Season 3, Episode 3: "Witch"
-SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT- If all of you So Weird fans are looking for a forum where you can discuss the show and everything about it, go to .com! –END SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT-
Everyone's heard of witches; people who can use magic and spells and stuff. It would be really cool to be a witch, but history's shown that people don't always like them. I mean, look at the Salem Witch Trials. That makes me think about my last trip to Seattle. My aunt gave me a real book of spells, and I learned that it belonged to my Grandma. It really makes me think; if it belonged to my Grandma, does that mean she's a witch? If so, could anyone else in my family be one too? If that's true, then maybe it runs in the family. Abracadabra.
As the bus rolled down the highway, Fi's gaze was fixed on her laptop screen, casting a blue glow in the dark.
"Man vanishes from home," she read aloud, clicking on the link. Apparently, a man had vanished from his house while asleep. Looking up, she quickly closed the article. Although it had been a major sacrifice, she'd pledged to stop looking for weird stuff; she had gotten in major trouble the last time she went looking. With a sigh, she shut her laptop and turned around to look out the window at the world going by.
Suddenly, there was a thud behind her, and she whirled around in time to catch sight of the object that had fallen. She scooted to the edge of the bed and saw a newspaper, which seemed odd. Frowning, she picked it up and read the headline.
Young boy goes missing
A scan of the paper told her that she was reading the Cliffden Times, but she stopped when she read the first sentence in the front-page article.
Tristan O' Sianhan, 6, went missing from his home when he wandered too far away. Authorities believe…
O' Sianhan…could it be? Who would know for sure? Her great-grandmother probably would, but she had passed away. Maybe…
She scrambled off of her bed and opened her door, finding her mother at the table writing something down.
"Hey mom?" she said, and Molly turned around.
"Hey, kiddo!" she said, smiling.
"Mom, could I call Grandma Kathleen?" she asked, looking hopeful.
"Okay, but try not to eat up all of the long distance. It's coming out of your allowance," Molly replied, handing her the phone that was lying on the table in front of her.
"Thanks, mom," Fi said, beaming.
-X-
"Hello?"
"Grandma, it's Fi!"
"Oh, Fiona! It's so nice of you to call! We've missed you since you were here last."
"I miss you too! How's Grandpa doing?"
"Oh, fine. Grumpy as ever."
"Well, I called because I was wondering if you knew of any O' Sianhans living in Cliffden, Ireland."
"As a matter of fact, that's where your great-grandmother Fiona was from. I was born there. Why do you ask?"
"Do you happen to know of Tristan O' Sianhan?"
"Oh…now, let me think. I don't know for sure, but he might be related to Michael."
"Who's Michael?"
"Oh, my brother. Your great-uncle."
"Well, do you think he would know?"
"He might, but he passed away five years ago. He did have a son, though."
"Do you have his number?"
"Now Fiona, you're not planning on calling him, are you? Does your mother know?"
"I asked her, and she said it was coming out of my allowance."
"All right, love. Let me dig it up." The line went silent for a minute.
"Okay, his number is +353-14845622." Fi hurriedly scribbled it down.
"Thanks, Grandma."
"Oh, you're welcome, dear."
"Give my love to Grandpa!"
"I will! Goodbye."
"Bye."
She took a breath before punching in the number her grandmother had given her.
-X-
"Hello?"
"Hi, can I speak to Micahel O' Sianhan's son?"
"This is he. Who's calling?"
"Oh, my name is Fiona Phillips. I'm Kathleen McQuinn's granddaughter."
"Ah! I didn't know Kathleen had a granddaughter! How is she?"
"She's doing fine. I called because I wanted to know if you knew anything about a Tristan O' Sianhan that went missing."
"Tristan? Well, Tristan's my son, but he went missing when he was six."
"Really?"
"Indeed. We found him a month later, though. He's nineteen now and, as a matter of fact, he's going to school in Boston. Harvard."
"Oh, okay."
"Is there anything else I can answer for you?"
"No, thank you."
"It was a pleasure talking to you, Fiona. Tell your grandmother I said hello."
"I will. Goodbye."
"Goodbye."
Frowning again, she picked up the paper and scanned the front page again, catching sight of something she'd managed to miss before: the date. She was in disbelief; the newspaper was thirteen years old.
-X-
The next day, Fi was sitting in the main room of the bus, surfing the 'net for something interesting.
"Okay, everyone! We'll be in Boston in three hours," Molly announced, causing Fi to look up from the screen.
"What?" she asked, confused.
"I told you when we left that we were going to Boston. I'm a guest lecturer in a music theory class up at Harvard, then a concert downtown," Molly answered, giving her daughter a funny look.
