I looked at Jake and whispered back, "We'll figure it out. Let's just try to keep calm for now and not tell anyone what happened." Looking at the stairs, I added, "Let's go to my room." Turning to the kitchen, I loudly said, "Shut up, Jake, I've not used your bathrooms in a long time. I just need some instructions and assistance."
Jake looked offended at first, but then I saw the realization come to his eyes, and he loudly responded, "I'll help you, but I'm still gonna tease you."
I looked incredulously at him again. I don't know what his problem is, but he's changed, and not for the better.
He shrugged, and I motioned for him to follow me as I picked up Julie and carried her toward my room. The dogs tried to follow us, but thankfully, we heard Uncle Paul call them to follow him outside. As I bolted up the stairs, I listened to the dogs whine as they went out.
As I carried Julie up the stairs, I felt my arms getting tired. She was surprisingly heavy for someone so small. Or maybe I should have done some more weightlifting exercises. I could feel her weight pressing down on my arms, causing my muscles to strain. I knew I couldn't keep this up for long, so I quickly activated a strength spell to give myself a boost. My wand was still in my hand. Through the rushing and stress, I struggled to find the right magic circle in the new want. Eventually, finding it, a faint light came out of the wand.
As the spell took effect, I felt a surge of power coursing through my body. My muscles bulged with newfound strength, and I could feel Julie becoming lighter in my arms. I could easily carry her up the stairs and into my room with the added power.
Once inside, I gently laid Julie down on my bed and stepped back to catch my breath. The strength spell had waned the last few steps, and I could feel my heart racing. I took a deep breath to steady myself, then turned to Jake. Who kept pace with me the whole time without any magical assistance.
"Okay, let's figure out what's going on," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Do you have any idea why your little sister can use and do magic? Or why she attacked you with it?" I ran out of breath and doubled over, wheezing as I released the strength spell. Looking up at the silent Jake, he met my gaze with an angry, bitter look in his eyes and only a single bead of sweat on his forehead.
I straightened up, feeling winded from carrying Julie up the stairs. I could feel the tension as Jake stood there, silently clenching and opening his fists. This was strange, and I had no idea what to do now. We needed to help Julie, but I got a distinct anger from Jake that might be a separate problem we must deal with first.
I took a deep breath, trying to calm my breathing and nerves down. "Look, Jake, I know this is a lot to take in. But we need to figure out what's going on before anyone gets hurt. This is overwhelming, but right now, we need to focus on helping Julie. I want to tell your mom, but she said not to. Do you know why?"
Jake didn't respond. His eyes locked onto mine with a fierce intensity. I could see the anger and frustration simmering just below the surface. I had no idea where it was coming from. Now, I felt myself getting frustrated, but at least one of us needed to keep a clear head.
I decided to try a different approach. "Jake, please. What's going on? You have been weird and cold since I got here. Are you pissed at me for something?"
Finally, Jake's fists stopped clenching, and he let out a heavy sigh and, in a furious whisper, said, "I don't know, man. Maybe it's cause you are magical, and I'm mundane. Maybe because you live in the magical realm, and I live in the ass end of Wisconsin. Maybe you have a future, and I'm stuck, forever looking at people with more than me."
I was shocked into silence. I stood there staring at him, trying to figure out what he was talking about.
Taking my silence to mean something, Jake continued, "You don't know what it's like to know all the fantastical things are possible and be shut out from it by simply being born to the wrong parents. I've wondered what my life would be like if I was born with your powers for the last few years, and I can't help but think it would be easier. And now I'm also being left behind by her." he said, gesturing to Julie.
Somehow, I found my voice. "You hate being born to your parents?"
He clenched his fists again, face contorted with pain, anger, and resentment. "No! Of course not. They are awesome and patient and kind and support me. But your life is so much easier!"
I couldn't help but smirk bitterly at Jake's comment. If only he knew how many problems I had gone through in my own life, he might not be so envious of me. But I could understand where he came from, feeling left out and powerless. But how was I going to explain this to him?
