The Other Side

Cezille07

Chapter 4. No More Birthday Cards.

After that phone call, shall we just say it wasn't wrong to start hoping again? Dreams were free. They took him to wherever she was; in it, she never avoided him, she'd always be happy to see him, and she'd be pleasantly surprised whenever he'd say....

Beep! The search was done. As expected, there weren't any results. He wanted to hit the keyboard, blast the monitor with his Energy Dom—or rather, what was left of it. He skipped class that day to stay in the library and use up the free internet time the school provided for research purposes. And research he did. Databases, journals, newspapers, blogs, networking sites. He had exhausted every resource for the slightest hint of her location: it turns out Elena wasn't the only unlucky girl named after a common vegetable. Of course, she was the only girl named after a common vegetable he'd pay attention to.

For your sake, stop already. He blinked the thought away. Stop, that's one thing he'd never do. But the list of things he'd stopped doing after she left had been growing increasingly long with each passing year. The only thing missing was to add to the Things-I'd-Never-Do-in-Life list. Hang on. An idea crossed his numb mind. No, it wasn't a new idea. It lingered in the back of his head minutes before every dose of lavender concentrate: the concentrate was a potion, and who else was a master, or mistress, of potions? A woman he wouldn't dare approach with a thirty-foot pole. On the other hand, that hag, the Anguana of Er, was the only one who could possibly help him now. He looked around. The other students were busy typing and clicking, socializing and researching. He was alone, no one to bother him, no one to inspire crazy but bright ideas nevertheless.

If he wanted to, he had time. And who cared if he didn't? Let the Tutors find him. Let the monsters worry. If this was the last thing he'd do for himself...forget Elena. He stretched his arms and sighed. He'd get a text message soon from his mother, telling him to come home. By now she knew his regimen by heart—to wait for any sign of her, a call, a letter...any hint that she was still thinking about him somehow. But he knew her regimen too. He'd wait every single day for something that wasn't coming. It was clear, and it wasn't. He tried everything, and nothing. Perhaps what he'd been counting wasn't their distance, or the seconds they were apart, but the time until he realized there wouldn't be any more phone calls or birthday cards coming from her. Count down to the moment of truth when harsh reality woke him up from whatever bliss and diversion his dreams fed him.

How long had he been just sitting there? He had lost track.

Once again, he forced his unwilling feet to move him out of the library, out to the main gates. He surveyed both directions—one that led home, the other that led to the rest of civilization. What time was it? It took a long while before his mind registered what he saw, five in the afternoon. Time, there was time. The Tutors won't suspect anything until later in the evening. For now…what now? Would he seriously…?

He had no idea how he found the place, but it was a great edifice made of steel and glass, nothing like the pictures he found on the online maps. Her Detention Oasis looked anything but a Detention Oasis. It was at least five stories high, and each had only one window. The windows were sealed shut. The entrance gate was the only movable segment of the building; however, it was left unguardedly open, to welcome visitors? Or perhaps it was a reverse-psychology strategy to lure unsuspecting innocents into its treacherous depths....

He followed the narrow hall, only half-observing the countless doors lining each side. At the very end stood a majestic door, metal, laden with rusted locks of all sorts. Two large creatures eyed him with suspicion. "Who goes there?" one asked, while the other came closer and checked his clothes for weapons.

"I came to see my 'dear' aunt," he lied. The guard Bombos exchanged looks, and opened the door for him.

The only occupant of the room was sipping a fragrant tea by the window. At the sound of the creaking metal she craned her head to have a look. "What an unpleasant surprise. My 'dear' nephew, coming to visit me!" she announced, walking toward him with open arms and lips that seemed about to kiss him. He dodged her motion of greeting and watched her guards close the door for him. With crossed arms, she added, "I see you're still not that friendly with me. Why did you come here?"

He had forgotten the reason as to why she, an Anguana, was sentenced to lifelong confinement in a secluded forest. An old adventure with...Elena...rang a bell, though. "Hello, Aunt Amily. I came to talk to you."

"Sit down," spat the old lady. Or hag, he thought rightly. She looked right and deserved the title for everything she'd done to his family. Several attempts at murder, humiliation at his very own home. She ought not to be his family, she ought to have died the last time he had the chance to end her. But remember why you're here. She is your last straw, she'll take all this pain away.

Reluctantly, he took the metal chair nearest him. "Let's not beat around the bush. I want your help to remove my powers."

For quite the first time, he saw utter shock on her face. But "No" was all she said. She set down her teacup and reached for a pack of cigarettes on the table in the middle of the room. "Any way you put it, no. You didn't even offer to pay me, and you beg me to do what you want?" she hissed. "Another thing, you'd be better off with your powers in here than nothing with a...a hag like me, eh? Out of the blue, you come here on several false pretenses. But what else can I expect but blackmail from you? What right do you have to visit me in my Detention Oasis by yourself and ask favors of me?!"

Well, it was a good try—or a bad one—either way, it didn't work. He stood up without answering, and allowed the two Bombos to escort him back outside. Something inside him was rebelling. Turn around and kill her. No, he was too tired for that. Time to go home and resume the monotonous life he still hadn't gotten used to living.

The Bombos crowded closely beside him, forcing him to a room before the end of the hall. "Hey, let me go!" he ordered. They threw him inside, where another room lay hidden.

He looked up and saw Emily smiling over him. "You see, nobody comes to me for nothing, my dear boy. What I'm doing for you isn't a favor; just think of it as a little debt collection. I've waited for too long to have your powers. And now…." She snapped her fingers. The Bombos dragged him into the inner room and began connecting colored tubes to his body.

"Let me go!" he yelled again, fidgeting. He caught a glimpse at the guards and saw earplugs where their ears were supposed to be.

A surge of electricity in his body—he felt his Energy drain away.

Was this death? Then it was sweet and forbidding. He never had to think of her again, that she forgot him along with the 'friendship' they had….

A/N: Thank you very much for reading! Did you like it? Hate it? Please leave a review. It will be very much appreciated!

What happens next? "Ten Years" will tell the rest of the story.