across the computer desk. I spot an empty plate peeking out from under one of my journals. The clutter bothers me but I’m not exactly tired yet so I start to tidy the mess.

    Kaitlyn, Logan, monsters, and magic? It all seems a little far-fetched, like I’ve just been thrown into a cold pool and am expected to keep my head up, no problem. Heck, I know what I saw though. Fire came from her hands like it would a BBQ lighter. The guy was controlling those ooze monsters like it was second nature. Is there really a place where you could learn this stuff?

    I toss a crust of bread into the bin and stack the notes neatly, hiding them in a drawer. So much has happened today. I mull over the events while I set my room in order. The cleaning soothes my uneasiness.

    I’m not the only one who feels this way. I can hear a muffled conversation in the next room, Kae and Caroline are still a little upset. Caroline has some sort of trick too, though she was completely unaware of it, until now. I can’t help but wonder what she can do.

    At last, the room looks presentable. I sit at the desk and pull a half-filled journal from the bookshelf. I rifle through the pages to a blank one and grab a pen from the cup under the lamp. I start to record the events of the day. I can’t forget a single detail. I relive each moment, feeling my heart skip when I saw Kaitlyn by the library, smoking. My muscles tense as I fight the ooze monster, and my mind races as I plan how I’m going to ring Logan’s neck.

    Who the frig does he think he is anyway? Enough crime happens on campus nowadays, I can’t let some freak get away with what he did to Caroline. I mean, it’s our fault for being on campus, to begin with. I gotta find those missing students, it’s the right thing to do.

    I finish the journal entry and lean back, the chair creaking. It’s eerily quiet. Maybe they’re all asleep by now. I glance at the clock, it reads one thirty. I can’t believe I’ve been up this long.

    My mind wanders back to her, the flaming hair, the skittishness. She’s an odd character. I wonder about her and what she’s been doing. Could the white-haired freak really be scared of her? Why?

    I stretch, yawning. It’s late and I’m feeling the excitement wear off. I switch off the lamp and pull off my shirt. The light of the moon comes in through the window, falling across my bare skin, making it glow faintly in the dark. Seeing the faint pink lines of my own scars from the past reminds me of how Kaitlyn had healed herself. Her skin is marbled with burn scars. Did she had an accident with the fire?”

    Questions plague me but I feel it’s too inappropriate to ask; we only just met. I have to be patient, but it’s hard. I want to know! I want to know all I can. I look at the books on my shelf, titles of ancient histories, their ink reflecting the moonlight. I love their stories. I can faintly make out the ends of sticky notes poking out at the top from corrections I’ve made from my own travels.

    I finish undressing and crawl into bed. I anticipate tomorrow’s planning. I can’t wait to take action. Now if only I had my fencing sword. I smile in the dark and pull up the covers, drifting into sleep.

~*~

    The sun shines on my face and wakes me from my deep sleep. I groan and roll out of bed. I take a look in the mirror and run my hands through my hair, fixing the shape. When I’m happy with how it looks I head to the kitchen.

    The floor is cold on my feet and feels a little damp. Was the floor always this damp? I double check to see if there’s been a flood from the laundry machine but I see nothing. Weird. I enter the kitchen and flick on the light switch. Time for food.

    In no time at all, I have a plate of eggs and mini sausages and I’m pouring a cup of coffee. I wander into the living room and freeze. Shit, I forgot the new girl was here. I look around wildly for a shirt. Nothing. I put the plate down, thinking it best I grab one from my room, but the sleeping girl catches my attention.

    She’s sprawled out on the couch like a drunken sailor, arm thrown over her head and mostly covered by a weird fuzzy orange blanket. I don’t recall owning an orange blanket. Weird. My eyes wander over her until I notice a faintly flickering light near her wrist. It glows slightly red and is about two inches long. It looks to be the shape of a flame. I’ve never seen a birthmark or a tattoo that glows. It looks slightly raised too. I lean a little closer for a better look.

    My hand reaches towards it.

    “I would advise against that,” a deep voice says. I jump back, nearly tripping over the coffee table. The blanket spoke.

    “Shoot, Rhoan. You scared me.”

    I hear a groan and she starts to move. Her eyes flutter open, resting on me before she gasps and I hear the couch creak as she tries to jump out of it. Fortunately, this time, Rhoan seems to restrain her, and the couch shakes a little with her effort.

    I watch her, eyes wild and fearful. She seems to relax as she recognizes me. Suddenly I’m self-conscious and wish I’d grabbed my shirt before taking a closer look at her strange flickering mark. I feel heat in my cheeks and I stutter.

    “Uhh, s-sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you,” I back up, knocking my heel on a leg of the coffee table. I quickly grab my plate and dash off to my room.

    What was I thinking? Stupid idiot! Great way to make an impression, frighten her to death … again! I’m such a fool. I set the plate on the desk and grab a shirt. Suddenly, I’m not so hungry, but I can’t let it go to waste so I wolf the meal down and head back out to apologize.

    I glance into the living room, she’s just sitting there on the couch, looking confused. I feel bad. I step in and look at the floor. “I’m so sorry for earlier. I didn’t – I shouldn’t have … uhh… disturbed you.”

