Life is Strange with Magic
Chapter 2
May 7th, 2010
Harry could feel the magic pulsing underfoot as he walked along one of the trails in Overlook Park. He could feel the magic swirling around him unlike any time in his entire life. He felt a myriad of emotions as the magic brushed up against his own. The last two weeks had been like this a slow building charge of the world around Arcadia Bay. He'd spent the better part of that time taking measurements, charting the wandering ley lines tracks across the Oregon wilderness. He walked on letting his feet follow a pulsing magical highway while his mind drifted onto the last few weeks.
Joyce was a constant feature in his idle wandering the last few months. It was clear to him that soon he'd have to tell her and Chloe about magic. In the months since their first dinner together they'd done it again three or four times and learned that Chloe was quite the snoop. While he certainly had things to hide for the time being he couldn't blame her. It would be the height of hypocrisy if he got mad about that considering his years at Hogwarts. Still, the thought of Chloe with his cloak was both entertaining and frightening at the same time. As for Joyce, well the fact that he planned to reveal magic to her was a sign of his hopes and plans for a life together with her.
He entered a clearing catching sight of a pair of girls talked before a large oak tree. He didn't see the burning trashcan until it was kicked sending fire and embers onto the base of the tree. He pulled his wand out on instinct when the furious scream churned up winds fueling the fire. He rushed forward as the tree went up spectacularly so his spell would have a better chance of stopping the fire from spreading.
"H.. Harry what are you doing here?" Chloe asked confused as Rachel started to pull her away.
Harry ignored the teen the enchantment already on his tongue as he performed the wand movements ending with a jab toward the sky. A massive globe of water rained down from above them soaking everything around the tree. Harry's looked on in shock as the water had little to no effect on the raging fire. He manipulated the globe down over the tree submerging the entire tree in water. He watched as the flame burned merrily inside the dome of rapidly boiling water.
"Chloe are you still here?" he called out as he held his wand firmly before him. A moment passed without a response causing him to risk turning to look. The two soaked girls had hardly moved since he arrived he quickly turned his full attention back to the fire. Harry was at a loss he had misunderstood the initial situation and lost any advantage he had. Water had little to no effect on some magic forms of fire. Added on to that a rather large globe of boiling water that didn't seem to be losing any volume while it boiled. He could also make out the fire in the tree line where the burning embers had escaped his initial spell. He couldn't release the boiling water without risking Chloe or the other girl's lives. He slowly backed away from the boiling conundrum joining the other two in the clearing. He moved around behind them before shooting a blue spell at the boiling dome. It froze the water solid and clear as crystal while the fire burned mercilessly inside. He didn't even bother talking to the pair of girls before pulling them together so he could hold both their hands. He activated his portkey home pulling the others with him mere seconds before the encased fire shattered sending large chunks and shards of ice out into the clearing.
Harry pulled the girls closer to him as he prepared to land in his living room. He was first to hit the floor planting his feet catching most of the girl's weight before crumbling to the floor with them.
Chloe had started the day with the best intentions honestly. She'd kept her tongue and had a civil conversation with her mother. Even when she found out that Harry would be giving her a ride to school since she'd missed the bus and their junker had died last month. Her attitude toward Harry was a little all over the place. She liked him on a personal level and why shouldn't she. He was a decent man that treats her mother like a goddess. Hell, he even treated her like an adult who had a mind of her own. Still, there was a part of her that hated him the very idea of him. She made her way outside joining him in his car. Harry had talked to her mother about last night if the gleeful look he gave her was any indication. The ride had been pure horror as Harry played Kenny Roger all the way to school. Thankful of the country music free zone that was the Blackwell quad she spent the rest of her morning before first class interacting with her fellow students. The day didn't go off the rails until she'd run into Rachel Amber. They'd passed each other in the halls but had never really talked that was until the night before. She'd been there to help her out of a tense situation. A bar fight where she'd kneed some bastard and got a black eye from his cohort. The pair had run back downstairs before Frank intercepted the following thugs allowing them to enjoy the rest of the concert. It had been the best night of her young life so when Rachel asked her to ditch she happily agreed. The day that followed was equal parts amazing and heartbreaking. She felt like she'd made a new friend maybe something more only to have it ripped away by her screwing it all up like usual. Rachel had seen something that upset her at the Overlook park that changed the day entirely. They liberated a bottle of wine from a pair of picnickers before heading back to town along the railroad tracks. At American Rust, a scrapyard along the tracks things went from bad to worse. Rachel exploded at her while she tried to make her feel better by smashing junk with a baseball bat. Chloe watched the other girl leave before she lost control using the bat she swung wildly at anything she could destroy. The rage fled her when she turned a corner finding the husk of her fathers totaled car. The world went crimson the memory of what happened next was foggy at best. The world came back to focus in a recurring dream she'd been having since her father's death. She dream always ended the same way a horn, a flash of light, and a semi slamming into the driver's side of the car. This dream unlike a majority of the others was prophetic she could see Rachel standing before the ancient oak tree at the Overlook Park. She knew without a doubt that she'd find Rachel there as the dream ran its course. She woke calmer than she'd felt in months on the backseat of her father's car. The image of Rachel standing under the ancient oak got her up and out of the car. She had to talk to Rachel make her understand how sorry she was. The other girl in just a few hours had made her happier than she'd been well since before her father died and Max abandoned her. She followed the tracks back towards the park and Rachel. Dusk had set when she found Rachel were she knew she'd be.
