---------
CHAPTER 10
Marcy woke to the sound of birds chirping. She gazed around the room. Oh wait, I’m at Jenny’s house that’s not on Earth. Right. The window was open. “I don’t remember opening that,” she mused. “Did someone come in and open it? Wait, maybe Jenny did…creepy.” The breeze blew through the window, setting the curtains dancing. It brought a beautiful outside smell with it.
Sleepily, Marcy checked the clock. Ten thirty-nine, not bad. I must have been super tired from yesterday’s activities. She checked her social networks on her phone, noting the existence of wifi, before getting out of bed.
“Hey, what’s this?” she exclaimed abruptly. There was an outfit draped on the chair in the room. The first thing she saw was a bright pink fitted short-sleeve blouse with a smattering of sparkles across it. Fingering the material, Marcy gasped. The sparkles were in the fabric. I bet these won’t ever come off! She tried it on. It was a perfect fit. She also noticed that there were no seams--just like Jenny had promised.
Next, she picked up a small skirt that came up to her thighs. It was a purple color that matched beautifully with the blouse. She also donned a pair of denim leggings. They were quite soft, and the skirt was light and airy. All in all, the outfit was very comfortable and completely seamless. There was also a silver headband that Marcy pushed back in her hair to keep her bangs back. I gotta admit, she thought as she applied makeup, Jenny must be pretty talented to have made this. She probably used some magic, but it’s still amazing.
After preparing for the day, she walked to the kitchen. Jenny was at the table, eating cereal and talking to a woman beside her. Marcy stopped abruptly. Who in the world is she and why is she here?
Jenny and the woman both turned to look at her. Marcy awkwardly gave a half smile. “Hi,” she said.
“Good morning!” replied Jenny cheerfully. “I’m glad to see that you’re wearing the outfit I made you! It’s quite cute. I have a messenger bag for you as well, but I think it’s in my room.” She finally noticed that Marcy was staring at the stranger. “Oh! Yes. This is Ellah. She’s one of my wizard friends. There’s going to be more arriving soon, but we all like to mingle before the actual convention.”
Marcy examined the other woman. A red cat with black paws rested in her lap, and another sat at her feet. Her hair was a deep, smooth black and hung down her back. The creases beside her mouth and eyes were deep, indicating that she smiled often. Other than that, her face wasn’t wrinkled, though she had the air of having lived a while. Weird. Must be a side effect of being a wizard, thought Marcy. She’s also wearing a ton of eye makeup, so maybe that helps. Oddly, for a wizard with cats, Ellah wasn’t wearing a dress. Instead she wore on a black jumpsuit that shimmered. As she looked closer, Marcy saw that minute threads had been weaved into a water pattern, swirling all over the jumpsuit like a sparkly waterfall.
“Hello,” said Ellah. Her voice was young and full of energy.
“Morning,” she responded, glancing at the red cat. “I like your cats.”
“Thank you,” stated Ellah proudly. “I love cats. I’ve got several more at home but these two are my favorites so I brought them. This red one is Comet of Destruction, but I just call him Comet. The black one right here”--she pointed at her feet--“is Soul Reaper. I never go anywhere without them.”
“Oh. Cool,” said Marcy. But creepy names! “Cats are awesome. I’m the only cat person in my family. I mean,” she stuttered, looking at Jenny, “as far as I know.”
“Cats are my favorite animals.” Jenny winked. “Hey, are you hungry?”
Marcy’s stomach grumbled. “Yes,” she answered. “I think I’m going to eat the leftovers from dinner.”
“Go right ahead.” Jenny turned to Ellah. “How about you?”
“I’m fine. I grabbed some food on my way here.” Marcy accidently let a snicker slip out as she imagined the woman walking in a restaurant. “I’m what you call a ‘crazy cat lady’ on Earth,” Ellah explained further. “I live there, like Jenny.”
“I see.” Sticking her food in the microwave, Marcy pressed the button and waited for it to heat up. There was momentary quiet as Jenny ate her cereal and Ellah stroked Comet. Then the doorbell rang.
“I’ll get it,” said Jenny. She answered the door and her daughter heard a small reunion. Judging from the deep voice, the person who entered was male. The duo moved into the kitchen as Jenny escorted her guest to the others. When Marcy saw the man who entered, she nearly laughed. This guy looks hilarious! Quickly, she sat down at the table and shoved food into her mouth. He’s such a stereotype of a woodsy wizard!