    “It’s ok,” she whispers. “People don’t usually come that close to me, except when they’re trying to kill me. You’re very… different.” She adds as an afterthought.

    “Kill you? My god, where did you grow up? Normal people don’t try to kill each other,” I point out, surprised by her comment. I feel sorry for this girl if that’s her regular routine.

    “People do crazy things when they’re afraid. I don’t hold it against them.”

    “Well, you should! It’s not like you’re living in the year 200,” I say coming into the room and kneeling in front of her. “That’s not normal. If anyone says otherwise then they’re crazy too.”

    She looks at me with sad eyes, so sad it hurts to look back at them. “I set things on fire, without even trying. I’m not normal.”

    I realize what she’s trying to do – trying to justify others irrational fears of her unique ability. But I can’t accept that. I have to tell her. If we’re going to work together, she has to know.

    “By that logic then no one here is normal, but that’s not the point. They shouldn’t try to kill you just because they don’t understand. I… I know how ‘not-normal’ feels. I’ve been not normal all my life,” I hesitate, how do I say this so it doesn’t sound stupid.

    “I… time jump,” there. It’s out. A weird shiver courses through my body and I fear that a jump might be at hand, but it calms down. It’s not every day I reveal my little secret to a stranger.

    “I’m sorry,” she says, completely serious. “That must be terrifying.”

    I nod my head in agreement. “Yes, it was the first few years. When you’re seven and you’re suddenly not in class but in the middle of a ship that’s sinking, it can be a shock. And yes, it really fucks with regular life. But who cares! Regular life, to be honest, is pretty boring, which is why I want to help out. That is why Kaede is so excited all the time. He wishes he was like us,” I say with a wink.

    She turns pink and smiles. It’s really cute and I cough to hide my own smile.

    “Anyway… Breakfast. Want anything? I can make eggs, we got cereal or toast. What’ll it be?”

    “You don’t have to do that… Just coffee is fine. I’m okay.”

    My jaw drops and I give her a big frown. “That is so not healthy. I’ll make you a real English breakfast,” I flash her my best smile and jump into the kitchen. It takes some time to prep but soon I have the tomatoes sliced, sausages and mushrooms cooking and perfectly fried eggs glistening in the sun.

    I plate it and bring it into the living room as I see Kaede’s door open and the two of them come wandering out to join us.

    “That smells delicious!” Caroline says.

    “Woah dude, any left for us?” Kaede asks.

    “There’s stuff left on the counter if you want any,” I set the plate down in front of Kaitlyn and grin. “That’s a real breakfast. Enjoy!”

    She looks at the plate, a little overwhelmed. “I…Thank you. You really didn’t have to…”

    “My treat,” I grin.

    “Stop flirting with the new girl!” Kaede shouts from the kitchen, I hear him laugh quietly with Caroline.

    “It’s not like that,” I shout back. “I’m just being nice,” I say, feeling the heat in my cheeks again. Damn it.

    She slides to the floor and picks up the knife and fork, carefully cutting each bite into small pieces before eating. I take a seat on the floor across from her and lean back on my hands.

    “So, why don’t we plan while you eat, hmm?”

    She pauses, reaching beneath her hair to pull out a mouse, putting him on the table. The blanket, I notice is gone. The mouse talks and I quickly look to the kitchen to see if the others hear it.

    “Andrei, be a dear and bring me something to draw a map,” he says in his deep voice, so uncharacteristic to his current form.

    I check Kaede’s desk and find something to draw on. “Here,” I set it down and return to my spot at the coffee table. I watch closely as the mouse shifts into a disembodied hand and lays out some plans. Freaky…

~*~

    Standing in front of this old, rundown warehouse, the severity of the situation hits me. We’re really here, we’re going to find this guy and the missing kids and take him down. Kaede had insisted on joining us, but I’d somehow convinced him that if anything should happen to us, he should stay behind to call the cops. So now, at ten in the morning, Kaitlyn and I stand out front of this decrepit warehouse off Snidercroft with the shapeshifter, Rhoan.

    “So…” I say, looking at the fence that surrounds the property. I do a quick check for any cameras, the coast seems clear.

    “I hope you can climb,” she muses as she grabs hold and starts.

    “Whoa! Really?” I look around again, it’s still early morning and I’m hoping no one can see us on their commute. “Here, let me help you,” I offer. I grab the chain link fence and try to hold it steady. She gets to the top and waits for me.

    The holes in the fence are too narrow for my shoes and it’s difficult to find my footing. When I reach the top, I look at Kaitlyn. “It’s really happening, eh?” she nods and starts to climb down. I swing my leg over and grab the pole for support but my jeans catch on the top where a stray wire sticks up. It tears through, gashing my calf as I lose my balance.

    I fall off the fence and land hard on my shoulder with a small grunt. “Shit,” I breath through clenched teeth. Kaitlyn drops down next to me, nimble like a cat on all fours, clearly having witnessed my embarrassing acrobatics, a panicked look on her face.