"You came. I'm glad." Rachel said Chloe came to stand beside her.
Chloe felt her heart race as she answered. "Hey, I couldn't let the day end with... whatever this afternoon was."
Rachel looked at her with sorrowful eyes. "Chloe, I want to talk to you about something, but... I don't know how to talk about this." Chloe just nodded for her to continue. "You remember that guy we saw under this tree with that woman?"
"The ones who were making out?" she asked not recalling much of their improve game earlier in the day.
"That was my dad, and that woman was not my mom." Rachel turned then back to face the massive oak. "The worst part is. I'm not surprised. I've felt like my dad's been lying about something for a while. I just... I didn't know what it was. So when I saw he got a text from an unknown number asking him to meet I thought I could catch him, or something. Chloe, I love my dad. I love him, and I never want to see his fucking face again."
"When my dad died, I was so mad at him. For months, I felt wrong, because half the time I thought of him. I wanted to scream. And the other half, I forgot-"
"Forgot that anything had changed." Rachel said interrupting her friend bring out a photo of her and her father. She looked at it for a moment before passing it to Chloe. "it's silly, but I've carried the photo with me for years. It's from Mt. Hood. My dad took me hiking there when I was ten. It started raining, and I fell and broke my arm three miles from the car. I remember screaming like I was gonna die. But my dad he carried me down the mountain. I still remember the smell of his coat, and how calm he was, and the sound of his voice, and he was just so strong, you know? I felt safe."
"You trusted him," Chloe said handing the photo back to her.
"Completely." She replied taking the photo back. "Chloe, I owe you an apology."
Chloe shook her head. "Don't worry about it."
Rachel took the other girls hand in hers. "No, I mean it. Whatever's going on between us. It's intense and new, and awesome, and you had the courage to me that you feel it too. And I treated you like shit."
Chloe flushed suddenly feeling a warmth radiating thru her. "Courage? I don't know if I'd call it that. More like blind desperation and maybe a slight buzz from that wine. Rachel after the day you've had, it's okay. I mean it. We have all the time in the world to figure out whatever this is."
Rachel smiled gently squeezing the others hand. "I just want you to know. I'm lucky that you were with me today, You're a badass, Chloe Price." Chloe looked at her oddly not quite understanding what she meant. "Remember that biker asshole who wouldn't let you into the mill? You talked your way right past him."
Chloe smiled. "You saw that?"
She nodded "And those skeevy douchebags who followed you upstairs? You dropped that one guy with a knee to the balls."
"Only because you showed up at the last minute and-"
Rachel
wouldn't let her finish before moving on."What about Drew, when he was picking on Nathan? You got right in his face and called him out."
"That was pretty sweet, actually," Chloe said smiling broadly.
"See? You're the real thing, Chloe. I don't know anyone like you. Plus you came along with me, no questions asked."
"Well, I don't really need a good reason to ditch school," Chloe replied feeling a loss of warmth when Rachel withdrew her hand.
Rachel looked down at the picture again. "I guess tomorrow they'll be hell to pay."
