A/N: Hi again. So, nonsense will occur, but this is fun to write, so whatever. J and K didn't proofread, so it's a bit more chaotic than the last chapter. Let's start sassing Bronte!
Chapter 2
At this point, I knew I should curtsy, but A: I had no clue how, and B: I didn't actually care at all. Everyone but Fitz, Sophie and I were dressed in fancy regal clothes. Fitz was in disguise, and Sophie had at least made an effort to look nice, but I was standing around in frayed jeans and a t-shirt, glaring disrespectfully. This'll be fun.
"Sophie, Lyra, meet Councillors Kenric, Oralie, and Bronte. Councillors, this is Sophie and Lyra." Alden said.
"I thought there was only one." The smallest elf, Bronte, said. He had brown hair, a scowl that looked perpetual, and… pointy ears. Sophie clearly noticed this too, as she gasped. I snickered at her awkward apology, as did everyone else but Bronte. Alden explained, and while Sophie was shocked at the idea that she would one day have pointy ears, I didn't really care. It would probably be cool. With the amount of treasure the elves had in a personal house, I'd already guessed that they stopped aging once they reached adulthood, like in stories. Kenric, who was built like a football player and had hair as red as my own, confirmed this when he said that no one had died of old age yet as he scooted his chair slightly closer to blond, delicate Oralie. Alden invited us to start eating, and despite the unappetizing appearance of purple glop and black strips of things, the stuff tasted like burgers and chicken. When Sophie voiced as much, everyone stared in horror.
"You eat animals?" Fitz asked, making animals sound like toxic waste. I glared at him.
"Humans eat animals. We were raised as humans. Put the pieces together." I said, glaring at him when he stared at Sophie in revulsion. The Councillors gave me a strange look. Again.
"Alden has told me Sophie here is a telepath. What talent, if any, does Lyra here have?" Bronte sneered. If fire scared elves, this would be fun. I held up my hands, fire swirling into a miniature image of the artfully wrought gates outside. Oralie gasped, Kenric started, and Bronte scowled. Yep, that was his default expression.
"I take it Alden hasn't explained the law of Pyrokinetics?" He asked. Alden lowered his head slightly.
"Lyra, Pyrokinesis is the forbidden talent. You aren't allowed to use that power here." Alden told me.
"Oh, wonderful. Of the clearly large amount of powers, I get the only illegal one. Just my damn luck." I snarled, then returned my attention to my meal. After another stare at Lyra the weirdo moment, Sophie was asked to demonstrate her power. She read Bronte's mind, and I laughed out loud at his thoughts. He glared at me. Apparently, he thought he was the only person there with any sense, was tired of watching Kenric stare at Oralie, and thought I was going to kill them all. Sophie defended me, for which I was glad. They would never let me defend myself. Sophie was then asked to demonstrate telekinesis, and lifted first a cup, then six, then three chairs, including the one Bronte was on. Everyone gasped, and I laughed. Earning several more glares. Sophie lost her focus and dropped the chairs. Bronte landed flat on his back. Everyone was silent, until Bronte hollered for someone to help him up. I got up to help him, but he slapped my hand away, likely due to the fact that I was currently laughing my ass off, along with most of the other people in the room.
"I've never seen such natural talent. You're even a natural at our language. Your accent is almost as perfect as these guys. You too, Lyra." Kenric said to Sophie and me. He pointed to Alden and Fitz. I somewhat spaced out again. Sophie's nickname turned out to come from "suldreen," whatever that meant. When Sophie asked the answer was a moonlark.
"Moonlark? Oh shit. You lot might want to see this." I said. I held out the rhyme, which I'd kept in my pocket. Alden took it, and turned gray. He passed it to the Councillors, who all looked worried.
"Where did you get this?" Kenric asked me.
"A letter. The envelope had nothing but my name on it. I don't know what it means, where it's from, or what it has to do with us. Care to clarify?" I said. Sophie looked vaguely lost.
