Authors Notes: I want to thank all of the reviewers, this is a very special story for me because I wrote it during the time when I needed something to make my summer remarkable, the first minute I thought of this story's plot I knew that this was going to be it, so keep reading and maybe you'll know what I mean. I do not own any of the characters in this story, all copyright is acknowledged to it's owners (Disney Channel and Hannah Montana). The only thing I own is the plot and my characters, who you'll be meeting in this chapter. Keep reviewing and let me know what you think, they mean the world to me. When spoken sentences are in italics they are not spoken aloud, but through the mind, as if someone can read your thoughts and communicate them as an everyday conversation, you'll see what I mean. Here is chapter two!
The Viridian Trace
Chapter Two: Over the threshold
Cat's Wild was a small town just thirty minutes from the capital of Viridian and that was in good traffic. It was populated mainly by elves but it was known for its witches and wizards who took up residency there. It's lush green hills took up the main land but magically people got carried away trying to make the landscape unique and thus the grassy greens you would expect would be replaced with clouds, It wasn't uncommon for you to step on a cloud and soar around or be talking to some common folk and bump into a cloud that was soaring low to the ground. Houses were made of spells and enchantments and had been around long before anyone could remember. Families usually kept houses in their race. But as the magical races expanded over the years the small population of Cat's Wild kept steady. Oliver arrived in front of number thirty down the lane and knocked twice. The door swung open on its own and accord and he entered.
He shifted over to the table in the kitchen, a row of newspaper clippings piled in the middle, he glanced at a few headlines.
"The Dominion's new ruling"
"Part one of the new laws and bylaws of the Dominions rulings"
He didn't take a word in edgewise. Bread was pled on a dish to his left and to his right tarot cards. His hand clasped tightly around them, sweat dropping from his fingertips, his thoughts connected.
"Why is Miley magical?" He asked, his hands relaxed and the cards shuffled and the arrangement showed their answer. Oliver glanced down at them one at a time.
The left card represented an important element of the past, the two of wands the pure image of The Dominion. Their established power and influence rules over others. Their set goals and a vision for the future are coming to grips with impact of past decisions are important to the current state of affairs. They must now develop a plan of action, because they are leadership.
The middle card represented a deciding element of the present; the ten of cups is reversed to be a sign of debauchery, stagnation and dissipation. The future is gaining on all those who are living.
The right card represented a critical element of the future…another trace.
A movement was seen out of the corner of Oliver's eye.
The cards piled up again, as Oliver sat take at the table stuffing the bread in his mouth and taking in the images of the cards. The movement, a girl moved forward placing a hand on Oliver's shoulder.
He blocked his thoughts.
She stepped away speaking into her thoughts, mind ready.
"Well hello to you too—" She said using her magic to speak to Oliver through use of mind reading communication.
She moved towards the sink and glanced out near the setting sun. Oliver finally looked up towards his only true friend in this magical world. She began gathering potatoes and rinsing them in hot water.
"Sorry…" He spoke, returning his words directly to her mind.
"I don't blame you, how is it going?" She muttered sending her words back to Oliver.
"Delayed, nothing has popped up, maybe she isn't magical at all." He said back wringing his hands.
"Not likely, it's going to happen eventually."She said, but this time out loud, drying her hands on her apron and smiling at Oliver.
Thela was a young witch but skilled. She had taught Oliver everything that faithful day two years ago when he had found out that he had magical abilities and the gift to read minds and communicate as well. Now Oliver had to teach Miley the same.
"But what if she never learns or if it never comes to the surface?" Oliver said looking down and trying in a jagged breath.
"Than we will worry about that when the time comes Oliver, so what was your excuse this time?" She asked knocking her pale white hand against the cutting board, to draw attention to her words.
"Some family fishing trip and I had to go before the school year ended because of my dad's work." He said as if it was the best excuse in the book.
She snorted her featured shinning in the rising moonlight. She could change appearance at will, as was typical with the elves. Her hair bobbed near her pointed ears in twilight blue and aqua. Her clothing of ocean blue and an elf made belt.
Oliver shrugged his shoulders in self-defense and waved his hand about, instantly a hot steamy pot of beef stew began to cook.
"Let's eat than, and worry later!" He stated.