"Oh, yeah, I must have forgot," Fi said, grinning sheepishly. Molly shook her head.
-X-
As the bus got closer to Boston, Fi noticed something: her ring had started to glow faintly, and the light had gotten stronger ever since. She looked out the window to see a sign that welcomed her to Boston, and she stared in surprise as the engraving on her ring shone brightly with a golden light. The light vanished, leaving her to wonder if something weird was going to happen in Boston.
-X-
"Okay, you guys don't have to stay here while I'm lecturing. Go walk around, see the campus," Molly said, smiling at Jack and Fi.
"Don't worry, mom. We'll be back at two thirty," Jack reassured her.
"Call me if something goes wrong!" Molly called after her children, and she could hear both Jack and Fi laughing.
"Hey, I wonder where the library is," Jack said.
"Are you serious? We're on vacation from school and you want to go to the library?" Fi quipped, and he looked hurt.
"Hey, I'll bet it's a cool library," he retorted, making her laugh. She looked down long enough to see her ring glowing again but this time, it felt like it was resonating. Looking around, she stopped when she saw someone looking at her. Although it might have been coincidental, the way he held her gaze told her otherwise. He stared at her for a few moments and then kept walking as if he hadn't seen anything. Narrowing her eyes, she turned her attention back to exploring the campus with her brother.
"Hey, I wonder if there's anywhere we can get something to eat," she said, walking alongside Jack.
-X-
"You know, this sandwich isn't half-bad," Jack remarked, taking a bite.
"They are pretty good. I like the fries better, though," Fi said, dipping some in ketchup.
"Excuse me," came a voice directly in front of her, and she looked up to see a man with jet black hair, striking jade eyes and a fair complexion standing there; she recognized him as the man she'd seen looking at her earlier.
"Are you Fiona Phillips?" the newcomer asked in a brogue, and she paused.
"Who are you?" she asked, wary.
"I'm Tristan. Tristan O' Sianhan. My father told me you called him," Tristan said.
"Oh, Tristan! Yeah, I called your dad because I found a newspaper article that said you went missing. Do you want to sit down?" she asked, relieved that she was talking to her cousin and not a stranger that just happened to know her name. He looked at his watch.
"Sure. I've got a few minutes until class," he said, sitting down.
"By the way, Jack, this is our cousin, Tristan. Tristan, this is my brother, Jack," Fi said, and Jack got up to extend his hand. Tristan shook it.
"Pleased to meet you," Tristan said with a smile.
"So how are we related to you?" Jack asked, curious.
"Your grandmother Kathleen is my great-aunt, which makes my grandfather your great-uncle," he replied, and Jack nodded.
"So what are you doing in Boston? My father said you spoke to him, but he didn't tell me that you would be here," he asked, sitting back in the chair.
"My mom's giving a guest lecture in one of the music classes here," she answered, causing Tristan to look extremely surprised.
"Wait, is your mother Molly Phillips?" Fi nodded.
"I knew I'd seen her name somewhere! They have flyers all over campus advertising the lecture and the concert tonight," he exuded, and he seemed happy that the connection had finally been made. Suddenly, he looked down at his wrist.
"Mollaght! I have to get to class, but could you meet me at the library afterwards? I'd like to talk to you," he said, getting up hurriedly.
"Talk to me? About what?" she asked.
"There's a book that my grandfather owned; a Celtic book. Before he died, he told me that he gave it to his sister," he answered. She looked surprised.
"Where would you like me to meet you?" she inquired.
"Meet me on the second level of Widener Library by the Greek literature at one thirty," he said. She looked at her watch to see that it was noon. When she looked back up, he was gone.
"Are you really going to go meet him?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Maybe. He knew about Aunt Melinda's book," she answered. When he looked at her in disbelief, she teased, "You should be happy. We're going to the library after all."
-X-
Fi and Jack were both in awe when they finally walked into the library; it was huge, sprawling, and held a certain atmosphere that was both antique and quiet.
"Hey, I'm going to look around," Jack said quietly, not wanting to disturb the peaceful atmosphere of the library.
"Okay. I'll meet you back here at 2:45 so we can meet mom after her lecture," she whispered back, and he nodded.
"Okay, I need to find the second floor," she muttered to herself, looking around. Ahead was a large desk with an elderly woman behind it, and she smiled as she approached it.
"How can I help you?" the woman asked, looking up from scanning a book into the computer in front of her.
"I'm looking for the Greek literature section," Fi answered, and the librarian closed the book.
"Take the stairs over there until you get to the second floor, then take a right. You can't miss it," the woman said with a smile, pointing to where the stairs were.