"We don't know either. But we will tell you if we do." Oralie said. I nodded.
"Now, Lyra, you've shown us your fire. The level of precision is surprising, but we need to know if you're a threat. Alden, have you read her mind?" Bronte said. Alden looked sheepish.
"I can't. Anyone who tries, well, it's like trying to walk through a real wall of fire. Lyra, I know you most likely wouldn't, but are you doing that intentionally?" Alden said. I looked down.
"No. Contrary to how it may appear, I'm no sadist. The fire… it's been in my mind since my ability showed up when I was five, on the same day as Soph. It doesn't hurt me, at least, it doesn't cause pain. It just whispers. It's always talking, never stopping. Always begging me, ordering me, trying to make me let it out. That's probably why you banned the talent. It's enough to drive anyone crazy." I said quietly. Bronte continued to scowl. Could his expression change at all? Alden looked apologetic. Fitz had a hilarious oh shit expression, though I doubted he'd cursed in his life. Oralie was looking at me with pity, and Kenric was giving me a face that could only be described as impressed. I saw why when he spoke.
"And you haven't attacked anyone? You've got more control than a lot of elves with safer talents." Kenric said. I smiled.
"And the mimicry of the gate using fire didn't show control?" I said. He laughed. "I vote against." Bronte said, scowling.
"I vote in favor. You're being absurd, Bronte." Kenric said. Oralie had a deep in thought expression.
"Lyra, Sophie, come here." She said. We did as she asked, and she took one of each of our hands. She closed her eyes for a moment, then opened them and released our hands.
"From Sophie, I feel a lot of fear and confusion, but I've never felt such sincerity. I also feel loneliness, and worry for Lyra. She doesn't want them to be split up." She said, looking at Sophie. She then switched her attention to me, with an odd look that seemed like a combination of sadness and a sort of pride. "From Lyra, I feel so much anger and pain. She blames herself for anything that has happened as a side effect of her losing control. But I also feel a strong love for her friend, and protectiveness. Lyra will do anything to keep Sophie safe. If we earn her loyalty, she will be our greatest protector, and will even fight for us. I vote in favor."
Everyone was silent for a moment, staring at me with varying degrees of pity.
"What're you all staring at? I'm not all angsty, but those things were my fault. And seriously, don't give me the pity-stare. It's really annoying." I said irritably. Alden claps his hands.
"Well, I believe that settles it." He said. Bronte scowled.
"For now. This will be revisited." He grumbled.
"We should wait till the end of the year. Give Sophie and Lyra some time to adjust." Kenric announced.
"Excellent." Alden agreed.
"Fools. I invoke my right as Senior Councillor to demand a probe." Bronte grumbled.
"I planned as much. I've arranged to bring Sophie to Quinlin as soon as we're done here. I will just have Lyra added to the plan." Alden said, as he rose with a nod.
"How did she avoid detection?" Kenric asked.
"I hid behind the Albertosaurus." I said with a straight face. Sophie, Fitz, Alden, and Kenric laughed, though all the adults looked confused. Sophie asked what a probe was. Apparently, it was a different way to read minds. Yippee. I spaced out once again as the adults left but snapped back to the conversation when Sophie said that her parents were human, and she was not.
"That's why you were crying when I came to visit. Yeesh, sorry I was such a nitwit." I said. She looked at me strangely.
"You mean you aren't upset about the same thing?" She asked. I shrugged.
"I never had a dad, and my mom died a while ago. My uncle is still an uncle-figure, even if he isn't related to me. What am I supposed to be upset about?" I said.
At that moment, Alden swept back into the room.
"Sophie, Lyra, why don't you come with me, and we'll get you something else to wear. You'd better change too, Fitz." He said.
"Where are we going?" Sophie asked.
"How would you like to see Atlantis?" Alden asked. I grinned like the Cheshire Cat.
