Chosen Chapter 15: We Have History

Part 8

Xxx

The following morning, Billie sat at the breakfast table and poured herself some coffee. It was unusual for her to be the first one awake, so she had taken the liberty to set the table for everyone. Yesterday had been hectic for all of them, so she figured that her friends would all appreciate a nice meal before a hopefully uneventful, normal day. As she sipped her coffee, Billie checked her phone and saw a text message from Hope, telling her that Darcy was disoriented but otherwise fine. She was glad to hear she was alright.

"Oh, something smells great." Duncan said as he and Nathan entered the living room.

"Wait, Billie made breakfast?" Nathan asked. "Are we sure that's edible?"

"Hey, I might not spend a lot of time in the kitchen, but I'm not that horrible." Billie replied with a frown as they sat down. "Try it before you start complaining."

"Is Violet up yet?" Duncan asked.

"I heard some movement in her room." Billie said. "I think she and Arthur slept here. I wonder where they were yesterday, I couldn't reach her all day."

"Same here." Duncan replied.

"Morning, guys." Violet said as she and Arthur joined them.

"Good morning." Billie said. "Come, sit down. I made breakfast."

"Oh, I'm not sure if I'm hungry." Violet replied hesitantly.

"Guys, come on, I know how to make breakfast." Billie said annoyed.

Violet and Arthur exchanged questioning looks before both sitting down. With everyone was present, they started eating. Billie monitored their reactions, though everyone seemed to like the food.

"It tastes great, Billie." Arthur said. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Billie replied with a smile. "So where were you guys yesterday?"

"We… sort-of went to the past." Violet said.

As they continued eating, Violet explained how they traveled back to ancient Atlantis, which almost caused Duncan to choke on a piece of bread. She told them how they met the prince and how they finally figured out a way to free the petrified wizards. Billie was surprised to hear everything and she realized that Violet was no longer the shy and insecure new girl. She had become a powerful witch and had gained the confidence to do what she felt was right.

"That's amazing." Duncan said. "I wish I could have seen it."

"It was truly beautiful." Arthur replied. "They were incredibly advanced."

"But it was really sad as well." Violet added. "And we know how to free the wizards now, but getting Bryant to work with us is going to be a problem."

"You'll figure it out." Billie said. "You did something incredible, Vi, I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, that means a lot." Violet replied. "So what did you guys do? Did you have a fun day?"

Billie laughed awkwardly before telling Violet and Arthur everything that had happened with Darcy and the poltergeist. As she told her side of the story, Duncan and Nathan filled them in on what they had learned about the mayor. Violet and Arthur were shocked to learn they had missed so much.

"I almost feel guilty about leaving." Violet said. "Poor Darcy, is she alright?"

"She is fine, Hope just texted me." Billie replied.

"So how did things end with the mayor and the Witch Doctors?" Arthur asked.

"We don't really know, honestly." Billie said. "When we left to take Darcy home, the mayor was already gone."

"So is she on our side now?" Violet asked.

"I doubt that." Duncan replied. "Negative feelings like that doesn't disappear just like that. She probably still blames magic for the death of her sister."

"But I think she will see reason eventually." Billie said optimistically. "She might not be on our side yet, but I don't think she is still coming after us."

"I'd still keep my eyes open." Nathan remarked.

"I agree." Arthur said. "Thanks for breakfast, Billie, but I have to get going. I need to inform everyone at Magic School about what happened and I need to secure Neptune's trident."

"Do you want me to come with?" Violet asked.

"No, you should stay and rest." Arthur replied. "You need to take it easy."

"What do you mean?" Billie asked concerned.

"Oh, it's nothing." Violet quickly said as she became flustered. "Time travel is exhausting and Arthur is just overprotective."

Billie frowned and wondered if Violet was telling her the whole story. However, she obviously didn't want to talk about it, so she decided to let it rest. Violet said goodbye to Arthur with a kiss and he disappeared through blue spirals of energy. At that moment, there was a knock on the door. Billie got up and walked over. When she opened it, she found Nick standing before her.

"There you are, I've been waiting to hear from you." Nick said.

"Sorry, yesterday was pretty hectic." Billie replied as she hugged and kissed him. "I'll fill you in later. Did you have breakfast yet? I made some."

"Oh, I already ate." Nick said quickly. "By the way, I found this on your doorstep. Looks fancy."

Nick held up an envelope and Billie accepted it. It was addressed to the Chosen. She opened the envelope and looked inside. It was an invitation to a jazz performance at the Cauldron tonight. There was a little card from Brandon included, saying it was his way to thank them and that he hoped they would be there. After reading it, Billie and Nick joined the others back at the table and showed them the invitation.

"Do you think we should go?" Violet asked.

"I don't know." Billie replied. "It wouldn't hurt to have them as allies with everything going on."

"Still, I'm not sure we can trust them." Duncan said. "Witch Doctors have a strange sense of morality. They seem friendly now, but they will betray us if they feel it's justified."

"I think Brandon is a good guy." Billie said. "We should give them a chance."

