Chapter 1

Uncle Arthur

My prayers were answered, there was a response.

"Hello?"

"Erm—hello, Uncle Arthur? It's me, Kyle."

"Kyle...?"

"Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason. Kristen's son."

"Wow! Kyle! Jolly good to hear from you! You sound very grown up over the phone!"

I mean, duh! He hadn't heard from me since primary school. I shook my head at the remark and gripped the phone. Why was I calling this man? I didn't even know where he lived. And how was I about to explain any of this to a relative I hardly knew? Was I supposed to just grin and go "Hi Uncle I haven't seen since I was in diapers! My father tried to kill me today and I have nowhere to go!"?

Actually, yeah. That's exactly what I ended up doing, mainly because pay phone calls are timed and I didn't have spare loose change for a second call.

"I never liked Oliver." My uncle replied to me, speaking of my ex parental figure. I was shocked to hear him speak so candidly. "He's always been a cruel man. I haven't seen my sister smile with him the way she used to smile at home back in the days. He doesn't make her smile."

"Ah...I see..."

"And I find she doesn't laugh anymore either. She had a riveting laugh! Her laugh could get anyone around her started up straight away."

"Uncle Arthur—"

"She'd even let out a snort when she was really on about something. Oh, that always sent me into a fit of laughter of my own!"

"Uncle Arthur, please! How can I get to you?!" I asked desperately. "I'm using a pay phone right now. I'm at the station. I should have enough for a ticket."

"Don't worry about the cost, I'll give you back your money when you get here. And I'll pick you up from the station as well. You're more than welcome! Your cousins would love seeing you! How long has it been? Seven years? Eight?"

With a ping going off in my ear, signaling the call soon to be dropped, I gasped.

"Uncle Arthur, I'm sorry, but I need your address! Quickly! The timers going!"

"Goodness me! Right, okay!"

Thankfully, he stopped his rambling and finally gave me a valid address. After ending the call with him, I used the address to ask the conductors at the ticket booth for a ticket that would take me in that direction. Being quoted a price, I knelt down on the ground to grab my piggy bank out of my bag. The train staff watched me as I lifted it over my head and allowed the ceramic to break with a loud crack. Pushing the broken pieces aside, I collected the bills that had tumbled out and quickly counted through them, rising to my feet again. I had just enough for a ticket, but knowing the evening rides were exceptionally cheaper, less than half price typically, I took one of those instead to save money.

Evening rides weren't the safest, but I wasn't a stranger to them. My parents had sent me on evening train rides to visit their home during school holidays for as long as I could remember. You do NOT send your child on an evening train ride. They're littered with underworld beings and dangerous monsters tended to attack the trains more at nightfall than any other time of day, causing major accidents and more than a few derailments. Those derailments have lead to deaths. Considering this train was headed to the normal world and not another realm destination, I decided to take the chance.

I got a much needed nap on the bench, leaning on my bags for head support, and because of my anxiety, woke up every hour on the hour to make sure I wouldn't miss my train. Except, I didn't wake up on my own the hour of my train. Of course not. Thankfully, there was a random jerk in one of the bags I was leaning on that shocked me awake. Once my head was up and I took a moment to scan around, I noticed my train was already sitting on the platform, bellowing smoke and taking passengers. I checked my watch, two minutes till departure.

"Sheepshank!" I gasped, quickly collecting my belongings. It's not like I had much of anything anyways, so I made it to the train, handed over my ticket and into a seat just as the train pulled away from the platform. Watching the train press on slowly was a huge relief. I was just thankful to know I was finally away from that evil man and I almost felt the weight literally lift from my shoulders knowing I would never have to step foot in that academy ever again. No more judgement, no more pressure. "Goodness..."

"Mmhm—mm!"

"Hm?!"

There was the sudden sound of mumbling coming from the bag I'd packed from Milkweed. I honestly had no clue what it was and I didn't remember what I had managed to grab from my dorm before leaving, so I quickly set the bag on my lap to inspect. Upon opening it, out popped my Necronomicon, which made me jump in my seat.

"You better be thankful I was listening all this time!" The book scolded. "I was practically shaking the entire bag and you were snoring straight through it all!"

"Thank you..." I sighed, leaning back into the padded seat of the train. "I'm just really exhausted..."