"OW!" I yelped, as-yet again-I tripped in my idiotic and impractical dress. Sophie gave me a sympathetic look. We'd both begged to wear pants, but apparently girls wore gowns in noble cities. However, her red, beaded dress at least made her look good. My dress was silver, slightly too big, and made me look like a ghost. Or maybe a Christmas ornament. We had been walking on a desolate island for the past ten minutes. We reached the edge of a triangular rock. Fitz led Sophie and I up to a ledge above the water, and Alden opened a secret compartment in the side of the rock. He pulled out a tiny glass bottle and joined us on the ledge. The bottle was labeled One Whirlpool. Open With Care.
"Step back." Alden said. We did, and he uncorked the bottle and threw it out into the ocean. A gigantic whirlpool appeared, and Alden shouted his next instructions over the wind. "Ladies first!"
"I'm sorry, what?" Sophie said.
"Maybe you should go first, Dad." Fitz suggested. Alden nodded, waved, and jumped into the whirlpool. Sophie screamed. I looked at Fitz, grinning in the crazy way I had.
"Can I go next?" I asked excitedly. Fitz laughed, and gestured to the edge. I walked up to the edge, and jumped into the whirlpool. It was like riding the craziest waterslide in the world. I let out a whoop. I was launched out of the vortex onto a gigantic sponge. The sponge cratered underneath me, then sprang back, leaving me dry and standing on a giant cushion. I staggered slightly as I walked toward Alden, grinning and finger-combing my hair. Sophie rocketed down onto the sponge, and I pulled her out of the way as Fitz came down after her.
"That was awesome!" I said in a reverential tone. Fitz and Alden laughed, and Sophie stared at me like I was completely insane.
"Now, this is Atlantis." Alden said, gesturing to a magnificent-but still glittery-city. We started walking into the city. Alden was explaining the city's history to Sophie, but I was busy staring at the strange things surrounding us. The city reminded me of Venice, with canal streets. People's clothes looked like they belonged at a Renaissance fair, except they were often magicked to change color or glow. We reached the main canal, where Alden hailed a carriage-boat that was pulled by an eurypterid. Sophie shrieked, and I laughed. Fitz petted the creature, and I reached out to do the same. The thing hissed at me, and I pulled back. In my excitement, I'd forgotten that animals hated me. To them, my smell, which Sophie's sister had compared to woodsmoke, meant fire and danger. They hated me. Fitz jumped into the boat, and Alden held the door open for me and Sophie before climbing in himself.
"Quinlin's waiting. It's time to find out what's in those impenetrable minds of yours." Alden said. The carriage started moving, and Alden started telling Sophie something about how safe Atlantis was. I was wondering how the boat-carriage didn't rock like a human boat, when I heard Alden mention Sophie's file.
"She has a file? Do I have a file?" I asked. Alden sighed.
"Sophie does, Lyra doesn't. We only have DNA from Sophie, so we only knew she existed." Alden told us.
"What's in it?" Sophie asked.
"You'll see soon enough." Alden told her. Sophie went to ask more questions, but Alden shook his head and pointed to the driver. Guess secrecy is important.
The carriage entered what looked like a business district. Elves were dressed even more formally, and the buildings were bigger with official-sounding names. Sophie looked confused, most likely because some were random nonsense.
"What's with the random strings of letters?" Sophie asked. I'd been wondering the same thing. She pointed to a sign with the nonsense on it. Alden looked where she pointed.
"The runes?" He asked.
"Is that what these are?" Sophie asked, running her fingers over her bracelet thing, which was called a nexus. It had the same nonsense on it. Alden nodded.
"That's our ancient alphabet." Alden said.
"You can't read it?" Fitz asked. He sounded surprised. I guessed it was probably supposed to be easy to read.
"But you can tell they're letters?" Alden asked. I nodded.
"Yes, but it's all a big jumble. Is that going to be a problem for school?" Sophie said. I hadn't thought of that.