The man was short and covered from head to toe in foliage. He was wearing a brown cape and robes covered in an ivy pattern. As Marcy looked him over in wonder, she noticed that there was a hedgehog in his pocket and a field mouse sitting on his head. What little skin she could see was covered in dirt and moss. If he isn’t a wizard then I’m a cat, she thought.
“Marcy, this is Witch Hebon,” Jenny said. “Hebon, this is my daughter Marcy.”
“Hm, didn’t know you had a daughter,” mused Witch Hebon. “I’m the only man in the house, how unfortunate. Is Cyronix around?”
“No,” her mother apologized. “He goes to the mountains when I hold the Wizard’s Convention, you know.”
“Right.” Hebon became suddenly obsessed with the field mouse. He had lifted it up to his face and seemed to be whispering to it. While she stared, Marcy thought, Guess he’s not a wizard, then. He’s a witch. I’ll have to be a cat for the day. Soul Reaper chose that moment to jump into her lap, his claws extended. She suppressed a painful yelp. Actually, I’ll just let Comet and Soul Reaper be cats.
“Why don’t you have a seat, Hebon?” asked Jenny. She pulled up a chair for him and he sat, still talking to the mouse. “He’s just socially awkward, he’s really nice when you get to know him,” she whispered to her daughter.
Marcy nodded slowly. “Right,” she whispered back. A little weird, but that’s just to be expected when your mom is friends with every wizard and witch in the universe.
“I’m going to go set up my house,” announced Ellah. “I need to get settled.”
“Why don’t you go and watch her, Marcy?” asked Jenny. She looked a bit sympathetic.
“Do you mind?” inquired Marcy.
“Not a bit,” answered Ellah. “Let’s go!” She stood up, dumping Comet off of her lap. Marcy did the same with Soul Reaper. “They’ll follow us, don’t worry about them,” Ellah said as she gave her black cloak a dramatic swirl around her shoulders.
They walked outside to the field The grass was waving with a slight breeze. Marcy was wondering how the weather was always so nice when Ellah broke into her thoughts. “Is this the first time you’ve seen a wizard put up a temporary house?” she questioned.
“Yep,” replied Marcy. “Yesterday was my first run-in with the whole magic and stuff, too.”
“Wow, so it’s all pretty new to you, huh?” Ellah had picked up a large carpet bag from somewhere and was strolling into the field with it.
Marcy hurried to catch up. “Yeah,” she agreed. “It is.”
“Good. Let’s get you acquainted with a temporary house then, shall we?” Abruptly, Ellah stopped. She dropped the carpet bag. “This should do it. Stand back.” They both retreated a few steps. “Now, watch carefully.”
Ellah pointed at the carpet bag and it flew open. Suddenly, the bag was crushed by the house that sprang out of it. There was nothing slow about its appearance--it simply poofed into existence. Marcy staggered back. “What the--how?!” she blurted.
“Magic,” replied Ellah with a hint of pride. “It’s amazing. Come on, you can see the inside too!”
They walked into the house, Marcy gaping in awe at it. How does this fit in a carpet bag?!
It was a small house, painted black with green shutters. Marcy didn’t know what was more startling--the color scheme or the fact that it just sprung out of a bag. The front door was also a light green. Ellah strolled inside, turning on lights and flipping switches. The inside of the house was even more startling. Every room was a different color of the rainbow. The living room was a beachy blue, the kitchen light purple, and the dining room sunset orange.
“I designed my house after myself,” said Ellah. She stood in the kitchen, washing something in the sink. “I look dark and scary on the outside, but inside actually I’m fun and sweet. Like a grandma.” She winked at Marcy. “On Earth the kids love me because during Halloween I dress up as a witch and give them big candy bars. I also let them play in my yard.” Shaking her head, she laughed. “Their moms don’t trust me, though. Must be the cat lady character.”
“Probably.” Marcy gazed at a picture on the wall. It looked mysterious. In the painting, an old-fashioned well sat in a glade in a forest. Dust particles hovered in a shaft of sunlight that was had fallen on the well. For some reason she felt as if it promised her something. “What’s this picture of?” she asked Ellah.