"Thanks," Fi replied, smiling back. She almost bolted toward the stairs, but remembered that she was in a college library and slowed down to a walk. She did take the stairs two at a time, but she figured that a lot of students did that.
When she got to the top of the stairs and turned right, she saw a sign emblazoned with the words "GREEK LITERATURE" in bronze and headed straight for the shelves, wondering where Tristan could be.
"Fiona!" A voice called her name and she turned to catch sight of Tristan between two stacks, sitting at a table.
"Hey! I hope I'm not too late," she said, taking a seat.
"No, you're right on time," he reassured her, "and don't worry, no one's here."
"So why did you want to talk to me about that book?" she asked, getting straight to the point.
"Well, I have no idea who has the book now…actually, do you have any idea which book I'm talking about? It's a leather-bound book with Gaelic writing and…" he started, but she cut him off.
"A dragon design on the front? Yeah, I've seen that book. Actually, I summoned a dragon from it." He looked shocked.
"What!? How did you summon a dragon?" he asked.
"Well, I kinda just read a spell from the book and the dragon appeared," she explained. "Although, it was the weirdest thing; the name O' Sianhan was written in the book. That's how I found out it belonged to my grandma."
He didn't say anything; rather, he picked up his backpack and pulled a book out of it, setting the tome on the table. Her mouth went agape; it was an exact copy of the book she had.
"Who has the book you read the spell from?" he asked, turning the tome to face him.
"Well, I do, but why?" she returned.
"Fiona, do you know where these books come from?" Fi shook her head.
"Well, I know the one I have came from my grandma, but other than that, I don't know," she admitted, shrugging.
"The book you have and this one are spellbooks. My grandfather told me that he and your grandmother Kathleen got them from their mother, Fiona." His statement seemed to make the air weigh a thousand pounds.
"Fiona, our great-grandmother was a witch." If the previous statement he made caused the air to weigh a thousand pounds, then the one he just uttered crushed her under its weight. She was stunned.
"If…if she was…a witch…does that mean…" she stammered, although she couldn't seem to get the words out. Tristan bit his lip, knowing exactly what she was going to ask.
"Yes. Other people in our family are witches too," he said, and she sank in her chair.
"Oh man," she said, still trying to process what was going on.
"I've traced our genealogy back to our great-great-grandmother. Apparently, witchcraft has been in our family since the 1800's, but that's not all I discovered," he continued, and she braced herself for what he was going to say next.
"Our family has an interesting history; I found out that an affinity for magic has been passed down through our family. In fact, you and I…" She cut him off yet again.
"'You and I?' As in, us? We…we're…witches?" she asked, still dazed.
"Well, not exactly. Everyone in our family, your grandmother, my grandfather, our parents and siblings; we all have the potential to become witches. That potential manifests itself as gifts; special abilities," he informed her, shocking her even further. Suddenly, they were interrupted by someone approaching the table.
"Hey, Fi? It's two ten. We have to go meet mom," Jack said, and she turned to look at him.
"Can't I stay here?" she asked.
"Nope. I promised mom we'd meet her when her lecture was finished, and we've got a long walk across campus," he replied, giving her a partial glare.
"We need to talk again. Can you come to my mom's concert tonight? We can talk backstage." She sounded hopeful, yet desperate at the same time. He nodded and her heart soared.
"She's playing the Wilbur Theater at eight," she said, and he nodded again.
"Okay, okay, let's go," Jack said, dragging his sister away from the table. For the most part, she was running on autopilot because she had just been told things that had only begun to change her life.
-X-
Fi sat on a pile of boxes backstage at the Wilbur Theater, kicking her legs. About an hour after she left the library, she started getting anxious; mostly because she needed to know more about what Tristan had been telling her. If the special abilities that ran in her family were because of magical potential, did that mean that there was a reason behind her attraction to the paranormal? She'd never really pondered why she saw all the weird things she had in her life, but now, it was starting to make sense.
Another thought entered her head: she couldn't be the only one in her family with a gift, because Tristan had told her otherwise. If that was true, what sort of special abilities did Jack and her mother have? She didn't think music fell into that category, so what could they have been? Could Jack read minds? Could her mother see the future? She didn't think she'd ever know, but she still had three more hours until she could find out more.
-X-
Fi kicked against the boxes she'd been sitting on and, although it had earned her some strange looks, she'd stayed there until seven forty five. She let out a frustrated sigh and got up to part the curtains. There were a lot of people in the audience, and she scanned the crowd quickly to see…
"Tristan!" she said happily, spotting her cousin towards the front. She bolted for the door on the side of the stage and made her way through the crowd to tap him on the shoulder.