"Jake, you don't know half of it," I said, trying to keep my voice calm but failing. A slight tremor slipped through my self-control, and I clenched my wand harder. "Growing up in a magical world has its own set of challenges. You have no idea how many times I've been in danger or had to fight for my life because someone or something hated me for being born. Just because I have magic doesn't mean my life is on easy mode. Life is hard everywhere. And as supportive as my parents were and are, you don't have to live up to a genius doctor and a brilliant researcher slash teacher."
It was Jake's turn to copy a fish. His mouth just kept opening and closing.
Biting back tears, I continued, "You think it's hard growing up here. My home town was not much bigger. Only we were in a box realm. You can go anywhere on this planet. You have the technology. You have the freedom to simply be free in your culture and country."
Jake sneered. "Yeah, free. I have to get my life sorted because my years are counting down, and you get to bum around the world for the next who knows how many years without any consequence on your 'Jumping around' period. Whatever the name is in the old language. I don't have that luxury or freedom."
I scoffed with indignation. "It's a tradition so that mages and magical folks know how the realms work, especially the non-magical. I'm not bumming around; I'm learning. My travels are meant to help me grow as a person."
Jake shrugged with a sneer. "Like I wouldn't want to have the freedom to travel." He stepped closer and pointed a finger at me. "But you know why you have this opportunity? It's not that you're rich or anything. It's simply because you are born with magic."
For a second, I thought about what he said, confused. "What do you mean?"
Jake looked scornfully at me. "You don't even get it? How old are your parents?"
I shrugged. "I'm not sure, I think around 80's. We don't really celebrate birthdays annually after we reach 18. More of a decade celebration."
Jake looked angry. "And you know why? Because of magic. You don't age like mundanes. You and I are the same age, but from our 18th birthday moving forward, I will age like normal, and by the time I'm dyeing in my 80's, you'll look like you are in your 30's. You have the luxury of wasting a decade of your life traveling because you don't live as fast as me. You will be there at the funerals of my great-grandchildren if you want to be."
I wish I was stronger. I wish I was smarter. I wish I knew what to say.
But I wasn't.
The world seemed to slow, and the room went into a pure silence. After a stretched-out second, I felt like I had been punched in the gut. The silence turned into ringing in my ears as Jake's words hit me like a ton of bricks, shattering the facade of strength and control that I had tried to maintain. My mind raced, trying to process what he had just told me. It was obviously true. This was common knowledge, but I've never really thought about it.
As I tried to wrap my head around the implications of what Jake had said, a wave of confusion and disrepair washed over me. I had never fully grasped the extent of it. The realization that my lifespan was more prolonged than John's...it was almost too much to bear. I felt a deep agony as I realized I would outlive so many people.
I wish I was smarter. I wish I was stronger. I wish I knew what to say.
But all I could do was feel the hot tears streaming down my cheeks.
After a few more stretched-out seconds, time restarted, and I managed to croak out, "I'm sorry."
I wiped the tears from my face and realized Jake was smirking. He shook his head and said, "You didn't choose to have magic any more than I chose to be mundane, John. That's just what it is."
Again, I didn't have anything to say. He was right.
Then Jake asked me a question that made me pause again "Is this the first time you've thought about death and mortality?"
I was taken aback by the question, and it took me a moment to respond. "I mean, not really," I said hesitantly. "I've thought about it before, but not in this way, not with this kind of weight behind it. It was usually more connected to something being angry and yelling at me."
Jake's smirk disappeared, "For me, it was a few years back when, right at the end of my school year, my friend got killed by a drunk driver in front of me, and a week later, my grandmother died. My dad's mom was the one who was a mundane. That sent me spiraling, realizing that if I had magic a fraction of mom's family side, I could have saved my friend, and I wouldn't need to die so quickly."
I remember 3 years ago, "That's the summer your family came late to visit, but you refused to come? Is that why?"
Jake nodded, looking sad at the window. "Yeah, I lied to my parents and said I wanted to spend some time with Grandpa since Grandma just died. They believed me."
Just as Jake told me about his past experiences, Julie groaned, bringing the conversation to a sudden halt. We both turned to look at her, and I saw her lying on the bed. The sleep spell was beginning to wear off, and we still hadn't come up with a solution.