A million miles away Hannah Montana was finishing a sold-out concert in Malibu. She had been doing great until she began her third song "Rockstar", the pain in her stomach jolted and intensified she had been feeling small mummers of pain over the past fortnight. As though something inside her was changing.
"Hey Hannah! Great concert! I'm gong to run and grab your cell phone you left it in the green room and where shall I meet you?" Her friend Lilly asked, but glad in a white wig with strawberry red streaks, as Lola.
"Lola, thank you. I'll be in my dressing room." She remarked holding her stomach and grimacing.
She tried to smile weakly at her best friend as she turned around the corner and entered her dressing room. She quickly removed her concert threads and it was about to remove her wig when it happened.
A small voice inside her mind screamed at her, she didn't understand anything about it. But it soon would all soon fall into place.
"Viridian trace, look at your face you are the trace."
Her legs wobbled as she tried to grab onto anything to steady herself, her vision blurred and her heart raced. Her stomach burst with pain, she bent low trying to overcome over the pain but everything around her began scattered. The only thing she could hear was the door opening and foot steps. The pain in her stomach wasn't passing and it only made her scream out louder and louder. Her system shut down, she didn't know her sense of direction anymore. She felt cold and only felt, saw and knew blackness around her.
She knew no more.
But funny how a million miles away as Oliver was catching up with a friend, a sudden pain in his stomach crept over him briefly.
That evening, Oliver felt the pain in his stomach as Thela walked with him to the local Tavern, The Owl and the Unicorn He thought nothing of it which was a very bad mistake. They picked a table in the back. The tavern was a cherished building built of fairy dust and wood. It as a good place for a private conversation and good clean merriment. The barmaid Nat was always kind and you could see her mango-colored high heels from miles away. She had short, choppy black hair and walked up to their table.
"Oliver sweetheart long time no see!" She grinned down at him drawing a notebook from inside her hot pink apron.
"Yeah, well living in two different realms, enough said!" He retorted back glancing down at the menu.
"Never could do it myself, so what can I get you?" She said smiling at Thela and pen at the ready.
"I'll just get water with a wedge of lemon." Oliver ordered, returning the drink menu.
"Thela?" She asked not looking up as she wrote on her pad.
"Um, let's see I'll just take a spitzer punch with extra cherry syrup." She said giving Oliver a look, he knew that look.
"Right, I'll be back!" Nat said cheerfully before moving away from the table. As she turned her heel Oliver picked up a mixed nut and began playing with it on the table.
"Oliver is there something you want to talk about?" Thela said sounding almost like a mother.
"No." Oliver said disregarding the subject and concentrating hard on the mixed nut.
She began searching his mind looking for answers but he held strong and didn't let her break through.
"Here you go! On the house welcome back Oliver!" Nat said seeing the sudden change in mood at the table; she shuffled back to the front of the tavern.
"OLIVER!" Thela said, it what was clearly not a whisper.
"Alright," He began squeezing the lemon juice in the water with his thumb. "I meet someone on Argyle Road this evening; I've never seen her before."
"What did she look like?" Thela asked taking a long gulp of her drink, pushing the subject further.
"Just like Miley! But she had black hair and different eyes." He heard a clunk of silverware and looked over to Nat to see what the commotion was but found Thela who was hanging her head over the table and retrieved a spoon back that had fallen over the edge.
"I've never seen this girl you described before." She said in much too fast of a response, sounding nervous and scared.
"But…" Oliver began to say clearly picking up on something that sounded to him like a lie. "But she knew my name."
"Well…" Thela said as if she had answered that if somebody asked her how she was doing, she mentioned for Nat to bring the dinner menus.
"She used magic against me!" Oliver said in an angry tone.
They stared at each other in shock.
It wasn't uncommon for somebody to use magic against each other, but it still wasn't something anybody wanted to see, or have to deal with.
Miley's head hit the cold wooden planks of the dressing room as Lilly and Robby Ray ran to her side.
"Slowly turn her over." Her father said his voice full of tears.
As they did she looked as if she was just sleeping.
"Mr. Stewart! She's bleeding! We didn't talk much after the concert and she was heading out of the Green Room." Lilly replied back looking up at Miley's father.
Sure enough a large gash was penetrating from her right temple as red blood issued outward.
"Miley? Honey wake up now!" He said in a voice that was trying to stay still, but it was shaking. He pushed his hand on her shoulder blade, but she didn't move.