"Nah, it's rarely used. Only when they want to be fancy or something." Fitz said. I laughed, and got the are you mentally sound look again.
"It's ironic that I can't read it. I have an extreme hatred of formality." I said. Alden laughed, and Fitz nodded. Sophie smiled, clearly remembering the first, and only, formal event I'd gone to. It was not a good day.
"Is it wrong that we can't read it?" Sophie asked.
"Reading should be instinctive." Alden admitted. "But maybe your human education affected you somehow. We've never had anyone with your upbringing, so it's hard to say."
Sophie looked down, probably worrying over her family again. I knew that I'd probably never see my uncle again, but I didn't really feel sadness anymore. When my mom had died, I'd sunk into a pit of apathy that I had yet to climb out of. Sure, I'd miss him, but I'd rather fall a bit farther into emotionless recklessness than harm another person who didn't deserve it.
I was so lost in thought, I didn't realize that we'd arrived until the carriage stopped in front of a building with a sign that read QUINLIN SONDEN: CHIEF MENTALIST. Alden gave the driver a green cube, which he swiped across the cuff above his elbow like a credit card. Fitz helped Sophie out of the carriage, and I got out myself. Alden led us past the receptionist and to the only office in the back. A tall, dark skinned elf with chin-length black hair stood up and bowed. I'm really going to hate formalities here, aren't I?
"Please, there's no need for ceremony, my friend." Alden said, winking at Quinlin.
"Of course." The man said. His gaze rested on Sophie, then flicked to me. "Brown eyes? And orange?"
"Definitely unique." Alden agreed.
"That's an understatement. You really found her- them, after all these years?" Quinlin said, staring at me and Sophie-mostly Sophie, long enough to make her squirm and me glare. I still didn't know why they'd been looking for her, and by association, me.
"You tell me. Do you have her file?" Alden said.
"Right here." Quinlin said, holding up a small silver square before handing it to Sophie.
"You lick it. They need your DNA." Fitz explained, causing Sophie's eyes to widen and me to make a face. Sophie gave it the smallest possible lick, and fumbled as two glowing green holograms of DNA appeared, along with the word MATCH. She really did belong here. I squeezed her hand, giving her a smile. She belonged. Even if I never would, she had a place where she belonged. I was happy for her.
"So this is why Prentice sacrificed everything." Quinlin breathed, staring at the hologram in wonder.
"Who's Prentice, what did he sacrifice, and what does he have to do with us?" I asked.
"He definitely had his reasons. You'll see when you try the probe." Alden said. Sophie jumped, and I stepped forward.
"I'll go first. Give Soph a chance to wrap her head around this." I said. Quinlin nodded, pressing two fingers against my temples. He pulled away after about ten seconds, longer than anyone else had lasted. He was gaping like a fish out of water.
"Sophie, come here." He said. She obeyed, and after nearly five minutes, he pulled away, looking like he'd been knocked out of a plane.
"That's what I thought." Alden said, almost to himself. He began pacing.
"You can't hear me, and Lyra hurts you too?" Sophie asked.
"What does it mean?" Quinlin whispered.
"They'll be the greatest Keepers we've ever known, once they're older." Alden said.
"If they aren't already." Quinlin said with a snort. Alden froze midpace and turned to face us. He was white as a sheet.
"What's a Keeper?" Sophie asked.
"Some information is too important to record. So we'll charge a Keeper, a highly trained Telepath, and leave them in charge of protecting the secret." Alden said.
"Then why would we already be them? We've told you all we know." I said in my killer-esque voice, which had the intended effect.
"Quinlin was joking. We believe you." Alden said, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes. Quinlin looked unsettled by my anger. There was something up with that. I'd need to ask later.
"Perhaps we should talk upstairs." Alden said. He gestured to the receptionist, who I'd noticed eavesdropping but figured that it didn't really matter. We all walked upstairs into an empty room lined with footage from the wildfires back home.