I looked at Jake and said, "This is definitely something we need to talk about more, but right now, we need to figure out how to help Julie."
Jake just nodded in response. We moved to the bed. Jake sat where her legs were, and I pulled my chair in front of her, wand at the ready.
"Julie, are you okay?" I asked in a soft voice, hoping she was calm enough now.
She didn't move her body at all, but after smacking her lips a few times, she whispered, "I don't know. My head is pounding, and everything feels so dizzy."
I nodded. "Do you remember what happened?"
She whispered, "No." as her eyes fluttered open. Then she bolted upright, looking green and panicked. "What happened? We were downstairs in the kitchen. How am I here?"
I saw the shimmer of magic begin to form in her hands again. "Julie, I knocked you out with a spell and brought you to my room. We want to help you."
Her face was now pale instead of green as her face snapped to stare at her brother. "What do you mean help? Did you tell my parents?" She looked at me desperately, the manna forming into a bolt in her hands. She looked down at it desperately and pointed her hands at me, crying again.
The bolt flew out of her hands, but I easily caught and neutralized it. In a whisper, she cried, "I'm sorry. I'm not doing this on purpose."
Jake looked confused. "Did you just lash out with magic again? I could barely see a shimmer that time."
Julie turned her focus to her brother. "This is your fault! Why did you tease me." Another bolt was forming in her hands.
"Jake, get behind me, Julie, focus on me." She looked down at her hands and cried again, pointing her hands at me. Jake jumped and stood at my side. "Julie, I can catch your magic. He can't. And teasing is normal for siblings...I think. Tell him you don't like it, and he'll stop." I caught the bolt she released as she shook her head.
Julie cried, "He doesn't. Not always."
Another pool of manna was forming in her hands. I stood from my chair and stepped closer, Jake on my shoulder. "Well, we can talk about that, but I want to help you calm down right now." The bolt of manna rereleased, this time so close I couldn't catch it, it hitting me in the chest with a thud. "I'm going to drain your manna as you calm down. Can you do that?"
Through tears, she nodded. I took her hands and activated the manna drain spell at the lowest level possible. The manna formed but disappeared, giving Julie a chance to calm down. After a few seconds, the tears started to dry up, and Julie was able to steady her breathing.
When I thought she was done, I let go of her hands and stepped back.
Jake asked, "Julie, are you okay now?"
Julie nodded, jumped off the bed, and hugged us tightly around the neck, swooshing us together. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."
I rubbed her back. "It's fine. No one got hurt. Everything is okay now. We should really tell your parents about this."
Julie jumped back and looked horrified at us. "No! Please don't. I don't want to get in trouble."
Jake said, "You won't. It's mom..." He trailed off. "Okay, you might get in a little trouble. But she will know what to do."
Tears started welling in Julie's eyes again. "No, please. Before we tell anyone, please help me figure out what's going on."
I looked at Jake, then back at Julie. "Well, you have magic... somehow. And to get more information, we need the help of a doctor."
Jake looked confused. "You mean her pediatrician? What would they know about magic?"
I shook my head with a brief smile at Jake's question, "No, not a pediatrician. I meant a witch doctor, like my mom. She might have some insight into what's happening to Julie."
Jake shrugged, "Okay, that makes more sense. But do we know any witch doctors around here?"
I thought for a moment before remembering what Uncle Paul said about Aunt Fraya helping out locals. "Hang on, didn't your dad mention locals? As in magical beings, Aunt Fraya helps out some magical beings living nearby. Maybe we could ask if they know of any witch doctors?"
Julie said, "It's mostly a few fairies and a family of Lycons. Going out further, there are others occasionally, but I don't think either of us knows how to contact them. The Lycon family has a daughter about my age with whom I go to school. She's my best friend. They come over sometimes."
I raised an eyebrow, "Lycons? I've never met any, but I don't think they would be much help. The ferries, maybe, but they are hard to negotiate with." My eyes fell on the scroll that was still on my table. "I might be able to get a referral."
Jake and Julie follow my gaze. Julie asked fearfully, "Are you going to tell your mom? She will tell my mom!"