"Hey!" She had to talk louder than she would have, as the people around them were all having their own conversations.
"Fiona! Is there anywhere we could go that's quieter?" he asked, and she thought.
"I know just the place!" she replied, grabbing him by the hand and leading him through the crowd. Opening the backstage door, she guided him into the hallway. Out of nowhere, Molly appeared, adjusting her earrings.
"Hey, kiddo! Who's this?" she asked, stopping for a minute.
"Mom, this is…" Fi started, but Tristan interrupted her.
"I'm Tristan O' Sianhan," he said, and extended his hand. Molly shook it, but looked confused.
"He's Grandma Kathleen's brother's grandson," Fi said, and Molly nodded.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you. If you'll excuse me, I have a gig to prepare for," she informed them, and Tristan nodded.
"Okay, let's go," Fi said, grabbing his hand and pulling him towards a door. When she opened it, she revealed a storage room, complete with shelves and boxes. She ushered him in and closed the door behind them, flipping a light switch to illuminate the room in a dim yellow glow. He took off the backpack he was wearing and opened it, pulling his spellbook from within.
"When we were at the library, you mentioned something about special abilities running in our family. Do you think that a paranormal attraction would fall into that category?" she asked, sitting on a box.
"Well, I guess that depends on what you mean by paranormal attraction. Why, do you know anyone like that?" he countered, setting the book on a shelf.
"Well…me," she answered.
"You have an attraction to the paranormal?" He raised an eyebrow. She nodded.
"Okay, you're going to have to explain that to me." He crossed his arms and leaned against the shelves his book was lying on.
"Well, for the last two years, I've seen some of the weirdest things; banshees, werewolves, even a Will o' the Wisp. Before I met you, I thought it was because I just happened to be in the right place at the right time, but after everything you've told me, I think that it might be because of that potential you mentioned."
"It would certainly make sense. Does anyone else in your family have abilities like that?"
"Well, my dad used to investigate the paranormal, but…" Her eyes traveled downward.
"But what?"
"He was killed by evil spirits," she finished.
"I'm so sorry," he said, looking downward as well.
"Actually, I'm starting to think that runs in our family too," she commented.
"Why do you think that?"
"Well, before we left to go on tour, I found out that I'd been targeted by evil spirits, and I think that they might be the same ones that killed my father."
He didn't say anything for a few moments.
"Well, if you're worried about being attacked, I could create protection magic," he offered, and she looked up at him.
"Wait, what?" she asked, surprised.
"I know a lot of protection spells that we could weave into charms. If you wear them, you'll be safe."
"Wait, no. You can do magic?"
He nodded.
"So…you're a witch?"
He chuckled.
"Well, I guess that's what you'd call me, but yes."
Fi was amazed.
"Well, what kind of protection spell could you do?"
He paused to think.
"Well, there are Celtic knots. A lot of people don't know this, but they're perfect to weave spells into. Usually, they're carved into jewelry, but they're extremely hard to weave. I can weave spells into regular knots, though, so it's feasible to create a necklace or bracelet from braided threads and create a protection spell that way."
"Okay. Can we try it?"
He smiled.
"Of course." He reached into his backpack and pulled out three leather strands, and she looked at him oddly.
"Well, I keep these with me because I like to practice tying knots between classes," he explained and, without another word, got to work. Expertly, he braided the three strands together, tying knots at the end to keep it together. When he was done, he tied the braid so that it knotted in the middle, creating a simple necklace.
"Okay, now comes the hard part," he said, sitting down on a box and using the spellbook as a surface. He set the necklace on the book and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath in. On either end of the braid, he held his hands a few inches above it and began to concentrate. Fi watched in wonder as the bottom of his hands started to glow with a soft blue light, and she was even more amazed when the glow showered down from his hands and flowed into the knots at either end of the braid. The light traveled along the twisted threads, meeting at the central knot. The glow from his hands was cut off after a couple of minutes, and the light within the necklace faded.
"Wow," she said, her voice hushed.
"That's it. It's a pretty basic protection charm, but it should ward off any evil spirits long enough for you to get away. Creating a charm that would banish them would take a lot longer." He picked the necklace up.
"May I?" he asked, and she nodded, reaching around to lift her hair up so it wouldn't get caught when he tied the necklace. When he tried to put it on her, however, it glowed very brightly and flew out of his hands. She was shocked.
"What happened?" Her hands dropped to her lap as she tried to process what she had just seen.
"I don't know," he answered, picking the necklace up from the floor. When he tried to put it on her again, it was repelled, but he had a tight grip on it this time.
"Hold on," he said, bringing the necklace toward her slowly and watching as it glowed as before.