"Of course you are! You fought off your father!"

"He's not my father."

"I can't believe you got away alive! I was afraid for you, shouting like that. I figured you were done for!"

"Yeah, me too."

"What are we gonna do now?"

I honestly hadn't thought about it. Not even a little bit. I was currently just going through the motions, taking this entire situation one step at a time. The first step was just getting to Uncle Arthur in one piece. Looking around the train, I watched ghastly looking creatures cloak themselves into the most normal looking humans and relax in their seats as the ride went on. It was shocking, to say the least. There were vampires, soul reapers and dark magicians. I did my best to just blend in to my surroundings and not seem panicked. Considering the fact I, too practiced dark magic and personally owned a book of the dead, I shouldn't have been as nervous as I felt.

The ride was an overnight trip that thankfully hadn't run into any bandits or monsters on the route to the portal into the normal world. I was actually able to sleep through it. I had gone to sleep seeing witches flying through the air and woke up to airplanes instead. Stretching in my seat as I woke up, I rubbed my eyes and peered out of the window. It had been so long since I'd visited England and nothing had changed. It still looked just as I remembered, green and vacant. At least at the moment with the train passing through farmland. I felt a wave of peace wash over me being in the land of the normal. The lack of expectations was an instant stress reliever.

When the train made its way into a nearby town, it pulled into its station and finally came to a full stop. I collected my belongings, zipped up my parka and headed out with the rest of the undercover occult passengers onto the red, brick paved platform. I walked out of the gates and towards the curb of the road beyond the station's entrance, scanning the area for anyone who looked related to me. I hadn't exactly gone over train times with my uncle before ending the call with him, so I wasn't sure if he even knew when to come for me.

With no benches around to sit on, I set my bags on the curb and sat on those instead, letting out a deep sigh I didn't know was in me. I watched as other families met each other at the gates of the station, hopped into their own cars in the car park and drove off. After a while, the platform cleared out and I seemed to be the last of the passengers from the train, waiting. I pulled my school bag from underneath me and opened it to let my Necronomicon out.

"What's happening? Where's your Uncle?" The book pressed me. I shrugged, letting it go to float in front of me when the coast was clear.

"I'm not sure..."

"What do you mean?!"

"I don't know if he's coming. I didn't really tell him what time I was arriving."

"What if he doesn't show up?"

"I don't know! Okay?!" The book was honestly starting to annoy me with all the questioning. I was already starting to feel anxious, but I didn't want it to get the best of me. The uncertainty of the situation was already stressful enough, the rapid fire questions weren't helping.

"We're in the middle of nowhere though. Do you even have enough to go back to the realm if you wanted to?"

"Listen to me." I spoke sternly. "It's over for the realm. We don't talk about the realm. I don't want to hear of the realm. We're never going back to the realm."

"Kyle—!"

"We're NEVER going back! That's final!"

Before the book could protest any further, the sound of a failing car horn caught our attention. Quickly, I snatched the book from the air and held it to my chest, looking up at the winding road. The car approaching was a total jalopy of a vehicle. It was rusted at its bonnet, boot and passenger door and nearly losing its front bumper. There was even a crack going clear across the windscreen. The muffler was rumbling and the breaks grinded to a long, excruciating stop in the car park of the station across from where I was now standing. After a brief fight with the driver side door, out popped a middle aged, redheaded man. I already knew who it was before he even called out to me.

"KYLE! YOU MADE IT!" My Uncle Arthur greeted with a wave and a crooked toothed, terribly stained smile, hopping out of the car to meet me curbside. I smiled back weakly, returning the wave.

"Hello, Uncle Arthur.."

"I figured you were taking the overnight express when you didn't show in the afternoon yesterday! Is this all you bought along with you?" He gasped, grabbing both of my poorly packed bags with ease whilst I'd struggled with the weight. I nodded and followed behind him, back to his car.

"Well, yes. I didn't exactly get a chance to properly pack..."

"That's no trouble! You remember your cousin, Alexander, don't you? You're both about the same age, real skinny lads the two of you! You'd think I was skipping out on feeding the bloke! Haha! His clothes should fit you!"