"What's with the footage of the fires back home?" I asked. Quinlin gasped at the fact that we lived there. He exchanged looks with Alden.
"Why didn't you tell me there were fires?" Alden asked Fitz. He claimed he hadn't known that they were important.
"I didn't ask you to tell me what was important. I asked you to tell me everything." Alden scolded, and turned to Quinlin. "Why were you watching them?" He asked.
"They're burning white hot-against the wind. Like they were sent by someone who knew what they were doing. Plus… doesn't it look like the sign?" I noticed Quinlin glaring at me as he said this, and it clicked into place. I'd hold my tongue for a while, this should probably not be said in front of Mr. Perfect. Alden seemed worried about the mention of "the sign."
"I'm guessing this is how you found the article you sent me." Alden said. "I'd wondered why you were looking there. We ruled that area out years ago."
"Article?" Quinlin asked. Hmm…
"The one about the child prodigies in San Diego. Led me right to Sophie, and Lyra."
"I didn't send you any articles. Did it have a note from me?" Quinlin asked.
"No, but you were the only one who knew what I was up to." Alden said.
"Not the only one." Quinlin muttered. Sophie asked what was going on, disregarding Fitz's desperate hand signals. I decided to blurt out what I'd realized.
"An elf did this. And before you ask, no, it wasn't me. I've only seen fire like that once before, the worst time I lost control. That was when my powers appeared. It's a Pyrokinetic, isn't it?" I said. Alden gave me a shocked look.
"Not necessarily. It's nearly impossible. Besides, we have everything under control." Alden said. Sophie turned slightly red, probably thinking she was overreacting.
"Sorry. It's just been a really weird day. Between the guy trying to grab me this morning and-" Quinlin interrupted her with an exclamation of "What? Was he…?"
"An elf? I doubt it." Alden said. Quinlin asked how he knew, and Alden asked Sophie why he didn't take her.
"Lyra threatened to call the cops. And I think it was pretty clear she would have fought him and won if he didn't back off." Sophie said. Quinlin and Alden exchanged glances when I nodded at the last part.
"See? They would never have backed down so easily." Alden told Quinlin.
"They?" I asked, my tone unintentionally hard.
"I meant an elf-any elf. You've seen how quickly we can light leap. If one of us were really there to get you, no teenager threatening to call the authorities or beat them up would stop them. They would've just grabbed you and leaped away." Alden told us.
"But what about the fires? Why are they white?" Sophie asked.
"The arsonist probably used a chemical accelerant. Humans do so love their chemicals. I'll look into it. I follow suspicious leads all the time and they never amount to anything. Humans are always doing crazy, dangerous things. If they're not lighting something on fire," I scoffed at that, "they're spilling oil in the ocean or blowing something up. Every time they do, I investigate to make sure things don't get out of hand-but that doesn't leave this room. The Council's official position is to leave humans to their own devices. That's another reason Quinlin works down here: The Council rarely takes the time to visit and find out what we're up to." Alden said. Quinlin complained about the receptionist being Bronte's babysitter, and how they were a bad receptionist. Alden rolled his eyes, and joked about how she was bad at spying and how Bronte had looked when he found out about Sophie. Quinlin mentioned that keeping the secret for twelve years had to be a record.
I tuned out when Sophie asked why the Council didn't know, because I honestly didn't care about the damn politics. I was worrying about the fire. It wasn't human chemicals. It was from a Pyrokinetic. I'd snuck up to one, to test something right when they'd started burning. It'd hurt, not much, but I'd been able to feel it. It felt just a little too hot, though. I knew that was unusual. If I could feel it at all, it meant that it could burn Pyrokinetics. The fact that my power came so easily probably was something like how Sophie's power was way stronger than it should be.
