Dead to the World
By Cedric Thanatos
June 1977 - France
The air was thick with salt; Kitoku Thamis choked back her tears. Her Father Nasius was selling the house. A magical house by all standards and not easy to sell as any other wizard might think. Kitoku watched the water, restraint seeping away from her with each breath and each wave. Her dark hair was down and it whipped at her face in jerks of brunette curls. Fat tears of pain and sorrow struck her cheeks in a violent flood. Her body begged to lie down as she kneeled down on her knees gripping her stomach tightly. The blue school robes of Bauxbaton getting ground into the dirt and grime of the hard French shore. Sorrow enveloped the young witch as she realized again she would never see her house again because her father was dying. His illness had been sudden to her. In his unwillingness to share his sickness with his daughter he had hurt her in a way he had never intended. Nasius had not prepared his daughter for the transition in himself when he had been so sure he would beat the cancer inside him, but he had not expected things to turn as they had. So Nasius stayed quiet and had brought his young daughter home to her things and told her of his illness and his plan. They would both be moving in with his parents on the outskirts of London.
Marius and Corrina Thamis would welcome their only living granddaughter and raise her with as much love as they had. But now there was a train to catch and Nasius had yet to convince Kitoku that things would be all right and that he was going to be with her. He looked out at her crumpled form and knew he had the strength to carry her if she didn't resist him but he didn't know if he had the endurance. It was this time that Kitoku realized in a cold fury that she couldn't rely on someone to come get her when she fell and scraped her knee, or when she sat on the beach with such shattering news. Her blue eyes grew dull as she picked herself off the ground and turned to face her home. Her father stood at the window his hand cupping at the glass as if to hold her. She turned once more to the waters that were calm on this cloud filled day. She held her Bauxbaton cap and with as much strength as she could muster hurled it like a Fanged Frisbee out into the ocean. It didn't land very far out but it was enough and Kitoku walked away from the waters now sinking her school cap and went to join her father.
"I love you Father." She spoke to him the simple words of love while looking directly in his eyes.
"I know my lovely" He spoke softly bringing her into a warm and lovely embrace. They stayed that way for what felt like such a short time. "You must pack now, we have such a short time before our train." His voice brought Kitoku back and she gave a grave nod before entering her room and looking upon the room with the same sadness she had felt since she had received the news of her fathers illness, and her cheeks stayed wet for a while longer then she would have normally allowed. Kitoku methodically packed up the things she wanted and folded the blankets and sheets from her bed. She took the things that were her only possessions in the world and packed them in the trunks Nasius had given her. Kitoku's work was short and neat and they left the house in little under an hour.
Kitoku held her fathers hand the whole way to London for fear he might slip away. During there cross in the Chunnel Kitoku fell asleep but she still did not let go of her father's hand. When Nasius awoke her they were in London out the window of the muggle train Kitoku saw the vast amounts of people. And somehow knew this was where she was going to be coming back when she had to go back to school in September. Kitoku couldn't speak as they left the station. She and Nasius were led to a taxi by a French-speaking-Englishman who then had their possessions loaded on the vehicle in a short amount of time. Nasius tipped the young man with the only English money he had: two pounds. Kitoku understood most English but she would need help with the money. She so seldom visited muggle London she had almost no use for the knowledge of London currency. Her father on the other-hand knew so little English the two pounds was all he knew. The taxi ride was fast and smooth they were at Grand-Père's house sooner then Kitoku would have wanted.
"Run in and get some money for the driver. I do not know what he wants." Nasius was helping the man unload the trunks and bags from the taxi. Kitoku walked up to the door in no hurry but she also didn't want to delay the taxi driver. Grand-Père came out of the house and shooed off the taxi driver before Kitoku even reached the front door. Grand-Mère was standing in the doorway of the house watching her child and grandchild coming home at last. Kitoku was frozen. She had certainly seen her Grand-Mère and Grand-Père before but she always knew she would be leaving. This time her father would be leaving and never coming home. Kitoku felt a hand on her shoulder and turned to the face of her Grand-Père Marius Thamis his eyes were sad but he just gave her a look and then with his big hands wiped away the tears that were sneaking down her cheeks.
"Don't cry dear. You'll have a lovely summer here." Kitoku desperately wanted to agree with him but she knew no summer was going to be lovely knowing that her father was dying so cruelly and so soon after her mother and brother and sisters had been taken. For two years Kitoku and Nasius had gotten used to the quiet of one another without the crash and clatter of her three siblings and the baking and simmering of pots and pans in the kitchen where her mother would be working. Kitoku was almost used to the stone quiet of the large house, but it was too soon.
Kitoku remembered the day so clearly it stung her eyes again to remember what had happened. If she hadn't been sick, she would be dead too. If Nasius hadn't stayed to care for her he would be dead. Her brother Donovan could have lived, but they said that he was only trying to save his family. No one held Donovan back no one kept him out of harms way and now Kitoku would be the only one left. She couldn't help the tears that came and she couldn't stop them. She felt the presence of her father as he hugged her and wrapped her in his arms. She was lifted off the stone path to the house she would somehow have to learn to call home and weeping still was carried inside.