I shook my head and pulled the chair to the table. "No, I'll do a general request in the enclave." Patting my pockets, I realized my passport was in my backpack in the closet. I got up quickly, rushed to the closet, fished it out of the pocket, and rushed back to the desk.
Julie and Jake looked over my shoulder as I flipped my passport to the information page of the enclave I was registered to. I used my wand to copy the imprint for the help desk and put it into my scroll. Selecting the new contact, I wrote a request for information about the nearest witch doctor and sent it off. The message folded into an origami owl and flew through the wall again.
Julie said, "That's so cool."
Jake looked confused. "I saw him write, and then it disappeared, and there was a shimmer. What did you two see?" He sounded a bit hurt.
Julie happily said, "It was an owl that flew from the scroll and through the wall."
Before Jake could respond, a sparrow flew through the wall and landed on the scroll, unfolding into a message. I read out loud, "The nearest witch doctor is available at the enclave, on the 5th floor, suite 519. The imprint is...and then a magical circle imprint." Looking at Jake, I asked, "How do we get to Chicago?"
Jake shrugged. "I have no problem driving us there. I do have a car, after all. How do we make an appointment?"
I pointed at the scroll. "I can make a request and see when they are available."
Julie and Jake nodded, so I transferred the imprint to the contact again, wrote a quick consultation request, and sent it off. "I don't know how long it will take to get a response, so we should go back down."
Jake smirked. "Do you want me to show you how to use the bathroom now?"
Julie giggled as I blushed. "I actually remember, thank you."
Julie pointed excitedly at the table as I was coming out of the bathroom. "Something came back. It looked like a dove. I can't read the scroll."
I walked over in a hurry and read out loud. "Next consult available Friday at 3pm, local time. Please respond with confirmation, rejection, or request to another time slot." Looking at Jake, I asked, "Does that work?"
He sighed, "I'll ask Dad if I can take the day off. I should be able to. He's usually very good about giving me time off when I want it. And I can say I'll take you sightseeing."
I nodded, selected confirm, and sent off my response. "Okay, let's go downstairs."
I put my wand away again and walked to the door. I think we were gone only a short time, so I hoped I would get a few questions. When I opened the bedroom door, I saw Jax, Apollo, and Sparky sitting and waiting for us. With a yelp, I jumped backward, running into Jake and Julie to the deafening bark of three guard dogs.
Jake and Julie laughed at me and said in unison, "Stop!" to the dogs and then told me, "They were waiting for us."
From downstairs, I heard Aunt Fraya, "You three okay? I sent the dogs to call you."
Jake called down. "Yeah, the dogs found us and scared John. We are coming."
Jake and Julie walked ahead with Sparky, and Jax and Apollo escorted me to the dining room again. They still didn't trust me, so I had to bribe them soon.
In the dining room, Uncle Paul laughed, "It took all of you to show him how to flush the toilet."
I laughed along with everyone. "No, after we talked in my room, I showed Jake and Julie how my scroll and wand work."
Jake shrugged. "I can't really see anything beyond some shimmering."
Aunt Fraya brought out a cake. "What did you show them?"
I sweated, "Just some illusion and light magic, and I sent a general request and received a response back to the help desk."
Jake came in with a save. "Hey, Dad, I was wondering if you could give me next Friday off. I was going to hang out with John and maybe take Julie with us. We could go to the City and do some sightseeing."
Uncle Paul raised an eyebrow. "You have to be safe and don't do anything stupid." He tilted his head and looked at me, then back to Jake. "You seem happier, and so yeah, let's keep the good things going. Just make sure to get your work done."
Internally, I sighed in relief. "Thanks, Uncle Paul. I really appreciate it."
Aunt Fraya placed a peace of cake in front of me. "If you are up for it, we plan to hang out at the lake tomorrow with friends. They are also magical beings."
I nodded. I didn't really want to, but I wanted to participate. "Yeah, of course. It's that lake we would go to when I was a kid?"
Uncle Paul nodded. "Yeah. We are meeting up there a bit before noon and going to have lunch there." with an understanding smile, he added, "You have the freedom to do what you want instead."