"Oh my god," he whispered.
"What?" she asked, anxious to know what he had found out.
"No wonder I couldn't put it on you. You're already protected," he said, sounding amazed and relieved at the same time.
"Protected? What do you…" she started, but trailed off as she realized what was going on.
"My father. He's watching over me," she finished, smiling broadly. He looked impressed.
"If you're father's protecting you, there's no need for any of my spells. The protection of a spirit is the most powerful protection magic of all," he said.
"Wait a second. You said that everyone in our family has the potential to become witches, right?" she asked, and he nodded. "Well, do you think that I could be a witch if I practiced?"
He looked wary.
"Fiona, magic takes a lot of practice and a skilled teacher. I've been practicing for six years now, but I'm not as good as you'd need a teacher to be." He looked away for a moment, then looked back up at her.
"You mentioned that you'd been targeted by evil spirits. Do you know why?"
"I figured out that it was because I investigate the paranormal; I wasn't careful enough." She looked sad as she recalled the events that had transpired back at Evelyn's house.
"I think this might have been a mistake then."
His comment stirred up feelings of confusion and indignation.
"Why?"
"If you're attacked by evil spirits every time you encounter the spirit world, then you shouldn't even think about becoming a witch. Magic is invoking spirits and supernatural entities; if they were angry at you for just poking around, what would they do if you started using magic? It's too risky." She opened her mouth to protest, but he interrupted her.
"Fiona, please; for your sake…for your family's sake, please, don't use magic," he pleaded, and she sighed in resignation.
"Okay," she said finally, looking defeated.
"I want you to promise me," he insisted, and she looked him in the eye.
"I promise."
"Thank you," he said gratefully, idly glancing down at his watch.
"Oh no! I have to go! My roommate and I are supposed to be studying in fifteen minutes," he said, getting up and hastily shoving the spellbook back into his backpack. He held the protection charm out to her, and she reluctantly took it.
"You should hold onto that, in case your father's protection wears off. It's always good to have a backup," he advised, and she nodded.
"Hey, we're leaving tomorrow afternoon, but could you meet me at the bus before we leave tomorrow morning?" she asked.
"Actually, I think I can. I don't have class until noon anyway," he said, and she smiled.
"Okay, how does nine thirty sound? We're parked out back."
"I'll be there." His reply left her feeling slightly better about things, and he walked out the door, leaving her alone in the storage room with her new protection charm.
-X-
Later that night, Fi sat in her room on the bus. As usual, her mother's show had gone perfectly, but she was still troubled.
Tristan had made her promise not to use magic, but he had also told her that she had the potential to be a witch. What was the point in having potential if she could never live up to it? Of course, he had been looking out for her best interests, but surely a little magic couldn't hurt?
She sighed as she realized that this was another time that she needed to be careful. If using magic was delving into the spirit world, then she needed to show the same caution to it that she would for anything else paranormal that she encountered.
Thinking for a few minutes, her curiosity started to get the better of her. She picked the spellbook from under her bed and set it in front of her; she paused for a minute to eye the dragon on the cover before opening it. She looked on in wonder as spells written in elegant script adorned the page, and she flipped through the pages, looking for any interesting spells.
"Hmm…to open a door," she read, eyeing the writing. The spell looked harmless enough, but her promise to Tristan kept resounding in her head. She had promised to not do magic, but what could one little spell hurt? She figured that all the spell would do was to open her door, but then again, she thought that the spell she had read in the theater was fake. Who knew what this spell could do?
It was then that she remembered something else Tristan had said: spirit protection was the most powerful protection of all. If the spell happened to conjure something terrible or something bad happened, wouldn't she be safe? It made sense, but even so, she'd promised.
Finally, her desire to experiment overrode her common sense. She needed to see if she really had the potential to be a witch. She took a deep breath and, with fingers caressing her ring, she read the spell on the top of the page the book was open to.
Without exit or escape,
Hear my plea
Open a door
Now for me
She waited for a minute, waiting to see if anything happened.
"Well, so much for that spell…" she started to say, but was cut off as she vanished into thin air.
-X-
Jack woke up, walking into the main room of the bus. Apparently, the gig had been rougher on everyone, as someone was always up before him; usually, it was his mom. He sat down at the table, trying to figure out what he was going to eat for breakfast, when a knock sounded at the bus door. Curiously, he walked over to it and saw Tristan through the window; he opened the door.
"Hey, Jack. How are you doing?" Tristan asked.
"Tristan! Actually, I just woke up," Jack replied. Tristan looked worried.
"Did I wake you?"
Jack chuckled.
"No, you didn't. Can I help you with anything?"