Alden brought me back to the present by asking Sophie, Fitz, and me to keep his going behind the Council's back a secret. We all agreed, and Sophie got a promise to be kept updated on the fires. Quinlin had me lick a tiny square to create a file for me. We then left, taking a carriage to a lagoon outside the city. A giant bubble thing launched us out of the water, and we light leaped back to Everglen. I was nauseous from the leap, even though Alden had given me a nexus. I just hated the feeling. Before Sophie could ask questions or I could hurl, an elf with olive skin and pale blonde hair leaped to us and started yelling at Alden, getting right up in his face.
"You've got some nerve summoning me! I'd rather be exiled than train anyone in your family." He shouted. He was a bit shorter than Alden but didn't seem intimidated at all. Alden took a step backwards.
"Yes, Tiergan-I'm well aware of your opinion of me. I can assure you, I wouldn't have summoned you if I wasn't convinced that it would be what Prentice would want." Alden said.
"Since when are you the expert on anything Prentice wanted?" Tiergan asked, his snarl crumbling. That was it.
"Who the hell is Prentice?" I demanded. Tiergan blinked, noticing me and Sophie for the first time. His eyes widened when they locked with ours.
"Yes. Whatever you're thinking, yes. Tiergan, I'd like you to meet Sophie Foster and Lyra Argetlam, Foxfire's newest prodigies. Sophie happens to need a telepathy mentor." Alden said to Tiergan. So this guy was a Telepath. He swallowed several times before he spoke.
"She's the one, isn't she? The one Prentice was hiding. And Lyra is one too."
"Yes. They've been living with humans for the past twelve years." Alden told him.
"Hey! You didn't answer my question! Who the fucking hell is Prentice?" I shouted, angry. The two men and Fitz stared at me, and Sophie started stuttering apologies for my rudeness.
"I'm sorry, but that's classified, and please watch your language." Alden said. That was it.
"It's about Sophie and me! And seriously? I found out I'm a different damn species than I was raised to believe. And apparently the power that I've spent seven years trying to find a place to fit in with only makes me stand out more, in a world where every damn person I've met has powers! Oh yeah, and my best friend is in the same situation as me, but her power makes her amazing! Excuse me for having a frayed temper!" I roared. They took several steps back, and I realized I was on fire. I extinguished myself, but the damage was done. They all were throwing a pity party for me.
"I apologize for not realizing that. But it's actually better if you don't know. I will tell you, and Sophie too, if it becomes important." Alden told me. Fitz was staring at me like I was going to kill him, which solidified my already strong dislike of him.
"I think Lyra and I should head home soon." Sophie said, taking my hand. I usually was the one to support her, but I didn't care how weak it made me look, I was gonna explode if I didn't calm down. I lost track of the conversation, trying to keep the little flames that kept popping up all over my body from appearing. Tiergan agreed to mentor Sophie in Telepathy for the year. Sophie was concerned about getting better at telepathy, because apparently human minds were the cause of her migraines. Tiergan's training could help with that, which was most likely the deciding factor. She would have to hide her telepathy, and the class would be listed as remedial studies, to help her adjust. Tiergan asked Alden something that I couldn't hear, and when Alden nodded Tiergan left.
After Tiergan left, Sophie gently pulled me with her. I was still trying to control my fire, so I stumbled after her. Eight classes were what we would have as prodigies, which turned out to be the word for students for elves. Mentors were members of the nobility, and most of the classes were taught one on one. We'd have to relearn everything, which was a long way to fall from being top of the class for Sophie. I was in second place, because I had a tendency to ditch class, and my uncle didn't care. I got perfect grades when I was in school, and he knew I planned to follow in his footsteps and become a cop despite his efforts to turn me toward intellectual work. Sophie was worried about her family, and Alden was leading us to his office to explain about that when the sound of arguing reached us. We walked around a corner to see a girl who appeared to be arguing with the air. Before Sophie could ask about the bizarre sight-I was still out of it from my fire-a woman in a purple dress appeared out of nowhere, literally.
"You're home." She said. Sophie squealed. I was, as I said, out of it, but was surprised enough to make a vague "Huh?" sound. Eloquent, right?