"Oh, lush..." I sighed, stopping at the passenger side door. He popped the boot and tossed my bags in. I actually didn't remember much of Alexander. From what I could recall, he'd always been a quiet kid when we'd been in primary school as youths. I pulled on the handle of the car door, but as expected with the state of it, the door wouldn't open. "Erm..."

"Oh, hang on!" My uncle gasped, rushing into the car from the driver's side. He popped it open and the door swung out with a loud, obnoxious squeak. "It only opens from inside! Haha!"

"Ah.." I groaned, slowly entering as my uncle laughed. I closed the door, but it promptly swung back open. I raised a brow, trying again, but the same outcome.

"You've got to give it some force!" My uncle instructed. "Really reel it in!"

I pulled with all my might and finally got the door to close. I was winded and he found it positively hilarious. With how refined my mother figure was in the way she carried herself, I couldn't believe this hillbilly was her brother. After failing to start the car up again, three times in a row, the engine finally crawled to a start. The car jerked forward when he stepped on the gas and I swore the entire vehicle would fall apart underneath us with the way the metal rattled. It was beyond concerning.

"I'll have to stop for petrol before I take you back." My uncle spoke, propping his elbow up on the ledge of the window as we started down the road. "I'm sure you're exhausted."

"I'm alright, actually. I managed to get some rest."

"You sure? I can't help but notice that you look a little rough."

"R-rough? Seriously?"

"I have never seen a child your age with dark circles darker than mine!" My uncle joked, pointing out his own eyes with a chuckle. "Goodness gracious!"

"Oh...I always look like this..."

"Not under my roof! You really must lighten up a bit. You're incredibly stiff."

"Stiff?"

"You've got the moxie of a Bloodworth family member, but the appearance of a Thomason through and through."

"Heavens..." I hated being compared to that vile man more than anything. Pulling the sun visor down from the ceiling of the car, I looked into the cloudy mirror and inspected my face, massaging below my eyes. He was right, I really did look rough. "Hm..." My uncle caught a glimpse of what I was doing and turned back to the road.

"Now, don't work yourself up." He told me gently, catching my attention. "I understand. I know what you went through, before I mean.." I was surprised by what he was saying. I figured my mother figure potentially alerted him in advance that I was going to contact him. Either that, or she'd gotten in touch with him whilst I was in transit.

"You know? Everything?"

"It doesn't matter anymore, that's all I wanted to say. My home is a save haven. We don't fight and we certainly don't scream at one another."

"I see.."

"I mean it! It doesn't mean we don't get cross with one another, we're only human, but we talk in my home and we find a resolution."

"That must be nice..."

"No, that's family, Kyle! That's the responsibility of family! And when you step into our home, you're a Bloodworth first, just like your surname!"

That comment got a smile out of me and actually made my heart feel light. I didn't want to get overly hopeful, but this was already a night and day situation for me. My uncle pulled into the petrol station and put the car in park before shutting it down. Looking over at me, my uncle returned the smile on my face with another crooked smile of his own.

"There we are!" He laughed, patting me on the shoulder before wrestling with his car door. "Keep that smile on! I'll only be a minute!" As he hopped out for petrol, I looked down at the Necronomicon, who was eager to speak.

"How refreshing!" The book marveled. "Rickety car aside, your uncle seems delightful!"

"He's off-putting in looks, but who am I to judge?" I agreed, leaning back in my seat after closing the sun visor. "Definitely refreshing, indeed."

It didn't take long for my uncle to return to the car. Kindly enough, he had also purchased a bottle of juice for me in the station's mini shop. As he handed me the bottle, I felt something else enter my hand out of view. He started the car as I opened my hand. It was a bank note, fifty pounds. I jumped.

"Wha—?!"

"For the train ticket, remember?"

"I didn't pay fifty pounds, truly! Possibly only a couple pence."

"Don't fight with me! Remember what I said about fighting?"

"But I'm not—!" I knew we weren't really fighting, he just wanted me to accept the money. I was overwhelmed by the kindness and lowered my head to look at the note again. "Thank you..."