"Actually, I'm here to see Fiona. She asked me to meet her here at nine thirty," the Irishman said, and Jack nodded.
"Oh, okay. Um…come in. I'll go get her for you." Jack stepped back and allowed Tristan onto the bus. As soon as the guest was seated, he went to the back and knocked on Fi's door.
"Fi? Tristan's here to see you," he called after she didn't answer, and he opened the door when he didn't hear her say anything. He opened the door and saw…nobody.
"That's weird; Fi's not here," he informed Tristan, who looked concerned.
"Did she leave?" he asked, and Jack shook his head.
"Not that I know of. She would have left a note if she went anywhere," he answered, starting to become concerned as well.
"Well, why don't I leave her a note in her room? When she gets back, she can call me on my dormitory phone," Tristan suggested.
"Yeah. I think Fi has some paper in her room. Follow me," Jack said, getting up as Tristan did. He led the way to the back of the bus and into Fi's room, where he picked up a pencil and a piece of scrap paper from a shelf. Tristan took them and scribbled down his name, phone number, and the instructions to call him; when he was finished, he set the note down on her desk. When he turned around to leave, he caught sight of something that chilled his blood: the spellbook lying open on Fi's bed.
"Oh no…" he said quietly, walking past Jack to look at it.
"What's wrong?" Jack asked, but Tristan didn't answer as he read the page the book was open to. His heart stopped as he read the spell on the page.
"What is it?" Jack was slightly annoyed with the lack of responses he was getting.
"I think Fiona might have gone missing."
Tristan's words made Jack stop.
"Wait, missing? What makes you think that?" He was a little worried.
"I don't know…do you have a map of the city?"
Jack was confused now.
"I think we might, but why?" Tristan gave a sigh of impatient.
"There's no time for questions. I need to see if your sister went missing," Tristan insisted.
"Okay, okay! Hold on," Jack said, hurrying to the front of the bus. Behind the driver's seat, there were a few compartments; he dug through them and found a road atlas. Tristan had already made his way to the table.
"This was the best I could do," he told Tristan, who took it from him and began flipping through the pages.
"This will do," he muttered, finding the page that contained a map of Massachusetts. Taking a deep breath, he closed his eyes and extended his pointer finger, almost like he was trying to indicate something on the page. Slowly, he began at one corner of the map and traced a path across it, leaving Jack to wonder what he could be doing. When he finished, he opened his eyes, heart racing.
"She's not here," he said, starting to panic.
"Wait, how do you know that?" Jack was more annoyed now; nothing this person was saying was making any sense.
"You know, for some reason, I don't think you'd believe me if I told you," Tristan said, closing the road atlas.
"Wait, this is some sort of joke?" Jack asked, still in disbelief.
"Do you think Fi would joke around with you like this?" Tristan countered, but they were both distracted by someone else coming from the back of the bus.
"Hey! Who's this?" she asked, but a look of recognition came over her face as she saw Tristan.
"Tristan! It's good to see you again," she said, smiling at him.
"Mom, he's saying Fi went missing," Jack interjected, and Molly's expression became serious.
"Missing? What do you mean?" she asked, starting to become worried.
"Ms. Phillips, I don't even know how to begin explaining this to you. Fiona has…vanished," he stammered, and Molly looked annoyed.
"Okay, you're going to have to explain this to me because if this is a joke, it's really not funny," she said, her voice angry. Tristan sighed as he tried to think of how to phrase his explanation.
"Do you know anything about…strange things that happen to your daughter?"
She looked confused.
"Strange how?"
"Like paranormal strange?"
Molly's expression grew stony.
"She told me about her father, Ms. Phillips; she told me about the things he investigated. Well, something like that is going on here."
"Are you trying to tell me my daughter is dead?" she asked, her voice teetering between tearful and enraged.
"No…at least, I don't think she is. I think that if she were, you of all people would know."
"This isn't funny," she remarked in an icy voice.
"Ms. Phillips, you have to believe me. I have no reason to joke about this. Look, I need to find her, but I need your family's help."
She had had enough.
"Leave. Now," she said, and his shoulders slumped. Just as he was about to leave, she gasped as something happened; it seemed like she was seeing fragments of a movie in her head. She saw Fi, laying unconscious on the ground, mist all around her. She became overwhelmed with the feeling that Fi was in trouble, much like it had been in New York. When the vision vanished, she got up.
"Wait," she called, making Tristan stop just as he was about to open the door.
"I think you're right," she said, and Jack looked at his mom with a look that said, "What the hell?"
"Mom, are you serious? This is probably just some joke Fi's playing," he said, not sounding all too convinced himself.