"Sophie, Lyra, this is my wife, Della." Alden was hiding a smile. "And my daughter Biana. My dear, I don't think our guests are used to being around Vanishers." He gestured to the girl as he introduced her, then spoke to the woman.
"I'm so sorry." Della said. "Are you okay?"
"Yes." Sophie said. I gave an affirmative hum, trying to stay on my feet. Usually,
I slept after fighting off fire. It was exhausting. Something else exhausting was the fact that Della and Biana were both gorgeous. Yup, I would seem like a frog compared to literally everyone around me. Biana frowned, and Della tilted her head like a bird.
"Is that my dress?" They asked at the same time.
"Yes to both of you. Sorry, Sophie and Lyra needed to borrow them to go on a few errands." I would have been surprised that the dress I was wearing was Della's rather than Biana's, but being five foot three at twelve meant that I was too tall to borrow clothes from people my age, and Della was only an inch or two taller than me.
"We can go change." Sophie offered.
"No, that's fine. You can keep it. It's kind of frumpy." Biana said to her.
"Oh… Thanks." Sophie muttered.
"You can keep mine. It looks nice on you." Della said to me. I nodded my thanks. I needed to sit down, or I'd pass out.
"Quinlin sent the files you requested," Della told Alden. "I put them in your office. And the Council denied our request. But they approved Grady and Edaline."
"In that case, I'd better make a call." He turned to me and Sophie. "Then I'll have a long talk with each of you, okay?"
I saw Sophie nod, and then she started pulling me down the hall with her. I was stumbling. I faintly heard Della tell Sophie and me that the Council had sent us something, holding out three packages. I noticed her blinking in and out of existence with each step she took. She told Sophie to hold up her hair, and gave her a plain black choker with a pendant in the shape of a silvery circle with a clear gem in the center. She gave me a similar one, but the circle on mine was coppery. The other package contained a small green cube, a credit card thing like the one Alden had used to pay for the carriage. She apologized to me, saying that they didn't have one for me yet. Apparently, five million Lusters is the birth fund created for every elf, and one Luster is probably worth a million dollars. I had staggered to a chair, and was almost asleep when Alden came to get Sophie. I actually fell asleep when he took her, and was only woken when Sophie left.
"Lyra, right?" Biana asked. I nodded, supperitiously wiping my face and hoping I hadn't been drooling. "You know, your friend left a while ago. My dad said you should probably be home before midnight, and in your home's time zone, I think it's like eleven."
I got up, and Biana led me to Alden's office. He was sitting at his desk, reading something. He looked up when we came in, and thanked Biana, who then left.
"Lyra. I'm guessing you have quite a lot of questions?" He said. I sat down across from him.
"Yes. Sorry about passing out, fighting the fire takes a lot of energy. I was wondering about a lot of things, but I know that most of my questions will be answered later. I still need to know four things though. Where will I go? I know you won't let me stay in San Diego. What will happen to me because I'm a Pyrokinetic? I know it's the forbidden talent, but I still need to learn to control it. And why is it so strange to elves when I get angry? I have a temper, it's nothing strange to humans." I said. Alden gave me a stare more intense than anything I'd seen from elves.
"You're much less emotional than Sophie. She was panicky. You're quite the enigma. As for your questions, I can provide you with answers easily enough. You will have to be removed from the Forbidden Cities, which is our name for the human cities. Grady and Edaline Ruewen have agreed to take Sophie in. Tiergan will take you in, and he said it was because others might be afraid of you for the fire." Alden told me. I was a little surprised at Tiergan's offer, but glad I'd be staying with someone who knows what anger is.
"Thank you. What will you do to my uncle?" I said. Alden sighed.
"Sophie asked the same thing for her family. We were going to fake her death, but she wanted to make it like she never existed. You only live with your uncle, correct? May I ask his name?" Alden said. I closed off any and all emotions.