We drove for about ten minutes down the road through endless fields of greenland before finally coming in contact with a small town. A couple turns and curves later, we reached a stand alone home that appeared to have a stable behind it. Small town vibes, for sure. With the sound of the rumbling car alone, we'd alerted the family inside to come out. I'd never seen so many redheads in one place and out from the home came three of them. Three boys, one burly in size, one slim and a young one. Opening the car door after it was parked, I hopped out and went for my bags. I was stopped before I could even reach the boot.

"KYLE! THERE YOU ARE!" The biggest one greeted, quickly approaching and pulling me in for a stronghold hug before I could protest it. "You probably don't even remember me! I haven't seen you in years!"

"I, erm—my apologies, I don't.."

"Hahaha! It's alright! I'm your cousin, Albert!" Upon hearing his name, I remembered exactly who Albert was. Eldest cousin, Albert, had always been a rough-houser growing up. I can recall discovering bruises on my skin after spending a weekend over at their home, mainly caused by Albert wanting to do something daring. Clearly, by his size, he never fully calmed down and now seemed to channel that energy into fitness. He was a muscle head in every way, but more of a country grown muscle head over a gym made one. Gruff and tough skinned. And he towered in height and size in comparison to his brother, a thin and frail boy standing quietly to the side who I knew for sure was Alexander.

"Albert, of course. I remember you fondly..." I mumbled, straightening out my sweater before turning to my other cousin. "Alexander, right?" He perked up towards the sound of his name.

"Yeah! You actually remember me?"

"Of course! We were in primary school together."

"That's right! Before we moved to the countryside! Wow, I'd forgotten!"

"And neither of you have grown since then!" Cousin Albert teased, getting a good laugh out of Uncle Arthur, who'd collected my bags for me. "Look at the sight of you both! Andrew will be bigger than you both in no time!"

"Andrew?" I asked. "Is that this little one?"

"Yeah, you haven't met him." Albert nodded, lifting up the youngest, a chunky little tyke, to wave hello. "He's four!" I waved back, returning the smile. Albert, Alexander and Andrew. I'd have to really press my mind to remember who was who. Albert set Andrew down and motioned everyone inside. "Come then, mums making a late breakfast! I'm starved!"

We walked in together and Uncle Arthur closed the door behind us, setting my bags down at the front door. The boys pulled off muddy boots and left them at the entryway. I followed suit and worked at untying my trainers before catching up with everyone into the kitchen. The odd one out, my blonde Aunt Lillian, quickly hugged me when I'd entered the steamy cookery.

"How lovely to have you!" She greeted me warmly. "Look how much you've grown! Wash up with the boys and settle in at the table, we'll be eating soon!"

"What are we having?" Albert asked, eagerly. "You look like you've cooked up a bit!"

"Full breakfast." She responded. "I'm sure Kyle hasn't had a full breakfast in a while. I heard the realm isn't very cultured..."

"There's a lot wrong with the realm." I retorted, turning on the water to wash my hands after Alexander and Albert had gone. My Aunt Lillian nodded.

"You can tell us all about it over breakfast. I'd love to hear what you've been up to!"

I helped my cousins set the table for breakfast and then helped bring out a pitcher of orange juice and a kettle of hot water. My aunt and uncle set food down at the table and we finally sat together, quickly digging into the meal and fixing cups of tea. I hadn't realized how hungry I was till I took a bite of toast and tomato, but I'd gone a full day previously without a crumb to eat and the stress had distracted me from that. I let out my millionth sigh as the stress melted off of me and looked up at the table. With all eyes on me, I jumped.

"S-sorry?" I stammered. My apology seemed to make everyone laugh.

"What are you saying sorry about?" My uncle asked. "We're just happy to see you settling down. I told you before, you were stiff as a board!"

"Oh, heh...yes. Well, thank you."

"Are you staying a while?" Alexander asked, taking a sip from his tea. I took a sip of my own and thought for a moment before I answered.

"I'm honestly not sure."

"What happened yesterday?" My aunt asked. I shrugged.

"I was expelled from my academy."

"The magic one?"

"Yes, Milkweed. My professor angered me and I just couldn't take it any longer. He'd been targeting me for some time. Just a lot of negativity, I suppose..."

"That's because all those people are snobbish!" My uncle spat, raising his fork as he spoke. "A bunch of hoity-toity, uppity snoots with sticks up their arses!" That remark caught me completely off guard. The tea I was sipping nearly shot out from my nostrils as I held back my laughter. Once my cousins started laughing though, I laughed with them.