"Well, I'm going to need at least one of you to help me find her," Tristan said, and Jack scoffed. Molly, on the other hand, seemed to freeze up at the request.
"Jack, you need to help him. I…I have to stay here and take care of business with the club owner," she said, but it didn't seem like she was certain of her plans. Tristan narrowed his eyes as she said this, because it seemed like she couldn't…or wouldn't look him in the eye.
"Mom, seriously? I keep telling you, this is…" he said, but she interrupted him.
"Jack, please. Your sister's in trouble." She pleaded, looking him directly in the eye. He sighed.
"Fine, what do we need to do?"
-X-
Fi groaned as she awoke, looking around. It was darker than she remembered, and she knew immediately she wasn't in her room.
"Where am I?" she asked, feeling cold from the mist that hugged the ground. She couldn't shake the feeling that she'd been to this place before, but as she didn't know where she was, there was no way she could be sure.
"Hello?" she called, looking around to see if anyone was there. When no one answered, she shivered. The lack of life around was starting to scare her.
-X-
Back in Fi's room, Jack sat on a chair while Tristan sat on the bed.
"So how exactly do you propose to get my sister back?" Jack asked. Tristan held up the necklace he'd made for her.
"This. It already has a connection to me, but I need to add something that's connected to her. I'd say that something like a piece of clothing, but the best thing I could use is with her," he explained.
"Her ring?" Jack guessed.
"Bingo; but as we don't have that here, there is one thing that's better," Tristan confirmed, and Jack felt a small twinge of fear.
"What's that?"
"Blood."
The answer made Jack's eyes go wide.
"How much blood are we talking about?" He sounded nervous.
"Just a couple drops."
Jack was relieved.
"Okay, hold out your hand," Tristan requested, and Jack complied. Tristan turned his hand over so the palm was facing up, then used a knife to prick Jack's fingertip. Jack winced, but the pain subsided; Tristan was able to squeeze three drops from the finger onto the necklace's central knot. When he was finished, he looked around.
"Do you have any rope or anything like that?" he asked.
"I think we might have some in the storage space. Hang on." With that, Jack ran out of the room, through the bus, and outside, where he flung the storage compartment on the outside of the bus wide open. He produced a length of rope and shut the compartment, rushing back to Fi's room.
"Will this do?" he said, and Tristan nodded. He took the rope.
"Hold out your hand."
Jack did as he was asked and Tristan tied the rope around his wrist, tying the other end around his own.
"Jack, I need you to listen carefully. This is going to be the only thing that will ensure that I have a way back. Make sure it stays connected to you at all times," he warned. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
"Connected now through space and time, answer now my words and rhyme. Travel now through space and time, to recover what is mine," he recited, and almost immediately, he was surrounded by a white light. He could feel the rope go tense as Jack put up his hands to shield his eyes.
-X-
When the light faded, Jack's sight returned enough to see…nothing. Tristan had disappeared, and so had half of the rope.
"What is going on here?" he asked no one.
-X-
When the light faded, Tristan looked around to see a dark place with mist hovering just above the ground.
"So this is where she got off to," he muttered, looking around for anything that might tell him where he was. He could see a rock by a dead tree, but that wasn't much help. He opened his hand to reveal the protection charm that had managed to come with him.
"Aimsigh," he whispered, blowing on the knot. Nothing happened, and he realized that it would be useless in finding Fiona, as she had never actually worn the charm. Now he was stuck in a strange place with no idea where Fi was.
-X-
It seemed like she had been walking forever and had found nothing, and Fi let out a frustrated growl. Her ring hadn't been helping things either, as it hadn't glowed once since she'd arrived there. Out of nowhere, a floating ball of light appeared and hovered in front of her, and it was then that she realized where she was: the Nexus.
"Well, look at who I found. How are you, little duck?" Bricriu said, swirling in the air.
"I've been better," she spat, her words filled with no emotion for the spunkie.
"Now, how did you end up here? I don't remember bringing you." The Will o' the Wisp actually sounded confused.
"I came here by accident." Her face set in a stony expression.
"An accident? How did you manage that?" The light circled her a few times and then came to rest where it had been before.
"Oh, you silly little duck; you've been toying with magic, although I can't say I blame you. It's in your blood."
"How did you know that?" She was slightly angry.
"Sometimes you forget; the spirits know things you might not think they do," Bricriu replied.
"Look, could you just tell me how to get back to the real world?" she asked, annoyed.
"Oh, little duck, as much as I'd like to help you, I can't. Since you brought yourself here, you have to get yourself out. Don't you know the spell to get back?" Suddenly, the spirit stopped talking.