"Guys, you're all missing the most important thing." Nathan said with a smirk as he held up the invitation. "Drinks are on the house."

"That settles it." Nick added.

"I agree, not because of the free drinks obviously, but because it's good to on friendly terms with them." Violet said. "Besides, I could use a fun night out."

"Duncan?" Billie asked.

"Well, they helped save Darcy, so they deserve an open mind." Duncan replied.

"Alright, I guess we're going." Billie said.

As everyone was in agreement, they continued eating breakfast and started chatting about other things, like how all of them were massively behind on their schoolwork with all the magical craziness going on.

Xxx

In the ruins of present day Atlantis, Ambrose appeared through spiraling beams of blue energy. He had been spying on the staff of Magic School and now there had been some commotion. He was curious to see what they had discovered. An unsettling feeling rose when he realized they might have found a way to free prince Emyr and his people. Ambrose looked at the ruins of the academy in the distance and a memory returned to him.

In ancient Atlantis, Ambrose rushed through the streets followed by his friend Bowan. The arrogant little prince had just humiliated in front of a crowd, stating that he would never rule due to not being of royal blood. Educating witches in the academy was a mistake. Wizards were meant rule over all the others, not be their equals.

"Ambrose wait." Bowan said. "Are we returning to Avalon?"

"No, not yet." Ambrose replied. "We need to put a stop to this. Teaching the witches our magic is a great mistake."

"I agree, but what can we do?" Bowan asked. "The royal family has decided in favor."

"Then we need to show them the error of their ways." Ambrose said as a thought came to him. He stopped and looked at the academy. He looked around to make sure they were alone. "They need to see their mistake with their own eyes."

"What are you thinking?" Bowan asked.

"The witches are studying magic they do not understand." Ambrose reasoned. "When you mettle with forces you do not understand, accidents can happen."

"I see your point." Bowan replied with an understanding smile. "I think that can be arranged. Allow me to set things in motion. A small accident should suffice."

Ambrose smiled and nodded. A tragic accident at the academy should tell every wizard in the world what he already knew. That this world belonged to them and no other race could ever replace them.

A bitter expression appeared on Ambrose's face. He had made a mistake trusting Bowan with such a task. It was never meant to happen like that. He never intended the chain reaction that would follow. However, intended or not, the destruction of the wizard race had given him the opportunity to rebuild the world in his image. This time, his blood would be royal.

Ambrose reached the Magic School camp and used an illusion to make himself invisible. A tall young man in a black robe walked past him while on the phone. Ambrose read his mind and learned his name was Ben, a friend of his son. He followed the young man into a tent.

"Yes, Arthur, the trident has already been moved to Magic School." The young man said. "It's perfectly safe. Alright, meet you back there."

"The trident of Neptune?" Ambrose noted as he made himself visible. "What could you possibly want with that?"

"Who are you?" Ben asked scared as he backed away.

"Hold it." Ambrose said as he raised his hand and forced Ben to stand still by manipulating his mind. "You're going to tell me everything I need to know."

Ben was forced to walk over to Ambrose, who held his hand to Ben's head. Images and voices flashed through Ambrose's mind as he extracted Ben's memories. Arthur had apparently traveled back in time and learned how to free the petrified wizards using Neptune's trident. That was all Ben knew, though Ambrose suspected there was more to the story. It could not be that simple.

"Are you going to kill me?" Ben asked nervously.

"Killing you would achieve nothing." Ambrose replied. "Instead, I'm going to have you to steal that trident for me. Then I might kill you, or give you to my daughter. She has some issues she needs to work out."

Ambrose waved his hand and Ben's eyes glowed pale blue as his mind was being altered. He would continue to be himself until he had the opportunity to steal the trident. Then Ambrose's commands would kick in. When the mind manipulation was done, Ambrose released Ben and he fell asleep on the floor. He would not remember a thing.

Ambrose turned himself invisible and left the tent. He knew he had to stop Arthur from freeing the wizards. The people of Atlantis would not accept his rule and there was also the risk of his involvement at the academy coming out. Ambrose still wanted Arthur to join him, but he would kill his son without hesitation if it meant finally achieving everything he desired.

Xxx

Later that evening, Billie and her friends arrived at the Cauldron. Everyone had dressed up and was looking forward a good time. Now that the club was open, it looked completely different. A band was performing on stage and people were dancing and having a good time. A hostess guided them to the VIP booth that had been reserved for them. They sat down and ordered their drinks.

"The music is really good." Arthur said.

"I don't really know a lot about jazz, but I agree." Violet said. "I like the design as well, hard to imagine you fought a poltergeist here."

"Let's just try to forget that little fact." Duncan said. "We came here to have fun, right?"

"I wouldn't mind trying out the dance floor in a bit." Nathan replied.

A waitress arrived with their drinks, followed by Brandon, who looked very sharp in a fancy suit. He looked more in his element running the club than he did fighting evil spirits. He introduced himself to Violet, Arthur and Nick before sitting down.

"Hey guys, thank you all for coming." Brandon said. "I know things got hectic last night, but I hope we can all move past it."