“Oh, it’s just a legend.” The wizard dried her hands on a towel and joined Marcy in front of the painting. “That’s the Well of Souhaiters. Supposedly, it will give you whatever you most desire. It’s a myth though. A lot of good wizards and adventurers have searched for it, and never come back. No one really knows where it is or what it looks like, but there’s a few paintings like this one that depict it.” She sighed. “A while ago, they just stopped looking. I don’t believe it exists, but you know, most legends are based on fact, so…”
Hey, I’ve heard that before! Marcy thought excitedly. I read it in that book from Jenny’s library! “Sounds interesting,” she said. “Do you know anything else about it?”
“Nope.” Ellah shook her head. “That’s all I know. I bought this painting off of a pawner in a space somewhere because it caught my eye. It’s good fuel for the imagination.”
“Interesting,” Marcy mused. I feel like it’s important, but I don’t know why. Oh well. “Wonder what I’m going to do the rest of the day?” she said to herself.
“Well, there’s going to be a lot of wizards and witches coming here throughout the day,” said Ellah. “Two representatives from every known space. Everyone pretty much mingles till night time and then we all meet together to talk about whatever’s going on in the world. You could either stay in your room or come meet a bunch of strange and probably creepy people.” She shrugged. “Up to you, really.”
“Yeah, I guess so,” Marcy said. “I’ll probably do both. I wouldn’t mind meeting some people, but--” Suddenly she was cut off by a loud noise from outside the house. It sounded like an extremely loud washing machine. The two rushed outside.
Marcy shaded her eyes against the sun. A large spaceship was descending from the sky. That looks like it came straight out of a sci-fi movie! thought Marcy. It was sleek and silver, with flashing blue lights permeating its surface. Curiously, the body of the spaceship was shaped just like a pyramid, and four long wings extended from the each corner of the base.
“Oh, that’s just Velin,” explained Ellah over the noise. “He’s a Unologian. It’s kind of a sci-fi space. Lots of screws and metal and electricity. They don’t believe in magic, only in science.”
“Then how did he get here?” yelled Marcy. “If he doesn’t believe in magic, he can’t use a portal, right?” The ship was landing, its wings folding up to rest against the sides of the pyramid. The landing gear came down and with a hiss the strange craft came to rest in the field.
“Well, I know it’s weird, but the Unologians have figured out how to use portals with science.” Ellah scratched her head. “I suppose eventually, the humans on Earth will figure out the same thing. But they’re a while away from that, thank goodness. Somehow it works, though--Velin gets here through his ship by using what he calls a…let’s see, what does he call it…” She stared off into the distance, a pensive expression on her face. “Oh! He calls it a noptan. I think it’s some sort of giant portal…of sorts. He tried to explain it once and ended up confusing everyone.”
“Crazy.” Marcy gazed in awe at the pyramid. It had the word Hellava painted in large black letters on the side. Guess that’s the name of the ship. It’s like I stepped into a science film! This is amazing!
Without warning, a rectangle on the side of the ship hissed, opened a crack, and slowly descended to the ground. Steam poured out from inside the ship, illuminated by blue and silver lights. Marcy waited with baited breath to see Velin. She heard coughing. She looked at Ellah, who shrugged.
A man stepped out of the ship. He matched it exactly, wearing a silver suit with a glowing blue circle on his chest. Blue lines ran up and down the suit, similar to the outside of the spaceship. His hair was jet black and slicked back, and his eyes appeared to be black as well. He walked confidently and smoothly down the gangplank. “Greetings, Ellah,” said Velin. Even his voice sounded like metal--cold and unforgiving. “How goes it on the Lesser Space?”
“All is well, thank you,” replied Ellah. She had became more sophisticated, somehow. Marcy looked from one to the other. I don’t think I like Velin, she decided.
“Who is this? Your apprentice?” He looked at Marcy, his gaze wintery. “I thought you had given up apprentices.”
Ellah placed an arm around her protectively. “No, this is Marcy. She’s Jenny’s daughter,” she said, as if it meant something. It must have, because Marcy detected a change in Velin’s face. He looked like he respected her more.
“Interesting. Well, I must be going. I have news for Jenny.” He walked away without a goodbye. Ellah loosened her arm.
“Ugh! That man.” She motioned for Marcy to follow her back inside. “He is just too rude. He’s always been like that.” Flopping down on the couch, she laid her head against the cushions and sighed. “He’s a stereotypical Unologian--they’re cold like their technology. Too many lights and dials for me.”
“Yeah, he seemed pretty rude,” said Marcy as she sat down beside Ellah. “Hey, why did he kind of look respectful when you said that Jenny was my mom?”