Her lifeless body although far from death issued a dire need for 911, as the blood was soaked up like a sponge by her chestnut brown locks.
Oliver and Thela were returning back to her house late in the evening hours, Thela looked up at twinkling stars all around them.
"So are you sure you've never seen her before?" Oliver asked, becoming more voluminous every time he asked.
"Yes Oliver you've asked me a dozen times!" Thela responded grabbing her shrug and held it against her pale skin her blue hair rippling in the breeze.
"I know, I'm just asking…hey are you cold?" He asked as if noticing Thela for the first time that night.
"Yeah all of a sudden I am, funny Cat's Wild never gets this cold in the spring." She replied sniffing the air.
Back away in a desperate situation Miley was in the Emergency Room as panic struck them on a time. How strange how there is always a calm (Oliver's situation) before the storm (Miley's situation). The waiting room area was the best of both worlds.
"Dad, I came as fast as I could! What's wrong?" Jackson asked giving Lilly a hug and come to a halt at his father's feet.
"Well that's what we don't know. She was in her dressing room clenching her stomach when e entered and she was screaming…" He replied back to his son, a chill ran down his spin. "Than she just stopped all of a sudden and we thought everything was going to be fine but than she passed out."
"No…" Jackson said his voice airy and lifeless.
"She's so young, she's only a kid you don't think it's too serious do you?" His father asked more to himself, but to the two in the waiting room nevertheless.
"If it was, if she was sick she would have told us." Jackson said trying to lift his father's spirits.
"Listen I haven't talked to the doctor's yet and Lilly's parents are going to start to worry she head home and I will call you if anything happens." Robby Ray said looking down at the floor, clearly they had to do what he said, he was the adult.
By the look on his face, they reluctantly agreed.
"By the way is it Miley or Hannah?" Jackson asked carrying his voice down to a whisper.
"With all the chaos and the seriousness of the situation, I don't know…" His father gasped his eyes burning with fear.
The night moved onward in silence.
Miley lay in silence.
Robby law in silence
Oliver spoke in silence
To Thela, as he lay his head for the night in the bed in the spare bedroom.
"Ollie, what's up? You cannot sleep I know you too well." She spoke to him her mind racing from her mind and out to his.
"Thela I haven't had my magic long and I know that each person gains their magic differently. How do they?"
"Well as you know." She let out a long sigh; this story was almost becoming a bed time story. "You receive your magical abilities upon birthright but they open up when the time is right according to your destiny. For example a person may receive them early in life or later. Like Caleb Bonaparte received his powers in his thirties and his destiny here lead him to establish the Dominion, the ruling body of all magic inhabitants of Viridian. When you receive them you know not why or how or when. When I did I always lived here and it was as simple as a flu, you know stuffy nose, water eyes and low-grade fever? Why is this? Because magic reacts differently in our blood but it finally comes and when it does it seems like an everyday normal occurrence. I remember when you received your magic it was a toothache. But in rare occurrences and this has only happened once a wizard was gaining his magic, a normal stomach ache but it was more than that, he lay unconscious for weeks, and nobody knew what became of him."
"Who was he?" Oliver asked curious.
"Oliver I think it's time for bed." Thela replied back dismissing the subject.
But you know as well as I do Thela may have sugarcoated the story to withhold information.
Once back at home Jackson began locking up for the night, even thought it was clearly morning and six a.m. at that. He was very worried because he had nobody to turn to, when the phone rang.
"Hello, sorry to call so early but we are just confirming head count for Hannah Montana's appearance at the award show."The voice in the phone said as Jackson picked it up, his hand shaking.
"Um…this is…Jackson her assistant and I will have to deny this confirmation; other serious obligations have come up." Jackson said trying his best to not break down.
"Thank you and I hope to hear from you n the future, we will pass this information along, goodbye." The voice on the other end spoke, clearly taken for a loop.
Jackson drew in a jagged breath.
Still and quite outside as the morning drank up the night, it was a perfect storm.
End of Chapter two! What do you think? Do you like Thela? So what about the plot? I hope that you will keep reading and reviewing and let me know what you think, I know this story is a bit different but thanks for reading it, and taking a chance. Look for Chapter Three to be uploaded tomorrow, and until than find your trace in you! Leave a review it means the world to me!
Until Chapter Three! Rock your life! Bye!