"Thanks for the invite." Billie replied. "And you helped save Darcy's life, so we're good."

"I wish she would have never gotten involved in the first place." Brandon said. "We should have stopped that thing before it could possess her."

"That wasn't your fault." Billie said. "From what I heard, she was just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I know, but it is still dangerous to battle spirits with mortals nearby." Brandon said. "That is why I was finally able to convince my uncle to move our family business out of the club."

"So no more exorcisms here?" Duncan asked.

"No, my uncle and I came to an agreement." Brandon replied. "What happened with the mayor brought back unresolved issues, I guess. He knows I want to run the club instead of becoming a Witch Doctor, so we decided to separate the two."

"Sounds like a good deal." Billie said. "Congratulations."

"Thanks, I'll be glad to step away from the whole voodoo thing." Brandon said. "Although it's in my blood, it's never what I wanted."

"Cool, your club looks pretty great." Nick noted as he looked around. "Are you hiring?"

"Wait, you want to work here?" Billie asked surprised. "Where is this coming from?"

"I don't know, I've been doing some thinking." Nick replied. "I have to get my life in order at some point and school has never been my thing. I can see myself being a bartender."

"Do you have any experience?" Brandon asked.

"Not really, but I'm a quick study." Nick replied.

"Alright, let's start easy." Brandon said. "I have an opening for a busboy and you can work your way up from there."

"Cool, I appreciate it." Nick said as they shook hands.

"Look at you being all mature and responsible." Billie remarked with a smile.

Billie leaned him and gave him a kiss. She was impressed that Nick was getting a job and deciding to take things seriously. It made him even more attractive and it made her feel more confident about their future together. If she was being honest, there was always a part of her worried that he would go back to his old ways at some point.

"Nice work, bro." Nathan said as he padded his brother on the back. "I knew you had it in you."

"It looks like your other friends arrived." Brandon said suddenly.

Billie and the others looked up and saw Hope and Darcy heading their way. Billie was surprised to see them, as she figured Darcy would need some time to get over what happened. Brandon stood up to welcome them.

"Hey guys." Hope said.

"Thank you both for coming." Brandon said. "Darcy, words cannot describe how sorry I am for what happened to you. I hope you can forgive my uncle and me."

"I'm mostly just glad it's over." Darcy replied. "And I know you saved my life, so there is nothing to forgive. That thing was drawn to me because of my anger, which is part of why I am here."

"Oh crap." Nick remarked quietly.

"I'm here to talk to Billie and Nick." Darcy said as she turned to them. "Look, I'm still hurt by what you did, but this experience taught me that I can't let that negativity control me. Besides, Billie, you did help saving my life."

"What are you saying, Darcy?" Billie asked.

"I'm saying that I want to move past this." Darcy replied. "I'm not ready to forgive you or be friends again just yet, but I'm willing to try."

"That means a lot, thank you." Billie said.

"Now I could really use a drink." Darcy noted.

"I think that can be arranged." Brandon said with a smile. "Follow me to the bar and we'll see what we can do."

"Sounds good." Darcy replied.

Brandon extended his arm and Darcy accepted it with a flirty smile. They headed to the bar and disappeared among the crowd. Billie smirked at the notable attraction between them. She was glad that things were alright between them and hoped Darcy would find someone to make her happy.

"Well, she won't be back for a while." Hope said. "Anyone care to join me on the dancefloor?"

Nathan nudged Duncan and they both got up to join her, while Arthur stood up and extended his hand to Violet. She hesitated for a moment, but then smiled and accepted. Billie wanted to get up as well, but Nick put a hand on her leg. Once the others were gone, Nick moved closer and placed an arm around her.

"I wanted some private time." Nick said.

"Sounds good to me." Billie replied as she leaned in for a kiss.

Xxx

That same moment, Mayor Amanda Freeman sat in her office and stared blankly at the ruby amulet in her hand. She was always so sure that magic was the root of all her problems, that it was pure evil. Now she wasn't so sure anyone. It was still dangerous of course, but there was more to it. She felt conflicted about her past choices and the choices she still had to make. When a flash of orange light illuminated her office, she looked up and saw Edgar standing in front of her.

"I recognize that amulet." Edgar said.

"I took it from one of your people while looking for my sister." Amanda replied. "It's a painful reminder of what I've lost."

"I would have given it to you." Edgar said. "I would have done a lot of things different had I known the pain you were in."

"You should have told me the truth." Amanda said determined.

"I know." Edgar admitted. "It is one of the many regrets I live with after what happened to Candice."

"Don't talk about her." Amanda snapped at him.

"I'm sorry." Edgar replied. "Maybe coming was a mistake, maybe it is all too late."

"So why did you come?" Amanda asked.

"Because I never stopped loving you, Mandy." Edgar replied. "You don't have to bear this pain alone."

"It' too late for that, Edgar." Amanda said determined. "Get out before I call security."

Edgar looked hurt and took a step back. He wanted to say something, though he decided to remain silent and teleported away. Amanda turned her chair to face the window and wiped away a tear.

Xxx

The End