    She holds her hand out as if to help me up but then freezes, second-guessing the action and pulls away. “Are you okay?” she asks instead, hand still out but too far away to really help. I watch her carefully as I prop myself up.

    I look at my torn jeans and sigh. They were new too. “Yea, I should be fine,” I say, holding the fabric up to get a closer look at the cut. The gash looks to be three inches long and is still bleeding. I’m such a clutz.

    She looks at the blood, biting her lip. It’s really quite cute. “I could close the wound, but … it’ll hurt.”

    I look at her in disbelief. “Really? I can handle it. We just got here and I already put a wrench in our mission. I probably can’t walk on it otherwise,”  I give her a nod, curious about how healing really feels.

    She rolls the rest of the pant leg up to my knee, well away from the wound. She pauses, hesitating again. “I’m sorry,” she says before she’s even touched it. Then she pulls off her right glove and places three fingertips over the cut.

    I feel a wave of heat rise up from the wound as if it’s bathed in flames. I grit my teeth and try to stifle a moan as the heat and pain intensifies. I throw my head back, trying to keep my cool. I can take it, really. I don’t want her to see me complain. It’d be more embarrassing than falling.

“Sorry,” she says, again and again.

    “It’s fine,” I try to mutter. “Perfectly… fine,” I swallow the whimper that threatens to escape.

    “Sorry, sorry… sorry,” I hazard a glance and see a tear in the corner of her eye. I thought I was the one in excruciating pain?!

    Suddenly the heat is gone and I look down, the wound is gone, my leg is smeared with dried blood. I see a light burn mark where the cut was – another scar to add to my collection, but heck, it’ll remind me of her, I think with satisfaction.

    “Thanks,” I say, truly grateful. I roll down the pant leg and try to stand on it, I feel a slight discomfort, but it’s good to go. “Alright, let’s get this show on the road,” I say with a grin, hoping to cheer her up.

    I hear her take a deep breath as she stands up. “Rhoan, go with Andrei,” the mouse jumps from under her hair and lands on my shoulder. I jump a little as I feel his tiny claws through my shirt.

    Kaitlyn removes her other glove, stuffing them both in her back pocket. “You should probably keep a safe distance from me.”

    I raise an eyebrow, wondering what she means. I take a single step back.

    She shakes her head and suddenly sprints for the building door. I dash after her. “So, Rhoan, how about we turn you into a fencing blade, hmm?” I feel the excitement taking hold as we begin our chase.

    “As you wish,” he leaps from my shoulder and becomes a very shiny fencing blade, complete with an ornate cross guard.

    I give him a toothy smile. “So cool.”

    Kaitlyn stands at the door, unmoving. “What are you waiting for?” I ask.

    She shrugs and grabs the handle. For a moment I see her staring at it with great intensity, then the handle begins to glow bright orange and melt. “Whoa…” Is all I can say and the door swings open and we enter the dark warehouse.

    There’s a darkened hallway lined with doors. The floor is covered in dust. It doesn’t look like anyone’s been here in ages. I wonder if Rhoan really saw Logan come here last night. I creep down the hallway, trying to keep my breathing quiet as I follow Kaitlyn to the end of the hall where a double door blocks our passage.

    “This has got to be the storage room,” I whisper, stepping to the side as she considers our next move. I drop the sword to my side and wait.

    She places her hands on the crack of the door and pushes, squeezing her eyes shut with the effort. The door slowly gives way and she tumbles through the opening she’s made. Once through, however, the door slams shut behind her before I can get through.

    “Hey! Kaitlyn! Wait up!” I shout, tossing Rhoan to the ground.

    “Oww… That was rude,” he mutters as I try to push the door open.

    “Sorry, I thought you’d change or something,” I push with all my might but the door won’t give. How’d she do that?

    “Kaitlyn!” I yell, banging my fist against the door! “Kaitlyn, hold up!! Heyyyy!” I hear nothing though.

    I continue to bang my fist against the door, the sound echoing down the empty hallway. I hear a faint scream from the other side and suddenly the door shakes a bit as something bangs against it from the other side.

    “Kaitlyn! No!!!” I yell, sinking to my knees and banging the door. “No…”

    Rhoan rolls over to me, knocking my knee. I look down at him, worried. “Are you going to just sit there, or are we going to find another way in?” his remark makes me think a moment.

    “Another way… in?” I look at Rhoan, eyes lit with determination. “Another way in,” I say, more confidently.

 

By Kayla West

Kiki's Tales

    My door closes with a click and listen to the tick of the clock on my nightstand. My room is a mess – laundry everywhere, school notes strewn across the computer desk. I spot an empty plate peeking out from under one of my journals. The clutter bothers me, and I’m not exactly tired yet. I start to tidy the mess.

    Kaitlyn, Logan, monsters and magic? It all seems a little far fetched, like I’ve just been thrown into a cold pool and am expected to keep my head up, no problem. Heck, I know what I saw though. Fire came from her hands like it would a match. The guy was controlling those ooze monsters like it was second nature. Is there really a place where you could learn this stuff?

    I toss a crust of bread into the bin and stack the…

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