"It's true!" I nodded through the laughter. Albert took a bite out of his eggs before he jumped in.

"I'm glad none of us have magic, no offense Kyle."

"None taken."

"It's just, I wouldn't ever want to step foot in that realm with all the rubbish I've heard of the place."

"It sounds utterly miserable.." Alexander added. "So...stay as long as you'd like."

"Yes, do stay!" My aunt nodded. "I could use another ginger in here!"

"And he clearly needs your cooking, mum!" Albert laughed again. "Skin and bones, eh?! Aunt Kristen hasn't been feeding him very well." I rolled my eyes as my aunt and uncle laughed. Towards the offer, I nodded.

"I wouldn't mind staying at all. Thank you."

"Maybe we could go to school together again?" Alexander mumbled, peering up from his plate. He seemed to be pushing the food around more than he was eating it.

"School? Oh, I actually hadn't thought about that.."

"I'm sure there's a lot you probably haven't had time to think about as yet." Aunt Lillian spoke. "It's alright. We can go tomorrow morning and figure that out. Don't even think about that right now. Eat! Eat!"

And eat, I did. I ate more than I have in a long while, mainly because they were right about my family, we didn't eat together and they didn't feed me much. It wasn't just the food though, it was my anxiety. I never felt comfortable eating at home. I never had enough money to eat what I liked at Milkweed. I was never comfortable enough to feel the need to even remember to eat some days. My anxiety had gotten so bad over the past couple of years. For the first time, in a long time, I truly felt like I had nothing to worry about.

After the late breakfast, Alexander helped me bring my bags up into his room, where we'd be officially living together. Alexander was actually a year older than I was, but he was terribly fearful and introverted. Either way, he seemed eager to bring me into his space. Though they only had an air mattress to offer me, they'd made it up so nicely that it looked better than my old bed back in the realm. Alexander's room was the opposite of my basement room, it was in the attic. Also opposite to my room was the cozy warmth inside. I used to wear layers to bed, just to be at a comfortable temperature and typically topped it off with at least two blankets.

Setting my bags down beside the air mattress, Alexander pushed his hands into the pockets of his jeans and shrugged.

"Well, welcome to my room, erm-OUR room! Heh...it's not much." I took a look around at the country room. Wooden paneling on the roof that Alex had decorated with holiday fairy lights, heavy, black cotton curtains at the windows and matching black rug settled over the creaky wood floors. On his desk that was also littered with old pages of homework and stationary, I noticed a book with a pentagram on it. Lifting it up, Alex seemed to jump in embarrassment. He held his hands out, silently pleading for me to hand the book over. "T-that's a child's book!"

"A children's book with a pentagram?" I asked knowingly. I scanned through the book. It was a beginners spell guide. "Hm? You're interested in magic?" I finally complied with his desperate demand and handed the book over. His face had already gone red. After taking the book from me, he nodded hesitantly.

"Um...c-can I tell you a secret?"

"Sure, Alex. What is it?"

"I actually taught myself some...I've never told anyone."

"Wait, really?"

Alexander set the book down on the floor and backed away a couple steps from it. I watched as he lifted his hand carefully. I took a couple of tries, but slowly, the book levitated from the floor. Though it was only a couple of inches before it dropped, I couldn't help but smile. I thought he was speaking of normal magic, like card tricks and silly illusions. Not occult magic.

"Oh, wow! You're a wizard!" I gasped. Alexander hushed me quickly, but smiled with me. "Oop—sorry!"

"I'm really glad you're here, Kyle. I-I've always wanted some tutoring..."

"Of course! But, why haven't you told your parents?"

Alexander fiddled with his fingers and picked the book up from the ground. Again, he shrugged and pulled the magic book to his chest.

"I'm the only one..." He spoke. "And it doesn't seem like they like magic much. I mean, they don't hate magic people, but they've had bad experiences. You know?"

"Yeah, probably because of my parents.."

"Maybe...but I'll tell them, one day. When I'm a little better, I suppose, so it's worth telling!"

"That sounds like a good goal."

"You think so? Oh, I'm so glad you're here! A-and I hope we'll be in school together again!"