Chapter Twenty-One: As If Nothing Had Changed
Tia's POV
"Chrissy…" I heard my brother, Michael, call, "Where are you? What's going on?"
"I don't know." I called back to him, "Go find Mother and Father, they'll get you somewhere safe." I told him before running towards the smoke. I needed to find where it was coming from, I needed to know it wasn't me. That I didn't start this.
"Chrissy!" Michael cried and coughed. I stopped and turned, looking back towards where Michael was. I could get us both out if I moved fast enough. I ran back towards Michael.
"Michael!" I called back to him, "If you can hear me, come towards my voice! We need to get out of here!" There was no answer. I tried again, "Michael!" Still no answer. I tried again.
"Michael!" I jolted awake. A wave of guilt washed over me as it normally does when these memories resurface. "I am so sorry, Michael…" I whispered, "I know it's my fault you're gone. I should have been looking out for you."
This was why I avoided sleeping. There were too many memories, too many regrets, that would come back every time I managed to fall asleep. Knowing I would be up for the remainder of the evening, I headed back to the library, pulled a book from one of the shelves, and started to read.
"Thought you were going to bed." I heard someone comment, I didn't have to look to know it was Vinny.
"What about you?"
"My room is next to someone who has night terrors." He responded, "It's easier to stay awake and nap later instead of trying to sleep through the screaming."
"Where is your room?" I looked up at him.
"It's the one right on the corner wall next to yours."
"I keep you awake." I acknowledged, "If you want to try to sleep, I won't be heading back to my room tonight."
Instead, Vinny asked, "Who's Michael?"
"My brother, he was four when he died." I answered, "I pushed him away when he was alive and didn't go after him when I should have before he died. I was so focused on myself that I didn't think about him until it was too late."
"You were nine."
"I was old enough to know better."
"You were just a kid." Vinny responded, sitting down next to me, "And even if you had gone after your brother, there's a chance you could have died with the rest of them."
"I could have." I nodded, "But at least I wouldn't have abandoned him. I ignored him when he need me and there's nothing I can do about it. You can't change the past."
"You can't." Vinny agreed, "But you're doing a pretty good job about changing the future. Where'd you come up with the idea of the Society?"
"I was trying to figure out what to do next after everything happened and I ran across someone who needed help, so I did. Then one led to another, and then another, and soon I was receiving messages of different situations that could use some help. Slowly, the letters started to poor in and I decided with a little help of the people I had met along the way, including Mole, to create a base of operations."
"Ember Hollow."
"The manor was my old family home."
"You know the locals have been calling it Phantom Manor." Vinny said, "They say it's haunted."
I nodded, "I started that rumor so that people would leave it alone when we're gone. The whole place is set up with its own security of different illusions and alchemy to scare off anyone who doesn't belong."
"How haven't we seen that?"
I shrugged, "It's mostly mechanical and it'd be a little annoying if we kept it on all of the time."
"You'll have to show me how it works."
"If we make it out alive, I will."
"If?"
"This mission is a little dangerous." I responded, "That reminds me…" I stood and went over the bookcase closest to the door, pulled down books on mythical monsters, witchcraft, and demonology, and set them on the table. "I need to pack these, I left my copies back home."
Vinny looked through the titles, "You want to tell me what it going on? Nowhere in the description I heard did it involve magic and demons."
"And it might not, just want to be on the safe side." I told him, "You never know with some of these cases."
"Have you ever dealt with anything like that?"
With some hesitation, I responded, "…No." Was it the truth? Not quite, but I wasn't going to tell him more than what he needed to know.
"That's not true." He caught me instantly, which was to be expected, it wasn't the best lie. "What have you been up to?"
I shrugged again, "Just trying to save the world, one person at a time. I may not be able help everyone, but with every little thing I or anyone in the Society does to help one person, it affects not only them, but everyone around them. Every choice made has a ripple effect and maybe-"
"Your kindness will rub off on someone else."
"I'm not always that nice, not everyone deserves that respect." I quipped, "I'm too smart for that."
"You're too smart for a lot of things you do."
"I'd have nothing to do if I didn't and how dull my life would be if I did." I responded and then went back to the topic at hand, "What I meant to say is maybe my choices will lead to the next right thing for this situation at hand. Not good, not bad, but right."
He nodded and then looked back to the books, "Do you practice-"
"No, wouldn't know where to start if I tried." I responded, knowing he was referring to the book on witchcraft, "But it has helpful information on how I can protect myself on what we're possibly up against."
"Mind sharing with the rest of us."
"I will after I'm sure it works." I replied, "Why waste your time if it doesn't?"
"I wouldn't find it a waste."
"I would if it didn't work."
"Why do you think it wouldn't?"
"I'm not fully sure of what we are up against and until I do-"
"You're not going to say anything." Vinny said, "From everything I know of you, you won't say a word until you're sure you know what you're talking about. You're the quietest person in the room till someone mentions something you have interest in."
"I am not a social woman." I remarked the words he had said to me all those years ago. How were we still like this? Here we were as if nothing had changed. As if all those years hadn't gone by. If we hadn't had that fight after we came back. If we hadn't spent that time apart. And if I could go back, we wouldn't have or at least not as much time as we did. Although if I hadn't, would I have what I do? That's hard to say. Unfortunately, there is no way to see how things would have turned out if things would have turned out differently. We just had to face our current situation and see where it led us to next.
"Miss Whitmore, a transmission has just come in." Branson stated as he entered the library, "There has been another incident off the coast of Norway, they're requesting an immediate response."
Apparently, the situation is leading me next to Norway.
"Thank you, Branson." I nodded, and then stood, "Can you prepare the car?"
"Yes, miss."
"Also Branson, send them a response letting them know that there is someone coming to review the situation and that more help will be on the way soon."
"Of course." He nodded, and then left.
"Seems I'll be heading to Norway." I told Vinny, picking up my books, "Enjoy Atlantis, I'll see you soon."
"You're going by yourself?" Vinny objected.
"Don't worry, I know how to handle myself." I assured, "I got you out of a Turkish prison by myself, didn't I?"
With that I left to go get my bags so that Branson could take me to the docks.