Chloe nodded. "My mom might skip ground and just go straight to the death penalty."
"And my dad will definitely punish me with-"
"Fuck your dad," Chloe added before she could finish.
"Fuck him," Rachel added staring at the picture in her hand. "Can I borrow your lighter?" she asked. Chloe pulled the lighter out of her pocket and handed it to her. "Thank you."
Chloe watched as Rachel lit the photo before dropping it in a trash can. The rubbage started to burn the moment the flames reached the bin causing Rachel to step back.
Chloe called out to her. "Come on."
Rachel didn't move for a moment before she kicked over the trash can spreading burning rubbage onto the ancient oak. Rachel screams haunted Chloe as the fire surged up engulfing the entire tree. Rachel backed away talking Chloe's hand again. They heard rushed footfalls behind them that spurred Rachel into pulling Chloe hoping to escape.
In the flickering light of the fire, Chloe could make out the man rushing towards them. "H.. Harry what are you doing here?" she asked confused by the sudden appearance of her mother's boyfriend. She started to relent and leave with Rachel when something unthinkable happened. A globe of water materialized above the raging fire followed by a deluge of rain soaking everything in the clearing. Rachel's hand slipped out of hers as the two watched on their minds overwhelmed by what they were seeing.
"Chloe are you still here?" the man called out to her. She opened her mouth tried to speak but failed. He could see him turn to look at them, but she couldn't take her eyes off the fire that burned merrily encased in boiling water. She watched as Harry slowly made his way back to them standing behind them. A blue beam shot forth from whatever he held in his hand flash freezing the boiling water. She wasn't ready when he grabbed her and Rachel filling a tug and a dizzying wave before she landed roughly on a hardwood floor. Harry was above them with the object she'd seen in his hand at the Park. He spoke in a language she couldn't understand, but she could feel something pulse thru her body.
Harry relaxed somewhat when Chloe's diagnostic spell ended. The girl wasn't physically injured other than a few bruises. He quickly turned to scan the other girl whom he'd never met. Much like Chloe, she was relatively unharmed physically. However, he did pick up large amounts of magic in her bloodstream. Confused he performed a more advanced spell and was shocked to find the child was a squib. Suddenly the fire made more sense. It had been magical and controlled by her unconsciously and would be for as long as she had magic to offer it. He looked up when he felt a hand on his shoulder. The fearful look in Chloe's eyes hurt him more than he cared to admit. He slipped his wand into its holster before bring his hand up to squeeze hers. The fearful look drained away leaving her looking confused and slightly angry. Harry patted her hand before letting his hand drop down to his side.
"Is she okay?" she asked glancing at the other girl.
"Yes. The shock will wear off soon, I promise." He answered simply. " I'm sorry Chloe, I've been hiding something from you and your mother."
"No fucking shit!" she called out angrily.
"Look, Chloe, I didn't hide it from you to hurt you or your mother. There are laws against sharing the knowledge of the magical world." He said softly hoping to avoid a blowup.
Chloe calmed down slightly before asking. "What are you?"
"He is a wizard," Rachel stated in a small voice.
Harry looked down at the girl who looked better than she had moments ago. "That is true I imagine you've got a few in your family?" he asked.
Chloe and Rachel shared a look before she answered. "A few distant relatives yes."
Harry nodded turning to Chloe. "If you can wait until we see your friend home I'll tell you and Joyce everything."
Chloe looked at him for a moment before looking down at Rachel who nodded gently. "Okay."
Harry stood offering his hand to Chloe first then Rachel. He watched Rachel take a few steps making sure she was steady on her feet. He nodded satisfied that she'd recovered he collected his keys and led the girls out to his car.
A/N
We are well into the prequel now and it the next few chapter will follow the game with some minor and major changes. I'm not enthused about the dialogue after the return to Harry's home which is why I'm pushing out this Chapter without the reveal discussion with Joyce and Chloe. I hope to hammer out any issues before to long and have the next chapter out in a few days.
Special Thanks to those of your who reviewed.
Dabrady7
Jade Scribbler Your comment really drove me to start this chapter earlier than I'd planed thanks.
Lil26jay enjoy
toile grant Good review thanks
Aaron Leach Thank you kindly
Til next time farewell.