"My uncle's name is Seamus Argetlam. Can I make my decision at the end of our meeting? I'd like to think for a while." I told Alden. He blinked, then laughed to himself.
"Seamus Argetlam. What a coincidence." Alden said. At my questioning look, he explained. "Your uncle is the only human who knows about elves. He was rescued from a shipwreck and woke up in Atlantis. I was there, and I read his mind. He was trustworthy, so, as an experiment, we let him keep his memory of us. We won't have to do anything at all." I laughed at the sheer ridiculousness of it. I knew it was selfish, but I felt like I deserved having one good thing. Sophie and I are opposites and identical. I'm a negative copy of her. Both elves with rare powers, but hers is the best and mine is the worst. It had always been like that. When she got her power, she was the only one who got hurt. When my power came in, I was the only one who didn't get hurt. In this case, I was the one who got something good. I felt like I deserved it.
"Okay, what about my power?" I asked. Alden sighed.
"As you know, Pyrokinesis is the forbidden talent. The Council has decided that you will use your lesson to train yourself, with a Froster to help you keep it under control. You are only to train to contain the ability, not to use it. Other than that, your ability will be kept hidden. If anyone asks, simply say that you haven't manifested." He said. I nodded. There probably weren't many sane Pyrokinetics left. Elves lived forever, and an eternity with the fire in my mind would drive me crazy too.
"And what about my anger?" I asked. Alden laughed quietly.
"I should have known you'd figure that out. You really are perceptive. I was surprised when you seemed fine with violence, because no elf is. Guilt, loss, it affects our minds differently. The guilt we feel for fighting or breaking laws prevents those things from happening. I don't know how you do, but it's not normal." He said. I laughed, dark and slightly manic.
"So, to elves, I'm a psychopath. Great. Well, that means that people are less likely to be jerks, if you are all annoyingly nice. Bronte and Tiergan are the only elves I've seen angry." I said. Alden smiled at the "annoyingly nice."
"Well, we should be getting you home. I'd like to speak with your uncle for a while, so I'll accompany you." Alden said. I got up, stretched, and was led out of the room. Alden showed me to a room where I could change.
Dressed in my usual jeans and t-shirt, I stood beside Alden as he knocked on my uncle's door. I burst out laughing at his expression. He mock-scowled at me.
"Lyra, you crazy girl. What on Earth did you get yourself into?" He asked. Then he turned to Alden. "And you, old friend. What are you doing with my niece?"
"Seamus, as much as I wish I was just here to catch up, this is serious. May I
come in?" Alden asked. My uncle snapped into what I called "cop mode," and nodded, stepping out of the way.
Alden looked completely out of place on my uncle's beat-up couch. I was sitting on a beanbag, eating a cookie.
"So either my sister was with an elf or Lyra isn't biologically related to me, because she's at least part elf, and she has the forbidden talent, Pyrokinesis, and has to go to the elf cities? Just to be clear." Uncle Seamus said, his dangerously close to punching someone in the face look appearing.
"Yup." I said. My uncle put his head in his hands.
"Wonderful. And she won't be allowed to contact me, will she?" He said. I laughed.
"Probably not, but I will if I can find a way." I said. The words "if I can find a way" were code to me and my uncle for "a rule worth breaking, so screw it." He laughed. He may have been a cop, but he knew that sometimes, rules needed to be bent.
"Well, you're staying here tonight. Alden, can you give me something to make it seem like I never had a niece for the neighbors?" Uncle Seamus said. Alden nodded. My uncle turned to me.
"Go to bed. Let's put off the 'see you later' till tomorrow. Love you, 'kay?" Uncle Seamus said. I hugged him, saying, "You too," and ran up the stairs.
I held up a hand, laying on my bed. A fiery image of a dragon appeared over my palm. I absently wondered if they were real. I'd always loved dragons. That was my last thought, as I fell into the grip of dreams filled with fire and magic.