"Hold the phone. Someone else is here. Did another unfortunate mortals manage to trap themselves here like you did? Oh, this is no ordinary mortal; I can feel the magic from here. Goodbye, little duck!" With that, Bricriu zoomed away, leaving her no better off than she had been before arriving.
-X-
Tristan jumped when a floating ball of light appeared in front of him.
"Hello there! I see you've brought some powerful magic with you, but…oh, you've got a lifeline! We can't have that, now can we?" it said, circling the end of the rope.
"Curses. You've got it tied to someone, don't you?" it asked.
"Who…or what are you?" Tristan countered.
"Who or what I am doesn't matter. All that matters is that you're very powerful," it replied, and zoomed toward him. It hit his chest and bounced off.
"You know, I'm sick of not being able to possess people! Curse you and your protection charm. Wait a second, why does it work here? By all rights, your magic should be null and void here," it pouted. It moved closer to him.
"You…you've got O' Sianhan blood in your veins. I should have known. You lot are always getting yourselves into trouble. If it's not back-sassing spirits, it's getting yourselves trapped in the Nexus." It sounded bitter, wary, and awed at the same time.
"Trapped in the Nexus? Wait…you've seen Fiona!" he realized.
"Oh, no, I've said too much. Goodbye!" It started to vanish, but he threw out a hand.
"Stad!" he commanded, and the spirit froze in place.
"Let me go!" it shouted.
"Not until you take me to Fiona," he said, concentrating on holding the light with his spell.
"No! She got herself into this mess, it's her job to get herself out. Besides, how can you make me? Sure, you can hold me, but you can't hurt me," it teased. He paused, knowing the spirit was right. It was then that he got an idea and smiled.
"Go loca mé," he said, and a light appeared around the spirit, forming an orb. He severed the magic that held it in place. It tried to leave, but ended up hitting the walls of the spell and bouncing off.
"Let me go!" it said, but it sounded less sure of itself this time.
"Tell me where Fiona is; I'll let you go when we find her," he replied.
"Ach. I should be able to break this magic, but you're practiced. Very well. If she hasn't moved, she should be straight past the tree."
Tristan looked over to where it had mentioned, but saw nothing.
"It doesn't look like she's over there."
"Obviously, you don't travel to the Nexus very often. Just walk past the tree."
Sighing, he did as he was told and felt a chill as the world around him shifted. Soon, he was standing somewhere else.
"Tristan!"
He jumped when he heard a voice behind him and turned around to see Fi, who ran up to him.
"How'd you find me?" she asked, and he shifted the orb so that it was right in front of him.
"This little trickster showed me the way," he said, chuckling.
"Okay, okay, you found her. Now let me go!" Bricriu ordered, and Tristan made a motion with his hand. The orb vanished.
"You'll pay for imprisoning me, Tristan O' Sianhan," the Wisp spat, vanishing from sight.
"So what do you say we get out of here?" she asked.
"Hold on. That spirit mentioned something about getting yourself trapped here. Did you read a spell from the book?"
She looked away.
"Yes," she admitted, bracing herself for a lecture.
"I think you know not to toy with magic now," was all he said. She looked back up at him.
"Aren't you going to tell me that I was wrong for using magic?"
"I'm disappointed that you broke your promise to me, but I can't say that I blame you for that. Magic is a very intriguing thing, but I hope your trip here has taught you something. The next time something like this happens, I might not be around to save you."
"Well, thanks." She smiled and gave him a hug.
"The thing I lost is mine again, so take us back from whence we came," he said, engulfing them in white light.
-X-
Jack was startled when a white light appeared out of nowhere, and he shielded his eyes against it. When it faded, he put his hands down to see Tristan and Fi standing there. Jack was overjoyed.
"You're back!" he said, rushing over to his sister and smothering her with a hug. Suddenly, Molly opened the door.
"Baby! You're all right!" she said, stepping into the room and wrapping her arms around both of her children. She looked up at Tristan.
"Thank you for bringing my daughter back," she said gratefully, and he smiled.
"You're welcome," he replied.
-X-
Fi and Tristan stood at the door to the bus; she was inside, he was outside.
"I wish we didn't have to go. I really liked learning about our family," she said with a sad smile.
"I do too, but you have my e-mail address. I'm only a click away," he reassured her. "Oh, and why don't you hold on to this?" He held the necklace he'd made for her out, and she took it.
"Okay, guys, it's time to go!" Molly said, approaching the bus.
"Tristan, thanks again," she added, hugging him. He returned the embrace. As soon as Molly got on, the bus rumbled to life.
"Be careful," he called to Fi, and she waved as she closed the door. He watched the bus roll off, but didn't notice the ball of light hovering in the alley just behind him.