“Jenny is very high in the wizarding world,” answered the woman seriously. “She has a great amount of power for someone so young. When Velin heard that you were directly related, he thought that you might have inherited some of it. And you very well might have.” She looked at Marcy with a grave expression. “However, you can’t go dropping names like that. Some in the magical community don’t appreciate your mother like we do. They would give a lot to see her shamed or even dead. Be careful, Marcy.”
Marcy stared. Um, woah. Good grief, can I do anything without my life being in danger? She nodded. “Okay, I won’t mention it.”
“Good.” Ellah stood up and stretched. “Do you like s’more cake?”
***************
After two slices of the delicious cake, Marcy took a look at the clock. “Wow! It’s already lunch time!”
“Sure is,” Ellah said absentmindedly. She was gazing out the window. A large number of wizards and witches had arrived while they were eating. Ellah had told her all about being a wizard and living on Earth, and Marcy in turn told her about what had happened in the past 48 hours. The wizard seemed very interested in her life.
“Hey, I’m going to go in Jenny’s house now, okay?” Strolling to the door, Ellah looked back at her. “She has a big room in the basement where we all talk and eventually have our meeting. That’s where I’ll be.”
“Okay. Can I come?” asked Marcy. I kind of want to see all the different wizards and witches up close.
“Absolutely.” They both entered Jenny’s house and Ellah showed her to the basement. It was massive, more like a cavern than a room. The walls were made up of roughly cut rock. Moss grew up the sides in some places, and the air was clear and chilly. In the middle of the room sat a large rectangular table. The cavern was also filled with people. Everyone was talking, laughing, and reuniting. It had the feel of a giant family reunion.
“It kind of is a reunion,” said Ellah to Marcy. They stood in the doorway, surveying the room. Marcy looked at the wizard in astonishment.
“How did you know what I--” she began.
“Moderately powerful wizards can sense emotions,” Ellah explained. “Something like Cyronix, I think. Oh, there’s Brenna!” She waved energetically. “I’m going to go say hi--you’re welcome to do whatever you like! Most of them would love to talk to you, though.”
Ellah left and suddenly Marcy was all alone. Strange people surrounded her. She saw one man who had a waterfall bubbling up around his neck, but the water seemed to disappear once it got to his waist. Another woman looked African. What’s she wearing? Marcy searched her memory. Oh yeah! It’s a kanga.
She saw a man making his way toward her. Help! Evacuate! She turned to leave but he started to speak. “Hi there!” he said. His voice was surprisingly deep and husky.
“Hi,” replied Marcy. She about-faced and got a good look at him. He had tattoos up and down his arms, blond hair, and a baby face. A fedora rested on his head, and he wore burgundy pants and a white t-shirt.
“How are you?” The man smiled at her. “I’m Rick. What’s your name?”
“I’m good, and my name is Marcy.” She tried to smile back without looking interested in a conversation. It must not have worked because Rick kept talking.
“Oh, Marcy? Are you Jenny’s daughter?” He suddenly looked even more attentive. “She told us you might be around. Are you training to be a wizard like her?”
“Um, no.” I wonder if I even have magical abilities at all. “I kind of just found out she’s my mom, so…”
“Ah.” Rick nodded knowingly. “I had wondered. You’ve never come here before, right?”
“Yep, that’s right,” she said. I want to go to my room! When will I escape? she thought frantically. Hopefully I don’t look frantic on the outside… There was an awkward silence. Finally, Rick seemed to get her hint and began to smile.
“You look like you’re in a hurry to get somewhere. Probably hungry. Jenny set out some food in the kitchen, just so you know. She makes the best meatballs.” He rubbed his stomach with a satisfied expression. “Usually I eat most of them. Okay, I’ll go now. Nice meeting you!”
“Nice meeting you too,” said Marcy. She quickly turned and hastened out of the cavern, lest someone else pen her in. Eluding people was a hard task--Jenny had apparently told everyone she was there. Multiple wizards and witches tried to catch her eye, but she kept her face to the ground. Not sure if I should be proud or terrified, thought Marcy.
She made it to her room without being stopped. “Whew!” she exclaimed. Collapsing onto the bed, she grabbed her laptop and opened it. Time to be a little normal.
Whatcha think? The plot is chugging along, thankfully. Are you ready for the suspense cuz it's coming. xD
Also, did you notice Patrick Stump? I know, I'm weird like that.
Also, Ellah is based off of a real life person as well.
~~Zoë Wingfeather
No comments:
Post a Comment